I just got my iPod adapter installed enough to test. It works GREAT :o

The PAC iPAC-OEM does the trick.
http://www.cardomain.com/item/PACAUXPOD


I can change tracks with both the steering wheel buttons and the head unit buttons. I can change between AM/FM and CD and iPod and cassette So I have everything covered.

The head unit thinks the iPod is a gazillion song CD Changer and it displays the playlist as if it were a disk (D1, D2, etc.) and each song in the playlist is a different track (T1,T2, etc.). I haven't tested it yet but I suspect I can only use 12 playlists since it really thinks it is a 12 disk changer.

Pressing the 'Play' button on the steering wheel toggles the display between Disk/Track info to displaying running time.

I have a bunch of picks and will post a write-up soon. Most of the job is taking the dash apart and I have a complete set of pix for that.

so the years listed are 95-01 so does this mean that it wont work on cars newer than that? i thought the radios and stuff for the 2000+ were the same?

I didn't notice that. I've been looking into this for months and studying the electrical system. I see no reason why it won't work on 2002 - 2005. There may be some slight wiring differences but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Basically, if your car is wired for a 12 disk changer in the trunk (or it can be added), then this should work.

do you have the factory radio still hooked up? My dilemma is that I want to put in a in dash navigation system similar to nickycarts. will this system hook up to that as well?

This is intended to replace the factory CD Changer and operate through the factory head unit. It gets commands from the Class 2 Serial Bus to change tracks and playlists as well as when to be on in the first place.

I am not familiar with the nav unit you refer to. If it is an aftermarket unit, I doubt there are any aftermarket units that talk to the Class 2 Serial Bus in this manner. Besides, the higher end aftermarket head units generally have options to do this already.

- - - - UPDATE - - - -

I originally started this post before having a lot of time to study and test the system and features. I now have spent time looking into some problems and I had the opportunity to use the system during a roadtrip from the San Francisco area to the Seattle area.

The controls from the head unit are adequate - but not great. :( I suspect this is because things are limited by the fact that the head unit is expecting the iPod to be a CD Changer. For example, a CD will not have more than two digits to display the track number on a disk (it would be difficult to get more than 99 songs on a CD). An iPod however can have hundreds of songs. This means that sometimes the radio'* display and the iPod'* do not correlate. There is a limitation as to how the head unit displays what IT thinks are disk and track numbers. Since there are these kinds of limitations, it is possible to "confuse" the iPod/head unit communication. The result is that there are times when the iPod will need to be controlled directly (rather than the buttons on the radio or steering wheel).

There is a bigger problem though. The iPAC-OEM was apparently not thoroughly tested in an actual car. When I use the turn signal or turn on the headlights (or other high draw electrical item), it completely messes up the sound for several minutes. I suspect this is due to a poor design to separate the analog and digital grounds inside the iPAC-OEM.

It is intolerable. It is also unfortunate because when it works right, it works very well.

I have done various tests with pulling power from different places including a completely separate battery. All to no avail.

My next test is to wire the analog audio from the iPod, completely around the iPAC-OEM.

I will be heading back to California on Tuesday and hope to have it working to test on the trip back. Look for another report...

aCid and I both have tutorials for wiring an analog input into the headunit if that'* what you're going to have to do.

Thanks but the 2000+ Bonnevilles are a completely different animal. I think I saw what you are talking about and it doesn't apply here.

I'm referring to the internal circuitry of the iPAC-OEM and the PC Board layout. These things have to do with the basic engineering and design of a circuit that contains both analog and digital sub-circuits. There are pitfalls and hidden difficulties that can sneak up and bite you. The iPAC-OEM has been bitten.

I have had to wrestle with these kind of problems with some digital/analog circuits I have designed in the past. They can be real frustrating :?

The HU cd player doesn't have an analog line going to the amp within the HU?

It doesn't matter if you hook up wires. The Class 2 Serial Bus tells the radio what source to amplify. You can hook up all the wires you want, but how are you going to get a serial command on the bus to enable the correct audio?

This is a system that is far more involved than anything you've ever worked with. Your car is in the stone age in comparison (not intended as a put down, just an illustration of the difference in complexity).

The main thing that the iPAC-OEM does is integrate with the Class 2 Serial Bus.