Double-DIN dash kit is here?

[HotPotato]

Looks like a dash kit to install a double-DIN stereo in your C-Max is finally here! Of course, you will have to wait for it to ship from China: http://m.aliexpress.com/item/1050171178.html?tracelog=storedetail2mobilesitedetail

 

Anyone want to gamble 50 bucks to find out? It does look like it might work on my non-MFT car; with any luck, that central cutout on the bottom is for our little lock indicator thingy. Looks like the soft-key areas are replaced with cooling vents for your new stereo.

 

PLUS, Pioneer will be offering Apple CarPlay on some double DIN touchscreen receivers: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Press-Room/Car-Audio-Video/Pioneer+Brings+Apple+CarPlay+to+the+Vehicle+You+Already+Own

This basically turns your stereo into a giant iPhone. Kits are available to integrate with Sync and steering wheel controls. And these same decks can offer internal equalizers, amps and auto-compensation tools to eliminate the need to use a costly digital sound processor to upgrade your sound.

 

Promising stuff...

[mtb9153]

Very interesting but not for me right now.  The Pioneer unit is very nice however very expensive and not in my foreseeable future.

[checkerj]

Looks like Scosche came up with one for 2013-Up Ford Escape and C-Max:

 

http://www.scosche.com/2013-up-ford-escape-cmax-installation-kit

[kostby]

And per the footnote, NOT compatible with Factory Nav!

[HotPotato]

Looks like Scosche came up with one for 2013-Up Ford Escape and C-Max:

 

http://www.scosche.com/2013-up-ford-escape-cmax-installation-kit

 

Cool, a recognizable brand! Looks identical to the Chinese one...but priced at $180 instead of $50. Still, would you rather spend the $180 and know for certain that it fits...or spend the $50, wait for the slow boat from China, and maybe have to spend the $180 anyway if it doesn't fit?

 

Alpine now has a CarPlay receiver: built that way from the factory, not just a Pioneer AppRadio update. It's shallow depth, so I don't imagine fit would be a problem. It has to be plugged into the phone at all times, no Bluetooth-only connection (!).

 

The trouble with going aftermarket is that unless there is a Sync retention module and a steering wheel control interface and a custom wiring harness compatible with the C-Max for the particular stereo you choose, you could lose everything from your center-dash display to your steering wheel controls to your ability to use the car's inbuilt mike and USB jack. I don't want to be the first one to try this on a C-Max (I was already that guy with the speaker/amps/subwoofer/processor upgrade, and it was painful to be my shop's guinea pig).

[bluefever]

Scosche shows this wiring kit that is supposed to retain steering wheel controls - http://www.scosche.com/car-audio/fd02sr-2012-up-ford-interface-7613  

 

I've searched for sync solutions online and found the idatalink maestro, but it does not list the c-max. http://maestro.idatalink.com/

[Ethan.Hansen]

Here are the parts I found for replacing the head unit for a 2013 Ford C-MAX SE

 

Dash Trim Kit -

Metra 99-5833B

or

Scosche FD6203B

 

Harness-

Maestro idataLink HRN-RR-FO2

 

Steering Wheel Interface-

Maestro ADS-MRR 

 

Antenna Adaptor-

Metra 40-EU10

 

Panel mount USB socket-

Powerbeast Square USB 3.0

 

 

Be careful when looking for head units, you need one that is compatible with idataLink , or you will not retain all the steering wheel controls, and may lose other features. Happy modding!