radio install questions
 

finally found some time to install my head unit this weekend (which was basically one plug + antenna)...now I want to put a pioneer 2din into a slightly more modern car that has steering control (venza without factory JBL system)

crutchfield's product page says that I also need idatalink maestro RR to retain steering wheel dials and factory amps? if I only want what's already present in the factory information display that's separate from the radio/hvac showing only fuel economy & hvac info but not fuel temp, pressure etc do I still need this?

also quick rant, metra dash kit fitment is a joke! I thought these standards were universal but i'm getting like 8mm gap on all sides with an alpine deck and the hazard light button sticks! gonna try the stock one or the american international kit

In for this info as well (we also have a Venza w/o factory JBL).

even if you need to snip off the single din 'rib', can confirm american international dash kit fitment is 900 times better than metra's...

dumb question but can i put dash cam GPS next to radio's GPS? shouldn't conflict since they're not transmitting only receiving?

spent a while doing this today

parking brake connection was a PITA if you don't wanna remove the plastic panels ...forgot to just get the bypass, would've saved a lot of time

I ended up getting the aswc-1 for the wheel buttons, works well and much cheaper than the maestro RR ($60 vs ~$200)

the factory mic is proprietary...and I'm not sure how to disable or integrate factory Bluetooth but I just deleted it from my phone settings and will be using the pioneer one

the pioneer capacitive screen is much more responsive than my alpine capacitive...but holy crap the UI felt like it's from 2001...thank goodness for Android Auto/CarPlay

You actually hooked up to e-brake? lol. Most the time people hook it up to a toggle switch or buy the $15 bypass

ASWC1 works well, it's better than the PAC and Maestro most the times. Maestro just has some specific quirks that benefit only a small handful of vehicles (ie new Fords)

OEM mic only works with OEM stereo. You need to use the Pioneer mic. The pioneer mic is calibrated for the pioneer system. Most retrofitting of OEM mics or stuffing the pioneer mic into the OEM location end up causing VERY poor call quality

And yes aftermarket kits in general are hit and miss. You can't expect 100% perfect fitment. You'll get gaps, trims not fitting right, etc. I find the "basic" kits usually fit better. But vehicle specific kits tend to not fit all that well (Ie. Honda Fit/Civic). Often times if the OEM radio is a silver/taupe color and the aftermarket dash kit is colored it's a few shades off. So for people that are OCD, expect to pay more money to get it perfect. :p

Shouldn't be an issue.