• Play Music with Car Receivers and CD Players

• Pump Up Your Sound System with Car Audio

• Take Movies on the Road with Mobile Video

• Find Car Electronics on eBay

• Buy Car Electronics With Confidence

Play Music with Car Receivers and CD Players

Play Music with Car Receivers and CD Players

When putting together or revamping your car’s audio system, start with its music source: the in-dash receiver.

Available from familiar car audio specialists such as Pioneer, Alpine, and Kenwood, in-dash receivers improve the overall sound quality of your system. Most come with a CD player, and many also support the following formats: CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA. Some in-dash receivers even support the Apple iPod and satellite radio.

Purchase an in-dash receiver with a built-in CD changer or add a CD changer to your existing car stereo system so you don't have to fiddle with controls and CD cases while you drive. Models such as the Sony CDX-757MX and JVC CH-X series can handle as many as 10 or 12 discs.

Pump Up Your Sound System with Car Audio

Pump Up Your Sound System with Car Audio

Maximize the sound potential of your car with new car speakers, a car subwoofer, and a car amplifier. First measure the areas of your car where you want to place your speakers. When you evaluate item listings, make sure each speaker, subwoofer, and amp will fit in your car.

Step up your car speakers

Manufacturers such as JBL, Alpine, and Pioneer deliver a wide range of car speakers, varying in size, price, and power. You can mount them in a variety of places, including the front and/or back of a car, as well as inside car doors.

• Full-range car speakers: Various speaker parts, usually a woofer and a tweeter, live in one full-range car speaker unit.

• Component car speakers: Component car speakers keep speaker parts separate, providing better sound quality than full-range speakers.

Car amplifiers

Car amplifiers add to the overall volume of your car audio system, driving your speakers without causing distortion. Whether you prefer Beethoven or Beck, car amps also improve music clarity and detail. Place a car amplifier under a seat, inside your trunk, or in the rear of your car.

Subwoofers

Car subwoofers reproduce very low bass frequencies to provide thumping bass sound. You'll need an amplifier to drive your subwoofer and a place to install an 8- to 15-inch unit. You can mount it in a trunk enclosure, under a seat, or in a side panel or cargo tray.

Subwoofers produced by companies such as JL Audio, Sony, and Alpine, are usually round, but you may see some square-shaped units on eBay. The larger the subwoofer, the lower the frequency it will produce.

Purchase your subwoofer individually, as part of a multi-speaker system, or with an enclosure.

Install your car speakers

When you look at item listings, make sure the item you want to purchase comes with its original installation documentation. If you need additional guidance, visit the manufacturer's website. Many companies provide free online installation instructions.

In addition, many in-dash receiver and speaker listings offer a link right in the description to find out whether or not the product will fit your car.

In-dash receiver and car speaker installation is a fairly straightforward process. Consider an installation kit, such as an amp install kit, to help with the more detailed car amplifier and subwoofer installation process.

Take Movies on the Road with Mobile Video

Take Movies on the Road with Mobile Video

Transform your vehicle into a mobile theater system, complete with multi-channel surround sound, to impress passengers and entertain the kids. To bring the magic of movies, satellite TV, and even video games to your car, you'll need:

• Video monitor

• Car DVD player or car VCR

• In-dash receiver

• Amplifier/speaker system

• Wireless headphones

Either buy a mobile video system with integrated components or purchase one component at a time. Car video systems come in two configurations: front-seat and backseat.

Front-seat car video systems

Front-seat video systems come with a video receiver that fits into a standard dash opening and a motorized and retractable 6.5- to 7-inch LCD monitor. These units offer DVD playback and handle all your music needs, often supporting CDs, MP3s, and satellite radio.

For safety reasons, a front-seat system will not play movies unless you park the car and apply the emergency brake. However, you may use your monitor with a GPS navigation system while you drive.

Backseat car video systems

Use a backseat car video system to entertain passengers any time you drive. They typically include:

• A monitor suspended overhead or mounted on the back of a headrest. Overhead monitors offer better viewing, but headrest monitors have easier installation.

• A car DVD player or car VCR that fits on your center console or underneath a seat.

• Wireless headphones for audio.

• A wireless remote control so passengers can control what they watch from the back seat.

Install your car video equipment

In-dash video receivers only require a few more connections than in-dash stereo receivers. Make your extra connections through an easy-to-reach hideaway box.

For the easiest headrest monitor installation, buy mounting brackets that attach to the posts of your front seat headrests. You can also replace your existing headrests with headrests that have pre-installed monitors.

Installing an overhead monitor takes a bit more time and patience. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions carefully or hire a pro to come out and do it for you.

When you have your monitors in place, connect them directly to your media player. Remember to buy RCA cables and speaker wires so that you have all the components you need handy when you install your car video equipment.

Find Car Electronics on eBay

Find Car Electronics on eBay

Once you know what type of car electronics you want, go to the Consumer Electronics portal, click Car Electronics, and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Car Audio In-Dash Units, Car Speakers, Car Amplifiers, Car Subwoofers, Car Video & Navigation, and more. As you dig deeper into the site you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by brand.

• Finder: Use the drop-down menus on the Car Audio In-Dash Units, Car Speakers, Car Amplifiers, and Car Subwoofers Finders to quickly narrow down item listings by format, type, brand, condition, and more.

• Keyword search:Search eBay title listings for specific words. For example, if you wanted to find car speakers, you'd type "car speakers" (without quotation marks) into the search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Car Electronics With Confidence

Buy Car Electronics With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.