Installing a phone car kit?

Kazbah

Hi All,

I've been given the car kit for my phone and just wondering what region I can expect to pay to get it installed? Do I need to bring it to an auto-electrician not a mechanic?

Is it bad for the car - battery etc or do they have to drill holes anywhere that would look bad if I changed phones? Any effect on selling the car later?

Thanks guys,
Kaz.

rebel.ranter

Your best bet is to get a Bluetooth car kit. That way there is no need to drill any holes in the car. The downside is that you have no charging facility. The upside though is that it will owrk for most phones & you can just get a cigarette lighter charger.
Having said that there is a guy that will do the holes in the dash (the dash doctor).
Any car audio shop should be able to fit the kit for you, indeed any mechanic shouls also be able to do it. The car audio guys may be more in tune with "neat" installations (apologies to all mechanics here ).
How much? I think €75 will cover it. It's a relatively easy job to do.
What kind of car kit is it? Nokia?
If you're in Cork Eddie on the quays (across water from Merchants Quay that installs alarms will do the install for you.

Seth Brundle

Was there no instructions with it? Will it fit your current phone? Will it fit future phones?
I would presume they need to drill holes in places and if it is like some it may need to perforate the bodywork for the aerial.
Personally I would get a bluetooth earpiece!

Kazbah

I have a Sony Ericsson 750i and the matching carkit.

I am in Cork thanks for the tip.

There were instructions but I wouldn't risk installing it myself.
I have a bluetooth headset I might just stick with that though if it is that much hassle.
I think the car kits works with all new Sony phones but I suppose there is no guarentee that they will support that connection withfuture phones.

Thanks!

rebel.ranter

What model number is the car kit?
It should be something like:
HCB-100 (bluetooth)
HCB-700 (bluetooth)
HCA-60 (non-bluetooth)
A lot of the newer carkits are both bluetooth & "normal" car kits. My advice is go find out what model you have, if it's bluetooth compatible then don' tbother installing the cradle part of the kit, just the rest, as it all hidden (apart from one button). So no damage to the car etc.

Car Stereo & Alarm Systems
10 Patricks Quay Cork (021)4504602

That's the contact details for the guy I was talking about. They do all the installs for a few of the main dealers in town for car kits, alarms etc.

Kazbah

Thanks it is Bluetooth Car Handsfree HCB-300.

Great I'll give that guy a ring next week.

Lucifer

I have a nokia bluetooth car kit and instead of putting a cradle in i just use the bluetooth and ran the wire for the cradle into the glovebox so i can charge the phone if i have a low battery.

If you would like a cradle but dont want your dash drilled you can buy brackets to mount the cradle on. Pro Clips do car specific ones that are mounted to the dash without drilling holes and then you screw the cradle to it. Universal brackets are also available that can screw in behind the front of the dash and sticks out between a gap in the dash and you can mound the cradle on this, similar to a pro clip but not car specific.

FX Meister

kbannon wrote:

I would presume they need to drill holes in places and if it is like some it may need to perforate the bodywork for the aerial.

I doubt that. Haven't seen an aerial for a car kit that needed drilling the body for over a decade. You can get adapters for the cradle so you don't need to drill holes. Company called dashmount make them. I've seen them in a lot of mercs, BMW's etc. I would go with the bluetooth option myself though. A proper kit though and not one of the earpieces. I havea parrot kit and all I need to do to call someone is press one button and say their name.