I'm new to the C8 so this is going to sound silly to most. Soooo.. let's get on with it. I bought an Elkhart Blue C8 convertible 1LT package. I just could not pay the extra bucks for the 3LT option (the only other C8 they had in inventory). I am really happy with it however. I would like it equipped with a couple options GM should include on all C8s for the money. First is some sort of front sensor (doesn't have to be a camera) to warn of getting to close. A beeper would be fine. The other minor inconvenience is the lack of programmable opener functions (in the visor on the 2LT and 3LT).

So, to my questions to the intelligentia masses. Does GM have entirely different wiring harnesses for each level of interior? Just having one manufacturer and one manufactured harness would make more economic production sense to me but GM has not asked my opinion lately. If there is only one wiring harness produced for the C8 then the wiring for the camera and programmable sensor are there. I could purchase what I want from GM and install them myself if the software stubs are there in the code. I looked in the forums for aftermarket bits and installation instructions and they were all for C7s and earlier. I would be willing to bet the C8 installation would be just a bit different.

Am I making sense?

As an aside and I really hate to ask this because it makes me look stoopid but my wife really did like the 2LT seats. Has anyone tried buying the seats standalone and put them in? I would not look forward to such a project but I will never hear the end of this until I try.

 

The 2LT come with the GT1 seats, but allow for the optional GT2 seats. The 2LT includes lumbar and side bolster adjustability, the 1LT does not. A service adviser or perhaps an adviser at Bowling Green may be able to answer if the wiring is there for a GT1 to GT2 swap. The 2LT trim is loaded with options that I could not live without on such a nice sports car.

 

Gt2 and GT1 seat harness may be different, but fitment is prob the same. Unbolt the seat rails and bolt the new seat in. I’d wager that works, but you may loose some functions.

I would wager against the harness pigtails being available for all absent accessories. Amd as a master tech, I still wouldn't dream of doing a harness swap on this car with expectations of everything functioning after.

Visit Best Buy or a car stereo shop and they will be able to add sensors to your bumper as an aftermarket stand alone system. Good luck👍🏽

 

The cars don't have completely different wiring harnesses, but the harnesses are built in more than one piece. So the 1LT won't have the wires that run from the main harness to the seats in a 2LT. Or the wires running to the non-existent front cameras. And even if the wires to the camera locations were there, the software necessary to make them work won't be installed in the 1LT. That approach isn't going to work.

The visor should be easy. I know that on the C7 you could buy the 2LT visor, with the Homelink buttons, replace the 1LT visor, and everything worked. As long as the 1LT has a lighted mirror (meaning it gets power), you should be good.

For the front proximity warning, check out the Curb Alert. It's not perfect, but it works pretty well, and is pretty cheap:

https://brandmotion.com/product/curb...nsor-5000-ca5/

Another option is to check ebay and Amazon for parking cameras and backup cameras. You can buy systems that have a license plate frame with a camera built-in, or just an individual camera. Some need to be hardwired to an LCD panel you can mount in the car, some connect with WiFi to your phone.

By 2LT seats I'm guessing you mean the optional GT2 seats, as the GT1 seats (same as in the 1LT, but with more adjustments) are standard in the 2LT. Could you buy the GT2 seats and bolt them in? Sure. Will the adjustable lumbar and bolsters work? Probably not. Will the heat and ventilation work? Almost certainly not. You won't have the switches or computer software that controls them.