Help with Girlfriend's Car

[thebiggoose]

Hi Guys,

My girlfriend just got her first car. It's a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue. She wants me to help her put a new head unit in it, which I have no experience with. So I'm counting on my fellow Macrumorians for a few things.

1. Recommendations for a head unit for ~$100. (Requirements are Cd player, preferably AUX in, but not necessary)

2. Instructions for removing (stock) existing head unit.

3. Instructions for installing new (recommended) head unit.

4. Anything else I will need.

Thanks guys! Help on any of these will be greatly appreciated! (And score me some girl points!)

 

[yg17]

I suggest Crutchfield.com

They'll throw in instructions specific to your car as well as the dash kit and the harness. You only get the kit and harness if your headunit is $130 or more, but typically, the kit and harness will run you 30 bucks anyways, so if you buy a $100 headunit, you'll end up spending the same as if you bought a $130 headunit and wind up with a slightly more basic one

 

[todd2000]

Like yg17 said, I would recommend Crutchfield, they will give you detailed vehicle-specific instructions for installation, and will tell you exactly what harnesses/dash kits you need. I would recommend Kenwood they make nice Head Units, I have had 3 on them. Just a quick look found this one for 99.99, which should do the job, and it has an AUX input http://www.crutchfield.com/S-GpNjPvZXjOl/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=113MP205

EDIT: Nevermind for some reason it says that Head Unit wont fit your car, just enter your car in their site, and pick a nice unit with good reviews, and you should be good.

 

[yg17]

Like yg17 said, I would recommend Crutchfield, they will give you detailed vehicle-specific instructions for installation, and will tell you exactly what harnesses/dash kits you need. I would recommend Kenwood they make nice Head Units, I have had 3 on them. Just a quick look found this one for 99.99, which should do the job, and it has an AUX input http://www.crutchfield.com/S-GpNjPvZXjOl/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=300&I=113MP205

EDIT: Nevermind for some reason it says that Head Unit wont fit your car, just enter your car in their site, and pick a nice unit with good reviews, and you should be good.

That's odd...it's a single DIN so it should fit any GM with the dash kit. I had a Pioneer single DIN in my old 97 Grand Am with the dash kit.

Anyways, I'd personally recommend Pioneer. I've always had their headunits and they work great. My dad has that Kenwood in his car, and the UI is terrible on it IMO. Every time I have to mess with it, I want to rip off that stupid little joystick, which hardly ever works right and is WAAAAAY too sensitive and throw it out the window.


I don't know if the Intrigue is anything like my Grand Am (it might be since it seems like GM only has 5 different actual cars, each one having 20 different brand names), but if it is, headunit installation shouldn't be that difficult. I had Circuit City install mine, but I had to remove it myself. Granted, that was after the car was totalled and I was free to tear up the dash and didn't actually have to put it back together, but the process seemed rather simple. I think with the front bumper completely detached from the car and 2 deflated airbags hanging out, how pretty the dash looked after I got through with it was the least of the insurance company's worries

 

[iGav]

That's odd...it's a single DIN so it should fit any GM with the dash kit. I had a Pioneer single DIN in my old 97 Grand Am with the dash kit.

The Intrigue I hired (back in 2000) was a double DIN.

So it'd be useful if thebiggoose could clarify if his girlfriend's Intrigue is a single or a double DIN.

 

[ErikCLDR]

I would think it's double din since GM cars of that vintage typically had them.

Its a GM car, it should come apart logically with very little effort.

 

[Sdashiki]

Dont most GM vehicles have the obscure 1.5 DIN size?

 

[todd2000]

That's odd...it's a single DIN so it should fit any GM with the dash kit. I had a Pioneer single DIN in my old 97 Grand Am with the dash kit.

Yeah it is odd because when you put his car in, it comes up with other single-din head units that it says fits. Maybe something with depth? I thought they were all a standard depth though?

 

[iGav]

Yeah it is odd because when you put his car in, it comes up with other single-din head units that it says fits. Maybe something with depth? I thought they were all a standard depth though?

That website confirms that the Intrigue is infact a double DIN, their website just isn't very good.

If thebiggoose has trouble finding a suitable double DIN replacement, then it's perfectly possible to fit a single DIN head unit in the hole that is left, and simply use a blanking panel to cover the remaining DIN gap.