Great value, but Do Your Homework, or Pay a Professional
The stereo, GPS, and back-up camera all work as advertised.
The Good:
-High quality sound, easy to use equalizer
-User interface is intuitive
-Backup camera is clear
-GPS works much better than my TOMTOM standalone
-Many features, including USB, AUX in, Bluetooth
-Steering Wheel Control wire is included, though I don't have SWC in my truck for now
The Not-So-Good:
-Not any useful instructions for install. I realize that all vehicles have slightly different setups and you can't provide a detailed how-to that fits all. But SOME information would have been helpful. Fortunately, I am good at researching the Internet and gathering what I need. Some things are very ambiguous though, like the wire marked "P. Cont" would make a normal person think, "OK, that must be "Constant Power", for voltage that keeps the memory in the radio (clock time, favorite radio stations). NOPE. "P. Cont" is for providing external power to an aftermarket Amp or Sub. Alrighty-then!
-The wiring on the harness is a bit short. If you do your own wiring, and it's anything like my Chevy Silverado, expect to build your own harness extension, and label your wiring to keep yourself straight on what's what. The colors don't always match. That falls into the "Do your homework" category. An adapter harness would have been great to have, but if you buy a separate double-din kit as I did, they usually include that.
-No explanation on how to wire up the "Brake" wire...If you don't wire the "Brake" wire to your vehicle, or know how to bypass it, you will be unable to use half of your features, such as the built-in DVD player or the USB for viewing pictures. I wanted to load some pics onto my card and have them showing on the radio, because I thought it would be cool to have while I drive. I can't though, because the safety feature will not allow that while you do not have the emergency brake engaged.
-The instructions for installing the camera are lacking. The method of connecting to the backup light and tying the wire together at the radio end are a bit confusing. If you connect it the way you might think, with the red going to 12 volts and the black going to ground, like every other electronic component, ever, you might cook the camera and get the very great honor of buying another one separately. Luckily, I found an obscure web site that shows how they really hook up, which I won't go into here. Bottom line: If you're comfortable with low-voltage electronics and don't mind doing your research, look it up and you'll be fine.
100% of my complaints are related to the install and lack of information. If you do this for a job or hobby, you'll probably knock it out much faster than I did (2-3 days, most of which was figuring the best route for the camera and GPS module wiring.
However, if you don't feel confident in this areas, then maybe you should fork over the extra $$$ for a professional install.
That said, overall I'm very happy with the system's performance. Not too happy with the lack of coherent directions, but overcame it. You can, too.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
