iPod cable routing

[MiTo Mann]

So I don't no if other people on hear have thought this but what were Alfa thinking of putting the USB and aux ports right by the hand break? It's really been annoying me so I had a though.... I have a punto van that I use for work that I wired a 3.5mm jack into the back of the head unit and routed it into my glove box but when I tried to do this to my mates he had the blue and me and I couldn't bi pass it :/ so that rules that out for my alfa so.. Hear is my thought, the USB port... Is there anyway of taking the connected out the back (pushing it through) and removing that centre unit where the hand break is? If I can do that I can wire the USB lead into the blue and me USB port and rout it up and into the armrest there for connecting the iPod/phone using the charging connected at the bottom and storing it in the armrest leaving the port looking standard but actually with the cabling in the arm rest ureaker... So my question is how do I remove all that plastic in the centre around the gear stick and hand break allowing me access to rout my cabling?

[MiTo Mann]

good news! I have figured out how to rout the cabling if any of you are interested? Please note however i only took brief pics along the way as i didn't intend on doing a tutorial but thought might be a good idea, This is my first tutorial ever! so may not be to good :/ but this is how i did it anyways, if you want to do this you self this is only a ruff guide not a step by step pro install just how i did it one evening and he or she thinking of doing this must be mechanical minded, good with electrics and aware that there will be some drilling into panels etc :/ if you still wish to give it a go hears a ruff idea..

Right to start with remove the armrest by popping the plastic cover off to reveal 3 studs, you will need a 10mm socket to remove the 3 nuts and the armrest will just pull up and out.

next remove the gear and handbrake gaiters (note these just pull off) the handbrake gaiter is easy but the gear gaiter is a little bit more complicated, 1st unscrew the gear knob (watch out for the spring underneath) having said that it is fairly large and will go back on either way next grab the gaiter at the bottom and pull, the best way is to grab it from the side closest to the steering wheel and pull the base towards you (note; when i say base i mean underneath the leather gaiter you will feel its like a hard plastic that's what your trying to pull NOT the leather gaiter or you will rip it out) be careful and take your time with the gaiters as they are very stiff and those 6 plastic lugs are very easy to break/ snap off so be gentle but firm or you WILL break them

Right that's all you need to bee pulling off at this point.. so the usb, once you have removed to handbrake gaiter and plastic pull up thing for reverse you will be able to get your had under and locate the USB and Aux plug in, you will feel two little lugs push them in and pop it up from underneath DO NOT pull it up from the top.. Once out remove the black cover to expose the USB and Aux board as shown in picture 2

Now you need to make an adaptor for the Aux input.. i had a 3.5mm jack laying around, as you do lol. but if you don't play around with that sorta thing maplins will have one, you need to drill a slightly bigger hole in the black plastic cover and screw your new 3.5mm jack port into it thus still making this fully working.. you need to solder a new jack lead onto the back by cutting a jack lead in half stripping the wires and soldering it to your new jack port you have just mounted into the black plastic cover Please make sure you get the wires round the right way, there will be 3 pins in the back of the new port, often the one on the outside (pin 3) you will solder the earth or un sleeved wire onto and then pins one and two with the other two wires. the way to test which way to solder your wires is simple.. take your jack lead which you cut in half/ cut the end of or what ever, strip back the outer wire to reveal some non sleeved strands of silver wire (don't cut those off) and two sleeved wires mine were white and red.. strip a little sleeving of both wires back aswell. now connect your jack into the new jack socket and get a multi meeter out. set the meeter to buzz mode and hold one lead onto a wire and touch the other lead to a pin on the jack socket, when it buzzes you will then see which wires go to which pins. solder up and your good to go (if this isnt explained to well im sorry you can always ask a tech boffin at Maplins to show you a little bit better or Google something like how to wire a jack plug?) Once done it should now look like pictures 3 &4

[MiTo Mann]

next comes the hard part part, With the arm rest removed you have to totally disassemble it to rout the cable first (your iPod/ Apple lead, the standard lead you get with any apple devise is more than long enough) pull the rubber gasket type thing of the base buy where it bolts on, next using i thing a 20-25mm?? torx insert remove the four screws at the bottom.. now the panels a the side will pull off, next lift the armrest compartment up, remove the anti slip rubber piece inside revealing 4 more torx screws (same size) un screw them and pull the underside off, now you need to drill the corner (passenger side) just enough to get the usb through, once through leave about an inch and a half poking through into the armrest, once you've done that use a hot glue gun to hold the cable in place.. not cosmetically pleasing i no but if not the cable will move and rub and could cause the cable to chafe through :/ not good so i would recommend a hot glue gun lol. now i forgot to take pics of routing the cable through the armrest :/ sorry guys so your on your own with that.

Once done bolt the armrest back to the car that part is over and done with now, next you need to rout the cable, i done this by unplugging the handbrake switch and running the cable underneath, once done plug the cable back in and run it under the console (note; i also found a small loom so zip tie to aswell) just to keep the iPod cable out the way of the handbrake

next connect the cable along with your jack lead you have just made into the existing usb/aux circuit i then heat shrunk them both on to insure they stay where you want and it makes a neater job once that is done i put sound deadening foam in the middle (as shown in picture 6 to protect the connectors) the panel is then put back in, i held it in with some no more nails double sided tape as you have removed the connector block which was originally holding it in the centre console, i found that the tape is firm enough and allows you to still pull a jack lead out all day long no screws.. Once done i then wrapped all the wires in sound deadening and electrical tape to stop rattling and shorting etc

Once done push back under console and connect black gear lever thing lol make sure its on correct or else you wont be able to get reverse! then put the gaiters back on, screw the gear knob on and enjoy an neater easier way to listen to your iPod

[Alan Sprint]

Thanks for this Mito Mann I now know where to take power from when I get my Mito for Sat/nav and phone rather than having a plug sticking up out of that socket

[MiTo Mann]

no problem at all if its for a sat nav though i would recommend the tom tom 2 that alfa offer, and they will fit the plug in panel to the dash for free. i had a garmin but when i bought my alfa i loved the idea of plugging it straight in with no faffing, well worth it in my opinion. Great sat nav too

[Alan Sprint]

Thanks for that but I already have a TomTom and will be routing the cable under the dash and up the weatherseal by the drivers door and whilst not in use the cable will be poked into the window vent on the dash