Hello! Let me start off by saying I do not know anything about cars. When I say that I mean it, I know nothing.

With that said, I bought a Black Pontiac G6 GT last month. Tomorrow I will take pictures of it and put them up here, even though every person on a G6 website probably knows what a stock G6 looks like. But whatever.

I want to make some modifications.

First off, I am pretty sure I want to tint my windows. My question is what percent tint should i get? Also, what is the legal percent? (For Illinois)

Secondly I really like when black cars have black rims on them. That is all I have to say about that, so any advice on where to get those, how to get those, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

I also want to make some interior modifications such as audio, LED's, and other stuff. Any advice on a cheap head unit you suggest, what speakers or subs you suggest, or anything, literally anything about LED's would be once again appreciated.

Thank you for helping me, and most importantly, putting up with my shit knowledge about the G6.

Welcome!

First off, where at in IL are you located? I recently moved from Edwardsville and Highland area a few years ago. Just curious. :D

Tint - Your back windows can be as dark as you want. Your front/passenger windows have to be 35% or higher to be "legal". Its the same here in MO but I went 5% all the way around. I'm taking the risk and only state troopers can pull you over and give you a ticket. I have many friends in IL who have went darker and always get pulled over and get tickets. They are very strict there and big DICKS about it. I would suggest doing the front windshield weather strip 5%, front/passenger windows 35%, and the rest 5%.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB3325ham001&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=&DocNum=3325&GAID=10&Session=

Wheels - I would suggest going to Google and typing in black wheels for G6 or maybe someone else has a actual link for them. Make sure when getting them you get some kind of chrome lip on it and not all black.
http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse.com/Page.cfm?Category1=Zoe&InfoID=2505&Search=

Interior - This is entirely up to you. I would honestly stay with the stock head unit. It has all the info on it for fuel range and etc. Plus, it matches the rest of the lights in the car being red. LED's can be bought at autozone etc. I would suggest wiring them to a switch. There are many options and things you can do to your car. There is also a lot of threads. You will see a lot of cars that inspire you so look around and enjoy.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Pd9WTXofknH/p_700MRPEBB/Alpine-500-watt-Dual-12-Bass-Package.html?tp=118

Dillon :cool:

Welcome to the site!
there are a lot of people from IL around.
And i agree with the 35% i have a couple friends with 5% and they get pulled over and ticket alot so im going to be going with 35 LOL the last mod i do. Its most peoples first.

I have leds all over the car its basically come up with an idea of where you want it and im sure one of us could help you figure out how to hook it all up.:D

Better go LEGAL for tint. Just had a buddy last night get pulled over and the cop made him rip the tint off plus gave him a ticket. IL cops are total DICKS. State Troopers aren't the only ones in IL who can give tickets for TINT. So be careful!

Dillon :cool:

Better go LEGAL for tint. Just had a buddy last night get pulled over and the cop made him rip the tint off plus gave him a ticket. IL cops are total DICKS. State Troopers aren't the only ones in IL who can give tickets for TINT. So be careful!

Dillon :cool:

For what it's worth, most cops won't bother with pulling you over for tint. They will pull you over for other reasons, then perhaps tell you it was because of the tint.

Of course you can avoid this problem by sticking to the law, or not going too far past the limit. But who wants to do that? ;)

~ MattInSoCal

I came across some interesting LEDs while looking up some for my friends honda civic and accord. Its called Ice LED Ufo Strobe lights.So far I think they make the most interesting LEDs out there. And for your speakers/sub inquiry how many watts are you trying to output?

Got a link for them LED's?

Dillon :cool:

lol. better look at the tint laws closer.. it is No tint on the driver and passenger windows. from the front doors back can be black. 6 inches down on the windshield.

First off, where at in IL are you located? I recently moved from Edwardsville and Highland area a few years ago. Just curious. :D


I am from Downers Grove, IL. It is near Chicago so pretty far away from Edwardsville.

I came across some interesting LEDs while looking up some for my friends honda civic and accord. Its called Ice LED Ufo Strobe lights.So far I think they make the most interesting LEDs out there. And for your speakers/sub inquiry how many watts are you trying to output?

As Dillon had said, can I see a picture or a link to the LEDs? And once again, I have no knowledge about any of that stuff so I really don't know how many watts.

Thank you guys for responding to me, i really appreciate your guys' help.

So what I am getting from most of you is to get 35% tint on the side windows, and the front and back 5%? Except for the last post, that makes me a little concerned... I don't want to be consistently getting tickets, so I really would like the most tint, but only what is legal.

The wheels I can just deal with later on. Probably going to be the last of my worries.

The LEDs I am just going to autozone or some store like that and buying them. I like the idea of the switch, that you said Dillon, but I don't have any idea how to do that so if someone could help me find a how-to or tell me how to do it I would love you.

Thanks so much guys
-Jeff

lol. better look at the tint laws closer.. it is No tint on the driver and passenger windows. from the front doors back can be black. 6 inches down on the windshield.

Its been updated.

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3325&GAID=10&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=76&GA=96

*NOTE* - It says something about being so dark in back you must have your fronts at a certain darkness. All I know is that a officer wouldn't be checking the back. He would defiantly check the front. Its really all up to you. I'm in MO and have FULL 5% around my car besides the windshield (I have the EYEBROW) which is 5%. Its just a risk I take. MO cops could care a less though. You could also call the IL hwy patrol and they will tell you everything.

Dillon :cool:

On the head unit, it's never going to be cheap.

With the integration of the car's command center to the deck, you have to either purchase an expensive bypass unit (look in ebay) or you have to get the equally expensive (and somewhat ugly) Metra kit.

Personally, I would suggest leaving the stereo alone or upgrading to a better OEM head unit (search ebay for possible ones) if you're not intending to spend too much money upgrading.

If you do want to upgrade, expect to spend a good $300-400 just replacing the head unit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apVRl4yQ0oc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrvZYol6-d0
http://www.iceled.co.uk/

If you shop around you could find some awesome led headlights and the ledbreak lights for the car (tint both front and back lights blact before pitting them on).
As far as the radio it has the hole info system connected to it but I took mine out and put in a 7" bose tv in that spot the tv cost me about $600 but you can find them for cheaper I'm about to hook it up to a laptop with the diagnostics software program installed so dat will give me a full readout on the car.
Next I would suggest you by the k&n air filter and cold air intake to give yourself more hp.
As far as your tints I don't know how the cops do in IL because I live in NY and the cops up here really don't bother you unless there trying to fill there ticket quota at the end of the month. But as far as the rims I would stick with what dwhiteg6gt said.

Have fun

I went ahead and bought a deck for my car i couldnt stand the deck on the G6. yeah it tells me all the oil stuff and gas milage but the sound quality was just to quiet and not as clean as i like it. I went with a single din Kenwood Excelon Deck though at night the rest of the car looks red the deck is blue and actually looks pretty nice on my dash. its 380 total with install but the sound quallity does dramatically improve.
i put 15% tint all the way around on my windows which is a shade darker than the legal limit where im from..but its not bad and at afternoon or on a cloudy day people cant really see me at all..i was hoping to get about 5% but that ran to high for me it was 170 for all 4 windows and the back winshield.

Alright first of all I want to announce I made official my first modification, I installed two Pioneer 6x9 speakers in the back on my car. they sound great!

Secondly, you guys think that I should leave my stock head unit in there? I was thinking about getting a new one but from the looks of it, it seems like everyone is sating to leave the stock one in. Yay? Nay?

The tinting i am doing next i think, Where can i get a tutorial on how to do that myself? I would much rather do it myself than have someone else do it for a lot more money. ANd where do buy the stuff I need to do it.

Alright first of all I want to announce I made official my first modification, I installed two Pioneer 6x9 speakers in the back on my car. they sound great!

Secondly, you guys think that I should leave my stock head unit in there? I was thinking about getting a new one but from the looks of it, it seems like everyone is sating to leave the stock one in. Yay? Nay?

The tinting i am doing next i think, Where can i get a tutorial on how to do that myself? I would much rather do it myself than have someone else do it for a lot more money. ANd where do buy the stuff I need to do it.

I want to put some new speakers in my car with at least 1 sub and 1 amp. I would honestly leave the stock head unit in. If your going upgrade get the 2008 stock head unit out of the G6. But that is me. It matches everything else and looks way better.

I would also take your car to go get the tint professionally done. Tinting is hard. It takes a lot of time and practice. Some can be very good at it but most are not. It will run from $150-$200 depending on the film, darkness, and if they care that its a 2dr-4dr. You'll have to google the how-to bc I don't have a link. But I'm telling you before you waste your time and money you would be better off having it done which takes 2-3 hours.

Click this link for tinting how to and such: http://www.monkeysee.com/play/13388-...ing-the-window

Dillon :cool:

I would get rid of it..because depending on the pioneers you installed they might be under powered (but im not to sure the output of the stock stereo). Thus if you want it to be louder you would need a new deck or separate amps. But I personally would say go after market it looks better and sounds better But great choice in speakers. I feel like Pioneer does an amazing job when it comes to audio.

how much do you like good crisp sound? the stock head unit its only so much wattage and honestly its pretty low...i like my music clear and sounding good even at higher levels...and you did just install 2 6x9s which means you like good sounding music...i suggest a aftermarket deck...but really it just depends on you and what you want...they are pricey but you will see it also looks nicer...with ipod hookups and aux you dont need a 6 cd changer and usually they will have a single cd changer...i dont suggest a double din aftermarket deck if you get one...singles will have that box underneeth to put your ipod and other stuff you have...any intrest in subs will really limit you if you dont buy a good headunit..
ive got a Kenwood Excelon deck...they are pretty nice KDC-X494 look it up.

ive seen tinting at k mart but its 35% tint...if you want something past the legal limit you can find it on the internet or you can go to a tinting shop and buy their tint...i got mine 15% all around for 170$ which really isnt that bad...i dont know how to install it myself or i woulda.

I did not know that the head unit gave the speakers more power, already learned something new. And yeah EqualPotential I agree when it comes to audio, Pioneer does do an amazing job.

That Kenwood KDC-X494 looks really nice actually, I may consider that one. I was looking around at some Alpine head units, what do you guys think of those?

As the tinting goes, I think I will get it professionally done because I don't know how to do it first of all, and that link that you posted Dillon didn't work. Second I don't want it to look crappy.

Pioneer IS really good i had one before this kenwood. because the aftermarket deck usually give about 50 watts more power to the speakers it really boosts up the sound quality. though be carefull not to turn it up to loud or the bass combined with the other music will distort each speaker and make them pop... you can manage bass/music levels with even the origional deck but it wont get loud enough to really hurt them though it does kinda get loud. Professional tinting is how most people go and its not to pricey so far i got subs deck and tint. so i know about those three mostly.

Alpine are really nice but the ones that i really would suggest dont have cd players... Alpine iDA-X305S best buy prices it about 349.99 but i really dont suggest going to best buy to get one installed...instead look for a audio store. I Do NOT suggest anything sony...really their xplod stuff is pretty much crap...
I dont know if it matters about the cd player to you their are some really good alpine headunits dont get me wrong...i think alpine is a good brand for headunits/subs...i have a Alpine R10 Sub in a Obcon Box...

Pioneer all the way, when it comes on to deck and speakers. And if your looking for music clarity and bass look up Pioneers Stage 1-4. It provides different stages for the various sound enthusiasts out there. But if your worrying about your speakers being distorted just buy a separate amp to power your speakers

Man this is a tough choice lol I think i narrowed it down to these right here:
Kenwood KDC-X494
Alpine iDA-X305S
Alpine CDE-100
Pioneer DEH-P6200BT

thoughts?

Man this is a tough choice lol I think i narrowed it down to these right here:
Kenwood KDC-X494
Alpine iDA-X305S
Alpine CDE-100
Pioneer DEH-P6200BT

thoughts?

If you can find a showroom anywhere around you (Best Buy, independent installer, etc.) that even if they don't have those models, have some of that brand you can try, I highly recommend doing so. Play with them for a while and see which one you are most comfortable using.

I've have several Kenwood HUs, most recently an Excelon X-690 series, and the main reason I went with them is that they have a lot of accessories available, and I have some left over still. Every time you add one, it is just another source automatically appearing when you push that button. That was pretty much the highlight of the radio. The user interface sucks on pretty much every Kenwood, Exceleon or not; when the unit gets power it takes several seconds to come on (very minor annoyance, but it's there); and with the Excelons they are (or at least were) using white color vacuum fluorescent displays that have only one color and don't dim much at night, a bit distracting in many interiors.

I ending up building my own device that is very much like the Retained Accessory Power in the G6s. It kept the power on to the radio for about 15 minutes after the car was shut off, except it would shut off immediately when the driver's door was opened. I also added a front panel pushbutton so I could turn it on and off if I was parked somewhere for a while and I wanted some tunes.

~ MattInSoCal

I ending up building my own device that is very much like the Retained Accessory Power in the G6s. It kept the power on to the radio for about 15 minutes after the car was shut off, except it would shut off immediately when the driver's door was opened. I also added a front panel pushbutton so I could turn it on and off if I was parked somewhere for a while and I wanted some tunes.

~ MattInSoCal

How did you enable your deck to act as the stock system and retain power after the car was off

id suggest you go with matts idea..look at em i like my kenwood but i know pioneer and alpine are good to...its really up to you...yeah the kenwood takes a few seconds to load up when u turn on the car...its a different color than the interior but its really up to you look and see what you want....

Well for starters get rid of the stock head unit, everyone is right, they suck.

As far as the brand of head unit, i would absolutely go with Pioneer, best sound quality and price that you can get. For the speakers, i personally love my Memphis speakers, they are kinda expensive, but definitely worth it.

I am going to be ordering two subs and an amp pretty soon, i am going all Kenwood and getting two 12' subs with an amp and enclosure for 350. thats a dam good price, buying it all separate would run me about 450 maybe 500.

If you need any info or advice or your looking for great deals on auto equipment, check out Crutchfield. (http://www.crutchfield.com/) They have great deals, and also anybody wants to order anything from there send me a PM and ill send you a code that will get you $20 off your order.


Tinting - get it professionally done, alot of places will even give you some kind of warranty. Got my back half and eyebrow done at 5% for 160, with lifetime warranty (perfect).

Other than that, welcome! lol

How did you enable your deck to act as the stock system and retain power after the car was off

<-- See that tag over there that says Professional geek?

I had to build up a wiring adapter between the plugs on the car and the head unit. That was a piece of cake. Wire 1 to wire 12, wire 2 to wire G, and so on. It would have been really fast had I not taken the time to make it look professional.

For powering the unit, I programmed a microcomputer and built a circuit board around it to manage the radio power. I also included an auxiliary power output so I could connect a 250GB hard drive to the head unit so I could carry more tunes than I could listen to in a year, and listen to them in my car or at work.

~ MattInSoCal

Thanks guys I took your advice and went to best buy today. I am choosing tomorrow probably which one I want to get. But when I talked to the Geek Squad guy he said the G6 has some weird thing how it says the oil life and shit, you need to buy some other thing for like 200 extra dollars to enable the new head unit to do it as well.. I don't know if it is worth it to get a whole new unit for the price of that, plus installation, plus the extra 200 dollars.

do you guys know what he is talking about or if there is any way around it or if its worth paying all the money?

I think that might be the adapter or whatever so you can keep the display that tells you the oil life, av speed, tire pressure and all that. I've seen many ppl who just got rid of it completely. But if you dont need it you dont have to buy it...but it does come in handy

yeah you dont need it, you will lose the DIC with the tire pressure, oil life, etc. but it doesnt effect anything else in the car. i dont have it anymore, no problems

sure it comes in handy but seriously if you want a new deck you wont think twice about how u miss it....you got your oil change milage in the winshield from your last oil change or whatever ur fine. its whatever...i wouldnt suggest bestbuy way over priced...i got all that stuff for mine for 380 with a 200 something deck itself...which doesnt include the mount to make it fit and all the wiring...