GEN 1 2012 nav aftermarket upgrade

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Ol'cank

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I've been searching here and other various forums the past few days trying to find a solid answer. I just bought a used 2012 scab and it's all great except the stock nav unit. It's terrible.

I'm really wanting to run the Kenwood DNX875s instead. I've seen some who have said it can be done and others who says it can't. I've talked to a tech a crutchfield and he said it can't.

I've read about the iDatalink Maestro and their website leads me to believe that it should work but it's also not extremely clear.

Does anyone know definitively if it can be without losing features or what features are lost by doing it?

Any help would be great, thanks.
 

Otis857

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Contact Noah@thecarstereocompany. He is the resident Raptor audio whiz. He also knows how to integrate the Maestro system for adding aftermarket head units in our trucks. Good guy to deal with too!
 
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Ol'cank

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So far, it's been a real pain. I've talked to some people around the forums and have gotten some leads. I'm also talking to a local audio shop about my options.

As of right now I have the head unit, iDatalink Maestro RR and the Ford harness from iDatalink. There appears to be no dash kits available to replace the stock nav so a mount must be fabricated. The Ford harness from iDatalink doesn't fully mesh with the factory harness, I'm not sure what's up with that.

I'll be contacting a shop that did another members system for tips and tricks. Hopefully I'll have some luck soon.

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Ol'cank

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I've ran into other issues with my truck so this project is going on hold. I have no new news but I'll update when I can get back around to it.

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inetjanitor

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I have just done this very install into my 11 screw. More than happy to share some of the lessons I’ve learned if you want.

DNX874s, idatalink maestro, retained factory BU cam, usb, and aux. no sync used anymore. All kenwood functionality.


Paul


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Ol'cank

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Perfect! Did you use idatalink's Ford harness? How did you end up mounting the unit? Do you happen to have any pictures?

Thanks for reaching out!
I have just done this very install into my 11 screw. More than happy to share some of the lessons I’ve learned if you want.

DNX874s, idatalink maestro, retained factory BU cam, usb, and aux. no sync used anymore. All kenwood functionality.


Paul


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inetjanitor

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Yeah, the FO1 harness. Be aware you’re not going to use all the factory plugs. Only used 2 of the 4 on mine.

Also used a Best Kits BRK540 kit, but only the side mounts. The front fascia plate will not fit, and does not allow the head unit to be moved up far enough to sit right in the ford face plate. This was the biggest source of pain and suffering in the whole install. Honestly, if I had to do it over again, I might have chosen a head unit that has a single din body with a double din screen. I think the Alpines are like this on some models. Since ford separated the screen from the head unit body, they mounted it abnormally high.

I didn’t think to take pictures while it was apart. I will grab some when I add the trim ring this weekend, as even with a 6.9” display, there is still a visible gap around the Kenwood unit that needs cleaned up.


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---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 PM ----------

Funnily enough, even though they don’t make a kit for the 11-12 Raps, their instructions seem to be clued in that some light trimming is necessary in the dash. This is a pretty good picture of what needs removed.

Now, please, do not use an air recip saw. Holy hell. Use an oscillating trim saw. Cuts through dash plastic like butter, and doesn’t have the nasty tendency to eat through everything else in the process.

28ec13f29cd8c4d0a814b444cecbe842.jpg


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Ol'cank

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I have been freaking out over the plugs! I was so worried lol. I was planning on trying to fabricate some type of mount but I'll check out that kit instead. Thank you so much for the information. I'll be attempting the install again soon. Hopefully it goes much better this time.
Yeah, the FO1 harness. Be aware you’re not going to use all the factory plugs. Only used 2 of the 4 on mine.

Also used a Best Kits BRK540 kit, but only the side mounts. The front fascia plate will not fit, and does not allow the head unit to be moved up far enough to sit right in the ford face plate. This was the biggest source of pain and suffering in the whole install. Honestly, if I had to do it over again, I might have chosen a head unit that has a single din body with a double din screen. I think the Alpines are like this on some models. Since ford separated the screen from the head unit body, they mounted it abnormally high.

I didn’t think to take pictures while it was apart. I will grab some when I add the trim ring this weekend, as even with a 6.9” display, there is still a visible gap around the Kenwood unit that needs cleaned up.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 PM ----------

Funnily enough, even though they don’t make a kit for the 11-12 Raps, their instructions seem to be clued in that some light trimming is necessary in the dash. This is a pretty good picture of what needs removed.

Now, please, do not use an air recip saw. Holy hell. Use an oscillating trim saw. Cuts through dash plastic like butter, and doesn’t have the nasty tendency to eat through everything else in the process.

28ec13f29cd8c4d0a814b444cecbe842.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
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