Idatalink Maestro ADS-MRR2 Universal Radio Replacement Interface Module - Retain Steering Wheel Audio Controls & Other Factory Features in Select Vehicles (Vehicle-Specific Acc-HU Harness Required)

Im glad I spent the money and got it, I will admit i didn't get it working properly the first time which I was getting really aggravated with all the troubleshooting and going back to reprogram it but once I finally had everything right it works great and is pretty awesome honestly.

What an amazing product with the most thorough instructions. In my application 2018 Subaru Legacy with the Harmon Kardon stereo with separate amp I had a lot of questions before starting. When you flash the unit it will have an instruction manual specific to your application, it is so thorough you need to put the seral number for the head unit in in order to flash the unit. Incase someone else is in the same boat as I was in you can retain the stock amp but you will only be using one set of preouts and they need to be the front ones( I found this out the hard way as the phone calls and other voices only come across on the front input), in my case I was not able to retain the factory mike but that is minor, there are two units bolted to the stock head unit you will need to retain both modules if you want starlink & eyesight to work. You will need to wire the power and several other wires but the instructions are very clear.

I have a 2011 Honda Odyssey EXL and paired this with a Kenwood DMX908S. I was able to retain factory backup camera, factory steering wheel controls, and use factory harness for speakers. I use a separate Kicker amp to drive the sub as aftermarket radios do not interface with the Honda amp. I used the bypass factory Bluetooth option and routed the radio mic to the factory mic location. I had some install issues and reached out to idatalink support. They helped be diagnose a parking break issue, and a wrong pin/wire connection for the steering wheel phone control issue. The factory screen was showing partial track and artist info and was a bit disappointing to not have fully functioning. IDataLink support opened a case with their engineers and purchased the same model radio so they could debug. Now a couple months later they reached back out to me and let me know version 2.9 is available. I reflashed and now the track and artist info shows in full on the factory radio. Really happy with the product and the support team.

The product and apps supporting seem to be solid and work as expected. The thing that impressed me the most was the tech support. I had a couple of issues with ApplePlay competing with UConnect and decided to give their support a try. Someone who was very knowledgeable answers the phone and was able to quick advise me on correct application. This is important as the product supports so many different variations of head units, cars, and installed features. In spite of the assistance I still has a minor issue with the final result, but about a month later they came out with a firmware update that applied to my vehicle and stereo head unit that corrected the problem. Which tells me they support their product after it ships. So many tech products these days don't do that. So overall I am very pleased with the product

Already had an RR, but learned you can't just use a USB hanging out of the dash to do future flashes -the unit must be completely removed from power to connect. This would require major surgery on my dashboard each time, which is nonsense. So I decided I'd bite the bullet and spend an additional $270 on the RR2 for bluetooth access. This worked a net total of 2 times, if I remember correctly. I'm not sure when or why, but at some point when the app on my Android tablet was updated, it would no longer connect, saying Bluetooth flashing is not available for APX kits. ...what? I contacted Support (who, for their part, are great/5 star rating for them) and they confirmed the RR2 was not compatible with APX and there was no ETA. I've scoured the Amazon and Crutchfield listings and see no mention of this limitation, even now, almost a year later.. I guess I'm pretty frustrated. 11 months is a long time to be screwing around with my stereo, and just throwing $270 into the wind isn't exactly my most favorite thing to do. I'd certainly have returned it if I knew this was going to drag out this long, but conveniently I'm well past my return window. I'll update if/when compatibility is ever restored, but for now this is a deal breaker I think people need to be aware of.

Vehicle application is after 2006 (CAN-Bus systems mandated in 2007). Reviewer bought all three (CRUX / PAC / ADS): Of three top brands of wiring harness for aftermarket head deck installation this is most expensive / most complex installation / requires additional vehicle specific wiring harness. However, this is more better! (Also purchased HRN-HRR-TO1 for 2008 Tundra). Conflicts with other 'gadgets' for use of OBD2 port (Banks Power, etc) ... which cannot be 'shared'. Key Features: Programmable Steering Wheel buttons, On-screen Vehicle Data / Gauges, Vehicle Diagnostics / Reset (P-Codes), Retention of Fader (F/R) control and audio AUX-IN / USB-IN. Bite the bullet: Get a Maestro RR or RR2! Professional installation recommended. (If you really know what you're doing, this is a fun project. invented new tech to use factory Bluetooth microphone in over-console).

This interface is needed to keep most if not all oem functions of your steering wheel controls and options from the original HU. This model was used on a 2011 Ford Expedition with oem sync and navigation that had a Kenwood 1037s HU installed. There were initial issues with flashing this unit but those were solved by using the maestro WEBSITE using IE with windows10. Using the weblink app proved to be unsuccessful when flashing. The reason for the missing star is I still haven’t gotten the Sync Voice and media Bluetooth to work from the steering wheel controls but it isn’t a deal breaker as I use Apple Car Play and use Siri for voice commands. Wiring is fairly straightforward as it was all plug and play except for the speaker wires and the Sync wire. That has to be hard wired in the center console and there lies my issue. I will update this review when all problems are resolved. I used the RR2 vice the RR in case I want to install a radar detector in the future. This is a must have to install aftermarket HU’s into newer vehicles for a plug and play install. One thing I personally did different form the install instructions was not to cut the rca cable connectors off the maestro wiring harness. I instead installed rca connectors onto the HU wiring harness thus saving the option of installing an aftermarket amp and having the rca connectors available to plug into the Kenwood.

A must have for installing an aftermarket radio. I used it to wire my new Pioneer to my 15 Jeep Wrangler so I keep all my old steering wheel buttons and get vehicle info on the radio. But the best part is the team at Maestro. I wrote on their forums about a firmware idea I had to hook up the dimmer switch so I could drive with the headlights on during the day without the radio dimming. The very next morning they had a custom firmware pushed to my account and it worked perfectly. Between the steering wheel media buttons and that, it was worth the money. As far as this vs the first gen RR, I personally don't need the extra outputs (although I like having the option). I like that it's thinner and that you can flash the firmware via Bluetooth, but Bluetooth flashing is currently in beta and only works if the module is plugged into a wall, not the car, so its usefulness is fairly limited. I imagine that will improve with time. For an extra $20 I'd say the promise of eventually useful bluetooth flashing isn't bad.

Might look intimidating, it’s not. I’ve used lots of modules and this one is by far the best so far. Longevity is unknown. I guess time will tell.