Which Wiring Harness for 2012 Express

[mbarthicus]

Hello,

I have researched this for a few hours and I am getting a lot of conflicting info. Good thing I found this forum. I think I found the answer in the sticky, but just wanted a confirmation from someone who has done this before.
I have a 2012 Ram 1500 Express. It comes with the very basic stereo (no NAV unit, no btooth, no steering controls) I have an JVC arsenal I want to install but am having problems figuring out which wiring harness to purchase. My JVC is also pretty basic (no nav or bluetooth), but I like the HD radio and Ipod controls it has. Here is what I have learned so far.

1. My dash kit from Metra says I need XSVI-6522-NAV harness. Amazon, Auto-zone, and Crutchfield say this harness is not compatible. The support for the company I purchased from (carid) says to use this harness.

2. It may be possible to use an older harness such as the Scosche S3-1 for the speakers/receiver wires and tap the power into a 12v source such as the cigarette lighter. (Amazon doesn't show the S3-1 as "not compatible" like the XSVI.)

3. This forum says to use the PAC C2R-CHY (amazon confirms compatibility, woohoo), but it looks really similar to the XSVI-6522 which everyone is saying is not compatible.

I think number 3 is the correct way to go, but just seems like overkill since my radio has very few accessories. Would any of the other harnesses work or is this my best option? Thanks, and sorry for the long winded explaination.

 

[Nubster]

PAC C2R-CHY4 is the one you want. I just did an install on my truck last week. Works great. I tried the PAC C2R-CHY. It does NOT work. The plugs don't match. I agree it's overkill. There might be something else out there that's simple and works but I didn't want to spend the time or money trying different harnesses.

 

[mbarthicus]

Thanks! I see you have the same year as mine and if the C2R-CHY4 worked, I will order and give it a try. I don't know if It makes a difference, but when I was researching compatability on the PAC Audio website, it only shows compatability up to 2011. I would think 2009 up uses the same wires? This is the part that frustrates me. Their is very little info out there and for some reason, their is a disconnect between the manufacturers of the harness and the retailers. None can confirm which harness will work for the 2012 RAM or they give conflicting info. I appologies for the Rant, I'm frustrated. I was about to say f it and just keep the factory unit, but at least I got a confirmation it will work on the same year vehicle.

 

[atticusfaul]

I don't know about the harness but I always buy head units from crutchfield because they come with all the installation gear. If you have any problems their CS is great and if it won't work they give a full refund no questions asked. I know I pay for it, but with head units I like the peace of mind.

 

[Etroze86]

What I had to do was it came down to looking at connector types and making sure correct alinment slots are where they are supposed to be. Pain in the ass but once you find it, it really is plug and play.

 

[mbarthicus]

I contacted both Metra and PAC support before I posted on this board. Metra just replied and said the XSVI-6522 NAV IS compatable with the 2012 RAM 1500. It's still wierd to me that the retailer such as Crutchfield, Amazon, and Autozone say it isn't compatable. So who do I believe, the manufacturer or the retailer? This is exacly why I would rather trust someone who has installed one on their truck. Thanks for the help everyone. I'm still leaning towards the PAC adapter since it's confirmed by a sticky in this forum and by Nubster. I'm curious to read PAC's response because they are showing it's not compatible but Amazon is saying it is.

 

[mbarthicus]

I don't know about the harness but I always buy head units from crutchfield because they come with all the installation gear. If you have any problems their CS is great and if it won't work they give a full refund no questions asked. I know I pay for it, but with head units I like the peace of mind.

The reciever I am installing was actually purchased from Crutchfield in 2010. I like them also, but when I my vehicle's make/model/year, they don't show a single compatible harness, only the brackets and the anteanna adapter.

 

[Nubster]

I ordered my headunit from Crutchfield and it did not come with a harness. However, if you order from them and contact them, they will sell you the C2R-CHY4 for 50% off with free shipping which is the cheapest I could find it last week when I ordered mine. It DOES work without a doubt. I used it. No problem. I don't know about the XSVI-6522 NAV however. I also found out that the PAC C2R-CHY does NOT work. In fact, the one I bought is packed up to be returned today.

 

[mbarthicus]

I ordered my headunit from Crutchfield and it did not come with a harness. However, if you order from them and contact them, they will sell you the C2R-CHY4 for 50% off with free shipping which is the cheapest I could find it last week when I ordered mine. It DOES work without a doubt. I used it. No problem. I don't know about the XSVI-6522 NAV however. I also found out that the PAC C2R-CHY does NOT work. In fact, the one I bought is packed up to be returned today.

Thanks for the info. Maybe Crutchfield will hook me up since I bought it from them.

 

[Nubster]

Can't hurt to try.

 

[JohnD72]

Don't trust Amazon or Ebay compatibility charts. They are wrong at least 50% of the time.
Unless it's absolutely unmistakable, I always email the seller OR search manufacturer's web site to verify.
The first month I owned my Ram was spent returning **** to Amazon and Ebay because they said it fit and it most certainly didn't.

Sometimes, that doesn't even help. Every Ram headlight on Spyder's web site says it won't work with quad headlights and they're wrong.

 

[chateauman]

I can confirm the XSVI-6522-NAV will also work with a 2012 Ram 1500 basic stock CD/Radio (no NAV/bluetooth/steering controls). It's about the same price as the PAC C2R-CHY4 @ around $80. I picked it only because I couldn't find the PAC anywhere local. I had already spent the last 2 weeks waiting for all my shiny new stereo gear to arrive. I didn't want to wait any longer to install

Your rant was totally justified by the way. This was a really frustrating experience. When Crutchfield doesn't have the wiring harness, I get a little worried

 

[mbarthicus]

I tried the PAC harness and it fits! Now I need an antenna adapter lol. Oh well, Ill get my receiver going one of these days.

I received several responses from PAC tech support. They are completely worthless. After 9 email back and forth, this is the answer they keep giving me:

"No sir it will not work with your vehicles application"

Here is my final resonse:

"It’s pretty sad that you are incapable of supporting your own product. The RAM Forum suggests the part from your company C2R-CHY4. Members who actually installed the unit confirm it works. Simple answers like "It will not work" are not acceptable to me. You need to give me a reason why with supporting information. Do you have proof it doesn't work in a 2012 1500 Express? It sounds like to me you are reading from a script. In case you didn't know, I received it in the mail yesterday, installed it after work into my aftermarket radio and yes, IT DOES WORK FOR MY VEHICLES APPLICATION. There are two harnesses that come with the product. I chose the one that fit, connected the wires and plugged it in. I was listening to music on the way to work this morning. I will never use your company again for my vehicles application. I think you need to find a new job because you don't work" ........Maybe a little harsh, but I tried to be civil 8 emails ago.

 

[Etroze86]

Maybe an email like that should be sent to the CEO about their help desks or make the engineer that came up with it answer questions not some guy that has no clue about the product. Nice job glad it works for you.

 

[DannyMK2]

I can confirm the XSVI-6522-NAV will also work with a 2012 Ram 1500 basic stock CD/Radio (no NAV/bluetooth/steering controls). It's about the same price as the PAC C2R-CHY4 @ around $80. I picked it only because I couldn't find the PAC anywhere local. I had already spent the last 2 weeks waiting for all my shiny new stereo gear to arrive. I didn't want to wait any longer to install

Your rant was totally justified by the way. This was a really frustrating experience. When Crutchfield doesn't have the wiring harness, I get a little worried

x2. the metra XSVI-6522-NAV works great as long as you do not have a factory amped stereo. i have it in my 2012 express. zero issues and saved myself $40 over the PAC harness. dont trust what crutchfield tells you. they told me i couldnt use my factory sirius antenna with an aftermarket tuner either. that was false as well.

 

[Skyjockey]

I swear car manufacturers do this on purpose. It takes a few of the early years to get the word out upgrading is near impossible so that new buyers will pony up for the overpriced dealer crap

 

[jram1500]

Which harness would be used for the non alpine system?


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[Nubster]

Which harness would be used for the non alpine system?


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PAC C2R-CHY4 is the one I used but it seems there's another cheaper option talked about in this thread. But I personally know for a fact that the PAC C2R-CHY4 works on the non-Alpine system.

 

[DannyMK2]

Which harness would be used for the non alpine system?


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the metra harness works