Shred

Hi,
I thought I would share my experience of making my multifunction steering wheel work with the aftermarket head unit in my car, in case anyone would want to do the same or have found other better solutions:

Car: 2009 997.2
Related options:
431 3-Spoke Multifunction Steering Wheel in Smooth Leather
680 BOSE High End Sound Package

Head unit: Pioneer AVH-4000NEX + GPS Navigation
Connection to Car: NAV-TV MOST-H.U.R. 997

I bought the 'Paser Unican Plus - CF0007UNUN11' from Italy for 101.50 Euro plus delivery.

4 wires to tap in:
Constant power
Ground
Can High
Can Low

Tapped the wires using 'Lockitt Posi-Tap16-18 awg Blue'.

Connect the cable 'CBL007UNPI12 - Pioneer unit Adapter' from the Paser unit to the Pioneer unit in order to control it (cable included).

The standard Pioneer programming setting works EXCEPT for the cellphone control functions. I tried other Pioneer program settings using the badly written instructions manual but none of the other ones worked with the phone buttons correctly . It only made the buttons do the wrong things to the radio; example mute, pause, next track etc.

I would have preferred to have everything working, however I rarely call or receive calls while driving so it's good enough. The main thing I needed working were the 'volume control' and 'mute control'.

About 100 Euro to regain most of the steering wheel control, I guess it's not bad.

I heard the 'CRUX' unit works straight out of the box but it's 300USD.

talkenrain

I'm really interested in doing this as well. What is the CRUX and where can I learn more about these types of units?

Shred

http://www.cruxinterfacing.com/

I have no experience but an installed in Los Angeles recommended it over the Paser Unit I have.

talkenrain

Thanks for the info. I'm changing the head unit to a Pioneer and amp to an Alpine. I really want all the steering wheel controls to work, including the phone controls. Can anyone tell me where the factory microphone is located? I'd like to keep the look as clean and original as possible.

shyamvenky

Waking this thread up from the dead.. According to this video on YouTube by DelreyCustoms, the Paser module should retain phone controls as well.

OP, did you manage to solve your problem? I'm in the middle of a stereo replacement and can't seem to get steering wheel controls to work (Axxess ASWC-1).
Their Tech Support says that controls with a clicker wheel may not work with ASWC-1.
CRUX also has a module SWRBM-57 that is meant to be used for non-BOSE cars, but it can be used for just steering wheel control interface on BOSE cars.
Their Tech Support was also skeptical of it working on 997 (clicker wheel controls basically).

If folks have gotten it to work, then the Tech Support staff may be wrong about their own products.

The Cayenne has buttons for volume, not a wheel - so it may work in a "Porsche", but not any Porsche.
I think all of their websites are very misleading when they say it works on Porsche 997.

Shred

I did the install.
I am able to get the audio functions to work but not the telephony functions on the steering wheel.

Shred

The Paser site never said it is fully compatible either..

hamishpotter

bumping this thread. I have the Pioneer head unit, and my 2008 C2's steering wheel has seen brighter days. am thinking of replacing with multi-function, but would rather not go down a giant rabbit hole and am only moderately technically inclined.

any further insight?

Bruce In Philly

2009 C2S 142K miles

I had my head unit swapped for some Pioneer thing (supposedly the "best"), and a few amps from other brands. I had the installer remove the whole system and put the Bose/Becker stuff back in because they could not get the alternator whine out of it. Anywho...... the installer installed some interface with my multi-function steering wheel. It was AWFUL!!! I never addressed this with the dealer because of the more important whine issue, but it was just crap. I asked the dealer what he installed.... he said something like there is only one or two companies that make the interface and it is all standard workings. Blech.... nothing worked well including changing the volume. I can't remember exactly what the issues were but I know I was pissed.

FWIW.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

shyamvenky

If you have a vanilla steering wheel, then you will need the appropriate harness as well (I bought a steering wheel + the harness from a dismantler)
And then you will need to get the dealer or an indy program the car to enable steering controls.
I did all of this before I even swapped the HU - wanted to validate that the controls work with PCM first.

I used the Connects2 kit that had the MOST module (car has BOSE amp) as well as the steering wheel interface module.
I tested that steering module to work with both my Sony and Pioneer HUs. More than a year since then, and I am sooooooo happy I did this.
It was becoming a pain switching tracks in my rusted iPod classic via the HU

hamishpotter

Thank you for your response.

I have been eyeing a newer 997.2 GTS sport leather non multi-function wheel based on aesthetics but now am thinking I'll go with 997.1 multi-function and keep my airbag. Multifunction would be a blessing rather than pressing a tiny button on the Pioneer HU for volume - can't stand that and I don't think it's safe. Do you have phone functionality as well?

shyamvenky

Yep, I think the functionality is head unit dependent. When I receive a call, I can use the buttons to accept or reject it. But pressing the buttons otherwise doesn't do anything. If you add a carplay capable head unit, then much better 😊

seewong

Bumping this because I just installed a Paser Unican Plus with a 991.2 multifunction steering wheel. The volume and seek wheels work well when setting up the Paser unit (1 scroll bump = 1 setting change), but after setting it up I have to scroll the wheel very far (1 full scroll) to maybe get 1 tick of change in volume or seek. Has anyone else had that problem? Also, my phone buttons do not pick up or hang up. Does this have to do with how the car was optioned from the factory? I did get the Paser unit off ebay, so I will be returning it and buying a new one if no one else has these problems.

Thanks!

NYGLOBAL

What woks best to maintain steering multifunction with a 997.1. Paser Unican Plus or Crux SWRBM57 or incartec or any other good options.

My current set up is a 997.1 with multifunction steering (oem), Kenwood head, aftermarket amp, the.OEM bose speakers and Subwoofer.

When the install was done i lost steering functionality since the standard interface modules my installer had available didn’t work for Porsche. Also lost the subwoofer.

Now that I would like a new amp I want to recoup at the same time the steering functionality and I wonder which module to go for? Price seem very close $250 v. $300
Incartec is way cheaper at about $100 https://incartec.co.uk/product/49-POR-02

cvanhyn

Hi all,

I own a 2007 base model 997.1 coupe. I am currently in the process of completing an aftermarket replacement of my PCM 2.1 radio/cd /sat-nav factory unit with a Sony 5600. All of my purchases and interactions have been with Crutchfield in the US. I have only good things to say about Crutchfield - their prices, return policy, tech support and willingness to work through problems is incomparable (Metra / Axxess on the other hand, err....). Crutchfield originally sold me a full multi-interface package to integrate the Sony 5600 with my existing Bose amp and steering wheel controls. Manufactured by Metra / Axxess you can read all about it on the Crutchfield Web site or go directly to Axxess.

The Axxess interfaces could not be made to work with my car. With the help of Crutchfield I tried two different Axxess interface sets / harnesses and two different Sony head units. Crutchfield allowed me to return both interfaces and else that became unnecessary. Long story short the interface package never worked because the Metra optical interface could not convert an analog signal from the Sony to an optical signal outbound to the Bose amp (shocking but true). I'm not sure I accept explanations given for why this was so, and I'll leave it at that.

Being an engineer (more or less), I decided to perform a full system upgrade and purchased a Clarion 2510 five channel amp to replace the Bose amp. On the advice of my Crutchfield support person, I also purchased a pair of Dayton 50 watt PC105-4 midrange speakers and a set of Rockford-Fosgate RIT-5 tweeters (not top-of-the-line stuff, I realize). The mids and tweeters were necessary because the factory wiring is parallel for the Bose door mounted mids and dash mounted tweeters (both at 2 ohm) resulting in an overall circuit resistance of 1 ohm combined. The Clarion amp doesn't handle 1 ohm speaker circuits, so the mids and tweeters had to be replaced with 4 ohm speakers, giving a combined 2 ohm resistance (the Clarion amp supports 2 ohm circuits). On the plus side, the door bass speakers, rear speakers and rear sub-woofer did not need replacement with this amp (unless one wants to).

I bought the Clarion 2510 because It can be made to fit perfectly on the steel plate mounting the Bose amp if you are willing to do away with the Bose amp and the factory tire patch goo and modify the Styrofoam backing the carpeted front trunk cover which has the cutout pockets for the air compressor, tool kit (I use that term loosely) tire goo and Bose amp. Its not a difficult fit for that amp, if you are willing to trash the tire goo (or store it elsewhere). I wanted the cover to fit as designed, without visible mods.

On my car you can route RCA cables and wire from the head unit frontward, through a firewall plug above the pedals on the left side, then behind the battery over to the right side of the battery area, through a firewall plug behind the evap box on the right at the intermediate firewall, then across the trunk behind the carpeting to the left side along the vacuum brake booster and down to the left side of the amp cover and in to the cover where the tire goo cavity is. You will need 9 feet of cable / wire.

I won't lie the project was arduous. Nothing was particularly difficult, but it was very time consuming for someone without much experience doing this. There were challenges and compromises. The Bose amp harness has to be deconstructed / disconnected to make the new speaker connections from the Clarion. The Clarion amp has two power and two ground wires and the battery terminals had to be replaced to accommodate their direct connection to the battery. It was not possible to route power wires independently of RCA speaker cables because there is only one path through the firewalls. When replacing the mids it was difficult to remove the door panels without some damage to the clips or the panels. On the plus sides the 4" mids fit in the panels and the tweeter replacements on the dash were painless.
.
OK now to the last chapter in the saga. The sound is AWESOME (even with relatively inexpensive speaker replacements). I'm very happy with that but the job was (and is) not quite done. My final task was to wire the Axxess ASWC-1 interface to the Sony 5600 to allow the steering wheel controls (digital CAN signals) to work with phone and music functions of the Sony. Needless to say I was told by the Axxess folks that the interface would work with my steering wheel controls on this Porsche (even though their Web site doesn't commit to this compatibility).

The ASWC-1 interface cannot be made to work with my steering wheel controls. The ASWC-1 does not recognize the signal from my 997.1 steering wheel controls. I updated the firmware. In 20 or more attempts to program the interface, I spun the volume controls up in every possible speed imaginable (as advised). I even took a drill (upon Axxess recommendation) and spun the volume control continuously at various speeds (including very fast) to attempt to get the interface to recognize the signal from my steering wheel controls. No dice. Not going to work. Nothing accomplished except degraded steering wheel volume control. Another Axxess failure to interface with my vehicle.

If you have a 997.1 PCM 2.1 with satellite navigation and have a different experience with Axxess interface products, I'd love to hear about it. I have a great stereo now, but I have no steering wheel controls. I'm still working this problem. I'll report back and report later on if I was able to resolve it.