Its not "Entune" its "out a touch" ... this Entune + radio sucks

After traveling this weekend and my Entune saying out of range for weather for 3 days, couple that with being stuck in a 5 mile traffic jam and the traffic app being green as far as you could see, couple that with the constant drop out of XM/FM/and HD, my possibility of liking of this radio is fading fast.

This radio is not "Entune" with the needs of the Tacoma owner, but "out of touch" with what we need and want!

I can drive a 5 mile stretch in my Camry with an aftermarket XM radio and magnetic mount and NEVER drop XM once. Follow the exact same road in my 2014 Tacoma and the XM is out for more than half of that same stretch of road.

This radio is quickly approaching my P.O.S. list! This had the opportunity to be at least an OK OEM radio with some decent features, I think that Toyota has taken a big step backwards.... this is 2014 right? Kinda likens to the old FM converter days when new technology just wasn't there yet! A $34,000 truck and the radio is junk...nice!

 

That sucks. I don't have any experience with the etune. I just have the touch screen.

 

Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I couldn't even get XM from the factory with my Canadian TRD Sport. Aftermarket was the first thing I did.

 

Weather and traffic are pulled through your phone, if I am not mistaking. Did your phone have reception?

But its not only a Toyota issue. My BMW X3 had "real time" traffic updates, which were at least 30 minutes behind.

Did not play with XM/HD too much. There is not one station on XM that i like and I i still don't get the point of HD radio with all these multiple channels

 

I do have my phone linked to the radio and I stream Pandora on occasion as well as use hands free, but maybe I'm missing something?? Not to mention that the traffic display is so friking small that my 55 year old eyes can hardly make heads or tales of it! Is there an APP that I need to install to make this work? I actually looked for info on te Entune plus on line as far as registering it ect, everything that I found was related to the Entune with NAV. I would be really pissed if I popped for the extra cost for that and it work like this one does.

Moondeath, the touch screen radio is Entune + in the Sport.

 

Weather and traffic are pulled from HD. My JBL system works just fine for everything I need. I use my phone for weather.

 

Oh, that's right.... I saw many times it said no HD service and it couldn't update. SO in that case I didn't need to do anything and it just sucks by nature then.

 

I live out in the sticks( dirt road). 5 miles till a so called town with 1 stop light. I get HD there. Entune premium maybe? I like it,but maybe you should install aftermarket.

 

Buy the entune premium Nav unit from FLTrucks. You will be much happier. You will have nav, the app suite and the weather app will use your phone instead of HD signal. Then sell your entune + unit on the site to recoup some of the cost.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n.../298745-oem-2014-tacoma-navigation-radio.html

 

That's pretty much what entune + is! there are no apps, kind of shady branding on Toyota's part.

 

I purchased my Taco in Hawaii, so the vin starts with a 3, made in Mexico. I have the Entune software but Toyota refuses to turn it on. However, I did modify my XM antenna by disassembling it and installing my own inside the shark fin. XM works great until traffic stops me under an overpass. Other than that no issues with XM. Works like a champ.

 

I actually agree, I have the JBL system, and after I upgraded the sub it SOUNDS good but the entune deck is horrible... Here's what I plan on doing about it.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ine-z928hd

Alpine 8" screen, You could PROBABLY fit the new 9"

There is a perfect fit kit for the Tacoma that lets you use all the factory buttons on steering wheel, dash kit, etc - looks great

 

I would be very interested in hearing details about this!

 

Me too.

After spending $70 for the stupid adapter cable to go from the prewired sharkfin antenna to an aftermarket XM tuner, I have determined the OEM sat antenna kinda sucks.
Drops out a lot more then it did before when I had this head unit and tuner in my old truck. Only difference is the antenna.

 

I was talking to my audio techie, he told me that getting a new power amp and speakers will do the trick. I havent get the full use of the HU yet. ( I got the entune plus). there may be a replacement HU in the future for me. Right now this will do for until next year project. I need the cash to buy a new snowblower.

 

That's not just an Entune thing; Internet/GPS traffic updates just aren't reliable enough to actually use yet in my opinion. The technology doesn't update fast enough. Usually when there is traffic it will show green, and then by the time it clears out you'll start seeing red. I don't even have Entune, but I know that Garmin and Google Maps both have this exact same problem. And I think most of them all connect to the same central data source.

In general when you read a lot of reviews on different car GPS systems, the people who buy them for the main purpose of traffic updates are always disappointed and give bad reviews. The fist thing I do when I get a car GPS is disable traffic updates.

 

Before you do that, do this....

When I bought my truck, XM would fade out quite a bit.. at times it would piss me off to where I wanted to punch the faceplate in a couple of times.

I called XM and told them this service sucks and I want the service terminated. She asked me if I ever "refreshed" the radio. I didn't know what that was so she told me what to do. Once a year I refresh it and the service seems significantly better, not fail safe, but much better. Try it.

As for the apps not being accurate, I don't know what to tell you there.

 

For those that were wondering about putting your antenna inside the shark fin, I actually have a blog post abut it: here

You can skip over the <RANT> I had about it and just read about the install further down the page. Total time was about 3 hours, including taking the time to do pictures.

 

Interesting... how do you do it?

 

I forget , each time I have to look it up. It does require leaving your radio on for the process.

I'm not shitting you, it does work fairly well. Look it up on the XM site or call them.