Has anyone upgraded their head unit and back up camera

Was it direct replacement for the JBL system or did you had to do some extra wiring (gps, microphone). I have '21 Limited and my HU is acting up. I have the JBL and looking for someting that would keep the steering wheel controls and the back up camera and keep it more on a simpler swap.

 

Direct replacement via package from Trail Grid Pro. The package included replacement microphone, and a Maestro unit which they program. My 4R had GPS via memory card, so CarPlay was huge upgrade and all I use for navigation.

Hope that helps.

 

This would be tougher for me. Not sure I could deal with that.

 

I hated it.

 

Ended up not being an issue for me, as i leave it in one of 2 AC settings depending on winter or summer. Its also my DD so i know exactly where the diel is set to by feel/LED position. All comes down to advantages vs disadvantages and if you can/willing work around them. The slight vent blocking and slight visual blocking of the AC controls for me ended up being outweighed by the dozens of advantages i would hate to loose.

 

It’s really not bad. I’m 6’3” and after seeing this comment I checked again, since it’s really not an issue for how I use my AC…daily. From my seating position I can leave my entire body upright and just tilt my head to the right as if I’m bringing my ear to be shoulder and I only need to tilt it about half way to see the numbers. Having a limited climate control, we are only talking about the visibility of the temp setting numbers, all controls are unobstructed.

Keeping things simple, does the exact temp number really matter? You’re either comfortable, hot, or cold. Just my $.02.

 

Its definitely all psychological. (Case in point, the color of your car, your wheels, its stance. None of that actually matters but its what a lot of people care most about)

At 5' 10" I felt i had to crane my head sideways quite a lot and really annoyed me.

My wife said the same At 4' 10".

The AC would get me only int he face or higher. Got her maybe in her hair.

 

I am one who constantly adjust temps-so this wouldn't work for me.

 

https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon_reference/dmx958xr/
Not a cheap solution but it is a substantial upgrade. Looks OEM enough when parked that it doesn’t shout steal me. All steering wheel controls and camera views are maintained. The OEM backup camera is usable in daylight it but sucks at night. HD camera available as an add on. Control over audio can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. The display is absolutely beautiful!
Major bonus…wireless CarPlay/Android!

 

That looks great. Why does the backup camera not work well at night? Are you using OEM camera?

 

Currently using the OEM but considering the HD Cam from Kenwood. At night the OEM is either too dark or gets washed out from headlights. See Thacrow's post #24. That's the camera I'm looking at but will probably use the license plate frame mount to start

 

Which HD cam? I have their HDR but not very many if any HU's can read it except for Kenwoods

 

CMOS 740HD

https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/caraudio/cameras/cmos-740hd/

 

Yea, I thought the center vents being partially blocked would be an issue for me in this heat but it’s actually not that bad. I have it adjusted to where I feel the most flow…then there’s the vent by the window. Once the cabin cools it’s a non-issue. The improvements this unit offers, far outweigh the few mins of extra heat as you wait for things to cool down.

One of the improvements allows you to make vehicle settings, like opening all windows with the fob including the sunroof if you have one. As you are approaching the vehicle you can open things up if it’s been sitting in the sun all day and that’ll help cool things down before jumping inside.