To retain the steering wheel button, you would need to buy an additional adaptor...PAC Audio has one named SWI-PS. Google it, or you can search this forum for information on where to purchase. Unless you buy an OEM Nav system, it is pretty much required for any aftermarket installs.

 

If you want OEM; get with Schram Auto Parts; they are a forum sponsor. IIRC; if you install an OEM unit; it would integrate with the steering wheel controls without the use of an after market adaptor

 

PAC Audio makes several different adapters for various makes of aftermarket head units. My Kenwood took the SWI-JACK (steering wheel interface-Jensen/Alpine/Clarion/Kenwood)

 

Rosen makes a drop in unit that will plug right in your vehicle with no parts or programming needed to work.

 

Rosen makes a drop in unit that will plug right in your vehicle with no parts or programming needed to work.

Please do a search on this forum and the Enclave forum. Rosen is a hit or miss with mostly misses. I don't consider having to reset the unit once a week or more with a paper clip a reliable alternative

 

Please do a search on this forum and the Enclave forum. Rosen is a hit or miss with mostly misses. I don't consider having to reset the unit once a week or more with a paper clip a reliable alternative

I sell them to local dealers and only once did I experience a problem with one and it ended up being me not getting the correct code. Once that was figured out, everything was fine. People trying to score a cheap deal off of Ebay and getting either an old model or the wrong one altogether isn't a good reason to bad mouth Rosen. Now you can go with ANY radio out there that has wireless remote control and get the proper interface to get the wheel controls to work.

 

Where did I badmouth Rosen units? I say let the buyer check the feedback here and over on the Enclave forum. There are plenty of posts over there about the Rosen unit.

 

Where did I badmouth Rosen units? I say let the buyer check the feedback here and over on the Enclave forum. There are plenty of posts over there about the Rosen unit.

http://www.enclaveforum.net/index.php?topic=6223.0

 

Well, it's just that in your post you make a presumption that the Rosen unit is worthless when in fact it is not. 99% of the time it is installed wrong or the wrong unit was installed in the vehicle. These radios are programmed for the car they are going into. Many people fail to realize this. They feel it is just like any other aftermarket radio and you just slap it in. Another possible problem is that there is a Chinese company making Rosen knock-offs. They look and act just like Rosen but it isn't the same thing and the quality is horrid. One more, these Rosen units have a hard drive inside. Just like a computer, you can't just start hitting a bunch of buttons because this can make the unit lock up or at least slow down until it settles down from all the input commands. On top of this the vehicle itself controls the radio via DataBus and the Lord only knows what these cars can spit out in its data sometimes.

All electrical componets can always fail or even be bad out of the box. This is true especially with audio componets. What I personally like with the Rosen units is that if installed in a new car or with in the first year, you get a lifetime warranty on the unit verus 90 days from regular stereo companies. Now that being said I PERSONALLY like the Pioneer unit but the ease of install from the Rosen unit and the fact that it will retain ALL factory componets if properly matched to the vehicle make it a nice swap for the end user. If someone is wanting more on the audio end of the things though, I would push them into a Pioneer, JVC, or Kenwood in that order.

 

Again, what did I say to rip the Rosen unit? You include a link that a number of people are commenting on the Rosen. Where did I badmouth the unit? I was and am merely trying to let the OP make an informed decision. If the OP wants a Rosen, by all means go for it. Good for you that you are sold on the Rosen.

 

And that is why I posted the Enclave thread, so people can read and make their own, informed decisions

 

Again, what did I say to rip the Rosen unit? ......... Where did I badmouth the unit?

Here where you said "Rosen is a hit or miss with mostly misses. I don't consider having to reset the unit once a week or more with a paper clip a reliable alternative."
My assumption is that you've never laid a finger on a Rosen headunit too. Your responces are probably based only on what you've read. Forums normally bring about the issues products have more over than the good the product can do. If you would read all the complaints on our vehicles like problems with leaking sunroofs, bad power steering units, and bad timing chains you wouldn't want to own one of these fine cars. If I didn't sift through all the negative remarks on this or really any other car I would have shopped for a good pair of walking shoes. Oh wait, I bet there's a forum for that too. ;D

.... Good for you that you are sold on the Rosen.

Nope. Well, not for all consumers but it still beckons a good look at when shopping for an all in one entertainment system. Again, if you look at my previous post the last sentence states what I prefer and no it isn't a Rosen but that's my personal preference based on that I like high end reproduction of the music I listen to. All makes and brands have their strong points and weaknesses. Also, I don't mean to get this into a peeing match. I wanted to just state what I have experienced. To throw another wrench into this I don't like the OEM unit at all. Very poor quality. Mine has lost the DVD function yet again and this is the 3rd radio!

 

Nope. Well, not for all consumers but it still beckons a good look at when shopping for an all in one entertainment system. Again, if you look at my previous post the last sentence states what I prefer and no it isn't a Rosen but that's my personal preference based on that I like high end reproduction of the music I listen to. All makes and brands have their strong points and weaknesses. Also, I don't mean to get this into a peeing match. I wanted to just state what I have experienced. To throw another wrench into this I don't like the OEM unit at all. Very poor quality. Mine has lost the DVD function yet again and this is the 3rd radio!

Why don't you replace it with a Rosen?????

 

Re: Re: Re: Aftermarket Radios that use steering wheel buttons?

Why don't you replace it with a Rosen?????

How about because they are over priced and reliably unreliable?

Purchasers of Rosen units pay a huge premium for plug and play simplicity. Personally I would rather put a little extra effort into the installation in order to get a better system for a lot less cash. (our just splurge for a factory system).

 

Umm, why would I spend $900 on a system that is the exact thing I have now and the dealer is still taking care of it under warranty? Once it is no longer going to be fixed under warranty personally I like the AVIC-Z120BT unit. After buying all the needed parts to get it to work right in my car I'll have about $400 more into it than the Rosen piece.

 

Re: Re: Re: Aftermarket Radios that use steering wheel buttons?

Umm, why would I spend $900 on a system that is the exact thing I have now and the dealer is still taking care of it under warranty?

This thread is not about replacing a defective unit. It's about upgrading from non nav to nav. Overall, internet user reviews in sufficient numbers have proven to be very reliable. There are oodles of poor reviews on Rosen products of every kind, and specifically for the Lambdas' nav systems. You might get lucky, but given the percentage that go bad, the price of taking that chance shouldn't be more than $200. Form your own conclusions, but I wouldn't seriously consider ANY of their products .

 

How about because they are over priced and reliably unreliable?

Purchasers of Rosen units pay a huge premium for plug and play simplicity. Personally I would rather put a little extra effort into the installation in order to get a better system for a lot less cash. (our just splurge for a factory system).

Now you've gone and done it. :>)

And I'm done with the thread

 

Matno, I realize this. I was mearly answering the question of my personal system and not the original question. Through these posts I was trying to get across that the Rosen piece isn't as bad as it is made out to be. The big problem comes with matching the system to the vehicle. Couple that with salesmen that were unsure what was to work in what vehicle. I contacted Crutchfield twice being curious to see what model they recomended for my vehicle. Each time it was a different model. Being that my car has the center speaker, center and rear subwoofer, and rear audio/video I will lose the dual zone capability if I don't stick with OEM or Rosen.

 

You bring up a good point. Not enough "experts" know the details of the products they sell/install. If you can't trust Crutchfield, who can you trust? (Then again, Crutchfield backs their stuff up pretty well, so even if things go wrong, you won't lose much. It doesn't help that the Lamdbas actually come with a LOT of different audio options, which are not always clearly differentiated. I've had relatively good luck installing aftermarket head units over the years (well, except that they've been stolen 3 times!) Unfortunately, with the Lambdas, I haven't seen a "perfect" solution. Aftermarket units seem to usually have more features but at the expense of either quality or integration of basic functions. I've heard good things about the Kenwood units (there's a bunch of info on the Enclave forum). Personally, I'd like to see an aftermarket unit with extra functionality (like Bluetooth streaming audio, better GPS, and rearview camera functionality when not in reverse) PLUS all the features of the factory unit (including USB interface, ability to send Google/Mapquest directions to the car from a PC, etc). Probably just being picky. Most functions I wouldn't use all that often, I just want them! (I currently use GPS about once every 2 weeks, but I do use streaming audio regularly).

 

You bring up a good point. Not enough "experts" know the details of the products they sell/install. If you can't trust Crutchfield, who can you trust? (Then again, Crutchfield backs their stuff up pretty well, so even if things go wrong, you won't lose much. It doesn't help that the Lamdbas actually come with a LOT of different audio options, which are not always clearly differentiated. I've had relatively good luck installing aftermarket head units over the years (well, except that they've been stolen 3 times!) Unfortunately, with the Lambdas, I haven't seen a "perfect" solution. Aftermarket units seem to usually have more features but at the expense of either quality or integration of basic functions. I've heard good things about the Kenwood units (there's a bunch of info on the Enclave forum). Personally, I'd like to see an aftermarket unit with extra functionality (like Bluetooth streaming audio, better GPS, and rearview camera functionality when not in reverse) PLUS all the features of the factory unit (including USB interface, ability to send Google/Mapquest directions to the car from a PC, etc). Probably just being picky. Most functions I wouldn't use all that often, I just want them! (I currently use GPS about once every 2 weeks, but I do use streaming audio regularly).

Ditto here 100%. I am very picky and stingy too. With my car loaded from the factory I have to be careful in what I choose to replace it. Like you said it seems different makes have better functionality on certain things but lose out on others. If I could bundle it all together so everything works as it should I would be happy. You are also correct in Crutchfield does do pretty well in making things right. Rosen actually does very well to or at least the area rep we have in my area. If there's a problem they will have a replacement to my door usually with in 24 hours!