Seeing the new 2023 model with the modern dash and electronics made me look again at upgrading the cockpit as much as I could. Splurged on the Sony XAV-9500ES that has a 10” “floating” screen. Definitely overkill on the audio side with the stock speakers, but I like the integration with my phone and the vehicle computer so far! The latter requires the Maestro interface between the Sony and the van ECU.
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
Updated the radio…
ohecht
41 - 60 of 70 Posts
Joined
·
373 Posts
Good eye…it was hard to adjust the camera in the housing just right, and it didn’t inspire confidence until I went to an empty parking lot to get the lines themselves just right. I can twist the camera in the housing to adjust that, but it’s extremely sensitive and that was the best I could get. The lines matter more to me and I trust them 100% after lining them up to empty parking spaces.
If I’m backing up towards an object and want to get as close as possible without tapping it, then I just look right at those corners despite the distortion and have to ignore the apparent space at the center of the bumper. That’s the end of the van no matter what. I did prefer the perfectly straight view of the bumper itself in the factory camera, but the poor image on the big screen made that hard to use. And backing into spaces that are tight on the sides is more common for me than trying to get as close as possible to an object behind me.
If I’m backing up towards an object and want to get as close as possible without tapping it, then I just look right at those corners despite the distortion and have to ignore the apparent space at the center of the bumper. That’s the end of the van no matter what. I did prefer the perfectly straight view of the bumper itself in the factory camera, but the poor image on the big screen made that hard to use. And backing into spaces that are tight on the sides is more common for me than trying to get as close as possible to an object behind me.
Joined
·
9,558 Posts
2 person job me thinks;
Not really a good eye ,,, just factory equipment “Pavlov’s Dog” trained as the Ram Condition has me looking for such askew cameras. Mrs RV8R is ringing a bell ,,, gotta go for breakfast now as I start to drool 😋.
Joined
·
9,558 Posts
@ohecht
I’m on the hunt for a new radio head unit ,,, really would like the PM gauges / sensors display capable;
![Image]()
This unit is on my list of possibles for me.
I’m on the hunt for a new radio head unit ,,, really would like the PM gauges / sensors display capable;
This unit is on my list of possibles for me.
Joined
·
9,558 Posts
I would like them to steal my SonyXAV-AV100 outta my Jeep ,,, That unit turned out to be a POS;
Thanks Thom, and thanks for your contributions to the forum, really helpful. That Alpine is single DIN, but looks like folks are getting good results with single or double DIN. I guess we get good enough radio reception with present antenna, so that sounds good too.
Has anybody gone bigger than 11 inch screen? I can't find any in the archives.
Thanks so much,
Tim
Oops. Yup. Single DIN on that one. I wonder if it matters if you install it in the top or bottom. I'm sure Crutchfield sells some sort of filler/cover plate. One DIN or two is really just form factor, it should not effect performance. I'm not happy with the radio in the van - I suspect that a better antenna might help. That's on my To Do list to test out.
I haven't seen a brand name radio bigger than 11.
I'm talking to Crutchfield about supplying the new radio components, and they want an actual idatalink module part number:
"The system that you lined out is only lacking the actual harness that would link up your Promaster with the idatalink module that you mentioned. I don't know of an interface that would work for this application, but if you know which one would work, I can verify that we carry it and work up a quote for you. "
According to idatalink site it is this module:
MAESTRO RR2
Coverage: 29 Makes4266 Models2000 ~ 2023
PN - ADS-MRR2
(For the Maestro RR they recommend this part number - ADS-MRR )
The difference between the RR and RR2 appears to be "adding support for additional vehicles and enabling Bluetooth programming directly from your iOS and Android mobile device. ", and some radar support. I don't require the radar support, but the bluetooth feature might be nice.
Does this look like the same module as others have used or did others find the RR module fit their application?
Thanks!
Tim
"The system that you lined out is only lacking the actual harness that would link up your Promaster with the idatalink module that you mentioned. I don't know of an interface that would work for this application, but if you know which one would work, I can verify that we carry it and work up a quote for you. "
According to idatalink site it is this module:
MAESTRO RR2
Coverage: 29 Makes4266 Models2000 ~ 2023
PN - ADS-MRR2
(For the Maestro RR they recommend this part number - ADS-MRR )
The difference between the RR and RR2 appears to be "adding support for additional vehicles and enabling Bluetooth programming directly from your iOS and Android mobile device. ", and some radar support. I don't require the radar support, but the bluetooth feature might be nice.
Does this look like the same module as others have used or did others find the RR module fit their application?
Thanks!
Tim
Clarification from Crutchfield:
" The MRR2 is the newer module that works similar to the MRR, you would still need a vehicle specific harness to work with either of those, and unfortunately, that's the piece that I am not sure what would work for you. It is likely that idatalink doesn't make one that would work for this particular vehicle, but I couldn't verify that for sure. "
So the question is (to those who purchased their system from Crutchfield) what is the part number for the Promaster-specific harness from Crutchfield?
Thanks again!
Tim
" The MRR2 is the newer module that works similar to the MRR, you would still need a vehicle specific harness to work with either of those, and unfortunately, that's the piece that I am not sure what would work for you. It is likely that idatalink doesn't make one that would work for this particular vehicle, but I couldn't verify that for sure. "
So the question is (to those who purchased their system from Crutchfield) what is the part number for the Promaster-specific harness from Crutchfield?
Thanks again!
Tim
I used a HRN-RR-CH3 on my 2017.
Thanks Thom,
According to Crutchfields site it fits my 2021 also.
Much appreciated!
Tim
![Image]()
According to Crutchfields site it fits my 2021 also.
Much appreciated!
Tim
Back-Up Camera
Did I do something wrong, is there a setting I missed, or is this just the way it is?
With OEM, the backup camera came on whenever the van was in reverse, whether or not the radio was on. With the replacement, complete with Maestro, the backup camera doesn’t come on unless the radio is on. Given that we use the radio only occasionally, this glitch can be quite annoying.
Did I do something wrong, is there a setting I missed, or is this just the way it is?
With OEM, the backup camera came on whenever the van was in reverse, whether or not the radio was on. With the replacement, complete with Maestro, the backup camera doesn’t come on unless the radio is on. Given that we use the radio only occasionally, this glitch can be quite annoying.
@ohect started this thread in May '22 and made the above comment in regards to not having replaced the factory speakers. FWIW, I get a check from the VA every month for the hearing loss I have as the result of my military service. So, I'm not even organically equipped to be an audiophile but I love my tunes! I recently replaced the factory tweeters and WOW! Even with my degraded hearing replacing the factory door speakers and tweeters and adding a small subwoofer makes a huge difference in sound quality both for music and podcasts, especially when travelling at speed. Now this thread has got me thinking about a new head unit...
I can't speak for the Maestro, but I use Metra AVXI-6524 and it has +12v and a switched Accessory power line. The radio is always powered, but "sleeps" when ACC is off. I can turn the radio off from the front panel, but the only thing that does is mute the sound and blank the screen. The radio is never really "off". In any case, going into reverse pops up the reverse camera.
Check the manual, pg 69 for programing the power off function. You don't want "power off", you want AV off. The former disables interrupts, like "hey, I'm in reverse"
I searched for something like that, but didn’t see anything, then I contacted Kenwood:
"The unit will need to be powered up in order to display the rear camera. Unfortunately the camera is not displayed if the unit is off. This is normal operation for the unit. There are no settings to change this feature."
😢. I guess we can leave the radio on and mute it.
"The unit will need to be powered up in order to display the rear camera. Unfortunately the camera is not displayed if the unit is off. This is normal operation for the unit. There are no settings to change this feature."
😢. I guess we can leave the radio on and mute it.
Bummer.
Joined
·
481 Posts
My OBD reader doesn’t seem to have trans temp
Do your coolant temp and/or oil temp increases (like when you climb mountains) correlate directly to your trans temp increase?
I’d like to avoid buying a duplicate OBD reader…
I have a 2016 Promaster with a Pioneer AVX-X2800BS that was installed by the conversion people. It works fine, but I really love Apple CarPlay, which it doesn't support. Are there any issues with replacing this unit with a modern system that I should be aware of (DIY, of course)? I'm thinking of something like the Pioneer DMH-1770NEX I don't have any controls on the steering wheel, so I assume that means I don't need Maestro? The original radio didn't seem to be any uConnect model. To be honest, I'm pretty ignorant of all this, but I'm hoping if the current Pioneer is working, whatever I replace it with should work too. One thing that is puzzling, is that when I first got the van converted, the trip odometers did not work. I took it to the dealer, and they said, "non-OEM radio installed". At the time I was totally confused because in all my vehicles I've owned, I had never heard of the trip odometer being in any way connected with the radio, but some reading made me think maybe the dealer was right. But, miraculously, some time later, with no changes made that I know of, the trip odometers started working fine. Currently I don't see any vehicle information on the radio, which is fine with me. So, what do you geniuses think? Can I just swap in a CarPlay supporting radio?
This is awesome and very economical. Just read your other post about it. thanks!
Where did you mount the new back up cam?
It's hard to say without knowing the current setup.
Maestro and other interfaces interpret vehicle CAN messages to do things like dim the display when headlights are on, switch backup camera when in reverse, etc. In the ProMaster case they also spoof a valid infotainment CAN device so the @#$&& odometer doesn't flash.
First thing you need to do is see what is between the radio and the van. Also, just in case, check the interface to your existing radio with the one you want to replace it with. If the plugs are the same you might just do a swap and be done.
41 - 60 of 70 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
