PAC RP5 Interface Goes Bad After a Month
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 181
Likes: 107
From: Winchester, CA
PAC RP5 Interface Goes Bad After a Month
I recently purchased a new head unit along with the PAC RP5 GM-11 interface from Crutchfield, along with their Wiring Harness service. I had the unit professionally installed and it worked great until about a week ago. Got in the car to drive it one day and there was not sound from the head unit. Everything else was working. Once I shut down the car and restarted it, the sound came back. Everything worked then next 5 or 6 times I drove the car and then day before yesterday it went back to no sound and restarting had no effect. I took it back to the installer and they eventually determined that the Remote Turn On connector in the PAC unit was bad. They were able to jump that wire and get the sound back. Crutchfield is replacing the PAC unit but I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 5,397
Likes: 2,291
From: Billings Montana. Out in the wild west
The PAC units have been know to fail, the older ones would fail due to the power needs of a double DIN head units, they even had a notification on adding some jumper wires to avoid this, the newer 2nd get PAC's had the jumpers installed, then I believe it was last year at this time, they came out with the newest 3rd gen revision to the RP5. I had one of the original RP5's and it went out on me before I knew about adding the jumpers, but once it goes, it's toast, so adding them wouldn't do any good. so I bought one of the second generation ones with the jumpers put on from the factory, and it worked fine, then I came across a smoking deal on their PAC GM1A-RSP interface, and that's what I'm running in my car now with no issues. PAC isn't known to be the highest quality, so others have had failures as well, so it's not uncommon. Ideally if iDatalink Meastro made an interface for the Corvette, that's what I would of went with, but regrettably they don't make one for the Vette.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,385
Likes: 84
From: San Diego CA.
My blue box came fried from the manufacturer. New. It really threw me off on my installation. My pro audio guy found it.
I recently purchased a new head unit along with the PAC RP5 GM-11 interface from Crutchfield, along with their Wiring Harness service. I had the unit professionally installed and it worked great until about a week ago. Got in the car to drive it one day and there was not sound from the head unit. Everything else was working. Once I shut down the car and restarted it, the sound came back. Everything worked then next 5 or 6 times I drove the car and then day before yesterday it went back to no sound and restarting had no effect. I took it back to the installer and they eventually determined that the Remote Turn On connector in the PAC unit was bad. They were able to jump that wire and get the sound back. Crutchfield is replacing the PAC unit but I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 5,397
Likes: 2,291
From: Billings Montana. Out in the wild west
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 181
Likes: 107
From: Winchester, CA
I took the RP5-GM11 to my installer this morning to have it swapped out. As soon as he saw the replacement, he said, "They sent you a different one than the one I put in." Sure enough, after he pulled everything apart, I saw what he was talking about. Apparently Crutchfield was clearing out their old stock and originally sent me an old model, not the newer one that is pictured on their web site. Even looking at the date code on the replacement (which IS the new model) it was manufactured in January 2022. And since I had paid for the wiring harness the first time, my installer had to re-do it all because Crutchfield wouldn't send another one along with the replacement RP5. My installer seemed to think the Crutchfield butchered the job the first time, hacking off way more of the radio's wiring than they should have. He got it all back together and it seems to work fine.
I called Crutchfield to complain and they basically blew me off. They tried to tell me there is no difference between the new and the old RP5 units, but I'm not sure I believe them. I doubt I'll ever buy from them again after this experience.
I called Crutchfield to complain and they basically blew me off. They tried to tell me there is no difference between the new and the old RP5 units, but I'm not sure I believe them. I doubt I'll ever buy from them again after this experience.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 5,397
Likes: 2,291
From: Billings Montana. Out in the wild west
I took the RP5-GM11 to my installer this morning to have it swapped out. As soon as he saw the replacement, he said, "They sent you a different one than the one I put in." Sure enough, after he pulled everything apart, I saw what he was talking about. Apparently Crutchfield was clearing out their old stock and originally sent me an old model, not the newer one that is pictured on their web site. Even looking at the date code on the replacement (which IS the new model) it was manufactured in January 2022. And since I had paid for the wiring harness the first time, my installer had to re-do it all because Crutchfield wouldn't send another one along with the replacement RP5. My installer seemed to think the Crutchfield butchered the job the first time, hacking off way more of the radio's wiring than they should have. He got it all back together and it seems to work fine.
I called Crutchfield to complain and they basically blew me off. They tried to tell me there is no difference between the new and the old RP5 units, but I'm not sure I believe them. I doubt I'll ever buy from them again after this experience.
I called Crutchfield to complain and they basically blew me off. They tried to tell me there is no difference between the new and the old RP5 units, but I'm not sure I believe them. I doubt I'll ever buy from them again after this experience.
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