Audio upgrade w/Stock system

[bpopilek]

Hi everyone. I am looking for a little bit of advice. I have a 2003 Olds Silhouette that I started off with a simple idea that has become a royal pain! I have the stock AM/FM/CD/Cassette radio with steering wheel controls. My initial goal was to play my iPhone's audio through the stock system while keeping it looking factory.

I originally bought a PAC module that added 2 aux inputs and made the radio see it as a CD Changer. However this unit kept dropping out randomly and I'd have to shut off and restart the van to get it working again. Not an ideal thing for long trips! I then picked up a new iSimple unit that was supposed to give me full control of the iPhone via the radio's XM interface. Unfortunately no matter what I did, I could not get the XM option to show up when pushing the Band button on the HU. I used a Tech 2 scanner to even try enabling it, but there was no such option available.

So at this point I am torn between buying a stock GM navigation radio with iPod support or an aftermarket navigation radio. My goal is to keep it stock looking, and to keep my steering wheel controls intact. What is the easiest way to do this? If I pick up any GM nav HU, should I be able to activate it to my VIN with a Tech 2? Will my steering wheel controls remain functional? Does a stock GM nav unit have an integrated amplifier like my HU, or do I need to find an external GM amp and wiring harness as well? What is the best model to pick up that will allow me to utilize my iPhone's audio via the dock connector? If I go aftermarket I know that there are PAC units like the SWI-Link to allow my steering wheel buttons to work with an aftermarket stereo. My only concern is how difficult is it to setup and how reliable is it?

I use my iPhone for MP3/XM Radio playback & for navigation. So it is a must that this work. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading.

[PaulD]

sound like you have been beating your head against the wall to make this phone thing work, is it really that awesome ? I guess you found out that integrating to factory stereo eqipment is a challenge at best. The scanner tool is an OBD II tool, I would doubt it could do anything for the radio system. Most of your GM specific questions would be better answered by a person familiar with GM systems, remember I am not a professional installer and have never owned a GM. If you buy an aftermarket headunit, make sure it is steering wheel control ready. There is a module that is awesome for keeping the steering wheel controls http://www.amazon.com/Metra-ASWC-Uni.../dp/B0039H2W66 .. do not buy PAC anything, it will mst likely be junk.

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[slims1179]

I have a really quick and cheap product that will work better than you ever imagined! It's called that cassete tape that has the wire coming off it that used to plug into old CD walkmans so that omeone could have a cd player in their old car.

I have used it and it sound just as good in my car useing that as it does listening to a CD through a CD player you can pick one up for a dollar at any Dollar Store. This only works if your tape player still works though, obviously.

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