digimuzik

One thing to note...or not...it's tangentially related... I'm sort of glad the nav unit gets its speed from the vehicle... since that's what the LockPick takes advantage of. When enabled, my nav unit says I'm going 0mph (and then enables all functions). Hmm. I haven't yet looked into whether that affects the dead reckoning; but the first time I drove in a parking garage with nav (and no LockPick yet), that feature was insanely cool. Fortunately the LockPick is easily toggled...

Ahh. Yes, I've seem some threads about album art. Are they all just pre-loaded into the player, or does it somehow read from ID3 tags? I haven't played around much with this; some songs have art, some don't. But I don't care as much.

I guess I don't know what I'm missing* . A 32-gig SD card is $10. Then again I don't really listen to much music; I just like working Bluetooth and big touchscreens! (*Don't tell me what I'm missing if it's too awesome...I'm easily disappointed!)

Well, my old Ford Freestyle seemed to have a lot more room in the 3rd row and way more storage behind it. But the vehicle also had numerous other problems...

I have a 2013, but when I select this option in my profile, "2012, 2013" shows up in my posts. Same thing happens if I pick 2012 (just trying things), though 2014 seems to display fine. Any idea what strangeness is up?

Actually, I have a long drive before I make it to the border, but it seems like every other poster on here is from Canada, so I thought I'd try to fit in... I'm actually from SW Wisconsin. Just got a new-to-me 2013 SXT AWD, and so far so good. Like a whopping 5 other people on here, I actually bought the DJ as a geocaching vehicle! Well, not really, but I got stuck one too many times in my old FWD Freestyle, and the price was right on this one from a local small-town dealer in town. Even though I mostly use it for a daily commute, it's nice to be a backup family car for the 7 of us. I love the 8.4" uConnect screen and as weird as the feature is, really like having the SD-card option. Of course I'm not fully satisfied to leave things be... I'm attempting an 8.4N upgrade (to help during geocaching with the crappy cell reception in most of northern WI), adding a backup (and, heck, why not, a front) camera with a Lockpick, and maybe tweaking around lights a bit. Probably nothing too drastic beyond HIR's and maybe the tail-as-turn module (love the ring-of-fire LED's!). Interested in reading more of what people have done to their DJ's as well (oh, yeah, love that nickname for the car, too). This forum seems a friendly, welcoming place. Hopefully I can contribute, too, instead of just asking a whole bunch of strange questions (I have a slew of "what is this??" posts queued up once I get some pics taken).

So where are all the Canadians? Every other post on here from active members seems to be from someone up north!

Yep. I can charge the phone just fine with what I have. This is a battery charger, though, for spare batteries. All-day geocaching eats cell phone batteries....at least with my phone. As I said. Random nerdy reasons.

Indeed. It has two different modes; one in which it is limited itself (for using a cigarette adapter), and the other in which it connects directly to the battery. Considering I'm just plugging in a cell phone battery charger (which for reasons beyond me uses A/C instead of a standard micro usb port), I'm not exactly planning on drawing much current. Now the 50" plasma screen in the backseat...

For random, nerdy reasons I need an inverter in my car. I have an old one I can hard-wire up myself with a mechanical switch, but since DJ's have an inverter as an option, I wondered if anyone knew if it was possible to wire in an aftermarket inverter in such a way that it could be controlled by the standard interface in our car. Would a dealer need to put in some sort of code (like they do when adding the OEM backup camera)? Related - those of you with the OEM inverter, what are your options for turning it on? Is there an always-on option vs a switched-with-acc option? If not, I might just stick with hard-wiring in my switch anyway... Thanks!

How do you know?!

I've been reading all over these forums and thought I'd summarize my results as well as ask for recommendations/clarifications about adding an integrated backup camera to our DJ's (2011-2015 range). It seems that prices are higher than mentioned in other threads; maybe things are getting more expensive, or maybe I need to expand my searches... eBay is probably cheaper, but not as reliable (IMO). Factory + Dealer Activated (8.4" screen only) You need the OEM camera (like http://amzn.com/B00FSAIWY8) running around $300 these days or a camera that supports "differential video" (like this one, maybe? http://amzn.com/B00CS6SISU). Otherwise to use a regular backup camera using composite video (like most of them), you'll need an adapter like this http://amzn.com/B015IIY0IQ, which is something like $185, though I've heard people say you can find them on eBay for $40?? You will also need a dealer to activate this in your radio. No one on here (privately or otherwise) can give you a code for this. Most people say they were charged a half-hour of labor, something like $40-50. Don't pay more than that; find another dealer. Upgrade screen (4.3" screen) If you have the smaller screen, you can upgrade it to the 8.4" system and repeat the steps listed above, but this gets pricey quickly. You're better off just getting a LockPick (next step) Aftermarket + LockPick (either 8.4" or 4.3") Using a device like a LockPick C8 ($300) or LockPick Air v1 ($450) will allow you to take any RCA camera (many around $20, but I'd love to hear people's recommendations for/against any in practical DJ use) and connect it into your system. The lockpick gives several other advantages which seems (to me) like a clear winner, unless you can find a cheaper OEM or diff-video camera or adapter. Add support for front camera (auto-active < 8mph or manual) + A/V inputs Add support for 2x side cameras, like on mirrors (on C8 these inputs replace front+A/V jacks; on Air it looks like you can have them all, but it lists 'max 4 cameras' though there are actually 6 inputs on the Air device; not sure what's up with that) Can activate any camera while driving (questionable legality...) Bypass speed-restricted settings (like GPS input if you have nav; DVD playback if you have 8.4" system; phone messaging options - that one's not listed, but I imagine it would be controlled by the same logic) Mirror your phone to the screen (on the Air, wirelessly via DLNA for pre-iOS 9, Miracast for Android, or WIDI for Intel; on either system, you can connect an A/V input if your phone can output A/V. If your phone can output MHL, you can buy an adapter for $25) Hooking it Up If you can get your dealer to do this - lucky you! Be aware some dealers will not install non-Mopar parts or even Mopar parts not purchased through them (thanks dhh3). Otherwise, you have a few options to do it yourself: Official Route - dismantle half your car and run the wires. Johnson has lots of pics in this thread, and a few posts down is a link to a PDF explaining the process. HawtDogFlvrWtr - Talk to HawtDogFlvrWtr for an exciting and slippery installation alternative previewed here Wireless - http://amzn.com/B008Z9E4DW $20 - I have no idea how well this works, but for $20, I might just buy it to save myself the hours of work dismantling my car! There is a comment that it gets hot when active for too long, so I may have to choose how I wire up the receivers. That's it for now! I'll update this if anyone sees anything grossly wrong or things change much. In the meantime, if anyone has a LockPick they want to sell me used, I'd love to take it off your hands!