2004 cavalier stereo

:disappoin oh boy did chevy do it this time... does anyone remember when all you had to do to change a factory stereo was pop of the plastic plate around it take out a few screws and yay!! done!... noe you have to take the whole dash off and even then you have all this other stuff wired up to the back of it so the thing has to be reinstalled by a rocket scientist... :banghead: ok enough rambling on ill just get to the point now... i have a 2004 cavi and it came with a crappy am/fm deal no tape no cd... so i searched around and found a 1999 cavi that was wrecked and has a sweet cd changer and the works... will the wiring harness in my 04 match up with the back of the 99 stereo??? i just wanted to find out before i spent too much time tearing my car apart just to see that it wont work!!..... any help would be great...

james
unit1032@citynet.net

not if the 99's cd player was factory...GM changed their wiring in 2000...

not to mention the security codes

Yeah, they're right. '99 won't fit. You'll have to get a wiring harness for '00 models and higher. The dash was simple for me to take off...but then again, I've taken that dash apart so many times, it's not funny. :iceslolan

I have a really nice Blaupunkt I was going to put into mine but due to the Lemon Law, and getting a new ride I am not. however I have also had the unit for over 30 days and cannot return it. If interested let me know

As to your question, you have to get a newer unit. I tried the 199 thing nd the harnes will not mate up. If you use an OEM radio you can keep your chimes, otherwise you need to buy a module from Circuit City/Bes Buy/whatever for about 60 bucks to create a chime for you!

(drop me a PM if Inetersted, It was just about ready to install)

the only thing really different between the 2 types of wiring is the 2000+ wiring doesnt have a switched power source(stereo doesnt turn off until the drivers door is opened even with the key out of the ignition). Just tap into the cigarette lighter +12 volt for a switched source...and for the door chimes not working anymore, i didn't like that damn chime noise anyway... :iceslolan

thanks you guys.... so why did gm do this with the stereos? its fu**** up i had a 92 cav and that was easy as pie to swith now all this new crap comes out and you cant do anything with it without a masters degree!! oh well...marchi1 email me about that well trade horror stories about our 04s... unit1032@citynet.net :eek7:

I have a similer problem, that may help both of us. I was stupid, I did'nt look into the factory head unit before I bought the cart, Dumb DUMB. The factory unit in my car has an RDS radio, this means that it recives information information from radio stations, such as call letters and what not. It also means that several of the systems such as my AIR BAGS and door chimes plus other such things are wired through my head unit. Now I have installed a few killer systems in my time, however never come across anything like this. In order for me to install any after market system in my car I first have disable my air bags, plus the original head unit MUST remain in the vehicle. I have purchased a $70.00 harness which relocates the factory unit to the trunk and allows me to install my unit in the dash. The problem is I don't have any idea how to disable the air bag system. Not only that but I don't want to make a mistake, I was told that if I disable it incorrectly I could case the air bags to deploy or never deploy. So you see my problem. Now I don't want to have the stereo installed for me, mostly because of cost but also because I'm a big fan of doing it myself. Any thoughs, tips, help, suggestions would be most appreciated. :p

Anyone know where I can find the radio wiring information for the 2003 Cavalier?

you could probably find that info at installdoctor.com

sorry to say this but the airbags and the stock stereo is just a myth. The only thing that is affected by removing the stock stereo is the door chimes

I can honestly state that the stock radio in my 2001 cavalier had nothing to do with the airbags. I totaled my car july 1st and the airbags worked fine. And the newer ones are no different. I just bought a 2004 and had no problems changing the radio

I own 2002 Cavalier and I had the wiring problem you all have. I also had to buy a wiring harness to put my stock head unit in my trunk. When you install it there is a wire you have to get power to. I just wired it to the head unit harness power and ran my stock head unit to the back. I also wired my remote wire for my amp to the same location. it works fine but I have to shut everything off manualy so I had to wire up a switch for my amp and have to turn off my head unit. All in all I wish that Chevy never decided to wire their cars this way it make me queston their responsibility to thier costomers......

I had a question abou the 2004 cavaliers rear speakers. I am waiting delivery on one and in the options it says amplified rear woofer spearkers? Are they 6x9's or are they like 8's or something. And also is it possible to keep the amplifier if i change the headunit without relocating the factory deck. I know I don't need the factory deck at all because I dont' care if i lose chimes. If they sound good I will just put new speakers in the plastic interior panels under each passenger window.

i think they r 6x9's and you dont need to change anything if you get a deck.... there is a moduale u can get instead of the relocating thing... but relocating is cheaper