Pioneer AVIC-W8400NEX Installation and Review

Is there a way to easily turn off the display but leave the unit operating?

I have a Pioneer X3600BHS that I put in my Tacoma soon after getting the truck. One of the buttons on the side will turn the screen off, but leave the unit in operation. I turn it off at night and it really helps with night vision even though I do have mine setup to dim when the park lights come on.

 

Im pretty sure you can. The unit will auto dim when you turn the headlights on or you can just adjust the display. I will have to further check to see if there is just a sleep function for the screen.

So I installed my 8400 last night with the Maestro. It took just over an hour after crimping the harness / programming the Maestro. I put the microphone on the backside of the sun visor for the time being and ran it down the a-pillar which ended up being very easy.

Some comments:

Be careful which dash kit you buy, I was in a rush and got the wrong one with an incorrect bezel size. So I currently have a gap around my radio.

You need to buy the sirus xm adapter if you want to retain sat radio, I still have to buy one.

I don't have the Compass menu on my dash anymore. Not sure if I missed a wire or didn't program the maestro 100% correctly. This isn't a deal breaker for me because I never used it.

Wireless car play is really nice. Initial observations seem like it doesn't drain the battery too much.

Carplay is a hit or miss with Siri, this is apples fault though. Not app developers like Waze / Spotify. You just have to tap the screen to use the app's voice control.

There definitely is a learning curve to how many features there are / how to navigate the menus efficiently, but I have only had the radio for less than 24hrs.

Another thing I noticed is that it seems louder than the stock head unit, it probably has a higher wattage per channel.

I tried grounding the ebrake wire. But it seems that it's smarter than I and it sometimes throws a message on the screen stating the signal for that wire is wrong.

I'm happy with it for sure. The touch screen is REALLY nice. Worth the buy although it's pretty pricey. I shopped from several vendors to get the price down as much as possible.

 

If you have the appropriate tech info, why be nervous?

Tons of folks here just figure out how to make cool stuff in the harness at that.

 

Will the pioneer always work with the latest IOS? For an example, I have an old 3rd gen iPad that is no longer being supported with software updates. I would hate to drop a lot of cash on something like this, only to have it be obsolete in 3-4 years.

 

Technology is a fleeting thing. No matter what you buy, you’re always a few short months away from “last years model”.

Nothing is future-proof.

 

At the time I posted, I was under the incorrect assumption that the reason this job took OP "hours," was that he cut the harness and soldered individual connections to the HU. I have replaced head units a few times on previous cars and it never took more than an hour. So clearly I don't have enough insight into what is required to do this on my truck, given that later folks clarified that Crutchfield supplies an adapter harness.

Since you asked: I think most of my colleagues would tell you that cutting into factory harnesses is not a super great idea. The dealer will tell you to take a long hard suck if you ever want him to fix any type of electrical issue under warranty, related or not. But it's your truck and your warranty, so fill your boots.

If I do replace my HU, I think I am going to pay a car audio tech who does this type of stuff all day long! I will be hunting deer while he does it!

 

You use an adapter harness. One end connects to the new head unit wiring harness through crimped or soldered connections. The other end plugs into the truck’s factory connectors. NOTHING on the factory harness is cut or otherwise compromised.

I soldered and used heat shrink tubing on the adapter harness connections to the HU harness because I’m a perfectionist. The Crutchfield “ready harness” would’ve saved me time and trouble, but that’s not my style.

 

Must. Ignore. For. Now. Money. For. Lift. Only. GAHHHHHH!!!

 

Does anyone know how to maintain the factory tire pressure gauge in the center cluster? I installed mine with a Crux and the steering wheel controls work but the center cluster is missing tpms, compass, song info and mpg. I really want these things back especially mpg and tpms. Does this requite the iDatalink Maestro? By the way, this install is very easy. I was surprised how simple with the right kit.