Hi everyone,

First of all, I did read the sticky above but it does not pertain to my perticular head unit or the fact that the dealer service manager told me this upgrade was probably not possible. I am not sure if my head unit is the problem or the people doing the install.

I purchased a 2008 Yukon Denali about 3 months ago. This unit has the non-screen dvd player with the rear flip down monitor system. 2 weeks ago, the DVD player stopped working and says error everytime you start the vehicle.

I took it to the Dealer I bought it at, they of course said it wasn't covered. The gave me a quote for the part I needed, $500 + labor + programming fee I think.

Anyways, I was really wishing this unit had the DVD/Nav system upgrade so I thought since the unit was broke I might as well do the upgrade if I could find the head unit for a decent price. I have a touchscreen unit in my Avalanche and it is nice. I found a unit out of a 2011 Denali, but I believe it is a truck version, and called my dealer to ask if the install would be possible. I had read in my searches it was and that I would probably only need to additionally buy a GPS antenna for it to work, unless I wanted to try to integrate in Bluetooth (which I would if I had someone who knew what they are doing). The dealer said they had never done an upgrade like that and they weren't sure if it was possible. I asked them if I could give them the part number to check but they said the only real way to tell was to bring the unit in. I drove 2 hours each way to pick up this unit, ran it down to them, and they said it won't work. The plugged it in, it said locked, they went to program it, apparently the GM sign came on across the screen and then it should go to the time/date screen or something like that but all that came up was two little circles at the bottom. He said that it obviously wasn't compatible but really wasn't sure.

The part number on the Denso unit is: GM 25966512, it also has DW468100-6454 on it as well.

Is this unit not compatible? The service manager said he doesn't think it is possible to upgrade from a non-screen DVD head unit to a unit with the touchscreen monitor and navigation. And if it is possible, is it possible to add the bluetooth option for my wife as well?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Also, my Denali has the Bose system in it and the head unit I bought came out of a unit with Bose as well.

 

All I know is GM makes upgrades next to impossible if not purchased originally.

My buddy bought a 2012 Caddy.. no remote start, dealer said they could add it... 6 trips later, they can't. ever. wtf is that?! it's an option on the car, but only if built that way?!

have you considered aftermarket? the OEM headunit is nothing to be proud of... it's comparable to an etch-a-sketch.

 

I had originally planned on putting in an aftermarket deck but when I talked to the installers I abandoned the idea. The flip down rear dvd unit is only compatible with the factory units, there is no rca plug ins for it so it cannot apparently be used with any other head unit. It also meant a loss of some of the other vehicle features. I had read online where people were successful at doing the upgrade with very little problem, and had even added the bluetooth option that comes with the newer models which I had thought would be really nice.

I have the factory nav/dvd in my Avalanche, and I agree, it has alot of negatives to it. I barely ever use the Nav and use grab my Garmin if I am going anywhere.

 

Are there any RCA inputs on the back of the console? If so, you could use one of those small DVD players as a work-around.

 

to spartan. there is a way to get the rear flip down to integrate with an aftermarket option. true there is not an rca input but there is a video cable. a good stereo shop with a qualified tech can easily test which one and solder a rca input. I run a shop in southern california and do this quite often . Auto Stereo Plus » Authorized 12 Volt Distributors Inc. Dealer is my site. any of the av nav units can work just fine. retaining bose and on star if you want as well. just find the right shop and its all a walk in the park. FYI at my shop for a good unit like a pioneer or ken wood unit will all bells and whistles can be down with rear integration and all for about 800-900 bucks. much easier than trying to put in another stock one.

 

correct...if you already have a touch screen radio from factory even if it has or doesnt have navigation...upgrading to aftermarket is quite difficult...i mean you may find an installer able to but if hes willing and giving a fair price is another question...

was actually on this forum myself trying to get more information about android operating head units...