I did it! I found a salvage 2020 non-JBL nav head unit and I have successfully retrofitted it into my 2012 TE!
The 2020 HU was not cheap, even for one from a salvage vehicle it still ran $700, and I feel like I still got it for way cheaper than these can be found for.
If you look at the connectors on the 2020 Entune 3.0 HU versus the 2014-2019 Entune 2.0 HU, nearly all are different. So I found this thread on a Tacoma forum where a few folks had retrofitted an Entune 3.0 HU into older models:
New 2020 head unit. Buying? | Page 18 | Tacoma World
After some research I determined that all Entune 3.0 HU's share the same connectors, 4Runner included. Obviously the key to it working was getting a harness that would work. Long story short, I contacted the amazing folks at
AutoHarnessHouse|Plug and Play Car Wiring and Audio Gear and they were able to create a custom harness that would allow plug-in-play from the Entune 2.0 connectors into Entune 3.0 connectors. And I'm pleased to say it works perfectly! The harness set me back $190. This includes a connector that enables the navigation to work on the newer unit. If you don't need nav on the HU, then the harness only costs $135.
- Radio: The only connector that required no retrofit.
- GPS: I was able to re-use the gps unit that mentioned in my earlier posts
- Backup camera: See my earlier posts, but I had to create a custom harness from splicing together two Axxess harnesses
- USB: Entune 3.0 HU's use a new connector... Purchased this for $21:
Metra Online
- XM Radio: My 2012 apparently has a different XM radio unit than the 2014 and up models, so the adapter that I tried didn't work in either the Entune 3.0 or 2.0 HU's. It might work for folks with 2014+ models. Which is fine, I don't use XM radio
- Entune Apps: Based on people in the Tacoma forum and the message I see on the Entune 3.0 HU, the apps seem like they will work if I had the entune app on my phone.
The install was pretty easy overall. After the initial start, it took like 10 minutes for GPS to reset. It also took about 10-15 minutes for bluetooth to start working. Thankfully, the backup camera works fine using my custom harness too. Android Auto worked immediately when I connected my phone via usb.
All in all, I love the 2020 Entune 3.0 HU. The 8" screen is awesome. After having the T9 and 2017 Entune 2.0 HU, the 2020 HU seems to be the best. The sound quality is on par with the T9. I don't regret going to all of this trouble with how good it turned out. I've also gotta say, the new HU looks so good in my vehicle.
If anyone wants to purchase my Beat Sonic unit that allows CarPlay/Android Auto in the 2014-2019 HU's, send me a message. I've also got a 2017 Entune 2.0 HU if anyone wants it (which I will sell for extremely cheap).
One final caveat: This only works for non-JBL head units. If you have a JBL sound system, you are unfortunately SOL.
One last thing, my apologies to the OP of this thread - I am still a junior member on this forum so I am unable to create new threads. Sorry if I hijacked your thread.
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