FIAT 500 2014-2018 Radio Upgrade w/ Reverse Camera

16 Apr

Written By Michael Benda

Original Setup:

Factory Radio
No Reverse Camera

New Setup:

Alpine ILX507ai Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Head Unit
Reverse Camera

Parts Used:

Alpine ILX507ai
FP8345 Facia Kit
CAFT01 Steering Wheel & Infotainment Interface Module
APP9ALPV Alpine Patch Harness
APA59 Antenna Adaptor
MM126 HD Reverse Camera with Guidelines

Upgrade Details:

The 2017 Fiat 500 radio came with a super small screen and lacked many of the modern features people expect today. However, the factory radio also includes built-in car settings—like rain-sensing wiper sensitivity, locking, and lighting options—which are usually controlled through the original system.

To keep all of that functionality when upgrading to an aftermarket radio, we used an infotainment adapter module. This module retains the factory car settings and allows them to be controlled directly from the new radio screen using the steering wheel buttons.

The new head unit fits seamlessly into the dash, and we added a reverse camera that automatically activates in reverse, making parking much easier and safer. The end result is a modern, functional system that still preserves the factory feel of the car.