Aftermarket JVC in-dash Nav disables autodimming mirror?

[asgm4runner]

Took the wife's '08 4Runner SR5 in to get auto-start and an in-dash nav unit installed. She had what I'm pretty sure was the base audio system for that year. No JBL, nav, or mutil-disc changer stuff. Just a radio and CD player with 3.5mm aux input. For Christmas, I decided to do all the stuff above but, it's been twenty years since I did any of this so I went to a professional installer.

The install took two full days. That seems a bit long to me but, basically they installed a hotrod Clifford alarm for the remote start and a JVC KW-NT510HDT in-dash navigation head unit. While the steering wheel controls work as desired and the unit overall works great, we noticed the auto-dimming feature of her review mirror no longer works. It also has a built-in compass that is no longer functioning either. When we asked the installer about this, he said this happens with some Toyota/Lexus vehicles when you swap the factory radio for an after-market unit.

I might be wrong but, my bullshit alarms went off. Can anyone clue me in on whether or not they've seen this on other 4Runners?

 

[scw1991]

sounds like the auto dimming mirror had it's power supply come from the OEM radio harness wiring.

 

[asgm4runner]

sounds like the auto dimming mirror had it's power supply come from the OEM radio harness wiring.

That's what the tech said and what I'm trying to confirm. There's so much more integration between seemingly unrelated systems now that I can't just blow it off but, at first glance, it seems weird.

 

[CookieRoe]

\When we asked the installer about this, he said this happens with some Toyota/Lexus vehicles when you swap the factory radio for an after-market unit.

I might be wrong but, my bullshit alarms went off. Can anyone clue me in on whether or not they've seen this on other 4Runners?

I've swapped out Toyota radios (aftermarket and OEM) before and NEVER had this specific problem. The mirror has its own power supply and internal functions (maybe the dimmer is connected to the ECU/radio), but that's it. In some mirrors, when you turn the headlights on, the compass readout dims a bit. Even if it's related, the mirror should still power up.

I'm guessing the installer somehow messed up your mirror and trying to cover his ass by feeding you that line.

OR

if true, the mirror should have it's own power (not from the radio). Like I said, the compass and light sensor are internal and independent of the OEM radio.

 

[sonerick]

I installed an auto-dimming mirror w/ compass in my truck. I tapped the overhead center console/sunroof wiring harness for power and ground. I'd be very surprised if wires were run all the way from the mirror to the radio wiring harness, but people do crazy things I guess.

Maybe there is a fuse blown, or the installer knocked some wires loose... I'd check under the dash and see if there's anything obvious. As a last resort you could follow the wiring from the mirror to the power/ground source, which I'm guessing is at the fuse block under the dash.

 

[gshadow325]

Bull crap. Two days for this install? I can do this 4 runner full alarm, and rear window roll up and down in 3 hours. Dvd nav radio with self learning steering wheel module should be done in 1.5 hours.

Does the mirror power up?

You can do this to test it out. Before you say anything to the shop. Reinstall your factory radio back in and see if that fixes your issue. I doubt it though.

If they fed you this bull, I wonder how the install went with a "professional" install. Perception of being a pro, might be a false reality.

Pop off the fuse cover and look in and see what you see. Also look under the dash and check the wiring for the alarm. Spaghetti is not good.

Take some pictures and post it up.

 

[asgm4runner]

Bull crap. Two days for this install? I can do this 4 runner full alarm, and rear window roll up and down in 3 hours. Dvd nav radio with self learning steering wheel module should be done in 1.5 hours.

Does the mirror power up?

You can do this to test it out. Before you say anything to the shop. Reinstall your factory radio back in and see if that fixes your issue. I doubt it though.

If they fed you this bull, I wonder how the install went with a "professional" install. Perception of being a pro, might be a false reality.

Pop off the fuse cover and look in and see what you see. Also look under the dash and check the wiring for the alarm. Spaghetti is not good.

Take some pictures and post it up.

Might be a day or so before I have time to try to post pics. I didn't want to introduce myself to a forum by slamming someone's shop but, it's a fairly popular shop in the Katy, Texas area. They've been in lots of magazines and won tons of awards at SEMA with lots of good recommendations. But, so far, I'm pretty damned far from being happy. Like I said, between the two days to install and then being anything but convenient, I'm not a happy camper. Let's not even get into cost. Pretty sure I'd have saved myself $500-$600 buying the components elsewhere and having another shop do the work. I'm going to consult a couple other shops in Houston tomorrow for second and third opinions. All the same, thanks a bunch guys!

 

[gshadow325]

Might be a day or so before I have time to try to post pics. I didn't want to introduce myself to a forum by slamming someone's shop but, it's a fairly popular shop in the Katy, Texas area. They've been in lots of magazines and won tons of awards at SEMA with lots of good recommendations. But, so far, I'm pretty damned far from being happy. Like I said, between the two days to install and then being anything but convenient, I'm not a happy camper. Let's not even get into cost. Pretty sure I'd have saved myself $500-$600 buying the components elsewhere and having another shop do the work. I'm going to consult a couple other shops in Houston tomorrow for second and third opinions. All the same, thanks a bunch guys!

Based on what you wrote, your parts list should be as follows

-JVC KW-NT510HDT, Kenwood Equivilent would be the DNX690HD so the JVC should cost around $700-800
-Metra ASWC-1 or Pac SWI-RC both around $65-70
-Metra dash kit 95-8210 or Best Kit BKTOYK961 both around $25
-Goofy Clifford Two way Alarm remote starter $300
-DEI DBALL or ADS ADS-TB transponder bypass $75

I doubt they went ahead and intergrated the rear window roll down since it will take about 1 hour to figure it out and another hour to implement the idea. Unless they went to the rear hatch ecu and thats bunch of labor in it self.

Headunit labor should be around $100 -150

Alarm /Starter labor should be at $200-250

My estimate for your bill should be around $1500-1700

Saving $500-600, i would be hard to do. unless you paid more for the equipment.

Sometimes a shop with all these accolades doesnt mean squat. its the people doing the work. boils down to installers that work there that make or break it.

I dont do glass, I dont do shows, I dont do sound offs, I dont lie to the customer, I AM NOT PERFECT, I DO tell customers of problems, its life, I DO, 3-5 remote starts a day, I DO have a personal motto, I am only as good as my last install. With that motto, I strive to do the best job regardless of the situation. If I was busy, thats what a schedule is for. It doesnt take 2 days to do it, unless the timeline is exagerated. example: drop off on day 1 @ 3pm when shop closes @ 5pm and pick up on day 2 @ 3pm. thats two days but 8 work hours.

If that shop went by my motto, then from what you tell me, they suck @ss.

I will not be the first person to bash a shop. I own my own so i know the ins and outs of it all.

No need to consult other shops. This will only lead you down a path worse than one you are on.

other shop can and will:
-bash other shop. you already dont like them, thats easy
-talk bad about install, you already hate them so its easy
-charge you for checking it out, they already messed up in your eyes, so you paying twice. you are voluntarily giving it up.
-bash the products installed, since they probably sell a competing brand, viper vs clifford (btw viper, clifford, python and avital all the same crap different day) kenwood or alpine or sony or pioneer vs JVC
-bash installer since joe smo works there and they dont like them ect.
-bash the install

Whole different can of worms buddy, I never do any of the above. When i do get one of these. I find out what the problem is and fix it.

Your best bet if you are still reading this rant that i am writing @ 5am EST, is to look into the install and see for yourself if it is a mess. All it is, is two 10mm bolts that hold the underdash up. pull off the ring around the key and unplug stuff connected to the temp sensor and vsc switches. take some pictures and post it. 30 minutes of your time can save you a bunch of agravation.

 

[asgm4runner]

Well damn, Steve, tell me what you really think! Seriously, thanks so much for the response. It really helps a lot.

Unfortunately, these guys came in about $500 over the high end of your estimate. They took the truck (by appointment only) at 9:30 am last Thursday morning. When I called at noon to check the progress, they suddenly said they thought it might run into the next day but, would call me if that became necessary. Sure enough, 4pm rolls around and they said they'd need to keep it over night and would only need it for a little while on Friday morning. Friday morning came and went so I called around 12:30pm to see what was up. "It'll be done today and we'll call you when it's done." 3:30pm rolls around and I haven't heard anything but, need to start rolling in that direction because I know they close at 6pm.
I call and magically, they've JUST finished the truck and were about to call me.

Well, I caught a lucky break with traffic and got the wife there to pick up her truck just after 5pm on Friday. Before we left, the wife noticed the problem with the mirror. That's when we got the story about the radio powering the mirror and were told we'd need to bring the truck and the factory radio back for them to fix it and that we'd have to wait until Monday to do that because the installer had just gone on vacation for the next four days.

Quite honestly, this has been a hard few days. I work hard for my money and I too work in a service industry where my reputation is only as good as my last client's service request. I have standards for how I treat my customers and these guys aren't living up to it. I feel like I've been lied to and ripped off while they smiled to my face.

The problem with getting photos is mostly my work schedule. I'm not home as often or as much as I'd like these days. If I get home at a decent hour and I'm not called back into the office at o'dark-thirty again, I'll pull the dash and shoot photos when I get home tonight. Thanks again!

-Gary

 

[gshadow325]

Well since you paid a premium. You should get premium service. There are at least 5 shops when I Googled your town. You need to tell them you had a choice and you choose them based on reputation and referrals.

What can be requested is a complete refund. Or its small claims court. Give thema chanceto fixit, document it if it doesn't get done to your satisfaction. Get someone else to fix it. Pay for it and take the whole bill as your claim. Fun stuff, I have been on both sides with my business and personally.

I do this line of work so, there is no bull shltting me gary. And especially I have a 4runner too, so it even makes it worse for that shop since I can take this truck apart with my eyes closed.

Gary , you still didn't answer my original question. Does the mirror light up at all? It could be as simple as it being disconnected behind the mirror. Or as simple as it being disconnected when they ran the antenna up and the bluetooth microphone.

Let's get this resolved in the forum level then you can go in and submit my receipt for tech support, lol.

 

[asgm4runner]

Again, Steve, thanks. As to your original question about the mirror, it's "dark." There's a little green light in it that doesn't come on and the compass readout is also dark. There is a button on it that turns the auto-dimming feature on/off and that too is non-functional since the install. Were it my truck, I probably wouldn't care so much but, it's my wife's daily driver and she suffers from a degree of night blindness so it's kind of important for her.

Having seen similar features in other cars, I did check for a wire going into the back of the mirror and that connector appears to be seated firmly. The wires don't look cut but, I didn't pull the headliner.

If we get this figured out and it comes down to it, I will gladly submit your invoice as part of the claim!

 

[gshadow325]

Lol, open the fuse box and make sure all the connectors are pushed in. I will look up the schematic tonight when I get home for you. I am out on a service call right now for zipcar

 

[asgm4runner]

OK, I got photos...And an appointment in a few hours. You may not get to see these and reply before they have the truck. All the connectors appear to be intact but, the mirror is indeed dark.

Looking down at the fuse panel...

Connectors on the outboard side of fuse panel...

Looking across the fuse panel from the driver's side on a diagonal toward the passenger side and toward the firewall....

Looking down through the bracket under the steering column...

Looking up from the foot well at the steering column....

Dead mirror...

Backside of the mirror, looking at the connector...

 

[gshadow325]

Omfg, butt connectors for a high end job. Wtf, that's best buy work. I solder all connections and when I see this it makes me puke. It's like r2d2 threw up and that's what it looks like. No wonder there are issues. This is going to be a pita to figure out what has a bad crimp when something goes wonky.

I'd be pissed especially if you paid more than 500 over my quote.

Show them my post, and what i said. It's best buy caliber of work. The independent specialists don't do best buy! Disgrace to the industry.

Sorry for the rant, but this grinds my gears

 

[gshadow325]

Btw, anyone else out there confirm is only two wires to the mirror.?

 

[asgm4runner]

Yeah, I wasn't exactly "excited" when I saw the wiring myself. I was taught to solder connections and then seal it with heat shrink tubing. I'm trying not to go ape shit...things get expensive when that happens and I really don't want to buy my lawyer another boat. I'm contacting the owners (the only people on site are the installers and two "managers," who both appear to be about twelve-years-old and one of whom was the guy giving me the story that changing the radio disables the mirror and that they'd have to gut the factory radio to get some part out to make the mirror work again.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Um, wow...

 

[gshadow325]

Yeah, I wasn't exactly "excited" when I saw the wiring myself. I was taught to solder connections and then seal it with heat shrink tubing. I'm trying not to go ape shit...things get expensive when that happens and I really don't want to buy my lawyer another boat. I'm contacting the owners (the only people on site are the installers and two "managers," who both appear to be about twelve-years-old and one of whom was the guy giving me the story that changing the radio disables the mirror and that they'd have to gut the factory radio to get some part out to make the mirror work again.

Solder and shrink wrap doesnt really work in real world applications. Shrink wrap would require the wire to be cut then the shrink wrap slid on. this will make 3 wires needed to be soldered together.

If they cant rectify this now. Take it to to small claims, 99% of the time you will win LoL

Here's my job in a 2014 Acura TL SH-AWD with 900 miles on it. Remote starter, JL 1000/1, KN Air Intake, and 13w7 Started it @ 930 and been done since 115

 

[asgm4runner]

Well, the good news is it looks like this saga is over...For now at least. I was told that one of the harnesses that plugged into the factory unit was a power feed for the mirror and he was able to splice power to it and resolve the issue. I haven't had time to pull the new radio to see how this might have been done. At this point, the wife his happy and that's what really matters. That's what I'm going to keep telling myself for the time being but, I damn near lost it when one of the managers said the fix was a "freebie" as if they were doing me a favor for having had to wait so long the first time around. With that, I know I will NEVER do business with this place again.

For the record, anyone in the West Houston/Katy, Texas area who is looking to install an alarm or stereo should steer clear of Extreme Offroad and Performance of Katy. You'll pay premium prices for the components and work shown in this thread. Work is scheduled at THEIR convenience, not yours and if they say it takes two days to get parts, count on it taking more like two weeks. One day installs may actually take two days because they don't properly estimate how long something takes and as discussed earlier, the electrical workmanship isn't stellar.

Steve, thanks again for your help. Now, I'm off to go cut open a safe. Later!

 

[gshadow325]

No problem, btw they a off road shop you can't expect them to know how to do a radio install lol. Then again I am a stereo shop, yet I have one of the only machines in the area that can mount a 30" tire. I glad it worked out, next time let's DIY and I can walk you thru it.