2012-Specific Head Unit Install Kits

Hello all... new member here. I have a 2012 double-cab TX|Pro with a manual transmission on order. While I'm waiting, I thought I'd say hello by posting some information I received in e-mails from Metra, Scosche and American International regarding the dash changes in the 2012 model Tacos.

I found out the hard way that the Entune/JBL system isn't available with a manual transmission (Toyota--that's stupid! I'm spending nearly $35k on a truck and I can't get any kind of navigation?!?). Anyway, as most of you know, the 2012 dash is something different than 2011 and prior... the older kits from Metra, etc. will "work," but the curves on the sides and fitment at the bottom are a bit out of alignment. SO, I contacted the three major kit companies and got the following replies regarding the 2012 kits...


Scosche:

Kelson Downes, a manufacturer service rep said, "We do have our kit for the ’12 Tacoma currently in development and will have it available early June. We do not currently list the kit on the Web, but the part number will be TA2111B". Tony Landeros in Scosche tech support then said, "The dash kit is in tooling and should be available within the next 2 months."

I then pressed Tony on the timing issue, referring him to this post back in November of 2011, where Scosche supposedly told a forum member that the kit had already gone into tooling, and would be available in early 2012. Tony then said, "Let me double check for you I will email you later on today." I then checked-in again on Friday and today, and he has not replied to my inquiries. So either he can't find out, hasn't had time to find out, or has news that would be different than what he already told me.


Metra:

Mark Tirotta in tech support stated, "At the current time, we do not have an actual dash kit for the 2012 Toyota Tacoma. While the 99-8214 could be used, it is not a perfect fit, as the dashes are not exactly the same, as you have already found. While we do not have an E.T.A. for the 2012 Tacoma dash kit, I would suggest checking with us periodically for any changes to this information (www.metraonline.com)" He then further stated, "While we do not have an ETA, our Research and Development team is looking into a dash kit for this model year." At least these guys know there's a difference, but he made no commitment whatsoever regarding a release date.


American International (Best Fit Kits):

Clifton Brown in tech support initially provided a link to their regular kits, and said their rep at Toyota told them: "In a case that the 2012 vehicle has the entune system it will have a slightly different dash configuration... a kit for that confiiguration will come out some point second quarter of this year" I informed them that it didn't matter if the system had Entune or not, they were all different. He then said, "I'll let the Toyota know your input on the matter." So, it sounds like they may have a kit in development for sometime this quarter, but they're not fully informed on what's what.


Sorry this is long-winded, but it seemed like a subject that wasn't being addressed, so I hope someone will find the above to be of some use. Personally, I'll likely just buy the kit from whoever releases it first... don't want to muck-up my brand new Taco with a kit that doesn't fit right!

 

Thanks for running all this down. Today, I actually sent an inquiry to Scosche myself, but haven't heard anything yet. About a month ago they told me it would be available in May. I pulled the trigger on my install and put in a 2011 Scosche on a temporary basis. If you look close, it is obvious that the dash kit doesn't match, but it really isn't that bad. I hardly notice and nobody has commented.

I'm enjoying the hell out of my new Pioneer and glad I didn't wait for any of these yahoos to deal with tooling up. When they finally have a 2012 kit ready, it will only take 2 minutes to pop off the 2011 and pop on the new one.

 

Cool. Glad the 2011 kit will be easy to replace, if I have to go that route. It seems Scosche is leading people on the most (that one thread back in November 2011 was promising early this year), though at least they are acknowledging the difference.

By the way, all of the responses I posted were received last week (week of 4/16), so they are current as of this post. Will be interesting to see who finally steps up to support the 2012 community... heck, the 2012 model year is halfway over already. More people need to start bugging them to get on the ball!

 

I've already hit up scosche weeks ago, and they told me that mid may was the eta that the kits would come out. I'm expecting at least june timeframe.

 

Does anyone know of an aftermarket wiring harness for the 2012? I cannot find one anywhere.

 

I got the american international one and the HU sticks out a little further then it should but works okay.

 

Just got an e-mail from Tony in tech support at Scosche yesterday, and he said, "The dash kit should be available within 2 months latest 3."

So that puts us in the June-July timeframe, assuming it doesn't slip. I reminded Tony that we've heard anywhere from "early 2012" (that was from a post back in November of last year) to "the 2nd quarter" to "May" to now this late Q2/early Q3 timeframe.

The good news is that Scosche, at least, recognizes the difference in model years. The bad news is that they don't seem to have any more of a clue when the kit will be released than anyone else (I'm sure someone knows, but obviously I've not reached the right people).

Guess we just need more Taco owners to start bugging them!

 

This is a little off topic, but I wonder if it is normal for these aftermarket dash kit companies to take so long rolling out new kits. They need to do a lot of design and prototype work before they even make the considerable investment for tooling to injection mold these things. If they are smart, they first chase after the models that will generate the largest sales and work down the list to the ones that will not sell as well.

I'd think Tacoma's were reasonably high on the list, but don't really know. Maybe the slow rollout is just another sign of a poor economy and companies delaying new product development in order to help short-term cash flow. /end speculation.

 

Seems like a fair assumption, though I would agree that the Tacoma is a known best-seller (not like it's a small volume Lotus or something), and is pretty readily customized--particularly compared to some of these new car designs that have nav and audio system parts spread all over the dash. Also, the 2012 has the same mounting points as prior years, so it's really just the dash curvature that needs to be re-thought.

In any event, I received the following from the folks at Best Fit Kits today: "Also the Best Kits site has been updated to reflect that the 2012 vehicle has nothing confirmed for it yet."

So at least everyone seems to now acknowledge there's a difference between the years. But getting them to do anything about it might take awhile, it seems..

 

Just out of curiosity, I did a random sampling of Scosche's site to see if they have ANY 2012 specific DD dash kits available. Out of the 4 other trucks I checked (Tundra, Canyon, F150 and Durango), none of them had 2012 dash kits available. The exception was 2012 models that were unchanged from 2011.

 

Hm. Good to know... at least we're not alone. Honestly, I'm surprised it takes them that long, especially for popular models. Seems like being the first one available with a kit for a new model would be a significant competitive advantage.

Either way, I'm sure a little "friendly pressure" from folks like us can't hurt in terms of moving things along.

 

Here are a couple updates I received, after inquiring again with the known head-unit install kit manufacturers (as of right now, about a month and a half after my initial inquiry, and nearing Q3 of 2012)...


Scosche:

Has not replied to further inquiry. My contact is Tony Landeros in tech support and Kelson Downes, a manufacturer service rep. I might urge anyone who is interested in these kits to contact them via tlanderos at scosche dot com (or tonyl at schosche dot com) and kelsond at scosche dot com.


Metra:

Mark Tirotta in tech support was quick to reply with: "We still do not have any ETA for the 2012 Tacoma dash kit. Please check the website periodically for additional information (www.metraonline.com)." You can reach him at markt at metra dash autosound dot com, if you want to help give this more of a push.


American International (Best Fit Kits):

Clifton Brown in tech support replied today saying, "How interesting I just had a call about this kit a few minutes ago. Our Best Kit department responded that there is still no eta for a release however development is still in progress." He further replied, "I understand... every one's frustration waiting for the kit to be released. Product developement can be time consumer at times and I will be sure to forward you comments." He can be reached via bestkits at aampofamerica dot emailcenterpro dot com.

 

I liked the look of the factory HU and all the features like the bluetooth, steering wheel etc. I used a JL Audio Cleansweep interface and kept the factory headunit. Run a couple 12"s and JL seperates off a couple amps and could not be hapier with the results.

 

Just got another update:


Scosche:

"The dash kit is in its final stages should be within the next month but things may change and might be pushed back we want to make sure that the kit is to standards of SCOSCHE."


So, it sounds like Scosche is in the lead, timing-wise. Or it could just be that the other guys aren't saying much, but their products are almost ready, too. Or they could all be months away yet, since we heard similar estimates back as far as November of last year.

By the way, not saying the stock head unit is bad, for those who don't need or want in-dash navigation (and I'd agree the look is nice--the trim ring has a nice metallic flake going on, and the I like the large, rubberized knobs). But for those who do want navigation, or for those who don't particularly care for the stock user interface, and/or for those who want a clean 4 or 5v pre-out, a decent 2012 kit will be a necessity for a factory-look install of a new unit.

 

Additional little piece of info on the JL Cleansweep, it has 2 8v preouts

 

Frustrating is an understatement with the eta in these kits...

I did email scosche twice and the latest news I got was a mid june timeframe. I'm not holding my breath

 

Yeah, I recall a thread from someone who contacted Scosche last November and it was early 2012 at that point... clearly that wasn't accurate.

I figure the best thing we can do now is to stay on them, to let them know there is consumer demand.

 

I think we should start a new thread ask for members to start bombarding Scosche with emails about this issue. Since this issue has been worked on since November, the repeated delays (1st qtr, then May, then March, Now mid June) its frackin June 8th. I do not believe this is a priority for them at this time. a few hundread emails all at once would send a message.

 

My theory…

Somewhere inside Scosche, there is a team that has done a detailed analysis of their historic sales. To maximize revenue and profits, they know exactly which makes and models to develop and in what order. They’ve also looked at their reduced sales stemming from the down economy. A decision has been made to slow down new product development and coast along on their huge portfolio of established products.

From the outside, we are confounded by how long it takes them to roll out these things. On the inside, they are doing exactly what they need to do to weather this economy. New product development represents a large commitment in tooling and engineering expenses. Even if they have a guaranteed payback after only one year, they may not be able to pull the trigger for cash flow reasons.

 

see what i mean, two weeks from now it will be mid Aug
Greetings,

Our kit is currently in production and should be available Mid-July.

Thank you,


Kelson Downes
Manufacturer Service Representative
Scosche Industries, Inc.

1550 Pacific Ave, Oxnard, CA 93033
tel: 805.486.4450 x143
tol: 800.363.4490 x143
fax: 805.486.9996
email: kelsond@scosche.com
web: www.scosche.com
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