Aftermarket Audio installation??

[KyMDLR]

I own an '05 GP GT1 with onstar but no navigation system. I have the stock radio/cd player in the car, but I am looking to upgrade. I recently purchased a Flip out cd/dvd player. I have contacted several large retailers (circuit city, best buy, etc.) about installing it, but the lowest quote I have gotten was $250. one said that the harness alone for the car was $100 and that installing it would be another 100+ because the stock radio "controls the airbag deployment". I have also heard that my onstar would be disabled etc. The most I expected to happen was the loss of the radio controls on the steering wheel. Anyone have any truth or experience with this matter?

[vbros7]

In my 02 grand prix i changed the head unit, and i lost the steering wheel controls and the onstar doesnt work anymore. You can purchase items to get those back again but to me it wasnt worth it. I dont kno about the air bags though?? Idk if pontiac has changed things over the years but, just thought i would tell you how things worked for me.

[tblake]

Your stock head unit is part of the computer data line system. Removing it will cause all sorts of issues.

Your only option is to relocate your factory radio with a relocation wiring kit. Check ebay, or else I know the electrical section at www.zzperformance.com has relocation kits available.

[KyMDLR]

Originally Posted by tblake

Your stock head unit is part of the computer data line system. Removing it will cause all sorts of issues.

Your only option is to relocate your factory radio with a relocation wiring kit. Check ebay, or else I know the electrical section at www.zzperformance.com has relocation kits available.

ok if I relocate the radio, will the aftermarket unit work? Also Anyone know what exactly is affected, I can live without onstar and the steering wheel ctrls. if thats all.

[grandprixgtx00]

this sounds about right. i had an '04 Grand Am and when i brought it to the shop to get a quote for an install it was like $275. they said that the radio was part of the airbag and onstar. they showed me the part the car needed in a catalog, and it was like $135.

i wouldnt mess with any new cars myself...i just bring it to the shop and pay the experts to do their job. no sense in F'ing up a $15k and up car to put a $400 CD player in

[tblake]

Originally Posted by KyMDLR

ok if I relocate the radio, will the aftermarket unit work? Also Anyone know what exactly is affected, I can live without onstar and the steering wheel ctrls. if thats all.

Yeah, basically with a relocation kit, you put the factory radio in the truck or somewhere else out of sight, but with a reloaction kit its still hooked up in a sence that the air bags and ond star can still communicate through it but you wire in an aftermarked to all your speakers. Its really not a big deal at all. Hope you understand. You can always get the relocation kit off the net for cheap and if your not comfortable installing it, bring the whole works to an installer.

Funny we dont have a tutorial here on AF about 2004+ factory radi relocation..... You could be the first!

[unclejohnny_69]

Originally Posted by tblake

Your only option is to relocate your factory radio with a relocation wiring kit. Check ebay, or else I know the electrical section at www.zzperformance.com has relocation kits available.

This is COMPLETELY false. While a relocation kit is one option, it is most definitely NOT the only one. I own a 2005 GP and have swapped out the factory head unit w/o any issues. I used an interface to do it, which retains all the factory chimes/alerts. The only downside is that you lose the calendar function on the DIC. Since the Kenwood radio I used has a calendar function it didn't matter to me (and plus I always have the DIC set to mileage).

There are a couple that I could recommend, but since you have On-Star I assume you would like to keep it. Crutchfield sells an interface for ~$100 that is for non-bose systems with or without On-Star (I'm using this interface). If you don't care about keeping On-Star you can get one for ~$65 from a different internet reailer (if you PM me I'll give you the info).

I'll be more than happy to provide you with any info regarding my experience replacing my factory radio.

[tblake]

And UncleJohnny your airbag light isnt on? News to me

[unclejohnny_69]

Originally Posted by tblake

And UncleJohnny your airbag light isnt on? News to me

Nope. I never noticed my airbag light come on even when I didn't have any radio hooked up. Maybe that is something that's only on the '97-'03 GPs. The interface has a "brain" that handles all the functions that the factory radio did.

Here's the interface (for informational purposes, not advertising)
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...01&i=120GMOS01

Now I'm running my speakers off the Kenwood HU using the factory wiring harness. If one were to use an aftermarket amp instead, then tblake's recomendation of using a factory radio relocation kit would most likely be the only way to go.

[tblake]

I didn't even know things like this existed. I guess it was just a matter of time before a company came up with an alternative to relocation of those stock units.

Thanks for the heads up and the link UncleJohnny!

[unclejohnny_69]

Not a problem. And that's only one product. I know of at least one more (that's cheaper) for those that don't have or don't care about keeping On-Star and/or navigation.

I decided to take some pics for a "How-To" on 04+ GP radio removal/replacement. I'm working on the write-up and should be able to post today. Once my aftermarket speakers arrive I'm planning on doing a write-up on speaker replacement as well.

[unclejohnny_69]

How-To created.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=907694