2004 XJ8 aftermarket Navigation radio install Clarion NX702
 

I just finished installing a Clarion NX702 Built in Navigation system. I chose this unit after watching a video reviewing it.


I have all the bugs worked, and this thing is unbelievable! The sound is great, and I have not even started playing with all the adjustments that are available. There is so much going with this system, that it will take me months to figure it all out. It even knows when I am speeding, and I chose a British female voice that tells me "You are speeding" (it can be turned off, but I like the nagging).

The only thing left to do is make a faceplate that matches the plastic on the control panel as I used the install kit for the S type as there are none currently made for the XJ8. Right now I have one I made out of cardboard wrapped in piano black vinyl as a template.

The parts list
 

So here is the list needed to do this install, these first items would be needed for any install


This is the backup / reverse camera I chose, there are many options here and they don't have to be expensive, this one is under 20 bucks

All the above would be needed for an aftermarket navigation install with backup camera, and then whatever system you would want to go with it. This is what I decided on.
to use DVD player I added
otherwise you would have to have a toggle switch to make it work, this may be brand specific, so get the one that matches what system you install

1st step
 

Remove the console. This is pretty easy. Now that I know how, it takes just a few minutes.

Start off by removing the vent plate at the back of the console, it pry's off with just a little tug on it. Unplug the 4 wiring connectors, and remove the two screws using a T-30 torx bit or socket.

Then lift off the wood grained shift plate, by pulling it starting up by the ashtray. It has two spring clips in front and one in the back. One of my spring clips stayed in the mount and did not come off with the plate. I just pulled it out and put it back on.

Under the plate are two more T-30 torx screws. Remove those and then lift the console up a little from the rear and pull it backwards away from the radio. The front of the console has two pegs and two spring clips. Just a little pull and it comes right out. Take the console out of the way.

2nd Step
 

Remove the radio. This also is very easy.

There are 4 T-30 Torx screws holding the radio on. Go ahead and place down something to protect the ashtray and the shifter from getting scratched. In my case i took a pillow case and slipped it up under the radio between the open ashtray cover. Take out the four screws, and pull the radio environment controls cluster out, then unplug the electrical connections (I think there were four total). First unplug the connector right on the back of the environment controls, this gives you more room to get to the others. Then bring the whole unit out. I took this inside to get out of the heat, remove the old radio and work on all the new wiring and the radio mount.

In this pic you can see two of the screws holding in the radio on the left side, there are two more on the right

Since the radio mount was made for the S-type, its a different color plastic and is about a 1/4 inch to small on both sides. So I am in the process of making a plate using a piano black vinyl. This version is made with cardboard, while I am searching for the right plastic.

I did not take any pictures of my wiring, but I don't think it would be very helpful if I did. Basically I used butt splice connectors to put the Metra wiring harness together with the Clarion harness. Most of the colors matched up the same making it really easy. I also wired in the power and ground for the steering wheel controls into this same harness. All the wiring is self explanatory from the manuals. For the steering wheel controls you use only the green and white wire on the Metra ASWC and it is wired to #18 a red and white wire on the radio harness. That has to be wired separately because it is not pinned on the Metra 70-9500 wire harness.

Will detail the camera install next, and how to program the steering wheel.

3rd step- wiring GPS and backup Camera
 

I won't detail all the wiring but there were two things that gave me worries. The first was where to install the GPS antenna. I had read that some people just place it on top of the reciever. But from what I understood that was not an ideal place for it. Following the manufacturer recommendations I placed it on the passenger side below the windshield and ran the wire in the crevice down to the dash side access panel and then fished it over the glove box with a coat hanger.

For the rear view camera, I removed the rear seat bottom and tilted the rear seat top section forward and ran the single RCA cable and a hot wire/ ground wire from the head unit to the trunk lid. I fished the wires under the seat with a coat hanger from the shifter area to where the seat bottom was. I drilled a hole and put in a grommet to get through the seat back wall and then fished the wires through the flex hose in the trunk. Removing the liner on the bottom of the trunk lid

Wow, great detail on your writeup Suprane. Toughest part is that radio trim :)

Reverse Camera
 

When installing the backup camera, I found that the reverse lights are hot all the time. It actually has power on both terminals all the time (park, neutral, drive), and when the car is shifted into reverse, one of the hot wires (orange/green at the connector below the assembly) changes to ground to turn it on. I figured out that a relay would correct the problem.

Below, is the relay I used that I got from O'Riellys auto parts for less than 5 bucks.

There are four terminals on the relay marked 30(meaning max 30amps that gets switched on), 85 for ground, 86 for power, and 87 that goes to camera (and the radio). So I hooked it up like this...

From the connector I spliced into a wire that was hot all the time when the key was on, the first one which is brown/green and wired it to 30 (for power to the camera)and 86 (to power the relay). I then spliced into the Orange/green wire and wired it to 85 (this wire is normally hot, until shifting into reverse). Then the last wire, 87 to camera. It wont hurt the relay to have power going to both sides of the coil normally because it cant energize it, so it wont be able to make a circuit, and it wont get hot.

30 to brown/green wire
86 to brown/green wire
85 to orange/green
87 to camera and radio

Steering Wheel Controls
 

The Metra ASWC only requires use of 3 wires from the kit to have the left side steering wheel buttons control the radio. A power, a ground, and the green and white wire to take in the signal. On the car radio wiring harness plug, you have to cut the red and white wire and connect it to the Metra green/white wire.

The ASWC is supposed to be able automatically figure out what radio model you have and what car you have and sync both together. It was not able to do this for me, I kept choosing Pioneer as my Model. So I had to manually program the controller following the supplied directions. Took me a few tries to get it right. I was able to program the top (was the telephone button) to be the station scan button, the volume up, the volume down, and the last button (select) I turned into a mute button. So far I like it set up this way. As I learn more about the radio, I might change some.

Fantastic write up, this will be on my list very soon with your help. As far as trim material, you may want to look for black plexiglass or perhaps you could laquer a piece of wood??? Same concept as Japanese furniture, multiple layers of laquer will create a very high gloss

USB extension mount in console for Iphone
 

Did not want to have my USB cable just randomly sticking out in or down the side of the console, so I went ahead and added a USB extension cable that allowed me to permanently mount the USB. Decided that the best place would be below the 12 volt accessory plug. Here is what I got

Clarion U.S.A. | CCAUSB

looks nice and clean, and gets hidden under the door, but most importantly, it allows me to hook up my Iphone and get full functionality of Pandora radio on the Iphone (which is awesome by the way)

Works with any radio that has a USB out, not just this one

Where did you get the Pano Black Vinyl??

Picked it up from ebay, did a search for gloss black vinyl, and gloss black piano

Does this unit give you the same issue as the PAC swi-x did, where you have to program each button twice, once with the headlights on, once with the headlights off for it to function?

Thanks,

Goerge

No, just one time, works with the headlights on or off

I don't intend to hijack this thread, but this upcoming week I am having a local shop install a double DIN unit in my 2008 XJ8L. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed but I expect to run into some difficulties - maybe replace an amp? fiber optic wiring to speakers? I will provide a full run down of all the issues and a few pics when the job is complete . . . or my bank account zero's out and I need to give up on the project.:icon_toast:

Clarion NX702
 

Hi Suprane1. Great set of posts. I am researching a Nav unit for my Nissan Titan and ran across your post. In the video review you included, Martin showed the Voice Recognition feature of the unit (although he didn't get it to work). However, I can not find any reference to this feature in the manuals. Does it in fact have voice control of the nav functions? If so, do you find it useful? Also, how is the hands free calling quality on both side. Thanks in advance for your help.

Ken

Hi Suprane1, i just bought the Jag 2004 xj8. In the process of trying to shortcut at least a ipod in-line i now have no sound. I looked and decided i am not going to mess with any short cuts. I am just going to salvage what i can and do after market. After finding your thread i have hope. But after looking up the parts on amazon they all are saying the don't fit my jag. But it appears you have the same jag. XJ8 and you have obviously made n awesome upgrade. Can you confirm that the signature you have is correct and you have the XJ8 and i can move forward with being a copy cat.


Thanks Leodriven

Leodriven,

Obviously if this was a normal everyday install, there would be no need for me to document it. I have documented everything needed to do this install, with part numbers even, and detailed how I did it. By no means are these the only components that could be used, but none of these items were specifically made for this car because there are none specifically made for this car. I even tell you in the radio mount is made for the S-type, which is obviously not an XJ8 but it happens to fit just fine. You can look at the pictures and tell it is an XJ8 by the console and shifter, and it is a 2004 XJ8, but even the year won't matter, as the info is the same for this model up to 2010 as long as you don't have the factory install navigation, which would complicate this.