Leaf S - replacing the radio?

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I was happy with the OEM radio in my S, but wanted a larger screen for the backup camera I added. I bought this on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010LFISKW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

for 99 dollars. Works well for my use. It has inputs for the steering wheel controls, but I didn't bother with trying to figure them out or get an adapter. I used this harness. Note that amazon says this does not fit the leaf, but it actually does work fine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VXED54?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01

I did buy an antenna connection adapter, needed bc the leaf antenna requires 12 volts supplied through the antenna connection.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ACD9QW8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01

Bought this for filling the gaps on the sides. A ruler and razor knife are all that are needed to trim to correct fit.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKUIKT8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

The hands free Bluetooth work fine with my old iphone and my newer BLU android phone. Has automatic muting and switching display to the camera when I put car in reverse. I did not connect the original Leaf mic which is in the switching unit above the rearview mirror, and the builtin mic in the new head unit doesn't pick up my voice as well as the Leaf mic, but still works well enough.

The display is not quite as bright as the OEM display on my wife's SV, but brighter, and of course larger, than the OEM unit on my S.
 
powersurge said:
Nice installation, it looks stock... For most weekend car hackers, however, I don't think that messing with the "S" radio is even worth It. I don't see that - - in order to get a bit better sound, navigation, and possibly a bigger camera screen, we need to rip out a perfectly good working, competent unit... You may loose the steering wheel buttons, USB, camera, or the hands free telephone...

I think this depends on what you are looking for. For most, it probably isn't worth it. I wanted HD radio, a cleaner signal to my amps, a larger screen and bluetooth audio. i think it is crazy that they have bluetooth on the stock radio but don't support bluetooth audio. I did loose steering wheel control for the bluetooth calling, but I have a large screen that is easy to reach and navigate. :)

powersurge said:
I have the 2015 "S" and actually feel grateful that I got the goodies I got with that radio, AND that it tells me the names of the stations, songs, and artist on the radio!. I have never had that! PS - Also, I have been into home and car audio for many years, and think that for what it is, the stock radio is pretty good. Also, I have always thought that replacing the stock radio reduces the value of the car. Have fun experimenting with your cars guys!!

I also have a 2015 (traded in the 2014 for the newer model). I leased mine, so making everything reversible was a priority. Everything I have done can be undone by simply unplugging a harness.

booper said:
Yeah, agree with the previous 2 posts. I am wondering if anyone has had any luck adding component speakers up front in an S - maybe the best bang for the effort in a stereo upgrade for the S.

First, The title of this thread is about replacing the radio. So, I understand if people don't want to replace the radio or think it is a bad idea, but that was what this thread is about.
Booper, the hardest part is going to be wiring into the door. Putting the tweeter in the a pillar is fairly simple. Tapping into the front speaker wires behind the stereo is simple as well so you could just grab the signal there and then route it to the crossovers, then tap back into it for the front door speakers. If you need a diagram, let me know and maybe I can pull something together.
 
I understand your points Pereze. What I am referring to is that you talk about tapping wires, and doing things in the doors as if they are easy for the readers of this thread. Someone who knows how to do these things does not even need to read all these posts, they just do the job (all cars are the same pretty much) with the same ease as putting their socks on in the morning. I am concerned that people who have never installed a radio or worked on their car will get "brave" and mess up their nice, new, working cars just to get an "upgraded" radio.

Man, when you have never pulled out the dash trim, under dash wiring, or opened up a door to replace speakers, you can get into ALOT of trouble you did not bargain for... Even knowing how to do this, you will always break plastic retaining tabs, break insulation and humidity barriers, and possibly pull wires you did not plan on. All I can say to weekend car mechanics and young people (under 30), you should think twice before your destroy once...
 
pereze said:
Wow, didn't know this thread was still alive until I was doing some additional searching a few minutes ago. I thought I might be able to give back with what I have learned so far.


  1. A double DIN radio will fit, but leaves a gap on both the right and left side. After doing a lot of image searches, I took a gamble and assumed a 2013 Frontier has the same radio (which also seemed to be confirmed after looking at wiring diagrams). I ordered the Metra 95-7619
    http://www.amazon.com/Metra95-7619-Stereo-Installation-2013-Up-Frontier/dp/B00GNG3X7W
    I was only able to use the middle insert and used a glue gun to attach it to the main dash kit.


  2. The wire harnesses for the leaf are odd. You will need multiple harnesses if you want to maintain certain functions like backup camera, steering wheel controls, usb, etc to work.

    Here is the completed harness in all its glory. I know it looks really bad, but I did clean it up a bit and tie it up nice. A bonus of the leaf is there is a lot of room behind the radio.


    Here are the various connectors I used:
    • Ax-nisusb-2 - for USB connector
    • 40-NI12 - for Antenna
    • 70-552 - standard harness. I actually used the Scosche version and moved over a couple of additional wires for steering wheel controls from this harness. You could also just use 2 of these
    • Ax-NIS32swc - for backup camera (more on this below)


  3. For the backup Camera I used the Ax-NIS32swc harness. This harness says it is for steering wheel control, but I found it mostly useless for anything but the camera. The camera on the Nissan's (and some other OEMs) are 6v cameras. While I read reports that you could feed it 12v, I didn't want to risk it so I dropped in a 12v to 6v step down converter.
    http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00NICVEE8/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1452869678&sr=1&keywords=12v+to+6v
    I wired that into the harness and plugged the RCA into the back on my new double din.


  4. The generic Nissan harness does not have wires for the steering wheel controls. I used a wiring schematic to figure out the pins I needed to use and then added wires from an extra harness I bought. If you get some good pliers, you can pull the wire out of the harness fairly easily and push it into the harness you are planning on using. I used the Axxess ASWC-1. If you look on their site for instructions for the Nissan Frontier, you will find the right pins and connections.

For me, I had so many different things to power, I used a relay to help distribute the power. You need power for the antenna, camera, steering wheel control module, emergency brake by-pass, the stereo itself and for a relay to any amps you are running. It seemed crazy that all of these things would need power, but it worked out in the end.

I am REALLY happy I made the change. It was a pain, and took a lot of planning, research, etc, but I love having a solid output to the amps, HD radio, Bigger backup camera, etc. I have only gotten volume controls to work from the steering wheel controls, but that was the main thing I wanted to work. I haven't had time to mess with it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something I did wrong that is causing the Source switch to not work.

Here is a (Bad) picture of what the rear view camera looks like on the screen.


Here is a first pass at the dash kit around the stereo. I ended up moving it back a little so it is more flush with the sides. *One note: Because of how far back the stereo sits and this particular stereo having a flip down screen, it doesn't flip down. I thought about spacing it out so the front of the stereo sticks out more but I haven't needed the CD/DVD slot in 6 months so I am not sure if it worth the effort.


If you have any questions, please let me know.

That looks fantastic. If I had an S, there's no way I wouldn't do this.
 
2016 SV has FM and XM radio, but both are nothing special. I find that XM compresses the dynamic range a lot making it annoying to listen to. I'd rather listen to FM with a truncated band, but than you are stuck with commercials. Phone streaming it is ;).
 
peruse,

I am grateful for your post! This is EXACTLY what i'm looking for. I already signed a disclaimer to myself that allows me to kick myself in the head _if_ i decide to attempt this and screw up. I've never done this before, and if I wreck my radio, I would never blame you. I'm sure others who are not as level-headed might, but I think this forum is more for people who appreciate being information being shared, and learning from others.

Even if I never attempt this, just reading about it was a lot of fun and I have to give you props. Excellent job.
 
Pereze! Thanks for all the info you put together! I have installed new stereos and systems in every car I have ever owned and this one has had the least information available of any of them. And with trying to integrate the reverse camera, steering wheel buttons and everything else your info has saved me a ton of time and effort, so THANK YOU! One request though, is can you post the schematics used to figure out the wiring? I'm sure I could dig them up, but if you have them handy, that would be super helpful!

The thing that really kills me about the radio in the "S" is the lack of BT audio streaming! The other fatal flaw is that the BT handsfree doesn't work properly with my wife's iPhone to take incoming calls (press the pickup button and the call is answered on the handset and the radio stays on). Plus I wanted something with NAV integrated and Spotify. Found the Pioneer AVH-X2800BS for $213 at Best Buy that has everything I was looking for. All my wiring parts are on order and I hope to be able to share a success story with y'all next week when I have time to install it.
 
I'm also looking at replacing my 2015 S audio system because of lack of BT audio streaming , was looking at android audio system's , not sure if frys electronics or best buy will install this ?
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/androidauto/
 
booper said:
Yeah, agree with the previous 2 posts. I am wondering if anyone has had any luck adding component speakers up front in an S - maybe the best bang for the effort in a stereo upgrade for the S.
Typically component speakers take more power to drive than regular speakers. I upgraded the speakers to some three-way Sony 4 ohm speakers, and the stock radio barely pushes enough power to drive them. For components, I recommend a 4-channel amplifier with speaker-level inputs from the stock radio, then running your own speaker wires to each speaker. Not an easy feat, but I doubt you're going to get anything like you're expecting from the stock "S" radio.

The Sony speakers I added do a great job of increasing the treble that was missing from the old "whizzer cone" stock speakers. The bass response, however, took a hit. Once I put in the subwoofer, I think things will sound balanced.
 
I just went through this process using pereze's awesome post and some pmsg help. I wanted to note all the pitfalls I encountered for those that follow along in the future :)

  • I went with a Pioneer AVH-4200NEX - no nav since I plan on using Android Auto.
  • You'll likely want a parking brake bypass for this unit. I used a PAC TR1. You won't be able to do a number of important things (firmware update/Android Auto/BT pairing/etc) unless you hook up the parking brake or use a bypass.
  • When you remove the trim, there are a few cables to disconnect (from top to bottom): hazard lights, hvac control, airbag indicator. I noticed if you turn on the car or attempt to charge it without the hvac cable connected, a cooling fan will come on at full blast. It seems the car uses a thermometer in this assembly to gauge whether to cool the batteries.
  • I managed to get all the steering wheel controls working except the two phone buttons. To do this, connect the white/green wire of the ASWC-1 to pin 16 of the vehicle (smaller white connector) and connect the gray/red wire to pin 6. See page AV-44 here and the ASWC-1 wiring instructions here. You'll also want to connect pin 15 to ground.
  • I had to manually program my ASWC-1 using these instructions. See page 19. For some reason, it won't register the phone buttons. Has anyone else had luck with this?
  • The built in USB cable system won't work with my Pixel phone and Android Auto. Pioneer has a note about this here.

Thanks again to pereze for all the help and inspiration!
 
Glad you got your install nearly done, now the fun part, as I found out, was getting through phone buttons to work...

... If you look at the vehicle specific instructions available from PAC (the other steering wheel control brand available), they give you detailed instructions on wires that have to spliced or jumpered on connector "Nissan32BT" (in the trunk: right rear trim panel). It's real convenient to get to the as the connector is buried behind a plastic trim panel that you have to remove about 4 other trim pieces to get to it. The reason you have to do this is because the Bluetooth module is located in the back of the car and the steering wheel buttons are connected directly to it, then the module sends a modified signal to the radio, but you have to bypass the BT module to make it work with the interface that connects to the pioneer. This modification is needed to make either the m
axxiss or the PAC interface to work. (you also have to connect a second remote wire to the interface if you haven't already)

Refer to the instructions here for working with that one connector: http://www.pac-audio.com/SWI/SWIAppGuide.aspx?appguideid=651&swiModel=Leaf&swiYear=2013&swiMake=Nissan&swiProduct=SWI-PS&swiRadioManu=Pioneer&swiOptions=Radio%20+%20BT

The wiring is the same on my 2015 as the 2013 in the link.

Let me know if you have any questions... It's been about a year since I did mine... Might have to look back at my notes from it.
 
asm said:
Thanks again to pereze for all the help and inspiration!

Glad I could help. You got farther than me as I never got the "Source" button to work. On a side note, when I first wired the steering wheel control up, I had switched the wires. When I pressed the Source button in, it would "Mute" and Unmute my headunit. One thing I don't like about the Pioneer (at least mine but assuming they are all the same) is that you can't easily mute or unmute. You have to click the volume, then press the mute button. Once muted, there isn't a good way to unmute it. You basically have to keep pushing volume up to get volume back. I hope I am not missing something that makes this easy to do. Anyway, I want that "feature" back.

jeffster06 said:
... If you look at the vehicle specific instructions available from PAC (the other steering wheel control brand available), they give you detailed instructions on wires that have to spliced or jumpered on connector "Nissan32BT" (in the trunk: right rear trim panel). It's real convenient to get to the as the connector is buried behind a plastic trim panel that you have to remove about 4 other trim pieces to get to it. The reason you have to do this is because the Bluetooth module is located in the back of the car and the steering wheel buttons are connected directly to it, then the module sends a modified signal to the radio, but you have to bypass the BT module to make it work with the interface that connects to the pioneer. This modification is needed to make either the m
axxiss or the PAC interface to work. (you also have to connect a second remote wire to the interface if you haven't already)

Refer to the instructions here for working with that one connector: http://www.pac-audio.com/SWI/SWIAppGuide.aspx?appguideid=651&swiModel=Leaf&swiYear=2013&swiMake=Nissan&swiProduct=SWI-PS&swiRadioManu=Pioneer&swiOptions=Radio%20+%20BT

Great info! I always have my phone nearby and it auto connects via BT so I am not sure if I would actually use the buttons, but this is good info to have. Thanks for sharing!! I think you all need to post some pics of your install. At least the finished pics! Otherwise, it didn't happen. :p
 
pereze said:
At least the finished pics! Otherwise, it didn't happen. :p

Haha, but of course!

3yFDQaPNDjFl8bgp-ViM4PHgqEC9zd2LrS6RvnISm-f-glfM9JSa7KX15XjiVpo_B25-t_yQ-K9OfQ1KK2XleQJZ5rFMHRP9CKe6vBAB8b7P5eptn0NusGcnirLnW3vlbIZsnfW8492E3pOsvdEuRo9px9v3sOgMh2ocBIZGvJUGv5srNAWz-Bdyg-poedpvIxH6ZsyiLx3oiEKP3JMvg6YUCUGj3zrrT8iH8yGpTGGisTAWvQetN0Ij5Iu4UTvsnXhmKg1YZi9812yKMiClAS1p8wsgn_hJG9JZbQ3qSg8bx36cD5RbpXXaP3zUT4h3kcgXe38EE1hrWbZleRXHHiTVFUe9SXzaV6dMJO_eJmlf4-lzXoQb76B1QENrif1Uu_yx9nVoHWVeCz5ioGJEQbnSNMmuxWnpsJgQCtob_CVO1peLalgW3yn_UDS_Ym2mI0xPo1hddNxtyx0hmHbpmZW-OBTBdZPFnoa8kNbKqZoDF69VX21y5dEOmZw8nejls1EhZopZkVoOJXrSzIB0Zlt6355bjY3bQOLmxRRSd4aSk4HXvyZUvqq4LukCnyzK2Dkofa0YQWNZHQbRY1Q49bqljamA-z1sDvzD7TUHoJ82Jjs=w603-h804-no
 
jeffster06 said:
Glad you got your install nearly done, now the fun part, as I found out, was getting through phone buttons to work...

... If you look at the vehicle specific instructions available from PAC (the other steering wheel control brand available), they give you detailed instructions on wires that have to spliced or jumpered on connector "Nissan32BT" (in the trunk: right rear trim panel). It's real convenient to get to the as the connector is buried behind a plastic trim panel that you have to remove about 4 other trim pieces to get to it. The reason you have to do this is because the Bluetooth module is located in the back of the car and the steering wheel buttons are connected directly to it, then the module sends a modified signal to the radio, but you have to bypass the BT module to make it work with the interface that connects to the pioneer. This modification is needed to make either the m
axxiss or the PAC interface to work. (you also have to connect a second remote wire to the interface if you haven't already)

Refer to the instructions here for working with that one connector: http://www.pac-audio.com/SWI/SWIAppGuide.aspx?appguideid=651&swiModel=Leaf&swiYear=2013&swiMake=Nissan&swiProduct=SWI-PS&swiRadioManu=Pioneer&swiOptions=Radio%20+%20BT

The wiring is the same on my 2015 as the 2013 in the link.

Let me know if you have any questions... It's been about a year since I did mine... Might have to look back at my notes from it.

Do you have a link to instructions about how to remove the rear trim panels? I'm on the step where I need to bypass the BT unit. I have everything else up and running.

Also, has anyone managed to make use of the microphone built into the car? I hooked up the wires based off of this diagram: https://s10.postimg.org/kgpy07fsp/usb.png

I assumed that pin 43-45 were the microphone (labeled shield, sound signal+, sound signal-), but it seems to be a no-go. However, I suspect the microphone also goes to the bluetooth module, so maybe it needs to be bypassed there as well? Either that or those aren't even the mic wires at all.

Actually, I suppose the mic line may not even be routed back to the stereo at all, as all that is handled at the module itself.
 
OK so, you can see where the BT module is located if you look at page 15 of the AV section of the service manual:
http://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual?fsm=Leaf/2014 Leaf/av

Referring to p15, there is an item B called out with a detail section showing item 12 which is the BT module with the connector you need to work with. Basically, you need to get to the top of passenger side rear wheel well to find the module. I'd recommend you print out that image, it's helpful when you are in the car trying to find it because it is buried deeper than you would think at first glance.

To get to the BT module you have to remove some trim panels. Referring to the interior section of the manual, page 43, bottom, where it says "LUGGAGE SIDE LOWER FINISHER":
http://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual?fsm=Leaf/2014 Leaf/int

On p44 there are several links you can click that describe how to remove each trim piece, once you get to the module, you can work on the wires in the connector.

NOTES:
1. I worked on the connector with the back seat still installed in the car, it can be done. If I recall correctly, it helped to fold the seat back down.
2. Personally, I used some solid core wire to jumper between the pins that you need to connect together, however, sometimes I have issues with buttons not registering intermittently, so make sure you do a good job with these connections...soldering the wires would be best, or maybe crimp connectors to ensure a reliable connection.

Also, I just used the mic that came with my head unit. Wasn't sure of the impedance being compatible or how to connect it to the car one. If you look through the AV section of the manual, you could probably trace out the circuit though and try it. I bet it goes through the BT module as well, but I don't have time to look it up at the moment.

Hopefully that's enough to get you to success...please let me know if you have any more questions and update folks here with any more notes that might be helpful. Cheers!
 
I just (mostly) finished the Sony XAV-AX100 radio in my 2015 LEAF "S". For the most part, it was simple. I got a kit from Crutchfield which included the bracket, wiring harness, antenna adapter, and hands-free adapter (same one that others talked about above).

Some notable things:
* Connect the hands-free adapter to the red power lead from the wiring harness. It doesn't need to be on all the time.
* Connect the blue wire from the antenna adapter to the receiver's aux power output (typically blue) rather than trying to use the blue/white wire from the harness. On most cars, the blue/white wire carries power; on ours it is not connected.
* If you don't connect the blue wire from the antenna adapter, your radio reception will suck.
* For this specific radio, just connect the parking brake wire to ground. This will enable watching videos anytime (which is likely illegal in your jurisdiction).
* The wiring information with my steering wheel adapter was completely wrong. Use the pin numbers rather than the colors when connecting wires. I didn't even bother modifying the second connector listed in the instructions.

I have the 12v to 6v adapter on order to wire up the backup camera. From what I've read, pins 1 and 2 are power, 3 and 4 are video. We'll have to see how this goes.

Earlier, I mentioned that I replaced the speakers in the car with Sony three-way 6.5" speakers, but hadn't updated the head unit in the hopes that the lightweight speakers the LEAF came with were holding back audio performance. It wasn't. This new head unit makes all the difference.

51unNVn.jpg
 
Any update on the Sony install aarond12? I am actually looking to install that exact same unit into my leaf using the crutchfield kit. Where you able to get the rear view camera to work? How does the unit compare in battery drain to the stock radio?

Thanks! Excited to have found this post!
 
aarond12 said:
I just (mostly) finished the Sony XAV-AX100 radio in my 2015 LEAF "S"

I'm also really interested in your results--did you get the backup camera working? And how's the picture quality compared with the normal Leaf S screen?

Few other questions: does the unit dim when you turn on headlights? Do all the controls on the steering wheel work, or just some of them?
 
kidjan said:
aarond12 said:
I just (mostly) finished the Sony XAV-AX100 radio in my 2015 LEAF "S"

I'm also really interested in your results--did you get the backup camera working? And how's the picture quality compared with the normal Leaf S screen?

Few other questions: does the unit dim when you turn on headlights? Do all the controls on the steering wheel work, or just some of them?

I didn't go with the Sony HU but I can tell you the Pioneer HU I put in works with the following things:
  • The backup camera works but requires a 6V voltage regulator. It looks great too and you can actually see what's behind you compared to the tiny OEM screen. I should also note I have an S model and added the camera myself using the guide on this forum.
  • The unit does dim when I turn on the lights. I use Android Auto and the maps switch to dark mode as well.
  • If you scroll to earlier comments, you can see discussions about the steering wheel controls. I was able to get all of them working except the phone toggle. This button is wired to the bluetooth unit in the rear of the car. It is possible to wire it up, it's just a bit more work.

Good luck!
 
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