Axxess Metra ASWC-1 Steering Wheel Control Interface

I purchased this item together with several other Metra parts (dash trim, radio harness, antenna cable, and backup camera retention cable) to replace a factory stereo with a new CarPlay head unit in a 2018 Sentra (base model, no Bose speakers). The overall installation process for all of these parts was lengthy but fairly straightforward... though I haven't used my soldering skills since high school, I was able to wire up the various harnesses, insulate everything with shrink and tesa tape, open the dash, and get everything hooked up and working. The teenager who drives the car is very happy with her new radio.The most difficult part of the entire operation was installation of this component. First, Metra's website didn't cover the model year of our Sentra (2018). Eventually, I learned that the 2017 instructions worked and that Metra simply hadn't yet tested enough 2018 models to feel comfortable putting it on their website--fair enough. Even when I found working instructions, they were poorly written and laid out, almost to the point of being impenetrable. Metra should really consider hiring a professional to improve their documentation.Fortunately, a couple of calls to Metra's tech support--even available on weekends!!--answered all of my questions. They were patient, helpful, and encouraging, giving me the confidence to take on and complete the install. Metra's tech support is genuinely excellent. I only wish their documentation was half as good.One thing Metra recommended which I did NOT do was splice directly into the car's radio harness behind the plug. That would have required peeling back insulation to splice in-line to the bare wire without cutting, and then soldering the new connections *inside the dash*. As I said, my soldering skills are pretty rudimentary and I was not confident that I could easily solder such small connections inside the dash cavity without damaging something else. Instead I used Posi-Taps to tap the two cables behind the plug without cutting or soldering. While Metra warned me that taps wouldn't work, I had seen other installers use them on YouTube. Even Crutchfield's tutorial video used them! In the end, they worked perfectly and I spared myself the tricky soldering and possibly damaging the factory radio harness.Overall, though it was a bit of a challenge I'm glad I took it on.

Works just as it should. 2010 Mazda 6

My install was in a motorhome with a Kenwood receiver but no steering wheel controls. I purchased a two-piece wireless controller here on Amazon, (JOYING Latest Universal Steering Wheel Control), which generates a resistive output like so many OEM car steering wheel controls. The ASWC-1 has no "JOYING" setting, unsurprisingly, but it did have a manual setup mode, and I was able to get it working in about 30 minutes, 25 of which were spent reading the documentation. This was a perfect fit for my application, and it probably will be for yours as well.

When installing a BOSS Audio Systems BVB9358RC in the wife's Ford Excursion, we wanted to be able to retain the use of the steering wheel controls. I called BOSS Audio to ask what they recommended and they pointed me to the Axxess ASWC-1.Following the wiring diagram and instructions were clear and simple enough. When first powering everything up using the auto detect mode it recognized the car and new radio and worked without any extra effort. It all felt so magical. The volume up / down, next track button, and mode selection all functioned as they should on the radio.Fast forward almost exactly a year later and the ASWC-1 started having issues. The volume down button ceased working altogether and sometimes the next track button would function like the mode button if it were working at all.Luckily, I had installed the ASWC-1 module where it could be easily accessed from the fuse panel. I tried a simple reset with the auto detect mode, and found that did not restore functionality to the volume down button. So I went through the manual programming mode and was able to reconfigure all of the buttons, and now they are all again working as they should.I shudder to think of if I'd installed the ASWC-1 in a more inaccessible location, possibly having to remove the dashboard or uninstall the radio, going through the reset process would not have been so simple. Something to keep in mind when using this product. Otherwise, it's been great.