Blue tooth or hands free
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 282
Blue tooth or hands free
Hey folks. I was about to order a new headunit with Bluetooth but then I found out I needed a converter this morning. Since they usually go in pairs I ordered both. So needless to say I’m not able to order the Bluetooth headunit till I get caught up from the converters.
Now on to my question. Is there something that replaced the Onstar and used the factory mic and speaker or is there a headunit that allows use of the factory parts? I want my buttons to still work and also prefer use of the built in mic.
I did read read about costar (I think it was) and I know there are many headunit. But unsure what is the best for intigrayion.
Thoughts, pics ideas welcome. It will be a few months till I’m able to do anything g.
Now on to my question. Is there something that replaced the Onstar and used the factory mic and speaker or is there a headunit that allows use of the factory parts? I want my buttons to still work and also prefer use of the built in mic.
I did read read about costar (I think it was) and I know there are many headunit. But unsure what is the best for intigrayion.
Thoughts, pics ideas welcome. It will be a few months till I’m able to do anything g.
Last edited by myrddin; Aug 7, 2018 at 05:40 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,320
From: SC
I did the same as clsimmon. Cannot remeber offhand right now but I think I had read better reviews using the Axxess and GMOS than the pac equivalents. Another couple of things I did... I yanked the old non-funtional analog Onstar out and rerouted its GPS and mic wires, spliced into the mic wire for my Kenwood head unit, and got a GT5 (what Kenwood uses for its built in Garmin nav) connector and installed that on the GPN antenna coax wire. So no stupid aftermarket mic hanging out somewhere nor an aftermarket GPS antenna stuck anywhere. The factory Onstar mic in the headliner works great and the factory Onstar GPS antenna on the roof picks up and locks instantly. 
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 282
Mixman, your idea sounds like what I’m after... but I’d need a detailed walkthrough. And I’m unsure of the cost. I did read up on the blue star costar setup. It’s like 275.00 and an easy install. Wondering if that is the best route... the lights on my radio are out on some of the buttons and the buttons are worn off on some as well. I know I can replace the buttons. But don’t know about the lights.
I guess keep the ideas deals coming in. I appreciate them.
I guess keep the ideas deals coming in. I appreciate them.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,320
From: SC
My route is for an aftermarket stereo and while not terribly complicated there are some gotchas. Main being the Onstar mic and nav plugs are not likely going to plug right into anything else. Those will have to be cut off and new plugs put on the cables. Compounding the problem is different brands of aftermarket systems use different connectors. Many in dash nav setups need a Fakra GPS connector while many others need a GT5 connector and others need a mini-din coax, etc. Same with microphones... So it takes some knowing ahead of time. Also on the GPS you do not want to try and splice the wire, you need an unused new connector to crimp onto the coax cable or potentially a short adapter cable to go from the one connector type to the other. The mic is not so bad but the wires in the mic cable (oem and aftermarket) are very very thin so it takes some care to solder and splice them. Most stereo shops will likely not be interested in trying to use either one... they want to use the aftermarket stuff that came in the box. I like OEM for certain things like that myself - heck I'm redoing the headliner on my GMC truck and since it never had Onstar I bought an OEM mic for a newer Silverado and and going to install that into the headliner. I just dont much like how an aftermarket mic sticking out somewhere looks.