This is where it all began; A call from an Aston Martin dealer asking how to fit a Parrot hands free kit to a 2004 DB9 when I was helping out on a technical support line for Parrot. It can’t be that hard……
By cannibalising a Parrot hands free kit (voice only) and placing the display into the ashtray aperture, we then connect to the car’s audio system. This allows us to use the front door speakers for the phone’s audio and also have the ability to mute the radio and, in most cases, pause the CD player, or iPod if fitted. The ashtray lid can be closed, so once installed nothing is on show to detract from the interior. For DB9, we use a cable harness that plugs into the amplifier, so no wires are cut in the audio system. For Vantage models, some of the pre-wiring for Bluetooth is already in the car, so we make use of that, again without cutting any wires on the car. We then add a Bluetooth switcher relay, as is used in the factory Bluetooth system, to direct the audio in the correct way when using hands free.
To add further integration, we also have an interface to connect to the existing factory steering wheel controls. These may have been used for the existing factory Bluetooth system, but they can now be used for the Parrot system with full functionality. Should your car not have Bluetooth at all, then the buttons can be added to the steering wheel. The wheels are pre-wired and have the inserts ready for the fixing screws, we just need to cut out some of the steering wheel to allow fitment of the buttons. Once the buttons are fitted and the airbag replaced, then it looks as if it were fitted from new.