2001 Toyota 4runner Limited upgrade questions

[sugjavier]

What are my options to upgrading my:

1) Radio/cd player. I have a 6 disc cd changer that came with my car but no aux input. I want to be able to hook it up to my android phone, or my friends iphone. If you can give me a model, price, labor cost average that'd be great.


2) I'm noticing that I can feel the bumps/cracks on the road more intensely than when I first bought this car. So I think I'm planning on upgrading the shock absorbers. Any suggestions on a best but cheapest possible. I'm in college and don't have a lot of money. Please include average cost including labor since I have no clue. I'd prolly get it done in the dealership (note: I'm the 2nd owner, and the 1st owner probably never changed the shocks/struts or springs)

3) Headlights: my dad bought this
But I don't notice a difference between that and the OEM headlights it came with. Also, he tells me NOT to use hi beam since it kills it faster. In fact, he had to get a replacement because after 3 months, the visionplus headlights were outperformed by the OEM headlights in terms of brightness.

Anyways, I'm looking into this as a backup. Can I expect a noticeable brightness difference between this and the OEM?
Also which is better of the 3? VisionPlus, XPS 2, or X-treme?

 

[MONTYMTB]

There are a lot of aftermarket radios that you can buy at very decent prices that have aux. My Alpine has one, and also has a USB port on the front which to me is the best thing since sliced bread. You can buy a mini flash drive like this one, load it up with music and just keep it plugged in. Check with a local stereo shop on this, they will also have a part that will fill in the space that is left when you take out the larger factory radio.

Unless the dealership is running a sale, you're probably going to pay a lot more for shocks there. I recently replaced all 4 corners on my 3rd gen with Monroe (I do no off roading), and while it did improve the ride you have to remember that it is a truck. In other words, don't expect a huge improvement in ride quality, but you will feel the difference when cornering and braking. I kept an eye on Sears sales ads and bought the rears from them when they had a free installation special, and bought the front from Amazon.

 

[sugjavier]

Actually I found this in Amazon:
Amazon.com: GOgroove FlexSMART X2 Wireless In-Car Bluetooth FM Transmitter with Charging, Music Control, and Hands-Free Calling for Android, iPhone, Blackberry, & Windows Smartphones: Car Electronics

It seems like the best but cheapest way for me to play music thru my phone.

I still need help on #2 and #3.
I think replacing just the front shocks/struts is good enough. That link you gave got horrible reviews, I'm kinda expecting more of something that has many 4-5star reviews. Yes I do know its a truck so I can't expect a big difference but it's been intense on small cracks on roads.

 

[MONTYMTB]

Understood. Food for thought though: that device is $50 - for around $100 you could have something like this, and wouldn't have to deal with the device sticking out from your power outlet. Much cleaner look, but obviously comes down to personal preference. I've used devices with the FM transmitter before and didn't care for the sound quality, but that one seems to get good reviews.

Two of the bad reviews were from the wrong parts being in the box, and not about the actual performance - I didn't have that problem with my order. I have about 1000 miles on mine and they have been fine so far, but cannot speak to longevity. Like one of the positive reviewers said, it's probably as good as the OEM stuff that came on it. I looked around quite a bit before I bought them, and didn't really find anything that I thought would improve the ride any more than the Monroe, and from your post you said you wanted an economical improvement. Not trying to talk you into them, just saying that I've got no complaints with them - they are about what I expected for the money I spent. Forgot to mention in my first post, but I found a local tire store that was willing to install them for around $75. A special tool is required.