My car was a victim of Katrina....Please Help!
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New member Username: Globe9New orleans, La USA Post Number: 1 Registered: Nov-05 | Hi, I just bought a used 2002 Pontiac Grand Am b/c my car was flooded and totaled by Katrina  It currently has no stereo in the dash. It does have a 6 speaker system however(2 front, 2 back, and 2 tweeters in upper door). I already have a Kenwood CD receiver and would like to install this in the car. I am a girl btw, and have been told that I absoulutely must buy a Metra $100 wire harness for this stereo installation. I have also been told that I don't need that harness if I don't care about the door chimes(I don't). I am still living in New Orleans and can't afford $100 for something that would normally cost about $15. $100 may not seem like a lot of money to most of you, but right now I am homeless, jobless, and lucky to have a car. I would really like to have a stereo in the car, but I can't justify $100 on a harness. Can someone please tell me what regular, normal priced wire harness I can buy and how to hook it up? (I don't have the original stereo btw, so I can't mount it in the trunk, which was another option I was told.)Please, any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! |
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Silver Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 386 Registered: Jun-05 | Try like $30 for both pieces of a universal.. (15 each or so). and the harness, to hook it up. Plug into OEM car connector, plug into other piece of universal adapter, then plug it into your deck. Done. |
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New member Username: Globe9New orleans, La USA Post Number: 2 Registered: Nov-05 | Thanks for your suggestion Seth. I really appreciate it. Can you tell me who locally might carry these parts? Autozone, Pepboys, Best Buy, Circuit City etc? I need to know what to ask for specifically b/c when I try to ask them, they just steer me to the $100 Metra and won't tell me anything else. Thanks again! |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5012 Registered: Nov-04 | Nicole, if you're homeless, jobless, and don't have money, why are you worrying about a stereo?? That would be my last thing on my mind. Anyhow, if you really need music and don't have the cash, then bypass the hardness and wire it directly. Take a closer look at the existing wires. They should all be colour coded. If you don't know what they mean, do a search on google for wiring code. You will find a site that will list your car's make/model and year, along with definition of each colour code. It is quite simple. You will need a soldering iron to connect the wires together. Just curious, did you know that George Bush promised free money for the Katrina victims? I think everyone automatically got $2000. Don't miss out on it. Good luck with your job and future. One more thing, anyone that tells you, you will need the $100 wiring harness is a stupid idiot moron and a crook. Unless your car is a Ferrari or Porsche, it shouldn't cost no more than $10 - $15 max. There are too many idiots running the world. |
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Silver Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 389 Registered: Jun-05 | best buy, circuit city, for sure... autozone and pepboys...they have'm, but might not have'm for your model car. |
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New member Username: Globe9New orleans, La USA Post Number: 3 Registered: Nov-05 | I am homeless in that my home had 12 feet of water in it, but I am staying with friends right now. I do have a roof over my head. I am jobless b/c my place of business had the roof collapse in, so I'm jobless for the next 6 months until they can fix that. I am doing little side jobs to make any $$$ I can, that's why I needed a car(in case anyone asks how I bought a car when I'm homeless and jobless). I just thought it would be nice to have some music in my car. I already had the stereo, so I just thought I'd need to buy a $15 buck harness kit. Not a lot of money for some happiness in what could otherwise be a bleak and depressing existence. Then I found out about the $100 Metra kit. That's why I am asking for advice on a way around that. What brand and model # do I need? Does anyone know? I keep getting told Circuit City, Best Buy, Crutchfield etc and they all keep telling me the $100 Metra. I ask for something else and they tell me no, probably b/c I'm a girl. I need to be specific with them and tell them exactly what I want. Can someone please let me know EXACTLY what wiring harness kit I need to install a Kenwood CD receiver into the dash of a 2002 Grand Am SE1? Thanks for everyone's help. Hopefully I will have tunes by Monday. |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5014 Registered: Nov-04 | Okay, now it makes sense. Here's a link where you can get the wiring info on your car. It'll tell what the colours mean. http://www.installdr.com/ Click the Do it yourself link and select GM. Your car is the one on the bottom (1990 and newer models). The problem with Circuit City/BestBuy and mass marketing chain is, most of the installers are not that knowledgable. They can follow instructions, but lack experience to know when to find alternative to a problem. If you know anyone with a soldering iron, then you can borrow it for your installation, or go visit a home depot and purchase wire twister caps. It's used to connect 2 or more wires together. If they refuse to sell you the $15 wiring harness, then bypass it. It is not required to make it work. |
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Silver Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 394 Registered: Jun-05 | Eww...twist caps. I prefer the crimp terminals personally.. Will be more secure.. (The kind that has two little hollow tubes, with a metal "M" shaped piece, and plastic jacket..so when you crimp them it actually cuts into the wire with the metal piece.) |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5016 Registered: Nov-04 | That'll work too. Whatever is available near her. |
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New member Username: Globe9New orleans, La USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Nov-05 | Thank you so much Isaac. The diagram seems fairly straightforward. So I take the wire harness on the Kenwood receiver I already have and solder them to the corresponding wires on the wire harness in my dash? Apparently there is no $15 wire harness made for a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am SE1, or at least none I can find. Thanks again so much. I will let you know how everything turned out. P.S. On the install doctor website, under the install it yourself link, and then under GM, they don't have the Grand Am listed as a model. Will any of the other Pontiac models work? I was just wondering, b/c they give very good installation instructions. Thanks again |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5017 Registered: Nov-04 | Those wiring info is suppose to apply to all GM cars made after 1990 and newer. And yes, you can solder the wires directly. I did that on one of my install cause there were no wiring harness kit. Remember, before soldering, twist the wires together and test. If they are correct, then solder. Use electrical tape for insulation. Good luck. |
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