New HU-JVC KW-AVX640 DVD receiver

I'm thinking about purchasing the JVC KW-AVX640 DVD receiver from Crutchfield for my 2010 Access Cab. With it I will buy the steering wheel controls adapter kit. Does anyone have any suggestions or warnings before I purchase this? It comes with the faceplate adapter and everything else I need, as far as I know.
I'm looking to spend no more than $500 for a new HU.

Thanks!

 

get the 840 instead man

 

It seems like the extra $150 would be worth it to get the 840 if I were really interested in the navigation abilities, but I really just want a nicer (than the stock) head unit that is compatible with my ipod and iphone. The navigation capabilities aren't that big of a deal to me. Plus the few reviews I read said that some of the feature capabilities don't work too well.

Thanks for the advice though.

 

I have the 840 and I like it a lot, even with the stock speakers. Speakers are my next upgrade. The ipod nav works well, better than i expected. Install was easy with the help of this forum. The most difficult thing was shoving all the wires back in the dash so the unit fit well. My steering wheel controls work well, I just grounded the parking brake wire so video etc. work all the time, and i am pleased.

 

hey demps. sorry to thread jack but im looking at getting the 840 as well. did you use the factory shark fin antenna for sirius? did you need that adapter wire? I have installed single din units before without much difficulty is this one hard to install. you should do a write up, on the parking brake idea. do you have to buy the steering wheel control wire aswell or does it come with the unit? thanks

 

buy separate man

 

Dan

I don't have satellite radio. The Jvc requires a separate adapter which I did not buy, I think it is $90 or so. I may do that later since I have an XM subscription which is just being wasted. My truck has no factory antenna. I have heard, however, that you can leave a satellite antenna inside the truck and it will work fine. Right now it seems like I have a lot of entertainment. I can listen to radio, cd, ipod via bluetooth or plugged in, and Pandora. And my kids can watch youtube videos from the passenger seats. The ipod nav costs 99 cents and it is actually usable. You see the map on the jvc screen and hear the voice commands. All the functions are on the ipod, however. The touchscreen of the headunit is disabled.
Concerning the parking brake wire, the instructions say to attach it to the parking brake. Some units allow it to be just grounded, some don't. The JVC does. I have no intention of watching a movie while i drive, but I want to allow my passengers to do it, and it was just simpler to solder it to the main ground. There are several threads on the forum about this, just search.
Steering wheel adapter is the metra aswc. It is a little tricky to install, much more so than the headunit. Basically you have to connect wires to the back side of a factory plug in the dash opening. Vampire taps are used. I will send some links about this.
I also connected my rear camera output the the headunit.

Overall the install was not too difficult. I have an electronics background and know how to solder and wire things. The vampire taps were new to me and they are great to use.
I bought the jvs kw avx840 from Amazon for $370, scosche double din and harness and metra aswc

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/audio-video/82320-hu-installation-links.html

 

Dan, no worries about the thread jacking, as it led Demps to provide some good info. Thanks Demps.

I might go ahead and get the 840 if I can find it for that cheap. Crutchfield wants $400 for the 640, which is kind of ridiculous since you can find it for around $275 on Amazon, but Crutchfield does provide the dash kit, almost everything else needed for installation, and great customer service if needed. But anyway, I guess all that stuff can be found elsewhere (this site, youtube, amazon, etc.) for cheaper, if not free, too.

 

Okay, I just ordered the 740 with the wiring harness and double din kit for a total of $360 (including shipping). That certainly beats the heck out of Crutchfield's price ($450), granted their din kit may be a little nicer.

I decided to go with the 740 over the 640 mainly because of the built in bluetooth--you have to buy an addition for the 640. And I didn't get the 840 because I'm somewhat skeptical of electronics that are strictly touch screen and it has a motion sensor that might get annoying. The one aspect of the 840 that I think I'll miss is the option to tilt the screen, but that shouldn't be too big of an issue with the higher position of the hu in the Tacoma.

Anyway, if you're interested, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

thanks for all the great info, this will be really helpful if/when i install my hu. ya, blewter id love to see some pics of the install and how it turns out!

 

Will do.