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Coupe Microphone wiring

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Old 12-21-2002, 09:18 AM
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jay
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2002 C230K Sports Coupe
Question Coupe Microphone wiring

I've installed the Motorola Hands free kit for my V60 (not the MB kit) and although I love it, I hate having to place an external microphone in the car, and routing the wiring, especially since there is a perfectly good microphone that came with the car.

Does anyone know where the stock microphone wiring terminates? OR, more importantly, where the wiring routes through the car?

The "brain", for lack of a better tem, of the hands free kit is installed behind and below my stock head unit, so ultimately I'd like to tap into the microphone wire and lead it there. I've pulled down the overhead console to reveal the wire, but I have no idea where it goes from there....

Any help?
Old 01-10-2003, 09:41 PM
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it *might* not be there

Jay -

I used to have a full hands free kit for my Nokia 8290 installed in my car. I just got a new Motorola v70 and just switched out the kits. I did both installs into my 2002 C230K myself. If you do not have Tele-Aid or a factory/dealer installed phone than you will not have the microphone either.

As I too did not want to have a mic peeking out from the top corner of my "A" pillar, I simply ran the microphone that came with the kits from the "brains" box of the kit behind the stereo cavity, down underneath the steering column, then up the side of the car (with the door open you can see a little removable access panel), straight up the "A" pillar, under the roof liner and into the spot where the factory mounted mic would go. To get access back there it may help to pull down the front dome light assembly by removing the plastic diffuser from the main light and sliding the 2 little white tabs towards the front of the car. It'll take 2 hands and some strength but the whole assembly will drop down and you'll have a lot more room to work with. Then a straightened wire coat hanger (or electrical fish tape) will get you across the top of the car.

In order to hear anything clearly you will need to remove the casing from the end of the mic that came with your kit, otherwise the sound will be very muffled.

I haven't the slightest idea of where the factory mounted mic terminates but I'm sure you can follow it back, it probably goes mostly the route I went.

Hope all this helps - if you need more info email me at david@asman.com and I'll do my best to help you out. Also - you may want to consider tapping into the factory antenna as well rather than having a glass mount or something. I can go into detail of how I did that too - just send me an email if you're interested!

Good luck!
Old 01-10-2003, 11:47 PM
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jay
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Re: it *might* not be there

Originally posted by davidasman
Jay -

If you do not have Tele-Aid or a factory/dealer installed phone than you will not have the microphone either.
Good luck!
I do NOT have the Factory installed phone or the Telaid, but I do, in fact, have the factory pre-wired microphone in my car. I ended up using that mic, and traced the wire to the passenger side of the head liner. There I joined with the wire that came with my Motorola hands free kit, and ran it don the same way you've described (but, on the passenger side.) It works GREAT!!

My next challenge is to tap into the pre-installed cellular antenna.
Old 01-11-2003, 02:05 AM
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interesting...

Jay -

Isn't it strange how every car is a little different? Oh well - that just made life easier for you! Getting to the antenna (in my car at least) was less than fun. You will need to remove the right side trunk lining (if you have the bose system it's where the subwoofer module is located) and you'll find 2 coax wires terminating in mini-UHF connections. Also remove the plastic piece that the rear deck rests on on the passenger side. The cellular antenna was the wire that was bound with a group of wires by a cable tie, not the free wire. I believe it's the one with the L-shaped end. You'll need a good length of coax to then go from the rear of the car up to the cell kit.

There is a small hole that a bunch of wires go through that you'll need to feed the coax through. Once through there, route the wire behind panals and inside the car. I think it was necessary for me to remove the "C" pillar. Be careful back there though because you'll then expose both the charge and bag for the curtain restraint system... I wouldn't mess with it! Once you've got the wire inside the car you can go back behind the little cushion next to the right seat and tuck the wire underneath the molding down to where you get to the door. Once at the door pull out the plastic door sill and tuck the wire down below. Then from there you just need to go under the carpeting up to the stereo cavity or wherever your kit's connection terminates.

Now... that's how I did it. However... it may not be as difficult as I made it to be.

It seems logical that a car that's "pre-wired" for a cell kit would not need such extensive work in wiring just the antenna. If you open the bottom (deep) center console, you'll find another mini-UHF connection. However, it doesn't seem to be connected to anything. Also, if you look underneat the foam that surrounds the gearshift (once you remove all the trim and everything) you'll find another mini-UHF connector. Also doesn't seem to be connected to anything.

I don't get it. I'm sure I'm missing something, but I just got so fed-up in trying to figure out the logical, easy way that I just went ahead and did things the way it worked! And with everything done, installed, and working perfectly, I don't really mind that I spent the extra time to have exactly what I wanted.

Hope this helps! Good luck with everything! And if you happen to find out an easier way of doing it - let me know! Even though doing so will only cause me to want to kick myself if it turns out that it could have been a 2 second job rather than a 2 hour job.

Take care!
Old 01-11-2003, 07:26 AM
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Re: Re: it *might* not be there

Originally posted by jay

My next challenge is to tap into the pre-installed cellular antenna.
You can access the end of the cellular antenna by removing the three bolts under the armrest (when lifted) and then closing the armrest and then opening the top of the arm rest. (sounds confusing) Once you open the top of the arm rest you can remove the false floor. Under that is the cellular antenna. You must make sure to connect the antenna connections in the trunk together. They are normally connected by the signal amplifier that comes with the car kit. You may be able to get some sort of male to male antenna adapter and just connect the wires together and use the wire in the armrest to go to the phone kit.

Good Luck

-Eric

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