Donny Carlson
11-06-2005, 09:40 PM
It was a nice afternoon, so top down on the roadster, cruising around, I stop at Madden LM to look at the new Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zepher on the lot. Eh, kinda smallish, looks smaller than the Sable, about LS size. The Zepher looks high ticket. Both are V6 FWD in the 20's Both assembled here:
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
At least Dodge Magnum's are built in Canada. I watched last weeks Overhaulin, the one with the shaved door handle kits that are cool. I don't get overhaulin a new car for an owner that's apparently affluent enough to have it down themselves, but eh. They swapped out one OEM head unit for another to get DVD nagivation, didn't explain why they did put in somethine aftermarket... and I think I know why..
The Bose premium sound system in my SSR sounds excellent, as Marty and Todd can attest. I was able to install XM radio by using a new Terk GM interface for Series III Bose head units, even though Terk tech support said it wouldn't be compatiable with the SSR. Wrong. It works fine. Anywho, those owners who have removed their OEM Bose head units for aftermarket head units have discovered something...and the tech papers for the SSR point this out if you request them and read em... that the DIC - Drivers Information Center, the EEC and security system are connected to the head unit, use it to communite with the driver (with unique tones sent to the sound system's speakers), You take out the head unit, no more attention tones or alert tones AND if you throw a code that requires a warning tone and the OEM radio is not there to communicate with the computer, it won't clear until connected to a factory radio. My sound installer said they had gotten around this by installing a special spliced in cable to connect the OEM head unit to whenever a trouble code was generated, but that's a whole lot of hassle, imo.
I'm betting the Magnum on the show has a similar system. You can change amps, speakers, no problem, but the OEM head unit (or upgraded OEM head unit that could have been installed) has to be there, or you're gonna have some problems down the line when the computer wants to tell you to change oil, or check the engine, or what ever.
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
At least Dodge Magnum's are built in Canada. I watched last weeks Overhaulin, the one with the shaved door handle kits that are cool. I don't get overhaulin a new car for an owner that's apparently affluent enough to have it down themselves, but eh. They swapped out one OEM head unit for another to get DVD nagivation, didn't explain why they did put in somethine aftermarket... and I think I know why..
The Bose premium sound system in my SSR sounds excellent, as Marty and Todd can attest. I was able to install XM radio by using a new Terk GM interface for Series III Bose head units, even though Terk tech support said it wouldn't be compatiable with the SSR. Wrong. It works fine. Anywho, those owners who have removed their OEM Bose head units for aftermarket head units have discovered something...and the tech papers for the SSR point this out if you request them and read em... that the DIC - Drivers Information Center, the EEC and security system are connected to the head unit, use it to communite with the driver (with unique tones sent to the sound system's speakers), You take out the head unit, no more attention tones or alert tones AND if you throw a code that requires a warning tone and the OEM radio is not there to communicate with the computer, it won't clear until connected to a factory radio. My sound installer said they had gotten around this by installing a special spliced in cable to connect the OEM head unit to whenever a trouble code was generated, but that's a whole lot of hassle, imo.
I'm betting the Magnum on the show has a similar system. You can change amps, speakers, no problem, but the OEM head unit (or upgraded OEM head unit that could have been installed) has to be there, or you're gonna have some problems down the line when the computer wants to tell you to change oil, or check the engine, or what ever.