Did we ever figure out if it the special harness was only necessary to keep the stereo on until the door opened or if it was for the 12V constant power to keep all of the settings (i.e. clock, bass, treble, song position, etc.)? I'm not really happy with the stock but I don't want to pay an extra $35 (crutchfield discounts it with purchase of a HU) on top of the cost of the headunit

 

hmm if it were only 35 i would do it...mine was fine without the unit but i really liked the stock effect, so i bought it for $75. I do not think it will lose all of your settings without it, mine didnt, and I installed mine just like i have in any other truck (constant to constant, i used cigarette lighter)

but like i said, 35 is one dinner with a chick, so fork it out and skip outback next go around

 

I went ahead and purchased the adapter for $35 with my Pioneer head unit and it made the install painless other than the loss of feeling in my fingers getting the radio bezel popped out. It's kind of nice having the radio continue to play until the door is opened especially with the i-Pod functionality of the new head unit.

 

Next time try a screwdriver and a rag. It helps a ton taking the bezel off