GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

hi there i have always driven jap cars and heard that on gm cars you have to relocate the factory deck somewhere else in the car if you install a aftermarket deck,,,,,,,,i heard that the factory deck controls the airbags and other nonsense.is this true???????????????????????????????????????????do i have to go through all this aggrevation just to install my clarion deck????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

The Vibe's head unit doesn't control anything except the radio, so no, it does not have to stay in the vehicle at all.Unsticking your question mark key might be a good idea though. (BTW, your Vibe is basically a Toyota...there's scarcely a real GM part on it.)

usually the only GM vehicles that need the new HU in a new place is when the vehicle is equipped with "ON STAR" If your GM vehicle does not have "On STAR" then you should be able just to yank out the stock HU and easily replace with an aftermarket in the same spot. (provide of course the the dinslot is compatable

They gave me the same line when I first tried to do mine. The dealer even agreed with them. I later found out they were all full of S%*!

If you interested I have a dash kit, wiring harness and radio antenna adaptor for sale. VERY CHEAP!!!Shipping will be cheap because I am from Ontario too.

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »usually the only GM vehicles that need the new HU in a new place is when the vehicle is equipped with "ON STAR" If your GM vehicle does not have "On STAR" then you should be able just to yank out the stock HU and easily replace with an aftermarket in the same spot. (provide of course the the dinslot is compatableNot really.Most of the newer cars, onstar or not, use the radio as the driver information and configuration interface. On the G6, it's your trip odo, oil life monitor, fuel economy indicator, and also has options for programmable door locks and lighting.The radio cannot be entirely removed from the car with sacrificing all of that. In addition, I can't say for sure, but I'm sure it ties into the databus system pretty heavily in general. Even the Vibe with onstar should not need the factory radio.in this case, the radio does not follow traditional GM architecture, and is removeable.

How to determine whether you can safely remove the factory radio in your Vibe:Step one: Insert key into igniton.Step two: Open driver's door. Listen for the god awful annoying piezo element beeping because Toyota is too cheap to install a decent sounding chime in this car. Had this been an actual GM car, you would have had a nicer sounding chime coming from the left front door speaker. Therefore, if that happens, various vehicle functions are probably integrated into the radio. But in the Vibe's case, the radio may look the same as the other Pontiacs, but it's been dumbed down to work with this Toyota. You don't need it.Step three: Examine keyboard for stuck keys.

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »How to determine whether you can safely remove the factory radio in your Vibe:Step one: Insert key into igniton.Step two: Open driver's door. Listen for the god awful annoying piezo element beeping because Toyota is too cheap to install a decent sounding chime in this car. Had this been an actual GM car, you would have had a nicer sounding chime coming from the left front door speaker. Therefore, if that happens, various vehicle functions are probably integrated into the radio. But in the Vibe's case, the radio may look the same as the other Pontiacs, but it's been dumbed down to work with this Toyota. You don't need it.Step three: Examine keyboard for stuck keys.Man, you've been on the warpath lately, Colonel. I must put in that I'd rather have the easy-to-replace radio than the nice-sounding chime. But we all have our preferences.

i think it should make a cricket sound.

From the looks on these cars. Does the silver plastic face plate just pull off like other GM's , exposing the mounting screws or is there some sort of Toyota way of changing out the radio?Thanks, Jay

pulls off, pull out from the bottom first, tilt it some to get the hooks on top. Lots of threads on this, try a search for remov*