Alpine Audio????

[oblivionis]

Does anybody have the Alpine IVA-W200 unit installed on their T4R? Maybe with the ALPINE PXA-H701 MUTIMEDIA MANAGER?

This is what I'm thinking of putting on my truck. From my experiance Alpine has the best sound quality so that's why I would like to have an Alpine brand HU. And if I can afford it in the future, I'll add the Alpine NVE-N872A navigation unit.
I'm also thinking of putting in an 8" sub in where the JBL equipped 4Runner have theirs.

What do you guys think? Any ideas or suggestions how to make this work the best?

Paul.

 

[MurrayTheCat]

Paul,

I recently installed the W200 / NVE-872 combo in my truck. I am very happy with the setup. The navigation is top notch. I have not had a chance to swap out the speakers or add an amp, but I can tell you that it sounds 10 times better then the factory head unit. As others have stated, the Ipod integration is unbelievable!

Some people have complained about how far the HU sticks out in the 4Runner, and after I had my unit installed I was not too happy with how it looked. So I decided to pull out the HU and tweak the brackets. with some slight modifications to the brackets, I was able to use a different set of mounting holes on HU which set it in a little deeper in the opening, and it looks much better now.

Let me know if you have any other questions about it.

-Joe

 

[MorrisK64]

Paul,


Some people have complained about how far the HU sticks out in the 4Runner, and after I had my unit installed I was not too happy with how it looked. So I decided to pull out the HU and tweak the brackets. with some slight modifications to the brackets, I was able to use a different set of mounting holes on HU which set it in a little deeper in the opening, and it looks much better now.

Let me know if you have any other questions about it.

-Joe

Joe, I'm one of those that did not like the way the Alpine looked in my 4Runner so I sent it back (Crutchfield). Can you detail the mods to your brackets and possibly clik a pic of the finished look? I loved the unit but hated the way it looked in my dash, if yours looks better I may decide to re-buy the same unit. Thanks

 

[MurrayTheCat]

The Toyota mounting brackets have little bumps that fit into holes on the HU that register the brackets to the HU. So essentially, the brackets click into position and then you screw in the mounting screws to the threaded holes on the HU. I saw that there were another set of threaded holes on the HU that lined up with the brackets, however, the bumps did not have registration holes to click into. So I sanded down the bumps and mounted the brackets in the forward most set of threaded holes on the Alpine. This allowed the HU to sit back an additional half inch or so. That does not sound like a lot but it made a big difference in the way it looks in the dash.



-Joe

 

[oblivionis]

Joe, your HU looks awsome. I've decided... I'm getting it.
What will I need besides the wiring harnes? Also, where did you buy yours? Did you get a good price? Paul.

 

[MurrayTheCat]

Paul,

Do you have the JBL system? I did not have the JBL, and all I needed was the W200, Metra trim kit, Pac steering wheel control interface, and factory harness. Crutchfield carries everything and includes nice documentation on how to take everything apart. You could probably find the unit cheaper elseware, but Crutchfield is great to deal with.

If you enter you truck info on the crutchfield website, it will list the parts you need. It may say that the W200 does not fit in the 4Runner, but as you can see it does!!

-Joe

 

[Fins_UP]

Paul -

I also have the W200 installed in my truck. Thanks to Joe's advice, I'm going to try to modify my brackets to make the unit sit a little bit more flush. That was really the only complaint I had with the unit, and to me it was a relatively minor issue that I chose to live with b/c of all the other benefits.

I doubt for that money ($999) you can find anything better out there. The iPod integration is absolutely phenomenal. Anyone that has been in my car and seen it absolutely LOVES it. Sound quality is also excellent. I also replaced my entire stock system, so that has something to do with the improvement, but you get the point.

I would HIGHLY recommend it.

-Alex

 

[MurrayTheCat]

Alex,

Not sure if you got my email. Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Joe

 

[TX4runnerguy]

So I'm going to start on my Alpine install tonight and had a question...

I've got the Metra trim kit to cover the gaps on the sides (I see what Joe was talking about regarding the extra holes to make the deck sit back further in the dash. I'll be making that modification). But, this trim kit doesn't include any mounting hardware.

I was looking through Crutchfield's instructions on how to breakdown the dash to get the old deck out and noticed that the deck is screwed in via some brackets to the front section of the dash. Crutchfield supplies instructions on installing a single din, which has a kit that includes brackets to mount a deck to the factory mounting holes. Being that the Alpine is double din and I only have the Metra trim brackets, how will the deck need to be tacked in to the dash for sturdiness? Know what I mean? I can rig it if I have to, as I've done a dozen or so installs before, but I just wanted to see what others have done.

Joe (or anyone else), how did you mount yours to keep it sturdy? Did you have to fashion a bracket?

Thanks in advance!


__________________
2005 V8 Limited w/JBL

 

[MurrayTheCat]

The metra brackets have 3 holes in them that line up with the toyota brackets, which then line up with the holes in the HU. So, you screw it all together and install it in the runner as one unit. The Toyota brackets have 4 holes that line up with mount points in the 4runner dash. You will see exactly what I am talking about when you pull off the large front trim bezel (the bezel has the A/C ducts attached to it).

I can offer one important tip. The HU has to sit in exactly the right spot or else the bezel will not slip over the HU. There are 2 mounting screws that secure the HU before the bezel goes on, and 2 more that go in after the bezel goes back on. The tricky part is getting the HU aligned properly, and securing the first 2 screws, then hoping the bezel will go back properly. I had to losen the back 2 screws and tweak the alignment few times before I got the bezel to fit properly.

 

[TX4runnerguy]

Excellent... I appreciate the tips! I'm looking forward to getting this bad boy in and going. Since I have the JBL, I found a harness assembly that's suppose to integrate aftermarket stereo to the JBL. I'm skeptical, so we'll see how it goes. I'm sure I'll have to do some major rigging.

Thanks!

 

[TX4runnerguy]

Anyone know where to tap into the foot brake wire? Tried the green/yellow wire on 16 pin at fuse box, but doesn't seem to be working. Can't get the additional setup options to come up.