hey ya'll,
i am planning on buying a new '05 tahoe or avalnche. the model i'm looking at has the crappy bose system, 6 disc changer, with the controls in the steering wheel, and the onstar system tied into it.
question....i hate the bose system. can a complete system install be done..WHILE maintaining all of the controls on the steering wheel?
will i lose any of the functionality of on-star, etc.?
i am not going to attempt this system swap myself, for various reasons, but am going to hunt down a good shop to do it. anything i need to look out for while looking for a shop to tell how good a quality job their able to do?
has anyone here actually done a complete system swap in this peticular vehicle?
please give any and all advice, as i'd greatly appreciate it.
Replies (9)
ttocs on 01/25/2005 15:56:57
all of that can be done with the right parts. They make an adaptor to allow the onstar to function, as well as an adaptor to use the steering controls as long as the deck has a wireless remote. Go to a good shop and they can quote you a price on how much the parts are and how much to put them in.
UKinstaller on 01/25/2005 16:09:30
yeah you're looking at somewhere around $150 for the on-star w/ door chime and steering wheel integration harnesses, maybe a little bit more.
as far as shops, since you are going to get some much done, i'd go to a mom and pop shop that is known for working on nice new cars, because bigger places usually won't cut you a deal no matter how much work you get done. at privately owned stores, the more you get done, the better deal you'll get.
i've never done a COMPLETE system swap in a tahoe, but in a 2004 tahoe i did an alpine in-dash dvd/monitor, bose integration, door chime, onstar, and steering wheel integration, overhead video, two headrests, amp, and subs all in one truck. they are actually surprisingly easy to work on. the guy liked his bose system, so he left the speakers alone.
-UK
wolfsmane on 01/25/2005 16:15:26
ukinstaller,
on that tahoe you did, where is the factory amp located?
is it built into the head unit? would replacing that one with a higher quality
make much of an improvement?
on the install you did, where did you mount the amp?
thanks for ya'lls help, i really appreciate it.
UKinstaller on 01/25/2005 20:25:43
on the one i worked on, the factory amp was located under the center console. it is A PAIN IN THE ASS to get to. if it's not under there, it will be behind the glove box, which is much easier to get to.
replacing the factory amp wouldn't really help anything unless you replace all of the speakers, because the bose speakers and amp are designed to work together.
i mounted the amp on his back seat for the install. turned out real nice.
-UK
UKinstaller on 01/25/2005 20:26:12
ttocs you ever pulled out the center console of a tahoe, escalade, denali??
-UK
ttocs on 01/25/2005 23:55:48
I have helped on a few, but never done one totally. Everybody here has hummers here. Its funny..
wolfsmane on 01/26/2005 09:57:20
keep in mind, guys,that i haven't bought this vehicle yet. i'm thinking this through before i get it.
i was wondering where the stock amp was because when i change out the entire system, i'd like to make it appear as stock as possible. i'd like to be able to have the new amp in the oem amp's place, out of sight.
this is what i'm thinking for the moment, subject to change.,,,,,,,,
replace stock head unit for a kenwood or pioneer--not sure which model yet--high end though.
change all oem speakers with cdt 61-A components
and an high end amp to LOUDLY push them with.
not interested in doing a sub enclosure at this time,,,,,maybe later.
i'm not trying to get a bass boomer, just some real loud, CLEAR sounding music.
UKinstaller on 01/26/2005 12:05:01
you could put an aftermarket amp under the backseats without a problem, it wouldn't show. there isn't enough room for a nice aftermarket amp where the factory is, though.
if you ever want to do a sub, which would make the system sound much better, JL Audio makes a "stealthbox". it's a 10 W3 sub with enclosure that you can put at the bottom of the center console. i think it needs a JL-250 to run adequately. imagine having a nice, clean, but not incredibly loud sub right under your arm as you are driving. it's pretty cool, hidden, and pricey.
-UK
wolfsmane on 01/26/2005 12:33:55
i appreciate that, thanks,
i am planning on buying a new '05 tahoe or avalnche. the model i'm looking at has the crappy bose system, 6 disc changer, with the controls in the steering wheel, and the onstar system tied into it.
question....i hate the bose system. can a complete system install be done..WHILE maintaining all of the controls on the steering wheel?
will i lose any of the functionality of on-star, etc.?
i am not going to attempt this system swap myself, for various reasons, but am going to hunt down a good shop to do it. anything i need to look out for while looking for a shop to tell how good a quality job their able to do?
has anyone here actually done a complete system swap in this peticular vehicle?
please give any and all advice, as i'd greatly appreciate it.
Replies (9)
ttocs on 01/25/2005 15:56:57
all of that can be done with the right parts. They make an adaptor to allow the onstar to function, as well as an adaptor to use the steering controls as long as the deck has a wireless remote. Go to a good shop and they can quote you a price on how much the parts are and how much to put them in.
UKinstaller on 01/25/2005 16:09:30
yeah you're looking at somewhere around $150 for the on-star w/ door chime and steering wheel integration harnesses, maybe a little bit more.
as far as shops, since you are going to get some much done, i'd go to a mom and pop shop that is known for working on nice new cars, because bigger places usually won't cut you a deal no matter how much work you get done. at privately owned stores, the more you get done, the better deal you'll get.
i've never done a COMPLETE system swap in a tahoe, but in a 2004 tahoe i did an alpine in-dash dvd/monitor, bose integration, door chime, onstar, and steering wheel integration, overhead video, two headrests, amp, and subs all in one truck. they are actually surprisingly easy to work on. the guy liked his bose system, so he left the speakers alone.
-UK
wolfsmane on 01/25/2005 16:15:26
ukinstaller,
on that tahoe you did, where is the factory amp located?
is it built into the head unit? would replacing that one with a higher quality
make much of an improvement?
on the install you did, where did you mount the amp?
thanks for ya'lls help, i really appreciate it.
UKinstaller on 01/25/2005 20:25:43
on the one i worked on, the factory amp was located under the center console. it is A PAIN IN THE ASS to get to. if it's not under there, it will be behind the glove box, which is much easier to get to.
replacing the factory amp wouldn't really help anything unless you replace all of the speakers, because the bose speakers and amp are designed to work together.
i mounted the amp on his back seat for the install. turned out real nice.
-UK
UKinstaller on 01/25/2005 20:26:12
ttocs you ever pulled out the center console of a tahoe, escalade, denali??
-UK
ttocs on 01/25/2005 23:55:48
I have helped on a few, but never done one totally. Everybody here has hummers here. Its funny..
wolfsmane on 01/26/2005 09:57:20
keep in mind, guys,that i haven't bought this vehicle yet. i'm thinking this through before i get it.
i was wondering where the stock amp was because when i change out the entire system, i'd like to make it appear as stock as possible. i'd like to be able to have the new amp in the oem amp's place, out of sight.
this is what i'm thinking for the moment, subject to change.,,,,,,,,
replace stock head unit for a kenwood or pioneer--not sure which model yet--high end though.
change all oem speakers with cdt 61-A components
and an high end amp to LOUDLY push them with.
not interested in doing a sub enclosure at this time,,,,,maybe later.
i'm not trying to get a bass boomer, just some real loud, CLEAR sounding music.
UKinstaller on 01/26/2005 12:05:01
you could put an aftermarket amp under the backseats without a problem, it wouldn't show. there isn't enough room for a nice aftermarket amp where the factory is, though.
if you ever want to do a sub, which would make the system sound much better, JL Audio makes a "stealthbox". it's a 10 W3 sub with enclosure that you can put at the bottom of the center console. i think it needs a JL-250 to run adequately. imagine having a nice, clean, but not incredibly loud sub right under your arm as you are driving. it's pretty cool, hidden, and pricey.
-UK
wolfsmane on 01/26/2005 12:33:55
i appreciate that, thanks,
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