Anyone have any experience using UConnect A/V systems in recent Chrysler (or Doge or whatever) vehicles? I'm considering trading in my 2006 Charger for a 2012 or 2013 model, but one major sticking point is that it seems to have become even harder to integrate aftermarket audio. In particular, because many functions like climate control, heated seats, etc. are integrated into the OEM A/V system, I can't really yank the whole thing out, and because there's not enough room in the dash for another DIN, integrating my Empeg is probably going to be a giant hassle involving AUX input, a display extender, etc.

Just curious to hear if anyone has used these Uconnect systems, or tried to do an empeg install in a vehicle that has them.

No, but get the STR8 and let me take it for a ride.

I have a 5.7.

I figured the 6.1 would be a bit much for the wife.

Heh. As much as I'd love to have an SRT8 in my garage, the 5.7 is more than enough for my daily driving. I am actually going to test drive the 3.6L V6 to see if the new 8-speed transmission makes a big difference. I'll definitely miss the torque of the V8, but the possibility of 31 MPG highway is at least worth looking into.

I just wish the manufacturers would stop making it harder and harder to do custom audio installs. The thought of living without my empeg is making me seriously consider trading in for a used 2010 or so Charger instead of buying new.

I rented a v6 (I think it was the 3.6) for a week to see if I'd like the car in general and I found the v6 to be very underpowered. Now that was not an 8 speed but in my opinion no matter how many speeds you have it’s not really going to help power. Now fuel economy is a different story. I’ve also heard the reliability of the v6’s are not that good and with 8 speeds that a lot of things to break

Could you possibly put the empeg in the console or perhaps use a display extender? I have my DVD, CD, HD Radio, head unit in my Jeep’s console. While inconvenient it does fit and is stealth.

Yeah, a display extender purchase might be in my future. The thing is, I'll end up spending all that money to buy the display extender and integrate it just to get the empeg as an AUX in source. I had that arrangement (minus the display extender) in my Mustang a while back, and I didn't like it as much as having the empeg as the head unit. Unfortunately nobody seems to have cracked that nut yet for the 2012 systems, at least not that I've been able to discover on Chrysler forums or by talking to local radio installers.

I'm in the same boat with my car. I'd like to preserve the stock radio and make use of my empeg without having it be an auxiliary device. I'm pretty sure I lose climate controls if I remove the stock HU, so that's why I'm leaning towards dual op.

I'm toying with the idea of putting both devices on the speaker line with an A/B switch of some sort to choose which device is allowed to output. I guess I'd have to route the stalk interface through that switch as well.

Really, I'm just making stuff up and have no idea whether this is really a viable option.

You might be able to hook a 12v solenoid up to the amplifier turn on wire from the empeg (blue wire) and have the solenoid disconnect the speaker wires from the factory radio and connect them to the empeg amp.

Then switching the speaker’s connection between the factory radio to the empeg would be as easy as turning the empeg on.

That would require two sets of power amplifiers. And any switching system would have to handle the full DC wattage of what you're sending to the speakers. Most switching systems I've seen are line-level, i.e, before the amplification stage, such as the Sony XA39-II mentioned in the empeg FAQ.

Why specifically don't you want it to be an aux device?

I know you were asking Caleb, but from my perspective, using the empeg as an aux device means it's basically just an iPod with a much better UI. The empeg as a head unit lets me do everything (MP3, AM/FM, and in my setup, XM and my cell phone on the AUX input) with the same controls, the same interface, etc. I know there are drawbacks (no Bluetooth phone integration, hassle integrating steering wheel controls, forced to multiplex the aux input, etc.) and maybe part of it is not wanting to let go of the empeg as the centerpiece of my system... But I really question whether I'll want to go through the expense and hassle of integrating it if it's just going to be serving MP3s only -- at that point I may as well just use my phone as an aux device -- then I don't have to install the wifi router to be able to sync my collection, I can just use Google Music on my phone.

I guess it boils down to "go big or go home." The point at which the empeg is just a big hard drive with an RCA output is the point at which I question whether it's worth tearing up a new car to install.

I don't have a problem with going to a lot of trouble for that. :-)

Yeah, normally I'd be with you -- after all, I went through the trouble of installing a wifi router in the trunk, integrating the tuner module, an XM receiver and an AUX-in multiplexer, etc. and would gladly do the same in the new car if I thought it would work well with the factory system. But because there's no room in the dash on the new car, it'll mean shelling out $400ish on a display extender, mounting the empeg in the glove box, and finding a place to mount the external display. Then who knows if I can integrate the steering wheel controls without interrupting their connection to the OEM system.


Don't get me wrong. I can't count the number of things I would miss about the empeg if I used some other solution for MP3s in my car -- I was strongly considering getting a used car instead just so I could keep the status quo -- but if I do that, I'm really just putting off the inevitable. And I'm not ruling out going the aux-in route when/if I trade my car in... But the list of pros and cons is starting to become much more even than it used to be, and that makes me rather sad.

No help from me on the issue, but i've kind of accepted that my empeg will be retired from in car use once my current car dies/get replaced.

So instead of a 2012 Charger, get a '68 Charger and spend the extra money putting in modern suspension, steering and brakes.

Of course you'll be crying every time you visit the pump, but hopefully your empeg will cheer you up as you drive away.

Except 68 Charger in good shape might be about twice the price.

One of those things I should have stocked up on in the 80'x

It's hard to "stock up" on cars... I tried it... they're big.

I guess nine cars, one dump truck, one van and an RV are enough.

But I remember not buying a 1970 (I think) GTX with a 440 and air grabber hood for $800 because I thought that was a lot. There also was a rust hole on the driver’s side quarter panel. I think I could probably sell it for more than $800 now.

Then on another deal after I bought a Dana 60 and four speed for $50 from a guy I worked with he was going to give me the body they came out of (a 68 Charger) if I would haul it away. I thought I had enough junk. There again, wrong thinking, you can never have enough junk.

I max out at five cars and a truck. All '70s convertibles, and a 1930 AA flatbed. I miss them all.

Oh, and 9 motorcycles...

Sadly we're down to only six bikes here right now. Pedal Power!

That sounds like fun. I almost bought a Kaiser deuce and a half at an auction last year. I would have sooo much fun putting huge ruts in the field with that. But I really couldn’t justify any other use for it.

Down to six motorcycles. I sold one Sunday

I'm down to just a bicycle since my Jeep's been dead for several months. My three year old rides on the handle bars and my 18 month old rides in a baby seat on the back. Guess I'll have to strap the newborn to my chest.

Nah... your wife can carry the newborn while balancing on the top-tube.

It's actually very difficult to peddle like that if you've got long legs like me...I tried it (sans newborn).

Back on topic...

Not sure if anything here will work, but it's worth a check: Pac-Audio.com.

Also, check Coastaltech for their lockpick device.

Yeah, I ran into the Lockpick C8 reading various Dodge/Chrysler enthusiast forums, and that would be the ticket for getting a nice aux input that I don't have to pump through the headphone jack on the front of the factory unit (among other nice things it adds.) It'd be absolutely perfect if one of the things it gave you was an audio *output* for the factory system -- then I could just pump that into my empeg's aux input, set up the cellphone mute == switch to aux behavior, and I'd probably be in good shape.

Of course, this whole exercise has hit a bit of a snag, as the upcoming model year changeover at the factory means dealers aren't taking new orders for 2012s now, and no dealers within 300 or so miles have the car with the color/options I want. Hopefully the 2013s don't have an even worse situation going on with the factory system...

would one of these get you the audio output that you need?

You know... that just might work (though it looks like there's a slightly different model number for the 2012 Dodge vehicles.) I'll have to check to make sure it works with the specific radio model that I end up with, but that does look promising. Thanks!

Also might want to check to see if it can be daisy chained with the Lockpick (or does that use a different connector?).

Glad to help. Kills the time while sitting around the hospital.

I have the new car now. There's really nowhere I could put the display extender face that wouldn't look terrible or be hard to reach, so I think at this point my only hope is a "headless" sort of install where I stash the empeg in the glove box, use my cell phone as a display for it, and use.... something to control it, either the cell phone or steering wheel controls.

The problem is I can't find anything that integrates the steering wheel controls for 2012 Chrysler vehicles, and even if I do, I also need them to work with the factory system, so it would have to vary what the controls do based on which input is selected on the stock head unit or the empeg (depending on which is the head unit and which is the aux) and I don't see that as a likely outcome.

There's always the possibility of some sort of IR steering wheel remote like I had in my old car, along with an IR repeater that runs into the glove box, but that's really hackish and requires me to fiddle with two sets of steering wheel controls. I also don't like the idea of having to use a smallish cell phone screen to control the empeg.

I'm going to ask my local stereo installer if they have any ideas, but right now my thought is if I can't get the steering wheel controls to work with the empeg and the factory system, I'm probably going to be sans-empeg in this car.

Bah.

I copied some of my MP3s onto an SD card and popped it into my factory system, expecting some tag problems, maybe some missing cover art... Turns out it can't read the ID3 tags at all. They're ID3v2 2.4 tags that everything else can read, but I guess the Chrysler UConnect software can't deal with them. So I get to spend my Sunday afternoon screwing with different tagging programs trying to get tags that the system can deal with.

Looks like I'll be working a bit harder to try to shoehorn the empeg in somehow.

Good lord. Not only is the ID3 reading broken, but it seems to start playing each track 2-3 seconds in, completely skipping the beginning of every song. How does something like this end up making it to consumers?