Aston Martin DB7, DB9, DBS, Vantage V8, Vanquish, and Classic models

Mr12VolT: Great bluetooth/aux integration for early Vantages

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Old Feb 12, 2021 | 06:05 PM
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Talking Mr12VolT: Great bluetooth/aux integration for early Vantages

I have a 2007 V8 Vantage with no nav, some manner of bluetooth phone thing, and premium audio. After reading about various $1,000 bluetooth audio solutions, I stumbled on this piece of kit for $200:

mr12v.com/the-products/ols/products/mr12volt-most-bluetooth-adapter-for-volvo

I installed it and it is perfect for my use case, which is this: I play tunes from my phone, and I never touch or look at my phone. I pull up a Spotify playlist and roll with it. This device pipes the audio through with no noise, and allows me to skip tracks and control volume as per usual. Adjusting the volume on my phone changes the volume in the car, but you can also use the volume **** (they operate independently from one. another). When I turn the car on, the tunes magically play from where I left off.

The hardest part of the installation was locating 12V and ground connections and bundling the wires without kinking the optical cables (bad) or introducing a squeak behind the dash. I used fuzzy Tesa tape for this purpose, though I dunno if it was necessary.

Here's a video for installing an older version of the Mr12VolT kit:


Here's a video for installing a similar-but-different device:


The instructions say to use a constant 12V source, but I couldn't find one anywhere. Specifically, that red/black wire in the first video didn't have constant power in my car (passenger side—the carpet just pulls out). I wound up tapping into the orange/green wire of the stock radio, which is switched power (only when the key is on), but everything works as it should.

For ground, I had to use something else as well, since I didn't have the screw these two used. I wound up loosening the little screw on the stock radio chassis and putting a fork terminal underneath it. I had to use a ratcheting 90° screwdriver to do it, but a small one of the right length might work, too.

Last weird thing is that the instructions say to turn all dipswitches off, but I turned 1 on to get it to work. I think they were slightly off on which year Vantage uses what in the instructions.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone get tunes in! Gotta have 'em, even with that glorious V8.




 

Last edited by GT3 Chuck; Feb 12, 2021 at 06:29 PM.
Old Feb 12, 2021 | 07:43 PM
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GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !GA_DB9 Is a GOD !
I got the Volvo unit for my DB9 with Linn 950 to use as a full-time aux input. It didn't really work well for me. After the car starts up, I can only get it to work by unplugging the fiber optic cable and re-plugging it. Without this step, no sound will play at all. Not sure if there's any firmware update to improve things. I emailed their support and did not get a response so it has been tossed in the box of spare parts.
 
Old Feb 12, 2021 | 09:48 PM
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I have one on my 07 V8V and it works fine for the most part, sometimes I have to power cycle the car and/or the phone to get it to pair properly.

One note is to be careful when removing the waterfall panel, I made the mistake of referencing the Redpants video which I DO NOT RECOMMEND because you will damage the leather while prying up on the sides of the center console.

The method outlined by Tavarish in the video you posted is a more ideal way without risking damaging the leather but pulling it out by the NAV screen hinge risks damaging the plastic swivel part which is quite brittle, just practice extra caution. The correct way the dealer does it is with a special tool that goes behind the vents to unclip from the inside.
 

Last edited by bavarianstance; Feb 15, 2021 at 09:22 AM.
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