Hi
When I got my Ford Fiesta and a third party stereo (Last August) I decided I 
wouldn't pay for an engineer to install it but rather install it myself.

It was all good and I managed to work out how it all is meant to work - 
however (i cannot remember 100% now) there was meant to be soemthing at the 
back where the stereo goes on my car that the steeo hooks onto so it stays 
up at the back - this was missing in my car and so I couldnt hook it up 
properly at the back... not being too bothered I puth the stereo in anyway 
and since then it has worked (most of the weight is taken by the wires 
underneath it anyway...

Anyway, in between now and then I took it to a garage to have it done 
properly and explained my situation to him - he just basically said some 
cars are really hard to do and never bothered doing it - by that I take it 
without the thing in my car it will be near impossible to install it 
properly...

The problem I have now is that since then the stereo CD drive ratlles, 
sometimes MP3 CDs skip - but now it is becoming more of a problem... a 
friend of mine suggested that I put some foam at the back to 'jam' the 
stereo in place - to give it some support and the back and underneath.... is 
this safe? is there any chance a loose wire could cause a fire or something?

I am thinking this sort of foam 
http://www.vermason.co.uk/products/packaging/images/l21xx.jpg ...

Cheers. (any ideas where to buy it from in blocks?)

"mo" <nospam> wrote in message 
news:5NudnROvbtXuM6jenZ2dnUVZ8qSdnZ2d@giganews.com...

> Hi
> When I got my Ford Fiesta and a third party stereo (Last August) I decided 
> I wouldn't pay for an engineer to install it but rather install it myself.
>
> It was all good and I managed to work out how it all is meant to work - 
> however (i cannot remember 100% now) there was meant to be soemthing at 
> the back where the stereo goes on my car that the steeo hooks onto so it 
> stays up at the back - this was missing in my car and so I couldnt hook it 
> up properly at the back... not being too bothered I puth the stereo in 
> anyway and since then it has worked (most of the weight is taken by the 
> wires underneath it anyway...
>
> Anyway, in between now and then I took it to a garage to have it done 
> properly and explained my situation to him - he just basically said some 
> cars are really hard to do and never bothered doing it - by that I take it 
> without the thing in my car it will be near impossible to install it 
> properly...
>
> The problem I have now is that since then the stereo CD drive ratlles, 
> sometimes MP3 CDs skip - but now it is becoming more of a problem... a 
> friend of mine suggested that I put some foam at the back to 'jam' the 
> stereo in place - to give it some support and the back and underneath.... 
> is this safe? is there any chance a loose wire could cause a fire or 
> something?
>
> I am thinking this sort of foam 
> http://www.vermason.co.uk/products/packaging/images/l21xx.jpg ...
>
> Cheers. (any ideas where to buy it from in blocks?)


 Just buy a new cage to put the stereo in - costs pennies.

"Stuart Gray" <me@home> wrote in message 
news:7ZSdnXhKn6iuI6jeRVnyrQ@pipex.net...


> Just buy a new cage to put the stereo in - costs pennies.


Its not the cage - the cage I got was new - the cage only goes about half 
way along the main stereo - after that support is meant to be done by an L 
(reversed) type hook thing which screws onto the back of the stereo and onto 
the actual car itself - mine doesnt have this bit and there is nowhere to 
put a new one (if thats possible) form what i can see...

> The problem I have now is that since then the stereo CD drive ratlles, 
> sometimes MP3 CDs skip - but now it is becoming more of a problem... a 
> friend of mine suggested that I put some foam at the back to 'jam' the 
> stereo in place - to give it some support and the back and underneath.... is 
> this safe? is there any chance a loose wire could cause a fire or something?


Wires SHOULD NOT be supporting anything!!. Wires especially in cars should
have some slack and be flexible to allow for a bit of movement. Yes there
is a very good chance that a loose wire could cause a fire if its got a
badly rated fuse or god forbid, no fuse at all.


Dave

In article ,  says...

> 
> "Stuart Gray" <me@home> wrote in message 
> news:7ZSdnXhKn6iuI6jeRVnyrQ@pipex.net...
> 
> > Just buy a new cage to put the stereo in - costs pennies.
> 
> Its not the cage - the cage I got was new - the cage only goes about half 
> way along the main stereo - after that support is meant to be done by an L 
> (reversed) type hook thing which screws onto the back of the stereo and onto 
> the actual car itself - mine doesnt have this bit and there is nowhere to 
> put a new one (if thats possible) form what i can see... 
> 

Can't say in 15 years I've ever bothered with that.


-- 
Conor

"You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend and you've never seen 
Star Trek? Good Lord!" - Patrick Stewart, Extras.

"Conor"  wrote in message 
news:MPG.1da0c87b4ad70d1798add9@news.individual.net...

> In article ,  says...
>>
>> "Stuart Gray" <me@home> wrote in message
>> news:7ZSdnXhKn6iuI6jeRVnyrQ@pipex.net...
>>
>> > Just buy a new cage to put the stereo in - costs pennies.
>>
>> Its not the cage - the cage I got was new - the cage only goes about half
>> way along the main stereo - after that support is meant to be done by an 
>> L
>> (reversed) type hook thing which screws onto the back of the stereo and 
>> onto
>> the actual car itself - mine doesnt have this bit and there is nowhere to
>> put a new one (if thats possible) form what i can see...
>>
> Can't say in 15 years I've ever bothered with that.
>
>
> -- 


My stereo rattles a little without the extra support - i may open it up and 
have another look...

"mo" <nospam> wrote in message news:LtSdnZFFFOTaaqjeRVnyvQ@giganews.com...

>
> "Stuart Gray" <me@home> wrote in message
> news:7ZSdnXhKn6iuI6jeRVnyrQ@pipex.net...
>
> > Just buy a new cage to put the stereo in - costs pennies.
>
> Its not the cage - the cage I got was new - the cage only goes about half
> way along the main stereo - after that support is meant to be done by an L
> (reversed) type hook thing which screws onto the back of the stereo and
onto
> the actual car itself - mine doesnt have this bit and there is nowhere to
> put a new one (if thats possible) form what i can see...


If your cage is properly secured then the stereo will also be properly
secured. Have you bent the lugs back so the cage can't move?  If so then it
is impossible for the stereo to move. The cage is only meant to support the
front half.

I know the kind of support you are talking about. I only ever recall it
being on my Ford and Renault cars. It was a plastic plug that was on the
back of the stereo and slotted in to a hole at the rear of the DIN slot.
However any time I changed the stock radio this plug was no longer used. The
cage was more than adequate.

Steven.