So I just finished installing my new headunit... ugh it was pain haha, on my old car it was so much easier. Since I don't know much about Cobalt I was learning as I went and all I did was make it work. I think I did a good job, it sits pretty nice in here... I got a Metra harness from bestbuy but they gave me 70-2003 and it ended up not fitting in so I went to walmart and grabbed the 6 dollar one (92'-Up General Motors "GM035") and repinned it.

I used a really slim screw driver (one you use for a watch or glasses) to push all the pins out and then set them up this way..

A1: White/Black
A2: White
A3: Purple/Black
A4: Purple
A5: Green
A6: Green/Black
A7: Grey
A8: Grey/Black
A9: Blue/White -- Not used
A10: Orange -- Not used
A11: EMPTY
A12: Black -- Ground

B1: Yellow -- Constant Power (Battery)
B2 - B12: EMPTY

Save the diagram if interested but remember my car is 2005 so I can't promise it'll work on any others.

So after all of that repinning fun, I ran a red wire down to the fuse box and connected it to the sun-roof fuse (I don't have a sun-roof lol). Hooked it all up and once I was getting the headunit in I had to mount the cage about an 2/3s of an inch before the end of the box in Metra 99-3302 kit because if you push the cage all the way in, once headunit goes in it won't fit in the stereo opening. Mounted the cage, put the headunit in, connected the wires, antenna (with adapter that actually came in that 6 dollar harness kit) tucked the wires in and screwed everything back on. Works like a charm, the door chimes still work and the headunit doesn't turn off until you open the door just like stock, so I haven't lost any functions and as well gained a nice expandable Kenwood headunit

 

yay!

 

cool congrats man

 

that metra harness was the wrong one....you needed a diff metra harness from wat the audio FAQ says...i assume re-pinning wasnt hard?....i was going to try this as well

 

Repinning wasn't hard after I figured out how to remove the pins lol, it was a pain, I tried pushing, pulling, moving them around and stuff haha... the easiest way to remove them is to jam something in the little hole above the pin and then it'll come right out, got to make sure to bend the little metal lip on the pin before inserting it back in else it won't lock in there. Yes, metra harness was the wrong one, best buy f'ed me for 20 bucks but I'm going to return it haha. The 6 dollar harness from wal-mart does wonders.


Oh another thing, that repin walmart harness thread that is floating around... if you get by it don't follow that diagram, follow mine... person who wrote it messed up a couple of +s with -s so in the end it'll work but it'll push polarities in reverse.

 

or just by the right harness... but ya i feel ya

 

Right harness is pricey

 

no 05-06 uses the regular cheap harness... 07+ uses a completely different harness all together so the wally world one wont work

 

I have done all the repinning but still no power to my headunit...You said that you had a red wire doing something but didn't explain it that well... how important is it to run the red wire for the amp