Project: 2G (2004) Toyota Rav4

This project was for a friend's 2004 Toyota Rav4 Limited. The factory head unit was already capable of playing mp3's on a cd but my friend wanted more features such as ipod integration, gps navigation, dvd playback, backup camera and bluetooth handsfree calling.

The first step was to remove the existing deck. This was accomplished by carefully removing two silver plastic trim panels on the side. (Note that picture below is not from the actual install and already shows the trim panels removed)



After the trim panel, remove the second layer of plastic clips to expose the metal retaining plates. These plates are held onto the dash using regular screws. Remove these screws and the deck should completely slide out.



Depending on the model of the headunit installed from the factory, there may be two or three plugs that make up the entire wiring harness. Carefully unplug these. This would leave an area just enough to install a regular headunit. For this installation, my friend decided to install a full dual DIN head unit. He chose a Pioneer Avic D3 which has all the features he wanted.



The Avic D3 is a relatively large but full-featured head unit. A quick look at the back of the unit shows all the connections and cooling fan. Installation was relatively tight for the Rav4. Harnesses were carefully routed so as not to pinch them as well as making sure that the rear fan is not blocked.



A double-DIN installation kit (part no. BKTTR992)was obtained from Bestkits as well as the appropriate wiring harnesses (part no. BHA761). The kit contains some basic plastic trim but does not include the metal mounting bracket. Fortunately, the oem bracket was almost an exact fit for the D3.



The wiring harness that came with the D3 was mated to the harness from the Bestkit package. In turn, this new harness will plug into the OEM toyota connector. This will make the installation plug and play as well as completely reversible in the event that my friend wants to return everything to factory specs.

Every wire was properly soldered then covered with self-vulcanizing tape. Then it was again covered with heat-shrink polyolefin tubing for a more "professional" installation. For car audio installation, this is the proper and best way to join wires as opposed to twist-and-tape or crimped butt connectors.



The rear license plate area seemed to be the best location for the reverse camera. The rear license frame was replaced with the camera mounted model and the wiring was carefully routed through the rear hatch.



The camera wire was passed through the license plate light grommet. It is easily accessible behind the plastic sheet.



Red lines point to the license plate wiring. The camera wire was tied and insulated together with this wire.



The video "amplifier" unit and switching relays for the camera is in that black box. The box is mounted inside the rear hatch as well.



The amplifier has a trigger wire that receives the turn-on signal from the positive wire of the reverse light.



After passing the wire through the door grommet and sealed with self-vulcanizing tape and silicone, it was run alongside the rear side panel.



Here is the camera wire as seen through the rear access panel. The access panel contains the rear windshield wiper reservoir (on some models) as well as the jack and other tire tools



Camera wire alongside other wires running underneath rear door sill cover



Camera wire passing under the front passenger-side door sill cover



Camera wire on the passenger-side kick panel. Care was taken not to cross this wire with any power carrying wires so as to prevent electrical "noise"



The camera wire was routed along the lowest portion of the AC fan blower unit which also contains the cabin air filter (white rectangular access panel above). At this point, the camera wire can plug directly into the Avic D3 harness. The red arrow shows the camera wire. The blue arrow is for the ipod controller. The Avic D3 is able to control and display all the features of most ipod models onscreen. The user interface looks like the ipod unit itself with the functions available throughout the entire Avic touch screen.

Another feature of the Avic D3 is onboard GPS routing. This is a DVD-based navigation system that requires the DVD map to be always inserted into the unit. It still relies on satellite signals and therefore requires an external patch antenna. While the best place for the antenna is on the roof, we decided to install the MCX25 compatible antenna on the forward portion of the dash nearest the window glass. This way, it still has a direct view of the sky but is still secure from being cut or vandalized. Another reason for placing the antenna inside the cab is to prevent any additional visual cues that the vehicle has an upgraded sound system and navigation.



GPS antenna cable carefully routed to the left side of the dash. Red arrows point to the GPS wire.

The last feature of the Avic D3 is full DVD video playback. With the vehicle stationary, the unit is capable of playing any DVD. As a safety feature, this requires a signal wire from the vehicle hand brake. The parking brake has to be engaged for DVD playback. The signal wire was obtained under the center console. A green wire serves as trigger. (Sorry no picture).



Here is a shot of the reverse camera in action. Video is a little dark since the camera does not have any secondary source of lighting. The generic license plate mounted camera also did not have low light / infrared assist which would have greatly enhanced night time image.

All in all the installation went pretty smooth. Next updates include new door speakers and a subwoofer and amplifier combo. A bluetooth mobile integration kit is also planned but we are currently waiting for the prices to drop. As of the time of installation, the Avic D3 requires a specific plug-in module which costs about $200.

Please note that all pictures were taken with an old camera phone - hence the poor quality.