This 2002 Cadillac STS was ahead of its time in terms of technology with Bose audio, navigation, audible back up sensors, and CD changer all from the factory. Unfortunately, 15 years later and these systems start acting up, our customer brought this vehicle in because the head unit was shorting out internally and killing the battery. The dealership could not resolve the issue as they could not source a new head unit so they simply unplugged the fuse to the radio to prevent the battery drain.
Although a replacement used head unit may have been available from a junkyard, we went with the aftermarket route to inject some modern technology into this luxury sedan. With the aftermarket route, the downside is that many of the factory accessories tied into the original head unit could not be retained since things like the CD changer and backup sensor use proprietary systems to GM.
We went with the Sony XAV-AX200 head unit for this vehicle as Sony offers one of the most user-friendly interfaces on the market and our customer needed something that had a CD/DVD drive. Since the parking sensors could not be retained, we added a rear-view camera to help with visibility. This head unit also adds Bluetooth for hands-free calling and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay through USB. The USB drive and DVD drive also can support video playback. For Sony head units, no special bypass module is required to enable video in motion.
This customer did not opt for navigation but the Sony double din head units are compatible with a separate TomTom navigation module if so desired. For many users, Google Maps which is available through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are sufficient (data charges may apply).
Install Pictures
