Questions - Taking a stab at a new HU, SWI on my 2010

Well, I finally decided to upgrade the HU in my 2010 Prius w/JBL (non-nav), since I want better phone audio integration. I decided on the Pioneer 4100-NEX after doing a lot of research. I planned to get it from Crutchfield, but I stumbled across an open-box at my local Best Buy that was too good to pass up (complete, nothing missing). I will be ordering the rest of the stuff I need soon (maybe installing next weekend).

So my plan right now:
- Pioneer 4100-NEX
- Access TYTO-01 Wiring Interface
- Scosche TA2105B Dash Kit
- Maestro ADS-MSW SWI

So my questions:

1. Has anyone out there tried these Maestro SWI interface? How does it compare to the PAC? Does the SWI interfere with the climate control buttons on the RH side of the steering wheel (regardless of the brand of interface)?
2. Has anyone out there used the Posi-Tap connectors like these:

If so, do they work well? What is the wire gauge typically used in the factory harness and the aftermarket harness? 18ga?
3. Any tips? I have pulled my dash apart before (many times) for installation of an old Kenwood iPod interface, but this is the first head unit I have installed since I was in my 20's!

Thanks!

 

One more question that I forgot to ask last night...

If I decided to upgrade speakers, how critical is the Ohm rating? My understanding is that the factory speakers are 2 Ohm, so if I don't plan to bypass the JBL amp, should I try to find 2 Ohm replacements?

Also, what is the logic of using speaker level outputs from the head unit to feed into the JBL amp? Wouldn't it make more sense to use preamp outputs from the headunit to feed the JBL? Does the power output rating of the HU make much difference when the JBL amp is being used?

Thanks again!

 

Well, since no one responded, I will post a few observations for future reference...

Pioneer 4100NEX: Very nice HU. Firmware is still 1.00, and I haven't bothered to update it yet. I think the sound is good enough to prevent me from doing any other upgrades (speakers and/or bypassing the JBL amp).

Maestro SWI: Worked Great. Once I made good connections. The biggest issue I had was getting it programmed with my Windows 10 PC. I created a new user on my computer and eventually got it to recognize the device via the web interface. I honestly don't think I can duplicate the success again! (I had some issues and tried to reprogram it while in the car, and couldn't get it to recognize the device again.) The voice button on the SW correctly works with Android Auto.

Posi Tap Connectors: Mixed results - I think if I had the correct size for the wire gauge I would have been fine. I bought the 16-18 size (blue), and ended up only needing to use 2 of them. The issue was that the wires in the factory harness that I needed to tap into for the SWI were smaller wire (probably 20-22 gauge?). I was getting intermittent connection, as the needle that was supposed to puncture the insulation was slipping past the wire. I ended up cutting the 2 wires in the harness, and connecting with a lever connectors I had handy. If I ever need to reinstall the factory radio I will need to reconnect these! This fixed the issue I was seeing and reprogramming wasn't needed.

Scosche Dash Kit: Looks OK - not a perfect match to the dash. I intially tried to re-use the factory mounting brackets for the HU, but that clearly didn't work (no rear support for the trim plate). This was resolved by using the Scosche brackets. These are plastic and don't seem terribly solid. I have a slight mismatch in flushness from the Scosche trim plate to the surrounding factory trim, but I think this was my own doing. I think I could adjust this out by removing the HU and shifting the mounting bracket slightly forward on the HU.

MicroBypass for Parking Brake (Specific to the Pioneer 4100NEX): Bought from Amazon ($14) at the last minute because I didn't research the parking brake wire connector until I was assembling my wire harnesses. Works perfectly to supply the double-pulse signal.