99 SLS customizing?

[NotoriousPelcher]

1. well i just joined this forum today.. i have a 99 SLS & the new kenwoon stereo i got for it doesnt seem to want to do anything even thought i have it all installed correctly.. a friend of mine was saying its probably a fuse but i dont really know a lot about electronic shit

2. does anybody know if you can put a cloth or vinyl top on it if it doesnt have one

3. how is everybody today? haha

[iametarq]

You'll definitely need the help of CadillacSTS2003. He is the audio guru. I don't have any customizations to my SLS.

[Necrosan]

What's your wiring harness look like at the moment?

[chubbyranger]

Originally Posted by NotoriousPelcher

the new kenwoon stereo i got for it doesnt seem to want to do anything even thought i have it all installed correctly..

I think you have a mild contradiction going here. These cars can be a nightmare with aftermarket electronic installs. Try pulling codes to see if there's a clue there. Check the sticky at the top of the main forum page.

[NotoriousPelcher]

well i bought the digital interface and plugged that where my stock bose system was and spliced all the wires to the new stereo uhm.. basically it was just matching colors & whatnot and all the wires actually say on the side or have a little tag on them telling what they are so i know theyre all correct..

somebody explain to me about pulling codes tho because im not familiar with it

and nobody answered my 3rd question haha how is eveybody?

and does anybody know of any body shops that convert sedans & coupes into convertibles? i saw this website of this place i think it was in illinois but that was a while back and now i cant find it

[NotoriousPelcher]

Originally Posted by iametarq

You'll definitely need the help of CadillacSTS2003. He is the audio guru. I don't have any customizations to my SLS.

thx for the advice i'll have to get to know this fella lol

oh yeah im in MI if any1 needed to know or can help

[N*Caddy]

If I understand correctly from your posts you have BOSE in your car?
If so you just removed the HU and spliced into the car harness a connector that plugs into the Kenwood?
Well I don’t think you can get any sound like that since the car has BOSE. The most you can hope for is the Kenwood to light up but no sound. I am not aware of any Kenwood (or any other aftermarket) plug and play into the BOSE RIM. In order to get it going you need to change all speakers and run your own wires. Between the BOSE HU and any of the speakers is the RIM (i.e. a sound processing module) and an amplifier (one at each speaker). The BOSE HU and the RIM use the car data bus to communicate with each other. No HU nobody to tell to the RIM to … for example turn the amplifiers relays on.
Again is not very clear to me what is the “digital interface” (is a connector?), what is a “stock BOSE” (is either stock or BOSE).
Please be more specific about your setup and we will try to help you:

1) Do you have BOSE or Stock sound system?
2) What is the digital interface, a connector with wires you attached to the cars harness by matching colors?
3) Is your aftermarket turning on and no sound or not turning on at all?

My advice…keep your BOSE system, so many things are compromised with an aftermarket… You will loose your steering wheel controls, chime, drivers settings, not to mention the missing part on the car data bus witch will cause error codes and some “strange” behaviors even if you connect the two data bus wires together to close the network gap. The car data bus is designed to miss the RIM (for the non BOSE cars), memory seats module and so one (option), but not really without a HU.
Another thing, never under any circumstance splice into the car harness, you can always use a matching male connector that plugs into the car HU female connector and fabricate an extension/adapter.
Another thing

[NotoriousPelcher]

Originally Posted by N*Caddy

If I understand correctly from your posts you have BOSE in your car?
If so you just removed the HU and spliced into the car harness a connector that plugs into the Kenwood?
Well I don’t think you can get any sound like that since the car has BOSE. The most you can hope for is the Kenwood to light up but no sound. I am not aware of any Kenwood (or any other aftermarket) plug and play into the BOSE RIM. In order to get it going you need to change all speakers and run your own wires. Between the BOSE HU and any of the speakers is the RIM (i.e. a sound processing module) and an amplifier (one at each speaker). The BOSE HU and the RIM use the car data bus to communicate with each other. No HU nobody to tell to the RIM to … for example turn the amplifiers relays on.
Again is not very clear to me what is the “digital interface” (is a connector?), what is a “stock BOSE” (is either stock or BOSE).
Please be more specific about your setup and we will try to help you:

1) Do you have BOSE or Stock sound system?
2) What is the digital interface, a connector with wires you attached to the cars harness by matching colors?
3) Is your aftermarket turning on and no sound or not turning on at all?

My advice…keep your BOSE system, so many things are compromised with an aftermarket… You will loose your steering wheel controls, chime, drivers settings, not to mention the missing part on the car data bus witch will cause error codes and some “strange” behaviors even if you connect the two data bus wires together to close the network gap. The car data bus is designed to miss the RIM (for the non BOSE cars), memory seats module and so one (option), but not really without a HU.
Another thing, never under any circumstance splice into the car harness, you can always use a matching male connector that plugs into the car HU female connector and fabricate an extension/adapter.
Another thing

1. its the stock system that came from the factory which is a BOSE system
2. the digital interface is a connector that plugs directly into the same place that i unplugged the bose stereo from, it has open wires on one end that connect to the aftermarket stereo and the other end looks like this picture i have (the white part)
3. the stereo is not turning on at all or making any sort of noise or lights, nothing

[NotoriousPelcher]

its basically the white piece on that picture, with open ended wires sticking out instead of that black piece connected to it

[NotoriousPelcher]

and the only reason i had bought an aftermarket stereo is because my bose stereo stopped playing CD's for no apparent reason

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

I'm curious as to what a pelcher is and if it's anything like a felcher...

[N*Caddy]

Ok, now I got-it is just the male connector matting the female connector on the car harness (the one that use to be connected to the BOSE HU).
Ok so is a BIG, BIG nono!!!!!
Will not work, trust me on this.
At this point you have to choices:
- Cut your losses and return the Kenwood (if possible) and use 10% of the money you get back to buy from e-bay an absolutely perfect BOSE HU. Save a lot of troubles with the error codes and get an amusing sound system back to the way it was designed.
- Spent spend, spend some more to buy 4 speakers, wires and so on, rewire the car and get the Kenwood working with compromises. Kenwood is a generic sound system not designed specifically for your car geometry and volume, live with error codes and occasional funny behaviors of the electronics. Well I am not saying is not going to work, I am not saying BOSE is the best you can get on your car, but is among the best.
Now if you want to get your Kenwood started, disconnect all wires and do the followings:
Connect the power wire of the aftermarket to the ORN wire going to pin F1. If your aftermarket has a continuos power and an ACC power connect both to this wire (this is just temporarily to test it, for permanent solution you need to run a wire from a continuos 12V wire). Then connect your Kenwood GND wire to either of the 2 BLK wires connected to pins F5 and E16 (E16 is diagonally opposed to the orange power wire).
Then if you have a remote antenna wire on the aftermarket, connect that wire to the DK GRN wire from pin F3.
Do not connect anything else! Turn the key to ACC and start the Kenwood. Should light up (no sound obviously since you have no speakers connected). If it doesn’t turn on then either you did not connected the proper wires or the Kenwood is dead.
If you are still planning to keep the Kenwood, jump together pins F6 and E6 on your aftermarket connector (so you will connect the two PPL wires on the car harness together – that would be your data wires and you just close the breach in the network). Then run your own speaker wires to each of the speakers (that you will also have to replace).
Alternatively run a wire from your antenna command wire of the Kenwood (if equipped) to the trunk on the pin D2 of C2 (ORN wire) connector of your RIM (by the way disconnect both RIM connectors and jump the two PPL wires together on pins D14 and D15 of C2 connector (the one with 32 pins). This will allow the BOSE amps relays to turn the power on to the BOSE amplifiers. Then run audio wires to the C1 connector of the RIM (the one with 24 pins) as follows:
A11 – LH Front +
A12 – LH Front –
B12 – Shield (apply GND)

A9 – RH Front +
A8 – RH Front –
A10– Shield (apply GND)

A5 – LH Rear +
A6 – LH Rear –
A7 – Shield (apply GND)

A2 – RH Rear +
A3 – RH Rear –
A4 – Shield (apply GND)

The sound will be horrible (no bass) since the BOSE amps are not designed for the Kenwood HU. Probably less than half way on the volume you will get distortions (due to level to high). You can use resistors (value by trial and error) to lower the level.
This will be a cheap alternative to running wires from Kenwood to each speaker and replace the BOSE speakers with aftermarket (extra $$$$$$).
Final result, way, way worst than what you had.
The only reason I would see somebody going aftermarket is to have hyper loud sound and TV on the head rests.
Not me though, I like to hear good quality sound not loud.

Buy a BOSE HU P#09354806, one in absolute MINT condition should be around $70. Spend another $50 at GM dealer to have the HU decoded with the TECHII (by the way you need a proof of legal purchase and the donor vehicle VIN #) and you are all set.

Another thing, if you bought the Kenwood from a reputable retailer and you specified the car and sound system you are planing to use for and they failed to tell you about a little thing as “will not work” then I would use this as the main argument to return it.

You have a premium sound system on an premium car, do not ruin-it, that would be just my 2 cents.

[N*Caddy]

Oh… I just noticed is an SLS not an Eldo (I don’t know why I was under this impression ). Well in this case the RIM connectors might be different. The HU is OK just the RIM might be different so ignore the cheapo solution as I don’t know witch pin is what on SLS/STS. The general idea is the same but be aware the pins might not match.

[NotoriousPelcher]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

I'm curious as to what a pelcher is and if it's anything like a felcher...

that would be the last name and im not sure if im anything close to a felcher because i have no clue what one of those is haha




my god that is disturbing:O

[NotoriousPelcher]

Originally Posted by N*Caddy

Oh… I just noticed is an SLS not an Eldo (I don’t know why I was under this impression ). Well in this case the RIM connectors might be different. The HU is OK just the RIM might be different so ignore the cheapo solution as I don’t know witch pin is what on SLS/STS. The general idea is the same but be aware the pins might not match.

well thanks for the help anyways, somebody was telling me i could run my power from the wire that opens my trunk? because something about that wire only being hot when i have the key inserted or 10 minutes after if i dont open the door, but my trunk opens even when my keys are nowhere in sight if i push the trunk button inside (i think it was a thread about locking ur keys in the trunk?) i really dont know much about electronics & mechanics so im kinda lost..