Oem Bluetooth Option

firepro · June 7, 2010

I have a 2009 GMC Sierra that came new with AM/FM/XM w/Bluetooth (No NAV). I recently bought a NAV unit off ebay and had the dealership to install it. Afterwards, the NAV worked good but I lost the full function of the bluetooth. I can't start a call by pressing the steering wheel control, but I still see my phone sync with the truck and can recieve calls like normal over the trucks speakers. Of course the dealership wants me to buy a NAV unit from them, however they also told me that it may be just a harness issue...

What the heck is wrong with my bluetooth ???

Royal Vader · June 7, 2010

I have a 2009 GMC Sierra that came new with AM/FM/XM w/Bluetooth (No NAV). I recently bought a NAV unit off ebay and had the dealership to install it. Afterwards, the NAV worked good but I lost the full function of the bluetooth. I can't start a call by pressing the steering wheel control, but I still see my phone sync with the truck and can recieve calls like normal over the trucks speakers. Of course the dealership wants me to buy a NAV unit from them, however they also told me that it may be just a harness issue...

What the heck is wrong with my bluetooth ???

Pretty sure your VCIM module needs to know what radio you have. It still thinks you have you old radio and needs to be re-flashed at the dealer so it knows about your nav radio.

You dealer should have done this ***and*** they should have known this.

C. Charles Hahn · June 7, 2010

Did you buy a VSS/Voice harness with your NAV unit? If you don't have that harness, it can cause issues like this.

Other than that, Royal Vader is 100% correct that your VCIM will need to be re-flashed as well. Tell the dealer to check TIS2WEB/SPS -- there is a different software calibration for the VCIM associated with NAV units than the one associated with non-NAV radios.

firepro · June 7, 2010

Did you buy a VSS/Voice harness with your NAV unit? If you don't have that harness, it can cause issues like this.

Other than that, Royal Vader is 100% correct that your VCIM will need to be re-flashed as well. Tell the dealer to check TIS2WEB/SPS -- there is a different software calibration for the VCIM associated with NAV units than the one associated with non-NAV radios.

I got that harness... I thought it was for the a future backup camera though. But, I will pass as much info as I can get on to the dealership. Thanks...

I'll take all the info I can get... I'm tried of them taking the dash apart changing radios !!!

firepro · June 7, 2010

Did you buy a VSS/Voice harness with your NAV unit? If you don't have that harness, it can cause issues like this.

Other than that, Royal Vader is 100% correct that your VCIM will need to be re-flashed as well. Tell the dealer to check TIS2WEB/SPS -- there is a different software calibration for the VCIM associated with NAV units than the one associated with non-NAV radios.

The radio actually had bluetooth before the NAV install and it worked... so does that mean that the harness was there orginally ??

C. Charles Hahn · June 8, 2010

Did you buy a VSS/Voice harness with your NAV unit? If you don't have that harness, it can cause issues like this.

Other than that, Royal Vader is 100% correct that your VCIM will need to be re-flashed as well. Tell the dealer to check TIS2WEB/SPS -- there is a different software calibration for the VCIM associated with NAV units than the one associated with non-NAV radios.

The radio actually had bluetooth before the NAV install and it worked... so does that mean that the harness was there orginally ??

No.

You will need the VSS/voice harness installed even for the NAV itself to work 100% correctly, first of all. Its purpose is to add the additional wires to the factory harness connectors that would have been there if your truck had come with NAV originally. Because it didn't, the wires in the VSS harness aren't present in your factory harness. Without these wires installed, your NAV will not function properly if it loses GPS signal for some reason (among other things).

Second, you will need to understand that the bluetooth function is NOT a part of the radio, it is a part of OnStar, which is controlled through a separate module called the VCIM. That module -- the OnStar module -- is what needs to be re-programmed in this case (in addition to having the VSS/Voice harness installed). As already stated, GM issues multiple versions of the software for the VCIM, and the correct version of that software is dependent upon which type of radio is installed in your vehicle. Since that part changed, the software for the VCIM must also be changed.

Just curious, what seller did you buy your stuff from? Both of the eBay vendors I've used included a full set of instructions with the NAV systems they sold.

firepro · June 8, 2010

Did you buy a VSS/Voice harness with your NAV unit? If you don't have that harness, it can cause issues like this.

Other than that, Royal Vader is 100% correct that your VCIM will need to be re-flashed as well. Tell the dealer to check TIS2WEB/SPS -- there is a different software calibration for the VCIM associated with NAV units than the one associated with non-NAV radios.

The radio actually had bluetooth before the NAV install and it worked... so does that mean that the harness was there orginally ??

No.

You will need the VSS/voice harness installed even for the NAV itself to work 100% correctly, first of all. Its purpose is to add the additional wires to the factory harness connectors that would have been there if your truck had come with NAV originally. Because it didn't, the wires in the VSS harness aren't present in your factory harness. Without these wires installed, your NAV will not function properly if it loses GPS signal for some reason (among other things).

Second, you will need to understand that the bluetooth function is NOT a part of the radio, it is a part of OnStar, which is controlled through a separate module called the VCIM. That module -- the OnStar module -- is what needs to be re-programmed in this case (in addition to having the VSS/Voice harness installed). As already stated, GM issues multiple versions of the software for the VCIM, and the correct version of that software is dependent upon which type of radio is installed in your vehicle. Since that part changed, the software for the VCIM must also be changed.

Just curious, what seller did you buy your stuff from? Both of the eBay vendors I've used included a full set of instructions with the NAV systems they sold.

Navs & Wheels

firepro · June 9, 2010

Well so car the dealer noticed that the vcim was not set for Bluetooth. But still no Bluetooth gonna try swithing nav units..

C. Charles Hahn · June 9, 2010

Well so car the dealer noticed that the vcim was not set for Bluetooth. But still no Bluetooth gonna try swithing nav units..

The dealer "noticed"? Did they reprogram the VCIM, or no?

You're not making very much sense at the moment. Questions:

1) What is the part number of the VCIM in your vehicle?

2) What is the part number of the NAV unit you bought and had installed?

firepro · June 9, 2010

Well so car the dealer noticed that the vcim was not set for Bluetooth. But still no Bluetooth gonna try swithing nav units..

The dealer "noticed"? Did they reprogram the VCIM, or no?

You're not making very much sense at the moment. Questions:

1) What is the part number of the VCIM in your vehicle?

2) What is the part number of the NAV unit you bought and had installed?

I don't know the part numbers for the VCIM... or the NAV. But, what I do know is the VSS Harness was never wired in at all. The first dealership just plugged the end into the radio and tucked the wires in behind things under the dash. So as it stands.... the bluetooth still doesn't work because the dealerships have no idea where to wire it to...

Would someone have a picture of the VSS and where that it is wired to ??

Rusty