I have a six CR changer am-fm radio in my '06 HHR and in the last week or so the panel buttons will not go to the pre programed radio stations. Push the button and nothing. I am able to switch from FM to AM, and the "MENU" button does not switch to the menu to reset the clock etc.

I can choose the station using the knob. I am wondering if this is a result of the heat even though the car is kept in the garage.

Any ideas or is the radio on its last legs?

It would be a PITA to change out radios as the radios are linked to the car.

 

Finding a shop local to you, that you trust to work on your stereo, could be a problem.

Replacement stock stereos are all over eBay and I've even seen them on Craigslist for fairly low prices.

Its not that hard to swap OEM stereos. When I was having my stereo problems I did just that a few times and even installed an aftermarket one for a while. The first one was just a single disk unit and a day or so after I ordered it I found a 6 disk changer so I ordered it too.

In my case the local dealer was not able to convince the cars computer that the replacement radio was OK to be used. It would light up but did not function at ll it only displayed the theft protection warning.

When I put in the aftermarket radio, it worked just fine but there were no informational tones and my wife did not like that. When I finally figured out that my whole problem was that the speakers were fried I replaced them and put the original stereo back in and all has been fine since.

I did buy a wiring adapter so I could just lash the aftermarket radio to that to make it plug and play.

 

The 90's called; they want their CDs back. (joke)

 

You can replace the head unit if you use the correct adapters so the car's brain is tricked into thinking the original stereo is still there. I did this with my 07 LT2 and used a Pioneer X950BH so I could have GPS, hands free, MP3 played from thrumb drives, etc. I have 3 adapters, one for the LAN, one for the on star and steering wheel controls and one for the wireless backup camera. The hardest part was cutting the back out of the mounting area and the rest was easy. The adapters come with model specific wire colors so everything matches with stock.

 

Did you try resetting the radio? Disconnect power for an hour or so. It may be fine after that.

 

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Disconnect at the battery or pull a fuse? I hate fiddling with any of the electronics in this car. My old cars are much easier to work on. There are two preselected radio station buttons that work.

 

Whichever is easier for you to do. It is worth a try - might save some $$.

 

Tobacco smokers ride in the car a lot? Soda pops get splashed on the radio? Aggressive/frequent use of aerosol products like ArmorAll?

Just some thoughts.

 

I'm a non smoker and haven't spilled anything on the radio. I'll pull the fuse and hope I don't lose the two preset radio stations that still work. The CDs work.

 

Fwiw. 2 years ago, my radio was doing the same kind of thing. A couple of the preset buttons started to not work. I could still change stations with the knob or by using the steering wheel controls. I was also having issues with the display coming and going on the screen.

Since mine was still under warranty, I took it to the dealer. The service writer who's a friend of mine, said it was most likely the control board in the HU and would be easier to replace the entire unit instead of attempting any kind of patch work repairs on the old one.
So they just replaced mine.