I'm used to Sony units.
My C90 was real easy to pull in and out.
When I put in my alpine I noticed everything went on a little TOO good.
tried to take the unit out today, but the trim palte didn't want to come off and I didnt' want to break it.
How do you alpine owners take it off?

 

theres a coupld of little pins on the side that you gotta slide down (or up...not sure) and then it should just pop off

 

the trim plate just pops off with sufficient pressure of pulling it off. Suprisingly, although it seems fragile, it can take a bit of abuse. They are sometime hard to pop off but they just pull out. As for getting the HU out of the shell, there is one pin on either side of the HU, which just get pulled up to slide the head out of the metal cage.

 

Should I pick at the trim from a particular side?
I pulled from the left side and I got some lift but the right side, just locked down?
Is there a direction and way to pull?

 

nope just pull

 

I am pretty sure u squeeze the top down, and the bottom up slightly, then pull forward.

 

so there is squeezing involved?
squeeze the corners?
or the middle of top and bottome?

 

the trim plate pull off easily....but if the radio is locked in the sleeve
if wont come off without damage. To pull your radio out...remove faceplace
and look just inside of the trim ring...there are an indentation on the left/right side.
if you take a pin,hook tool,small screwdriver and side these up/down while
gently pulling on deck you will release to locks and the radio will slide out.

have fun

 

Just to let you guys know, I pulled the trim out.
Used a ball point pen to muscle it out.
had 3 hook like prongs on top and bottom.
Pain in the ***, needless to say I will be leaving the trim plate off.
Too much hassle.