TOYO4G - thank you for the writeup. I was looking lately for something simple to install in place of stock radio in my 2012 T4R (SR5 4x4 with no bells and whistles) mostly to add a backup camera and DVD but without loosing vital functionality (BT phone and streaming, steering wheel controls). I found this unit on Amazon for $749 (actually two versions that looks identical but having different part numbers: GEE1715S and LXM17T4RU15). Your Ebay source in Canada has GEE-1715S for few bucks more, but has more reliable info than the guy on Amazon. It is very hard to find any info about these units so your posts are very valuable, especially that they are real user experience, not marketing BS.
Did you instal the backup camera? Any input on that (what kind, where, how did you guide wires?). I installed aftermarket radio in my 95 Tacoma and my biggest complain is a booting time. How this one goes? For example how long does it take from starting the engine till you see the image from the backup camera? In Tacoma it takes 7 seconds from starting the engine to see the backup camera footage. It seems like forever.
I am not a big fan of in-dash Nav systems as they seems to be always outdated - I found Google maps with Nav on Android phone to work the best for me. I don't care about XM radio too - I let the free trial expire and never turned it on after that. Mostly I'm "reading" books wile driving, streaming internet radio over the phone or simple have my own MP3 commercial free music. Voice dialing never worked for me - for example when I dial number "Seven" the radio says "Canceled". :barf:
But the biggest selling points are hands-free phone, BT Audio integration, MP3 on USB or CD and of course backup camera. Everything is included in my basic stock unit except the backup camera. I tried to go with "rear-view mirror" route, but it is more work than it's worth (and the price of good mirror is almost half of this unit). So now I'm thinking of getting this unit for my "Bismarck".
The USB plugs (OEM) no longer work. I assume it's one of the three discount tend wires. The unit did come with a plug in USB adapter, and it has 5 matching color wires to the small whit plug that I left unused. I suspect I will be able to simply wire that USB cable back into my stock plugs (when I install the backup camera ( on order)
Have you figured out the USB? I look at the wiring diagram and the blue plug is not shown there. Maybe it goes to XM radio which is not shown on the wiring diagram.
However the diagram shows USB to be connected to something called Multimedia Interface ECU. This unit is connected to the radio with one of the white plugs you did not use (the one with 12 contacts). The other white plug you did not connect (the one with 8 contacts) seems to be connected to the stock microphone that is placed in the roof console.
Maybe it is possible to trace wires going out of the glow compartment USB. USB needs 4 wires (+5V, GND, Data+ and Data-). From the wiring diagram it looks like it is a flat brown 4connectors plug where 1=GND, 2=Data+, 3=Data-, 4=+5V. If the other end of this USB cable (where this brown plug goes into Multimedia Interface ECU) is somewhere close to the radio make a cross-over to new radio standard USB.
EDIT:
Actually Multimedia Interface ECU is on the right side behind passenger kick panel so it would require about 3 to 4 ft custom extension to connect the brown plug with USB in new radio. But it is doable.
