When you replace the factory unit with an aftermarket, the HUD still functions but it will not display any radio station information or turn by turn navigation info. A small price to pay for all the added and improved features a modern head unit will deliver. C6 factory nav unit vs a modern aftermarket unit, is no contest really. Better display, better sound, more user friendly, every available feature like wireless CarPlay, etc., etc..

 

do the steering wheel controls work with new unit?I know new unit is better but like original look and features that came with car. Think it will make resale better buyer can always get new unit . just looking to see if anyone has done this

 

Steering wheel controls still work. You can always include original head unit with the car if you sell it. Also very easy to switch back to factory head unit if you wanted prior to selling. If you replace factory amp and speakers, that would probably have the same effect on resale. Positive or negative, depending on buyer.

 

Fred said I might check out the audio forum after I posed in another, and I found a few threads I thought I might be helpful with, yours being one of them. Here's what you do... Buy an old factory amp, cannibalize it for the connector, put your face in the schematic, break out the soldering iron and some leads, and in a few hours you can make your own BoB with RCA outs and still keep everything you want to keep, including your factory Nav head unit. You aren't alone, I too like the look of factory integration and kept my Nav unit as well.

 

I agree with Fred.

Any future buyer who is concerned with a factory head unit replacement, would be just as concerned, if not more so, with a factory amplifier and speaker replacement. A head unit replacement can be put back to factory with the simple purchase of an old radio. Putting a factory amp and speakers back in the car would be a hell of a lot more work.

Replace the head unit and keep the old amp and speakers if they are still working well. Just this alone will make a HUGE improvement in the sound. I don't have a HUD, but losing the radio station info and Nav turn by turn info in the display doesn't seem like that huge a deal to me.

 

Not really. It would take me less than 5 min to put my factory amp back.

 

Great!

Now tell me how long it would take you to put the factory speakers back as well, since it was a package deal in my comment. Oh, and start with a fuily assembled car please. I'll wait...

 

Maybe 30 minutes, certainly no more but, if you are going to replace everything, - speakers, amp, and head unit, that would be about an hour - for me anyway but, I do all my own work and I'm pretty proficient with it. I'm 51 and I've had Corvettes since I turned 15 (currently have 3 of them, a '75, an '81, and the '13) and I put sound systems in all of them and other cars I've had as well. Every time I went the extra mile to make them all plug and play. I can't speak for you or anyone else, but for me, that's how long it would take to put everything back. Add maybe another 10 minutes to take the box, amps, and all wiring back out because I never cut into the factory harness, like I said, plug and play.

 

To quote a Tide commercial, "I would very much like to see that!" because I don't believe you could replace all the speakers and the amp in that amount of time.

 

I'm venturing down this path. All to have real bluetooth connectivity with my phone ... for my own tunes and phonecalls. I've tried the bluetooth/FM transmitters (Belkin) ... they work OK in a rural area but in the city I found myself constantly changing the FM frequency ... & the level is so low in the FM transmitter the receiver/amplifier have to be at near 100% power, which brings more noise.

I bought from Car Toys a Kenwood single din unit. They scared me away from the Double din with their install quote. So after spending 90% of a work day on it, it's in and functions.

The sound reproduction with the OEM speakers is not good. Clear ... but no bass.

I returned thinking I'd simply dispense with the OEM speakers, add an amp and go. The estimate was bumping $2500. C'mon! Playing the Kenwood over the OEM speaker setup, the sales rep stated the speakers (OEM) must be blown. Nope. They were playing the OEM radio VERY well ... they'd vibrate the door mirrors with a little thump. Ain't no thump now.

So ... for only $1100 I'm getting an 8" JL subwoofer/Amp in the tray behind the driver seat. We'll see how THAT goes. probably gonna be pulling the door/rear speakers anyway if this doesn't make a huge improvement. I'll be $1500 into this thing. Wow. I acknowledge even a Car Toy tech has to eat, but mercy.

 

If there's no bump in your doors, it probably means the factory amp for the 8" door speakers is not turning on. check you wiring again and post here what interface you used. Where are you located?

 

Sadly, I don't know what interface. I know they had the wrong harness initially and that caused a significant part of the install delay last week getting the "correct" one. And rather than a "simple 90 minute" job, they literally spent 6 hours on what was supposed to be "plug and play." I probably could have done this in 6 hours (single Din radio receiver install). I had them do it because they were supposed to be faster. The Kenwood's wiring is pretty simple and I doubt they'd have intentionally bypassed the speakers' amp That would have required more work, yes?

The tech DID fail to properly connect the antenna control for the retractable antenna. Therefore at current, the radio is basically inop. They are gonna lick that calf again.

I was given a lot of thread about "all EQ'd" .... and the aftermarket receiver's flat signal ... and the bass originating in the front speakers which isn't typical ... Close enough to be partially true, I suppose? But here's the thing, they're supposed to be the pros. I was paying to avoid these pitfalls and to get the job done quickly and without having to do it again.

thanks for your reply. If I learn more, I'll certainly share it. ED ... just outside Stephenville.

and I just noticed the OP has a C6. So ... And I misunderstood his original issue, sorry for diverting this thread. he wanted to retain his OEM receiver. I knew I was changing that.