all, A fresh 2007 Prius owner here and loving the community! I searched around here and saw one mention of this particular module, but not a lot else, so I figured I'd give it some attention. It's the Bluefusion model BFTAK by Scosche, and it works with any Gen 2 vehicle that has a SAT button on the radio. Essentially it mimics a satellite radio interface to pass through Bluetooth A2DP to your stereo. It's a relatively simple installation--you pull out the radio and install the harness between the factory harness and the stereo. I found an online tutorial to tear out the dash and it was a 15 minute install. There's a SAT passthrough on the harness as well so you can still use it with your satellite radio if you have one. Pros: + you can use the steering wheel controls to change songs/volume + if you have stock Bluetooth for your phone it won't override that when you're getting phone calls (I have both stock and Bluefusion connected and calls to my iPhone go through the stock system which I think does a better job with capturing audio--I didn't even install the Bluefusion microphone) Cons: + only one device can be connected at a time + screws with the SAT interface on the touchscreen--when you hit the SAT button on the radio you get a Bluefusion menu with a button to continue on to the satellite radio menu (I don't use satellite radio so this is moot for me) + price can fluctuate wildly (I bought one of these for my Scion 3 years ago for $15, have seen them for as high as $200, but waited patiently and got one through a third party on Amazon for $35 last week) Anyway, I've been very happy with it since it plays well with stock Bluetooth and I don't have to mess with the ground loop interference that comes with an aux adapter. Much cleaner overall than the half dozen other solutions I tried.
Thanks for the great article and suggestion, but right now there is only one available on Amazon for $250 :/.
This sounds legit, IF you have the sattelite radio package. In my 2006, I installed a soundbot bluetooth dongle. Picked it up on Amazon for ~$17, which included a pretty slick 3 port, 2.1 amp charger... Anyways, that little dongle, combined with a $10 ground-loop isolator worked well! Plugged the charger and aux cable in, then mounted it on the side of my center console for quick access to the pause/skip buttons. It auto-connected every time I started the car, and worked like a champ for those of us who didn't get the higher-end ride Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
That sounds a lot like the SoundBot 360 I just got. Unfortunately it causes major interference with my stock bluetooth calling to the point were I can't use it anymore. This blue fusion sounds like it would eliminate that problem but the price is just way too high to even consider.
It seems someone on ebay is selling them cheap: Bluefusion Bftak Hands Free Bluetooth Integration for Select Toyota Vehicles | eBay I just bought it. I don't have it yet so I cant confirm but according to the listing it should be it.
Hi Dr. Dan, Just picked up a 2008 Prius and am very interested in an integrated bluetooth system. Are you able to link to the install video you found? Before I spend the money, I want to make sure I'm competent enough to install. Thanks!
Hey, sorry, just seeing this! I just looked up a basic dash tear down (can also look for any how to on changing the radio out). Once I had the dash open, the included harness was very straightforward and I just had to put it in between the radio and the existing wiring. Sorry I don't have anything in front of me to make it more specific.
I was worried about this but at least with my module my phone always connects to (and uses for calling) the built in hands free and connects secondarily to the Blue Fusion (so it still works with audio). Sometimes BF takes over when I'm trying to call and I have to change it, but for the most part It's been pretty perfect.
