Touchscreen Sat Nav Facelift - Retro Fitting

This guide is to retrofit the Denso touch screen navigation unit to a facelift MK3, it is possible to fit the unit to a non facelift car and there is a guide to doing this elsewhere in the workshop wikis.

It is fairly straightforward with a small amount of wiring/ crimping to do and a lot of dashboard dismantling and running of cables.

The unit also controls the radio, CD changer and climate control.

First thing is to gather together all the necessary parts, everything is needed otherwise the installation cannot be totally completed so make sure you order all the bits from a breaker or strip them all out of the donor vehicle.

When I first looked into this there where a couple of issues that I thought might have caused problems:

1. Can bus (controller area network) wiring, this is the system that transmits signals from the cars ECU etc around the cars components, the sat nav unit, for example, needs to know the cars speed and this is done via the can bus wiring. The good news is that facelift cars have the can bus system and it is wired up to the existing stereo so it is not an issue. 2. Head unit Vin code security, according to the Ford literature head units are coded to the vin number of the original car and will not work in another vehicle, again this was not an issue, the unit worked fine with just the normal 4 digit security code inputted.

You need:

1. Touchscreen head unit with code (the unit is actually 3 separate components, the touch screen unit itself and screwed to the back are the climate control and navigation modules, unless you are buying everything new (doubtful as the touchscreen unit itself is over £1700 new!) these should all come together as one unit.

2. Dash centre section, this comes as one large piece including the airvents, the nav unit dash centre section is completely different to the ones for the standard stereos.

3. Sat nav aerial base, antenna and wiring leads.

4. Sat nav dashboard section wiring loom.

5. Headunit to CD changer/ DVD drive wiring loom.

6. Boot mounted sat nav DVD drive. 7. Boot mounted 6 disc CD changer. 8. 2 x brackets to secure the DVD and CD changers, these are different for a hatch, saloon and estate. 9. Trim piece/ cover to fit over the DVD drive and CD changer, again these are different for a hatch, saloon and estate.

10. Software CD and Map CD. 11. New clock surround, the ones in sat nav equipped cars are about 5mm deeper, you can get away without this as described later.

Installation:

First thing to do is to remove the old stereo, get some of the correct removal keys (Halfords, Ebay etc) and remove it, the unit in my car was the Sony 6CD unit. Unplug the quadlock wiring plug and ariel lead as the stereo comes out.

Now remove the centre console/ footwell side trims, there is one screw in the footwell then the trim is just pulled away to release the securing clips.

This then exposes the side securing screws for the centre console gearstick surround, remove these from both sides.

Remove the gearlever surround by gently levering it out, it is held in by securing clips only, the gear lever gaiter can remain on the gearstick.

Remove the clock/ switches surround, again by gently levering it out.

Remove the cupholder (3 screws), heated seats switch (if fitted) and boot release/ ESP switches and also the one screw above this switch.

Now remove the metal bracket that secures the centre console to the dash console.

The centre dash section can now come out, it is held in by 2 screws where the clock surround was removed, 4 screws on the inside sides where the stereo was and two long screws at the bottom edge, disconnect the two wiring plugs in the back of the climate control unit as it comes out, the plugs have a locking lever that needs to be unlatched before they will come out.

Remove the centre console by undoing the 3 8mm bolts in the armrest storage compartment and one screw accessed when the cupholder/ ashtray has been levered out, now pull the handbrake right up and lift the centre console out.

Now remove the front interior light and undo the ariel securing screw, remove the ariel.

Remove the drivers sunvisor (this makes running the ariel wire easier)

Remove the drivers side window pillar trim, it is held on by 3 clips and comes off with some gentle levering.

Remove the drivers side lower dash trim, open the storage drawer and undo the two screws in there and the three along the bottom of the trim, it then comes off with a pull to release the two remaining securing clips, then unclip the cabin temperature sensor and remove the trim, this lower dash trim is removed to allow the new ariel lead to be ran in.

Ok, now we can start fitting new bits, install the new centre dash section.

Run the new ariel wire along the roof, down the windscreen pillar then under the drivers side dash to the back of where the stereo will go, I just coiled the old ariel wire up and secured it under the dash. The pic below shows the difference between the normal ariel lead and the sat nav one (on the left).

Fit the screw through the wiring connector and fit the new ariel, once this is done you can refit the interior light, sunvisor, windscreen pillar trim and drivers side lower dash.

Now we come to the wiring bit, the problem is that from the factory cars equipped with sat nav have a different dashboard wiring loom with an extra connector (C38) into which the sat nav headunit wiring loom can be plugged into. We need to somehow join the two incompatible connectors as shown below, the cars existing wiring terminates in the black quadlock connector but we need to connect this to the grey plug of the sat nav loom.

It is possible to buy a quadlock adaptor so that you could leave the cars wiring intact and only have to cut off the grey plug of the headunit wiring loom, however I will be leaving the sat nav install in the car permanently so the simple way is to just chop the two connectors off.

So battery disconnected both wiring plugs are cut off.

The wiring of the two looms together is reasonably straight forward as many of the wires are the same colour for the same duty in both looms, the sat nav install only requires two new extra wires to be connected – a feed from the reverse lights circuit which the sat nav uses to know when the car is reversing and an extra live (when the key is in position 1) for the CD changer/ DVD drive in the boot. For the reverse live I ran an extra wire to the boot area with the main CD changer/ DVD drive loom and picked up the reverse light wire at the light cluster, I did this as it was the easiest option, you can also pick the reverse signal up at the wiring loom in the passenger footwell if you prefer. For the extra power I just piggybacked it with the live (when key at position 1) already in the loom.

Details of the wiring pins on the C38 connector and the compatibility with the existing wiring in the cars quadlock connector are as below, use crimps, solder etc to connect the wires together.

C38 Connector

Pin 1. Orange/ black – Fuse 72 (20 Amp) permanent live, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 2. Yellow/ green – fuse 69 (7.5 Amp) Live when key turned to position 1, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 3. Brown/ yellow – To Pin 2 of remote unit on steering column, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 4. White/ black – To Pin 1 of remote unit on steering column, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 5. Black/ orange – To pin 10 of gem module, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 6. Blue/ red – Can bus negative, this wire is also in the quadlock connector but is a solid blue colour, it also needs pin 18 connecting to it to link the extra can bus for the CD changer/ DVD drive.

Pin 7. Grey/ red Can bus positive, this wire is also in the quadlock connector but is a solid grey colour, it also needs pin 18 connecting to it to link the extra can bus for the CD changer/ DVD drive.

Pin 8. White – Rear right speaker pin 2, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 9. White/ violet – Rear left speaker pin 2, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 10. White/ red – Front right speaker pin 2, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 11. White/ black – Front left speaker pin 2, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 12. Grey/ black – Front left speaker pin 1, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 13. Orange/ green – Fuse 71 (10 amp) Live when ignition key turned to position 1, there is no equivalent wire in the quadlock connector, link it together with Pin 2 to provide the switched power feed to the CD changer/ DVD unit.

Pin 14. Black/ blue – Light switch pulse width module pin 9, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 15. White/ red – Aux in unit pin 4, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together. Pin 16. Grey/ red – Aux in unit pin 1, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 17. Black – Aux in unit pin 3, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 18. Blue/ red – Can bus negative, link to pin 6.

Pin 19. Grey/ red – Can bus positive, link to pin 7.

Pin 20. Green/ white – to reverse switch, run in a reverse live feed as described above.

Pin 21. Grey – Rear right speaker pin 1, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 22. Grey/ white – Rear left speaker pin 1, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together.

Pin 23. Grey/ red – Front right speaker pin 1, this wire is also in the quadlock connector and is the same colour so just join the two together (Note that although this is the same colour wire as pin 19 it is a larger diameter/ gauge wire).

Ok, now the wiring is done you should be left with something like below

I then taped it all up and secured the ‘new’ loom with tie wraps.

Now feed the wiring back into the centre dash area, there is plenty of room under the centre dash to house the new wiring loom and extra connectors.

Plug the aerial lead and the quadlock connector into the back of the sat nav unit, you may notice an extra aerial connection, this is for the ‘diversity’ aerial, this was an extra aerial built into the rear window and the headunit could select between the two for the strongest signal, it is for the radio only not the sat nav, my car did not have the extra aerial installed so I did not fit the extra lead and the unit still works fine. Now plug the connector on the front to rear wiring loom into the nav unit on the back of the headunit.

Slide the headunit into the dash connecting the climate control wiring plugs as you refit it.

Now reconnect the battery and switch the unit on, if everything has gone ok you should see this.

Enter the security code then switch the unit off and continue the install.

Run the front to rear wiring loom to the boot area. The correct route is along the centre tunnel across under the passenger seat then along the cill over the rear wheelarch and into the boot area.

I decided to do it the easier way (to avoid having to remove the passenger seat) of just running it under the centre console along the top of the centre tunnel, under the rear seat and over the wheelarch into the boot. Where the loom runs on top of the centre tunnel I unwrapped the outer tape from the loom and flattened the wires out so that they would not cause the carpet to stick up, in the finished install there is no evidence of the wiring.

Run the front to rear loom along where the centre console sits, avoid the handbrake area and secure the loom with tie wraps.

Run the ‘flattened’ loom under the carpet on top of the centre tunnel and through to underneath where the back seat sits.

Now feed the wires under the trim up over the wheelarch and behind the trim into the boot area.

Mount the CD changer and DVD unit on their brackets and secure the brackets to the pre-drilled holes in the left hand side boot area, I used self tapping screws and speedclips, plug the wiring plugs into the CD changer and DVD unit, the DVD unit also needs the black aerial lead plugging into it.

On my estate I just needed to trim a small amount of the sound deadening foam away and did not need to cut the carpet trim at all as the units sat handily exactly where the first aid kit flap is.

Power the headunit back up and press the eject button on the DVD unit, if the map disk isn’t in there insert it now. We next need to fit the trim piece over the units, the one I had was from a hatchback and needed a bit of cutting and adjustment to make it fit but the final result is ok, I also had to remove the existing access flap by cutting it off.

Ok, we have finished in the boot.

The set up I bought came with the rear seat entertainment unit which was an option so you may not have it, if you want to retrofit it at a later date there is a guide elsewhere in the workshop wikis.

To fit it I needed to cut a hole in the back of the centre console then the unit just plugs into the headunit loom, while I was there I took the opportunity to fit some rear footwell lights, I used some Ford Galaxy footwell lights as the oval shape is a bit different.

Check the wiring loom is secure and routed ok where the centre console sits and then refit the centre console.

Now refit all the remaining parts, the gearlever surround, side trims, cup holder, switches, clock surround etc etc and that’s it done.

As mentioned earlier the correct clock surround for sat nav equipped cars is a about 5mm deeper than a standard one, rather than buy a new one from Ford I just used a piece of foam trim tape to fill the gap and I think it looks ok.

Now enjoy having a play with your new sat nav!