Kia Rondo Install?

[whodat90]

I have a 2008 Rondo with the infinity system, and just purchased an F700Bt. Am I going to need a separate mounting kit, or will the stock brackets fit the 700? Also, is it worth getting the trim ring? Finally, does anyone have pics of it installed? Thanks!

whodat

[Goober451]

I just finished installing a F900BT in a 2008 Rondo (standard stereo).

 

I would get the mounting kit (which includes the trim piece) and the wiring harness kit.

 

The wiring harness is Metra 70-1004 and the mounting kit is Metra 99-7329. Both can be purchased for around $20~$25.

 

I would also recommend you register (it's free) with Kia's tech site (http://www.kiatechinfo.com) so you have access to the service manuals (handy for figuring out how to tear apart the dash and console).

 

I'll try and get some pics up of my finished install tonight

[mrveronn]

I have the 95-7329 DDIN kit in my 2009 Rondo EX with my 700BT. Isn't the 99-7329 the single DIN dash kit..?

 

The 95-7329 integrates well into the shape of the dash.

 

But get the antenna adapter from Metra, 40-KI11 also...Hmmm, now I notice that they have a "combo" kit, the adapter and a 40-KI21 which "adapts FM modulator to a factory antenna connection". At the moment I have minimal FM and no AM radio, since they didn't have the adapter when doing the install. I've ordered the 40-KI11 adapter...and am now wondering what the 40-KI21 does...and if I need it...

[Goober451]

I have the 95-7329 DDIN kit in my 2009 Rondo EX with my 700BT. Isn't the 99-7329 the single DIN dash kit..?

 

Sure enough. Did a double-check at Metra's website specifying the standard stereo and got the 95-7329. Changed the vehicle to specify the Infinity stereo and got the single-dinn 99-7329. Is there something different about the Infinity system or just a fluke on Metra's website.

 

I second that the trim kit looks very good in the dash.

 

Didn't get the antenna adapater, just wired up the antenna control from the HU to the Antenna B+ wire on the Kia wiring harness (can't remember if the wiring kit I got had a lead on that pin or if I used a tap-in style connector). Either way I seem to be getting good radio reception in both the FM and AM bands.

[whodat90]

Ok, so I can report partial total success. The stock brackets will not work on the avic, so I had to order the install kit. We went ahead anyway and put all the wiring in place. Took out the requisite dash components, the driver's side driver seat, middle seat, rear seat, and all driver's side interior trim. The only thing of real note that I'd like to mention is the location of the GPS antenna; I put it under the driver's side rear roofrail cap. Fits perfectly, and the plastic doesn't seem to affect the reception at all. Everything looks totally stock. Oh, also want to point out that the AVIC doesn't have any trouble running the rest of the infinity system, although I never did figure out what the 'EQ out' on the stereo communicated to the 'EQ in' on the amp. The only pics I took were of the GPS antenna, so unless someone wants those I have none to offer. Now I'm in waiting mode for my dash install kit, the ipod cable, and a new rear view camera (the magic smoke escaped from the one I bought.)

whodat

[whodat90]

Final (hopefully) update. I had it installed since the last post, with minor issues with the ipod, a constant hiss during quiet sections, hiss when changing from source to source, and not being able to turn it over 25. On a hunch, I hooked my stock (premium) stereo up to +12v and a speaker on the bench, and got nothing. I then hooked the speaker outs to my (garage) stereo input, and got music. Obviously the stock stereo has pre-out only, and all amplification happens at the amp. We redid the harness to go from the pre-outs to the stock speaker wires, and now I can get the volume all the way to 62 with no appreciable distortion. Still may throw a pair of line drivers in to raise the voltage, but all in all it seems to be much better than it was. Additionally, I swapped the rear camera (a Pyle) for another one (TadiBrothers, never heard of them before) which has native 8x6 resolution. Much better picture, and a much better connector.

[Lifterguy]

I recently completed (more or less) installing an F90BT in my 2007 Rondo EX, and I wanted to thank Whodat for all the useful information posted here. I got the metra wiring harness, the metra install/trim kit and the antenna splitter before starting my install and was glad I bought all three. I also got the Kia antenna adapter, but it turns out I don't need it for my model year. Particullarly useful was the info to connect the speaker wires to the preamp-outputs from the Pioneer instead of the standard speaker outputs. (I cut a couple of RCA plug cables and wired those so I would not have to cut cutoff the female RCA cables coming out of the F90BT.) I did run into one issue you did not mention that would only apply to Rondo or other Kia/Hyundia owners who have steering wheel controls: the Metra harness is missing the pin for the White wire that goes to the steering wheel controls. I called Crutchfield and asked them about the missing wire and they told me there is no harness available that has it. They suggested cutting the wire from the back of the harness in the Rondo - which sort-of defeats the whole purpose of buying a wiring harness. I tried using an on-line wire tap to connect the white wire from the PAC SWI module to the white wire on the harness, but the PAC module is not working, so I think that solution failed (it's a very small guage wire, so I was concerned that would not be a good solution.) I'm also still trying to get my HD Radio module to work (which required the antenna splitter.) Otherwise the unit is working great and the install looks good. I put my GPS antenna on a flat spot on the dash on the far right hand side. The microphone is clipped to the instrument cluster shelf, just behind the steering wheel. The Ipod cable is in the glove box. I would rather have it in the center console, but did not have the info (or ambition) on how to get the console apart so that I could route the wire into the console's lower compartment. Right now I don't have an Ipod, so it doesn't matter too much. If I eventually get an IPod, I may have to go to work on that console.

[whodat90]

Oh, sorry about that. I got that spare pin from an old computer CDRom cable assembly, the one where it had a separate audio header. Fits perfect, but kind of hard to find. To disassemble the center console assembly, go to the kgis (www.kiatechinfo.com) site; it has most of the service manual online. I have my cables popping through the center console where the old aux in plug was. I also got tired of connecting and disconnecting my iphone from the cable, so I bought a 5th gen 30GB ipod off ebay for cheap with a busted headphone jack, and leave it in the car.

Sounds pretty dang good for a Kia, doesn't it?

[whodat90]

Forgot to clarify; the f series connects to the ipod through it's dock connector. Unless you want to use it somewhere else, that leaves a whole lot of stuff on the ipod that doesn't have to work; ipods with dead batteries, broken screens, broken buttons, inop headphone jacks, all should work fine since they're simply a data source for the head unit. Makes it much cheaper to shop on ebay when you're specifically looking for broken ones. Since I got mine I've taken it out of the center console maybe twice to update the music on it.

[Lifterguy]

Success at last! After pulling the Pioneer Unit out of the dash for the fourth time, I finally have everything working, and I'm really very happy with how it all works.

I love your solution for the missing pins in the wiring harness. I work in the IT field, so maybe if I had a little more time and patience I could have found a some pins from old PCs and done the same thing. Instead, I ended up just scraping some insulation off the white wire on the on the car's harness, and wrapped the connecting wire around it, securing it all with snuggly wrapped good quality electrical tape. At the same time I fixed the problem with my HD radio module (I had plugged the cable into the wrong jack on the unit - stupid mistake - Pioneer support tech recognized the symptoms immediately.) When I put it all together, the HD radio worked, but the Steering Wheel Controls still did not. (This was after disassembling and reassembling the dash 3 times.) I poured over the directions for the PAC interface and realized I had missed the line about grounding the White/Black wire that comes into the harness from the steering wheel - another wire that's missing from the Metra/Crutchfield harness. So, the dash came apart again, and I spliced a piece of wire into the white/black wire (without cutting it away from the harness) and connected that wire to ground. Reassembled the dash, connected the battery, programmed the PAC unit and everything works.

[chinna_n]

Ok, so I can report partial total success. The stock brackets will not work on the avic, so I had to order the install kit. We went ahead anyway and put all the wiring in place. Took out the requisite dash components, the driver's side driver seat, middle seat, rear seat, and all driver's side interior trim. The only thing of real note that I'd like to mention is the location of the GPS antenna; I put it under the driver's side rear roofrail cap. Fits perfectly, and the plastic doesn't seem to affect the reception at all. Everything looks totally stock. Oh, also want to point out that the AVIC doesn't have any trouble running the rest of the infinity system, although I never did figure out what the 'EQ out' on the stereo communicated to the 'EQ in' on the amp. The only pics I took were of the GPS antenna, so unless someone wants those I have none to offer. Now I'm in waiting mode for my dash install kit, the ipod cable, and a new rear view camera (the magic smoke escaped from the one I bought.)

whodat

 

Hi,

 

I also have 2007 Kia Rondo LX V6, and looking for some help on routing the GPS antenna to location you are using. I bought AVIC-U310BT few days ago, and planning to install coming weekend.

 

How did you route the antenna wire? Do you have some pictures you can post? Also did you run the USB and AUX cables into Center Console? Any thing that I need to aware of that is specific to Rondo( Mine in Standard CD player, not infinity system).?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Chinna

[Lifterguy]

Hi,

 

I also have 2007 Kia Rondo LX V6, and looking for some help on routing the GPS antenna to location you are using. I bought AVIC-U310BT few days ago, and planning to install coming weekend.

 

How did you route the antenna wire? Do you have some pictures you can post? Also did you run the USB and AUX cables into Center Console? Any thing that I need to aware of that is specific to Rondo( Mine in Standard CD player, not infinity system).?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Chinna

 

Sorry I'm late in responding - I didn't look at the forum over the long weekend, so perhaps you are already done with your project. If not, here is how I installed the various attachements (sorry, I don't have any pictures at this time):

-GPS Antenna - I installed the GPS antenna on the far right hand side of the dash, just under the windsheild. There is a flat area there, and I put the self-adhesive metal plate in that spot and put the antenna on the plate. Since the plate and the antenna are black, and the dash is black, I think they blend in well. I ran the wire from the antenna along the seam between the dash and the adjoining trim, using one of the provided clips to keep the wire straight and neat looking. I would prefer if the wire were hidden entirely, but this was the best solution I could come up with without drilling holls. When I got the wire over to the A pillar, I was able to lift the rubber trim that runs around the edge of the door opening and tuck the wire underneath. I kept tucking it under that trim until I got below the dash, and then I ran it under the dash, using one or two zip ties to keep it secure under the dash. From there it was easy to get it up into the compartment where the radio is located and I tied together the excess wire with a twist-tie.

-Microphone - I used a zip tie to help fish the wire into the opening between the steering wheel and the instrument cluster. I did this while I had the radio out of the dash, and then worked the wire over into the opening where the radio resides. this was a little tricky, but not too bad. Once I had the wire fished thorugh, I mounted the microphone (using the provide clip) to the front of the instrument cluster, in front of the steering wheel. I placed it just to the left of center, so it does not obstruct any gauges or warning lights.

-PAC SWI - You probably don't have steering wheel controls, but I also had to find a place to install the PAC module that interfaces with my steering wheel controls. I fished that from the radio opening and over into the driver's side of the dash, so it was dangling into the area just above the accelerator. After the radio was installed and the PAC unit had been programmed, I used velcro-tape to fasten the module to the hidden side of the dash trim below the steering wheel. That way it can still be accessed if it ever needs to be reprogrammed without having to tear apart the dash.

-HD Radio module - There was enough room (just barely) to install this just above the main pioneer unit. I fastened it with velcro tape to the top of the F90-BT - as far to the back as I could get it. (Some room needs to be left above the radio, toward the front of the opening for the wiring & plugs related to the 4-way flasher button.) The excess wire for the HD unit went behind and below the radio.

-IPod / USB cable - I have seen other installs where these were fed through the center console into the center storage compartment. That would be a nice setup - but it does require removing the trim around the console and I did not take the time to do that. Instead, I ran these wires into the glove box. It's not hard to fish them into the back of the box, and if done right, it will not interfere with opening and closing the glove box.

 

I did not install a rear-view camera. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has installed one on a Rondo for information on where the camera was placed and how the wiring was routed. I like the idea of a camera that fits on the license plate frame, but since the license plate is on the hatch door, it seems like it would be challenging to run the wire in a way that keeps it hidden.

[whodat90]

I installed a license plate mount rear camera. I ran the wiring along the bottom of the driver's side doors under the trim, alongside existing wires to the rear driver's side c-pillars. I then went through the same rubber boot that the other wires follow to get into the tailgate. Once there I followed existing wires till I got to the center of the hatch, and went through a grommeted hole I drilled dead center behind the license plate. The camera I bought has a very nice waterproof connector that I left outside the hatch behind the license plate. This lets me replace the camera without opening the rear hatch trim again. I ran the GPS antenna wire along the same path, but drilled a single hole straight down through the roof (under the rail and cap) into the interior of the vehicle. I disassembled the antenna connector (very delicate wires, be careful) and fed them through the hole, which got both a grommet and a big glob of silicone. I've since been in some torrential downpours with no leakage. The antenna magnets to the rear of the roof-rack mount, under the rear plastic trim.

 

 

Edit: If I had my druthers, I'd have the rear upper spoiler and mount the camera in that. Unfortunately, lipstick on a pig occurs to me when I think of any kind of non-funtional body accessory for the rondo.

 

Edit 2: I don't have the auto climate control, so I mounted the microphone behind the grille to the right of the steering wheel in the dash. Performance is less than stellar, but the whole voice control is so iffy that it's not worth removing it and putting it somewhere else.

[chinna_n]

Hi LifterGuy and whodat90,

 

Thank you very much for detailed replies. I posted here and Kia Rondo forums. As you expected I installed it on long weekend. Nevertheless it is helpful to see how you installed on your vehicles.

 

Hats of to you whodat90 for drilling through the roof, I would have never dared to do that.!! But that is one slick install. May be you could have used existing antenna base!?

 

Anyways, I started a separate thread in AVIC-U310BT forums about my install, and provided some pictures. I did not want to modify or drill any factory stuff, so I came with my own contraptions. For GPS antenna, I thought of installing on roof, but felt cable length may not be enough to route it to rear and to the roof, and also I have drill at least edge under the rubber trim. At the same time I do not want it to be hanging on the dash, so I came with contraption of making metal bridge under the center speaker grill and mounted the antenna under it. You can check out the photos in below thread.

 

Anyways, you can read all my gotchas, gripes in here. BTW, Microphone has to be replaced with Garmin Mic to make it usable for bluetooth though.

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=27070

 

Thanks

[whodat90]

I thought of using existing antenna hole, but that would have involved dropping the headliner which is just too much of an event to make it worth it. I drilled through the roof in the least conspicuous, most protected place I could find, and used the smallest drill I could safely pass the wire through after removing the connector. I want to say it was a 3/16" or so, but don't recall exactly. Also, where I drilled was through no less than 4 thicknesses of metal, as that's where the roof and the c-pillar meet and there's some reinforcing besides. My main thing was that I wanted nothing visible and nothing that looked other than stock, and nothing that was permanently modified. The drill hole is kind of permanent, but ya gotta sacrifice somewhere.