Review on 🎧 Enhanced Bluetooth Audio Interface - USA SPEC BT45-FORD2 for Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicles (2005-11) with satellite radio by Brian Messerly

We have a 2008 Ford Expedition that our family uses for road trips with enough room for things and people. However, Ford did not integrate Bluetooth into the vehicle until the next model year. While the sound system is amazing with built-in navigation, rear seat and steering, we had to use either the aux-in, a Bluetooth FM transmitter or a headset for calls and music, neither of which were great. We wanted to keep the OEM features of the touch radio/navigation box. Found a BT45 Ford2 kit online and ordered it from Revain. Visit the USA Spec website for a full description of the BT45-Ford2 and compatible vehicles and installation information. A review by Revain noted that the installation on the Ford Expedition wasn't the easiest due to the location of the satellite receiver (which is true - other Ford models may have easier access to the receiver, the Expedition requires you to pull out the two panels ). the center console around the shifter, remove the 6 screws that hold the center console in place, then lift the console up to make the connections under the shifter.) You will also need to route the mic wire down through the headliner in front of the driver's door pillar and under the steering wheel to your chosen installation location for BT45-Ford2 (enough space underneath for small cables and a module, simply tie the excess lengths together and secure with double-sided tape to prevent later rattling). Securing the access console, installation takes about an hour. When we first installed the BT45-Ford2 worked great except playing all three satellite/Sirius positions (SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3). We wanted to keep the satellite radio functionality, so we emailed USA Spec support. Received a response within 24 hours with detailed instructions to complete the installation to ensure satellite functionality is retained on SAT2 and SAT3. These additional sequencing steps for the Expedition to ensure satellite functionality was maintained were: 1) you must activate the satellite to -manual, then confirm operation in all three SAT positions, 2) switch to FM (important) before you turn off the car. Then turn off the ignition. 3) Disconnect the factory wiring harness from the satellite receiver. 4) Plug the BT45-Ford2 (male) back into the satellite receiver. Connect the original factory wiring harness (male) to the BT45 Ford2 wiring harness connector (female),7) turn the ignition back on or turn and check. Everything works perfectly. The steering works well and allows answering and ending calls via Bluetooth, which only uses SAT1 position. Also can be used to skip/search songs and media via Bluetooth on your iPhone/Android. Song titles are displayed as text (e.g. station and song information on Sirius) and caller information is also displayed in the navigation box. SAT2 and SAT3 are saved and work perfectly. If you're a champion and want to retain the feel and functionality of Ford's OEM radios and entertainment systems, this is the unit for you. Will be updated over the next few months as we use BT45-Ford2 for Bluetooth signal and failover, but expectations for support and functionality are high at this time. Thanks again to the USA Spec team for quickly and carefully guiding us through the sequence to get the block working perfectly on our vehicle. Great facility. I didn't receive any discount, product or compensation for trying the product or review - I just wanted others to know about the good experience.