QuestionQUESTION: I am going to put an afermarket radio in my 2000 buick lesabre limited...i was wondering if u could tell me the interface that i need to buy..I know if u get the wrong one it will screw up the computer errors for the car and just be a mess. i have done a little research and think i know what i need, but you clarification would be awesome. some important notes.....
my car is fully loaded......except when purchased in 2000, the original owner opted to not get onstar....so this car does not have onstar.....i know that can matter for what kind of interface i would need....also the radio i am putting in it is a sony wxgt77ui double din....i found the trim i need and antennae adapter....i just need to know what harness/interface i need.
thanks for the help, if there is any information i left out please let me know
rob
ANSWER: Hi Rob,
In your vehicle, you can use a Metra GMRC-04 or GMOS-05 adapter. Either will work; the GMOS-05 is designed for vehicles with Onstar, but it will also work with non-Onstar vehicles. It's likely to cost more than the GMRC-04, but may be easier to find. You could also use a Scosche DCGM14SR.
Neither adapter will retain your steering wheel radio controls; you'd need an additional part for that. Also, make sure you have the correct antenna adapter; your car needs a Volkswagen style antenna adapter (Metra 40-VW10) instead of the usual GM antenna adapter. Note that you may need to cut out the rear wall of the radio cavity, which could make it difficult to put the factory radio back in later on.
Hope this helps!
Brian
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QUESTION: ok great...i thought the gmrc-04 was what i needed. this is the link to the part in question....best buy can order it for 100 and the local car audio place is gonna charge me 110 for the part, obviously if this is the part
http://www.bargainunlimited.net/servlet/the-2715/METRA-GMRC-dsh-04-Dock-'N'/Deta
then i will order it.....its the gmrc-04, it says dock n lock? is this the right one. if you copy and paste the above link it will take you to the part in question.....58 bucks sounds alot better then the 100-110 others are charging. let me know if this is it....once again ,,,, thanks alot for the quick reply and info.
rob
ANSWER: Hi Rob,
Yes, that's the correct adapter for your vehicle. When you pull the factory unit out of the car, you'll understand why it's known as a "dock and lock" radio.
Brian
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QUESTION: ok thanks again for the info.....lets say instead of going the aftermarket route, and i wanted to sell the car.....obviously with a non working radio it would be less valuable.....what if i wanted to just replace the factory radio with another factory radio....is there a place to buy a factory radio? obviously it would need to be exact, so that way it could retain the steering wheel controls. I know i could contact a couple junkyards and chop shops to maybe find one.....but how do i know what i need....is there a model number or something for 2000 buick lesabre am/fm, cassette, cd players double din? please help. thanks again
AnswerHi Rob,
The dock-and-lock radio in your LeSabre is similar to the one used in the 2000+ Bonneville, and 2001+ Olds Aurora. I would think that a radio removed from any of these vehicles should work in your car, but you'll need a dealer's assistance. GM used a system called Theftlock II on newer factory radios; it can identify the original vehicle through the data bus connection. As a result, a radio removed from one car and installed into another will not work unless it's reset by a GM dealer.
Also, if your original radio was a Bose head unit, you'll need to use another Bose unit to replace it; if it's the non-Bose version, then you'll need to replace it with another non-Bose.
Hope this helps!
Brian
