Factory amp?

[Isaac 10+ year member]

I have been attempting to install a new head unit in my 2004 bonneville and have run into a lot of troubles. First the thing won't turn on then I find out the the red ignition wire from the car doesn't work so I wired a switch. I finally got it to turn on, now none of the speakers play. Some shop owners and best buy people told me that I have to have a remote wire to the factory amp or to buy a $150 harness that has everything. I looked and can't find an amp. Does anyone know where it is(if it has one)? Or how I could fix this problem?

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[Beatin' 10+ year member]

if your car has a factory amp, then there should be a remote wire running from the stock HU to that amp. In order to attach your after market HU to that amp, you will need a harness. And it does NOT cost no damm $150. It's usually less than $20 online. It has to be the one designed for your car.

when you take out the stock HU, the wires attached to that HU are grouped together to a plastic plug/harness/whatever. The aftermarket harness will allow you to hook up your new HU without cutting up the wires that lead from the dash to the factory amp.

 

[Isaac 10+ year member]

The universal wiring harness i got does not have a wire for a factory amp.

 

[Beatin' 10+ year member]

The universal wiring harness i got does not have a wire for a factory amp.

I have no idea how that's even possible. What kind of cheap asss harness is this? It's usually a blue wire with a white line down it. Check that out.

 

[Isaac 10+ year member]

It was a 20 dollar one like you said. Should I try a different brand? I am pretty sure there is no stock amplifier.

 

[Beatin' 10+ year member]

no don't buy anything more.

We need to firgure out if there is in fact a factory installed amplifier in your car first.

 

[Isaac 10+ year member]

i've looked where everybody says they usually are. I don't know where else to check.

 

[Isaac 10+ year member]

Does anyone know what could be the problem?

 

[MutantDreams 10+ year member]

Your car uses data. That's why the switch power dosnt work. You can just hardwire the switch power (red) off the ignition.

2nd. You prolly have a factory amp. Most cars actually do. Im sure a 10 minute search on google can find it. You need to hook up the blue/wht wire to the amp turn on.

 

[Isaac 10+ year member]

1. Already fixed that problem.

2. I have searched google and people say that if you don't have the bose/monsoon system you probably don't have a factory amp.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Does your factory radio plug look like the one shown in the picture here? Metra Online

 

[JoeK 10+ year member]

You need the METRA GMOS harnesses. I had to have one in my 03 bonneville... i have one for sale actually... if it fits your year

mine is the Metra GMOS-05

 

[garretttt4 10+ year member]

Off topic but what sub is that in your avatar Isaac?

 

[Isaac 10+ year member]

Shouldn't there be some way i could make it work? Also, my car doesn't have On Star. And the sub in my picture is a Sundown Zv.3 12

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Shouldn't there be some way i could make it work? Also, my car doesn't have On Star. And the sub in my picture is a Sundown Zv.3 12

The way to make it work is to buy the correct interface. You can use GMOS-09 to retain the amplifier or GMRC-04 for the cheap way but you'll have to bypass the amplifier. Since your car uses a data bus you can't simply hook up your remote wire to the factory amplifier to make it come on. This is the reality of factory audio integration these days.