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Old 10-15-2012, 06:22 AM   #1
XDCX
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Default What's up with Navigation on the 2011 and 2012 Chrysler 300 Limiteds?

My parents recently made their "Snowbird Trip" from Seattle to Phoenix and my Dad went car shopping this weekend to find a car to replace his trusty Chrysler 300m. (For more about the 300m saga - click here)

One of the cars he was interested in was a used 2012 Chrysler 300 Limited with the 8.4" UConnect Display in the center stack. My Dad really liked the car but was surprised the 8.4" display didn't have Navigation.

The seller indicated that adding Navigation to the Chrysler 300 was a simple software upgrade that the dealer could likely do for about $200. A quick Google search proved that statement to be false - based on what I've read, adding Navigation to the 8.4 UConnect Display can easily cost $1,800+ and it's not an easy job.

I figured the car my Dad looked at must have been an "ad unit" at one point and assumed that the vast majority of LX cars with the 8.4" display would have navigation. Imagine my surprise when I found that only about 5 - 10% of the used 2011 and 2012 Chrysler 300 Limiteds have Navigation.

I'm assuming most of the 2011 and 2012 Chrysler 300 Limiteds must be rental vehicles and that explains why they don't have Navigation but it still seems odd that Chrysler doesn't have an easy upgrade feature that allows people to add Navigation to a 8.4" display that doesn't have it.

Were most of the dealer stock 2011 and 2012 Chrysler 300 Limiteds ordered with Navigation or is there some story that explains why so few of the vehicles have Navigation?
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Old 10-15-2012, 04:36 PM   #2
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Default How many different "flavors" of wood are there for the interior?

Continuing my mild rant, how many different "flavors" of wood are available for the interior of the 2011 and 2012 Chrysler 300s?

So far I've found three: One my Dad really likes, one that's just fair and another one he hates. The one my Dad hates is the wood finish that's so dark that it almost matches the black/grey surfaces in the interior.

As a general rule I believe that more choice is a good thing but part of me wonders whether three "flavors" of wood actually helped sell any extra vehicles. My bet is Chrysler would have been better off sticking with the most popular wood finish and reduce the dealer's burden of trying to inventory or locate all of the different color/wood combinations.
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Old 10-16-2012, 01:40 PM   #3
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To tell the truth if it were my Dad I would tell him to stay away from this international mismash of Daimler/Chrysler .This is not the 300m which gave him years of loyal service. This has the possible service nightmare of parts availability.Thats on backorder ,sorry maybe 3 weeks . " you could try the mercedes dealer "
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Old 10-16-2012, 07:46 PM   #4
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This conversation vaguely reminds me of a good friends' late Chrysler 300M that was really heavily optioned out but lacked ABS brakes. I didn't believe my friend at first when he claimed his car didn't have the optional ABS system until he let me drive it during the winter. Really, Chrysler, you think we wouldn't notice the blatant de-contenting of a high level car?
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Old 10-17-2012, 10:08 AM   #5
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To tell the truth if it were my Dad I would tell him to stay away from this international mismash of Daimler/Chrysler .This is not the 300m which gave him years of loyal service. This has the possible service nightmare of parts availability.Thats on backorder ,sorry maybe 3 weeks . " you could try the mercedes dealer "
While I follow your point, I go by the theory that it's his car and he should get whatever he wants.

That said, for the first time in decades he's actually been receptive to a non-Chrysler product. He looked at a used BMW 745Li and really liked it but it was hard for him to get in and out of the car because of a condition which makes it hard for him to bend his neck. He also looked at a Mercedes S430 and an E500.

Ironically, the part he likes the most about the 2011 and 2012 Chrysler 300s is the 8.4" display. The 8.4' display in the Chrysler 300 Limited is awesome but it appears the vast majority of them do not have navigation and that's a deal breaker.

Concerning Chrysler and Fiat and what the future holds, I'm still a skeptic but I don't think future events will impact customers who are purchasing current Chrysler products - especially the ones that are still mostly tied to Chrysler's historic DNA.
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Old 10-17-2012, 10:13 AM   #6
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This is not the 300m which gave him years of loyal service.
I've got to admit that I appreciate the 300m even more now that I've had a chance to do some car shopping with my Dad.

I've done several comparisons between the 300m and the cars my Dad has been interested in and I've been amazed at how well the 300m compares in terms of roominess, horsepower, fuel economy, interior design, overall size, etc. With the exception of excessive cabin noise I think the 300m is a great car and it's still competitive with a lot of the newer platforms on the market.
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Old 10-17-2012, 10:49 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by mr4t60e View Post
This conversation vaguely reminds me of a good friends' late Chrysler 300M that was really heavily optioned out but lacked ABS brakes. I didn't believe my friend at first when he claimed his car didn't have the optional ABS system until he let me drive it during the winter. Really, Chrysler, you think we wouldn't notice the blatant de-contenting of a high level car?
Good point - I wonder if the car in question was a dealer order or a vehicle that Chrysler built back in the "Sales Bank" days? In the past I remember some of the most "sell proof" vehicles I ever came across were ones the factory built as "Sales Bank" units.

To their credit, it's my understanding Chrysler has made improvements to their ordering system that makes it harder for a dealer to order a poorly configured vehicle.
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Old 10-17-2012, 11:58 AM   #8
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Good point - I wonder if the car in question was a dealer order or a vehicle that Chrysler built back in the "Sales Bank" days? In the past I remember some of the most "sell proof" vehicles I ever came across were ones the factory built as "Sales Bank" units.

To their credit, it's my understanding Chrysler has made improvements to their ordering system that makes it harder for a dealer to order a poorly configured vehicle.
I am positive their was a period of time when sales bank had 300m w/o abs.usually when each bc didn't cover allocation someone from zone ordered the make good units based on what a sales dm or Dom ordered. Late 2012 gr Cherokees were available with x package but only with hemi. Early 2011 300 ltd were available only in white and w/o nav.

Too bad they don't have someone from dealer council to assist with these orders.just like in patches of dart available only with stick.

On another note, xdcx, the 8.4 screen is some much easier to use, faster to pair your phone, and SSOOO much easier to read compared to any radio chrysler has ever used.whether it is with or without nav, I would strongly recommend the 8.4 radio because it is easier to use, sounds better, pairs easier, and blends with the dash better than the small unit does.
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Old 10-17-2012, 02:56 PM   #9
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I am positive their was a period of time when sales bank had 300m w/o abs.usually when each bc didn't cover allocation someone from zone ordered the make good units based on what a sales dm or Dom ordered. Late 2012 gr Cherokees were available with x package but only with hemi. Early 2011 300 ltd were available only in white and w/o nav.
In my experience some cases the odd units the factory builds were the result of material shortages but in other cases it was just the result of someone who was too lazy to take the effort and determine what packages were selling.

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Originally Posted by chryslersrt8 View Post
On another note, xdcx, the 8.4 screen is some much easier to use, faster to pair your phone, and SSOOO much easier to read compared to any radio chrysler has ever used.whether it is with or without nav, I would strongly recommend the 8.4 radio because it is easier to use, sounds better, pairs easier, and blends with the dash better than the small unit does.
I totally agree. I think the 8.4" display is awesome and I remain surprised that so few of the vehicles I've looked at have the navigation option.

For my Dad, a vehicle without navigation is a deal-breaker. Granted, he'll probably drive less than 5,000 miles per year and he'll rarely be more that 10 miles from his house but he wants a vehicle with built-in navigation. I can't say that I blame him - it seems like a waste to have such a nice 8.4" display and not have navigation.

Given the challenge he's had finding a 2011 or 2012 with navigation he's going to see about getting an older Chrysler 300C and then upgrade in a year or two if he still likes the styling of the current Chrysler 300.
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Old 11-22-2012, 11:12 PM   #10
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...based on what I've read, adding Navigation to the 8.4 UConnect Display can easily cost $1,800+ and it's not an easy job.
Navigation cannot be added to first generation 8.4 radios that came without that feature.

The new 2nd generation 8.4 radios feature one model that comes without navigation, but in which the navigation option can be "unlocked" for a fee (model RA3). This radio debuted on the 2013 Ram, and will be phased into to other Chrysler vehicles in the next year or two. The 2013 Viper will launch with it next, followed by the refreshed 2014 Grand Cherokee which launches in Q1 2013.

The RA4 is a step up from the RA3 and comes standard with premium navigation and HD radio. The navigation system in the RA4 comes with features that you do not get when adding navigation to an RA3 (such as "dead reckoning").

Upgrading the RA3 for the nav feature is an easy process, as bigolyt noted it requires the dealer to open a RO and call Chrysler with the 22-digit request code. A 16-digit activation code is then emailed and simply entered into the radio activation screen.

If a vehicle comes from the factory with an RA3 radio you cannot upgrade/replace it with an RA4.

Last edited by MisterM; 11-23-2012 at 12:15 AM.
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Old 11-23-2012, 08:29 AM   #11
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...based on what I've read, adding Navigation to the 8.4 UConnect Display can easily cost $1,800+ and it's not an easy job.
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Originally Posted by MisterM View Post
Navigation cannot be added to first generation 8.4 radios that came without that feature.
MisterM - Thanks for the information - Great to see you again.

I agree that Chrysler/Mopar does not offer a navigation solution for the first generation 8.4 radios but I watched a YouTube video where a third party vendor created a kit that could be installed. If I get a chance I'll see if I can find the video and add the link to this thread.

When the project was completed it looked pretty close to Chrysler's Navigation system and all of the other features that are part of the 8.4 radio remained in tact. That said, the kit was pretty expensive and it looked like it would be difficult to install.
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Old 11-26-2012, 08:40 AM   #12
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MisterM - Thanks for the information - Great to see you again.

I agree that Chrysler/Mopar does not offer a navigation solution for the first generation 8.4 radios but I watched a YouTube video where a third party vendor created a kit that could be installed. If I get a chance I'll see if I can find the video and add the link to this thread.

When the project was completed it looked pretty close to Chrysler's Navigation system and all of the other features that are part of the 8.4 radio remained in tact. That said, the kit was pretty expensive and it looked like it would be difficult to install.
Here's the link to the YouTube video I found when I was looking for ways to add Navigation to an existing 8.4 Radio - click here

I liked how the end product looked on screen and how it integrated with the existing software but I thought he installation looked somewhat complex and the price was rather high.
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Old 11-26-2012, 04:48 PM   #13
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Here's the link to the YouTube video I found when I was looking for ways to add Navigation to an existing 8.4 Radio - click here

I liked how the end product looked on screen and how it integrated with the existing software but I thought he installation looked somewhat complex and the price was rather high.
Very interesting, had not seen that before. Ouch on the price!
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Old 11-27-2012, 11:17 AM   #14
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Very interesting, had not seen that before. Ouch on the price!
I thought the price was way out of line too. If the parts cost was about $500 and the installation was about $200 I think that would be reasonable but beyond that I don't think the addition of Non-Factory Navigation warrants the price.

The other downside, in my opinion, are the support issues owners may have down the road if the aftermarket navigation system fails.
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Old 03-16-2015, 11:26 AM   #15
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Default Did Chrysler ever release an easy way to add navigation to the LX vehicles?

Epic thread bump - this thread is two and a half years old.

My Dad was in the market looking at both new and used Chrysler 300s and I thought of this thread. I've read that Chrysler came up with an easy solution to add navigation to the 8.4 Uconnect with the 2013 Rams but I wasn't sure if they expanded this ability to the LX vehicles in 2014 or not?

Here's the article that mentioned Chrysler was adding upgradeable navigation to the 2013 Rams - click here

My Dad ended up buying a new 2014 300 with navigation so it's no longer an issue for him but I know this thread gets a lot of hits due to Google and I thought it would be great if someone could provide an update.

Can the 2014 LX vehicles with a 8.4 screen add navigation or not?
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