I started upgrading my OEM 430 head unit to an Alpine Halo9 Jr unit yesterday and will be doing it little by little over the coming days in between working from home, and moving my reverse camera from my VMS to the head unit while figuring out a solution for a front camera too.
I have tried many of the cheaper head units over the years and played with as many of the Android-based head units as I could find recently and while there are a few that are good, some of their interfaces are cumbersome to use, some have problems like parasitic battery draw when the car is switched off, they have poor FM receivers (important to me), they pick up interference or have buzzing noises through the speakers. The biggest reason why I stick with "name brand" units is I don't think any of the Android units output good enough sound quality to make good use of my factory Alpine speakers.
The easiest way and maybe the cheapest way to upgrade from stock to aftermarket is to use the Stinger HRCH001 kit that includes the Metra facia and head unit mount panel, the PAC RP4-CH11 to keep steering wheel controls, FM antenna adapter and the cables for connecting this to the car end. I soldered ISO plugs onto those cables, as I always do with all my cars to make future upgrades easier, and then got an Alpine to ISO cable for the head unit end to make it all as plug-and-play as possible. If you don't have or don't want to keep steering wheel controls, you can skip the PAC RP4-CH11.
Everything that I read said that I can remove the Uconnect module and the factory mic because their only purpose is steering wheel control interface and bluetooth. I don't think they are connected to my auto-dimming mirror but its wiring is contained in the same bundle as the mic, which I am leaving to last because I need to take my grab handles off to get to it. I will let you know if I do see anything when I get to that part of the install. The only hacky solution that I need to figure out after removing the Uconnect module is the easiest way to connect up the USB port in the armrest console so it at least gets power because it plugs into a micro USB plug on the Uconnect module .
The good thing about the way that the JK is wired up is that the head unit harness includes signal wires for when the handbrake is engaged, which Android Auto needs for its setup steps, and when reverse is engaged, which most head units use to switch over to the reverse camera picture, but even then it's pretty easy to run wiring in the JK with it's easy to remove panels and carpeting.
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The average human walks 1,500km per year and drinks 83L of beer which means we're getting 18km/L.
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2021 Jeep Gladiator
