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RPOs and radios: A tale of woe

3K views 25 replies 7 participants last post by  CycleCat 
#1 · (Edited)
I spent a few hours pulling the Kenwood touch-screen radio out of my car last week and installing the '09 factory radio I bought off a list member a few months ago into my '08 car. I was hoping for the satisfaction @rob the elder achieved doing the same on the Green Dragon. After spending another 2.5 hours at the dealer today I have learned that this stereo will not work on my '08... no way.... no how.

The tech tried numerous times to unlock and synch the stereo to my car. Finally after working over the phone with a tech at GM they determined the RPO code for my car and the car it came out of won't allow it. There is no work-around.

My radio RPO is US9, this stereo only works with RPO# UUI, which was new in '09.

All the plugs fit. After installing the radio the screen powered up showing time and "LOCKED", the chimes and turn signal "tick-tock" worked (although louder due to the internal amp). So it's not that different.

I'm bummed. The navigation screen on the Kenwood I took out leaves a lot to be desired. The screen for nav and radio controls is unreadable with the top down on a sunny day.

Several members list radios for sale. I'll be in touch soon.
 
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#2 ·
I have a 2010 USB head unit in my early 2008 (July 2007 build) Sky. Removed original, installed 2010, turned on car, turned on tunes.

The one caveat is that the USB unit had never been installed in a car before, so it wasn't locked to a VIN (or whatever happens). But as far as 2009+ head OEM head units not working in older Kappas: Poppycock.
 
#3 ·
This unit had been in another car and was locked to the VIN but I expected them to be able to override it. Maybe it is poppycock but this GM certified tech and the one he worked with over the phone couldn't make it work. If anyone can get me in touch with someone who really knows how to make it work, I'd appreciate it.
 
#4 · (Edited)
#5 ·
I have the same radio in my 07. Worked out of the box

Try to reset it with our scan tool. Alternative is get a refurbished G6 or G8 radio which is what I have in the Dragon. When you come up next time lets give it a go
 
#6 ·
Rob, I'd love to try the tech II. That was my plan this last weekeend and then I ended up not being able to come up. When is the next garage day (other than this weekend. I'm on pet duty while Caroline is gone).

Soup, I'm good with a soldering iron but that may be above my pay grade. I may have to get yevgenievich to fix it. I was looking at what he has for sale but I'd like to use this higher power unit if possible.
 
#7 ·
This may be a case of the official GM software saying "you can't get there from here" but in reality, if you ignore the experts, there is a hole in the fence that all the locals know about.
 
#9 ·
I put a UUI in my 2006 Solstice.
Was it new or out of another vehicle?

Again, it may be a case of the tech at my dealership needing to forget using the factory software and just go to the basics and use the tech II.
 
#12 ·
My car, a 2008 Solstice, came without Monsoon. I put in a new ex-factory 2009 Sky USB Monsoon radio and it worked straight off.

I think that's a pretty big 'programming' gap (year, car model, radio model and Monsoon) and yet it worked.
 
#15 ·
I had a gm tech try working using non tech 2 software that he usually uses and was having issue with the newer radio because it was not listed in the drop down and rpo codes. I was trying to do more than vin relearn so I left it at that. However aftermarket tech2 look alike did it just fine and probably tech 2 could as well. My offer to try swapping empty eeprom to that radio or one of the other stokers still stands. The problem is I am not sure if blank eeprom really makes the usb radio work like the earlier ones.
 
#16 ·
I had a gm tech try working using non tech 2 software that he usually uses and was having issue with the newer radio because it was not listed in the drop down and rpo codes.
That's exactly the problem he was having. The GM software was presenting him with limited menus based on the RPO codes and radio part number. It didn't give him the options he needed. After two hours the guy was super frustrated and I didn't want to push him to throw away what he was trying and switch to the more generic option using the Tech II so I just let it go. It's a case of the software being too smart for its own good. It needs a dumber machine that will just do what you tell it to do without fighting back.

I'm buying another radio from Yevgenievich with a fresh eeprom that I am going to try. I'll pop this radio back in next time I make it to one of Rob's garage days in Denver and see if we can get it working. We have a club member who is a long-time GM tech and really good with the Tech II. And I will be quite experienced swapping radios once this is all done!
 
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#17 ·
I got the replacement stereo from Yevgenievich installed today. It powered up, tuned and saved stations, all the buttons do what they should. But I have no sound from the radio. No music, no blinker tick-tock, no seat belt chime. Nothing. I checked BCM fuse #6 to the amp. It's good.

All the balance/fade is balanced to the middle and I dialed the volume from min to max and back. Maybe the radio is bad. I'm stumped.
 
#18 ·
I attached a photo of the radio on, showing stations tuned in and saved as presets. The other photo is with the radio off, only showing the clock and a dot on the left. I don't know if the dot is normal.

It seems to be working perfectly normal, steering wheel controls work, just no tunes.
 

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#19 ·
Connector X1 Pin 3 js the output from the radio that turns on the amplifier. I would check to see if there is power there, and that the pin is properly seated in the shell.
Connector X1 Pin 15 is the output from the radio that mutes the amplifier, although it shouldn't mute the chimes and tic-toc. You could check that it goes on and off when the mute button is pushed.
 

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#20 ·
Thanks, John! You are always so helpful with the electrical stuff!

I pulled the plugs and checked that all the pins are straight. When I hit the mute on the steering wheel the stereo shows on the display that it is muted/unmuted. I'm having a hard time reading that second photo. I'll try to check those pins in the morning. I'm done with this beeyotch for today.

Do I need to check the output from the back of the radio, or the X1 plug?
 
#23 ·
A bit at a loss, but possible that it go damaged unintentionally by me. I have swapped couple of chips back and forth on my other radio without issues but something might have happened to that one. Vehicle side is likely to be fine as the other radio had all the chimes working. Sent a refund.
 
#24 ·
Thanks, man. I didn't expect that. The radio seemed intact after shipping. I'll probably just put the first one back in and try to get to someone with a Tech II ASAP. I live in a small town and there are only a few shops that have them.
 
#26 ·
The only shop in town that has a Tech II couldn't get me in for several weeks. With summer dwindling away, I didn't want to be without my music any longer. I found a refurbished USB type stereo on eBay and installed it yesterday. It powered up and made music the instant it was turned on! I even got a free XM radio trial period! No programming needed. Same as the UUI stereo I originally tried.

I'll still try to unlock the first stereo... just to prove it can be done. But for now, this was the path of least resistance and I have music again!
 
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