Getting Ready

• Before working in your car, make sure that your parking brake is engaged. Also, before working with any electronic parts, you need to disconnect the negative battery cable.
  
  

Spring Clip Mounts

• To remove a stereo mounted by spring clips, you will need a pair of DIN tools. (DIN is an acronym for Deutsches Institut für Normung, the standard size for car audio receivers set by the German Institute for Standardization). You can either purchase these or make your own set out of a wire coat hanger. I-hacked.com provides detailed instructions for making your own.
  
  Insert the DIN tools into the two sets of holes on either side of the stereo. Push in until you hear a click. This click means the stereo has been released from the mount. Spread the DIN tools apart and pull the unit toward you and out of the dash.
  
  

In-Dash Brackets

• You may have to pry parts of the dashboard away to get at this particular type of mount. Check your vehicle owner's manual for the best way to access the area. It's also possible, however, that there may just be a simple plate around the stereo that must be pried off. Once you access the dash unit, you'll see how it is mounted. There will be two or four screws on either side of the stereo. Unscrew these and pull the unit forward.
  
  

Unplug the Cables

• Once you have freed the stereo unit, you must also unplug the cables. There should be one plug that connects to the preamp and your car's electrical system, and another plug for the antenna. These plugs are usually part of one or more wiring harnesses that can simply be unplugged from the back of the stereo.