1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Overriding the navigation lock (while in motion) in '08 Prius: the best way?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by winterrain, Dec 25, 2009.

  1. winterrain

    winterrain New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2009
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hello all,
    First time poster here and a new owner of a 2008 Prius. My brother gave me his Prius just last week (he's moving to Europe and can't take it with him) and I love it so far...with one exception. The navigation system locks down while the car is in motion...this proved to be an incredibly inconvenient feature as my sister and I just took a 900 mile road trip to my family's house for Christmas and I must've had to pull over and stop (often on a freeway or turnpike) fifteen different times on the trip just so that she could have the ability to program in a destination or find a place to eat/get gas etc

    From googling this I found that many others are also experiencing this problem...and apparently the easy override "cheat code" type deal does not apply in this particular Prius since it's too new.
    So, from what I can gather, there appear to be two options...

    1. Cut/splice the wires inside the car so that you trick it into not thinking you're moving. The method I found is shown at evnut(dot)com/prius_speed_wire(dot)htm
    This seems like it could be a little problematic seeing as how neither my sister or I know anything about dismantling cars and fiddling with the wires inside. Also the disclaimer at the top ("Never attempt this activity, you will destroy your car" etc) is a little worrisome. However, the plus side is that it's free and instant and would help us out a lot on our return 900 mile trip back to college next week. Another downside is that I'm assuming this will void the car's warranty in some way.

    2. Pay $100.00 + s/h for the "Basic Lockpick 3" from "Coastal Tech" and have them mail out a "thing" which supposedly will override the problem. The issue here is that the site and company doesn't exactly look very reputable, I've seen no reviews of it, talked to no one who has successfully used one, and I'm still not sure what "it" even is. The plus is that I supposedly wouldn't have to take apart my car and cut wires inside of it...

    So, I'm coming here to get some advice on which of these two would be the better option given the circumstances and the situation. Or maybe there's a third option I don't know about? Either way, any and all help on the matter would be much appreciated!

    Thanks :)

    -Alice-
     
  2. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2007
    7,512
    1,185
    0
    Location:
    Carmichael, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I think that you have it covered, I'm not aware of another option except for getting a Tom Tom or a Garmin and using that instead.

    Things to keep in mind:

    1. You need to install a switch in the cut wire so that you can disconnect and reconnect - if you leave it disconnected then you lose the Nav "dead reckoning" feature which helps keep the Nav on track when it loses the GPS signal. It should not effect your warranty except if it causes an issue with the Nav or MFD (display), then Toyota could claim that your modification caused the problem. It would not affect your powertrain or hybrid battery warranty.

    2. Lots of complaints about customer service with Coastal Tech - so it is somewhat of a crapshoot, some people receive their items with no trouble, others complain about long delivery and/or no response from customer service. I have no experience with them, just other posts here on PC.

    I believe the Coastal Tech device plugs into the harness that connects to the Nav ECU under the drivers seat - so it is much less work than method 1 and it should be completely reversible.
     
  3. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    388
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Well, EVnut's advice is to use EVnut's directions. No customer service problems, no cost and presto... it works. Plus I know the guy well, and he's first rate. :)

    But yeah, the "not handy" part is a bit of a hurdle. Maybe ask for some local assistance? There has to be somebody nearby who can help out.
     
  4. winterrain

    winterrain New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2009
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for the help guys, I went out and bought a DPDT switch at radio shack today for 3 bucks.
    My uncle here is a technician and knows his way around cars and the like so I consulted him and showed him the evnut page...he has a couple of concerns. Namely that:

    -He thinks the color of the wires could be different in each model year and package and that the photos of the wires on the evnut site could be of a different model year or different package and thus wouldn't reflect the same wires that are inside my '08 package #5 prius...so cutting the purple wire in MY prius might cause a different reaction than cutting the purple wire in THEIR prius, and this would obviously not be a good thing.

    -While the rest of the instructions are very detailed and helpful, the part that has to do with the NAV system is basically only a paragraph long. By this I mean everything after "Speed wire cutting for NAV users (and a second option for everybody)".
    For example it says it's behind the vent but doesn't say how to get the vent off...and it doesn't say how to access the DPDT switch to turn it on/off once you've applied it and put it back behind the vent. Also I don't understand why there are detailed instructions up til the end and then the one paragraph about the DPDT route; it also prefaces the DPDT paragraph with "for NAV users"...isn't the entire page referring to NAV users? I thought the point was to get the navigation to think youre not moving so that it'll let you program in destinations and the like. Is everything up til the last paragraph referring to some other thing or is it just the same method but longer?

    Thanks again for all help, and if anyone could possibly link me to another type of detailed instructional page about how to get the DPDT thing installed and working, it would be greatly appreciated :)
     
  5. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2007
    7,512
    1,185
    0
    Location:
    Carmichael, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I have a 2007 wiring diagram and the speed wire is purple (actually, V for Violet). But to be safest, it would be best to get a 2008 wiring diagram and verify.

    I think the idea is to mount the switch in a location where it is accessible after the dash is put back together, Darell mounted his switch on the center speaker cover.
     
  6. winterrain

    winterrain New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2009
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Where would one go about getting a 2008 Prius wiring diagram? I searched around a bit online but didn't really find anything that looked like the right thing.
     
  7. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2007
    7,512
    1,185
    0
    Location:
    Carmichael, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
  8. winterrain

    winterrain New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2009
    4
    0
    0
    Location:
    Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I don't suppose there's a free alternative to this somewhere on the web? Or that someone with a subscription there could share the wiring diagram here? Not to sound cheap or anything, but money is a bit of an issue for me at the moment (kind of why I'm going the wire-cutting route rather than just getting the $100 kit from coastal tech) so a free alternative would really help.

    Thanks again!
     
  9. KallieCatcher's Mom

    KallieCatcher's Mom New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2008
    4
    1
    0
    Location:
    United States
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I am having the same issue regarding the Bluetooth phone on my 2008.. Cutting the buttons off when moving ... nav and phone is sooooo annoying!!! It is way more dangerous to try to find my cell phone and use it instead of the screen ... Curses on the idiot who designed this!

    Anyway, I guess the dealer can't fix this issue can they? I don't mind paying .. I hate it that much.
     
  10. tigersuit

    tigersuit New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2010
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I came here to ask the same thing...ive done some googling but havent found any real solutions that are either simple or cheap and its a major hassle dealing with it being locked while im driving and always having to pull over.

    I really dont want to pay upwards of $100 for that kit thing which i know nothing about but i also dont want to go snipping wires inside my car when im even more clueless about that. Is there any other way??
     
  11. jpadc

    jpadc Type before I think too often

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2008
    343
    34
    0
    Location:
    Indianapolis and Northern Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I agree it is expensive. I had the fam give me the Ultimate lock pick 3 for Christmas. The wife ordered it last October and said she received it very quickly. It sat unopened in its box until Christmas day. Needless to say, wify did not see 300+ value in a pack of wires - but I was happy so she was happy.

    I finally had a chance to do the install over MLK weekend. I can tell you that mine works exactly as advertised. Some here on PC have said that Coastal Tech customer service is not very responsive. I don't know. The product was ordered online and we've never emailed or talked to anyone there. If you search PC, you will find many people here who have installed and used the Coastal Tech product successfully.

    For what its worth -- whenever possible, I still prefer to use voice commands for the NAV. They generally work well and are fun to use.