Parrot CK3100 Install (with pics)

[brian1972ct]

JoeyO, I ordered my kit and the wiring harness from here:

http://members.cox.net/quickconnect/donotcut.html

The QCHon-1 adapter does in fact work with the XM factory radio. I had mine installed last month and I couldnt be happier with it.

Kepeli, my mic is installed exactly where yours is. I opted to put the LCD screen in the Not An Ashtray area. That way I can close it and conceal it.

[Quick Connect]

Originally Posted by brian1972ct

JoeyO, I ordered my kit and the wiring harness from here:

http://members.cox.net/quickconnect/donotcut.html

The QCHon-1 adapter does in fact work with the XM factory radio. I had mine installed last month and I couldnt be happier with it.

Kepeli, my mic is installed exactly where yours is. I opted to put the LCD screen in the Not An Ashtray area. That way I can close it and conceal it.

Hey, thanks for the referral! Please post a pic of where you put the LCD. I'm trying to put together a database of LCD placements for the various models.

Howard at Quick Connect

[Hotbox]

Originally Posted by Quick Connect

Hey, thanks for the referral! Please post a pic of where you put the LCD. I'm trying to put together a database of LCD placements for the various models.

Howard at Quick Connect

Howard, feel free to use the pic of mine that started this thread. If you want a better pic, PM me.

BTW, still looking forward to that Quick Connect harness for our '07 Tahoe. I'm sure your looking forward to that too, huh?

[Kepeli]

Originally Posted by brian1972ct

Kepeli, my mic is installed exactly where yours is. I opted to put the LCD screen in the Not An Ashtray area. That way I can close it and conceal it.

Brian...The only reason I didn't install the LCD there is because that is where I keep my I-Pod and I figured the I-Pod (a high theft item) would get stolen before the Parrot would.

[brian1972ct]

Kepeli, good point....

Howard, I stole Hotbox's idea and put my LCD where his is in his pics....by the way, thanks for the fast and friendly service...anyone looking for the Parrot should email him.

[Quick Connect]

Thanks for good karma. We just updated our website:

http://www.parrotkits.com

Howard

[sonny415]

Thanks to HOTBOX, another sucsessfull self install. very easy and proud to have saved 100$ for install. I mounted mine just above the seat heater switch. Thanks a million. Sonny from hawaii

Originally Posted by Hotbox

Hey all!

I just completed my install of a Parrot CK3100 Handsfree kit in our RL. Here's how it went...

Wiring...
I obtained a wiring harness from Expansys so that I didn't have to splice into any of the wiring (See first pic). That was a snap as it used only the 20-pin connector. This included all 4 speaker outputs as well as full-time power and ignition power, so it was truly a one plug install. All of the wiring and cut-off relays fit neatly behind the head unit. The contol unit was down on the floor below and behind the head unit. The only issue that I had with this is that the harness has the ignition power and full time power reversed. The easy remedy was to just unplug both fuse holders and switch them. Everything tested out perfect.

Mounting of the mic...
This one was pretty easy too. I attached it to the underside of the rearview mirror (see pic 2) and ran the wire up where the power to the compass comes from. From there, I ran it under the headliner to the passenger side door, then down the seal between the door frame and the pillar until I got it under the glove box. Then I just ran it to the area under the head unit. This is where I mounted the control box.

Mounting of the display...
This is where things got a little tricky (and took the most time). I didn't want to just stick it on the dash. I wanted the RL to look as stock as possible. The only option I saw was in the NAA ('Not an ashtray'). This would allow Mrs. Hotbox to close it up and keep it out of sight. After I figured out how to remove the NAA, I removed the entire section than contained the NAA (including the cig lighters and seat heater switches). I drilled through the back of the NAA and ran the wiring out back. I then needed to drill through the plastic housing that's behind the NAA to get the wire back to the control box. Walla! (See pic 3)

Operation...
This is really slick. Prior to putting this in, Mrs. Hotbox would be fumbling around in her purse on the floor to find her phone when it rang. Then she would fumble around and get her earbud/mic on and plugged into the phone. I didn't feel that was terribly safe, so I decided on the Parrot CK3100. Now with bluetooth on her phone turned on, it automatically connects to her phone when she starts the RL and when she gets a call, the radio mutes and the call comes over the front speakers without touching anything. Since the control box has it's own small amp, the radio doesn't even need to be on. This unit also has voice dialing and syncs with the phones phonebook. In addition, when she's still on a call and stops the truck and turns off the ignition, the display asks her if she wants to transfer the call to the handset. Very cool!

Gotchas...
The only gotcha I've found is that the sub for the RL is on a different harness on the head unit. Obviously, this is not muted by the relays during a call, so you hear a little bit of bass from the radio while talking (she doesn't listen to it at really loud volumes, anyway). Since this is such a low frequency, I don't think that it's even picked up by the mic, so maybe it's not such a problem.

All in all, this wasn't a very difficult install. The hardest part was mounting it inside of the NAA. For those that are guilty of talking on the phone while driving, this is a really nice alternative.

(BTW, let's not turn this into a discussion on driving and talking on the phone at the same time. That's been covered on these forums before, and I don't care to see that discussion again )

-Hotbox

[mwarren2]

Just finished up my CK3100 install. I used the NAA as Hotbox did for placement of the display but mounted the mic with the small sticky mount to the instrument panel bezel just below the gas guage. It is very inconspicuous placed there.

I did not drill through the NAA but did have to drill a hole behind it to pass the display lead through. The display itself is mounted with small nuts and bolts to the rubber liner of the NAA. I mounted the control box and relay to the top of the NAV unit and bundled the wires and harness behind. Everything works as advertised. I used the QCHon-1 adapter from Quick Connect and all stock controls function as usual including XM. Because the sub woofer runs on its own output, it is not muted but is not a problem. I did run into a slight problem in that the initial display did not function. A phone call to Parrot with an explanation of the problem, and they sent another display out the same day. Purchased the CK3100 online at cellularaccessory.com for $138.95 and free shipping. I'm not posting any pics as Hotbox has pretty much covered it. And a big thanks to Hotbox for his effort.

[montoya32]

Has anyone tried tapping into the Nav's mic instead of mounting the Parrot's mic somwhere?

[ChrisM]

I'm just curious, what is the advantage of using a device like the parrot handsfree kit vs. something like this? I use a Motorola bluetooth speakerphone. It uses the voice dial in my cell phone and requires no wiring. It works well even when the window is cracked and I have had very few complaints of sound quality from the person I was talking to. I use it in conjunction with my LG VX-9800 cell phone. I got it off of Ebay. It cost less than the wiring harness for the parrot.