Haven't seen this subject specifically addressed
I did search. Most of the posts are really old too.
Installed Grom Bluetooth kit, couldn't help but notice how heavy (and hot) the '08 CD-player unit was! Bose system btw
I'd like to delete the thing as I never play cds anyway,
Anyone here have experience (and hopefully success) with this?
Aftermarket support is scant...
And what I do find is confusing or contrary even from the manufacturers themselves.

 

You can not delete the headunit entirely. Unless you are going to install something aftermarket you will lose all of your audio, the display won't work, function buttons likely will not work right, and you might have problems with climate control and who knows what else.

The headunit is integrated with the cars CANBUS (think nervous system). The internal hard drive contains the software for the user interface (and who knows what else). While the car may still run and drive just fine without the AV system, some issues are bound to result.

This is mainly why aftermarket options are limited. Even that Tesla-style thing that has become slightly popular has its share of problems working nicely with the G's electronics...

 

I'm thinking about prying the thing open and seeing what I can safely eliminate.
Maybe I should find a used one to **** up before I inadvertently hobble my car LOL

 

Disassembly is rather easy- been there done that. I have one spread out on my workbench. You can remove the CD mechanism- if I remember there is either one or two tiny ribbon cables (after you remove a "bazillion" tiny screws). Whether the unit will boot up and work is unknown.

I recommend having a good magnetic mat handy as there are literally dozens of tiny screws that can easily get lost.