The MyFord touch died. Ford dealership told me $3000 to fix (parts and labor). I spoke to someone at an audio shop about aftermarket. They researched and said no one makes a kit for the 8 inch screen. Only kits for 4 inch screen. That was disappointing because I was looking forward to Apple CarPlay system with the aftermarket system. My sister works at a salvage yard and said she’d see if they have any systems. Could I upgrade my system to a Sync 3 if they have one? If so, what would be the process?
One stone 2 birds by answering miked123's questions and to update my recent Sync 2 to Sync 3 conversion (rec'd it monday but did it last night)....
1). installed the s2 to s3 conversion kit, hooray! everything works! it actually took me the longest to replace the media hub, because of the tight location, and for some reason, my car's usb connection cable from the back is very short (or stuck)... I had to borrow my wife's smaller hands to unplug it.
2). i have not installed the new gps antenna that came with the kit because i didn't see any existing antenna connected, so i figured I might not need it. however, I will install it back because the compass on the main screen won't work (but the compass in the instrument cluster works). i think the time is also tied to the gps signal to get updates.
Updated 5/10/2019: I completed the installation by adding the GPS antenna. Besides the clock and compass, if you plan to use Android Auto, you still need the new GPS antenna (my guess is once your phone is connected, Android Auto would reply on your car's gps, not your phone. I was driving with my Android Auto activated but without the GPS antenna to test it out, AA still giving directions but did not know where I was...
3). i have seen people posting pictures about drilling new holes on the existing bracket to fit the new sync 3. with the kit I bought, i did not have to drill holes.
4). i bought the cheap no nav model, originally i have no nav anyway. so if you plan on using Android Auto, you need a short usb cable. i used a long 6 ft cable last night and could not connect to android auto. this morning, i found a shorter usb cable (2 or 3 ft i think)... voila! Google GPS via Android Auto on my new Sync 3 screen!.
5). Don't bet on using Android Auto wirelessly because it's something new and it requires a much higher Android version, i think it's at least 8.0, my Samsung Note 5 is only running 7.0. Connecting AA wirelessly requires wifi connection NOT bluetooth (not enough bandwidth for AA).
In a nutshell, my $1,500 money well spent.
Side note to miked123: i contacted my dealer service dept as well before buying this kit. I called the service dept, then the service advisor transferred me to sales (because I mentioned Sync 3, he thought I was getting a new car; he just didn't listen....), spoke to a salesperson, honestly told him I didn't even know why I was transferred to you, but he was nice, then the salesperson transferred me back to his buddy, a diff person in the service dept, went to vm... i didn't even bother to leave a message... lol.
