2004 LeSabre Climate Control

[BuickBeignet]

the screen is a vacuum fluorescent display
the lightbulbs are incandescent but if thats hwat you mean, you would need LEDs that are the right color to look proper, they also dim with the dash knob,and then someone to put them in .im not saying it cant be done but I would just refresh the bulbs and worry about it again in 20 years lol

I'm going with new bulbs, lol.

 

[BuickBeignet]

Tannin Auto Electronics called to confirm they received my unit and verified shipping for when they return my AC Controls. Hopefully I will get my unit back next week. Stay tuned!

 

[lbear]

Tannin Auto Electronics called to confirm they received my unit and verified shipping for when they return my AC Controls. Hopefully I will get my unit back next week. Stay tuned!

Have they updated you with any shipping info?

 

[BuickBeignet]

Have they updated you with any shipping info?

I just received an email that my unit was shipped with my chosen shipping via USPS with insurance. I'll take a pic of the ac unit once it's installed.

 

[BuickBeignet]

The unit arrived safely and carefully packaged. I took a few photos of the unit installed and running in the car before I installed my trim. I think Tanin electriconics did a great job! Nice having all the lights working on my ac unit!

 

[lbear]

The unit arrived safely and carefully packaged. I took a few photos of the unit installed and running in the car before I installed my trim. I think Tanin electriconics did a great job! Nice having all the lights working on my ac unit!

Looks great!

So mailing out, repair, and return back. Would you say it took about 14 days total?

How much $$ shipping and all?

 

[BuickBeignet]

Looks great!

So mailing out, repair, and return back. Would you say it took about 14 days total?

How much $$ shipping and all?

For their services (shipping and repair) I paid $80.98 and I'm in Los Angeles. I also paid to ship the unit to their business. They received my unit in 2/24 and I got it back on 3/7.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

That radio.. damn lol
it almost doesnt have backlighting anymore
since its a lower end radio, you may jsut be better off upgrading. but you need to have a tool otherwise you would need to go aftermarket.

Also wish there was a place to put new "decals" or "paint" the HVAC buttons back to their OG clean and looks wise.
The first pic is my 99 and the 2nd is my old 98(which I still have that radio and HVAC head lol!)
but as you can see the paint on the cool side of switch and the fan is starting to wear off, and then the light behind it becomes more visible(and can be bright sometimes)
you can also see what lights work on my one now and what ones dont haha.

anyway, post to follow about your situation:

 

[BuickBeignet]

I

That radio.. damn lol
it almost doesnt have backlighting anymore
since its a lower end radio, you may jsut be better off upgrading. but you need to have a tool otherwise you would need to go aftermarket.

Also wish there was a place to put new "decals" or "paint" the HVAC buttons back to their OG clean and looks wise.View attachment 36314View attachment 36315
The first pic is my 99 and the 2nd is my old 98(which I still have that radio and HVAC head lol!)
but as you can see the paint on the cool side of switch and the fan is starting to wear off, and then the light behind it becomes more visible(and can be bright sometimes)
you can also see what lights work on my one now and what ones dont haha.

anyway, post to follow about your situation:

I'd like to stick with an oem radio, so I'll probably hunt down a refurbished unit.

 

[lbear]

For their services (shipping and repair) I paid $80.98 and I'm in Los Angeles. I also paid to ship the unit to their business. They received my unit in 2/24 and I got it back on 3/7.

So give it roughly 2 weeks turn around. That's next on my "to do" list.

My factory radio buttons were also all gone so I just went with a Sony Bluetooth touchscreen unit and installed a backup camera. Now can stream Pandora and take calls hands free.

 

[BuickBeignet]

So give it roughly 2 weeks turn around. That's next on my "to do" list.

My factory radio buttons were also all gone so I just went with a Sony Bluetooth touchscreen unit and installed a backup camera. Now can stream Pandora and take calls hands free.

View attachment 36316

Looks like a nice setup! Did you need to do a lot of modifications to integrate it into the car? I'm going to stick with OEM myself, just cause I am strange and love OEM, lol.

This refurbished OEM unit on Etsy/Ebay looked appealing, especially since it offers bluetooth.

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

www.etsy.com

 

[BuickBeignet]

That radio.. damn lol
it almost doesnt have backlighting anymore
since its a lower end radio, you may jsut be better off upgrading. but you need to have a tool otherwise you would need to go aftermarket.

Also wish there was a place to put new "decals" or "paint" the HVAC buttons back to their OG clean and looks wise.View attachment 36314View attachment 36315
The first pic is my 99 and the 2nd is my old 98(which I still have that radio and HVAC head lol!)
but as you can see the paint on the cool side of switch and the fan is starting to wear off, and then the light behind it becomes more visible(and can be bright sometimes)
you can also see what lights work on my one now and what ones dont haha.

anyway, post to follow about your situation:

I can see the wear, it's too bad no one makes aftermarket replacement buttons. Maybe you can look into some custom work? lol. I wonder if there's a source for these sort of repairs.

Yeah, my radio needs love in-terms of some buttons and lights. I will most likely go this route as it still appears OEM.

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

www.etsy.com

 

[lbear]

Looks like a nice setup! Did you need to do a lot of modifications to integrate it into the car? I'm going to stick with OEM myself, just cause I am strange and love OEM, lol.

This refurbished OEM unit on Etsy/Ebay looked appealing, especially since it offers bluetooth.

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

www.etsy.com

If you get the Crutchfield wiring interface, it's basically just plug and play. The interface will just plug directly into the factory harness in the back of the radio slot. The factory steering wheel controls are retained and the unit fits into the radio hole with no cutting modifications. 95% of the wiring is done before the radio needs to get inserted into the car.

The $200 refurbished OEM unit is a nice alternative and the Bluetooth compatibility is a plus. You can stream music, which is a huge upgrade. If they added a way to do Bluetooth hands free conversation, that would even be better. Most states don't allow one to talk on the phone while holding a phone, so hands free is almost mandatory.

 

[BuickBeignet]

If you get the Crutchfield wiring interface, it's basically just plug and play. The interface will just plug directly into the factory harness in the back of the radio slot. The factory steering wheel controls are retained and the unit fits into the radio hole with no cutting modifications. 95% of the wiring is done before the radio needs to get inserted into the car.

The $200 refurbished OEM unit is a nice alternative and the Bluetooth compatibility is a plus. You can stream music, which is a huge upgrade. If they added a way to do Bluetooth hands free conversation, that would even be better. Most states don't allow one to talk on the phone while holding a phone, so hands free is almost mandatory.

Good to know about the plug in play! How did you accommodate the rear camera into the head unit, did you run a cable from the rear to the front?

Yes, the built in Bluetooth is a nice feature in that OEM unit. I am currently using this cigarette adapter setup that works surprisingly well. I like having the hands free phone capabilities!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018E0I01I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[lbear]

Good to know about the plug in play! How did you accommodate the rear camera into the head unit, did you run a cable from the rear to the front?

Yes, you have to run a video/power cable from the back of the radio to the back of the license plate area. I just ran it in wire loom underneath the carpet, through the back seat, into the trunk area, using the factory wire loom to hide the wire.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072PSDPDZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

The camera I got is part of the license plate frame bracket and uses security screws to protect from theft.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRMSTLC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

[BuickBeignet]

Can someone confirm I reinstalled the dash/glove compartment correctly? Seems like I have a small gap at the right of the glove Compartment.

 

[lbear]

Can someone confirm I reinstalled the dash/glove compartment correctly? Seems like I have a small gap at the right of the glove Compartment.

Looks good! All screws are in and appears correct. The gap is standard GM fit & finish 😉 Mine is the same way.

 

[BuickBeignet]

Thanks, friend!

Looks good! All screws are in and appears correct. The gap is standard GM fit & finish 😉 Mine is the same way.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

Can someone confirm I reinstalled the dash/glove compartment correctly? Seems like I have a small gap at the right of the glove Compartment.

that can be fixed. your pieces may just need slight loosening and then work it around and tighten and/or you can shim the hinge / the catch is adjustable

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

I present this to you because if you do replace your radio with another buick one, you should get a scan tool or ffind someone who does and do this all at once (recalibrate, IPM recal, turn on afterblow, radio stuff) since it is that fun stuff