Since I couldn't find anything on here, or googling, I decided I would go ahead and document my adventure of installing a CD player. To be honest, I think it is the exact same as the 08' Impreza (thought about that half way though my install). Tip from SVXdc, remove any CDs from the stock radio! Larger pictures of each image can be found here: Flickr: Iamcuddles' Forester CD Player Set Enjoy, hope it helps
Parts:
Metra wire harness 70-7552 - Amazon.com: Metra 70-7552 Radio Wiring Harness for Nissan 07-Up: Electronics
Metra single DIN dash kit 99-8902 - METRA 99-8902 Radio mounting dash kit 4 new stereo 2008 SUBARU IMPREZA/IMPREZA WRX KIT;
Admire your POS factory head unit
Step 2: (This step may be avoided, just be CAREFUL! Here is the link to avoid this step http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/619914-post2.html)
Remove passenger side cover to get access to a single screw that hold together the silver dash part and remove the screw:
Be gentle when pulling apart the dash. Try not to pry any plastic piece, instead use both hands. From here, all the pieces are held in by clips.
Step 3:
Remove front dash part. Do not use one hand like I have pictured.
Step 4:
(4) screws hold in the stock CD player. Remove these screws and take out the stock CD player. The (4) plugs pictured from left side to right are; main harness, ground, dunno (see below for more information) and your antenna plug.
More info on plugs:
Remove (4) screws from each side of the CD player so that you can keep and re-use the metal pieces.
Step 6:
Grab a beer, the metra wire harness, your aftermarket CD harness, electrical tape (if you are cheap) or a solder gun. Connect each of the wires to their appropriate color.
Step 7:
Mount the original metal side plates to your after market CD player. I imagine you can either put it on the bottom or top. I chose to put it in on the top part.
Step 8 (if applicable)
Any iPod or USB cables can be routed where ever you chose. I thought going through the glove compartment was pretty easy and the hole is plenty big.
Step 9:
Connect the harnesses and the antenna plug. TEST IT BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER.
Install the last (4) screws to mount your CD player to the car. Edit- Got the right dash kit now (just follow install instruction included in the kit...should be pretty easy).
Final Step:
Snap together the passenger side dash pieces, screw it in and replace the cover.
The left over screws I put back onto the stock unit so that I could not lose them.
At this point you should have no extra screws laying around (I hate when that happens). Enjoy your new CD player...it sounds soo much better than stock.
Keywords:
2009 , MY09 , CD player , 2010 , MY10 , MYSH
Parts:
Metra wire harness 70-7552 - Amazon.com: Metra 70-7552 Radio Wiring Harness for Nissan 07-Up: Electronics
Metra single DIN dash kit 99-8902 - METRA 99-8902 Radio mounting dash kit 4 new stereo 2008 SUBARU IMPREZA/IMPREZA WRX KIT;
Step 1:So the 1-CD model CP603U1 has a Motorola jack.
The 6-CD model PP643U6 has the proprietary Subaru jack.
Admire your POS factory head unit

Step 2: (This step may be avoided, just be CAREFUL! Here is the link to avoid this step http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/619914-post2.html)
Remove passenger side cover to get access to a single screw that hold together the silver dash part and remove the screw:



Be gentle when pulling apart the dash. Try not to pry any plastic piece, instead use both hands. From here, all the pieces are held in by clips.
Step 3:
Remove front dash part. Do not use one hand like I have pictured.


Step 4:
(4) screws hold in the stock CD player. Remove these screws and take out the stock CD player. The (4) plugs pictured from left side to right are; main harness, ground, dunno (see below for more information) and your antenna plug.
...
But since each plug is unique, it's not too hard to tell them apart -- main harness has 20 pins, ground lug has 1 "pin", aux/sub has 8 pins, and the antenna jack is a standard coax Motorola socket....

More info on plugs:
I don't know what Cuddles did with that wire, but it's a redundant ground. The 20-pin radio harness has another. Only one is needed.
In some other Subarus, this wire attaches to a lug on one of the mounting brackets instead of the rear of the factory radio. So on those cars you could keep it connected that way even with an aftermarket radio.
For Subarus where the ground lug was on the factory radio, if you really wanted to be thorough you could get a male "quick disconnect" terminal, crimp that to a short piece of wire, plug the terminal into the car's ground connector, and attach the other end of the wire to one of the mounting screws on the side of the radio......
The "dunno" harness is the 8-pin connector that has the wires for Aux input. Picture and info in my NASIOC thread here. In some Foresters, that connector also has pins for a line-level subwoofer output.
Your HU will work fine without it connected.
If you would like to connect your car's 3.5mm aux jack to your new HU, you'll need the matching 8-pin connector, wired to either left/right RCA plugs or a 3.5mm stereo plug (whichever your new HU uses for its aux input).
If your Forester has one of the new-style OEM powered subwoofers and your HU has a line-level sub output, you could similarly send the HU's sub out to the OEM sub.....
Step 5:.....FYI, the center console aux-in runs to the 8-pin secondary connector behind the radio. I found if you buy a second factory radio harness, the 8-pin will actually mate with the middle of the 24-pin connector, no need to tap or cut wires.
I bought a second wiring hardness to add some extra wires so I could tap into the the steering wheel controls.
Remove (4) screws from each side of the CD player so that you can keep and re-use the metal pieces.


Step 6:
Grab a beer, the metra wire harness, your aftermarket CD harness, electrical tape (if you are cheap) or a solder gun. Connect each of the wires to their appropriate color.

Step 7:
Mount the original metal side plates to your after market CD player. I imagine you can either put it on the bottom or top. I chose to put it in on the top part.


Step 8 (if applicable)
Any iPod or USB cables can be routed where ever you chose. I thought going through the glove compartment was pretty easy and the hole is plenty big.


Step 9:
Connect the harnesses and the antenna plug. TEST IT BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER.

Install the last (4) screws to mount your CD player to the car. Edit- Got the right dash kit now (just follow install instruction included in the kit...should be pretty easy).

Final Step:
Snap together the passenger side dash pieces, screw it in and replace the cover.

The left over screws I put back onto the stock unit so that I could not lose them.

At this point you should have no extra screws laying around (I hate when that happens). Enjoy your new CD player...it sounds soo much better than stock.
Keywords:
2009 , MY09 , CD player , 2010 , MY10 , MYSH