I scrolled down, didn't see this topic.

I see Scion is offering a Pioneer deck, that is capable of playing my iPod. Anybody see this yet? Cost? Etc.

How about interior and cup holder lights? Anybody get this?

What is your favorite Scion accessory?

I have had my xB for two years now, thinking about spicing it up.


I was in the Scion showroom in Edmonds the other day for 15 minutes, nobody was even in there to help.

Thought I'd try here, usually more helpful than the dealership.

 

Go back to the Edmonds showroom with some Benjamins in your hand and see how many salesmen come to you.

 

...Yeah, I was just waving Lincolns.

I might have to go and donate more plasma.

 

I hate my stock xB radio. I listen to the radio, nothing but static, not to mention Seattle radio is not the greatest. I have an iPod. I see Scion has a iPod compatible deck. BINGO, my problems are solved. I drop my xB off at Bob Bridge Scion today, for the installation of my new deck. 4 hours later, they call me up, telling me that the iPod compatible deck is only available and compatible for a 2006 xB, not my ancient 2005.

It took 4 hours to figure this out?

Anybody have any suggestions. I have had my xB for 2 years, want to start throwing some accessories at it, any body have any suggestion? I am all ears.

Anybody play their iPod in their 2005 xB? Without static from an FM converter?

 

you can get a good aftermarket deck now days that have built in IPOD support... just gotta look around and see what up... research wise... check out crutchfiled.com or cartoys.com see what they have in terms of aftermarket decks with ipod stuff.... should be able to find decent stuff around the $300 area... any less and i'd be skeptical...

after you see some models you like... hit up a local shop for the touchy feely part...see if you like it in person... then either buy there or find a place onlie to save some $$

stay away from Dual.... and anything shucks sells...lol

JVC, Pioneer, Eclipse, Sony, Alpine, Kenwood... your typical Name brand stuff and you should be good to go.

 

I agree with Kekai on aftermarket options. iPod connections can be made on most stereos with just a simple $20-40 part...ask the shop you want to buy from (Car Toys, Magnolia, Frys, etc).

Also, I have the interior and cup holder lights but I never use them.

My favorite Scion accessory, probably the tail light upgrade. They really clean up the look for me. (I also have the door sill enhancements and the TRD front strut tie bar)

 

Sounds good. I will look around. Just trying to stay away from running the iPod through the FM radio. The Scion FM radio is horrible, that is the reason I got an iPod, to stay away from static.


I will cruise by Car Toys.

I did take my xB to Car Toys by the Seattle Center a while ago, and they loused up a car alarm they installed. The thing went off when I was driving down the highway one time, after a 8 hour installation.

Besides the Car Toys by the Seattle Center, is there a good place I can take my Scion?

 

I would stay away fron Car Toys, all of them, they do horrible work and way too overpriced. I used to work for a shop and every once in awhile I get a call about how bad Car Toys installation went and their customer service.

 

hmm.. i dont have any real complaints about car toys...other than price.... they are highend to get stuff... but they did my install of stereo, alarm, and custom box... looks good sounds good... i just havent gone back to get the subs tuned after breaking them in...

tho i have heard others complain about price and install quality...

i was mainly name droping them as a place to get some "hands on" time of the decks.... scions are way to easy to work on for basic things like decks...

 

It’s all about the installer! I would not blame any chain for bad service. If you see teenagers working in the install area chances are they will screw something up. I have taken new cars in to have a head unit installed and it comes out with scratches on the dash panels from people who don't know what they are doing. Sometimes the little stereo shops can do a better install job just because that is all they do. Magnolia Hifi in downtown Seattle has done great work on all three of my scions talk to Pax and let him know CoreyAnn and Mo sent you.

Scion changed the plug that connects the stereo in the xB for the 2006 model year that is why the new stereos from scion will not fit and they are pricy. There are stereos out there for $150 with the Ipod compatibility. They will hook it up to run from an Aux input. Also when you are shopping around ask the price of accessories such as the wire harness and dash plate. Some shops charge $60 just for those items you can get them for around $10 each if you shop around. Also ask about the price for installation. When there are promotions the installation is free if you are getting a head unit over $100. Some shops will knock the price of the stereo down, but make sure you compare the total install price withal the accessories. Oh one more thing the Ipod cable is like $20-40 depending where you go.

You can also look into getting an antenna booster for your stereo that should clear up the static. I did notice that when I changed my head unit in my 05 xB the head unit sounded a lot better and cleaner. A new head unit may be all you need.

 

You can also DIY... www.crutchfield.com

Usually they provide installation instructions and the wiring harness at no additional cost, not to mention the fit kit.

 

not to try and push you into doing the install yourself here... But, circuit city carries "universal" plugs that you simply match up wire colors and either crimp them or solder them together. It's as simple as that.

The center console comes out by three screws that are underneath your air flow adjustment *****. A gentle pull on the center console will remove the entire area. Then it's just a matter of 4 more screws holding your stereo in.

There are several DIY threads in the tech area that have great pics and how to's.


Good luck with it..

 

I got an Alpine deck with the iPod cable for $230, with installation, from Car Toys and it works great. I can control the iPod from the deck and it displays the track information.

 

i hate cartoys. everytime i've been there it takes 10-15 mins for someone to come ask if i need any help (even if im the only customer there) which by then i usually leave

 

Yea your older XB wont have the part of the harness that goes from the rear of the HU area to where the ipod connector goes. In the tc at least, its part of the existing vehicle harness. That said, I do have the factory ipod HU, and have recently replaced it. Actually, I have tried several HU's:

Alpine 9857
EXCELLENT ipod controls, and with a nice 3 line txt display, makes it a breeze to navigate albums/songs/playlists etc. No separate control box needed, just a cheap cable to connect from the back of the HU to the ipod. My only complaint, not enough audio tweakability. IE, crossovers, time correction, EQ, etc. I was spoiled by my older Alpine 9813. With the fit kit I got, it fit well, and seemed to have good build quality. But because of the lack of audio controls I mentioned before, I returned it to car toys.

Eclipse CD7000
Had all the audio controls I was looking for, but the fit in the dash was poor. The cable that goes from the back of the HU to the separate ipod adapter box sticks straight out the back of the HU a couple inches. To get the HU to fit with both the dash kit from Crutchfield and from car toys, would mean mounting the HU too far forward to be able to close the radio door on the TC. Also, the way the motorized faceplate works, it impacted the fit kit if it was mounted deep enough to be able to close the radio door. These issues may not be issues on the xa or xb that have no radio door. Also, the build quality of the unit seemed poor, the faceplate felt very cheap, including buttons and rotary control. The controls also were touchy, was waaay too easy to scroll one click too far past an option you wanted. Audio sounded good, but was very unhappy with its build quality/fit in my dash, so I returned it to Crutchfield.

Pioneer Premier DEH-P980BT
My current HU. Like the eclipse, has a separate control box for ipod. Unlike the eclipse, the cable that goes from that box to the back of the HU is a right angle connector, so it really doesn't add any mounting depth to the HU. Build quality is EXCELENT. On par with the Alpine. Has all the audio controls I want, and even comes with a microphone for the unit to auto set time alignment and EQ curves, tho I haven't tried it out yet. Also has built in bluetooth so you can make and receive calls through your car stereo. Has a separate mic to mount, and the phone calls are heard through the car speakers. Haven't set up the mic, but did get my Cingular 8125 to pair with the HU and made an outbound call, the audio through the car speakers was great. The motorized faceplate also doesn't impact any of the dash fit kit, and I can close the radio door on the tc with the faceplate on. Very happy with this unit both the ipod controls and the audio controls/quality.

If you go aftermarket, I would highly recommend one with a 3 line display. It makes navigating your ipod SOOO much more enjoyable.

As far as service goes, I had no problem at all returning the Alpine to car toys, I did the install myself, and they even knocked the price down a bit on Pioneer I bought from em because of it. I got the Pioneer from them for $505, and the list on it is $570. The ipod control interface I also got from car toys for about $50. If you get one of the newer Alpines with their "Full Speed" ipod control, you just need a simple cable that'll set you back about $25.

If you don't need all the built in crossover/EQ/time alignment controls, I'd go with the Alpine 9857. If you prefer Pioneer, but don't need the bluetooth, get the Pioneer DEH-P7800MP and their CD-iB100ii ipod controller. Stay away from the Eclipse CD7000, it is no where near worth the $699 I paid for it and its still listed for on Crutchfield.

 

Hey Dolemite (& other '05ers out there), cyber-check this isznish:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...d+hook+install

I'm seriously considerin' this, although wish they could shed some more light on the "mystery cable" info...C what ya'll think!