Aftermark HU and ipod issues

[Valentine_05 Vibe]

Greetings!I have a 05 Vibe M&T w/ a single CD....six speed. Luv it.I'm looking for a feasible option that will allow the use of my ipod and keep the functionality of my cd player...how novel, right?Potential options.FM Transmitters - interferes w/ the shifter since the power supply needs to plugged into the 10V plus the quailty is terrible...as ya'll know :-)Splicing in an aux to existing HU - to risky for me. I don't want to mess with the electrical system if I don't have to.ipod2car - concerned that I will loss the functionality of my cd player if I installed and I would need to have the unit intstalled which would bring the cost to about $200...yes, it appears that the installation is simple enough, but, for me, I'm not comfortable messing with the dash and the HU.New HU - so, a new HU seems like a terrific option, except, after reading some of the posts and what a Best Buy guy told me - there is an issue with the M&T amp and aftermarket HUs. I think that the cost of a new HU w/ mp3 aux would run about the same as the ipod2car so why not just upgrade my HU. Could ya'll help me out? I think the issue has to do with the watt/ohms of the factory M&T amp and the watt/ohm of an aftermarket HU. True? If so, how can I upgrade to a HU w/ a mp3 aux w/out upgrading the amp and/or speakers?ipod2car vs. new HU - if the cost and energy to upgrade to an new HU is unreasonable than I guess the ipod2car is the best choice - I suppose I'll just have to accept the trade off...my ipod music for my cd player.I've been reading other posts and answers to this issue...and I'm learning by reading, but I guess I am still trying to understand the what and why of the issues and problems with aftermarket HUs and the factory amp and speakers.If anyone can give me a quick and dirty on the what and why...that would be great!Thanks!

[Puckman27]

when i got my vibe the factory HU and M&T amp was removed by the previous owner so they could put in an aftermarket system. Now i've got a Kenwood HU and Kenwood's iPod controller/connection and i love it. the sound from the iPod through the direct connection beats anything out there and i still have a CD player when for when i want it.i had an FM transmitter for 3 months and couldn't stand it. i wouldn't recommend messing around w/ the wiring. the previous owner of my car did that and the headunit blew out. if you don't have the money (or want to spend it) for the aftermarket stuff, i'd get the ipod2car. the sound from the direct connection beats anything, and quite honestly, since i've had my ipod in my car, i haven't listened to the radio or CD's at all since everything i need is on the ipod.

[lombard]

I just finished an install of a new HU (Pioneer DEH-p9800BT) and iPod adapter on my '03 with Moon&Tunes. VERY straightforward to do (especially if you've ever done a head unit install before). I bought the appropriate wiring harness and install bracket from Crutchfield. Got a line level converter from Walmart for $17 (it's a Scosche FAI-3A...there's a bunch of references to it in a variety of posts here). Just plugged the speaker outputs from the new HU in to one side of it, and the speaker wires from the wire harness in to the other side. During install I did some adjustments to the level output (per the line level converter's instructions). Sounds great.One word of caution on the line level converter. The terminal screws for attaching the speaker wires don't have a ton of surface area to hold the wires. Tighten the screws very securely and you should be OK.