Stereo Hacks?

Does anyone know of any stereo Hacks for the 2018 SR5 stereo? I can install a few apps, but nothing crazy. Was hoping to get Android Auto on it, but I don't think that's possible. Thanks,

Will

 

“Hacks” usually mean changing or modifiying small parts of a component, you are talking about a full replacement. It is possible to replace your head unit for Android, some have done it here (search for it), but there will be some loss of functionality with the remote control buttons.

 

As far as I know, no one has really hacked the H/Us. There are TSBs out to update the firmware (see attached). You can also check your Audio version against this site:
https://securedp.toyota.com/download-app/getHeadUnits

Unfortunately, that site is not updated as often as it should be.


There is an aftermarket dongle that you can get for Car Play / Android Auto. The hook up looked pretty intense.


There was a guy (a tech teacher) who was attempting to hack the H/U and center display, but nothing ever came of it.

 

@OnHartung'sRoad, I was referring to the hack as in software; but thanks!

@tonered, Thanks for the links. I will dig around and see what I can find, but as you stated, it doesn't look like a lot of headway has been made on modifying the software of the head unit.

Those dongles look interesting, but not exactly what I am going for. I might just look at replacing the head unit with aftermarket.

I appreciate the help.

Will

 

You're welcome.

A lot of folks have replaced the H/U. You can even retain the steering wheel controls.

@Shellshock , @cameleon50 , @phocas , and others have some sweet setups.

 

Yup you can put in an aftermarket one with no loss of functionality. The biggest annoyance is you can’t use the factory microphone but outside of that everything is plug and play if you get the ready harness service from crutchfield. Otherwise you just gotta connect the headunit and vehicle specific adapter yourself.

If you get the maestro interface, the MFD will stuff work. The navigation screen is a little funky as you need a kenwood headunit with built in garmin navigation for that screen to be populated. I don’t really use that screen, so honestly I’d probably skip it if I were to do it again

 

Depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. Replacing HU and speakers is a great start, amps for speakers are even better, throw in a sub and a dsp and you can have magic.

 

The reality is that the Tacoma speakers suck, and the radio is also horrible. You have to do both (replace speakers and radio) to achieve good sound. The good news is, there are some people that have done all the hard work for you. Here are some options that I have experimented and tested:

1. Factory OEM ENTUNE II non-JBL HU with OEM Audio + Reference 500: The speakers are plug and play and also took the opportunity to sound dampen all the doors. The factory HU sucks and really there is nothing to hack in this.
2. Removed Factory radio and replaced with
   Dasaita 9" Head Unit for Toyota Sienna Corolla Tacoma 2016 2017 2018 with Wireless Apple Carplay & Android Auto, GPS Navigation, Touch Screen Car Stereo Radio,Double Din 4G RAM 64G ROM
   PX6/MAX Android radio: Fits like a glove in the premium Tacoma bezel and made the OEM Audio + 100% better. It's for android users and wasn't my thing. Here is the TW thread. I posted tons of tips and How To's if that is your thing. CANBUS is 100% plug in play with an install in 30-minutes. Super Easy!
   
3. Removed Android radio and finally landed with the
   $1,190 Pioneer DMH-WC6600NEX 9" Amazon Alexa Built-in, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth - Modular Solutions Receiver
   Pioneer DMH-SCH6600NEX with the OEM Audio + speakers: This was another perfect fit in the premium bezel and the sound was 1000% better! (It became a religious experience) Everything worked and the sound is unbelievable. Everyone who sits in the truck is blown away at the clarity and sound performance and it gets really loud with an incredible crisp thump from the sub. Here is the TW thread on it. I also posted some reviews/info. This install should be done by a audio shop *OR* you can do it if you are capable. This was the best option for me.

@WillRob - hope this helps. And @tonered and @Shellshock have also done some awesome testing similar to this.

 

All that I have done so far is the Subaru tweeter swap and FW updates on the Entune H/U. I do kick around the idea of an Android H/U but am waffling mainly because I have no solution for a sub to make it worth the effort.

One of the big AccessCab drawbacks.

 

Same. I did the $250 speaker upgrade, kept the factory non JBL headunit. I'm not audiophile enough anymore to want anymore than that.