INSTALLED STEERING WHEEL AUDIO CONTROLS ON MY 08

Okay guys, question. I'm trying to finish up install here on the new airbag cover, buttons and wheel cover. My old steering wheel cover and this new one always looked and felt as if it were sunken way too far in. Did any of you experience this problem I'm having? I had this issue before with old cover, but it wasn't as pronounced as before.

I was able to adjust one side to get the cover flush with the steering wheel controls, but the right side I'm not having any luck. And it feels like it doesn't want to depress to honk the horn. When I get home I'm gonna take it all apart again.

 

Well just ordered the parts for the Right side audio controls and the cable Gonna attempt this mod. After spending way too much time researching whether it was worth it to buy a new version steering wheel 2013 as well as an expensive airbag, I decided this was the better move $ wise and for less effort. Of course I prefer the look of the new wheel, but I’ll just wait and save it till I buy my T4R in a couple years. Figure that way maybe I’ll appreciate the upgrade and luxury even more. Can’t pimp this old ride out too much right!? She already just got wireless Apple carplay.

Planning to also attempt to do a new leather steering wheel wrap. Looking at a Loncky model. @Locoluna825 can we get an update on your steering wheel Audio workings and also your review and best practices on a leather wheel wrapping ? Think this is a better overall deal than scrounging the net for a 2012 - wheel? Just seems like a better first step mod to me value wise given my 2008 aging baby.

 

Well damn I just installed this mod and it basically yielded me no gain.
My right sided controls do nothing that I expected them to do. I have no idea what module steering controls I have as it was installed a long time ago by Best Buy on my first aftermarket stereo. It’s not the idatalink tho Now basically if u press the bottom Bluetooth button it does some “attenuation” of the sound feature. Something I never use on my Kenwood dmx-906s. Other top phone buttons do something with the channels. And change the mode to something weird. And of course now I got it all back together and it feels like my left sided controls aren’t sitting as flushly relative to the right and slightly protrude a little. Now I’m wondering if they were always that way or if I didn’t fully connect something back in place when I put them back together after connecting the ribbon

long story shirt. I’m not satisfied and I guess I’m gonna have to go to Best Buy whenever if they open back up and try to get this function corrected on my module. Damn. And to think I was so excited. I’d undo it now and look again but it’s about to rain and is humid as hell outside and I don’t wanna go through the unhooking the terminals and shit again right now. Sorry to vent but I’m kinda pissed I even took this on. Lived with it fine for 12 years of the truck.

 

Yeah. Sounds like you may need to re-flash your maestro module. Easy enough to do yourself.

 

No I don’t have a maestro. Don’t know what I have For steering wheel control module. Installed by Best Buy way back like 2013 2 aftermarket systems ago.

 

Dood. Get the maestro.
What are you running for a head unit now?

 

Damn. I got the Kenwood DMX906s with wireless Apple carplay. Basically like a brand new truck. Just wish my Siri button worked lol. Not like I needed these controls but hell why not lol. Maestro seems so high and I think what I have will work with the controls just needs to be reprogrammed or something. But I am such a mess every time i get behind the head unit I can’t get it all back together and tucked in with that limited space so I Had bestbuy do it for me. Hell if they would just reopen damn. My $199/yr total tech support package is really a shit investment now

 

Yeah. I agree on the difficulty of getting it all stuffed back in there. I figured out that the maestro fits up high way forward above the air duct that’s in there. I wrapped it in a bit of foam to keep it from rattling and slid it in there. The rest was fairly easy to pack away.

At $100 or so, for me, the maestro was totally worth it. Siri button works as do all the other steering wheel controls and shortcuts. The datalink is way cool too. Can monitor engine parameters, read and clear trouble codes, see tire pressures, etc.

 

trying the same upgrade 2008 access cab. got everything but the cable with the three wires that go to the radio to control from steering wheel switch.. connector R1 and R2 are good, I've connected all those wires .... power, ground speakers etc. trying to get the steering wheel controls next, but I don't find the R3 connector. only cable I've got is a 14 pin connector ...


I've looked at a 2008 tacoma electrical wiring diagram pub, and can only find one 14 pin connectors H7, which is hazard warning signal SW assembly.
have considered buying another harness, and cutting out cable I need, but cant find which one I might need to go from steering wheel or junction box to radio.
any thoughts/ideas greatly appreciated.

 

You need to flash the maestro for the vehicle.

 

I don’t have the maestro. I have whatever module I had for my old aftermarket put in. Metra or something axcess maybe ?

 

Anyone pull parts for this out of an 03 4runner? There's one for parts near me and the interior is pretty identical.

 

My problem doing this is going to be 2008 truck, oem HU and 2013 wheel. I have the audio control ornament to add to 2013 wheel in place of the plain one but which spiral cable? Are audio wires the same as in 2008 wheels? Questions, questions & wiring diagram research to make this happen if I really want it. Added oem audio controls to my 2004 xB that didn't come with them so I have dabbled in this wiring fun.................If I can make it happen by just getting a different spiral cable then might be a thing to do............

Here is what I have to work with.........



the pair connected via brown wire, 10 pin connector



audio side disconnected from fon side (silver would have to become black)



wiring on back side of audio controller..........



Will have to pull airbag and see what I have on spiral cable side. Would be very groovy to have an unused empty 10 pin female plug inside there.

 

OK, here's the rub......spiral cable has plug up top for controls with 12 pins. Plugged in the ornament to spiral cable - no go. Took wheel off to check connections to spiral cable inside column cover. Spiral cable has 2 plugs - one yellow for airbag and one black....that only has 3 wires going to it. There is an unused gray plug with 5 wires in column with nowhere to plug it in. So that leaves me at searching thru wiring diagram for my 08 to see which 3 wires need to come out of gray plug and then where in the black spiral cable plug do they need to go in..........I guess at this point. My truck is 08 SR5 RC that came with pretty much nothing but has wiring in place for options from what I have encountered which makes me think the gray unused plug in column may be audio control harness.........and it has a 2012 steering wheel based on ornament configuration. IIRC those changed in 2013?

Pic of pins in spiral cable..........




Pic of black spiral connection wires and gray unused harness and wires............




(searching for my Tacoma manual on different computer now)

 

So, from recent experience with adding this function to my xB, I believe the gray plug is probably VSC or traction control. Going thru Tacoma wiring diagrams kinda proves that connector unassociated to audio based on wiring colors. I believe I have the right spiral for audio controls to work - 12 pins on both ends. I can see the right color wires going into spiral cable plug for horn and cruise control and wiring diagrams confirm color and pin locations. Based on that, I found that there should be 3 wires coming from stereo to spiral to make audio controls work.....yellow/black from pin 8 on stereo plug to pin 5 on spiral side, white/red from pin 6 on stereo plug to pin 4 on spiral side & violet/white from pin 7 on stereo plug to pin 6 on spiral side. I am betting those are unconnected to anything on back of stereo. So it seems I just need to make a 3 wire harness and run it from stereo to spiral. Just gonna have to find right size pins to push into spiral side connector and it should work. Basically this is what I had to do on the xB...a 3 wire harness from stereo to spiral to make the 06.5 oem wheel with audio controls work on my 2004 that did not come wired for that option. Looks to be the same case for my truck.

 

column harness to spiral only has 2 wires for cc and 1 for horn in 1,2 & 8........need to push audio control wires from stereo into 4,5 & 6.

 

Well, pulled the stereo to find I do not have the stereo plug with the st whl control wires in it so a trip to the junkyard seems to be called for to harvest a steering column 12 pin connector with all the necessary wires and the one needed to plug into stereo on the other end. Then make the 3 wire harness long enough to go from stereo to steering wheel. My little RC was prewired for nothing other than cc it seems. No fog wiring or st whl control wiring or power mirror wiring or mirror blinker wiring............but it will have all that after this trip, lol.

 

Less than $100 for airbag cover, buttons and clockspring.

Prices sure have come down over the years compared to OP!

 

It would seem that a used steering column assembly would have all of the parts needed to do this.

 

not necessarily and you don't need the whole column but yeah if it was just the right unicorn score. Not sure about where folks are but I live near 4th largest metroplex in usa and there are no tacomas to speak of in junkyards to score from......unless you own one. Going to auctions would be simpler. The necessary parts to make it happen are common in several to many vehicles tho.