Just picked up a 2005 coupe. Pretty sure this radio does not have Bluetooth so I'll need to address that right away. I was surprised I couldn't find any YouTube videos showing how to remove the old radio. Does anyone know of any? Is it difficult?

 

Step 1 order a suitable kit from here.
http://www.pac-audio.com/productSear...2006&YearId=17

Step 2 read the instructions for it and locate/buy the proper tools and electrical connectors.

Step 3 open center consel.

Step 4 carefully pry up seat heater panel and remove both 7mm bolts.

Step 5 lift up emergency brake boot and and unscrew both 7mm bolts.

Step 6 lift up shifter boot and dislodge from the rest of the bezel.

Step 7 carefully with plastic pry bars or by hand start carefully prying around the entire bezel to get it uncliped from the dash.

Step 8 unplug hazard plug and traction control plug and seat heater plug and both cig lighter plugs.

Step 9 set the radio bezel somewhere safe.

Step 10 remove the six 7mm bolts that hold the ac and radio in.

Step 11 install Bluetooth module.

Step 12 install mic above steering wheel.

Step 13 test functionality.

Step 14 re install parts in reverse order.

 

That is a whole lot of wrong. There is absolutely nothing to pry up or open on the seat heater controls except the electrical connector on the back. You didn't even mention taking the screws out that hold the center console together.

Let's try this again. From memory, so probably not perfect, but has to be closer

I usually remove the center console lid first. 4 torx screws
Remove cover towards rear of center console (has suspension control or airbag light on it depending on year). It has two clips holding it on. Pull up on part that is towards the rear of the car and it will pop up

You will see two small bolts or screws that were under that cover. They are holding the center console to another part. Take those out

I've never been clear on whether you're supposed to pull the e-brake cover off. One of the mounts on mine was broken when I got the car, so I haven't had to, but I think if you want to avoid breaking that then you do need to remove the leather e-brake cover

There's a plastic piece that runs along the passenger side of the center console and goes forward, towards the glove box. You want to pul that back and remove it. You can get the center console off without removing this now, but you need to remove it before re-installing the center console if you don't want to break anything

If manual transmission, remove shift ****. Mine is aftermarket, but I think on the stock ones you just pull up hard and it will pop off

From there you should be able to start pulling the center console up. Don't go crazy, just get it up enough to start getting to the wires.

You need to unplug the cigarette lighter that goes to the little center console storage bin and the one that goes to the traction control button first

Then pull the center console bezel towards the rear of the car to pull it away from the heater controls/radio. Once you have a little room, you need to disconnect the wiring for the seat heaters, cigarette lighter and hazard switch.

Finish removing center console bezel

Radio will be easy to remove the rest of the way. 4 bolts I believe, one at each corner, and just pull it out.

Also--I bet if you look up a video for installing an MGW shifter, you will find a video of removing the center console pretty quickly.

This was from memory, and I didn't know what to call some of the stuff, but is hopefully at least mildly helpful.

 

This will get the center console out if you have a manual trans.

As for your 2005, the back bolts are under the tomb stone cover (either air bag indicator, or selector ride switch plate). To remove the tombstone, pry up the tombstone back cover straight up to pop the two spring tabs out of the slots.



If you have a automatic, then to remove the shift ****,
Remove the old shift boot.

1) Notice at the bottom edge of the shift boot, there are small plastic tabs protruding through the shift boot.
a. Use your fingers to work around the bottom edge of the shift boot and pull-up the bottom edge.
2) Notice the gear indicator (PRN321) that protrudes through the shift boot. The shift boot has a plastic gear indicator collar (gear collar) glued into it. This gear collar has two tabs (one at each end) that are clip onto the gear indicator.
a) Carefully unclip and lift the rear tab, and then the front tab.
b) Pry-up the gear collar, upward and off the gear indicator
c) If you accidentally knock-off the lens for the gear indicator, just press it back into place.
3) Pull the shift boot up and remove it.



Once you have center console out, start with removing the two screws on the side of the A/C controller, pull it straight out and lower it downward. The top bracket of the AC controller holds the bottom of the radio in, so it has to be removed first.

Now remove the two side screws on the radio, pull it straight out, and disconnect the connectors on the back of it.

If you have Boses on the speaker doors, then the VSS connector if you don't have a nav radio, is tapped back on the main wiring harness plug just behind the largest wiring connector harness since it only used with the GM Nav radio (not the CD only players).

 

I use the MGW directions and once you get all the surround plastic off the radio was easy. I have to admit that they have taken and complicated the living $hit out of installing a new radio. I called Dennis at Double D and he send me one that was plug and play. He made the change very simple for me!

 

Just did it this weekend. Take your time. Don't waist your time remove the whole center console. Be gentle with the tcs connector, and watch ur shifter. Other than that good luck and by the time u r done it'll look like u got in a fight with a feral street cat! Also if u want a back up camera put it in now. Overall on dash difficulty I'd give it a 6/10.

 

Schpenxel, he has an 05 that tombstone cutout that I thought held seat heaters on equipped models is what I was referring too apparently it holds suspension control. Mine is blank so I thought it held seat heaters on one I've worked on before. Regardless. There was not a whole lot of wrong but thanks for your opinion. No need to be on a high horse we are all on the same team here. I did forget the 4 torx that hold the center console lid down but the rest was accurate and errorless. Aswell the ac controls need to be unbolted which I mentioned which totals six 7mm bolts to take the stereo out behind the bezel.

 

I appreciate the instructions guys. My radio is a nav system, but no bluetooth. What year did they start putting bluetooth in ?

 

I have an automatic. How does the shift **** come off?

 

30 seconds of googling

http://www.theredlion.us/C6%20A6%20Shift%20Knob%20Removal%20by%20 WHT.pdf

Basically, twist the **** clockwise firmly.

A video has already been posted for the rest.

I don't think you have to touch the shifter in an auto to get the center console off

 

I believe it was 2008. No radio controls on the steering wheel until 2007. You will need a newer wheel to add controls to the steering wheel since has a unique wheel.

Steering wheel controls were not added until Dave Hill retired because he would not approve Brembo brakes or steering wheel controls. He retired in 2006.

 

Also to point out, the blue tooth module was not in the radio, but in the Onstar module instead.

If you want to just add blue tooth to the nav radio you have, then it can be done with a Isimple ISGM655 for less than $100

http://www.ceshowroom.com/ProductDet...FYVDaQodMoMAxg

As for when done this way, you have to hit the radio band button until XM comes up, then the Isimple will work through the radio. I bring this up, since if you get a phone call on your phone and listening to Fm or a CD, it's not an automatic thing with the radio just switching over. You will have to hit the band button on the radio to get XM to show up first, then you can answer the phone call via the radio at that point.

As for if you have a OEM radio, but do not have XM (XM band not activated on the radio), then its a $100 trip to the dealer to active the XM band on the radio with the tech II tool after the Isimple module has been installed (above the cost of the Isimple module to being with).

Bluntly, there are a lot of ways of cobbling in some newer type features to the OEM radios (clumsy in the way they will function), but in the end, but the time you do this, will have far outspent would it would have cost to just upgrade the radio with an after market deck instead.

 

That's awesome. Is the sound quality as good as a unit with built in bluetooth? In other words, some of the after market solutions transmit through a radio frequency and sound quality is greatly diminished.
Thanks!

 

Same great quality as threw the On Star module, since the I simple signal is sent the same way as well (not through a FM modulator to a FM band on the radio, but through the hard wires to the radio wires that the XM module also uses).


As for controls, I simple controls the same was as the XM module, since both done digital through the Data LAN bus to the radio.

 

Few more questions if you don't mind:
So sound quality is undiminished? Very good.
If I'm using Siri or my iPhone navigation, do those sounds come through the system as well?
Did you do the install yourself? Difficulty level?

I was considering getting a new head unit with Apple's Carplay interface, but honestly, I don't see a big benefit in the head unit displaying the iPhone screen. So, if I can use my phone as normal, with all the sounds coming through the system, I think that would be fine.
Thanks again for this tip.

 

According to this video, the iPhone screen is disabled and you must use your radio's XM buttons. Is that true? That could be a deal killer for me because of losing the functionality of the iPhone's touch screen. For example, I can see a screen full of songs from my iPhone screen and select the one I want. If I'm understanding this video, I'd have to scroll through my song list, one at a time, to select a speciic song. And without the iPhone's touch screen, how would you use your navigation app?

 

If your car already has the OnStar hardware installed, the BlueStar unit (by Costar) is a better, cleaner option than the iSimple.

It just replaces the OnStar box, and uses all the standard OnStar buttons on the mirror to control the phone.

 

Does it allow music to be played through bluetooth, or is this just a phone/voice option?