Dutch, Best Buy does not trump GM manuals. Your information is incorrect.

We've been changing these radios HOW often here? Never an issue.

I don't think that I know cause I work at Best Buy...............I know because I've worked on thousands of vehicles litterly before Best Buy.
I also see the side of things that you guys don't..........I see the Install manuals, the prodedures & Warnings that come with these products.

Let me ask this question of you guys then...
In the install manuals for some off these products it says to disconnect the Battery, Remove the SIR fuse, & Unplug the SIR connectors.
Why would I have to do all that if the SIR system is not tied into the factory Radio ?

Look at the top left of the diagram;




Dutch

Dutch, thank you very much for your insight and very-hard-to-read schematic (even though I have dual 20" displays, I still can barely read it), HOWEVER, we have had dozens of HU swaps in the generation we're talking about with no difficulties whatsoever.

Please go back and read ToastedOat'* replies. His comments sum up our experiences here on more than one car on this Forum.

Don't feel bad, this isn't the first time someone has had training and experience that turned out to be wrong. You do things the way you're taught, and sometimes practical experience surprises you later.

The fact remains, we've swapped HU'* here already with no negative effects to the SIR system.

Dutch, I just looked closer at your schematic. So you're telling me that manual states the steering wheel control signal goes through the driver'* airbag coil before it gets to the radio?

RIGHT! That makes perfect sense. I'd sure do that. Run a low-voltage analog signal through a safety device for the purpose of audio entertainment.

Your manuals probably have GENERIC warnings to disable those devices ANY time you'll be working in or around (behind the dash) of another person'* vehicle. It'* standard fare, bud.

Keep in mind that the warnings are very generic and made to avoid law suits because each car is built differently, but may share a harness and instructions. SOME class 2 data buss vehicles MAY have the airbags dependent on the radio, but ours is not one of them.

When i squint enough to look at the diagram above, it appears that the steering wheel controls go through part of the SIR, and into the DIM not that the SIR goes through the radio.

and why would you have to pull the airbag fuse if the battery is disconnected?

and bill, yes, many things loop through modules for no logical reason in our cars, im guessing that the wheel controls and SIR are off of the same module because they are both in the steering wheel, its pretty convenient to link them together

just to toss in a bit of side knowledge here.....seems toasty and a few others have made the point, however. i work for circuit city, we have done probably 20+ lesabres/bonnies in the 4 months ive worked there.... NEVER have we used the ribbon cable because customers cant justify $100 for the harness... we usually use a metra 702003 harness (i think thats the number that works for the ribbon connector, ill hafta call and check) or a scohce harness (i cant remember the number off the top of my head) and just run another acc wire off the fusebox, never once have we had a customer come back complaining about airbags not workin, only about losing thier chimes...`

As an Installer I can't afford to disregard manuals cause the cars I'm working on are not my own.
If you guys say that your SIR system is uneffected after disconnecting the factory radio thats great, but I can't take those chances.

Alot of stuff that car manufaturers do don't make sense, I curse everytime I have a multiplexed (data) vehicle to work on. The stupidy that I witness with vehicle design gets worse every year.
Vehicles are continually getting more difficult to interface aftermarket electronics into.
Perfect example try and do a Remote Starter on an 06 Buick.

All of the above is just so that car manufactuers can save money, lighten the car & insure that DIY have to bring the car back to the dealer for service......it sucks.

Dutch

I completely understand where you are coming from, and why all precautions have to be taken because you cannot afford to jeopardize your career or the business you work for.

I appreciate your attempt to try to inform us of the risks involved, however i also hope you understand that many of us have eliminated the radio, and wiring because 2-3 yrs ago there was no other option available to us, and we have no negative results other than loss of chimes and on-star

The reason why there is a warning about the SIR system and the steering wheel controls is because to fix any problem with the steering wheel controls, you're "technically" supposed to remove the air bag and remove the ground wire before servicing them. The wiring for the steering wheel controls do in fact run behind the airbag, but they do not however, tie into the airbag system in anyway. Companies are forced to recommend cutting all power for issues with liability. Even to change a tire it seems like the manuals say to remove the ground wire.

However Dutch, it is a good thing that you look out for your customers and research these things as much as possible before comitting to an install. in this case however, your manual was incorrect.

The GM FSM is not very specific in the wiring diagram for the Bonneville other than what each wire does. There are two class II databus lines that are used for various functions. Your own diagram however shows that there is no correlation between the airbag system and the radio. If you look, the airbag system is directly connected to the Dash Integration Module (DSM). The radio is completely independant of itself from the rest of the Data bus II network, so its removal will not prompt any problems unrelated to the radio. If other systems were forced to pass through it, then yeah, we might have a problem there.

wow guys, feel like you all are fighting over me. Great debate! I love this stuff and though i have the slightest clue what you guys are talking about, i managed to pick up on a few words that jumped out at me such as: wire, radio, chime, airbag, manual, and other more common words such as: You, wrong, my, install, job... So with that being said, can someone please just tell me specifically tell me what are the part numbers of the things that I need to install my radio and keep the steering wheel controls? English people... us English