DIY 5.0 to 8.4 Navigation upgrade

[Ricks Ram]

i could not turn it on or off before and it def worked great
i have auto dim rear view button in ra4 under controls ,thats actually only control i have listed since i dont have heat seat or wheel
and it does nothing when i select it,it does select and deselect as in highlighted or not
but does nothing
lights are bright as heck coming up on you
as i said when i go in for warranty trip im hoping to get code added for mirror and ra4 radio too maybe for what its worth
i was told anything u get code added for will fall under trucks warranty used part or not
dont know if i believe that or not but a reliable source from this board told me that
per his dealer contact
im calling my dealer in the morning for a sevice warranty trip this week

I don't even have the comfort control soft key on my RA4. I wonder if maybe since you had an auto dim mirror before it showes up on yours? CuylerTech was able to get his flashed but as far as I know he is the only one who has been able to get it done.

 

[Mpgrimm2]

@Cptwing,
Just curious, what is the radio P/N you have in your truck now? Its a 2015 RA4 right?

 

[Housemuzik52]

Will a 2013 Ram 1500 RA4 unit work in a 2014 Ram 1500 without any issues?

 

[SitKneelBend]

Will a 2013 Ram 1500 RA4 unit work in a 2014 Ram 1500 without any issues?

Yes

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

 

[Ricks Ram]

My truck.is in now getting the recalls done. The tech is trying g to add the GN5 code but doesn't know how to get the code added to the trucks vin# I told him to go through WIC he is,willing to try but doesn't know what WIC stands for (neither do I) And he is not sure how to do it. He is willing to try but isn't quite sure where to start. Any info Doc or CuylerTech?

 

[Ricks Ram]

Never mind he he got it figured out stands for ( Warranty Information Center). He is not sure if he can do it or not. He is not able to access that menu from his screen. It's up to the service manager so we will see. Going to pick up the truck and he is going to keep working on trying to get the code added. He did add the RA4 code since he was already there. I also had him stick the harness I made for the Power Sliding window in since he already had the headliner down for the airbag recall. So I guess the day wasn't a total loss. Not feeling to good about getting the code added but we will see. I'm going to keep trying.

 

[Housemuzik52]

When looking at the back of the unit I'm guessing if it says VP4 CA that means a Canadian unit and VP4 NA means North America?

Also will a 8.4unit that lets say came out of a Jeep Grand Cherokee or other Chrysler vehicle work in a Ram or does the unit have to be taken from a Ram.

 

[cptwing]

Yes VP4 CA is a Canadian radio. As far a radio out of a jeep, yes they will work and the boot screens etc will change from Jeep to Ram. That said other folks have had issues with Jeep radios in their trucks especially when updating the firmware. Personally I would steer clear of the Jeep radios. I see you have a 14 truck, I do as well and have a 15 Radio in it that works perfectly. Some folks have had issues with 15 and 16 radios in 13 and 14 trucks. Best bet is for you to go with a 14 radio, plus they are generally less expensive LKQ has them for just north of 4 bills.

On a side note the Italians apparently only consider the US as North America, since they have VP4 NA(US), VP4 MX(Mexico) and VP4 CA(Canada).

 

[Housemuzik52]

Yes VP4 CA is a Canadian radio. As far a radio out of a jeep, yes they will work and the boot screens etc will change from Jeep to Ram. That said other folks have had issues with Jeep radios in their trucks especially when updating the firmware. Personally I would steer clear of the Jeep radios. I see you have a 14 truck, I do as well and have a 15 Radio in it that works perfectly. Some folks have had issues with 15 and 16 radios in 13 and 14 trucks. Best bet is for you to go with a 14 radio, plus they are generally less expensive LKQ has them for just north of 4 bills.

On a side note the Italians apparently only consider the US as North America, since they have VP4 NA(US), VP4 MX(Mexico) and VP4 CA(Canada).

Are there specific part numbers to signify that it is a 14 radio? Or is there a way that you can determine that the radio is in fact from a 14 Ram 1500.

I've done some searching on Ebay and stuff and it can get a bit confusing.

 

[R.L.K.]

Are there specific part numbers to signify that it is a 14 radio? Or is there a way that you can determine that the radio is in fact from a 14 Ram 1500.

I've done some searching on Ebay and stuff and it can get a bit confusing.

I believe Mpgrimm2 is working on that , maybe he will chime in ...

 

[SitKneelBend]

Are there specific part numbers to signify that it is a 14 radio? Or is there a way that you can determine that the radio is in fact from a 14 Ram 1500.

I've done some searching on Ebay and stuff and it can get a bit confusing.

Here is how I found mine (posted this on the z forum in the early days)...

"On a side note. It seems the key to finding these undervalued 8.4s is using LKQ online here is a link with the pre-poulated search parameters (the prices have gone up $100 since I ordered mine last week).

http://www.lkqonline.com


EDIT: I would only try to use a 13 or 14 Radio in your 2014 truck I've used both (2013 8.4a and 2014 8.4an) in my 2014 without issue...


To check the VIN to see if the original equipment included an 8.4 RA4, select the "Source Vehicle" tab on LKQ's listing and use the following original equipment link from dodge's website (select equipment on right-hand side and enter VIN on the next page). Look for "Nav" or "Navigation" in the listing, if it say "Navigation ready" it's a 8.4A RA3 without Nav:

Dodge - Contact Us "

 

[Mpgrimm2]

Are there specific part numbers to signify that it is a 14 radio? Or is there a way that you can determine that the radio is in fact from a 14 Ram 1500.

I've done some searching on Ebay and stuff and it can get a bit confusing.

Here are my notes so far...
INFO - 2013, 2014, 2015 8.4AN FW Notes (RA4/VP4 NA)

@Cptwing,
Just curious, what is the radio P/N you have in your truck now? Its a 2015 RA4 right?

hey Cpt, any chance you can verify your RA4 PN?

 

[cptwing]

As alluded to above there is a master list maintained by Fiat and they know the serial number of every radio and which vin that the radio was installed in. One place that has access to this data is useless connect, but I have not found them willing to help. The dealer can access this information but may or may not help. Many times with boneyards they will tell you it is from a particular vin but in reality it may be from an entirely different vehicle, some guys have found.

 

[cptwing]

I will tonight for sure.

 

[GoatLocker]

.


To check the VIN to see if the original equipment included an 8.4 RA4, select the "Source Vehicle" tab on LKQ's listing and use the following original equipment link from dodge's website (select equipment on right-hand side and enter VIN on the next page). Look for "Nav" or "Navigation" in the listing, if it say "Navigation ready" it's a 8.4A RA3 without Nav:

Dodge - Contact Us "

This link will also tell you what country the vehicle was built for. LKQ lists a radio available in Colorado, but it's a Canada VIN. Also, LKQ says RA4, equipment list says VP3.

 

[Mpgrimm2]

This link will also tell you what country the vehicle was built for. LKQ lists a radio available in Colorado, but it's a Canada VIN. Also, LKQ says RA4, equipment list says VP3.

^^^^^^^^^^
This happens a lot. Ask for actual pictures of the front and back of the radio and a close up of the P/n sticker on the back.

 

[GYSOT]

As alluded to above there is a master list maintained by Fiat and they know the serial number of every radio and which vin that the radio was installed in. One place that has access to this data is useless connect, but I not found them willing to help. The dealer can but may or may not help. Many times with boneyards they will tell you it is from a particular vin but they that is not necessarily correct as some guys have found.

So is that how the brick some, aka stolen or computer in your vin/truck not synch to the pin or whatever in new RA4?

 

[cptwing]

Mike here is the tag off of my 2014 8.4AN it came out of a 2014 Laramie 3500. I redacted the XM ID. This particular radio updated with zero issues and always worked flawlessly running 14.25.05. I am not using it now only because the 2015 I bought of of Jared has Slacker and Pandora on it and I do not want to change anything. Mike I am wondering something else here after looking at this tag. What I wonder is does the supplier make a difference, its possible that Fiat receives these units from multiple suppliers and maybe ones from a certain supplier tend to have more issues then say a different supplier. Just something to look at.



Here is the part number for my 2015 RA4, I bought this from Jared4.7, he sent me a card with a vin and also written on it is 2015 Ram 1500, however when I check the Vin it says 2015 Ram 2500 Laramie. I am running 15.06.1 and it has also been flawless. The current upgrade is 15.17.5 but I refuse to upgrade because it works great and I am afraid of loosing the Via mobile apps (Pandora and Slacker).

Oh and FYI this information is not available in "Engineering Mode", it is located in "Dealer Mode".
Engineering mode...Hold Hot+cold+buttons for 5 seconds.
Dealer Mode...........Hold Hot+Cold+Front defrost buttons for 5 seconds.

 

[cptwing]

So is that how the brick some, aka stolen or computer in your vin/truck not synch to the pin or whatever in new RA4?

That is the $64,000.00 that Mike is trying to figure out. What I do know is these radios have an abysmal reputation at the dealerships especially in the 2013 trucks. There is a very high rate of replacement under warranty, well these removed units wind up somewhere? Perhaps they are refurbished and sold off by say LKQ, they also sell refurbished stuff as well. Just a thought.

I suspect a lot of the radios removed by dealers are really not the problem and may be perfectly fine or need to use Sitkneelbends trick for updating them. I more suspect the personell at the dealerships are taking the easy out and are quite clueless about these matters.

 

[loveracing1988]

That is the $64,000.00 that Mike is trying to figure out. What I do know is these radios have an abysmal reputation at the dealerships especially in the 2013 trucks. There is a very high rate of replacement under warranty, well these removed units wind up somewhere? Perhaps they are refurbished and sold off by say LKQ, they also sell refurbished stuff as well. Just a thought.

I suspect a lot of the radios removed by dealers are really not the problem and may be perfectly fine or need to use Sitkneelbends trick for updating them. I more suspect the personell at the dealerships are taking the easy out and are quite clueless about these matters.

There is a red stocked put on the refurbished units, although it is easily torn off.