Adding Navigation to my 2012

My 2012 Tacoma didn’t come with a touch screen head unit. I’ve always wanted one but I also want navigation. Is there a specific head unit you guys recommend and what antennas would I have to get in order to make this work. My truck currently has a shark fin antenna, Bluetooth, and a rear view camera in the rear view mirror. (not sure if this is useful to ya). Thanks!

 

My 2015 didn't come with nav, and I like the in-dash entertainment of a moving map. I also wanted the existing steering wheel controls to work without rewiring.

I got a used OEM nav unit from a 2013 on eBay, and it was a complete drop in. My existing XM tuner transferred over, and all the existing wiring was reused. My 2015 shark fin has the GPS antenna built in, even if the truck wasn't built with nav. The 2013 head unit has amber panel lighting, with is different from the white light on my 2015 -- but I like that better, too.

There are a number of connectors, but they're easily managed. The panel itself simply pulls out after the climate control knobs and panels are taken off. There are a ton of instructions online and here on TW to guide you through this part, if you decide to go this route.

There are a lot of folks who will recommend aftermarket units. That's another option, of course, and I installed a Pioneer AVIC-5201NEX in my Gen 1 truck. I wanted easy-peasy steering wheel switch function, and OEM makes that easier on Gen 2 trucks. I liked the OEM look, too.

 

How much did you pay for it on eBay?

 

Probably around the going rate. If you look at recently-sold items you'll see OEM head units are a predictable commodity. Hard to find anything out of that range for a good-condition unit.

Be sure to take care with JBL or non-JBL audio. The two styles are NOT cross-compatible. There are probably more JBL head units on eBay, or at least there were a year or so ago when I upgraded my truck. It was harder to find a non-JBL head unit that I liked. But there are lots of all of them, and no need to compromise.

But no particular deals on eBay either.

 

I would head over to the Audio Video section and look around. I was in the same boat you're in. I put a Kenwood DMX906S in my 2015 and have been loving it.

 

I put a Dadaita Android head unit in my 2012. Has a 9” screen, operates just like an Android tablet, and comes plug and play with everything you need. Everything fits really nice and it looks almost factory, but sounds noticeably better than stock. Steering wheel controls work fine too. If you want the backup cam to be rerouted to the HU, you need to do some splicing and add a voltage regulator, but it worked for me. I think I payed $470 for it with apple CarPlay. There are a couple threads on here about it too.

Dasaita Car Stereo for Toyota Tacoma 2005-2013, Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, Android 11, 9" HD 1280x720 Touch Screen, 4GB+64GB, Multimedia Player, Plug and Play

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z96B5RB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vfWNEb4T6F06Y


Crappy photo, but you get the idea.

 

Think that HU would work in my 06 with JBL system? Awesome looking setup for sure. Thanks for sharing.

 

They have different versions of it, so as long as you are paying attention to the model years and compatibility when ordering, it will work just fine. I think the only real difference is the wire harnesses.