After Market Nav install questions

[10Molavi]

So we have a relatively new to us 2010 CX-9 sport. I had promised my wife that I will put in a rear-view camera. I am going to get a double din radio/nav for this.

I should say that I am a DIY'er, have dealt with electronics a lot in my younger days. But my last install has been in 2002 in a corolla, so this one is a bit more involved.
I am going to get the PAC RP4-MZ11 interface to be able to use the info/clock.
Now to my specific questions.

1- I am not sure where the park wire needs to be hooked, I have a PDF repair manual (2008), but the diagrams are not very clear. I guess if I skip this we can not watch DVD's. I do not really care about watching DVD's, can anybody elaborate on this.

2- The GPS antenna; how do you get it to the front of the dash, is it easy (when all panels are off)?

3- I also have the instructions for the rear-view camera wiring (the one that comes with the mirror). Do I hook the camera to the reverse light in the tailgate, or in the front kick-panel. Also, how does the unit "know" I am backing up? Do I have to wire the unit to the reverse wire too?

4- Can I use the microphone that is already there. I believe it is wired to the map light. I am not a big fan of the dangling microphone.

5_ Our radio reception here (CA desert), is not so good with the stuck radio. Most shops are reluctant and say that it would be even worse with aftermarket. Anybody with any experience about this (we do not have a smartphone/pandora etc)

On a similar note, a local shop would install all for ~ $160; I am not sure how this sounds. I would mostly like to do it myself because then if anything goes wrong, I will have a better idea where to look. Also if I ever sell the car, it would be easier to take my stuff. But I can easily make that money working overtime in my day job.

Thanks

 

[10Molavi]

Given the overwhelming response and also my great speed on finally doing this project, I am going to provide a timely update!!

I finally took the plunge and bought a Jensen unit from crutchfield. Went through them mostly because everybody raves about their tech support. I also bought the PAC-RP MZ11 adapter to save my CAN-BUS utilities as much as possible. I wasn't going to drill anything in the car and did not like wire going from the license plate frame to the hatch, so go a license plate light replacement rearview camera for ~$18 from amazon.

The wiring of the PAC interface seems somewhat complicated but actually it is not that bad. The reverse and the park wires were already there in my 2010 harness, so this made it a bit easier. I was worried about taking the dash apart, but wasn't bad. Just used my bare hands.

CF sent an antenna adapter and tech support insisted that I needed it-not true. Also the wiring on the steering wheel controls on the Jensen is not well explained and CF gave me incorrect info-I just went with my intuition and so far all is well. I will probably know more later.

Fishing the mic, GPS antenna and the rear camera wires were a bit difficult esp since I have bulky hands.

I haven't broken anything, which is great on its own. The rearview camera works great. Now I see its utility. The system has more abilities than I would need. I particularly like to see my contacts and also the caller ID on the screen. Haven't put the unit through a full test.

I timed myself and all in all spent 6 hours on this project. I had to make my own RCA extension since the 15 ft wire was not enough, at least the way I routed it. Buying these wires on a Saturday, added some aggravation to the project. I wasn't going to pay best buy $25 for an extension (Hell the camera cost me less than that).

If anybody is tackling this, I can try and help.

 

[KindofaBigDeal]

Awesome. Even though no one responded it is nice to see that someone has actually done this. Thanks!

 

[r2d277]

Im planning to do it myself in next few days. I've ordered a new head unit and adapters (including PAC) from Crutchfield, and a rear camera from Amazon. I've been reading some posts about this matter and it's good to know it works!

 

[r2d277]

How did you deal with GPS antenna and mic?

 

[10Molavi]

I put the GPS antenna under the mesh right on top of the dash. That piece comes out (the part that has the AC controls) anyway. I just taped the antenna under it and fed the wire down to the unit. Reception seems to be decent and it is out of view.

The mic and rearview camera was a bit more challenging. You have to feed them to the A pillar area. I used a hard wire (or you can use a straightened hanger) to fish them from the foot panel area back to the unit area. I fished it from above the steering area but didn't bother taking the panels under the steering column out. I might have "wasted" some wiring, so my mic made it close to the rearview mirror area but not quite there.

The most challenging part was feeding the camera wire through the rear hatch wiring shield.

 

[jolt]

Congrats! Any pics of the install?

 

[10Molavi]

Congrats! Any pics of the install?

I have two that I did from the rear view camera picture. Not the best view. If you would like to see more let me know.