Upgrade 2018 to Support CarPlay?

[drewsro]

The price of these!

Yeah, it's crazy. I wouldn't pay it. I just wish there was a better looking kit than the Scosche and Metra ones. I have a 2012 Trail and the silver would look bad with that much open space on each side. The black TRD trim of later years looks ok but not silver.

 

[Toffees]

Yeah, it's crazy. I wouldn't pay it. I just wish there was a better looking kit than the Scosche and Metra ones. I have a 2012 Trail and the silver would look bad with that much open space on each side. The black TRD trim of later years looks ok but not silver.

It is good looking. Makes me wonder what it would take to use the factory knobs with an aftermarket unit, but maybe that's not possible. And maybe the swape of the factory and aftermarket units are different enough that it's too much effort.

I swapped HU on my last vehicle (Honda Ridgline) and lost the knobs, but got used to it after a while and it was no big deal.

Seems like you could do something useful with the blank space or fabricate (or get someone to mold for you?) a dash piece for less than the cost of the Alpine systems.

*Not that I would go through that much effort, but still

 

[The Waco Kid]

That's my one major complaint about all aftermarket head units. Nearly all of them have horrible resolution and the screen isn't bright enough. Compare them to cell phone screens and it's just pathetic

Luckily they have new units out now with HD screens. I have one, and it's fantastic. Wait a bit longer and I'm sure it'll trickle down to the other lines.

 

[drewsro]

Makes me wonder what it would take to use the factory knobs with an aftermarket unit, but maybe that's not possible.

Ideally I would love something like this. A larger screen that fills up all the blank black bezel that the current radio has, while still retaining the factory knobs and buttons. One can only dream I guess.

 

[jonny80stry3]

metra/maestro rr/pioneer w8400nex

I'll be installing a pioneer unit next weekend in mine.

Debating on taking the metra kit (99-8227S) into a bodyshop to have it paint matched.

Metra apparently does have a kit that is close to current colors (99-8227CHG), but good luck finding it anywhere. I've looked high and low online.

 

[epjfsa]

I'll be installing a pioneer unit next weekend in mine.

Debating on taking the metra kit (99-8227S) into a bodyshop to have it paint matched.

Metra apparently does have a kit that is close to current colors (99-8227CHG), but good luck finding it anywhere. I've looked high and low online.

Sign up for an email alert from ABT, click on the "Email me when ..." link. I snagged one after only a few days.
(https://www.abt.com/product/126385/Metra-Car-Stereo-Installation-Kit-998227CHG.html)

That said, don't pay to have the silver Metra kit painted. If you're going to pay to get a dash kit painted, the Scosche kit is a better and product with a better way of mounting the HU.

 

[Hydguy]

I'll be installing a pioneer unit next weekend in mine.

Debating on taking the metra kit (99-8227S) into a bodyshop to have it paint matched.

Metra apparently does have a kit that is close to current colors (99-8227CHG), but good luck finding it anywhere. I've looked high and low online.

Why not wrap it?

 

[fugereb]

Kenwood Excelon with the iDatalink Maestro RR is your practically free Carplay

Through crutchfield I updated my 2018 4Runner limited head unit with a Kenwood Excelon with iDatalink Maestro RR from Crutchfield. I now have CarPlay and much more. All said and done it was zero out of pocket.

Well sort of, paid about $900 to crutchfield however sold my stock head unit on Ebay for $950 :clap2:

Seriously, if you want Carplay get yourself an aftermarket head unit (Alpine, Pioneer or Kenwood) with the Maestro RR. Love my upgrade and best of all I haven't seen the typical entune "Connection Error" when hooking up my phone via the cord.

The 4Runner is a perfect candidate for an upgrade! I plan on posting a thread on my project here with pictures when I get a moment.

 

[Jbellah]

Why not wrap it?

I was just about to say this. Take it to a place and have the dash rapped to match the rest of the dash. Im note sure I would like the extra space need Someone post some pictures what your unit and dash looks like upgraded. I really didn't think about changing head unit out till now lol. If I can buy a new one and sell mine which is brand new lol id prob make a switch.

 

[Crazyvictor]

Through crutchfield I updated my 2018 4Runner limited head unit with a Kenwood Excelon with iDatalink Maestro RR from Crutchfield. I now have CarPlay and much more. All said and done it was zero out of pocket.

Well sort of, paid about $900 to crutchfield however sold my stock head unit on Ebay for $950 :clap2:

Seriously, if you want Carplay get yourself an aftermarket head unit (Alpine, Pioneer or Kenwood) with the Maestro RR. Love my upgrade and best of all I haven't seen the typical entune "Connection Error" when hooking up my phone via the cord.

The 4Runner is a perfect candidate for an upgrade! I plan on posting a thread on my project here with pictures when I get a moment.

Would love to see your finished project / steps you did. Love the 4Runner but just need apple car play to make it complete. Don’t mind leaving the stock JBL system for now so hopefully all stock system (speakers/camera) work well enough I’ll be good. How’s the mic btw for calls? Sometimes aftermarket mics sound worse than the stock

 

[mustangr2]

This definitely on my list. Rented a Hyundai Elantra and it had a CarPlay in it. It surprised me that an inexpensive cheap 4 door car had it built in. Car play is far from perfect but it leaps above what Toyota is giving us in their head units.

 

[jrandom]

I don't like the look of the radio bezel kits with aftermarket radios. Too much open space. I wish Alpine made one of their Restyle radios for the 4Runner. They make one for the older Tundras and other makes, but no 4Runner. The Restyle radios look awesome on the Wranglers.

Those are pretty decent but geezus $3300 msrp is ludicrous!


Carplay and android audio are the only way to go. We can all see how terrible carmakers are at developing software. We have an inverse of Moore’s law in effect, all these great moves forward and carmakers are still trying to figure how Bluetooth works.

 

[drewsro]

Those are pretty decent but geezus $3300 msrp is ludicrous!


Carplay and android audio are the only way to go. We can all see how terrible carmakers are at developing software. We have an inverse of Moore’s law in effect, all these great moves forward and carmakers are still trying to figure how Bluetooth works.

Yeah, I would never pay that. I just wish someone would make a halfway decent radio for the 4Runner. They all look cheap and small with the bezels.

 

[BrianATL]

Through crutchfield I updated my 2018 4Runner limited head unit with a Kenwood Excelon with iDatalink Maestro RR from Crutchfield. I now have CarPlay and much more. All said and done it was zero out of pocket.

Well sort of, paid about $900 to crutchfield however sold my stock head unit on Ebay for $950 :clap2:

Seriously, if you want Carplay get yourself an aftermarket head unit (Alpine, Pioneer or Kenwood) with the Maestro RR. Love my upgrade and best of all I haven't seen the typical entune "Connection Error" when hooking up my phone via the cord.

The 4Runner is a perfect candidate for an upgrade! I plan on posting a thread on my project here with pictures when I get a moment.

Did you have to buy a new surround piece or did it fit into the existing opening?

 

[unsub1]

I'm in the middle of a 1-week trip to Taos, NM to catch some real winter weather with my family for the New Years holiday. The crazy weather made for a pretty nutty drive up here on Saturday and I was thankful many times that I had upgraded my truck to a Kenwood HU as soon as I got it in April.

Using Waze through CarPlay got us around a huge backup on I-40. It was quite a detour but made for some fun snow driving and saved us at least an hour when we were racing the sun to get through icy mountain roads. We also used the 4 wheel tire pressure readouts through the HU to keep an eye on things, the Garmin GPS for elevation and other functionality, Sirius radio to listen to the bowl games, and a bunch of other features. The hands-free quality is great and everything tied in well to the truck's ports and antenna. I forget it's not OEM, to be honest.

Love it. Probably the most functional upgrade I've made and looks awesome with the bodyshop-painted kit.

 

[jthoms1]

Over the Christmas break I installed an Alpine Halo 9” head unit (in fact old Nav head unit is for sale). Metra came out with black oem look painted single/double DIN kit. The whole thing, prewired by Crutchfield was about $1200. The Painted metra kit was another $65. This gives you a 9” screen and all of the latest take, without the hassles of the entune life. I couldn’t be happier. I can post pics later if anyone is interested.

 

[jrandom]

Over the Christmas break I installed an Alpine Halo 9” head unit (in fact old Nav head unit is for sale). Metra came out with black oem look painted single/double DIN kit. The whole thing, prewired by Crutchfield was about $1200. The Painted metra kit was another $65. This gives you a 9” screen and all of the latest take, without the hassles of the entune life. I couldn’t be happier. I can post pics later if anyone is interested.

uh...

:worthless

 

[jthoms1]

uh...

:worthless

Okay...okay. Such a PIA to post pics here. Here you go though.

 

[mustangr2]

Okay...okay. Such a PIA to post pics here. Here you go though.

Thanks for pics. Hmm torn if I like that sitting away from the dash or not.

 

[jrandom]

Okay...okay. Such a PIA to post pics here. Here you go though.

Looks pretty dang good!

Thanks for taking the time :thumb: