AFAIK
The original VW radio is wired to the Engine Control Module.
If you install an aftermarket radio you will need to make sure that the
wiring going from the radio to the ECM has been disconnected.
This might damage scanners if not properly installed.
crutchfield.com and related VW radio posts might provide you with more
information on radios and what you might need to install.

Dont get the Walmart brand radios.  I got an ilo cd/mp3 with about
40 watts rms/channel.  Real crapper and others have had similar
experiences.  I think the other Walmart brand (to avoid) is durabrand.

Basically the sound was great but there was no tolerance to bumps at
all, especially on regular cd's, and the switches we're crap, a real
headache just turning it on or adjusting volume, on a related note the
faceplace didn't anchor very solidly.

It was about $100 a year and a half ago.  I recently replaced it with
a cheap pyramid cassette unit (I'll never go back to CD's) from ebay.
The great thing about this head is that, although it has a removable
faceplate, all controlls are just *mechanical* links into main unit!
You wouldn't want it because it's got slide tuning (with digital
readout).  Unit only has enough power for dash speakers.
Unit is underpowered so I got an amp, and while I was at it, a subwoofer
that runs off 1/2 the amp. The pyramid head has an imput jack, and I use
it with a 'streamline' brand mp3 player with a gig of memory on SD card.

My music
is encoded at 64k so I can cram a lot on there.  Someday will get a head
with integrated front panel SD card port, for playing mp3's a little
more sexily...they are at the $100 mark now. I spent about 35 on the
head, 50 on the woofer, 65 on the amp. Wire is getting expensive though.

So, I have a 90 Jetta with the 2 stock dash speakers, kicker 6x9's in
the back, an audiovox 4 channel 300 watt rms amp and a Visonix single
10" sub (with single voice coil).  Like you, I'm not a perfectionist,
in fact I can't hear a thing over 8k.

I also have a 98gl with the stock system, and my daughter has a stock 96,
which I added an Infinity basslink powered subwoofer to, with no problem
whatsoever, just running a + wire to the batt and getting signal from
the rear deck speakers, which had deteriorated surrounds, i noticed,
as I did the installation.  I think it sounds ridiculously good with the
8 interior speakers and sub in the trunk...and her ipod jacked into the
factory cassette.

I'm curious to know.. Are all factory installed radios in Jettas/Golfs
manufactured by Blaupunkt?

Wow.  I should have paused before purchasing this unit from Wal-Mart and
yeah. Its a Durabrand model DB1210, a 60 watt am/fm/cd player.

http://www.dbproducts.net/db1210.html

I've got it wired up on an adapter harness so that I don¹t have to butcher
up the Jetta's harness.  I'm on a pork n beans budget so, 55 dollars didn¹t
sound too bad and if it is crap, then I can always put it on the local
Freecycle group and give it away.    If I cannot stand it, then I will go
here and get a refurb'd Blaupunkt unit here:

http://www.midwestelectronics.com/

Terrence.

On 8/27/06 3:53 PM, in article uDnIg.1828$ch7.757@newsfe06.lga, "IR"
<non@sequiteur.org> wrote in part: