Disclaimer: I paid for everything, this isn't a promotional review, etc. etc. I own a 2008 4Runner Limited with JBL/non-nav
I wanted a name brand unit but due to the chip shortage, I gave up waiting for more budget
wireless Carplay and Android Auto options. I bought this Atoto F7 Pro XE even though it had no reviews. I figured their other options were generally reviewed well and this seemed identical to previous models except that it added the wireless connection. It was $250~ after coupon at the time of this review.
Amazon.com: ATOTO F7 XE 10.1 Inch Double Din in-Dash Navigation with Bluetooth, Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto, QLED Display, Mirror Link, HD Rearview Input, Quick Charge, USB/SD(Up to 2TB Storage) F7G211XE : Electronics
The other two items I purchased are as follows:
- Metra TYTO-01 -- this is to retain the factory JBL amp
- Metra 70-8114 -- this is so that I don't have to cut into the factory harness, more on that later
The TYTO was about $50 and the second, optional harness was only $9 (seems like a no brainer to me).
The first thing I did when I received my radio was to wire the TYTO harness to the ATOTO radio harness. I recommend you do this inside your house or in your garage workspace. I actually did it at my desk with this
Youtube video playing -- skip to 4:45 to see him wiring the TYTO to his aftermarket radio harness. I used the same method as he did to join the wires -- using crimp connector caps. Use whatever method you are comfortable with, but as a beginner, the crimps were very easy to use. Also worth noting that ALL of my harnesses came pre-stripped at the ends.
NOTE: don't crimp the black ATOTO ground wire to the two TYTO ground wires yet -- you're going to add another ground to these three. Be sure to read the instructions on the TYTO harness to make sure you're connecting to the correct ATOTO wires -- the ATOTO wires were all clearly labeled. The easy one to mix up is the blue ones -- make sure you are connecting the amp correctly etc.
Once you've got everything wired up as above, you should be left with roughly 4 wires -- two SWC wires, a parking brake wire, and a rear camera wire. You will now have to wire the Metra 70-8114 harness (aka Metra SWC harness) to the ATOTO radio harness. There are two wires of note coming out of the ATOTO radio harness -- "steering wheel key#+" and "steering wheel key+". Taking the Metra SWC harness , you will snip off the end with the black molex along with the AUX cord. You can discard this. You will then wire the steering wheel key+ wire from ATOTO to the black/green wire out of this Metra SWC harness. See pic below:
Next, you'll wire the steering wheel key#+ to the green/brown wire out of the Metra SWC harness.
The last wire you need to connect on this Metra SWC harness is that ground wire I talked about earlier -- it should be coming out of the Metra SWC harness and I snipped it back, then tied that into the black grounds for the ATOTO harness (1) and the TYTO harness (2) for a total of 4 grounds wired together. I hope this part is correct -- if anyone with car AV experience wants to chime in and tell me I did it wrong, please do so!!
Note for clarity: you can see the TYTO box in the background of these two above pics. You are not wiring into this harness for the SWC controls though, so ignore it.
The white end of this Metra SWC harness will plug right into the 20-pin white molex connector coming out of your 4Runner -- it should be easy to spot because it only has 6 wires into it. PS-- if you connect the red & white RCA cables from the Metra SWC harness into the back of your ATOTO or similar head unit, you should in theory retain AUX input from your center console. I forgot to test this but I assume it's working. See pic below of the 20-pin out of the 4Runner on the far right. The molex connector on the left is where you'll plug the main TYTO harness.
This should be all of the splicing/harnessing you need to do. From here, you should be able to 1) plug the Metra TYTO harness into the big Toyota harness, 2) plug the Metra SWC harness into the 20-pin Toyota harness, 3) plug the Toyota antenna into the back of your ATOTO radio and also plug the other end of the Metra TYTO into the back of your ATOTO radio and then plug in any peripheral devices into the ATOTO (Wifi antenna, 4G, USBs, rear camera, etc.)
I am realizing I forgot to take finished pictures. I will do so ASAP and update this thread today or tomorrow. It looks great and wireless Android Auto/Carplay both work flawlessly. I also tested the provided phone link USB cable and that works too. I did not use the Metra double-din kit for this installation. Since it's a floating 10.1" screen, it doesn't need it. In fact, this model of 10.1" screen is nearly a flush mount, so you can't even see behind it to notice it's missing the DIN kit -- this is a blessing and a curse, because it leaves you with very little room to adjust.
I'll continue to update this thread with more revisions based on questions and my thoughts on the radio long-term! So far, for about $350 all-in, I'm thrilled and I'm also glad I took on the project.
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2008 4Runner Limited 4x4 -- MK7 GTI Autobahn -- C6 Corvette 6-speed