radio upgrade

[max198]

ALRIGHT 

 

so if you are a young kid like me and want to have a nice big fancy touch screen in your car instead of a 4.3 rinky dinky almost useless red brick in the center of your dash then you have stumbled on something that is very very helpful.

 

so i wanted to upgrade my touch screen to something much better so i went online and did some research and it looked really really easy but its not at all. FOR THE LIFE OF ME I COULD NOT FIND ANYONE THAT KNEW HOW TO DO THIS OR A VIDEO HOW TO. so here are the basics. 

 

the screen and the climate radio control panel is one system sadly and the radio is a box that sits behind that and send a video cable out to the screen so dodge makes it impossible to replace the screen alone. there is a kit on the internet that is like 400 bucks and moves the controls and adds a screen and keeps the old screen and it looks like shit and is just too much money for a shit piece of plastic. 

 

when you take the controls out and the screen out you will the a circle connecter the has 4 pins in it, that is the video jumper cable

 

the black 6 pin connect with 5 wires in it is the power and the cable to the climate control box that sits onto of a bar in the dash 

 

THE 40 PIN WITH BLACK WIRE CONNECTER IS THE CLIMATE CONTROL JUMPER CABLE TO THE CONTROLS AND THE SCREEN 

 

if you were to remove the screen and radio you would lose some very very essential functions and its not worth it at all. i saw a video where the dude moves the little screen and that is just not practical. 

 

i spent 6 months researching everything i can about this and i just got more and more confused. i always saw these "9 inch android screens" and it comes in the correct bezzle and i decided to look into in. 

 

i found one on amazon that is 250. a bit more than i would like to spend but its worth it because it comes with the correct cables and harnesses and you don't have to cut into the factory wiring harness. MOST IMPORTANTLY IT COMES WITH A LITTLE "CLIMATE CONTROLE BOX"  THAT HAS A 40 PIN SLOT AND A POWER SLOT almost all the other android screens do not come with and that is AN EXTERMLY ESSENTIAL PART. i will link it at the bottom. i have not received it yet but when i do i will make a video on how to install in IN GREAT DETAIL and the pros and cons of it. 

 

so lets recap 

 

in short you CAN install a radio you pick up from walmart or where ever but you cant remove the factory screen and you cant get a dash kit to make it fit properly and look factory 

you have to get this android radio kit. and trust me it looks pretty decent and very useful on the amazon site

this is the only way that i found and know of that will look nice in the dash and will function properly and keep all the factory systems. i am not 100 percent sure untill i get it tho

i will make an update when i do 

 

i missed a LOT of details and left a lot of stuff out but this should be enough to help you out and if you have more informations i would love to hear it and if you have a way to make a aftermarket radio work with all the factory systems

oh by the way i would not trust aliexpress and crutchfield at all they are weird

this is the only touch screen that i could find that works with everything so if you want to risk that by getting a cheaper android dash dodge journey kit then you can

this was so frustrating and a pain to find wiring docs and people that know what they are doing but this is the cheapest easiest way to go about this 

 

if you read all of that good job your dedicated to learn and do it cheaper and better like me 

 

thanks and your welcome

 

[larryl]

Sadly Journeys are at the end of their lifespan and nobody cares much anymore.....but kudos to you for the time and effort you are putting into your project.

Hopefully it's not a 4 banger best of luck and enjoy your ride 

[max198]

thank you! its a 6 banger! its on stock wheels right now and it has a tiny rust spot but i have so big plans for it. but your right they are disappearing so its so hard to find kits and information about it. it was my grandmas and it has 96k miles on it but i love it a lot accept the wheels. it look like crap with them on so ima get them changed out as fast as i can

[max198]

Yeah I said something about that kit in this but I thought it wasn’t the best build quality and it looked like shit and it was impractical 

 

this kit comes with the climate control box so it works out well

 

For me the whole point of swapping out the screen was to make it look factory and to get rid of the small useless screen and this kit I found does just that it replaces the screen factory style and keep every factory system in use including climate controls

[max198]

Yeah I haven’t gotten my yet in mail but I’ll do an update when I get it installed but that’s the only thing I’m a bit worried about is the audio quality but I hope it’s as good or better 

[max198]

On 1/1/2023 at 6:34 PM, Locosiete said:

Quality on metra kit is ok. The plastic is different color which is why i repainted mine. Only reason i went with that is to insure the head unit had a good clean signal from the stereo to the amplifiers. Granted your kit looks allot better but i didn't want to chance it without knowing how the audio quality was.

alr so i got it but its complet dog shit. blue a fuse. works like crap. controls are a mess. somefuntions cut in and out, sounds like shit. but very loud. very well constructed tho but the sofware is ass cheaks. ive never gotten somthing so bad before, came broken and aboslute ass pain to install. messed with the instument cluster arived late as hell. pain to find the right spots to plug into. aboslute booty 

 

i think ima just get a good phoen mount and upgrade to the 8.4 apple car play bs and all that from a junk yard 

 

do not buy this maybe its just me but it would work right and it was a mess of a software 

 

better off ducttapping an kindle fire and tapping a power cable to it that you got used for your local best buy 

 

my cat has morefunctionallity than this hunk of junk. absolute usless wast of space this product is. 

[bramfrank]

I have an RE2 (non-nav) and an RB5 (nav) 8.4 inch radio module (just the radio module) on my shelf - I am located in Montreal (Canada) - make me a reasonable offer for either one or both and pay the shipping.

[max198]

On 1/14/2023 at 7:52 PM, Locosiete said:

 

Sorry to hear that! I was hoping you'd report it  had good sound. 

 

I know the metra kit looks janky but in last several years I've had mine i have only used the lower controls a handful of times. I always use the 4.3" screen for the HVAC. As far as issues never had any real issue's. 

 

As far as a factory upgrade that would probably be the cleanest way to do it but may end up costing more in long run. I know when i priced them out before they wanted some crazy #s. And that was pre-covid so can only guess what they want now. There is plenty of threads here how to so it. Either way hope you get the results your looking for.

yeah i was hoping it would work to but idk the 4.3 inch is kinda growing on me but i am still looking around a bit but im not trying to spend money mainly because i think im jsut wanting to spend cuz im bored. it was a good idea tho and i might look into your kit tho i think paying more is the way to go as it will eliminate problems. when i work on cars i always come up with like 1000 questions and it just makes me more confuesed 

[max198]

On 1/15/2023 at 1:16 PM, bramfrank said:

I have an RE2 (non-nav) and an RB5 (nav) 8.4 inch radio module (just the radio module) on my shelf - I am located in Montreal (Canada) - make me a reasonable offer for either one or both and pay the shipping.

thank you i might do this but for some reason i have like 1000 questions about it and it seems so simple but then i jsut get confuesed a lot about this wiring stuff but ill let you know and money is super tight right now and it seems like pay cheacks arent coming in as much as they used to 

[max198]

On 1/20/2023 at 8:18 AM, Locosiete said:

There's nothing wrong with having a 1000 questions but sometimes you just have to ask yourself what is it you really need to know to know and can you accept the answer you receive? So feel free to ask your questions. I find best to avoid asking opinion questions on things because you'll get 5 different anawers that will only lead you to ask more questions and creates confusion. 

 

Not to say you shouldn't but for me getting 5 different answer from 5 different people on what they think is a better rarely helps.

So I want to upgrade to the 8.3 nav setup but I don’t know if I need just the screen or the radio cd box player to? Or I read something about the antenna? Like I have an antenna but do I have the right one for nav?

and I’m confused cuz I saw a video that had talked about the auto climate button and for the people that just had the off button there was a 130 dollar programmer that you plugged into the obd port (I don’t think that it does anything tho) but most people it’s just plug and play? And I also saw a video that you had to call your dealership and get it unlocked using the vin like it’s so sort of bank account, every time I reasarch stuff I just get more and more confused and for every one it just seems so simple what am I doing wrong and how can I avoid this in the future and how do I solve the radio problem?

[max198]

On 1/15/2023 at 1:16 PM, bramfrank said:

I have an RE2 (non-nav) and an RB5 (nav) 8.4 inch radio module (just the radio module) on my shelf - I am located in Montreal (Canada) - make me a reasonable offer for either one or both and pay the shipping.

Hey I might do this how much do they usually go for and what do you think is fair?

[Dodgems]

I just did the 4 to 8.4 conversion. It's fairly simple. Takes 20 minutes. Only special tool needed is a plastic pry tool to prevent marring of your trim pieces as well as torx bit set. I believe it was a t15 but may be t20 size.  I was very lucky and made a deal for a totaled car. Check around local junkyards. I called or showed up to about 8 yards before finding one with a Journey they had not inventoried yet. Don't just call. Show up and ask. Yes alot of them are rude but if your able to bs a little you will have much better luck. They deal with cheapskate idiots all day. Be easy going but persistent and you may luck out. See if you can pull from the car yourself. I was able to get the radio, display, trim panel and hvac controls for $100. I then talked them into letting me strip the interior for $50. Heated seats, radio, wiring harness, rear camera, heated steering wheel and door panels. Entire interior.

 

First thing is does your 4" have sirius? If so you have the correct antenna. If not you will need to swap in the correct antenna.

 

You will need the radio, screen and trim panel. The auto heater controls are optional. It gives access to the sd card slot. That's all it does unless you get more items and complete the auto temp control install. The manual control has enough open space to install over the sd card slot if your never going to use it.

 

If you get to pull parts grab the harness for the humidity sensor. it plugs in behind the left a pillar and runs up to mirror where the sensor is mounted. Grab the knee bolster panel or at least the temp sensor attached to it. Grab the hvac module. It's on passenger side behind glove box. Look up what it looks like before heading out. All these can be obtained with the torx bit set and patience. A pick or small flat head screw driver is nice to get connectors to disconnect. You may need a 10mm socket for hvac module. I cannot remember for sure.

 

You will have the 22degree bug. It seems there can be different manifestations but the bottom line is the screen is useless for temp control. You will have to use the hvac control panel for temp changes. Otherwise it functions as normal. On ours I can adjust where air comes out. Change recirculating all from the screen. Only temp doesn't work right on the screen. It works fine from the hvac panel.

 

You will need a 4 digit pin to unlock the radio. I went with a seller on ebay. He charged me $3. It took all of 5 minutes for him to get me the code. You only need the radio part number and serial numbers. I recommend getting the vin the radio came from but uconnect updates and obtaining the pin can be done with the radio part and serial numbers.

 

There is no programming necessary for the swap. Still I highly recommend getting Alfaobd and the correct obd adapter. Do not buy the genie or whatever it's called. It does a fraction of what Aflaobd can do for a similar price.

[bramfrank]

On 1/22/2023 at 5:10 PM, Locosiete said:

As far as vin locked if i recall the head unit has to be unlocked by dealership or with special tool. It's to prevent theft so you need the VIN it came out of. 

 

 

Actually, to generate the unlock code you need the radio serial number and the VIN of the vehicle it is being INSTALLED in.

 

On 1/22/2023 at 4:50 PM, max198 said:

Hey I might do this how much do they usually go for and what do you think is fair?

 

Make me a reasonable offer.

[Dodgems]

 I just went through this a few weeks ago. All the ebay seller needed was a pic of the label on the radio. He needs the part and serial numbers. I did not give him a vin. Not from the donor nor the vehicle it went into. I believe the dealership wants them to cya in case it was stolen and they get dragged into a legal fight. Their software may even require it but the pin is based on part and serial number. Not the vin.

 

I recommend having both vin's just in case but do not stress if you do not have the donor vin.

[bramfrank]

On 1/31/2023 at 7:01 AM, Dodgems said:

 I just went through this a few weeks ago. All the ebay seller needed was a pic of the label on the radio. He needs the part and serial numbers. I did not give him a vin. Not from the donor nor the vehicle it went into. I believe the dealership wants them to cya in case it was stolen and they get dragged into a legal fight. Their software may even require it but the pin is based on part and serial number. Not the vin.

 

I recommend having both vin's just in case but do not stress if you do not have the donor vin.

 

To confirm, the unlock code generated by the dealer's software requires the VIN (and the buyer surely knows the VIN of his own vehicle).  It is NOT based on the radio part number, but rather the serial number and the VIN of the vehicle it is being installed in.

I have heard that there is a backdoor that lets certain people get the unlock code based solely on the radio s/n, But the part number never enters into it.

Edited February 1, 2023 by bramfrank

[Sebastiano]

Hello, happy 2023 to all!

 

I want to change my screen 4.3 to 8.4 and I want to purchase the radio with navigation.

 

They offer me the model P05091037AI and I don't know if it has navigation or what module it belongs to.

 

Would someone be so kind as to tell me how I can know which radio is R2 or RB5?

 

Thank you all for the help you can give me, I am from Argentina.

 

Greetings!

[Jules716]

On 1/23/2023 at 8:16 AM, Dodgems said:

I just did the 4 to 8.4 conversion. It's fairly simple. Takes 20 minutes. Only special tool needed is a plastic pry tool to prevent marring of your trim pieces as well as torx bit set. I believe it was a t15 but may be t20 size.  I was very lucky and made a deal for a totaled car. Check around local junkyards. I called or showed up to about 8 yards before finding one with a Journey they had not inventoried yet. Don't just call. Show up and ask. Yes alot of them are rude but if your able to bs a little you will have much better luck. They deal with cheapskate idiots all day. Be easy going but persistent and you may luck out. See if you can pull from the car yourself. I was able to get the radio, display, trim panel and hvac controls for $100. I then talked them into letting me strip the interior for $50. Heated seats, radio, wiring harness, rear camera, heated steering wheel and door panels. Entire interior.

 

First thing is does your 4" have sirius? If so you have the correct antenna. If not you will need to swap in the correct antenna.

 

You will need the radio, screen and trim panel. The auto heater controls are optional. It gives access to the sd card slot. That's all it does unless you get more items and complete the auto temp control install. The manual control has enough open space to install over the sd card slot if your never going to use it.

 

If you get to pull parts grab the harness for the humidity sensor. it plugs in behind the left a pillar and runs up to mirror where the sensor is mounted. Grab the knee bolster panel or at least the temp sensor attached to it. Grab the hvac module. It's on passenger side behind glove box. Look up what it looks like before heading out. All these can be obtained with the torx bit set and patience. A pick or small flat head screw driver is nice to get connectors to disconnect. You may need a 10mm socket for hvac module. I cannot remember for sure.

 

You will have the 22degree bug. It seems there can be different manifestations but the bottom line is the screen is useless for temp control. You will have to use the hvac control panel for temp changes. Otherwise it functions as normal. On ours I can adjust where air comes out. Change recirculating all from the screen. Only temp doesn't work right on the screen. It works fine from the hvac panel.

 

You will need a 4 digit pin to unlock the radio. I went with a seller on ebay. He charged me $3. It took all of 5 minutes for him to get me the code. You only need the radio part number and serial numbers. I recommend getting the vin the radio came from but uconnect updates and obtaining the pin can be done with the radio part and serial numbers.

 

There is no programming necessary for the swap. Still I highly recommend getting Alfaobd and the correct obd adapter. Do not buy the genie or whatever it's called. It does a fraction of what Aflaobd can do for a similar price.

I recently changed out my 4.3 to the 8.4. Got the screen and radio from a junkyard as well. Radio works fine but no bluetooth and the temp and fan controls dont work on the screen don't work. I have to use the buttons and knob. Do I need to change something else out to get it all working?