My interior is still in pieces. I took the car into a audio shop and turns out the NIS2 is indeed defective. Unfortunately after contacting the retailer (ebay seller) they said they cannot help me as it was purchased more than 30 days ago, but instead to go to the manufacturer. The manufacturer is telling me to go to the retailer. I will end up having paid the price of three NIS2 units if I have to order another, as diagnostic was not cheap (good thing I am installing this myself).

If I end up ordering another NIS2, can anyone recommend a retailer? Specifically one that has a longer than 30 day warranty? Most of the time it takes a few weeks to get here as it is! I don't think I can get any locally for a reasonable price, and I've had so much trouble with Amazon retailers shipping to Canada it's unbelievable.

 

idk bout Canada but try a large electronics chain if ur concerned about warranty or return policies. u guys don't have a best buy or some equivalent? I don't think Canada is THAT third world when it comes to buying things are they ?lol

 

lol yes we have Best Buy and the like here. Last tech there I talked to there recommended the Metra unit and had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned the NIS2. Even if they could order a NIS2, I'd likely pay way more through someone like them. I'd love to know if there is a decent priced online retailer that has a better than 30 day warranty for any future transactions...

(I know you're paying more but also getting a better warranty at the big shops, but the problem is you're usually paying A LOT more)

 

Well I finally figured it all out. I'll never buy anything from PAC again. Ever. I opted for the much more pricey option to guarantee me not having a faulty Metra unit or poor sound quality, and the reverse ended up happening. I know I am probably a unique case and that 99% of the NIS2 units out there are fine, but this was a horrible buying experience. After not being able to get a refund or new unit shipped out from the retailer (as I expected), I pursued PAC directly. I was then told they don't deal with Canadian customers and I'd have to contact Gentec International. Gentec was useless, telling me to go back to the retailer, or offering to sell me a new unit with a warranty on it (they only offer warranty work if purchased through their one Canadian retailer). I tried PAC again, and the employee helping me was very nice but unfortunately their policies are not in Canadian customers favor at all. I again went back to Gentec and they finally offered to send out a replacement unit at no cost but shipping and handling was on me. When I inquired how much that would be, the representative said they did not know how much it would cost as they do not ship to Canada.

What!?

I gave up on PAC/Gentec in utter disappointment for lack of support of faulty products. I can't advise anyone to NOT buy their products, but please, if you're Canadian be careful and order it only from whoever their one retailer is (I can look this up in my emails if anyone is interested).

Anyway I ended up ordering a Metra 70-7551 harness and followed the guides provided by Wrathernaught and got it done tonight. It works like a charm! Just as clear radio reception as the NIS2, all the power as well. No crackling when listening to aux inputs. No complaints. Best of all, the left speaker works! I grounded the harness to a bolt on the transmission. Maybe I was lucky with this one, I don't know.

Some photo's below for you all. I know a lot of you refuse to use the Metra dash kit, and would rather have the JDM double din, but for guys that really can't be bothered to spend much on audio and want mp3 player support, this kit works great! So the big concerns with this kit seem to be the appearance of the silver plastic and the buttons. It isn't a perfect match to the oem trim but it really is close! It is simply less shiny in certain light, but otherwise unless you're looking, you wouldn't really notice it. No one who has sat in the car has noticed it. Now, the buttons - yes they are gray and you loose the temperature ****. I'll be honest, I miss the **** because you have to press the temperature button up and down for each half degree change you want. The buttons are soft and legible, and look just fine to me. Others will hate that they're gray, but I really like them. Dual climate button also works great. Have a look for yourself (photobucket quality is low, if anyone wants a more detailed shot just let me know):









Comparison of the Metra vs oem plastic. Metra is on top.



The thing I want to destroy the most in life (anyone want it? It might be an easy fix, I really don't know (left speaker output does not work. Tell me asap before I smash it):



Thanks to everyone who helped me out with this one!

 

its Justin biebers fault

 

Great write-up and the photos are some of the better ones here, I'll add those comparison shots to the write-up sometime soon. It looks like you have the newer aluminum-look metra kit, rather than the silver kit that is a very poor match in 05+ G35s. If they'd get the buttons anywhere near a close match to factory, the aluminum-look metra kit would be easy to recommend.