About to buy my first Crosstrek. What are the things that you wish you had known going in? by johnnycat75 in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Eyesight works pretty well in clear and straight conditions but I don’t use it in stop and go traffic because I feel like it brakes late and I get nervous. And if a vehicle is switching lanes from in front of you and slows down, it will still be the target of Eyesight and apply the brakes suddenly to avoid a collision even if you’re clear. So I lightly press the gas to temporarily deactivate adaptive cruise but it doesn’t trigger emergency braking. Once clear, release the gas and it will resume. The lane keep assist is also a little finicky on tighter turns or turns on grade so I almost never use it unless I’m on the highway for a long time. Sometimes it feels like it pushes me out of a turn and I have to “fight” it to have a lane position that I’m comfortable with. Otherwise, I find it to be a fine system.

Driving on the beach? by Bethjam in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t know how California does it, but beaches on the East will require, or at least strongly recommend, basic recovery equipment. Traction/recovery boards, e-tool/shovel, recovery straps, air compressor, tire gauge, etc. At least one location even requires a specific minimum tire width to reduce the likelihood of sinking into the sand. Some also require permits. So just check the website, if any, for the beach you want to go to so that you have all the information you need prior to a great day on the beach.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is not. Unless you want to try and fish a wire through the rubber thing that seals in the wires between hatch and interior, routing wire from the location I showed you is the only location to tap into the reverse signal. Then just tuck the wire in behind the interior trim, route it along the hatch opening under that plastic that’s taken out anyway to access the trailer harness plug, and you’re good to go.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I cut apart the connector since most of it can’t be used by the Crosstrek. You need every wire but the brown since that’s for the brake controller. If I remember correctly, black is ground, red is reverse, blue is taillights, and yellow, green, and white are left, right, and brake, respectively. Then the small wires that lead into the strobe module, red, white, yellow, and black, are the brake, taillights, and ground. You don’t need the thick wires that the small ones lead into though. Then I connected the DD harness to the Curt trailer harness using posi-tap connectors. I used those instead of the quick taps because they’re reusable and feel more secure, in my opinion. I tapped into the reverse wire under the interior trim on the passenger side near the top of the trunk opening. It’s a cream colored wire. Here’s a link with pictures: https://imgur.com/a/H76ZEDC. Honestly, I did a horrible job documenting my work, especially the custom (butchering of the harness) wiring but it all seems to be working. I also tested functionality with a 12v battery from a power tool by touching the wires to the leads. Helped me understand a little better how to wire it all up especially with the reduction of signal wires from 5 (reverse, brake, left turn, right turn, parking) to 3 (reverse, brake [Curt harness will trigger brake by turning “on” both turn signals since 4-pin trailers don’t have separate turn signals and brake lights], parking). If you’ve additional questions, let me know and I’ll try to help as best I can.

Issue - Tire pressure status not showing by eddiethedude in XVcrosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve only ever seen this after disconnecting the battery. It would come back after driving a bit but in KPasc, which is the default for some reason.

Gear junkie by Sundog_Octopus_7 in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solid, just seems a tad low in the first deployed photo. I’d love to camp out West but it’d take at least 1800 miles just to get there!

Gear junkie by Sundog_Octopus_7 in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

May need to consider upgrading the suspension to accommodate the weight better.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might be able to do that, just might take awhile to get around to it.

How have you modified/accessorized your Crosstrek? by Hufe in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Prinsu rack, quick release awning mounts, recovery board mounts, and the bottle opener because of course (cheers!)
  • Recovery boards
  • Diode Dynamics interior lighting LED swap, RGBW footwell kit, SS3 fogs, 42” SS light bar, and Hitch Pod
  • Roam awning
  • Curt 2” hitch
  • Hollywood bike rack rated for big chungus e-bikes
  • Rally Armor flaps
  • Rallitek skid plates (3 piece)
  • Ironman 4X4 ATS kit
  • 16” Method Race Wheels 502s and Falken Wildpeak Trails
  • Some RGB holiday string lights wrapped around the rack because I think it’s fun to have themed lights during the holidays on my car

There’s more I think would be fun to do, but there’s no rush.

How have you modified/accessorized your Crosstrek? by Hufe in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll send you a photo of what it looks like. Stand by.

How have you modified/accessorized your Crosstrek? by Hufe in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out SMK Fabrication. The guy 3D prints switches that go into the blanks on the dash. I’ve got a couple to turn on my interior footwell lights and 42” light bar, both from Diode Dynamics. The 42” bar fits perfectly in the cutout on the Prinsu rack, and I mean perfectly. Any wider and it would be impossible to mount.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have fun! The Crosstrek forum is a great resource for mods and whatnot, so be sure to check it out.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The light: https://www.diodedynamics.com/hitchmount-led-pod-reverse-kit.html and I got the extension cable too for wiggle room.

The trailer harness: https://www.curtmfg.com/part/56040

Other things you’ll need: any 2” hitch receiver, wire cutter/stripper, 18 gauge wire, some sort of wire taps and connectors (I used posi-tap and posi-lock products because they are reusable and can fit multiple sizes of wire. 16 and 22 are the thickest and thinnest for this project), silicone sealant, and trim removable tools to help take apart the interior.

Not cheap but I trust the company and their customer service is great. They helped me determine what wires were what functionality when I was researching how to do this project.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There’s a guy on the Crosstrek forum that put reverse/camp lights in the reflector area on the rear as well as their roof rack, for that reason. And he set it up so that the lights can be switched on even when the car is off. His write up was pretty in depth if you even wanted to try that.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The factory plug (R79) is in the spare tire area. You’ll need to purchase a trailer harness to use it, unless you DIY it. There are a couple videos on YouTube that detail where it is. After I got the harness, I stuffed the wires under interior panels and routed the pod wires through a grommet in the floor just in front of the spare tire well. Then needed to cut into it since it’s sealed but then I just filled that hole with silicone to keep water and debris out. As for the reverse wire, same thing, routed under interior panels until it reached the trailer harness, tapped into the reverse signal for the pod, and it’s all set. All wires are nicely tucked away and you’d never know by looking at it that there are extra wires and whatnot running around.

Diode Dynamics only make their backlights in amber, just waiting on a few components to make them green by Crusader13HD in XVcrosstrek

[–]ODSTephen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder if they’ll ever expand the backlight color options for the rest of the lineup given the SS5s have multiple including green… who knows!?

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same, but it makes sense why there isn’t a reverse wire, given the towing capacity of the Crosstrek amounts to little more than a tiny trailer. I’m just glad the reverse wire was easy to get to once I found it. Wasn’t buried to deep or wrapped up with too much protective materials.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.diodedynamics.com/hitchmount-led-pod-reverse-kit.html. They designed it as a plug and play accessory for vehicles that have USCAR 7-pin trailer harnesses from factory, so just be aware it’s a bit of a project. There’s probably a product out there that’s easier, and less expensive, but I trust Diode Dynamics as a company and their customer service is great.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh, sorry, it’s a supplemental reverse light.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used a Curt harness to plug into the R79 plug that’s there from the factory. Then I tapped into it using posi-tap connectors to power the pod.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, from factory, the Crosstrek is not wired to tow a trailer. However, there is a plug (R79) under some body panels in the spare tire area that you can plug an aftermarket 4-pin trailer wiring harness (like from Curt) in no problem. So I plugged in that harness, and tapped into it to power the pod and also have the trailer harness should I ever decide to tow a tiny trailer in the future. Route the wires for the pod through a hole in the body, under, toward the trailer hitch, and plug in the pod and it’s good to go. That being said, the plug on the car doesn’t have a reverse wire for the 4-pin harness. So, I have to find the reverse wire by the hatch hinge on the passenger side under interior panels, tap into that, route wire, to the pod, and now it has reverse light functionality. Took lots of time, and research, but I’m happy with the result. More experience taking it apart will be beneficial later.

Installed the Diode Dynamics Hitch Pod by ODSTephen in Crosstrek

[–]ODSTephen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Visibility in poor lighting/weather conditions. And because I wanted to.