BobUncapher Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Hi all. Just joined the forum and am hoping to get some advice on an upgrade to my 2013 Dodge Journey SXT. It came with the uConnect 8.4 touch screen radio (the one without the NAV). I found this on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131034135918?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I asked the seller a few questions about it and he said it is a simple swap for the 8.4 and will add nav capabilities. Has anyone done this upgrade on their Journey? I'm far from being a "car guy" but generally handy. Any thoughts on this upgrade would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B4ZINGA Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 On the LH and LX platforms, all that was needed was to swap out the OEM radio with an RB1 or RB4 for LH cars, and REC or RER for LX vehicles, and running a nav antenna to a location where it could catch a good satellite signal. I had added an RB1 to my Special years ago and later a Kenwood SatNav and ran the antenna to the center of the dash under the trim piece below the windshield. I've had my Journey for two months now and have't looked into it yet, but swapping out whatever passes for a radio in this touch screen system for what looks like the latest RB-series chrysler SatNav sounds like it would work just fine, The ease of doing it depends on what is needed to pull the bezel out (piece of cake in a 300M, Charger, Magnum, 300C, Challenger, bit more involved but doable on an Intrepid) and how easy it is to wedge the antenna up in the dash or pull the trim piece at the base of the windshield and attach it there. $1200 seems pretty steep though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobUncapher Posted July 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks, B4ZINGA. Appreciate the reply. He emailed me the instructions to do it, but I'd say it's far from a few minutes work to get the old radio out of the dash. And I agree, the price is a bit steep. I checked with the dealership and they are telling me they can't do it...it would have had to be done at the factory. I thought these guys knew the cars inside and out at the service department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B4ZINGA Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 Dealer service departments typically won't do anything that isn't specified as a dealer-installed feature. It's installed at the factory, which may mean some unique way of installing the OEM wiring and antenna that the dealer service manual doesn't describe, and they don't want to be liable for anything. I heard there's a module you can buy that mounts behind the 8.4 screen, and when you turn the screen off it automatically switches into Garmin nav mode. I don''t have a link for it and haven't looked into it, but there was a YouTube video showing the installation in a Charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted July 30, 2014 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Thanks, B4ZINGA. Appreciate the reply. He emailed me the instructions to do it, but I'd say it's far from a few minutes work to get the old radio out of the dash. And I agree, the price is a bit steep. I checked with the dealership and they are telling me they can't do it...it would have had to be done at the factory. I thought these guys knew the cars inside and out at the service department. BobUncapher, Welcome to the forum! B4ZINGA nailed it on the head about your dealer not willing to modify your vehicle. Although it's likely they can easily do it, they may not want to get into a situation where they are responsible for having to replace parts or warranty their workmanship on a modification. All the best ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedymmx Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 it will take you 20 minutes to do the swap all you have to watch for is the MFG year of the unit you're buying, if it's a 2011 model no unlock code is needed, 2012 to 2014 you need to know the VIN of the car it came from and serial number of the unit to get the unlock code. Also if you already have SIRIUS no need for a GPS antenna, if your current unit doesn't have SIRIUS you need to purchase the GPS antenna. Look for the replacement unit at scrap yards, prices go from $400 to $800 or $1000+ on Ebay. I did this on my 2013 SXT and it was worth every penny!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bharat Aluri Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Hello Everybody, I bought 2015 Journey Crossroad 1 week back. and I would like to know whether I can replace 8.4 with 8.4N, i tried to understand the above discussions and I found little helpful and I would like to know what parts I need to change , and what parts I need to buy extra and how much approximate labor cost it might be. and Any feedback after upgrading will be appreciated? Thanks, Bharat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.