"Smokers Kit" + USB Mod
 

I performed this mod today but have not installed it. I should get my CarPlay Head Unit in Wednesday or sooner, so I will actually install this once I have the radio as well.

I posted elsewhere that my AUX 12v power adapter near the driver was not working. It was intermittent and it seemed as if it was because the connection between accessories and the socket was poor. In researching a fix, I came up with this idea.

Needed:

• Toyota 74110-35010-B0 Ashtray (Kit)
• 3.0 Male to USB 3.0 Female AUX Flush Mount Car Mount

The purpose of this mod was threefold:

• Fix 12v AUX Power
• Provide USB Port for Headunit (the male USB end will plug into the back of the headunit)
• Leave vehicle (dash, etc) unmodified by cutting no holes, etc

Admittedly, I have not installed this yet, but I don't foresee any reason it should not work.

I've taken extremely detailed photos also because the information regarding this part (Toyota 74110-35010-B0) is extremely limited. I lucked out and think I was able to accomplish exactly what I had hoped for.

Here is the part in its "stock" goodness:


Here is everything included with the USB kit:


Here I've labeled exactly what everything is, that was a mystery to me until I started taking it apart:


Pulling the plugs (literally). Also, the bulb twists out:


After that, the plastic holder piece comes out easily:


At this point, I realized that the ashtray is removable. You can see the "window" that allows the light from the ashtray bulb to poke through. It is glass/plastic/etc. I pried the little chrome/etc piece that holds your cigarette out as I won't be smoking:


The "assembly" without the ashtray:


There is a small philips screw holding in the ashtray light:


I took the screw out, removed the ashtray light piece, then put the screw back in so I wouldn't lose it:


I temporarily removed the tape holding the wires to the side and removed the "unneeded parts" that I've been removing. They are shown above the assembly:


I don't know how to describe this step. Perhaps some people will have an easy time with it, perhaps others will have a harder time. It probably took me 15 minutes. You have to sorta twist, unsnap, and push the silver piece up through the light ring. If I had been more forceful and less concerned about breaking something, this would go fast:


Showing the green "tabs":


It's taken probably 20 minutes to get here, but here she is:


The next step kinda happened all at once. I fed the USB port through the right way and started the plastic nut threading:


As you can see, without modifying the assembly (which was my goal), the nut kinda hangs on the black plastic tabs/support. With enough fiddling, I was able to get it pretty tight:


Unused parts from USB Kit:


This part was an afterthought by me. Assuming that all of this works exactly as planned, I took some silicone sealant (dries clear) and placed some around the plastic nut, sorta tacking it in place. Hopefully this will prevent everything from moving. I did not want to glue it as I may have to replace the plug at some point. I think the silicone sealant could be peeled off easily:


The "finished" product. I think it looks quite nice. I cannot wait until my headunit gets here:


Afterthoughts

The "smokers kit" feels nice.The USB Socket kit feels like a cheap USB port. If it works and lasts a few years, it's no big deal. Perhaps it will feel better once installed.

I set it up this way as I wanted a USB connection going to the back of the headunit. If all you want is "power", there are numerous other options for that.

If you wanted, you could leave the ashtray light plugged in and installed. I don't plan on using the ashtray for anything other than storage of something random, so I took it out so I wouldn't have to plug anything like that in.

Excellent job documenting the mod! I’ve been thinking about doing the same thing for awhile now. I’ve been going back and forth as to whether to do the USB link there, or just a USB charging port, with full time power. What head unit did you buy? I just picked up a Sony XAV-AX1000 for my daughter’s Camry. Originally, I was considering a Pioneer that someone recommended in another thread, but was spooked by some of negative reviews on Amazon regarding the CarPlay functionality with later versions of the iPhone, plus Crutchfield no longer even carries that model. Since my daughter has a new Xr, AND CarPlay was one of the main features I was looking for since she’s a new driver, I found the Sony on Crutchfield and thought I’d evaluate it in her car before deciding if it would be a solid choice for my 4R. It got really good reviews, but the one negative for me, and it’s only a small one, is that it has no rear input to setup a cleaner link for CarPlay. I know you can get wireless CarPlay, but they start at around $500, so that certainly wasn’t an option for my daughter, and honestly even for me, I wouldn’t pay almost double the price just for wireless. Besides, keeping it plugged in will maintain the battery, instead of draining it as streaming would. One other feature I liked was that this Sony has an actual volume knob, which seems easier than taking your eyes off the road and fumbling for either touchscreen “buttons”, or even physical up/down buttons. Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you chose, and how it works out, since I still haven’t bought anything for mine yet. It came with a nice Pioneer single DIN that has Bluetooth so I can stream music, hands free phone calls, etc., so for me the only reason I’d upgrade it, would be to have NAV on the screen, and a backup camera. Both of those would be “nice to have” features, but certainly not an absolute must have.

I wanted the exact same one as you (Sony XAV-AX1000) as technically it seems "better" than the Sony XAV-AX100 (that's what I bought), but the fact that mine has the rear port sold me. Had the 1000 had the rear port I'd have bought it.

Keep that in mind. Two of my friends have the 100. I talked to both of them, ultimately they are happy. I tried one of them out extensively the other night. I think I'll like it. He hadn't updated the firmware (according to him) at all, I see on Sony's website there is a firmware update from December. So some of the minor "issues" that they told me about may be fixed, even.

Thanks, I’ll look forward to your update once it’s installed and working. I haven’t installed the one in my daughter’s car yet due to time constraints, and the fact that it poured last weekend when I planned to do it.:rolleyes: I did look at the 100 as well when we were comparing different models and they seemed very similar, but I can’t remember exactly what made me choose this one instead. Great to know about the rear port on the 100 though.

I didn't look at exact differences, but what made me want the 1000 was when watching their video for the 1000, it showed the "boot" time as being much faster than the 100. This lead me to believe that the 1000 was newer than the 100.

I wish their models were a little more clear regarding release dates and features.

However, when I realized that the 1000 did not have a rear port and the 100 did, I pretty much made my decision regarding that.

I too chose this for the volume knob/button.

I had an Explorer a few years ago with just a touch screen for media, I did not like it. I like a few physical buttons. I think I'll really like this.

My only gripe with my XAV-100 is the boot time. I wish it were about 5 seconds faster. Other that that I like it a lot. I am pretty sure the 1000 is newer than the 100. I only recently saw information about the 1000 on crutchfield. When I bought my 100 a year and a half ago I never came across the 1000 in my search for a radio.

I also chose this radio in part because it had a volume knob. I don't like the buttons or lack of buttons that most aftermarket radios have.

Yes, the 1000 is newer I believe. In their marketing they were very much touting that it was faster than the "older" 100.

I wonder why they chose to remove the rear USB port? I imagine (some) people complained about having to route a cable from behind to be user accessibly. I also imagine a lot of people plugged Lightning or Micro USB cables into the back and then routed them to be user assemble. This would work great -- until you want/have to update firmware on the headunit. At that point, you'd have to remove paneling/trim again in order to access the female USB A connection.

I'd have loved the 1000, but I didn't want a cable hanging from my head unit in that manner.

I did this... https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...aa5a90f520.jpg


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I almost did this. I may still do it longterm.

However, I wanted to fix the Aux 12v socket that I have, so I realized that my current solution would fix both issues.

Dependent upon how I like my solution, I may or may not attempt a solution closer to yours at some point.

Gotcha... I like your solution as well honestly.

That location would work very well for me since I use the fold down tray to hold my iPhone when I’m driving, so I could use a really short cable from there.

Yeah, I like this location and the panel came with plenty of both USB and audio cable to get into the radio cavity.

Silly question, but when the tray is folded down, is there enough room to keep the USB plugged in? It looks like the tray is very close, and partially covers that bank of switches, especially if you had a dual USB version and tried to use the rear slot.

Since you have this stereo (similar model) what did you do with the green parking brake wire? I’ve read that some stereos allow for just grounding that, where others require a device to simulate the parking brake hookup. I’m installing in my daughter’s Camry today and was planning to just ground it, but thought I better ask so not to damage the unit. Also, her factory JBL radio has 2 antenna inputs. What do you do with the small one?

The center console armrest does not cover that bank switches at all. they are wide open right behind the shifter. A shirt cable will allow you to place your phone in the pocket below the HVAC controls.