I need a PRC7618, which is the Clarion PU9836A, to go in the P38 my mate in France recently acquired. It's a '98 HSE with the amps in the doors so he needs the correct stereo to feed these. They can be recognised by looking on the back and it has two DIN style rectangular sockets, an 8 way and a 10 way. Ideally it needs to be a worker and with the security code if at all possible but not absolutely necessary. When he got the car it had a dead aftermarket head unit in it and he's trying to return it to standard. I know a few people have fitted tablets and I thought Marty might have one he's taken out but he hasn't and the only ones on eBay are listed as spares or repair (which usually means they are completely dead and no use to anyone).

I'm flying down next Friday (13th, yes I know, booking a flight for Friday the 13th may not be such a good idea) so am trying to get one before then so I can bung it in my hand luggage.

If cost isn't the most stringent thing, then you could get a spares/repair one and send it to Clarion to be serviced..

I think they still do them, and is £99 for the service - which includes a new LCD screen, removing the code, and adding an auxiliary input...

Although he doesn't know one end of a soldering iron from the other, his son does and he's talking about doing the line in mod but connecting something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KRC-86B-Bluetooth-4-0-Stereo-Audio-Receiver-Module-Mini-Sound-Board-DIY-TE634-/162275183045 in the hole where the cassette mech lives (after all, does anyone have any cassettes these days). That way he'll have an original looking stereo but with Bluetooth conectivity and no need for a cable to connect to a phone or tablet. Cheaper than a Grom too......

If they're dead - no flashy LED, whine from speakers when you turn it on - it's lost the 5V supply because the solder around one end of the big SMD resistor under the heatsink has cracked.

Probably worth getting a spares and repair one in that case if that is a stock fault.

Finally got it sorted. Vancer contacted me and kindly offered a AMR2672 which is the US version of the PRC7618. Looks and works the same, the only difference is it doesn't have RDS but does have a weather band button for getting weather reports from the NOAA weather reporting service. However, the cost of shipping it from the States was going to make it ridiculously expensive and as it was an untested one that he had bought from a breaker it didn't seem worth it. The only ones we could find for sale here were listed as spares or repair but it seemed worth a punt in the hope one could be repaired. In the end, my mate contacted the seller to ask about one and was offered a guaranteed, fully working, recently refurbished by Clarion, unit. Not cheap (£150) but it will plug in and work so it is on it's way to me now and I'll be taking it down with me on Friday. As all the plugs are there, I can probably bung it in the hole in the dash on the way back from the airport and have it working by the time we've got to his house.