radio controls

[bonnelover]

if i get an aftermarket radio, will i be able to use my steering wheel controls anymore?

thanks guys

[00Beast]

You'll need a special adapter harness.

[bonnelover]

they will have that at the install shop?

[00Beast]

Honestly, unless you have a local place that you know does incredible work, I wouldn't let anyone do this on your car. These are notoriously hard to put Aftermarket HU's in, and most places mess the easy ones up.

I highly doubt they'd have the harness in stock.

[bonnelover]

guess i will be stuck with just looking at the controls and not using them, if i get an aftermarket radio lol

[yonkerse]

Beast, you hit this one on the head...kinda like most posts you reply to!

I was looking at this awhile back, and they do make a special harness that will allow the controls to still be used, but the harness alone is $150 and the shops i talked to around here didn't carry it. When I was looking at different HU, i was looking at spending around $800 for the head unit i wanted (one large enough to cover the entire hole so it would look decent) and the harness and that price was installing it myself...

I decided to hold off on the HU, but did a complete Alpine speaker upgrade which really improved the sound of my car. My car came with TERRIBLE factory speakers which were completely paper and sounded terrible.

So my two cents would be to replace your speakers (i went with a complete Alpine Type S upgrade for $220, installed myself in about 3-4 hours) and see how you like the sound then!

[bonnelover]

thanks Eric

[00Beast]

Honestly, if you get the right adapter, wiring up an aftermarket HU is easy. I'm sure you can DIY.

[swampthing]

I have a steering wheel adapter im not using anymore if anybody wants to make me an offer

[phoenix_flame220]

Most reputable shops should be able to order the data harness for your car. In my opinion it is always best to upgrade the headunit. If you are going aftermarket, decide what deck you want, then find the correct steering wheel adaptor that either plugs into, or hardwires to the aftermarket stereo. The infrared interfaces arent as reliable or convenient. I use these.

PAC SWI-PS - covers Pioneer, Sony, Jensen, Advent, and Dual
PAC SWI-JACK - covers JVC, Alpine, Clarion, and Kenwood
PAC SWI-X - uses infrared, works with pretty much anything with an IR remote

The programming instruction are a bit tricky to figure out at first, but once you get it, its actually really straight forward.

[bonnelover]

i see ebay has a lot of these adapters

[2002BonnevilleSE]

Might try here. If they have it you should ba able to install it yourself. I know they had a wiring harness for my 2002 so I could install a different head unit.

http://www.metraonline.com/defaultl.aspx

[bonnelover]

thanks, i checked the site out and they have it all, will have to give them a call!!

[2002BonnevilleSE]

Your welcome

[2002BonnevilleSE]

BTW if your stock radio has a theft device make sure the radio is turned off or when you unplug it the lock will activate and you'll need to get the code if you ever decide to put it back in. (from previous experience)