2013 Aftermarket Radio install - help

So the other day I bought a Pioneer AVH-X3500BHS double DIN DVD player radio.

I got it installed, but now I lost the right side steering wheel controls for trip and the AC/heat. I found a couple of threads that mention it but nothing I could really find detailing a fix? A lot of people seemed to mention a Metra SW control module... but doesn't that only take commands from the buttons to the radio?

Help.... This is a serious buzzkill, the stock touchscreen radio is terrible, but I would like to not lose a lot of the cool functions that are only controlled by the right portion of the steering wheel.

 

So I guess I will update with what I know so far...

The tech at the dealership I bought the car from said that there was no way to make the trip/climate control buttons work with an aftermarket radio and that it could actually cause issues with the car. I pretty much expected that.

Crutchfield has said that they don't know why the buttons wouldn't be working to begin with.

I called Metra, who make a lot of wiring harnesses, and they said they hadn't tested the 2013 prius yet, but he didn't know why it wouldn't be working. He did mention that some cars ground things to the factory stereo and it could be as simple as grounding one of the wires. Maybe this is all that's needed for the controls to come back.

Lastly I talked to the guy who installed the the radio, he actually mentioned that they plugged in the factory radio and the steering wheel buttons weren't working then. Not sure if I believe him or not... But maybe I loosened a connection or something while pulling the dash apart??

I have no clue... Please if anyone has installed anything other than an OEM clone radio please respond and let me know what you have found out.

 

I am in Buffalo NY.

I hooked up the factory radio again myself this morning. Everything worked exactly like it should. I called the guy at the shop and let him know, he said his guy must have screwed up. Maybe all of the dash pieces have to be connected again for the buttons to work?? I don't know.

The guy I have been dealing with seems like a good dude, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Gonna get an update on Monday from the shop, after he calls his tech support place. Maybe I am just being naive and they are trying to take advantage of me... but I am nowhere near as dumb as I may look... haha.

Today I may call around though and see if anyone has done a '13 Prius, since apparently it is much different than other gen III.

Again, has anyone replaced their factory radio in a '13? Is it possible to retain the trip/climate control buttons on the steering wheel?

 

So I know for a fact the wiring harness is done correctly. I did it myself, I only hired someone cause I didn't want to deal with running the wires.

The trip buttons doesn't work with no radio installed at all or with the new radio installed? What would make that happen? Plug the stock radio back in and it works again.

You have a shop you know about in the Buffalo/western NY area?

 

I did not do that part... .

I bought one of these but was told by the shop that it wasn't going to work. iDatalink - Maestro - Home

When I spoke to the dude at Metra he said there was likely a wire that needed to be grounded. Didn't know which one though

 

I did speak to tech support at iDatalink and they said their unit wouldn't interface with the right half of the steering wheel controls at all anyhow.

 

Thanks... I appreciate it.

Maybe I will flash the module again, check the wiring and throw it in again.

If you could tell me what wire needs to be grounded I could do that to and see if it resolves the issue.

EDIT: or more easily if you know of a good place up here and I will let them do the hard work.

 

If you read the thread you can see I'm not really an expert by any stretch of the imagination... The audio and everything works perfectly with the standard wiring harness that was shipped from Crutchfield.

So in short, I didn't know that there was an audio adapter problem. Mine does not have the JBL upgrade if that means anything.

 

One of the tech guys I talked to somewhere actually said pin 23 as well. I can't remember but I don't think there could have been more than one connector back there that even had 24 pins that the diagram on that site shows.

I'm still waiting on my "idiot" stereo shop guy to call me back sometime today, though before I bother pulling the dash out again.

 

If anyone cares at all, I ended up returning the headunit and steering wheel control.

The Pioneer headunit as far as functionality was only marginally better than stock. The sound was far superior at high volumes but there was a terrible whine at lower levels (I assume interference from alternator or some part of the electrical system). Ended up getting the adapters to add Sirius/XM to the stock unit, and it works flawlessly.

The one thing I really miss about my Cruze was MyLink was really a superior product to most everything I have used. The coolest thing that I wish more companies would integrate is the presets. On my presets in the first 6 I would have an AM station, an FM station, and then 4 satellite stations. And it would flip through them just like it was all from the same source.

 

Keith: Just know that was someone I was talking on the phone with from Metra and was in the context "I don't have my notes right here but that sounds like you are missing a ground, it's usually pin #23."

I doubt it would hurt anything, but don't take me as an authority.

I actually have a Prius 2, so I just have a touchscreen with no nav or entune. I haven't bee overly impressed with any in dash nav that I've ever seen though.