My new '05 came with an AVIC-N1 which I do not like at all. I'd like an Eclipse Navi unit but don't want to spend the cash right now so I'm thinking of going back to stock. I found a stock in dash 6 disk unit for a decent price. I want to make sure there is nothing the dealer would have to do to get it to work once I install it.

 

First of all, did the car come with a Bose system originally?
If there was originally a Bose system in it, does it still have the Bose amp and speakers?
If the answer is no to any one of the two questions, then you won't be able to just slap a Delco/Bose HU in there.
If the answer to the above questions is yes, then all the dealer will have to do is unlock the newly acquired Delco/Bose HU and program it for your car. If the thing was ever locked in the first place.

On a side note; why do you want to get rid of the AVIC N1? If you don't want to shell out the cash for the Eclipse unit have you considered an AVIC D2 or Z1? Both are very nice units for a reasonable price.

 

It has the Bose speakers yes. I would assume the bose amps are still there because aren't they built into the speakers? Perhaps that is a bad assumption. So given that I have the Bose do I need to stay away from non-Bose OEM HU's? If the replacement is unlocked what does the dealer "program"?

First off, the N1 blocks the AC vents. Not such a huge deal now but when it gets hot again I can't have that. Second I don't like the stereo/CD interface. There seems to have been a lot of thought put into the navi but not so much for the audio. The buttons for the presets and CD tracks are smallish and the controls are off to the right. The biggest thing about the interface that bugs me is it goes to sleep and you have to tap the screen once, wait for it to wake up, then change the station. I believe the 'go to sleep' function is omitted in the N2 and D2 software. The Navi works on and off because the speed sensor is not hooked up and the GPS antenna must be hidden somewhere low because the signal is very weak, but these can be fixed.

Before I got the car I was certain I wanted to replace it with a D1 or D2 but seeing as how the interface is basically the same I started looking at the Eclipses which seem to have a better layed out interface. "Reasonable" is kind of relative. I'm not a big audiophile but the navi looks SO much better in the C6 dash than the regular HU. Just not sure I am willing to spend a minimum of $800 (Eclipse 5435) or $700 (D2) for it to look super neat and I wonder about the functionality of the touchscreens.

I know I am being a whiner. Someone pimp slap me.

 

If you are set on doing this you need to find out if your car came factory nav or not

 

That would be absolutely absurd if someone removed the stock navi for this thing...

 

Then you cant put factory nav in if that was your goal

 

Ah, good point. I missed that when you first mentioned it. How would I tell if it had the Navi originally?

 

Bad assumption on the Bose amp. The only speakers that are self-powered in the C6 Bose are the door subs. The rest of the speakers are driven by an amp in the passenger footwell. It's not bad to take a look to see if it's still there, just flip down the carpeting and take a look. The Bose amp is about 4x6 and you can spot it by it's heat sink. Can't remember if "Bose" is visible from that side or not.

Assuming the amp is still there and it's still hooked up (if somebody went to the trouble of installing an N1 are you sure the speakers & amp are still stock?) then as said above, it's just getting the dealer to program the VIN into the radio.

As far as pimp slapping goes.. well it's your car, no matter what anybody else here may say you're the one that drives it and you're the one that needs to be happy with it. If the appearance and ergonomics of a stock unit are more important to you than sound quality (and if the Bose amps and speakers are still in use I don't care what head you use it will still sound like Bose..) then that's what you should do.

 

You have to make sure that the deck came from a GM vehicle that did not have a Bose SMART amp system. Many SUV's with nav use the SMART amp system but the C6 does not although both systems are BOSE.
The decks from the SMART amp systems use a digital databus protocol that will not be compatible with the amp in the vette. If the deck is from a SMART amp system, you will also need the amp and harnesses to make it work in the C6.

 

Well this has become much more complicated than I anticipated and what I thougth was a 6 disk in dash was just a single disk. I've decided to install an AVIC-Dx. I can get into a D1 for $630 (refurb) and upgrade it to a D2 with the newest navi DVD for another $30. I should be able to sell my N1 for $300 or $400 so that offsets the cost a bit.

I have steered away from the Eclipses because I would really like to be able to change the background image to the C6 flags or other things.