I have a 06 LTD roadster and the stereo stopped working. I am thinking of installing a new Pioneer system that has its own amp and bypassing the factory amp. Are there any disadvantages of doing this?

 

I cant see a disadvantage of upgrading a stereo system...

 

I beleive that there are some features that will no longer function such as automatic volume adjustment based on speed or when the top is down. Both of these I can live with, is there anything more important that I am not thinking about such as security system

 

Is the amp for the Pioneer in the head unit or is it separate?

RL

 

it is in the headunit

 

LOL This is true

 

That being the case, why not just keep using the factory amp? I installed a Sony MEX-BT-3000P head unit and ran it through the factory amp and it sounds great. I was able to keep the "auto volume" and everything. Is there a specific reason that you would want to bypass the amp?

RL

 

The problem may be with the amp so I am not sure if it is working correctly.

 

Ah - OK - makes sense. I'm not a wizard when it comes to trouble shooting the electrical components of the stereo system so maybe some of the more knowledgeable members will chime in to help on that.

If it were me, I would get the head unit you want (if you were planning on getting one anyway) and hook it up - see if it works. There aren't that many wires to deal with and if you get a "conversion harness", it will almost be plug and play. If it works, you're back in business. If it doesn't work, you're not out anything but a little time. Then, you can dive into deeper trouble shooting. Also, most posts I have read on here (concerning the factory stereo) are problems with the head unit. Rarely is there a problem with the amp, but it's not out of the question.

Sorry I couldn't help you more.

Good luck!!

RL

 

I installed the new head unit today using the factory amp. It worked fine for about 30 min, then crapped out. Re-installed using the built in amp for the new head unit and all is working great. Thanks to everyone who commented.