I only have a AM/FM radio and want to upgrade to a CD. The OEM radio is about 300.00, while the aftermarket "Crutchfield" is only about 160.00 with all the required harnesses.
I am worried about thief, afterall who would want an OEM radio while an aftermarket radio is there??
The radio I had in mind has a detachable face, but if a thief sees the face missing, he may think the face is hidden in the truck, and destroy the truck trying to find it.

Any comments?

Thanks!! Stash

 

I'd say go buy your radio and enjoy it. I have had one for years, as have alot of people I know, and not one of us has ever had one stolen. I had a friend who had his truck broke into...stole a wallet, a purse, a cell phone, and ripped his euro's off the back, but never touched the radio. Unless you have a really expensive vehicle, or a really flashy vehicle, you're not very high on the radar of a thief.

 

I would go with which ever radio that I liked the most. I agree with lg_rebel, when I was in the sound equipment stage, I had $2500 worth of equipment and left my truck parked in an unsecured parking lot for 2 weeks at a time while I was at work and nothing ever happened.

 

Upgrade the radio. It isn't worth the money for the OEM cd player. I put in an in line converter, added multiple amps and subs to my stock radio (with the cd player)...My system would sound pretty good if the stock radio didn't skip. besides, 300.00 would be crazy to spend. If you want a stock one that bad, just hit a junk yard, you wont notice much of a difference.

 

I own a 2006 Silverado WT and just installed GM part #15850275 which is an upgrade to a CD & RDS radio. The radio worked out of the box but displayed "CAL ERR" when first turned on. I liked the sound and decided that the upgrade was a keeper and went to my dealer to get the VIN in the radio matched to my vehicle.

After the merchanic finished I found that the great sounding bass was lost and I could not get it back by adjusting the bass, treble, and mid. I didn't have mid before the radio was programmed. The chimes originally worked when I left the dealer but they stopped a few hours later. After a little troubleshooting & testing, I found that the left front speaker was no longer working.

I took it back today and the tech spent an entire hour trying to locate the problem. He questioned the new radio but if the chimes worked then the left front speaker worked. He said that he had tested the left front speaker and it is bad. He has ordered a new speaker. I don't know if this will solve the problem, but I read that you need to know the type of speaker to program the Radio?? I hope that he knows that it is a UQ5 since he had to order.

I went back the next day and had the new speaker installed. The OEM radio sounds great; not as classy as XM but more flexible than the base model. This radio will now allow me to add non-factory XM for about $150 from Crutchfield.

 

I know what I am going to do. I going to buy a IPOD and radio adapter. I can then use the IPOD for running, sports, etc AND play it through my OEM radio!!.

Stash