[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.