2015 to 2016 Leaf S Radio Swap DONE: the lengths I will go for OEM Bluetooth streaming

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I would love to have the newer 2017 navigation unit in my 2011. My 2011 has navigation but I’d like the Apple CarPlay features and birds-eye cameras.
 
When you had the radio out, could you identify the connection for the backup camera? I'm wondering what it would take to feed a different signal to the factory display.
 
Thank You for your detailed information.... This answers the questions to those who keep on posting... "Can I put in a better radio??"

You have confirmed my old philosophy of.. If It isn't broke, don't try to upgrade... (E.G., new engines, etc)...
 
Supersleeper said:
I would love to have the newer 2017 navigation unit in my 2011. My 2011 has navigation but I’d like the Apple CarPlay features and birds-eye cameras.

This would be a hell of a retrofit, since presumably the 2011s didn't have the wing-mirror cameras installed, so you'd need to retrofit those, plus their wiring harnesses. Also the 2011 telemetry kit won't be compatible with the 2017 kit so that will need to be replaced - and it is possible that the newer kit won't be compatible with your 2011's body control or engine management systems due to firmware differences (if they are even compatible from a wiring perspective). But if you do decide to try your luck, document it!
 
Bullfrog1986 said:
When you had the radio out, could you identify the connection for the backup camera? I'm wondering what it would take to feed a different signal to the factory display.

I didn't, but it's easy to figure out from the Nicoclub sourced service manuals (and I may even have identified the pins in one of my first few posts).

Getting the video in would be trivial - connectivity for the input is a 2-wire analog (composite video) signal like you'd get from any analog camera, and switching the input would be as simple as sending voltage along the signal pin to trick the head unit into thinking it was in reverse.
 
powersurge said:
Thank You for your detailed information.... This answers the questions to those who keep on posting... "Can I put in a better radio??"

You have confirmed my old philosophy of.. If It isn't broke, don't try to upgrade... (E.G., new engines, etc)...

Heh, yeah, it was a pain in the butt but ultimately I think it was worth it. Maybe pulling out the rear seats to upgrade the stereo isn't for everybody though...
 
chumpp said:
Bullfrog1986 said:
When you had the radio out, could you identify the connection for the backup camera? I'm wondering what it would take to feed a different signal to the factory display.

I didn't, but it's easy to figure out from the Nicoclub sourced service manuals (and I may even have identified the pins in one of my first few posts).

Getting the video in would be trivial - connectivity for the input is a 2-wire analog (composite video) signal like you'd get from any analog camera, and switching the input would be as simple as sending voltage along the signal pin to trick the head unit into thinking it was in reverse.

The manual is not showing up on Nicoclub. Do you have a copy I could use?
 
Bullfrog1986 said:
The manual is not showing up on Nicoclub. Do you have a copy I could use?

I just used the 2014 Service Manuals (the link for the 2015 manuals wasn't working back when I tried, and still doesn't work now).
Here's the link
https://nicoclub.com/FSM/Leaf/2014%20Leaf/
 
I did this with a 2014 Sentra SR exactly same stereos but I’m having issues with the buttons illumination when the lights are on, when checking the harness in both 2014 and 2015 models it’s exactly the same pins.

Anyone with the same issue?
 
chumpp said:
Aftermarket or not, I would just the same thing I did and use an adapter harness to turn the connector into a '15 Sentra - that is, my adapter harness and the jumped leads at the BCU just turned my car into a 15 Sentra as far as the radio is concerned - so any aftermarket head unit that's compatible with the 15 Sentra would work in my car now. If you look at the aftermarket options for a 15 Leaf on Crutchfield you'll see barely anything - but there are many more for the Sentra.

I've got a 2015 S that I'm looking to get Android Auto in. I'd like to keep the factory backup camera and re-use the factory microphone (or if I have to, I could route a mic and hide it up above... but that seems like a lot of work).

To clarify this a bit - if I take apart the back seat, remove the BMC and jump the connectors the same way you did, then the radio wiring harness is essentially the same as a 2015 Sentra?

So I could order a radio on crutchfield and say it's for a 2015 Sentra and get them to build a ready harness for me and then I should be good?

I'd still need to add the resister / capacitor thing to get the internal microphone to work, and I'd still need to do something for USB (though I think that's an easy adapter. Maybe the sentra had no USB? The Leaf 2015 options do show a USB thing in the install kit to retain USB)
 
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