Write-Up: Riv Dash and Door Removal

stan wrote:

Rob bro, I don't remember but do u have a touch screen LCD nav system?...or it was a new head unit.

I just purchased an OEM reconditioned head unit that simply does not play CDs. I didn't know it was defective until after I installed it. That was about two weeks ago. I got my money back, but was left with a decision. I could replace the CD mech with a new old stock CD mechanism that would fix my OEM unit for $100, or I could buy an aftermarket head unit with all kinds of modern features. I did not relish the prospect of tearing into my dash again for no good reason, so I want to be sure before I make a move.

It's not a simple choice for me because I want to keep my Riviera as close to stock as I can. And while the OEM radio has real limitations, it was designed for this car and in my opinion it just looks right. Recently I decided that as long as I keep the old original radio, and limit the radio modification to something that can be easily reversed to original condition by myself or the next owner if desired, I can put in a modern head unit.

That said, it's not easy to find a head unit that I'd be happy with. There are many choices, and money is also a consideration. I also don't want something that looks too out of place. In other words, something heavy on function, not "bling." I would also prefer a unit that fits in the space without having to cut the plastic in the back of the radio cavity. The less I have to mod the better.

Right now I'm leaning toward a Valor head unit; DDN-868W. The design is understated, and the graphic interface is not too cartoonish. Some of the features I like about it are (1.) Programed steering wheel controls (2.) Navigation (3.) Bluetooth (4.) Rear view camera input (5.) SD and USB inputs (6.) CD/DVD disk player (7.) Power antenna control. (8.) Dimmer function.

Many of these features are pretty standard, but it's a radical transition from what came with the car. I'm still looking around, but when I settle on a head unit and install it I'll post some pictures. In the mean time I'm using an FM transmitter that plays MP3s through the radio.

Best of luck to you. -Rob

Take a look at the SPH-DA210. It is more or less the same as the unit I have, except it has bluetooth streaming and DVD/CD playback.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/AppRadio/AppRadio+3+(SPH-DA210)

These units seem to fit perfectly for our dash. The feature list matches any other unit out there, and you get the capability of mirroring your phone's screen. I might make a video of mine to show you what I mean. Since I don't have bluetooth streaming I have to play all of my media through the HDMI/mirror connection. It's a bit of a pain sometimes, but it delivers crystal clear quality and allows me to use any android app I want for playback.

I also have a stock headunit with a good CD drive and a bad cassette. $10 + shipping and it's yours to mess with.

matt270avian wrote:

Take a look at the SPH-DA210. It is more or less the same as the unit I have, except it has bluetooth streaming and DVD/CD playback.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/AppRadio/AppRadio+3+(SPH-DA210)

These units seem to fit perfectly for our dash. The feature list matches any other unit out there, and you get the capability of mirroring your phone's screen. I might make a video of mine to show you what I mean. Since I don't have bluetooth streaming I have to play all of my media through the HDMI/mirror connection. It's a bit of a pain sometimes, but it delivers crystal clear quality and allows me to use any android app I want for playback.

That Pioneer is a nice unit, but a little out of my price range. The unit I'm looking at is an off brand, factory refurbished, and about $220 on eBay.

Animator wrote:

That Pioneer is a nice unit, but a little out of my price range. The unit I'm looking at is an off brand, factory refurbished, and about $220 on eBay.

You can find used Pioneers on eBay for that or a little more. The problem with the Chinese headunits is that they are physically bigger, which means you have to cut more off of the front of your dash. With the Pioneer you may not have to cut any of the front at all. Coming from a person who has used both, the Chinese units are alright, but the Pioneer is just better. Sure they Chinese units can do everything the Pioneer can and sometimes more, but the Pioneer has better quality and fitment. It's kind of like buying the store brand cola vs actual Coca-Cola. They're more or less the same, but the real thing is better and you can't really explain why.

I think Robs idea is to buy a nav system that looks as much stock as possible.Sure the sound and features are important but he wants his Riv to look as if it came with it from the factory.So the Pioneer is out......haha

stan wrote:

I think Robs idea is to buy a nav system that looks as much stock as possible.Sure the sound and features  are important but he wants his Riv to look as if it came with it from the factory.So the Pioneer is out......haha

My decision is not final yet, but I do like to keep my car as stock as I can. I think it would be okay to put in an aftermarket head unit as long as I can reverse it back to original condition if I desire that later on. That means no cutting on the dash fascia, and preferably no cutting at all.

Matt made a great offer to me for a head unit that has a functioning CD mech, and I want to take him up on that. With a functioning head unit, I may decide to keep my Riv stock. The radio has never worked correctly since I've had the car.

Yes, but I'm saying the Chinese nav units are kind of a bad idea if he wants to keep the stock look. The only reason my dash doesn't look like crap from the cuts I made when I had mine is because I have the woodgrain kit to cover them up.

You don't have to go with Pioneer specifically, but they're just who I prefer. In the end I don't want to force you to go with one over the other, I'm just warning you of the possible things that can happen. Every day I still see a slight gap from my old cuts and I hate it.

Animator, I saw that you wanted to take me up on my offer. Shoot me a PM.

Cutting the dash can be avoided by installing the right size init.Try to have a HUD installed....

I think my head unit install could almost pass for factory... Let me take a picture and put it up here...

Doesn't have navigation, but you can make a double din touch screen unit look really clean with a bit of work.

Ohh yeah....cool

Hi guys, great write-up here, and I have a quick question before I dive headfirst into removing my dash. I'm not replacing the head unit (though maybe I should since I'll have the dash off anyway), but instead trying to get at a buned-out bulb behind my speedometer. Has anyone else had to do this? It's as simple as replacing a bulb, right? (Not having to replace the whole cluster or something dumb like that.)

This is my third Riv but the first to have a dash light go out. My last one went 253,000 miles without a problem, so I was spoiled by hardly ever having to do maintenance on that one, haha.

Yes, it is just as easy as replacing the single bulb! You might have to transfer the little sleeve to make the light green, but that's no big deal.

Will my headlights still come on using the auto-on if my headlight switch is unplugged? I'm removing the dash but due to wanting to take care of a few things while it's off, was wondering if I could just leave it off and drive around that way for a bit. So only question is will the headlights still come on at night?

The headlights should be permanently on if the switch is unplugged. However, you can just rotate the switch and TC/trip modules counterclockwise to unlock them from the dash. I usually just leave the switches sitting in their respective spots whenever I need the dash off for a prolonged amount of time.

Can someone show me how to remove the single CD player cover piece? I bought a set of 14 tools for the purpose but no instructions came with and anyhow I'm sure that Buick Rivieras have their own "thing". Mine is a '95 Riv. I have a spare parts contributor '95 to give me a working one (I hope). Thanks.

in regards to removing the trim for the dash mounted factory cd-player,

from book one of the factory service manual:
this trim plate is held in by tab retainers pushed into slots.
there are no screws; it is pryed out.
judicious use of a butter-knife or a thin putty-knife might help get it started,
then pull it out with fingers.  take care to not lose the inserts within the slots.



pushing open the cover over the cup holders might improve clearance.
.....................................................................................

it's possible you may need to remove the shifter trim plate.
image and instructions here:

https://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/Lmckinley99/x_riviera_1997_shifter_trimplate.jpeg

Note:
if you intend to work on your 8th generation Riviera,
you absolutely must get the 2-volume Factory Service Manuals.
mine came from eBay, but they are getting scarce.

these cars are not intuitive, and they are not simple.  the electronics are complicated.
irreplaceable pieces can be easily broken in a unguided attempt at disassembly.

to maintain and modify or improve these 1995-1999 Rivs, the most important tool
you can buy is a pair of factory manuals.

.

JohnRedman wrote:

Can someone show me how to remove the single CD player cover piece? I bought a set of 14 tools for the purpose but no instructions came with and anyhow I'm sure that Buick Rivieras have their own "thing". Mine is a '95 Riv. I have a spare parts contributor '95 to give me a working one (I hope). Thanks.

+1 on the "go get a manual" - you will save so much time and headache with one you will wonder why you gave it a 2nd thought.

If you need that CD player repaired consider United Radio in Syracuse - my GM dealer uses them for repairs/replacement in their front-line used cars and they "get" the Delco (and GM contract) electronics (radios, HVAC controls, etc.) - see http://www.unitedradio.com/

ttt

OK, thanks, folks, for the guidance. Done and switched but now the problem is about the same. I am getting the "ERR" light with the "new" CD player exactly as before, so, the issue is with the head unit. As I wish to retain the steering wheel controls, my choices are limited. I can pull the entire dash and just switch with the donor car radio as I just did with the CD player and pray that the problem 'goes away'. Since I have to pull the dash anyhow, putting in a new (Oldsmobile) radio seems more attractive. Best advice??? BTW, I DID order Vol 1 and Vol 2 of the shop manual 2 days ago from eBay.

JohnRedman wrote:

OK, thanks, folks, for the guidance. Done and switched but now the problem is about the same. I am getting the "ERR" light with the "new" CD player exactly as before, so, the issue is with the head unit. As I wish to retain the steering wheel controls, my choices are limited. I can pull the entire dash and just switch with the donor car radio as I just did with the CD player and pray that the problem 'goes away'. Since I have to pull the dash anyhow, putting in a new (Oldsmobile) radio seems more attractive. Best advice??? BTW, I DID order Vol 1 and Vol 2 of the shop manual 2 days ago from eBay.

Given the age, both of the CD units could (easily) be broken, or there could be a wiring issue with the CD connection.

You may want to make sure the plugs on the back of the radio are all the way in. If someone switched the head unit out then put the factory unit back the connectors could easily be loose. Doubt it but hey you might want to check.

You can get a head unit that will install in that opening from crutchfield.com and as well get a gadget that will maintain the steering wheel controls -- you'll need to work with a Crutchfield advisor on that one, though. It's not hard, just specific. I took a quick look, there seem to be 14 digital media receivers that will fit and take an adapter so the steeringwheel controls work. The other headache might be the dash opening. I don't know if a filler would work or if you'd need a 1.5 DIN adapter - there are such adapters for the Chevy/GMC trucks that had the 1.5 DIN radios, don't know about the Riv. You can get a filler (a tray - check ebay) for the empty CD slot and copy your tunes from CD to USB key using a utility on your Apple or Windows computer, or with some of these units connect to your iPhone or Android using a USB cable or Bluetooth.

You can get a replacement OE head unit (again, eBay or your donor car if that one works). You may want to stall until the manual arrives.

As far as pulling the dash, it'll just be the plastic dash face. The upper cover is held in with push pins that you depress with a pen or some such, the the face then comes off. Your manual will explain this no prob.

What I would do: I would suspect both those CD players are wack but I could be wrong. Maybe send all 4 out for eval and repair and tell the tech you want one good set (at least).

I think there are some old posts on this site about putting replacement units in the 1.5 DIN opening. You might need a Dremel Moto-Tool.