Help unlock my GM radio

This sounds like a job for.... OOOOOOONNNSSTTAARRRRRR ;o)

"Soapm" wrote

Ian

Thanks shiden_Kai, I appreciate your help.

Curious why GM locks their radios. Surely the factory radios aren't stolen that often, are they?

They aren't often stolen because they have a Security Lock feature. The thief can't sell it to the fence with it locked. Therefore, they don't go to the trouble of stealing it in the first place.

---Bob Gross---

The context of my statement/question was relevant to the time before the locks were added to them. Were the factory radios stolen often before this security feature was added? Insurance statistics I've seen say no...very rare.

My guess is that the unlock algorithm "key" has been hacked and readily available to thieves, just like software keys have been. So for the professional fence, it makes little difference if it has a software lock on it or not, I'd bet. So, the only real inconvenience is likely to the customer. Joy! :-)

OEM price for a Am/Fm radio w/cd player for a 1998 Bonneville $742.80!!! (549.67 elsewhere)

I think any deterrence is a good deterrence! It keeps a theif from stealing my good radio to sell to someone with a bad radio (i hope). You cant just buy any aftermarket radio for GM cars anymore either and expect them to fit and work with the steering wheel controls. Even though we're pretty much stuck with them OEM radios they are pretty good these days anyhow. I think however that the main intent of all this is to drive OEM prices up.

The only reason an OEM radio is that expensive is because the Insurance companies have to pay for the replacements. The auto industry knows its a source of income. So they mark it up.

Your completely wrong. Steering wheel controls will still work if you purchase the correct adaptors. Just like the Bose integration is possible, or the On Star integration, or the CD changer connection. Installing an aftermarket stereo is completely possible if the consumer wants it.

I'm with you, brother!

I'm inclined to think it's yet another lame attempt at getting customers back into the dealership for a revenue generating visit each time they disconnect the battery.

Very sad and disconcerting, IMHO.

Why is it that the simple grab for cash always seems to outweigh good, responsible customer service?

Rick

Yeah until you run into the following. Price caps on what they pay out or higher insurance premiums. Either way you are still paying in full if not now you will in time. The question should be why is it that a radio made in China or Mexico in the end cost us just as much to buy as if it were made here in the united states? I'm not willing to pay that for a radio so why do I want my insurance company to pay that only so they can turn around and charge me more.

Yeah if you purchase the correct adaptor and the correct radio and spend bunches and bunches of money. I wont sink more than $50 bucks in a radio to listen to the crap thats on them anymore. More than half the time my radios off. But like I stated before any deterrence to theft of these radios is needed but its all really designed to increase profits for GM because if you go aftermarket or OEM you will still be dishing out money for something that should cost next to nothing to begin with.

no, they aren't often stolen because theives know they suck compared to almost any aftermarket unit...

Wir welle bleiwe wat mir sin (Letzebuergesch)

You should try one of the newer premium sound systems on a new GM car.

---Bob Gross---

If true, it's very short-sighted on GM's part...one would hope their management is smarter than that.

...but assuming that isn't the real reason (I don't think it is), the perception obviously exists for some that it is (grab for cash)...which isn't very good for long term business. But then GM isn't very good a assessing how their actions/decisions/"feaures" are intrepreted/accepted by the customer. OR, does it really save anything for the customer. They don't seem to do well (compared to their competitors) accepting (and valuing/using) customer feedback on things like this and adjusting accordingly.

| | Why is it that the simple grab for cash always seems to outweigh good, | responsible customer service? |

How much does the dealer charge customers to unlock the radio for them? Just curious. I've only owned one car with such a radio and I didn't keep it long enough to have gone through this exercise. I did read about it in the owner manual though and thought to myself..."uh..oh!" Hopefully it isn't much. If it's $50 or some such thing...5-10 trips to the dealer over the life of the car to have this unlock procedure done and the overall cost to the customer is essentially a new radio! How does that save the customer anything? The thief is not the guy on the street, it's now your car dealer...not good!

A confirmed thief will steal anything and then later determine if he wants to keep it. My wife's uncle had his side window smashed in NYC for the purpose of stealing one filthy ripped glove he left on the floor. The bastards will do a $1000 worth of damage to your car if they think they can steal something worth a dollar.

When my daughter got her car it came with a card with the radio code on it for just such an eventuality. Is that out of the ordinary?

| >Curious why GM locks their radios. Surely the factory radios aren't stolen | >that often, are they? | >

| A confirmed thief will steal anything and then later determine if he | wants to keep it. My wife's uncle had his side window smashed in NYC | for the purpose of stealing one filthy ripped glove he left on the | floor. The bastards will do a $1000 worth of damage to your car if | they think they can steal something worth a dollar.

That being the case, how then does putting a software lock on the radio stop those types of thieves? Based on this they'll steal it anyway.

Hmm.... This is news to me. If they issue you the code on a card as above, then I retract my previous statement.

I can't say for certain what they do, as my cars are both 1996's which don't have that feature on the radio.

Thanks for that info!

Rick

(thief) "Ooooh look, it has "theft-loc" it must be an expensive stereo, even if it's in a Pontiac"

or as Offspring put it:

That car looked so tempting so easy to drive Just like that apartment that you burglarized You started to run but didn't get far 'cause under your arm was a VCR....

Wir welle bleiwe wat mir sin (Letzebuergesch)

Bon-ne-ville....

The manufacturing cost is only a part of what makes up its sales price. Things like Labor, Marketing, Distribution, and Value should be considered.

I agree that OEM radios have a very high mark up. I don't know if you understood why they do though.......OK....lets review..... Delphi builds a radio from GM under contract. Its a proprietary agreement between the two companies. Delphi builds the unit and will only sell it to GM. No one else. GM then can distribute this radio to several companies around the country. They then move them to the different dealerships and factories. Now.....You pay for insurance. In that policy it states that you will receive only Original parts. Not aftermarket? yes? well in an accident if your radio is damaged the Insurance company MUST purchase an OE radio from the dealer. The Dealer can (and does) mark it up, why??? Cause they can. Simple. The insurance company has no choice. WHY? Because they control the distribution. They control the contract for the radios construction.

See above.

My only point was.....it can be done.

Since I would bet you have no real clue how much it truly costs to R&D a new product, Market it, Build it, Distribute it, and Warranty it, I will disregard your comment about how much its worth.