Hardwire iPod to Pontiac Grand Prix Questions

[briguyiu]

What do I need to buy to do this...From my research on the site I believe I just need an aux box from pac and the correct harness. I already have the belkin auto kit charger, which the 3.5 from the box can go into. Is this a correct way of doing this, or am I way off base. Thanks in advance for the help.

[DrewT]

auxbox and an RCA to 3.5mm adapter to connect the belkin auto kit to the auxbox.

I have the same setup in my car(different car thought), and am getting ready to hard wire it in. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask.

-Drew

[briguyiu]

Thanks Drew,
So what else are you doing to actually "hardwire" it in...Also is there any way I can check to make sure that this will work with my factory head unit in my car? What kind of car do you have? If its GM its likely a similar HU.
-Brian

[TCorzett]

If you can wait till Sunday/Monday I will have my AUXPOD and AB-GM9 installed into my 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix with the in-dash single CD + eq..

So far I've removed the dash, etc. and it's quite simple (just need to pop the clips loose). Unscrew the radio and the AB-GM9 should just plug-in (I'm waiting on this piece right now, it should be delivered this weekend). I'll keep everyone updated.

-Todd...

[briguyiu]

Hey Todd,
How are you going to switch the aux channel (the aux box) with your single cd player that doesn't have an aux/tape button? This is the question that I haven't figured out yet, and will need to before I get this setup. I have been told by some people that I need to have the ability to switch to an external cd changer, or tape player for the aux box to work. Let me kow how it goes.
Brian

[TCorzett]

I haven't exactly figured that one out. I'm thinking that there might be an internal switch for whatever source is sending a signal. I really haven't found any info on this (there was a website out there installing the AUXPOD/AB-GM9, but not into a Grand Prix), so I'll just have to play with it.

-Todd...

[briguyiu]

alright good deal....let me konw how it turns out...I'm tired of this fm modulator crap.

[DrewT]

Originally posted by briguyiu
Thanks Drew,
So what else are you doing to actually "hardwire" it in...Also is there any way I can check to make sure that this will work with my factory head unit in my car? What kind of car do you have? If its GM its likely a similar HU.
-Brian

I'm basically gonna take the circuit board out of the adapter, then solder the power wires to it, along with attaching RCA cables (chop off the end) from the line-out, bypassing the amplifier.

As far as the Aux input goes, you're outta luck. I have an alpine HU, and when I first installed it, I put in an aux adapter with it, which is what I'm using now. Look into PIE adapters and the AuxBox adapter to get a line in on you're HU.

-Drew

[TCorzett]

I started the install of my AUXPOD and AB-GM9 into my 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix. I have the factory HU with the single CD and the multichannel equalizer.

Install: The removal of the dash/HU was simple (followed instructions/pictures from http://www.carstereohelp.com/stereoremovalPontiacGrandPrixSt2.htm). I then removed the cable plugged into the 9-pin port (connected to OnStar originally) and plugged in the AB-GM9 and AUXPOD. I then plugged the OnStar cable into the AB-GM9.

Results: Failure... the iPod was charging, but I could not get any signals to/from the iPod. I tried messing with some things, but nothing seemed to work. My only remote success came when I pressed my OnStar button... It started playing music from the iPod, but unfortunately it shut-off a few seconds later and didn't allow for any control.

Why: I got back online and checked on the PAC page for help... and on the top of the Pontiac page of the 'Vehicle Application Guide' found "1996-2001 radios with built in CD player are NOT compatible". I assumed that since my car was a 2002, I would be ok... however it seems that the radio from my 2002 is the same one as the pre-2001. I did a search on eBay and saw that most of the 2003 vehicles also used the same HUs.

The Fix: Thankfully for me my mother has a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix with the factory HU with a tape player. While I really liked my CD/equalizer I like my iPod more... so I made a deal to trade her HUs. I plugged in the AB-GM9 and AUXPOD, plugged in the OnStar, and away we go! Everything is golden, even OnStar still works as normal. The only issue that I'm having (which is VERY minor) is that when switching from AM/FM to the iPod (by pressing the 'Play/Tape' button on the HU or the 'Play' button on the steering wheel) the iPod turns on, but is paused. I have to power off the HU (until the iPod powers off) and then turn the HU back on. But other than that... everything is great.

What's Next: I'm just going through the final install right now. I'm going to mount the AUXPOD behind the HU (more than likely just let it sit unattached, as there really isn't that much play in the wires). The iPod is then being installed into the center console with the wires running down next to the shifter (removing this piece is as easy as the dash). The white cable that came with my AUXPOD is more than long enough to run to this location.

Wrap-up: I'm very happy overall with the AUXPOD and AB-GM9. The install was very quick (once I got the right HU). Overall time (including taking two cars, swapping HUs, re-wiring, etc.) was about 4 hours. If I only needed to do one, it would have been done in less than an hour. I wish the HU with the CD/equalizer would have worked, but this gets what I want (iPod directly connected to the factory HU with control from the steering wheel controls) accomplished.

If anyone has any questions, just email me (tcorzett@mac.com).

-Todd...