2010-2014 Subaru Outback Upgrade Factory Nav/Harman Kardon Part 1

[@Shinare73]

Hey I just wanted to add a new comment saying thanks for this. I tackled this yesterday and your video gave me the confidence to try. Aside from my harness being completely different than yours and requiring a different Metra kit, it works great. The amp turn on wire goes to the 24 pin connector (second pin from the right on the top). The reverse trigger wire is pin #3 (third one over from the left) on the green connector. (I just stuffed the wire from the radio in there). I spent about 2 hours trying to get the steering wheel controls working without the expensive magic box with no luck. Unlike other youtube videos that say just hook up the radio SWC wires with the metra SWC wires, it didn't work in my car. So I am getting the expensive magic box sent from amazon. Thank you!!!!

[@Shinare73]

WOW Thank you for this!!!! You rock! Been wanting to swap out this Harman Kardan FOR-EVER.

[@ryanschneider8231]

Gosh, this is the video I have been searching for since 2020. I have taken this same car with same stock head unit to 3 different custom car audio shops who all were not willing to replace the stock system with something custom. Your video was super detailed. Do you think this is still something a complete novice could do?

[@nightmarecivic]

I believe it can be done, pretty easily I might add. I'm here to help if you need any. I'm in DE

[@ryanschneider8231]

@@nightmarecivic anyway I can email you with some questions?

[@nightmarecivic]

@@ryanschneider8231 absolutely

[@Juiblex100]

Great work, like the detailed explanation of everything.

[@Shinare73]

at 14:28 you say "this is the only thing that should be coming out of this harness" but I have a blue wire and the metra instructions say to connect it to power antenna (+) from the radio's harness. Was I not supposed to do that?

[@nightmarecivic]

Yes you don't use that wire. You can hook it up but it doesn't go to anything.

[@Shinare73]

@@nightmarecivic oh okay. what about the wire on the antenna adapter?

[@rickrettinhouse2151]

I talked to Crutchfield today looking for a backup camera wiring adapter (trying to reuse the existing wiring on a new camera), and they told me that because of the starlink system on these that they don't sell parts or recommend updating the factory radio. I think he said something about the front speakers run through the amp and could fry some component... I'm not sure. I bought the components, but I'm still waiting on the antenna adapter to come so I'm holding off on it trying this for a few days.

[@nightmarecivic]

Never heard of that camera cable goes directly to the radio, it's 4 wires. 2 for power and 2 for video signal. I wouldn't waste the time with the factory camera. When I connected it to an aftermarket radio the video was terrible

[@rickrettinhouse2151]

I did get a new camera, which is an RCA connector and a power wire that goes to a backup light wire. I figured I'd just splice on some RCA connectors and see how it looks before I tackle trying to run the backup camera wiring to the front of the car. That sounds like a serious pain. Anyway, since I have a few days waiting on stuff, I thought I'd check with Crutchfield to see if I could just get adapters connectorized to the existing subaru camera wire connector. Then they scared me by saying they don't sell stuff for this upgrade, and they don't recommend it.@@nightmarecivic

[@mariusrafin1142]

Hello, any chance to connect aftermarket back up camera to oem navi monitor ?

[@derekkoop9461]

I know this is an older video, but I cannot get the steering wheel controls to work, 2014 legacy. Whether I reset it and just hold up, or put it to manual programming mode, and go through all the buttons it won’t work. Using a dual brand HU, with the 2 full outputs

[@nightmarecivic]

Check your grounds, make sure the wires are soldered. You will probably need to do a manual programming with a dual head unit on the aswc.

[@itschewyyy]

I have a 2010 Outback with the McIntosh system and Nav, do you know if this will work the same ? It looks almost identical.

[@nightmarecivic]

it should. Let me know if you run into any issues

[@mariusrafin1142]

Hello, any chance to connect aftermarket camera to oem navi monitor ?

[@ABEairsoft]

I have a 2013 with Harmon Kardon, no nav. Of the required items in the video description, are there any that I wouldn’t need to purchase since I don’t have factory nav?

[@nightmarecivic]

All should work with the recommended parts.

[@ABEairsoft]

Thank you so much for your quick response!

[@Shinare73]

FYI: Some head units support steering wheel controls without the need for the expensive little box. My Atoto F7 WE I just purchased has it built in. You just need to tie it's steering wheel wire into your harness.

[@nightmarecivic]

Correct, just question the reliability of the android units. Not to mention poor DAC quality

[@Артемчик777-л8у]

Hello, I have a problem that we connected the faucet to the power supply and other cables simply do not fit it and there is no sound whether it is possible to buy some adapter on eBay or Amazon ?

[@nightmarecivic]

What year? Which radio did it have?

[@AutumnABC]

what harness would i need to keep the factory back up cam 2013 limited with factory nav W/harman kardon adding a pioneer double din and want to keep factory back up cam but can not find the harness

[@nightmarecivic]

I searched for a while. Didn't find one. Upgrading to an aftermarket one allowed me to use it with the new unit and gave me much higher quality photo over a camera from 10 years ago. I think the maestro kit MIGHT come with the video adapter cable.

[@joshuamueth8315]

I'm running into the same situation with the mislabeled blue and white wire. What are you connecting the "Forrester only" wire to?

[@nightmarecivic]

Connect it to the remote turn on wire of the new radio

[@jerry857117]

Thank you for your video, do you know how to connect the original factory reverse developer?

[@nightmarecivic]

I don't, because of the low resolution I went ahead and upgraded to an aftermarket one. Much higher quality picture.

[@samvv2908]

Can you explain about the sound again i have the same problem try to listen what u saying but I can’t understand

[@nightmarecivic]

Can you provide more details in your question

[@kevinnagassar9883]

I have a 2011 with hk but no nav. Harness i bought works but i have no sound. I tested a speaker by bypassing the amp and it works so my head unit is working. Any suggestions?

[@kevinnagassar9883]

Also I bought this harness hoping it would fit but it doesnt

[@nightmarecivic]

@@kevinnagassar9883 either you have to use the other remote turn on wire or you're not passing low level audio to the amp. Are the tca cables plugged in?

[@kevinnagassar9883]

@nightmarecivic the rca cables I have coming from my head unit are not plugged in. The cables coming from my amp are not rca but on a harness. This is why I did not use them. I have 2 small line out boxes but not sure how to connect them.

[@petebaron8842]

Have you done anything with crappy factory speakers? I would love to get some JL Audio speakers in there …not sure it I can fit them

[@nightmarecivic]

Not yet. I found that upgrading the radio and using the factory H&K improved audio dramatically. I do have a set of audison speakers on stand by. Probably in the spring I'll finally do a video and upgrade the speakers.

[@spinacz0z]

Hi Mate. Thank you for this video. Though I have a question. To which exact cable did you econnect the "forester only" blue-white cable? I have bought myself chinese android audio. It boots but no sound. Stearing from the wheel works on standard cable-harness given by chinese manufacturer. And there is no aditional electronics attached to this cable-harness. Seems like this harness is missing some wire to initialize H/K amplifier.

[@nightmarecivic]

Goes to the rem or amp turn on

[@bogarmelgar5343]

@@nightmarecivicI have the same problem , I know what is the cable to turn on the amp on my harness on the new radio but I don’t know where I should connect it on the original arnéss , can you help me please ?

[@Shinare73]

Well I tried tackling this this morning. Not a single plug in the metra kit you listed matches my 2010 outback. That was a whole lot of work for nothing LOL

[@nightmarecivic]

You sure you don't have a 2009 or a different radio setup? Send me a PM and I can help. The 2010 I did was exactly like me 2013. Also is the new radio one of those android ones?

[@Shinare73]

@@nightmarecivic oh that would be awesome. It is a 2010 outback limited I believe. I can send pics of info plate and connectors.ho do I dm someone in KZbin?

[@Shinare73]

Never figured out how to send you a PM but I think I did find the harnesses I need. Metra 70-7553 for the outputs and 40-SB10 for the antenna. My only fear is a lot of the reviews for the 70-7553 say it doesn't have an amp turn on wire included in the harness. It also doesnt have reverse signal or SWC. But IU think I can pull the SWC jack off the one I bough earlier and pin it in to this one.

[@taxicabyellow]

I have a 2013 limited with HK non-nav. Looking to get one of the idoing/joyingauto/seicane android radios. They ALL say they have SWC built in, but I’m curious if I still need anything to retain factory amp? I was under the impression Subaru wasn’t doing Canbus amp stuff until 2015? Any idea? I figured it was just HU to amp, and amp to speakers, plus a few power wires, a ground, and I guess some sort of trigger? Reseller on eBay first said “radio will work in your car” then a few hours after I won auction said “tech dept says you need canbus module, we make discount for 39.99” I can’t tell if they duped me into buying, or are now trying to get me to buy stuff I don’t need.

[@nightmarecivic]

The amplifier is completely analog. The steering wheel controls use CAN bus but are completely independent of the amplifier. Most of the Android head units have steering wheel controls built in so you don't need a SWC1. That being said, I've installed multiple Android radios for other people and they usually end up failing so I would pass and go with an original reputable name brand radio.

[@jamesgrimmelsman9360]

@@nightmarecivic I have a similar question regarding a 2011 limited with factory amp. I ran a Crux SW control harness plugged everything in to 20 pin and everything worked (antenna, usb, SW controls) except no sound. Checked splice connections and everything looks good. Is there another wire from any of the factory harnesses that need to be added to the 20 pin to get sound?

[@michaelkashtock5345]

Can the OEM XM radio functionality be retained with this type of setup.

[@nightmarecivic]

Function? No. Factory antenna be used with the new unit and a new xm module yes with an adapter.

[@colbysmith9277]

Will this work with a 2014 forester xt harmon kardon with nav I've been looking for an alternative to the maestro

[@nightmarecivic]

should be the same harnesses I use but you wont need the dash kit I used you'll need a different one.

[@austinatkins3722]

What part number for the park bypass?

[@nightmarecivic]

www.ebay.com/itm/273934327687

[@443spanky]

hello what about the Navigation is it install or not

[@nightmarecivic]

The factory nav was installed. It was removed. It would be a nightmare to add the nav to a Subaru that doesn't have it already. Different wiring harness and missing gpw antenna and all

[@Zack-pf3qw]

Do you know where I can find the wiring diagrams for a 2013 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5i with Harmon Kardon (no navigation)? I'm trying to troubleshoot my aftermarket radio and I am having trouble identifying the factory wiring. Appreciate the help!

[@nightmarecivic]

I do not, what are you trying to locate? The metra adapter should give you everything you need.

[@arielaceves5806]

Will this work for the 08-14 Tribeca with Nav, the wiring? Thanks in advanced.

[@nightmarecivic]

It might. I haven't done an install on one of them.

[@firemarshaldil]

great video, thanks. is there any reason you went with android auto instead of another unit with independent nav?( personally i drive into the mts a lot where i dont have cell service so i cant use android navigation)

[@nightmarecivic]

Good question. I like the idea of not having to buy map upgrades every year. That along with Android auto using Waze for live traffic and the ability to use Google maps and fully download them so you're not using data. Those along with cost are the reasons I didn't go to a dedicated nav.

[@Guitarcr8z]

Where is the UBS port for android auto?

[@nightmarecivic]

Ran to the center arm rest

[@TheBuilts2k]

Also, I have a 2011 and it calls for a different harness. Could that be an issue for getting no sound as well?

[@nightmarecivic]

What issue are you having?

[@samwhorton1954]

I have a 2011 Legacy with H/K audio, used the wiring harness for the 2011 and I only get power, going to order this harness and will update if it works.

[@andrewluna4977]

I'm having issues also used the crux harness aftermarket radio gets power but no sound

[@bradwilliams573]

Has anyone found a resolution for the no sound issue? Ifso, please share.

[@jordancaraballo-bonin4582]

I have exactly the same issue no sound for me as well.. subaru legacy 2011 limited with HK no nav. Any help?

[@kevinantaya5609]

Any issues with retaining the GPS connection for the stock clock?

[@nightmarecivic]

The stock clock in the dash is set by its own buttons not controlled by GPS. So it will keep anytime you set it too.

[@2xtreem4you]

Wow !! You have given me hope. I have a 2014 legacy with the Batman karman amp it’s the same as this outback ( at least am thinking) can you please let me know if this application will work. I have kenwood avic 7200nex I want to use. Please let me know if it is possible? Thanks in advance.

[@nightmarecivic]

Should work if it's the same dash. 👍

[@2xtreem4you]

@@nightmarecivic thanks so much I would want to keep the factory camera so metra will have that harness?

[@kseimer7]

Was the cars microphone on the harness?

[@nightmarecivic]

you can not use the factory microphone even with the meastro. You have to run the one that is included with the new radio to a location you prefer.

[@kseimer7]

@@nightmarecivic thanks for the reply!

[@TheBuilts2k]

Question. Was your back up camera in your rearview mirror? I put a double din in, but got no sound. My camera worked still. I see that i most likely didn’t have full range in the unit so that was why I had no sound

[@nightmarecivic]

Did you connect the remote turn on to tell your factory amp to power on? Blue/white wire?

[@gibs626]

A shop told me yesterday that no one on the planet can do this and i know i sure can’t but now i’m sad 😂

[@nightmarecivic]

I can help you its pretty easy. I'm always amused when shops say something can't be done.

[@gibs626]

@@nightmarecivic i did find a shop that said it shouldn’t be a problem other than they weren’t sure if they could build a bezel for it. i said i could get the non-nav version off ebay, so they want me to bring that in when i get it. and then Crutchfield told me the non-nav one won’t work because it’s slightly different. Crutchfield currently has zero options on their site for this car/radio combo. 😐

[@fixins]

Is the remote turn on wire needing +12V or ground? I image it's switched 12 but didn't see what you hooked it up to. They really saw your hands off with the factory HK system. I'm looking to upgrade to a 10" screen center stack system and no one will touch the stock navigation system as far as a wiring harness. I imagine a lot of it is going to be the same as the non-navigation other than the outputs.

[@nightmarecivic]

Are you referring to the Android 10 Inch screens? I'd run if I were you. I've tried two in my G37 and installed two more in other cars. All were pretty terrible. If you're referring to an OEM center stack a lot of controls on those units probably won't work because of a newer can bus setup if that's where it came from The cable I was referring to was a switched 12 volt +. I used the metra adapter to give me my pin layout needed to wire to the new radio. So in this car the wire from the metra was pink which goes to the blue and white rem turn on wire of the new radio.

[@fixins]

@@nightmarecivic Yes, I was looking at the 10" Android center screen systems. I don't need the replacement to do anything as far as controls besides Carplay. It doesn't need to do heater controls (leaving stock ones), TPS, OBD2 or anything else other than a carplay display. If the sound is OK and I can get the steering wheel controls to work (they claim the work stock out of the box) I'm miles ahead of the stock HK: the GPS is awful, the bluetooth audio is super flaky and the voice command is unable to do almost anything. I have a Mercedes of the same exact year and the stereo works so much better, it's laughable. As far as I know (unless the steering wheel uses them) I won't even use the CAN bus at all.

[@nightmarecivic]

@@fixins if you're using steering wheel controls you're using can bus. If all you want is apple car play go with a double din normal unit. Way more stable and better audio quality from the pre amp and DAC.

[@fixins]

@@nightmarecivic (sigh) It's sane and logical advice and I thank you for it. I just really like the giant screen. I'll need to think about it. Ditching one awful tech system for another one sounds like a bad move but if I can make it work, it'll be so sweet.

[@m1scj4rr0d]

Okay, watching this 100 times I'm thinking I can do it.. Does this retain the factory sub??

[@nightmarecivic]

Yes it does

[@m1scj4rr0d]

@@nightmarecivic One more thing- if I'm not upgrading the back up camera- will the stock work with this setup?

[@nightmarecivic]

@@m1scj4rr0d only if you splice it. I didn't keep it because a new camera has much higher resolution. I replaced that in part 2

[@jonniringodingo]

This is absolutely not applicable to the 2009, which is different from both the 2008, and 2010+.

[@nightmarecivic]

You're not wrong. Updated the title. Cheers

[@jonniringodingo]

@@nightmarecivic Excellent!

[@onday2]

It's annoying.. maybe I'm spoiled but adding links in the description is so clutch. This is not clutch.