After the dealer diagnosed the faulty factory MyGig head unit on our customer's Town and Country, he came to us looking for a solution that would be more cost effective and useful for his family. This was a fairly equipped Chrysler with dual rear entertainment screens and a factory backup camera. Luckily, even though the factory head unit had died, we found out that the factory camera was salvageable. To facilitate the install, the Maestro RR, Maestro CH1 Chrysler harness, and Maestro AVCH1 harnesses were used. These are needed to retain the function of the rear screen backup camera, and steering controls.
In addition to retaining factory features, the Maestro also adds a few bonus features like door and TPMS displays, gauges, and engine code display. For the head unit, we went with the Kenwood DNX577S which has built-in Garmin navigation. This is great for a vehicle that will be taken on roadtrips as there are many parts of the interior of BC where cell reception may not exist. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are very convenient and user friendly, but even with offline downloaded maps they can't offer a full navigation experience without cellular data.
For the rear entertainment system, the DVD drive of the Kenwood can be utilized to output video and audio through the two screens and the car's speakers. Note that the AVCH1 harness itself will not be sufficient for retaining these screens, and the Maestro RR interface must be utilized to get these functions. This harness also retains the factory backup camera, although the image quality from this almost 10 year old camera is a little disappointing.
Much of the install notes and features that can be retained should be interchangeable with the Dodge Grand Caravan of this same generation which shares many parts. We were even able to use a USB retention harness to retain the USB port in the compartment above the glovebox.
Check out our other installation pictures below. If you are looking to repair, replace, or upgrade your vehicle's infotainment system, contact us today!
