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Upgrading from SYNC to Touch


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I'm curious about this as well since it would surely open up my options for available vehicles. I'm currently waiting for a Transit with Ford Touch to arrive from Spain, but if I could swap the stereo I could buy any Transit. I highly doubt it's plug and play however. I have the MyFordTouch in my Fiesta ST and it's tied to the steering wheel controls like the regular SYNC, but I have a feeling you'd lose those functions. You'd definitely have to change out the whole dash bezel as they're completely different.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just removed the bezel on my Transit and compared the wiring with another Titanium with the same features. (Front / Rear Parking sensors, backup-cam)

Most of the harnesses are available. There are a few that I'm still unsure of & will post pictures to see if someone can assist.

It looks good so far...

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  • 2 months later...

I just tried to upgrade a stereo without satellite to an OEM one with satellite. All the connections work mechanically, but the Ford dealer is telling me that this can't be done because the power module won't recognize satellite install

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  • 1 month later...

After purchase I was shocked to discover there was no option to install a satellite Rx and have it function through the factory controls. This is my first truck with steering wheel controls and I wanted to retain full functionality. Sure, you can install any number of small exterior units that feed your head unit through a radio channel, but you have to punch buttons on the small unit stuck to your dash somewhere. Attaching anything to your dash in these vehicles is a problem all by itself. I gave up on trying to choose one of three general types of car phone holders to mount my iphone in a convenient location that was reachable. They all have faults, seem to be of low quality, don't last, often break and leave parts on or inside your vehicle, or leave permanent marks on the dash finish.

I looked into these when I realized I was going to have to stream Bluetooth from my phone. Either music on the phone itself or through Pandora. This turned out to be OK, and more acceptable than I was expecting, especially streaming from Pandora, and if it turned out I would have to upgrade my phone's data use plan it would still be less expensive than satellite radio. The only thing I have really missed without Sirius is the Howard Stern interviews I occasionally tuned into. The worse thing about Bluetooth connectivity is having to pick up the phone to manipulate the music -  a bit hazardous. Attempting to use the Sync voice feature has been disappointing. It's kludgy, offers limited control, and suffers from the same big fault Siri has: Any background noise at all cripples her! (What?...background noise in a bare metal van???!!!!)

At 1000 miles I am now considering a touch screen head unit like I had in my last pickup. The unit would be well within reach, would offer sound expansion, and is so much easier when it comes to music management compared to The tragic Ford Sync system (the reviews didn't lie about that). If I could retain steering wheel control of the volume that would be nice. Phone control would be a bonus too. But really, I lived with my last touch screen unit for five years and the ease of use is amazing. One thing I would definitely NOT want to lose now would be that pitifully small, but immensely useful backup camera.

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Attaching anything to your dash in these vehicles is a problem all by itself. I gave up on trying to choose one of three general types of car phone holders to mount my iphone in a convenient location that was reachable. They all have faults, seem to be of low quality, don't last, often break and leave parts on or inside your vehicle, or leave permanent marks on the dash finish.

No it's not. I have had Brodit mounts in all my vehicles and none have any marks after removing them: 

 

Tool-less installation, no drilling, sturdy and precise.

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I did note your report, thanks. I was not a fan of anything that mounted to the vents as I imagine the holder and your device would be subjected to the heat/refrigeration cycles emitted (could this constant heating/cooling be a factor in so many of the plastic vent mounts failing?). Seems like a questionable location. I also noted your comment about being very close to the steering wheel. Does this imply you contact it while driving?

I really liked the concept of the pillar clamp, but found that would be a very hard location to reach and imagined my arm and hand wobbling in the air trying to target a specific spot on the display while driving (I'm also right handed). This and the fact this system is rather expensive to take a chance with if you have doubts about it.

Edited by tcconvert
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It's not in front of the vent the upper part of the mount base clamps to the lower edge of the vent hole. I intentionally mounted the swivel higher to have the vent cool my wireless charger and phone. I'll keep the vent closed in winter to prevent overheating. 

It's close to the wiper stalk, a finger fits between the phone clamps and the stalk. This is due to my unusual setup: base + swivel + Arkon adapter for the charger/holder + a very thick wireless charger with large clamps. A base + phone specific holder is less than half of the overall depth of this. 

The pillar mount is more suitable for a standalone GPS or similar device you don't grab that often. 

It's expensive, true, but it's a good product. I also have Kenu vent grille clamps for occasional use. Expensive as hell for such a simple holder but also a high quality product. Have to connect a charger manually tho. Love the wireless holder.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So the OP asked if SYNC Gen1 could be upgraded to SYNC Gen2. It can. I've done it (though never in a Transit). Your best bet is to find a Gen2 module that came from a different transit. That will get you the correct module configuration to play nicely with the rest of the systems in the car. Even then I doubt everything would work. I'm betting that climate control will be a bit wonky (but still work) due to the fact that your climate ECU isn't configured for Gen2. 

I'm actually going to be converting the Gen2 system in my 2016 to Gen3 shortly here. The CarPlay implementation on SYNC3 is the best CarPlay implementation I've ever used (I had a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX in my old Forester and an Alpine iLX-007 in my WRX). You can buy all of these parts from the dealer. I'm busy tracking down the SYNC3 part numbers for my conversion. I expect to have it all done in a couple of weeks.

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Mrtn,

Thanks for the tip on Brodit mounts.  Very cool for GPS and phone (and running TORQUE PRO) to monitor systems.  On my short list for all my three vehicles with move adapters.  Too bad my wife and I use different phones... May just be time to upgrade mine!

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4 hours ago, kxrf said:

Very cool for GPS and phone (and running TORQUE PRO) to monitor systems.  

I am only running the free version of Torque, but it works.  I'm currently using an inexpensive Acer Iconia 8, mounted with the ProClip.  The tablet is also my GPS unit.  I'm using the MapFactor app.  It has been okay.  Just research your tablet computer and apps carefully.  Some tablets and/or apps need an internet signal or cell tower signal in order for them to work.  You don't want to have to purchase an additional data plan, or use up data from your phone, if you don't have to.  And consider what happens when you drive through where there is no cell phone reception, or when you're not within range of a cell tower.  I'm doing just fine driving around in The City.  Your mileage may vary. KIMG0045.JPG  

 

 

KIMG0046.JPG

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It's hard to find a working combination, because as we all know, not everything works the way it is suppose to.  

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FZ1JS5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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61J40xHfsML._SL1000_.jpg61GHx46HkiL._SL1000_.jpg61H5RvMpjUL._SL1000_.jpg

 

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