rogersmj

^ I can't get their piece of crap web site to load the update on my Mac at all. I'm in Chrome, which they say is the only supported browser, but it hangs after I click "Let's get started". It has worked before, but now it doesn't. Great work as usual, Ford.

The RE-Q5 has full range and sub outputs as well, and I'm liking it so far. Something's not quite balanced yet, but I think that's because I'm still running the door speakers (Infinity Reference) off of the head unit's amp -- the crossover point isn't quite right. I'll probably add an amp for those at some point too. What's coming out of the sub itself is marvelously clean.

I tapped into the speaker wires under the trim piece on the driver door sill. Then I ran the tapped wires back to the rear of the car, tucking them under the trim which was super easy, and mounted the RE-Q5 line level converter and amp in the plastic storage bins around the spare tire. I only did my sub on the amp, so I haven't run wires back UP to the harness by the driver door, but the principle would be the same. Was pretty easy overall and doesn't require taking the dash apart.

Just that what you may have seen in other areas here on the forum is essentially correct -- it's complete rewrite, from the ground up, with a different programming team. They'll be making minor changes to the interface here and there to clean it up a bit, but on the whole the front end is supposed to look the same -- it will just be WAY faster and more reliable. Early 2012 is the anticipated release date. Ford knows they screwed up MFT big time, and they're doing everything they can to make sure this new release will be solid and fast. They're also exploring different ways of distributing this update -- you *may* not have to go to your dealer to do it, but that's not confirmed yet. What is pretty certain at this point is that after the rewrite is out in early 2012, you'll never have to go to the dealer for subsequent updates. All updates after that point, big or small, will be able to be done via your own USB stick.

App Link will come in mid 2012 after the complete rewrite of MFT is out in early 2012. I have this from a reliable source with direct knowledge of the work being done on MFT. Priorities -- no one cares about App Link while so many people are still having serious performance issues.

The packaging has changed. They now include navigation with the leather package on the SEL, among other things. Damnit.

^ Ah, that explains why DC mode wasn't working for me. I used the left rear as my input to the RE-Q5. Oh well, I'll run the remote wire this week.

Of course...thanks. :blush: I'm embarrassed I didn't think of that, considering I just hardwired a Garmin GPS into fuse 35 a few weeks back. In the case of the RE-Q5 I was trying to find something that only turned on when the stereo was on, but I guess it doesn't really matter if it's that or when the car is started.

OK I got everything installed and hooked up and it sounds great (wow what a project...feel like I used almost every tool). Thanks to everyone here for their help. One problem: in AC mode (sensing from the speaker wire), the RE-Q5 won't turn off. It's on all the time, even when the car is off, and even with the sensitivity for that feature turned all the way down. So I'm going to have to run a remote turn-on wire. Can anyone point me to a wire that I can tap into for this? Linty, what did you use to turn on your RE-Q5?

Heh, Sammyaxe...yes, I've been looking for wiring diagrams for weeks but haven't been able to find any for the 2011 Edge. However, I took the doors off (needed to do that anyway to install the bass blockers) and took note of the colors of the wires leading into each door speaker. I was then able to find those in the wiring bundle. Still, a wiring diagram would be immensely helpful to have. I would appreciate anyone who could send me that.

So I have the car in pieces right now, and I've just opened up the wiring trench under the left front doorsill trim. How the heck can I tell which of these hundreds of wires are for the speakers? I see some twisted pairs, which I assume are them, but how do I know which are which?

Yeah I do think it's better than when we got it...the dealership products are greasy and cheap and usually just make it look shiny for a couple days, but then wear off. It took me about 3 hours to do all this. Heck yes, I love PowerLock. I've tried just about everything, and have boxes full of car care products that I don't use anymore and are probably expired by now, but I keep coming back to the Menzerna Power Lock. It's easy to apply and creates an awesome look and finish, and it lasts a pretty long time.

Hey Linty (or anyone else who has done this), when you're running the amp power and speaker lines, do you think it's easier to go up the passenger or driver side of the car?

We bought this Edge for my wife back in October 2010, and I've given it a few decent cleanings since then but never really done a detailing, even a moderate one. Today I finally did, in preparation for a big trip out west in a few weeks. 0. Prep with Turtle Wax bug and tar remover on grill, leading hood edge, mirrors, rocker panels 1. Wash with blend of Armor All soap and Optimum No Rinse 2. Clay bar 3. Wash with Optimum No Rinse 4. Apply Menzerna Power Lock paint sealant via Porter Cable polisher 5. Vacuum 6. Power wash all-weather mats with some dish soap 5. Apply Meguiar's no-gloss interior trim cleaner/protectant and clean all interior surfaces 6. Lexol leather cleaner 7. Lexol leather conditioner 8. Meguiar's tire dressing gel So here she is, prettied up! Thought I should take pictures since my wife's car being this clean is a pretty rare sight.

Yeah I know adding an amp for the main speakers would be ideal, and I may do that at some point, but not right now. As for the RE-Q5, I am including it because of all I've read about the stock head unit killing the bass signal as you turn the volume up. Most notably, another member did the same thing in his SEL recently, and he said it didn't sound right until he added the RE-Q5. Using the RE-Q5 also gives me an upgrade path to add that other amp for the mains later on. So I think I'm going to go ahead and order all this stuff...I think the biggest challenge now is going to be building the box behind the right rear cargo trim panel. One last question: the Sony amp says that 4GA wire is "recommended" for power and ground. That's a hella big wire to fish all the way from the back to the front of the car. What do I risk by using an 8GA install kit instead?

OK thanks for the tip...something like these?

Yeah, based on my research I think that's the case as well. Thanks. So, here's my current plan...have I accounted for everything here? Am I missing any wiring, or is anything I've marked incorrect?

Spoke with someone involved directly with the Sync team, here's the final word as of last week: This *cannot* be done by a dealer. Period. It is possible for the Sync team in Dearborn to enable it if you know someone (hint, hint), but it will be wiped out the next time a dealer does a Sync upgrade on your car. So unless you live down the road from Ford HQ, and know someone on the Sync team, and are willing to pester them to do all your upgrades for you, there is currently no solution. In the future, it is possible the dealers might be given the ability to load nav on non-nav cars. But that requires some changes to the deployment process and the software the dealers use, and the Sync team is a little busy right now being locked in a back room so they can produce a version of MyFord Touch that actually works.

That's the non-My Ford Touch center stack from the base SE. Do you have MFT in your SEL? Why would you want to downgrade it? There's plenty of ways to upgrade the sound system without ditching MFT.

OK...could I install the RE-Q5, plus an amp and sub, but still leave the door speakers powered by the stock head unit? Looking at the RE-Q5 install sheet, I'm trying to figure out how that would work. The stock SEL stereo doesn't have a subwoofer, so does the head unit even have a sub line out? Or do I have to run the main speaker lines through the RE-Q5 just to get the bass signal? If I have to run all the speaker lines through the RE-Q5, what am I getting out the other end for the door 6x9s? Is that then an unamplified line-level signal, meaning I have to buy another amp to drive those speakers? Just looking for some clarity on how all the pieces could fit together.

I'm wondering about this too. I think I'm going to have to add a sub to our 2011 SEL, and I'm interested to know from the OP what the rest of his audio setup is like. Are you still powering the door speakers using the factory head unit, or did you get a separate amp for those? How do you have the RE-Q5 hooked up?

I should add that based on my own research, it looks like I need to install a subwoofer, then install something that would send just the mids and highs to the door speakers (that's a crossover, right?), and the lows to a mono sub amp. It also seems like I would need something like the RE-Q5 to clean up the audio signals coming out of the stock head unit. This is starting to sound like it's going to be expensive.

As we all know, the 2011 SEL's audio system is crap. It's my wife's car and I don't spend a lot of time in it, but I thought if for minimal cost and effort I could make some improvements I'd go ahead and do it. So I picked up 4 of these, highly rated for the money, and swapped them out this weekend. I wasn't expecting it to sound amazing, but I'm a bit disappointed. The sound definitely has more "body" than the stock speakers, but it still sounds really muddy in low- and mid-ranges. The dumb 3-way equalizer in MFT doesn't really help; by the time I've turned down the mids enough to get rid of the muddiness, it just doesn't sound good anymore. So I'm hoping that someone who understands audio systems better than I do can offer some advice on what options might remain that would at least make the sound a little more clear and separated. I'd like to keep the cost and effort as low as possible, but I'm interested in any and all ideas. Thanks.

Yes, it's out. Several people have already said they have it installed.

Success! Thank you all for your help. I got a mini fuse tap from the local auto parts store, plugged that into #35, and cut off the end of the cigarette extension cord I bought and connected the red wire to that. Then ran the ground to the ground terminal just a few inches away from the fuse box, under the driver's door trim piece, and connected it with a ring terminal. Most of the wire running up to the GPS unit itself easily tucked into seams in the plastic trim, so it's a pretty clean look. I did leave the FM receiver box (high on the power cord, near the GPS unit itself) outside the dash instead of trying to tuck it inside, because it is kind of large to get in there without taking any panels off and I didn't know how much that would affect reception. I snapped a few pics of the finished product.