Running wire through Firewall

Anyone have any idea where the easiest place on a Gen 4 w/JBL would be to run a wire? Probably 4 AWG to the amp i'm going to be putting in. I've taken a look under the hood and around the gas pedal etc. and nothing seems incredibly obvious. I'm removing and completely bypassing all the factory head unit stuff along with the JBL amp. The sound is good, however, the functionality of the head unit makes me want to punch a baby.

I've tried to find a harness to retain the factory amp but nobody has come out with anything yet to make it a plug and play solution. I don't mind doing some wiring but I can't even get a pinout or schematic for a Metra harness, or anything else for that matter.

 

it's actually not even remotely tied in. That's what i thought going into this project, but the more i learned, the more i realized they did the most cost effective thing they could. Basically it's a separate amp used for the audio that's stashed under the driver's seat, then the head unit controls certain portions of the MFD and very few features of the vehicle (such as unlocking one door or all the doors when you unlock the car).

I did actually spend the money on getting toyotas schematics via TIS. Honestly it's worth every penny. You basically get everything that a dealer would get.

The thing that threw me for a loop was when i looked at the aftermarket adapters to "turn on" the amp. It appears that the adapter interface is needed for cross/fade and all that jazz. I could totally be wrong. I'm an electronics technician with a healthy dose of experience in home theater but never really made it to car audio. It looks like iDataLink has a harness and adapter interface for this car even though Crutchfield says the interface doesn't work with my vehicle, but the harness does. It arrives tomorrow, and honestly if i can get the new head unit to work without rewiring an amp, I'll be happy. I listen to the occasional music but mostly podcasts. I just can't tolerate the half-a$$ed interface and performance of the current head unit. It's going to get replaced with this.

CarJoying 10.1 Android 6.0 on Amazon, in case it doesn't load on here through links

This thing is kick butt and has been sitting on my desk for the past couple weeks while i get it configured and research this project. I'll post some pics when it's done but quite frankly, at the cost, and functionality of what it does, I'm not going to miss "entune" in the slightest.

 

You sir, are a genius. I'm definitely going to give that a shot.

 

Exactly, it's just a poorly thought out casserole of nonsense. I wouldn't have opted for it when i purchased the car but I have a staunch rule I stand by. Never purchase a brand new car. This one so happened to be certified preowned and had all the bells and whistles I was looking for. I'll post some pics of when it's up and running with the new stereo.

 

Welp I finally did it. I got everything connected and up and running. This radio is AMAZING. It's basically a full android setup for your car. The sound is soooo much better than on the stock JBL h/u. I kept the original speakers and they perform far better in this system. I've attached a few photos and as you can see it looks pretty darn good.

For the install part I had to get all the wiring diagrams etc from TIS and figure things out on my own. Unfortunately there isn't an easy solution for harnesses. I had to splice in and wire my own. Not necessarily a bad thing because I sincerely doubt i'll ever put the old h/u back in unless i'm selling it. In that case i'll just buy the connectors and re-pin and crimp the new ones on

Even after contacting some guys who make all custom harnesses, they could only make half of what i needed. I think the iDatalink maestro etc may work with the non-JBL version of this car but the JBL unfortunately has some wacky connectors that just aren't featured on the adapter harness. Nor is there any firmware for that unit.

It looks good, sounds good, and has a billion times more function than the stock Entune nonsense. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll be happy to answer.

 

Just a bit. Doesn't interfere though. It doesn't really block anything, I could always mod it a bit but for right now it works for me.

 

Actually everything is still accessible and the steering controls work just fine

 

Is there anything specific you'd like to know about the install? It was definitely a learning experience

 

Actually the head unit pretty much runs everything. The idatalink and maestro stuff aren't compatable at this point. Luckily the steering wheel switches use old fashioned resistors and switches instead of canbus data so the head unit can just tap in and use it natively.

Instead of using Bluetooth, the head unit has wifi so I just use my tmobile syncup hotspot. No need to pair anything or turn on the phone hotspot. Just get in and go. I drive a lot and this was definitely worth the price of admission. They do make more inexpensive ones that are a bit smaller and probably fit better in the dash. For around $350 you can get an amazing one.

 

The only options that I can't get into are just as you said, selecting all doors to lock or just the drivers, and some light delay settings. Honestly, I've never messed with those. If I really wanted to I could do like Chapman said, get Carista and change it. However, neither of these really were of any interest to me. Also, any energy monitoring I get right from the MFD. I'd say it's a tradeoff that's 100% worth it and encourage anyone that's considering it, to just go ahead and do it. I fully endorse the CarJoying brand. They might be a Chinese brand, but they really do make a decent product and give a $hit about their customers.