# Swapping radios



## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

(GTO 04 A4) If i buy a unit from someone else car and put it in mine does it have to be from the same year make? Will i get a radio error code and have to put in the radio code? Just found out the radio is from an 06


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

I'm fairly certain that the radios are all the same. You just have to have the code that goes with the radio (not the car) to make it work.


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## chilliwhiggerE (Mar 10, 2009)

I don't know why you would put yourself through the trouble of that crappy factory radio again. Why not get something that plays MP3 or and iPod and get not only the CD's but the weight of said CD's out of your car?


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## knaletko (Mar 26, 2010)

:agree
I swapped out my stock headunit yesterday (didn't get a chance to put my speakers in yet) and it made a huge difference in sound quality, for a few extra bones I would definitely upgrade the head unit, especially if I was having issues with mine. Just my $ .02


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

chilliwhiggerE said:


> I don't know why you would put yourself through the trouble of that crappy factory radio again. Why not get something that plays MP3 or and iPod and get not only the CD's but the weight of said CD's out of your car?


I already have a fm transmitter installed in my unit to play from my mp3 player. I just want a working unit in the car.


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## chilliwhiggerE (Mar 10, 2009)

30 minutes to install and $180 out the door including the Bezel, Harness and Antenna jack. Blows the stock POS away. Not counting the 5th gen iPod nano but the operating system is hardwired for and compatible with the iPod. Do what you will . . .


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Mine was even less @ roughly $155 out the door with everything:


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## knaletko (Mar 26, 2010)

My system cost me alot more then $200, try adding an extra 0. however the improved sound quality makes it very much so worth it, even on the stock speakers. i have currently only installed the headunit and amp/cap/sub, so im currently pushing the stock speakers, and it is honestly like night and day, i would definitely recommend changing the headunit over the stock one, and, as shown, you can get a complete set up for south of $200 (prolly south of $140 if you go with a single din). 
just in case your curious, my system pushes roughly 2500 watts peak from an alpine 12" sub and 4 JL audio coaxials. i was very happy that the sub fit in the trunk and the speakers in the doors, otherwise i wouldnt have been able to move it from my jeep lol


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

chilliwhiggerE said:


> 30 minutes to install and $180 out the door including the Bezel, Harness and Antenna jack. Blows the stock POS away. Not counting the 5th gen iPod nano but the operating system is hardwired for and compatible with the iPod. Do what you will . . .


Nice. Im thinking of maybe looking into a new stereo unit. I just dont know which one to get cuz i would have to get a unit thatll fit.


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## knaletko (Mar 26, 2010)

Just about any head unit will fit, as they sell brackets that allow them to mount, all you will have to do is take out the metal bracket that held the stock head unit in out. the two pictured are oversized head units (cant tell from the picture if they are double din or not), and i have a single din which allowed for an extra compartment underneath it. Car Selector <-- that will show you the options that we have. if you decide to go single din and money is a constaint I would recommend pioneer, as that is what i have and love it (i paid $50 for a "scratch and dent" and it was flawless). if money is not as much a concern then i would go with alpine (the rest of my system is alpine and their stuff is incredible, but pricey) hope that helps


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

The OP 'just wanted a working unit in the car' and I just wanted something that would play mp3s. In my case, even for a under 200 dollar system, it sounds better than the stock radio (what doesn't?) and it does what I need it to do.


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## chilliwhiggerE (Mar 10, 2009)

knaletko said:


> Just about any head unit will fit, as they sell brackets that allow them to mount, all you will have to do is take out the metal bracket that held the stock head unit in out. the two pictured are oversized head units (cant tell from the picture if they are double din or not), and i have a single din which allowed for an extra compartment underneath it. Car Selector <-- that will show you the options that we have. if you decide to go single din and money is a constaint I would recommend pioneer, as that is what i have and love it (i paid $50 for a "scratch and dent" and it was flawless). if money is not as much a concern then i would go with alpine (the rest of my system is alpine and their stuff is incredible, but pricey) hope that helps


It's a double din and I didn't take the metal housing out. In that pic it's actually just setting in there on a piece of folded up cardboard cuz I needed to get a 90* antenna jack to clear the back. Now I have a piece of balsa wood underneath it and it still looks perfect. The bezel keeps it square. I did that cuz I might wanna change something around.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

iwant2buyaGTO said:


> (GTO 04 A4) If i buy a unit from someone else car and put it in mine does it have to be from the same year make? Will i get a radio error code and have to put in the radio code? Just found out the radio is from an 06


The only way to get the radio to work is to have the radio pin for that radio. The person from which you purchased the radio should have provided you with that info. You will need the vin of the car from which that radio came. The dealer will not give you the pin unless you can prove the radio is yours, well they aren't supposed to. If you cannot get the pin from the previous owner or the vin and cannot prove ownership of that radio, your radio is useless.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

:agree
And the way my dealership does it you have to bring in your regestration with your name on it that also has the VIN.


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

Hmmm now you guys got me thinking about getting a different unit. Very tempting. I live in Los Angeles. Anyone one of you know where i can check out some units besides best buy?


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## chilliwhiggerE (Mar 10, 2009)

The retail stores are expensive and have a very limited selection. I got mine off of the internet. There wasn't a store in my area that stocked the unit I bought so that I could go look at one. I googled "double din head unit" and compared prices, options and read user reviews. I figure I saved about $70 over retail.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

iwant2buyaGTO said:


> Hmmm now you guys got me thinking about getting a different unit. Very tempting. I live in Los Angeles. Anyone one of you know where i can check out some units besides best buy?


I buy a lot on Amazon.com... Find what you want locally and inspect it then see if you can get it on Amazon... Often no shipping no tax.... I use it exclusively.


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## knaletko (Mar 26, 2010)

living in LA, im surprised that there arent sound shops around, i live outside of NY and there are like 3 within a 5-10 minute drive. As far as comparing them, there wont be much of a sound quality difference between different head units of the same price range. whats more important is figuring out what you want the head unit to do. For example, i needed something with ipod integration. Beyond that, you would be shocked at the sound quality increase that you would get from ANY aftermarket head unit.


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## knaletko (Mar 26, 2010)

also, one of the reasons i recommend crutchfield is that they generally send you all of the installation accessories with the head unit for free...soud have saved me $65


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

I order from them Car Audio Stereo - Car Subwoofers - Car Amplifiers and Speakers, just up the road from you down the road from me. Takes about a day or two to get stuff.* knaletko *is right about Crutchfield they usally have the install kits.


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## Nomad (Dec 22, 2009)

I'd really like to get one of these, but I'm interested in having GPS integrated into it as well. I am so tired of hauling that stupid bean bag thing out every time I want to use my GPS. Does anyone have a stereo that has GPS integrated into it? The Prius setup is actually kind of nice. Doesn't anyone build a head unit like that, but aftermarket?


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## Aspired (Jun 15, 2010)

Not to steal the thread but are there units out there that can still take advantage of the steering wheel controls? That's my factor so far in not switching as my stock unit works but I'd love it a LOT cleaner sounding especially at high volume.


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## CMURDAx (Apr 26, 2010)

theres an adapter you can buy to make the sterring wheel controls still work


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## ShiftingLanes (Mar 7, 2010)

*Yep*

Yeah. They sell a separate harness/interface, but not ALL head units can do this. I just bought (and installed) a kenwood bt645u head unit that is capable of playing nice with the steering controls. The harness to do it is something i'm going to have to pick up as an extra soon. The next lowest model couldn't do it, so be sure that if you want the controls to work, the unit you choose can take the optional harness. As everyone else has been saying, though, the difference in sound quality you get from JUST a head unit change is shocking. It was the first thing I did to the system, wanting simply to get mp3/aux/usb in the car... but got more than I expected. Already have a bunch more stuff waiting to go in.
BUT... here is MY question... as I gather the cash to finish the job, I'll be relying on just this head unit. I've noticed that if I play something fairly loud for 10-15 minutes, the highs will suddenly get distorted and drop in volume, and the bass will remain clear, but also drop in volume. Nothing insane, but definitely noticeable. Turning the unit off for a few seconds, then back on clears it right up... for about 15 more minutes. Anyone know what I might be looking at? Seems like I may be sending too much power to the stock amp? All of the wiring is secure and connections tight, and like I said, a reboot gets rid of the problem for a while. :confused


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## Aspired (Jun 15, 2010)

Cool I new there where models just not sure if they had a harness for the GTO.

Maybe your new Kenwood is getting hot and your getting fade from the internal preamp. At least that's what normally happens if it doesn't get so hot it shuts down. Can you leave it unlocked in place and when it starts acting up slide it out and check it's temp?

My stock unit seems to do the same, loud (well kinda) and decent for a while at first then seem to loose it's hit. Never had my unit out but is there much air flow back there? Maybe it's the speakers. Did you have the issue at all with you stock unit?

I also want the bluetooth like your radio offers, guess I'll start looking for my new deck!


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

CMURDAx said:


> theres an adapter you can buy to make the sterring wheel controls still work


With those kits, all the controls will work but the settings no longer show on the instrument panel.


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

ShiftingLanes said:


> Yeah. They sell a separate harness/interface, but not ALL head units can do this. I just bought (and installed) a kenwood bt645u head unit that is capable of playing nice with the steering controls. The harness to do it is something i'm going to have to pick up as an extra soon. The next lowest model couldn't do it, so be sure that if you want the controls to work, the unit you choose can take the optional harness. As everyone else has been saying, though, the difference in sound quality you get from JUST a head unit change is shocking. It was the first thing I did to the system, wanting simply to get mp3/aux/usb in the car... but got more than I expected. Already have a bunch more stuff waiting to go in.
> BUT... here is MY question... as I gather the cash to finish the job, I'll be relying on just this head unit. I've noticed that if I play something fairly loud for 10-15 minutes, the highs will suddenly get distorted and drop in volume, and the bass will remain clear, but also drop in volume. Nothing insane, but definitely noticeable. Turning the unit off for a few seconds, then back on clears it right up... for about 15 more minutes. Anyone know what I might be looking at? Seems like I may be sending too much power to the stock amp? All of the wiring is secure and connections tight, and like I said, a reboot gets rid of the problem for a while. :confused


Where can i get this optional harness for my steering wheel control to work?


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Most stereo shops including online stores like Crutchfield would have them. What brand is your stereo?


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## ShiftingLanes (Mar 7, 2010)

Aspired... yeah, the bluetooth is pretty sweet. It performs just as well as, if not better than, the stock bluetooth in my last car. As for the overheating... I arrived at this as a possibility as well yesterday while driving around in the evening this time (no sun on the dash). No problems. I think you're on to something! I'll probably throw a thermal probe back there and keep the leads hanging out so I can monitor the temp. If that IS the problem, it should be a fun project to get some air flow back there... THANKS!!! 
Iwant2buyagto... sent you a link! sorry it took a while to reply!


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

HP11 said:


> Most stereo shops including online stores like Crutchfield would have them. What brand is your stereo?


I bought a Pioneer AVH-P3200DVD Player. I dont think im going to want the steering wheel harness after all. I need to get a wire harness. Anyone know which kind i need? Does anyone know if the gto has a built in amp for the stereo? If so i might need to but a specific wire harness to get my stereo installed.

Shiftinglanes...No problem! Thanks for the help! :cheers


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

The adapter is a Scosche Industries VW01 or VW01B, Metra Electronics 70-1784, American International VWH-1000, or a Best Kits & Harnesses BHA1784. It looks like this one: PONTIAC GTO 04-06 CAR RADIO STEREO WIRE HARNESS ADAPTOR - eBay (item 120586188385 end time Jun-30-10 12:28:49 PDT)


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

You can interface the steering wheel controls to your AVH-P3200DVD with either of these:
PAC SWI-PSv1 (swipsv1) - Steering Wheel Control Adapters and Interfaces - Sonic Electronix

or:

Axxess ASWC - Steering Wheel Control Adapters and Interfaces - Sonic Electronix


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

HP11 said:


> The adapter is a Scosche Industries VW01 or VW01B, Metra Electronics 70-1784, American International VWH-1000, or a Best Kits & Harnesses BHA1784. It looks like this one: PONTIAC GTO 04-06 CAR RADIO STEREO WIRE HARNESS ADAPTOR - eBay (item 120586188385 end time Jun-30-10 12:28:49 PDT)


Thanks. i talked to a well known car audio shop in redondo beach and they told me for installation + wire harness + brake bypass will be $100. Does that sound right? Also does it matter what quality wire harness i get? Are there better ones?


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

My harness looked pretty much like the eBay illustration. It's worked fine for a year now. $100 is probably about right for the installation. I did my own. Brake bypass??


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

HP11 said:


> My harness looked pretty much like the eBay illustration. It's worked fine for a year now. $100 is probably about right for the installation. I did my own. Brake bypass??


well i dont know if there gonna do the brake bypass so that i can play the dvd when im driving. But yeah that or to bypass the dvd player when i drive. This is the dvd player i got.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that. Mine isn't a DVD player.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

iwant2buyaGTO said:


> well i dont know if there gonna do the brake bypass so that i can play the dvd when im driving. But yeah that or to bypass the dvd player when i drive. This is the dvd player i got.


I like that HU. I didn't know Pioneers had the brake signal for the DVD. I remember they had an internal gyro. If they do now thats cool because all you do is ground the wire.


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## iwant2buyaGTO (Dec 17, 2009)

Just got my unit installed. I love it!


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