Now, the problem with the buttons. I discovered that the outer knobs come off (with both the stock kit and the Metra kit) with relative ease...just pull straight back. The outer portion of the stock knobs wouldn't fit correctly on the Metra unit...which is what I thought the problem was. However, the INNER part of each knob comes off (the part with the stick on it)...and if you notice, the stock inner knobs are clear, allowing light to pass through.
So now the inner stock knobs are attached, which solves the cheap sticker issue.
It seemed to work today, however more extensive testing will come as it gets dark...