Hi guys,
I just had this done, (2012 EL Limited, factory radio had navigation, Sirius) so I can shed some light on these things.
I had my auto sound/alarm company do the work. Costly labor, but they have one particular tech who is an absolute craftsman, so it's worth it to me. My factory radio quit working with Siri on my iPhone after a Sync update a couple of years ago (known issue but Ford has opted not to push out a fix because it only impacts older vehicles) and after getting my wife's Bronco Sport, I
really wanted Carplay.
I bought a
Kenwood 577S, SiriusXM receiver and the Maestro RR2. I considered the 10" but decided I wanted to retain easy access to all the buttons/switches above/below the head unit opening. (Actually they accidentally installed the RR rather than the 2, but they are going to swap that out tomorrow.) The Maestro is AWESOME! It retains all of the functions of the steering wheel controls and backup camera, etc. I believe it also retains the factory amp/subwoofer if you have them. (I think I do.)
Since the head unit has multiple camera inputs I had them add a front camera mounted just below my winch - aftermarket
Iron Bull bumper. (That's my white truck on their website). It is going to be great for steep descents off road.
Observations after about two weeks:
- 2012 OEM Backup Camera is pretty low resolution and the Kenwood screen really shows that. I bet it will be really noticeable on the 10". Tech is researching possible hi-def camera that will fit in the OEM mount in the liftgate. (I don't want another camera hanging on the license plate.
- New, higher resolution camera in front is much better, but still oversaturated, even after adjustment in the head unit
- I am not an audiophile, so sound quality is fine for me. It is noticeably better than the OEM radio, but not spectacular. Might need new speakers/amp (??)
- The tech was able to tap into the OEM dual-band GPS/Sirius antenna, so no wires or additional magnetic antenna on the roof. Internet says this can't be done, but he did it!
- Carplay is seamless and very useful. Gives me back all the Siri functions I had lost -- voice dialing, voice-dictated text messages, etc.
- I also really like using Waze. It's like having a crowdsourced radar detector!
- Some difficulty with Bluetooth connection which I want to use for short trips where I don't want to bother with plugging the phone in. Probably a programming issue, which I hope to resolve tomorrow when they have it to swap the Maestro.
- Another odd behavior they are going to look at: Unit randomly switches to the screen with tire pressure/codes/battery voltage. Gremlin.
- The plain Maestro RR seems to work fine, but I wanted the ability to adjust and update it over Bluetooth, so I am paying the extra $40
- I think the 10" Kenwoods have wireless Carplay, but I will probably buy one of the aftermarket wireless Carplay adapters.
- I could have gotten off a little cheaper with a different head unit, but I wanted built in navigation because I spend a good deal of time in areas with no cell service (mountains, etc.) so Waze, Google Maps, etc. on phone quit working in the backcountry.
Sorry this was so lengthy -- I hope it's helpful. If I can be of any further help, please let me know.