Need opinions on possible headunit replacement

[WackyWRZ]

Hello all, I have a few questions that hopefully you all can answer! I've got an 08 Impala with the factory HU in it now. Its non bose, and non onstar. I have been toying with the idea of swapping out the HU with an aftermarket OR adding a ReQ or JL Cleansweep. Turning the volume past 1/2 on the oem just makes the bass about non existant, and starts cutting mids too.

The problem with swapping the HU to aftermarket is that I would need the wiring harness/chime box, steering wheel control interface, double din dash kit, etc... And I figure that could be $200+ in itself plus the cost of the headunit. I also have XM and use it daily, and I don't think that you can utilize the factory tuner, so that adds a SAT box, antenna, etc... Also I live in an apartment and dont have a garage, so the look of the OEM unit detracts from potential theivery!

I've got a Kicker KX600.4 amp and decent speakers and have just been using a Scoshe line out converter, but having this type of sound potential being limited by the OEM unit, somethings gotta be done! If anyone has any suggestions on what direction to go I would greatly appreciate it!

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[Opiate117 10+ year member]

i just bought the avh p4300 from sonicelectronix and they gave me a wire harness and dash kit free, a good website will give u at least those for free. as for what HU to get that took me forever to figure out but I recommend lookin for one with more than a 3band eq, I can't imagine spending 300 or more on an HU that can control as much as my factory did (other than the preset eq's)

If your ONLY concern was quality music and don't care about the iPod and all that fancy crap go with a nakamichi

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

i just bought the avh p4300 from sonicelectronix and they gave me a wire harness and dash kit free, a good website will give u at least those for free. as for what HU to get that took me forever to figure out but I recommend lookin for one with more than a 3band eq, I can't imagine spending 300 or more on an HU that can control as much as my factory did (other than the preset eq's)
If your ONLY concern was quality music and don't care about the iPod and all that fancy crap go with a nakamichi

The wiring kit for his car is dam near $100 by its self so not to many places are going to include that for free.

His is like my wife's car. They need a special harness to keep the door and warning chimes as well as a remote turn on for the aftermarket HU.

 

[WackyWRZ]

A lot of times I order from crutchfield, and they give free install gear. The issue here is the GM harnesses are NOT free. Its like $119, and I could get one 1/2 off - still $60... This is only if I buy a new HU, i'd prefer used to keep costs down.

 

[WackyWRZ]

Hit the nail on the head thevic!! I didn't see your response till after I posted mine lol!! Gone are the days of a simple harness!! **** GM and their LAN bus. Not only do my chimes come from the radio/speakers, but my blinker clicking does as well. I've read that w/o the box the computer can go haywire (anti theft problems, air bag lights, etc...)

 

[bk9bk9]

I just installed a Pioneer AVH-P4300 in my 09 Impala. The wiring gear needed:

Axxess GMOS-LAN-01 chime/OnStar interface w/connectors - $25 eBay (new)

Metra 95-3305 dash kit - $12 eBay (new)

Antenna adapter - $11 AutoZone (new)

Optional parking brake relay hack - $8 eBay (new)

I already had the GEX-P920 XM tuner, but they're going for around $30 on eBay. Make sure it comes with the P-bus cable and antenna, those are expensive.

So for around $56, I got everything I needed to install this head unit. I have OnStar but don't use it, and the OnStar interface was cheaper than the non-OnStar unit, so that's what I bought.