My 2014 TE build thread

[gshadow325]

man i need to get with the person u got this from. i read on the forum u can do an alarm and still use the sr5 key so u dont have the extra remote.

Correct. You can use oem key to control the compustar.

 

[cd121082]

Correct. You can use oem key to control the compustar.

there special instructions a best buy installer would need?

 

[gshadow325]

there special instructions a best buy installer would need?

Best buy? I would try and find a specialist first and last resort use them.

 

[gm350reratliff]

you twist the wires like the good ole dei days LOL.

LOL, old habits die hard.

btw. i suggest putting the ez-go at the driver's pillar. since its a short range rf id remote, you want the range to be closest to the driver door so it can unlock for you and lock when you walk away.

I stuck it at the top of the windshield, just right of center. Seems to work ok so far.

Did you move the blank up from the bottom to the top dash and move the dimmer down? i feel its best to have the led as high up as possible.

No, I installed it top center of steering column.

if i can find a extra one. i am going to drop a temp sensor in the mail for you. this way you can see what temp it is in the car....little feature of the compustar stuff!

Thanks man! That would be awesome! If you come across a cheap used programmer, let me know. I may be interested.

btw- i like the radar mount. my escort 9500csi doesnt go far down enough to get a gps signal.

Thanks! Been using these for many years now. Country Joy Crafts

from a noobie standpoint, what do you like and dislike about compustar vs dei on install?

The install and wiring was easier than DEI. Pretty much all wiring goes to one location instead of separate modules (DEI). Way more flexibility and upgradeability with Compustar. I can still use the OEM remotes with Compustar.

I do think the programming is a little simpler on the DEI stuff (who knows, it's been about 5 years since I installed anything, it may be the same or worse now). It could be I'm just use to the way DEI stuff is.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Some finished alarm/remote start pics.

Drone mobile app. This will be a godsend when working graveyard in the winter

RPS touch pad. Touch pad sticks to the inside of the windshield. Locks by holding the red button. Unlocks with a programmable 4 digit code.

 

[cd121082]

Best buy? I would try and find a specialist first and last resort use them.

Yeah I get what ur saying but I once did a local installer and had issues n was 300 miles away and they said yeah we can't help u unless ur here where we r so I decided to find a place that I would have nation wide u know.

 

[gshadow325]

Yeah I get what ur saying but I once did a local installer and had issues n was 300 miles away and they said yeah we can't help u unless ur here where we r so I decided to find a place that I would have nation wide u know.

best buy cant help you either beside the fact that they would have a installer on site LOL, i use the term installer loosly

knowing what i know, and knowing what they dont know. i'm on the fence out them installing it.

also compustar HQ is in kent washington, how far are you from there?

 

[gshadow325]

so many dei trademarks...the led in center cover, twisted wires and you still like the bit writer. yea the bit writer spelled it out what each option was. but the compustar would be hard to do since each option can have at least 4 sub options

 

[gshadow325]

dropping this in the mail to you, your little temp sensor doo hickey. that country joy crafts radar mount is nice. got it the other day but the design of the mount makes the gps antennae useless in my escort 9500csi. so i had to return it.

 

[gm350reratliff]

dropping this in the mail to you, your little temp sensor doo hickey. that country joy crafts radar mount is nice. got it the other day but the design of the mount makes the gps antennae useless in my escort 9500csi. so i had to return it.

Thanks man!


That's a bummer about the mount. I use the 8500 so I don't have that issue. Have you checked if the blendmount would work? BlendMount Radar Detector Mount Escort Beltronics Valentine One

 

[gm350reratliff]

So I finally installed my sliders that I picked up from Smiths Ultimate liners a couple weeks ago. I think they came out pretty good. Smiths was able to spray them pretty thick so all the corners sealed up good. Shouldn't need to worry about rust or rocks chipping them.

 

[gm350reratliff]

With the sliders and some of my projects at work out of the way, my mind is set on lifting it a little. I was going to hold off until after the new year but not sure I can wait any longer.

I only want to go about 1.5"- 2" in the front and maybe 1.5" max in the rear to retain some of the factory rake. Not quite sure if I want to run 5100s again or step up to the toytech boss or similar setup. So many good choices it seems.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Build is looking good Ron; not sure how I missed this earlier, but loving the mods so far....nice work!

 

[gm350reratliff]

Just pulled the trigger on some more stuff for the 4runner. Hoping it will be here next week.

Icon extended travel IVD coated COs
Camburg ball-joint UCAs w/covers
SAW 1.5" rear springs
Bilstein 5100 rear shocks

Definitely spent more $ than intended so hopefully it will drive like I imagine it will.

My question is, am I missing anything?

Super excited so I wanted to share with everybody. :rockon::banana:

 

[Landy]

Great build so far! You'll love the Icon suspension. How are you liking the compustar alarm? I can't find anyone locally who does anything other than DEI. I'm going to keep looking!

 

[gm350reratliff]

Great build so far! You'll love the Icon suspension. How are you liking the compustar alarm? I can't find anyone locally who does anything other than DEI. I'm going to keep looking!

Love the compustar alarm/remote start. Super handy having the drone mobile app. I can double check that I locked my 4runner (I can be kinda forgetful at times) and lock it if I forgot to. It's also nice being able to start it from my phone. I work at a power plant. Depending on what's going on, I can't always leave my desk in the control room to start my vehicle. With the drone app, I can just open it on my phone and boom, it is started. Makes leaving from graveyard a little better in the winter.

If I were you, I would keep looking for a shop that installs compustar. There is not a lot of shops that install compustar around here either though. That being said, if you find a good DEI installer, they should have no trouble installing the compustar. A few things are different from DEI, some connections, how it interfaces with the vehicle, how the programming works but overall it's doing the same thing as a DEI unit. I'm a former DEI installer, if I can do it, anybody can.

 

[TBrock]

Good looking sliders. Can't wait to see more from another storm trooper.

 

[gm350reratliff]

I changed the oil and filter yesterday and while I was at it thought I might as well do some cold weather mods.

I will give everybody that is thinking of installing a block heater a tip. Get the actual Toyota block heater. Do not try to save a couple bucks and get the Kats block heater. They are both cartridge style block heaters so, why not, you ask? Two reasons, #1 the Kats heater is rough cast and will not fit into the machined hole in the engine block without sanding down all the rough edges and even then it may not fit. #2, Kats does not supply you with the required G-624 silicone grease that you are supposed to coat the heater element with before installing. The problem with that is, in my one-horse town, that grease is unobtainable. Sure, I did find it on amazon but it is high-dollar stuff.

So, save yourself a headache and get the Toyota block heater for our trucks.

Here are some pics I took while attempting to install the block heater.

The package says "frost plug" well it's not. It is indeed a cartridge style heater.

See that hole above the two bell-housing bolts? That is where the OEM style block heater goes. It will help greatly if you are a double jointed, skinny, contortionist with long arms. Even then, there is a bracket that goes from the exhaust flange to the bell-housing that you will have to remove.

Here's a better shot of it.

Unfortunately, that is as far as I got with that. After a bunch of unsuccessful tries with some dielectric grease I had in my tool box, I realized even Kats recommends the G-624 grease. I also realized how rough the Kats block heater casting is compared to the Toyota block heater. To be continued.........................

 

[gm350reratliff]

Disappointed with how the block heater went, I couldn't finish off the night like that. I decided to install a battery blanket I've had laying around for a while now. Now you may be wondering why anyone that lives in NM would need a block heater or battery blanket. The answer is, my wife is from northern ND and we go up there time to time, even in the dead of winter.

I know, hopefully it works better than most Mopar electronics. I originally purchased this for another truck I once had, just never installed it.

Not much to this really. Just wrap it around the battery and secure with large zipties. Didn't even have to disconnect the battery cables.

 

[gm350reratliff]

I have A LOT of things to be thankful for, not just during the holidays but every day.

The big brown truck dropped off a few more things to be thankful for today.