One of the features that constantly gave me new GT-R model envy was the continually upgraded AV NAV System and Screen. Back in 2008 when the GT-R was released the following were standard:
A non high-definition screen ,30 pin iPod connector in glove box if the ipod interface kit was purchased, Bluetooth V2 for phone calls only (no phonebook or music), No reverse Camera for US Models, Compact Flash Card Reader, No AUX Video Input or US models, No DVD Player for US Models, 20GB Music Box.
Using Legertas Upgrade Kit, my Gt-R can now enjoy the new technology from a 2014,complete with Bluetooth streaming Audio, Phonebook transfer, and updated maps, while keeping my custom front and rear camera kit.
First Test of 2014 A/V System in 2009 GT-R
Let see how this technology selection on the 2009 has stood the test of time - iPod did not take over the world as the standard for music, and Apple changed from 12V charging to 5V charging then to lightning connectors. Not everyone decided to get an iPhone. Bluetooth added AVRCP, A2DP, and BLE - allowed the exchange phone books, call history, streaming music, etc. GT-R owners like myself decided to install an AV convertor/switcher with front and rear cameras to protect the front and back of the car. Nissan added a reverse camera to the GT-R after 2010. No one except professional photographers use Compact Flash. The Music Box ended up being useless in quality and speed. Fed up of not being able to play music from an android device, I installed a Bluetooth to AUX adapter to play music as outlined here. It was a great "getting by" solution.
Finally fed up and not wanting to spend $40k+, to upgrade my GT-R, I started exploring the possibility of porting a 2012+ model AV & screen into the 2009. On paper this was entirely possible, most signals in and out of the AV unit remained the same across models years, but connectors, pin outs and locations changed as did the screen from RGB to digital. The next mission would be to find male and female connectors to make this a truly plug and play experience, not an easy feat.
This is where Andrejus/Legertas came in and saved the day. Andrejus has an unusual hobby…creating harnesses that allow Nissan and Infiniti vehicles that do not have a NAV/AV system factory to retrofit one and make it as stock as possible with no cutting cables. To this end, he offered for a very good price a 2014 Nissan GT-R AV unit, a High Def Screen and a Custom Harness that allows plug-and-play from 2009 to 2014. First I thought this was too good to be true, but I ordered one and got to talk with him over Skype. He is truly a smart guy and passionate about this. When I explained to him that I had an after market front and rear camera, he quickly customized the harness for me. The icing on the cake….I placed the order him on a Thursday, he customized the cable and had it out by Friday and on Monday a DHL package from Lithuania (google map it) was sitting on my door step! Amazing. Simply Amazing!
I am going to put a well deserved plug in for him…if you have a 2009 or 2010 GT-R and have considered doing this, I would highly recommend it and Andrejus is the person for this. His kit does come with instruction on how to install it, but seeing as he does not have a GT-R I decided to add my own experience in my previous DIY fashion for those that may need some help doing this as a DIY. Credit to 7racer and god7illa from gtrheritage forums to do this in parallel as well. 7race is the one who first took one for the team and ordered, what was kit #1.
Net Result after the upgrade: A 2014 AV Unit, Navigation System and High Definition Screen
Working perfectly with an aftermarket Kenwood rear camera and it displays backup/steering guide lines. Works with my original aftermarket Kenwood front camera that is powered by a switch under steering column. Selecting AUX Video on the AV system displays that camera.
As far as the switch setup, the same DPDT switch to control power to camera and also vehicle speed signal by-pass setup as follows:
- Switch Position 1 (TOP) - Front Camera Power OFF, Vehicle Speed Signal - ON (Normal Operation)
- Switch Position 2 (MIDDLE)- Front Camera Power OFF, Vehicle Speed Signal - OFF (used for being able to input Navigation by passenger while driving)
- Switch Position 3 (BOTTOM) - Front Camera Power ON, Vehicle Speed Signal OFF (used for front parking camera), Activated when AV unit is on AUX Video.
So my ritual for pulling up to the curb is flip switch from TOP to BOTTOM (2 click) , then press AUX button on the console to get AUX Video Input. It displays Front Camera. Parking without wrecking the front lip can be done. Flip Switch UP. Close Mirrors and off I go.
When returning and backing up, the reverse signal kills front camera automatically. If I start driving and the AV unit is still on AUX Video, it simply displays a blue screen and I can cycle back to XM, or Bluetooth or CD or whatever.
Tools needed for this job:
- Panel Removal Pastic tool
- Various Flat head screw drivers
- Philips #1 & #2 screwdrivers
- Torx # 15 screwdriver
- Exacto Knife/Box Cutter
- Chucks for the Wheel
- 10mm wrench for the battery
- Work Light
- Soldering Iron, Solder, wires, shrink tubing, electrical tape, DPDT Switch, etc for by-pass.
- Front and Rear Cameras Installed as needed.
Safety and Setup first.
- Put chucks on both sides of a rear wheel, front and back of the wheel, as the gear shifter will be moved out of Park. Seriously do this. Apply the handbrake.
- Put the Door windows on both sides down
- Slides the drivers and passengers seats all the way back
- Save the Radio Station presets by writing them on a piece of paper
- Clear out the history of the old AV NAV system (GPS history, etc), if you plan on selling it.
- Turn on the ignition to ON, press the brake pedal. Shift car into Neutral/N. Turn the ignition OFF.
- Open the hood and ow disconnect the -VE battery terminal. This is important to not set off the AIRBAG error lights.
Remove the 2 front console finishers on each side of the AV unit as shows.
This is done by using a tool or simply grippy hands and puling them outwards away from the dash. They do not have clips, rather just side into place. Next remove the center console finisher piece around the shifter and cup holders. This big piece had plastic and metal pawls and it simply pops upward. Start at the end closest to the cup holders and work all the way to the AV unit.
Remove the shift knob.
Push the shiny finisher of the shift knob down (green arrow pointing to it above), it simply snaps off. Remove the metal retainer clip behind the shift knob finisher by pulling out towards cup holders, then unscrew the shift knob. The knob and knob finisher can be removed. If you like to have your knob polished, you may do so now. :-)
Remove the Gear shifter cover/finisher. Take a look at the picture below. Using a skinny flat head screwdriver, release each tab (2 on each side and move the entire shift finisher up. DO not pull up too hard there are 2 electrical connectors that need to be disconnected. This is a little tricky as you may release one tab and while working on the other side some may go back, so it is a repetitive act to keep some tension upward on the entire unit while working each tab loose.
Now disconnect the the two electrical connectors as shown, one on the rear and the other on the from front.
There is little clearance, so don’t yank on the whole unit.
Remove the screws that hold the R-R-R selector switches and the AV control knobs face plate and dials as shown.
Now pull the faceplate out disengaging the plastic clips on each side
There are 3 connectors behind this faceplate, as shown.
It is easier to disconnect these if the face plate is turn facing up
Now pull out the multi-function R-R-R switches. There is one connector behind this unit.
Remove the screws that hold the faceplate for the AV unit, 2 on top and...
...2 at the bottom.
The faceplate has the passenger seat airbag light. if the battery is still connect and the airbag light connector is disconnected it sets an SRS error MIL n the system. This (and making a speed by-pass signal) is why I choose to have battery disconnected until everything is plugged back together.
The face plate has a number of connectors, the simplest way to remove it is to turn the face plate over and disconnect one connector from the back of the faceplate (G sensor) and one from a harness above the AV unit as shown. This allows removal of the faceplate.
Finally remove the 4 screws holding the entire AV unit as shown.
Note the AV Switcher unit that I have been using for the last 6 years activate front and rears cameras, I placed that strategically under the AV unit. My setup had no splices into existing cables, everything was plug and play.
Now the shifter needs to be moved to the Drive/D position for the AV unit to clear the shifter.
Use the release lock (white lever) to disengage the shift lock and move shifter to D.
Pull the AV unit half way out without over stretching any harness and disconnect the 8-10 different connectors behind the AV unit. Don’t worry about remembering them, they are idiot proof and only go back in one spot and are color coded.
Turning the unit to the side allows for disconnection of AV unit.
All the connectors behind the AV Unit
Time to remove the screen now. This is also a little bit of a mission.
Release the steering column up/down adjustment lever and push the steering wheel all the way down.
Get a good grip around the left side driver’s air vent, and push the dash finisher up disconnecting the pawl. They have to go in the order shown below to avoid damage. The windshield is too close so the finisher doesn’t actually come out all the way. The objective is to work left to right and get eventually 4, 5 & 6 disconnected to expose the screws holding the screen.
Remove the screws holding the entire screen and finisher bezel with nav switches.
The bottom screws.
Turn the screen and bezel to face down and disconnect the connector behind the screen. My old setup had a male and female connector for the backup/front camera hence the additional connectors.
Note the difference in gap of the stock 2009 screen and bezel. Will need to modify the bezel later to make the new screen sit in a similar fashion.
All items removed.
Left over harness. Note Front Camera AV connect and Rear Camera AV connector and Rear Camera power cables are all here for my custom setup as well.
It is a good idea to remove the driver’s side finished panel on the side of the center console as this will make the harness routing easier. when assembling it. There is no need to remove the panel under the steering wheel if you are not putting in a front camera, or bypass switch etc. I did to rewire my by-pass switch and power to front camera.
The panel under the steering wheel is simple to remove. Rove the side vent finisher.
Pic
Remove the 2 screws that hold the engine hood opener. The finisher simply pops backwards (away from firewall)
The panel under the steering wheel is simple to remove. Rove the side vent finisher.
Pic
Remove the 2 screws that hold the engine hood opener. The finisher simply pops backwards (away from firewall)
If you plan on running a front camera then an idea for routing the camera can be read at my blog entry for my headlight swap; HERE. My front camera is stealthily behind the front bumper, but this did require removal of front bumper. Another option is to put the camera in front of the grill and running the cable the same way.
Andrejus awesome 2009 to 2014 conversion harness. Very professionally done. Complete with Power and AV for front camera. Complete with Av for rear camera + the options for 12V for after market camera or 6V for stock camera. And finally per my request the vehicle speed by-pass signal tap.
Removal of old screen from Bezel.
Remove the screws holding the plastic finisher and then the screws holding the screen metal brackets on each site.
There is no need to removal the final screen cover at the back of the screen
But just in case you are curious this what it looks like. Notice the connector stayed the same but the pin outs are all actually different. The new screen has a massive heat sink in the back and also had a 4 pin digital video connector. Hence the need for the new harness.
To make the new screen fit, which is a few mm bigger than the old screen the bezel need to be modified as such. Keep using a box cutter or xacto knoe to trim away at the tabs bit by bit and test fitting the new screen until you get a fit as close to the old screen as possible.
Remember not to get too greedy on this, there has to be a little gap between the screen and bezel in the front otherwise rubbing may occur.
Finally give the 2 metal brackets screw holes a slight 1mm bend and that will allow for the screen to fit perfectly.
Replace all the screws for the screen brackets and bezel.
Now time for the AV/Nav unit. Here is a quick comparison.
Using a torx screwdriver transfer the LH and RH brackets over.
The AV unit and screen are ready to go back into the GT-R.
The firs job in reassembly is to run Andrejus’s harness to the screen area. Routing must be done carefully to avoid rubbing against metal. I ran it along with the old harness and zip tied it to the stock harness. One connector goes into the stock harness screen connectors and 2 connectors will plug into the screen.
Once this is done, install the screen and it is your choice to put back the the screws for the screen and bezel screws and snaps the dashboard finisher back or wait till later after testing the whole system. I prefer testing first.
Next its time to brush off those rust your puzzle making skills and connecting the male connectors on the new harness to the female connectors on the stock harness. Don’t worry it is not as dirty as it sounds. A couple of connectors from the stock harness go to the new AV unit e.g. AMP, Antenna, XM Antenna, etc. and 1 connector does not get connected at all. This is a tight fitting job.
Sorry no picture for this as it was a tight squeeze to all the connectors in the back hooked up to the AV unit.
Now connect the remaining female connectors from the new harness to the back of the new AV unit. This would include the connectors from screen. This ends up being a little tricky as you are introducing a new harness into a pretty tight space already.
One way to achieve connections is that I ran the stock harness on the left of the AV unit, slide the AV unit in and then looped the new harness under the AV unit. There is enough clearance for this. To make new harness not rub against the AV unit or any metal. I put in a piece of insulating foam spacer. The kind that most cables are wrapped with. This should allow enough shielding. Otherwise you can always wrap more electrical tape on the new harness.
The new harness and the old harness can now have the connectors plugged and then tucked from the side under the AV unit.
The rest is a matter of running split-lume shielding on other cables such as front camera or vehicle Speed Signal and zip tying them so that that are not rubbing against anything.
The last piece is the connection of the new USB connector. This works well for iPhone only, basically an Apple device. Since Android does not support USB Mass Storage mode anymore music will be played via that port. Also the USB port supports 0.5A charging only, so I’d rather continue to use my low-profile 1/2A charger to get my android phone charged quicker.
As a test I tested, my wife’s iPhone 6 and it works perfectly. The kit I got had a short USB cable, but you can ask for a long USB cable. I used a 4ft high quality USB extension cable and ran that into the center console.
Then I used a Dremmel tool to make a rectangular hole slot in the console to snap in the female end of the USB extension. The other option is to purchase part # 96926-KB60A. That is a replacement inner console part that goes behind the cub holders and under the cover.
To route of the cables for the backup camera and USB cable, first I wrapped them in split lume and then routed them under the center console on the passenger side...
...and then plugged them into the harness.
If a front camera switch and bypass switch are being installed then that requires some soldering as follows:
If a front camera switch and bypass switch are being installed then that requires some soldering as follows:
Wiring diagram for my front and rear cameras and speed by-pass switch.
The assembly of the panels and parts is pretty much reverse of the removal in reverse order.
Do not forget to put the shifter back into Park. Then put back the -ve terminal of the battery, but not before the airbag sensor light is plugged back.
The net result is that everything worked perfectly the first time. The GPS does take a few minutes of driving around before it gets the signal and locks in. Also what maybe required is to turn on the reverse lines and adjust the reverse steering angle.
In order to do this, turn the ignition switch to ACC. Turn OFF the Audio by Pushing in the Volume Knob. With the AV Off, Hold settings and turn the volume button right of left 40 clicks. Do not turn the audio on while turning the knob. This will invoke Diagnostic/Settings Mode for the AV unit.
In order to do this, turn the ignition switch to ACC. Turn OFF the Audio by Pushing in the Volume Knob. With the AV Off, Hold settings and turn the volume button right of left 40 clicks. Do not turn the audio on while turning the knob. This will invoke Diagnostic/Settings Mode for the AV unit.
Select and Click on Confirmation/Adjustment by using the silver knob on the left of the screen or using the touch screen. This will give a menu of choices, actually multiple pages of it containing 14 options.
From this we can select the Camera and click OK on the knob or use the touch screen.
From this we can select the Camera and click OK on the knob or use the touch screen.
The Last option allows to select between No Camera and Rear Camera, it also has options for all-around cameras, which I can only wish the GT-R had.
This is the setting that actually turns on the factory Camera input, mine was already ON.
After that select Alter/Confirm Configuration and enter these values using the on screen numeric pad for the values. They are from the service manual. These assume that a factory camera is installed in the factory location of a 2012+ model. Mine is a custom DIY instal and these settings can be modified modified or fine tuned. but factory settings are a good starting point.
Predi. Course Lines to "With" enables he backup and steering lines.
This is the setting that actually turns on the factory Camera input, mine was already ON.
After that select Alter/Confirm Configuration and enter these values using the on screen numeric pad for the values. They are from the service manual. These assume that a factory camera is installed in the factory location of a 2012+ model. Mine is a custom DIY instal and these settings can be modified modified or fine tuned. but factory settings are a good starting point.
Predi. Course Lines to "With" enables he backup and steering lines.
Now select the Back button to accept the values. Keep hitting back until the AV unit restarts itself and goes back into normal mode.
With wither the car started or the ignition switch in the ON position, press brakes and put car into reverse and test the backup camera. If the car is started then by rotating the steering the oredictive lines can be tested.
Fine adjustment can be made by going back through the above procedure and selecting "Correct Draw Line or Rear View Camera" from the camera menu, this allows to control the level and pitch of the predictive lines manually. I used this function while in my driveway to perform any final modifications.
With wither the car started or the ignition switch in the ON position, press brakes and put car into reverse and test the backup camera. If the car is started then by rotating the steering the oredictive lines can be tested.
Fine adjustment can be made by going back through the above procedure and selecting "Correct Draw Line or Rear View Camera" from the camera menu, this allows to control the level and pitch of the predictive lines manually. I used this function while in my driveway to perform any final modifications.
Finally, the option called "Vehicle Signals" from the main alter/config menu can be used to test the working of the Vehicle Speed bypass signal. Legertas harness always tricks my AV unit to thinking the handbrake is ON, so I only have to have a DPDT switch to bypass speed signal when using front AUX Video for Front Camera or for input of Nav while the vehicle is moving. Warning: No one else in the entire world should do this as it is unsafe. I do not support doing this. I did it because I am responsible for my own safety while driving. :) Flipping my by-pass switch while the car is moving allows me to turn the signal on and off.
Bluetooth pairing can now be done, radio stations restored manually, destination and favorites entered, etc.
Best upgrade/mod done to the GT-R ever! Period.
Best upgrade/mod done to the GT-R ever! Period.
