Radio Upgrades... Let see them.

[riceandpho]

Awesome, thanks for the part numbers! Yeah, the fit is spot on with the current radio. I didn’t do the install, so I can’t take credit for it (came with the truck when I bought it). I’m just hoping they used a harness kit and didn’t cut any wires since I haven’t taken it apart to see how it was installed yet. Honestly, it is a nice stereo with Bluetooth so it streams my iTunes and phone functionality is perfect, but I just want the DD for backup camera. Not a super necessity, but would make life easier for hooking up my boat trailer. I’ve also been pretty jealous of the Sony CarPlay unit I recently installed in my Daughter’s Camry. That has some really nice features, especially the nav mirroring.

yup yup, youll get that itch, then the wife wants one too. i would go to a independent stereo shop and play with the units. that can lead to the outcome of what your going to get used too. pioneer , kenwood , alpine, sony, im a fan of pioneer, and others here are fan of the other brand. check out youtube fivestarcarstereo , they might have some video on certain radio, usually show the spec and how to use.

 

[Terminator03]

yup yup, youll get that itch, then the wife wants one too. i would go to a independent stereo shop and play with the units. that can lead to the outcome of what your going to get used too. pioneer , kenwood , alpine, sony, im a fan of pioneer, and others here are fan of the other brand. check out youtube fivestarcarstereo , they might have some video on certain radio, usually show the spec and how to use.

I’ve always been a fan of Pioneer as well, but the unit that was recommended on here (can’t remember the model right now, maybe 2300) looked like it had everything I wanted including CarPlay, but after reading reviews on Amazon, found that it wouldn’t function correctly with the newer iPhones over gen 8. This was a problem because I was initially buying it to install in my daughter’s car so I could evaluate it directly for my own, but since she had just got the iPhone Xr a few months ago, I didn’t want to have the issues I had been reading about. Since the reviews were in the past couple of months, I considered them current enough that it wasn’t just regarding an older version, and several had contacted Pioneer about it with no help, or software update to correct the issues. I currently have a gen 7 phone so it would likely be ok until I upgrade my phone at some point too, which I didn’t want to chance. The other reason for trying the Sony this time was beside receiving excellent reviews on both Amazon and Crutchfield, it was reasonably priced ~$325. The only negative for me is that it has no rear USB input (front only) for the CarPlay interface. I was hoping to do a cleaner install with a remote USB input near the burger tray where I rest my phone while driving so I wouldn’t have a wire hanging down from the head unit, but that is a minor thing I suppose. One other thing that bugged me about Pioneer was that I installed a pretty expensive (at the time) NAV head unit (can’t remember the model right now) in my Terminator that barely gets used, or driven. It worked perfectly for a season, but sometime the following year, the screen died. It wasn’t a power problem because the backlighting around the knobs and such still worked, but the screen was unresponsive. I drive the car so infrequently that it’s actually still installed, but I’m considering just ripping it out and putting the stock Mach460 6 disc changer back in just to have a functioning radio. The car is a 2003 10th Anniversary model that just hit 17k miles, so it definitely didn’t die from overuse! Needless to say, Pioneer was no help at all, and wouldn’t cover the warranty since by the time I had the issues, it was long past a year old (sat in the box for 6 months prior to install, then lasted about a year once installed). Don’t get me wrong, I love the look and features of the newer Pioneers, just not sure I trust them anymore.

Here is the only pic I have at the moment of that lovely dead Pioneer in my Terminator.

 

[riceandpho]

I’ve always been a fan of Pioneer as well, but the unit that was recommended on here (can’t remember the model right now, maybe 2300) looked like it had everything I wanted including CarPlay, but after reading reviews on Amazon, found that it wouldn’t function correctly with the newer iPhones over gen 8. This was a problem because I was initially buying it to install in my daughter’s car so I could evaluate it directly for my own, but since she had just got the iPhone Xr a few months ago, I didn’t want to have the issues I had been reading about. Since the reviews were in the past couple of months, I considered them current enough that it wasn’t just regarding an older version, and several had contacted Pioneer about it with no help, or software update to correct the issues. I currently have a gen 7 phone so it would likely be ok until I upgrade my phone at some point too, which I didn’t want to chance. The other reason for trying the Sony this time was beside receiving excellent reviews on both Amazon and Crutchfield, it was reasonably priced ~$325. The only negative for me is that it has no rear USB input (front only) for the CarPlay interface. I was hoping to do a cleaner install with a remote USB input near the burger tray where I rest my phone while driving so I wouldn’t have a wire hanging down from the head unit, but that is a minor thing I suppose. One other thing that bugged me about Pioneer was that I installed a pretty expensive (at the time) NAV head unit (can’t remember the model right now) in my Terminator that barely gets used, or driven. It worked perfectly for a season, but sometime the following year, the screen died. It wasn’t a power problem because the backlighting around the knobs and such still worked, but the screen was unresponsive. I drive the car so infrequently that it’s actually still installed, but I’m considering just ripping it out and putting the stock Mach460 6 disc changer back in just to have a functioning radio. The car is a 2003 10th Anniversary model that just hit 17k miles, so it definitely didn’t die from overuse! Needless to say, Pioneer was no help at all, and wouldn’t cover the warranty since by the time I had the issues, it was long past a year old (sat in the box for 6 months prior to install, then lasted about a year once installed). Don’t get me wrong, I love the look and features of the newer Pioneers, just not sure I trust them anymore.

Here is the only pic I have at the moment of that lovely dead Pioneer in my Terminator.

looks like a avic-d3 ??

i heard those were the worst , have alot of bugs and slow startup.


avic411 has all the details on whats the best and worst.

 

[ThatAllDriver]

Best Options to Buy

Ok so I have looked through everything. It seems that the two paths are to either choose a cheaper Chinese Amazon unit or pay a bit more for a Pioneer, Kenwood, or Alpine unit. I want maestro and have the JBL system. Is the price difference worth it? If so, what is the most recommended or best unit from these brands? Thank You!

 

[alia176]

I went the same route at post #573 and went with the Sony HU for my JBL system. It was PnP and sounds great. Couple that with Rockford speakers all around, this system is very nice. A separate thread on this head unit should be near the top on the main page.

 

[Mattron]

Is there a way to add newer Gen 4 radio in an 03? Mine doesn't have an auxiliary input but I know the newer ones did. Its hard for to go completely after market as most of them don't match. If I did go aftermarket I would want it to look fairly stock.

 

[alia176]

Is there a way to add newer Gen 4 radio in an 03? Mine doesn't have an auxiliary input but I know the newer ones did. Its hard for to go completely after market as most of them don't match. If I did go aftermarket I would want it to look fairly stock.

Confused! Your '03 is a 4th gen 4runner unless you meant something else. I wasn't aware that any 4th gens had an aux input unless they have a headphone jack in the glovebox or something?

 

[firefoxed]

got a picture of your current radio thats in?

if you cant source brackets for the radio, you can use the 99-8300 kit

if you can source out the radio brackets , 95-8202 will work, only for base radio opening.

Based on your 99-8300 recommendation a few weeks ago I finally got around to getting mine installed.

Nice fit, thanks for the help.

 

[Terminator03]

Based on your 99-8300 recommendation a few weeks ago I finally got around to getting mine installed.

Nice fit, thanks for the help.

Looks great! What model is that?

 

[riceandpho]

Based on your 99-8300 recommendation a few weeks ago I finally got around to getting mine installed.

Nice fit, thanks for the help.

it looks pretty good.

too bad you dont have the factory brackets, itll look like the other thread with the metra 2 side filler pieces.

 

[Mattron]

Confused! Your '03 is a 4th gen 4runner unless you meant something else. I wasn't aware that any 4th gens had an aux input unless they have a headphone jack in the glovebox or something?

It has a tape deck and CD player. Maybe the aux is hiding but I don't believe it has one.

 

[firefoxed]

Looks great! What model is that?

Thank you, it's a Pioneer AVH211EX, just an entry level model.

 

[firefoxed]

it looks pretty good.

too bad you dont have the factory brackets, itll look like the other thread with the metra 2 side filler pieces.

Yes I would have preferred factory brackets. Budget is tight due to repairs on the truck but at some point I will be getting it pulled back out to add a steering wheel interface. Need to pick up the phone control buttons for the steering wheel. I reckon I will get the factory brackets and finish it all off in one go, for now I am glad it's in and much better than expected.

Any experience with the ND-BC8 back up camera? Clear picture but it gives a weird view and makes everything appear further away that it really is.

 

[riceandpho]

Yes I would have preferred factory brackets. Budget is tight due to repairs on the truck but at some point I will be getting it pulled back out to add a steering wheel interface. Need to pick up the phone control buttons for the steering wheel. I reckon I will get the factory brackets and finish it all off in one go, for now I am glad it's in and much better than expected.

Any experience with the ND-BC8 back up camera? Clear picture but it gives a weird view and makes everything appear further away that it really is.

if you pick up the idatalink , you can program either the volume up key for hold for 2 seconds to answer phone. no need for the other extra buttons.

hows the camera adjusted? red line should been atleast 12 inches from bumper, or red line right at bumper.

 

[firefoxed]

if you pick up the idatalink , you can program either the volume up key for hold for 2 seconds to answer phone. no need for the other extra buttons.

hows the camera adjusted? red line should been atleast 12 inches from bumper, or red line right at bumper.

So I would be able to use the volume controls that are already on the wheel for dual function, volume up and answer call?

The Best Buy installer told me after that there was no option for lines with this camera and headunit combination. If I had known before hand I probably would have made a change.

 

[riceandpho]

So I would be able to use the volume controls that are already on the wheel for dual function, volume up and answer call?

The Best Buy installer told me after that there was no option for lines with this camera and headunit combination. If I had known before hand I probably would have made a change.

with idatalink, you can program all buttons to do dual function.
i usually use the hold volume up for 2 secs to answer calls.

i leave the rest of the buttons as defaults.
my mode button for the hold for 2 secs is changing radio bands, but you can also change it to answer calls too.

you can play with the online software to get a feel what it does.


for camera, might be a radio setting to turn on or off the lines. i havent look at the manual yet.

 

[John.Adam]

I installed the KENWOOD dnx995 with idatalink and front and rear cameras into my 4Runner the other day and I’m having issues. Had everything back together and the truck won’t start or even crank. All the lights and radio come on like normal but when I turn it to crank I get nothing. And when I turn to crank, the radio shuts off and turns back on like it’s losing power for that time it’s turned. Good voltage on battery and tried multiple other good batteries as well. Triple checked every fuse and every ground. Even went through every single wire in the factory radio harness looking for a split and came up with nothing.

Is there a safety feature that can lock you out of starting it? I just saw a YouTube video by Provo that says if you try to start it with the ac display unplugged it will cause problems. I’m fairly certain I did try to start it with it unplugged. Could that be my issue that a dealer could remedy?

Even reverted the truck completely back to stock with both cameras and aftermarket radio removed and still the same thing, no crank. Tried all three keys I have and no luck. Could it just be Immobilized as part of the anti theft system in the vehicle? Or possibly something else?

I’ll be calling a few dealers tomorrow but wanted to see if anyone has any ideas here first.

 

[zimdba]

I installed the KENWOOD dnx995 with idatalink and front and rear cameras into my 4Runner the other day and I’m having issues. Had everything back together and the truck won’t start or even crank. All the lights and radio come on like normal but when I turn it to crank I get nothing. And when I turn to crank, the radio shuts off and turns back on like it’s losing power for that time it’s turned. Good voltage on battery and tried multiple other good batteries as well. Triple checked every fuse and every ground. Even went through every single wire in the factory radio harness looking for a split and came up with nothing.

Is there a safety feature that can lock you out of starting it? I just saw a YouTube video by Provo that says if you try to start it with the ac display unplugged it will cause problems. I’m fairly certain I did try to start it with it unplugged. Could that be my issue that a dealer could remedy?

Even reverted the truck completely back to stock with both cameras and aftermarket radio removed and still the same thing, no crank. Tried all three keys I have and no luck. Could it just be Immobilized as part of the anti theft system in the vehicle? Or possibly something else?

I’ll be calling a few dealers tomorrow but wanted to see if anyone has any ideas here first.

I had the same problem, but it was indeed the battery (it was 7 years old, so I went ahead and replaced it). Good luck sorting it out.

 

[John.Adam]

I had the same problem, but it was indeed the battery (it was 7 years old, so I went ahead and replaced it). Good luck sorting it out.

It’s possible the batteries I tried were also bad, I’m going to run and grab one from Oreillys and see what that does.
Edit: not the battery for sure

 

[Formidable]

Alpine 9” Halo ILX F309. People have mixed feelings on this floating design. I think it modernized the interior.