Replacing Rand McNally GPS in a 2016 Winnebago Brave 27B

[Brave Owner Steve]

My Rand McNally RVND 7730 is no longer supported. The USB power cable connector broke and was no longer supported. The GPS rides on a sliding mount and the cables for power and the backup camera snake under the dash panel and I had no idea how to move forward other that I needed to remove the dash panel which was not obvious.

Nicolas @ Winnebago customer support provided me with the Dash Install drawing 30245201000 which was a real help. But it did not tell the whole story. The following is what you need to do to remove the dash platform and obtain access to the cables and the cable chain/raceway. Also very helpful was Cortona3D Solo Universal Viewer which shows a parts breakdown.

1. Remove the air vents on both sides of the dash. Remove the housing from the flexible hoses. Remove the two screws holding a bracket on each side.
2. Remove the instrument cluster housing.
3. Go outside the MH and open the engine compartment. There are four nuts in the front of the engine compartment ceiling. They are covered with a tar like material. Remove the nuts.
4. I removed the side trim on either side of the windshield, but I may not have needed to.

From here is the scary part. Lift up on the center of the silver trim on the dash platform. The platform is held in place now with a lot of Velcro strips in the dash frame. Work from side to side and front to back repeating until all of the Velcro is free.

Once free, the dash panel can be raised and you will be able to access the cables, GPS mount and the chain/cable race. I removed the mount, chain and cables. I wil be installing a new Garmin GPS and a Bluetooth backup camera.

Hope that helps the rest of you.

 

[ahallasjr]

5

 

[Brave Owner Steve]

I changed my mind and decided to delete the Jensen Radio and along with the Rand McNally GPS. In place of the radio I will install a Pioneer WDM-WT5000NEX CarPlay radio which will have a 9” display, Bluetooth connection to my iPhone navigation and entertainment apps, support for the original rear view camera in one integrate package.

CarPlay Radio for 2016 Winnebago Brave 27B

This post describes what I did to install a Pioneer DMH-WT5000NEX CarPlay radio in a 2016 Winnebago Brave. The Rand McNalley GPS was no longer supported and the Jensen radio was old school as well. In a previous post I described how to remove the dash panel to access the required cables. The...

www.winnieowners.com

 

[RayIN]

After RM dropped their line of RV GPS's and stopped all support, I bought a China-made RV GPS off Amazon for $60. I don't fool with their updates, just buy a new unit every 3 yrs. It is every bit as accurate as Rand McNally RV units.

 

[Brave Owner Steve]

After RM dropped their line of RV GPS's and stopped all support, I bought a China-made RV GPS off Amazon for $60. I don't fool with their updates, just buy a new unit every 3 yrs. It is every bit as accurate as Rand McNally RV units.

A perfect solution if that is what you want. In the next post I described how I installed a CarPlay radio that provides entertainment and navigation with a 9” display. All in one box. Leveraged the technology of my iPhone (or Android) while cleaning up the dash. Also provides hands free phone and rear view camera support.

 

[RayIN]

A perfect solution if that is what you want. In the next post I described how I installed a CarPlay radio that provides entertainment and navigation with a 9” display. All in one box. Leveraged the technology of my iPhone (or Android) while cleaning up the dash. Also provides hands free phone and rear view camera support.

Yes, that's the right solution for me. I don't listen to radio while driving, and the RV GPS only routes me where my size and weight restrictions are allowed. I don't talk on the cell phone while driving, it too is a distraction from driving and watching traffic. My wife takes and makes all phone calls while the MH is running. I'd guess my RV GPS is 1/10 the cost of that radio, I'll use the saved money to enjoy on other things.

 

[Morich]

A lot of personal choice but I find I DO NOT want to combine any more electronics in one item than required. Too much risk of one function failing and that takes too many things out!
I have seen way too many "gizmos" come and go to want to buy into any one item that is quite likely to become obsolete in way too short time.
Going too far into use of cell phones for mapping as we currently know it is just not one for me to like as there are way too many places where I go and find cell service is not dependable!
When I get off the beaten track is when I really want directions and GPS is far more reliable.
I am way more inclined to get a good GPS and throw it on the dash of whatever I am driving at that point, whether it is an RV, my personal car or a rental in some far off spot.
If I am on the wrong side of a hill or deep down in a valley, I CAN almost always get a signal from the sky, so GPS works for me.
If it becomes obsolete at some point, I can likely find the "new thing" without having to trade cars!

 

[Ramhapct]

My Rand McNally RVND 7730 is no longer supported. The USB power cable connector broke and was no longer supported. The GPS rides on a sliding mount and the cables for power and the backup camera snake under the dash panel and I had no idea how to move forward other that I needed to remove the dash panel which was not obvious.

Nicolas @ Winnebago customer support provided me with the Dash Install drawing 30245201000 which was a real help. But it did not tell the whole story. The following is what you need to do to remove the dash platform and obtain access to the cables and the cable chain/raceway. Also very helpful was Cortona3D Solo Universal Viewer which shows a parts breakdown.

1. Remove the air vents on both sides of the dash. Remove the housing from the flexible hoses. Remove the two screws holding a bracket on each side.
2. Remove the instrument cluster housing.
3. Go outside the MH and open the engine compartment. There are four nuts in the front of the engine compartment ceiling. They are covered with a tar like material. Remove the nuts.
4. I removed the side trim on either side of the windshield, but I may not have needed to.

From here is the scary part. Lift up on the center of the silver trim on the dash platform. The platform is held in place now with a lot of Velcro strips in the dash frame. Work from side to side and front to back repeating until all of the Velcro is free.

Once free, the dash panel can be raised and you will be able to access the cables, GPS mount and the chain/cable race. I removed the mount, chain and cables. I wil be installing a new Garmin GPS and a Bluetooth backup camera.

Hope that helps the rest of you.

Thanks for the info on the dash. It’s been a pain trying to find a walkthrough. One question, how did you get that stuff off the nuts in the engine bay?

 

[Brave Owner Steve]

That is a great question. The nut locations and the number of them are not obvious. There is a rubberized material covering them. I used a utility knife to cut the material sufficient to use a long nose pliers to pull the material away. Once most of the material was removed you can use a deep well socket to obtain purchase on the hex nuts. Don’t worry about cutting the underside of the dash as that material is steel. I cleaned up the nuts completely only after they were removed.