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Shopping for aftermarket stereo. Any suggestion? How hard or easy to install?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by johnjohn15, Mar 12, 2020.

  1. johnjohn15

    johnjohn15 Junior Member

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    I have been looking into aftermarket stereo that does Apple carplay, built in navigation, HD radio, back up camera and such that compatible to the Prius. Went to crutchfield to find the best one for me and according to them, it not hard nor easy to install, run the wires and stuff including backup camera as it requires patience. Problem is that I’m not confident nor knowledgeable about it. They said they can help me out over the phone.

    I’m a noob and thought, “why not have Best Buy do it?” I’m thinking of that route but they’re 2-3 weeks out. Kinda suck having to wait. So I don’t mind doing it myself but i wanna know the degree of difficulty on this installment.

    I’m interested in getting one of these via provided links below:

    1) Pioneer AVIC-W8500NEX Navigation receiver at Crutchfield

    2) Sony XAV-AX1000 Digital multimedia receiver at Crutchfield

    3) JVC KW-V85BT DVD receiver at Crutchfield

    What do you guys advise?



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  2. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    if you don't know how to solder, you won't be able to do it right. of course, the guys at best buy likely won't solder it either. they may use a heat gun and shrink tube connectors which is the easiest way to do it right, but they may also use crimp connectors and hack up your wiring harness . it isn't their car, so they will half-nice person it and later you will have problems with the install. watch some installs on ebay using the heat gun and shrink connectors. then if you think you can handle it, go for it. if you got a helpful friend that knows how to do it, even better. otherwise roll the dice and hope the installer takes pride in his work. crutchfield will help you a lot if you need it.
     
  3. johnjohn15

    johnjohn15 Junior Member

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    How is solder relevant to car install? I’m trying to connect the dots here...


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  4. egg_salad

    egg_salad Active Member

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    You must connect wires together somehow to install a car stereo. For a long time, I was fine with using good-quality crimpers or crimp connectors, but I now believe that soldering makes for a better junction between two wires.

    If you are uncomfortable with soldering, Crutchfield offers a service where they will join your new stereo's wiring harness with the proper wiring harness for your Prius. I don't have firsthand knowledge of the finished product, but I do trust that company to do it right.
     
  5. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    yes crutchfield will give you an adapter harness to fit your car, but you still need to connect some wires. you can do it the moron way, or the right way, which requires solder and shrink tubing. many idiots have just twisted the wires together and wrapped some tape around them; later they wondered why their system stopped working correctly.

    you can use crimp terminals, but again, if you don't crimp them well, the wires will pull out or lose contact, and you're back to wondering why it doesn't work. most of the crimping pliers for sale these days are garbage, they don't have the little nub to mash into the back of the terminal, instead they just flatten the terminal. don't waste time or money on those pliers.
     
  6. egg_salad

    egg_salad Active Member

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  7. johnjohn15

    johnjohn15 Junior Member

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    Out of curiosity, is HD radio the thing that truly tells the name of the songs and the artist play and sounds CD quality? Reason is because I grew up not knowing any info thanks to that stupid “no message” that keeps appearing whenever I pressed TEXT on the radio.


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  8. johnjohn15

    johnjohn15 Junior Member

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    Understood. What stereo do u suggest for clean look?


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  9. egg_salad

    egg_salad Active Member

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    Honestly, I don't care for any of them. Pick the features you want and look at the pictures. Tastes are individual.
     
    johnjohn15 likes this.