Aftermarket radio

[sshaw10]

In reading forums about the quality of the radio and ipod support, I figure if I get a II instead of a III and spend 1K or a little more on an aftermarket system wouldn't you get exactly what you want? I'm wondering what the disadvantage is, such as problem with theft and are there any problems with installers taking parts of the car off and putting them back on? I've always thought is was best for the car to be assembled by people who know exactly how it goes together and not taking anything apart. I've never bought a new car so I don't know anythign about aftermarket installation.

[HTMLSpinnr]

** Moved to Gen III Audio and Electronics **

[abhicary]

What are Generation III Audio and electronics.

[stevejust]

Help! I'm facing the same conundrum. I have a III w/solar roof on order. My gf hates her sunroof and never uses it. I'm not sure we need the extra 65 pounds. And after hearing the bad reviews of the nav and the JBL sound system, I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion I should get a Prius II and put a nice soundsystem in it myself.

I just want some feedback about what the fit kits are like that are out there, whether there's any after market support for the steering wheel controls, etc.,.

I would love to have this info by this weekend, when I should be able to actually get the car.

Thanks in advance.

p.s. some of you might remember me from greenhybrids.com from about 5 years ago or so... finally trading in the civic hybrid.

[Sphyrna]

Originally Posted by stevejust

I just want some feedback about what the fit kits are like that are out there, whether there's any after market support for the steering wheel controls, etc.,.

I have seen very little in the way of install kits for the 2010. Steering wheel controls are probably not going to be the same as older models either with the touch-tracer display, but there might be support for that already.

Try looking into PIE, I've used them in the past and found their kits to be feature-rich, relatively easy to install and a good value for the money compared to others. Ask them if they have what you need:

PIE Precision Interface Electronics Online Store

[healthylaugh]

See my posts regarding aftermarket on two other threads (I'm reticent to paste again here, but I'll let mods determine applicability). It really does answer your question with some expert opinions:

I've researched this hard today, as it has bearing on what I buy...

Just spoke with my large regional dealer and their leading edge audio people from Car Toys, and here is the deal:

-This 2010 is going to sell tons of units, creating serious aftermarket infotainment product demand.

-Compared to the Prius Gen 2, this car is far easier to retrofit the head unit and won't wreck havoc on the electronics, climate, etc.

SOOO...according to these experts....

1) There should be a module that will adapt the Pkg. III (and possibly even Pkg. II) to allow for audio streaming WITHOUT the factory NAV. If one does not exist currently, it will be available very soon.

2) There will be aftermarket double DIN head units to replace the radio in a Pkg. II or IIII that will, in addition to the radio
-Permit BT phone calling
-Include a NAV screen
-Include a backup camera
-Permit music streaming via BT

Now, here's the decision we must make:

A.) Do you buy a Pkg. II and retrofit the head unit as per 2), knowing you don't have the sexy, factory phone controls on the steering wheel or the nicer JBL speakers and upgrade the entire head unit later (likely will be under $1,000 installed after the novelty wears off)?

or Do you buy a Pkg. III (without NAV) and ...

B.) Upgrade the head unit completely to something that will do all I've outlined in 2), except now you'll have the steering wheel controls and factory JBL speakers?

C.) Just buy the BT music streaming module (likely under $150 to start) and use the Portable TomTom or Garmin for NAV?

I'm leaning toward C, while keeping my eye on B if the price drops low enough....

Anxious to hear what you all think!

.

[rachaelseven]

Or:

D) Buy the III or IV w/NAV, enjoy it for what it is (imperfect, admittedly), and plan on upgrading later after all the parts come out and the prices have come down?

E) Buy the III or IV w/NAV and fix some of the more annoying bits (like NAV lockout while moving and lack of base) as fixes become available (like lockpicks and subwoofers) so that there is no need to upgrade the whole thing?

I'm going with one of those two. For all the knocks its taking, the electronics in the IV with NAV really aren't that bad, at least to me, and I can easily live with them until upgrades and/or fixes become available.