Parrot Bluetooth install...

So I took the plunge and installed the Parrot 3100k bluetooth system for my 05 Lariat Screw.

I bought the kit online, and it shipped from San Diego. Being that I live in Los Angeles, I got the package within a day. The company I purchased it from also has an adapter for our radio (both w/sub and w/o). There is not one single wire that you have to splice/cut/strip/ground, etc. It is completely plug and play. I even have the aux adapter for my ipod and XM and it all just daisy chains. I ran the LCD screen to my dash, just to the rear/center of the tray on the dash, and installed the mic on the drivers side a-pillar.

The beauty of this kit is it integrates with our stereo. When you make or receive a phone call it auto-mutes the radio, displays "phone" on the radio display screen, and routes the phone call audio to your stereo speakers. There is no echo and none of that chatter you get when your cell phone interferes with improperly shielded cables. The system also auto detects your phone every time you step into your vehicle. There is also no lag between the time your phone receives a call and the time the stereo mutes audio and connects. The LCD display shows your phone name (you can make it whatever you want), your carrier, battery and signal levels.

The system also utilizes voice recognition. You can either download your phone book from your cell to the system and use already programmed voice tags from your cell, or you can record a completely different set of voice tags onto the Parrot computer. The voice recognition system is also extremely accurate and works better than the voice recog. on my cell! You can answer, end or start a phone call using voice recognition.

Today is my first day using the system and have probably put 4 hours of talk time on it already. In every case the person I was talking to had no idea I was on a speaker phone/car kit system. In fact, they said the sound quality sounded better than using my handset.

And here's the kicker my FTE friends....the whole system can be had for under $250.00 and about 30mins of labor. The Parrot kit was $159.00, the adapter for the Ford Audiophile w/sub was $59.00 and shipping was $14.00. If you live outside California you won't get charged the 7.25% sales tax though, which I got stuck with. Buying the adapter also eliminates you having to purchase the Ford cell prep package from the dealer.

I will have pictures coming shortly.

-Louie