Installing phone car kit on Boxster with CDR23 + MOST + BOSE

[qbranch]

Hello all,

I am currently trying to install a phone car kit on a 2004 UK spec (facelift) 986 Boxster with CDR-23 head unit and the BOSE sound system (MOST). I have been trawling through the posts on this forum over the last few hours, and a lot of the information has been really helpful.

I am looking for two things:

1. The phone mute pin on the radio

2. A +12v ignition switched connection.

I have read in many posts on this forum that people are generally using the 4-pin telephone prep connector, which I believe would solve all of my problems if only I could find it! I have two storage trays below the CDR-23 in my car, both of which I have removed along with both centre console side panels. There doesn't seem to be any cabling there, aside from the large wiring loom leading to the airbag control module under the heater ducts.

I have also removed the radio and found that there is no yellow and black wire connected to pin 3 on the "A" ISO plug. I will be trying to add a connection to this pin tomorrow to see if it correctly mutes the radio, but I am still without a +12v ignition switched connection which is highly frustrating.

I have five pins wired on the "A" ISO connector on my car:

Pin 1 - Speed Pulse ??

Pin 2 - No idea.

Pin 4 - +12v (permanent)

Pin 5 - Aerial remote (I think)

Pin 8 - Ground

Can anyone please help me with finding the phone prep connector and/or a +12v ignition switched wire please? Confirmation of the above ISO pins would also be appreciated please.

Loren, I have seen your many posts including the photos of the telephone prep connector. Is this present on all cars, or is it an option at the factory?

Many thanks - great forum!

Rich

[Loren]

I don't think RoW cars get the phone prep as standard (US/Canada cars do).

Telephone mute should be a yellow/black wire coming off the radio (CDR-23) - plug A (black connector).

You should be able to take switched power from fuse E8 - or a green/black wire from there. Fuse E8 is the 5th row from the top 8th fuse from the left.

[qbranch]

I don't think RoW cars get the phone prep as standard (US/Canada cars do).

Telephone mute should be a yellow/black wire coming off the radio (CDR-23) - plug A (black connector).

You should be able to take switched power from fuse E8 - or a green/black wire from there. Fuse E8 is the 5th row from the top 8th fuse from the left.

Excellent, thank you for your help.

One more question. Is the phone prep wiring loom available as an aftermarket item and do you think it would be easy to fit?

Many thanks,

Rich

[qbranch]

Success! :thumbup:

With the help of the forum I have managed to successfully install the car kit without suffering a complete nervous breakdown. Thank you! Now, for the benefit of others who may read this in the future, here are some tips......

* UK Spec cars do not come with the telephone preparation wiring loom as factory standard. If you were sensible enough to order this option when you bought the car, then fitting a phone car kit will be a relatively undramatic affair. Just remove the central kick panel on the passenger side by pulling hard nearest the front of the car and you will find the connector under the central storage tray.

* If, like me, your car does not have the phone prep wiring loom, then you have my deepest sympathy and please keep reading.

* Depending on the make of the car kit, you will most probably need to source 4 wires; Ground, +12v (permanent), +12v (ignition switched), and Telephone mute.

* If you have a CDR-23 radio/CD player in your car with the BOSE / MOST system installed, then you will not have the +12v (ign. switched) cable on the back of your radio. Don't bother looking, you'll be wasting your time and you'll only end up grumpy. The cables you DO have are most likely these:

Pin 1 - Speed Pulse (for the speed dependant volume control feature)

Pin 2 - No idea, but if it ain't broke.....

Pin 4 - +12v (permanent)

Pin 5 - Aerial amplifier remote

Pin 8 - Ground

* If you don't have the phone prep cabling option installed on your car then the telephone mute wire (yellow/black wire) will not be present either. You can tell by checking pin 3 of the "A" ISO connector on the back of the radio. You will need to add another connection to this pin if you want to use the mute feature. As per normal for this feature, pulling this pin to ground will mute the radio for as long as the connection is maintained. "PHONE" will appear on the display of the CDR-23.

* Ground wires on the Boxster are brown and can be found all over the car. I used the existing wiring loom for the radio (CDR-23) by tapping into the connection on Pin 8.

* +12v (permanent) is also readily available behind the dash, but I used Pin 4 on the same ISO connector.

* +12v (ign. switched) can be taken from the fusebox without too much trauma. As Loren correctly advised, it is a green/black wire runnning from fuse E8. Remove the fusebox lid and you will find 4 black screws at the side of the fusebox. Undo these and the carpet / trim panel can be removed. There is a single screw about halfway up the fusebox on one side that allows you to remove the whole fusebox from the bodywork. Remove the plastic cover on the back by gently prying open the four clips on the side. The back panel will come away completely and allow you access to the cables on the back of the fusebox. Locate fuse E8, and the green/black wire runs parallel to the main wiring loom, but is separated from the others (very convenient actually!) Tap a feed from this wire and run it to your phone car kit.

* I found that the car kit could be conveniently located behind the central storage trays, along with the speaker (if you are using one). The microphone sits quite well on top of the speedometer (under the arched trim piece at the top of the dash). To make it easier to run the microphone cable neatly down to the phone kit "brain", remove the rev counter / speedometer dials which exposes a few cable channels leading down behind the dashboard. This can be done by prising out the hazard light switch on one side, and the small circular microphone grill on the other. There is a screw behind each of these which holds the instrument cluster to the rest of the dashboard. Once the screws have been removed, pull the instrument cluster upwards towards the screen and they'll come out quite easily. None of the cables need to be disconnected, you should have plenty of room to work.

* My original plan was to hide the phone car kit microphone behind the microphone grill on the instrument cluster. This is not possible if your car has the BOSE sound system, becase this grill actually conceals a genuine microphone which is used by the noise cancellation "Sound Pilot" system in the car.

I hope that this helps people in the future. Share the knowledge and all that..... :cheers:

regards,

Rich

[ukchris]

Success! :thumbup:

With the help of the forum I have managed to successfully install the car kit without suffering a complete nervous breakdown. Thank you! Now, for the benefit of others who may read this in the future, here are some tips......

* UK Spec cars do not come with the telephone preparation wiring loom as factory standard. If you were sensible enough to order this option when you bought the car, then fitting a phone car kit will be a relatively undramatic affair. Just remove the central kick panel on the passenger side by pulling hard nearest the front of the car and you will find the connector under the central storage tray.

* If, like me, your car does not have the phone prep wiring loom, then you have my deepest sympathy and please keep reading.

* Depending on the make of the car kit, you will most probably need to source 4 wires; Ground, +12v (permanent), +12v (ignition switched), and Telephone mute.

* If you have a CDR-23 radio/CD player in your car with the BOSE / MOST system installed, then you will not have the +12v (ign. switched) cable on the back of your radio. Don't bother looking, you'll be wasting your time and you'll only end up grumpy. The cables you DO have are most likely these:

Pin 1 - Speed Pulse (for the speed dependant volume control feature)

Pin 2 - No idea, but if it ain't broke.....

Pin 4 - +12v (permanent)

Pin 5 - Aerial amplifier remote

Pin 8 - Ground

* If you don't have the phone prep cabling option installed on your car then the telephone mute wire (yellow/black wire) will not be present either. You can tell by checking pin 3 of the "A" ISO connector on the back of the radio. You will need to add another connection to this pin if you want to use the mute feature. As per normal for this feature, pulling this pin to ground will mute the radio for as long as the connection is maintained. "PHONE" will appear on the display of the CDR-23.

* Ground wires on the Boxster are brown and can be found all over the car. I used the existing wiring loom for the radio (CDR-23) by tapping into the connection on Pin 8.

* +12v (permanent) is also readily available behind the dash, but I used Pin 4 on the same ISO connector.

* +12v (ign. switched) can be taken from the fusebox without too much trauma. As Loren correctly advised, it is a green/black wire runnning from fuse E8. Remove the fusebox lid and you will find 4 black screws at the side of the fusebox. Undo these and the carpet / trim panel can be removed. There is a single screw about halfway up the fusebox on one side that allows you to remove the whole fusebox from the bodywork. Remove the plastic cover on the back by gently prying open the four clips on the side. The back panel will come away completely and allow you access to the cables on the back of the fusebox. Locate fuse E8, and the green/black wire runs parallel to the main wiring loom, but is separated from the others (very convenient actually!) Tap a feed from this wire and run it to your phone car kit.

* I found that the car kit could be conveniently located behind the central storage trays, along with the speaker (if you are using one). The microphone sits quite well on top of the speedometer (under the arched trim piece at the top of the dash). To make it easier to run the microphone cable neatly down to the phone kit "brain", remove the rev counter / speedometer dials which exposes a few cable channels leading down behind the dashboard. This can be done by prising out the hazard light switch on one side, and the small circular microphone grill on the other. There is a screw behind each of these which holds the instrument cluster to the rest of the dashboard. Once the screws have been removed, pull the instrument cluster upwards towards the screen and they'll come out quite easily. None of the cables need to be disconnected, you should have plenty of room to work.

* My original plan was to hide the phone car kit microphone behind the microphone grill on the instrument cluster. This is not possible if your car has the BOSE sound system, becase this grill actually conceals a genuine microphone which is used by the noise cancellation "Sound Pilot" system in the car.

I hope that this helps people in the future. Share the knowledge and all that..... :cheers:

regards,

Rich

One comment on the phone connector (or lack of)... I have an O3 US car and when I went looking for it couldn't find it either. It turned out it was run tight around the console brackets and tucked under the carpet at the very back (where it is fastened together with velcor). Easy one you know where to look but for a while I was convinced my car didn't have the connector.

I'm not suggesting you have overlooked it, but people that aren't certain may get lucky if they look under the carpet!

Chris.

[qbranch]

One comment on the phone connector (or lack of)... I have an O3 US car and when I went looking for it couldn't find it either. It turned out it was run tight around the console brackets and tucked under the carpet at the very back (where it is fastened together with velcor). Easy one you know where to look but for a while I was convinced my car didn't have the connector.

I'm not suggesting you have overlooked it, but people that aren't certain may get lucky if they look under the carpet!

Chris.

Thanks Chris, that's good to know. I am fairly confident that my car did not have the prep wiring, because the wiring was missing from the back of the ISO connectors behind the radio. However, it's great to know where Porsche hide these things.

regards,

Rich