On the Internet you’ll find lots of little fragments on how to replace the factory standard radio in a 307. It can be puzzling, so I’ve decided to take my experiences and condense them into this post. Summary: it’s easy if you have the right parts and do a little research, but you have to cut a little plastic separating bar from the dash (for a double DIN unit, that is), which makes it somewhat irreversible. After that you just have to install a double DIN mounting cage and connect a few adapters.

Back story

Recently we got ourselves a new-to-us car, a second hand Peugeot 307. It’s a perfectly fine vehicle but I was disappointed by the factory standard RD4 (Blaupunkt) radio. Even though it has a steering wheel control stalk, giving it a hint of luxury, my particular unit’s main deficiencies are:

Lack of Bluetooth connectivity;
Lack of a USB input;
No hands free calling;
Mediocre overall sound quality.

So I started researching and quickly added the following requirements while we’re at it:

DAB+;
Easy to install, no messing about with custom wiring;

Research

The most common solutions you’ll find are:

Adding a Bluetooth carkit

You can add something like a Parrot MKi9100 to the car. That’ll allow you to both have hands free phone calls and stream music from various sources. As a product it’s an impressive piece of kit. But if you look at the costs, you’re going to pay about the same as for a new head unit without improving the sound quality. For me, it’s like adding an expensive Band-aid to a mediocre solution.

Adding an Auxiliary box

The other solution is adding something like a Yatour interface to the CD changer interface of the RD4 unit to add Bluetooth capabilities. It’s cleaner in the sense that you can mount it out of sight in the glove compartment. Still, you’ll be paying a dealer to activate the port on the RD4, adding to the overall cost. So to me it’s just another Band-aid.

Replacing the head unit

And finally what most people, including myself, seem to do: install a new head unit. If you are considering this option note the following:

Adding a single DIN unit will be easier than a double DIN (sometimes indicated as 2-Din). Personally I think that most of these single DIN units are fine performers, but lack a sense of luxury. The buttons and screen are a bit cramped, if it has a removable anti-theft control panel these tend to wobble and creak and well… Let’s just say it’s not for me;
If you want to control the radio from the steering wheel stalk, the radio needs to have an input for the remote signal. Check before you buy;
If you want to use the on board computer e.g. to access the set-up menus, or control the radio from the steering wheel stalk you’ll need to add a steering wheel stalk control interface. This’ll also adapt the Quadlock connector from the car to the ISO connection on your after market head unit. Note that you need a CAN-bus adapter for vehicles manufactured after 2005. Check the descriptions to make sure that you have the right one for your date of manufacture.
The 307 uses a FAKRA antenna connection. If your steering stalk adapter doesn’t have a FAKRA to DIN antenna adapter, you’ll have to get a separate one. I got one with the aerial adapter to ease installation.
For DAB, you’ll either need a separate DAB antenna, or a DAB splitter that takes your FM antenna connection as an input and outputs both a FM and a DAB antenna signal. I went with a splitter to simplify the install. (In my case it’s a DIN to DIN + SMB connector)
In the end I went with a Kenwood unit over a Pioneer, because the latter required me to rig a separate 12V wire (e.g. from the cigarette lighter). Read the manual before purchase, they’re available online!

Parts list

Here’s what I finally got:

Head unit (obviously). I went with a Kenwood DPX7000DAB from Amazon;
Mounting cage (came with the radio);
2-DIN fascia (came with the radio - or you could get a custom one). Mine is not a 100% fit, but I’m happy to leave it for now;
DAB antenna splitter. It’s an “Eightwood DAB+ Antenne Splitter”, also from Amazon. A foil antenna came with the radio - I kept it as a backup;
Steering wheel control interface. Mine came with a built-in FAKRA adapter. This one I got from Ebay, the “CTSPG007.2AA Steering Wheel Stalk Control Adaptor With Built In Aerial for Peugeot + FREE CTMULTILEAD.2 Patch Lead”. It’s a Connect2 branded interface.

Steps

Prepare the wiring

The stalk control interface came with a universal lead, which you have to prepare for your radio by taking out a few wires.

Connect the ISO cable to the head unit. Connect the ISO adapter to the steering wheel interface adapter loom.
For Kenwood (other manufacturers will vary): Locate the radio’s remote control wire in the ISO cable and crimp it to the universal lead.
Connect the black box of the stalk control interface to the universal lead and to the wiring loom (fits only one way).
Make the loom nice and tidy with a few tie-wraps and use electrical tape to insulate any exposed unused wires and connectors.
Connect the DAB splitter to the head unit and to the FAKRA adapter.

You should now have a complete loom ready to install.

Safety first!

At this point you’ll be working on the cars’ electrics. Make sure you do it in a safe way. When in doubt, have it installed professionally.

Remove the old RD4 unit

There are many tips on how to remove the old unit, check out Youtube if you want. I put some pop rivets in the 4 holes on the side of the unit and pulled it right out. Disconnect the wires (note the little handle to release the Quadlock). After that it’s easy to pull the little cabinet underneath the unit out.

Prepare the microphone

The hands-free microphone needs to be installed on the steering wheel rack. Pulling the wire through the dash is pretty easy. I used a large (30 cm) tie wrap as a needle too thread it through the gaps. Just start at the panel under the steering wheel near the accelerator paddle and thread through the holes on the side of where the radio used to be.

If you want to use a separate (foil) DAB antenna, install it now.

Test the head unit

Just to be sure, test the radio and connections. Connect everything temporarily. Don’t change the blue tabs on the Quadlock connector, or you’ll blow a fuse. Just connect it to the wiring loom you prepared earlier. Put the key in the ignition and set it to contact. If you’ve done it correctly you should hear music!

Install the head unit

Now comes the point of no return: remove the little plastic separator bar with a saw or sharp knife (mind the wires!). Next, install the mounting cage (pull the cables through first) and bend the tabs to secure it to the dash (see the manual). Finally connect the wires you prepared earlier and push the head unit in place.

That’s it

Enjoy your new stereo! In the end it’s not too hard, but researching can be a headache. When in doubt, have it professionally installed.

Useful links

There are many resources available. Just Google/Bing/{insert favorite}. Links that helped me the most are:

This video on YouTube shows the procedure for a Peugeot RCZ. The procedure for a 307 is similar, with the exception that you don’t need to take out the climate control unit;
The Dutch 307 forum. Check for a forum in your native tongue, they’re very helpful.

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