Road Top Wireless CarPlay Interface Decoder for Ford Sync 2 (2013–2015)

My ratings are based on whether a product performs its intended function and value. I do not rate on my personal ideas of perfection because that may not be achievable within the price. This product has some minor issues but it allowed me to have a top notch modern implementation of CarPlay while still maintaining my stock vehicle functionality and look. I did this install in a 2015 Mustang. The Sync 2 system has functionality that I did not want to lose with a multimedia replacement. A Sync 3 upgrade is about $700. I also felt a big screen would have been out of place given the retro sporty look of the interior. The wireless and wired Carplay works as well or better than newer vehicles that come with it stock. The system is snappy and boots up quickly. I have done about 20 automotive AV installs and it took most of my knowledge to get this done. Some of the issues were related to just how crowded the interior of a Mustang is. While AirPlay does work, it is audio only based on iOS restrictions. But if you were listening to music on YouTube, it would be an option. iOS screen mirroring does work but the resolution of a vertical phone on an 8 inch horizontal screen makes it almost unwatchable. The steering wheel volume, song skip, and mode buttons work. The talk button does not even though the instructions say it should. You would long press this to get Siri to activate. The workaround is to hit the CarPlay home button on the screen. The instructions are very poor but this install is about a 7 out of 10 difficulty for an amateur so if you can't figure it out then you probably shouldn't be doing it. I intend to contact the manufacturer to see if I can rewrite the instructions for them or at least do a proper full install video. The wiring diagram is useless BUT all the plugs only fit in one place. There are a LOT of configuration options that are not really discussed but I figured out most of them by trial and error. There are two that are off by default you will want to turn on. The first is to auto activate CarPlay. This works about 80% of the time. The other times are because something in the Sync 2 system gets activated which switches back to the native interface. The second is to invoke CarPlay on ACC. I believe what this does is only keep the system on when the Sync 2 system is powered. The default is to keep it on much longer. I believe by default it is on the timer with the power port and USB. The issue with that is if the system stays on, your music keeps playing to the turned off car as you walk away. When you come back, your music has advanced quite a bit. That's not how all other CarPlay systems work. There is a feature to allow your phone to connect to the unit's Bluetooth. I have not tried this yet because with CarPlay, I don't really use Bluetooth. But this would be an alternative to AirPlay audio. Some other reviews did not like the fact that the audio must be accomplished by running a line to your aux in (its in the center console in a Mustang). If you don't have an Aux In with your vehicle, I would think that could limit the expected experience of CarPlay. I realize this is needed because there is no additional input into a Sync 2 system. I have hooked up other aftermarket systems in other vehicles that take over the CD or Sat input. But this product says it retains ALL existing functionality and that is what it does. That said, I actually see a benefit to using the Aux in. It allows me to switch back to Sync 2 without my music/mapping audio stopping. So I can quickly jump back to Sync 2 to check temperature or adjust my HVAC without missing a beat. Switching in a Mustang is done with a long press on the next song button and it works every time. There was one big obstacle in my install that you will not see in online videos. This product works by augmenting the electronics board inside a metal casing on the back of the touch screen. You can watch a video online how to do this. However; that video shows a new cable hooking from the augmented board, running through a hole in the metal casing, and to the external processor box. However my metal casing did not have a hole and I am not a metal worker. I solved this by using a Dremel cutoff wheel to enlarge some ventilation holes. It was four small cuts and some filing. It took about 5 minutes once I figured it out. Then I put a rubber grommet around the metal edges to protect the wire. In the products videos it showed a nice neat factory looking hole. Maybe later models had that. Maybe they added that hole and felt that showing the installer cutting it would be discouraging. That was actually the biggest obstacle besides finding a place to mount the processor box in a crowded Mustang interior. Overall I am thrilled with this product and what I got for $235.

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas. Didn’t get around to installing it till the beginning of March. Boy was that a mistake, I should of just installed it immediately so that when I found out the touchscreen wouldn’t work I’d of sent it right back and got the Sync 3 upgrade and stayed OEM. Very disappointed in the product, I tried several different things and still no touchy touchy! I’m very well knowledged in the automotive industry and it was a fairly easy install with some modifications, If it would have worked. So now it will go on the shelf unless I can sell it and or use it down the road on maybe something else. Most likely try to sell it and for future just stay OE and upgrade I really wish I would of read the reviews more before I purchased. Lesson learned.

CarPlay works great, but to get there, there is a lot of effort. Disassembly is fairly straight forward especially if you follow Road Top's YouTube video. Like others mentioned, you need to cut the metal display casing to fit a cable out. Be careful to have no burrs to prevent sliced wires in the future. Running the wires for the dash was very difficult in my case. Needed to use a clothes hanger to fish the wires down. Once fully assembled my radio also did not come to life for a few minutes which was very scary, just a black screen. Setup from there is easy, especially if you email them for the updated manual, which my device did not arrive with (only the one for a previous version). Can't speak for longevity, but for my 2 days with it so far the experience has been great. CarPlay makes the vehicle feel brand new. Surprisingly, the unit is very responsive and connects immediately in wireless mode all with no issues so far.

I have been running it for about one month. My only issue was it killed my Ford touchscreen controls. The small ribbon cable that came with the kit was bad (4 star). Now it is running surprisingly well. The built-in graphic equalizer makes the music sound MUCH better than the factory Sony. The touch display and system are decently responsive.

After some effort to understand the video, I was able to get everything assembled. Problem was that touchscreen wasn't working in both sync2 or android auto. After going through tech support, I couldn't EVER get the touchscreen to work as they kept claiming the strip cable wasn't attached properly. It was as I checked it multiple times. I disassembled it back to factory setup and touchscreen worked just fine. I was hoping it would work because of it being a more affordable option than upgrading to sync3 and I liked the wireless connectivity. Another buyer had a similar issue.

I got this because I wanted android auto/CarPlay. I didn't know how much of a pain in the butt it would be to not have the Ford's Sync system integrated mechanically within the unit. Physically it is integrated but mechanically it is not. By mechanically, I mean that you have to push a button to switch between interfaces. It's not automatic. It does do everything it says in the description but it's such a pain to switch between AndroidAuto/CarPlay feature and Sync that I just found it not to be worth it. I went ahead and upgraded to Sync 3 because of this and 2 other factors. One is that I found an entire Sync 3 system for $160 more than this unit. And second, this unit uses the "Line In" function which destroyed the speaker quality, performance and output. The volume was so low that if you turn it all the way it would still be at a 5 when it should be at 10. You can turn up the internal volume but it distorts the audio so bad that it's annoying and frustrating to listen to and sounds terrible. The connectivity was good but to get it connected took some time and patience. The directs are not great. Even the "updated" ones if you scan the QR code. This unit does everything it says it does but it's inconvenient, quite expensive and a lot of work to install inside your Sync 2 unit. I returned it.

Instead of trying to upgrade my 2015 F350 Sync 2 to version 3, I opted for this device. I've had my radio apart before to replace the digitizer so the installation was easy for me. They give you plenty of wire so you can find a good location for the box. I used the factory RCA jacks for my external XM receiver and found I have to pause it when using hands free phone calls. As it's sharing the RCA inputs, the phone's volume is also low so I have to turn it up when using the phone and back down after or everything else is blasting. Unfortunately, the Road Top CarPlay uses its own Mic, not the factory. Mine is currently on the dash and I've had complaints that people have problems hearing me. The Mic has a long cord so I'm going to try to route it up over the headliner and see if I can get it next to or in place of the factory one that is above the driver's head. Overall I am happy with its performance and how you can keep/return the original Sync 2 screen. The only really annoying thing is the Carplay display has no nighttime or dark setting.

Love the product, was a little intimidating to mess with the electronics and the screen frame but turned out great. Put in a 2015 Ford edge and is awesome. The only one thing I will say is the audio does take a little to dial in to get it sounding good but overall is great. Another thing is that it doesn’t seem to turn off when the car is off, there is always a light on and my phone always wants to connect to it even though the car is off but no battery issues yet and level is still good so very little to no draw. GREAT PRODUCT.