sokahmed

Man, those rides are just ... N A S T Y ! I need to stop looking at those pics, otherwise I'll start wanting to mod my car ... oh wait ... I already want to do that, except the missus will kill me if I try. :D

Update on the GPS: Got an email from Matt today, who's going to send me another SD card with the software on it. Nice one! Will hopefully get it in a couple of days, and will be all set to try out the GPS again. Has anyone tried / have any experience with CoPilot? I like the way it looks, but haven't had a chance to use it.

Thanks mate. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I just keep reminding myself that I only drive about 30km per week, on the weekends ... but hey, might as well get the groceries in style ... B)

Thanks man. Yeah, I think that's probably what I'll end up doing. I do have another SD card with TomTom on it, and it even loads up, but it keeps showing the low battery indicator for some reason. I suspect this is because the software is for my Windows Mobile device. Will do a bit of digging around as soon as I get done with my exams in a couple of weeks and report back. The other thing that might be interesting to note is that I was unable to play any media off the SD card. Looks like it might be restricted to be used only for the GPS software. Any thoughts around what the best GPS software for a device like this is? What are people running here that they seem to be satisfied with? Edit: Had a look at the thread you pointed out. What can I say? You're the Man! :)

Thanks! :) Got the unit (including the reversing camera) for $650 delivered.

Alternatively, for a better way to take out the head unit, follow DJKOR's instructions here. I just saw them, and slapped myself in the head ... Doh!... would have saved us a lot of effort taking it all apart. Note to self: Next time, look through the forum more thoroughly!

Ok, as promised, here's a quick write-up about my experience so far with the TC09X1 head unit into my Camry. Thought I would put it up to help others who were looking for something similar, or had any questions. With some luck, we can capture most of the information required to help people decide if this is the right unit for them, and also to get it into their Camry / Aurion. :) First things first - The Disclaimer: I am in no way associated or affiliated with the seller of this head unit, except as a customer. All opinions are mine - the positives because I feel that way, and the negatives because I've walked away, had a think about it, and still feel that way. With that said, here are the details: The purchase I purchased the unit from DIG Options, after a bit of digging around on eBay and various online forums. They seemd to get a fair number of positive reviews on the PradoPoint forums, which is the online community of the Land Cruiser owners. The unit I purchased is functionally identical, except it comes with the housing specifically made for the late model Camrys and Aurions. Although I considered the unit offered by Auspack Electronics, in the end I decided that I could probably put the $250 I would save to better use, and still have functional parity between the two units. I found DIG Option's contact details online, and sent them some emails and a couple of phone calls. Payment was made through direct deposit into their bank account on a Thursday, they sent the unit out through registered post on Tuesday, and I had the unit on Thursday. The sales experience has been positive overall. The couple who run the business, Matt and Donna, are friendly and relatively responsive. I believe they only check their emails at night, so expect about a day's turnaround when sending through any questions. Replies are, however, pretty good and helpful. Unboxing A picture says a thousand words, so here are a few that show what the unit initially looks like: The Install The install itself isnt very difficult. Just took us a little while because we kept taking breaks and then worked at night with just the car's internal lights and a flashlight. Yes, I know how stupid that sounds. :) Just wanted to get it in there ... Here's how we did it, starting from the stock dash that we all know and love: First, pop out the aircon panel. Then, pull out the little side panels: Next, pull out the panel that houses the ashtray and storage compartments: And finally, out come the head unit and air con control knobs that are held together with brackets: Now, most of these things are held together by clips, but there are a few bolts that need to be undone as well, so might be helpful to have some socket wrenches handy. Once everything is out, unscrew the original head unit from the brackets, screw in the new one, and we're almost there: As you can see, it's a pretty good fit, and looks just like the factory unit. The connectors in the back are very helpfully provided in the same plug and play manner as the original unit, so its simply a matter of ... well ... plugging them in. Here's a picture of us testing the video with a "Casino Royale" DVD: We also made a quick video: Please wait a few seconds for Video to Load! And that's about it for the install of the head unit itself. We did also install the camera, for which we drilled a couple of small holes in the boot to run the cable through and mount. The camera is powered through the cables for the reversing lights, and this is also what the brown wire from the head unit labelled "CAR-BACK BACKSIGHT POWER" needs to be connected to. Trust me, that will make sense if you buy this unit and are hooking up the camera. Took us forever to figure this one out. :) Initial thoughts So far, it's been a great little unit, barring a couple of hiccups. One, and this is not a reflection on the unit itself and probably due to not having configured the software properly, was that the GPS took me home by possibly the longest route possible. Not good, even when I headed down a direction which I knew was shorter, it kept recalculating and sending me back. The other thing that has not impressed me was that the Micro SD card that was in the unit (and which stores the GPS software) was stuck, and took an immense struggle to get out. Now, I know how to use SD cards (all my laptops, cameras and phones use them), so it definately wasnt me. The process of eventually removing the card seems to have damamged it, which means I don't have GPS in the car anymore ... which is almost self-defeating. I've emailed Matt from DIG Options, and will see what eventuates. On the (very) positive side, the overall experience has been good. The unit looks great, is quite responsive, plays almost every kind of media you throw at it. The GPS receiver is incredibly fast and strong (we placed it under the dash between the air con vents). The Bluetooth paired with my friend's mobile very easily and its sound was loud and clear. All up, I'm pretty happy with it. Now to get the GPS on the SD card issue sorted, and its happy days. Feel free to send me any questions, and I'll try to answer as best I can. Will also post some more pics and a follow up once I've been using it for a few days. Off to bed, looks like it's going to be a long day at work in the morning ... :)

Thanks buddy. Have queued up installation of the GPS for tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait! :D

Ok, the GPS Audio / video unit is here! Showed up at my desk this morning. Have been looking at it and restraining myself to rip the box open and get it out, but will wait till I get home so I don't have to re-pack the box. Will start up a new thread on it shortly, and hopefully put up lots of pics as well. Am getting a mate to come over and install it this weekend assuming both our missuses don't get upset at the boys playing with the toys instead of doing weekend chores. Watch this space.

Hahaha! Thanks guys. :) The Cam's black, although it hasn't been washed for 6 months since I bought it and is looking a very sad grey ... :( Need to get around to getting it washed and detailed one of these days. Got it tinted by Bob 'The Tinter' in Picnic Point. He's absolutely amazing, highly recommended. Used to own a couple of Solar Tint franchises, been in the game for more than 20 years. The attention to detail he paid was incredible, and he's a genuinely nice guy. Put 28% on the sides, 20% on the back (helps keep the baby cool and safe from the sun), and the car looks awesome! Am considering getting serious sound done by Marty from SoundFX at Caringbah. He's another guy who loves his craft - incredibly knowledgeable and just loves what he does. The good thing about him is that whatever gets installed can get removed and re-used in the next car, which I'm pretty sure will be either another Camry or an Aurion. Let's see ... pretty hard to justify the outlay when I only get to drive around to do groceries every other weekend! :D

Thanks man. I have to say that I've extremely impressed by what you've done with your car, and the experience you've posted about upgrading your A/V setup is immensely helpful. I'm very seriously considering trading my car in for an Aurion Sportivo in the next 12 months or so ... I think Toyota just got that so right in terms of balancing the practicality, styling and pricing. Look forward to getting more involved in this community. :)

Hi guys, Bought my first Toyota - a 2006 Camry Sportivo ACV40R - in early March this year, and have been lurking around these forums since. It's an amazing place, the vibe is very friendly and there's so much useful information. My Camry's a November 2006 model (the current shape), and I'm loving driving it around, even though I only get to see it on the weekends. The only thing I've had done to it at this point is getting the windows tinted, but am about to upgrade the in-dash audio system shortly. I've purchased the TC09X1 from Digoptions last week, and with some luck it should arrive this week. That should add in-dash GPS, Bluetooth, DVD, audio and video to the mix. Will try to take some pics and post them and some opinions when it's all done. I've also added the reversing camera, so that should make parking a little easier (I hope). Feel free to send any questions my way if you need any more information. That's about it for now. Catch you guys around. :)