Just purchased an 03 HL Ltd. Great veh. I found it unusal that an automatic dimming mirrow was not included on the Ltd. model and the dealer said it is not available as a dealer installed option. Anyone install an after market mirrow and is this a do it youself project or not?
I installed one on my HL - not too difficult, if you've got the time. You'll be removing some of the interior panels - that was the hardest part, but the instructions are good.
I don't know which dealership you bought you're vehicle from, but I know for a fact that our dealership has installed several auto-dimming mirrors on Highlanders in just the last year. It isn't too difficult, but somewhat time consuming as it means taking apart quite a bit of the trim off of the A pillar etc. to run the wiring from what I've been told. I might recommend going to another dealership to find out of they will do it for you.
I bought a 2003 Highlander V6 2WD just 2 days ago. It has lighted running boards and Power driver seat. The particular vehicle I purchased had Cloth seats, I wanted leather and the dealer added it to my contract. I have an appointment next week to add the leather. My problem is, I noticed the horrible wind noise right after I bought the car. My son complained his ears were popping and the radio muffled. I wonder if I should cancel the leather and just add a sunroof instead (to alleviate the wind pressure problem) What do you all think? Would you get aftermarket leather, or aftermarket Sunroof???? Help!
I have owned a Highlander since April 2001. Same issue with the rear window rolling down and the sound that a helicopter is landing in the back seat and the fact that your ear drums cannot take that vibration. It is a topic that has been beaten to death on the board.
I also went to the dealership and complained after discovering this issue. The Highlander is so well built in terms of air pressure within the car that it has no way of releasing the air flow when driving in that situation. Thus, the flow simply bounces back from the rear and causes the vibration. Try this, if someone wants to open the rear window just make sure that one of the front windows is opened a crack to release the pressure. It works for me. Toyota knows about this so called 'design flaw'. As of current, all Highlanders do this and there has been no attempt by Toyota to change or acknowlegde any kind of investigation. I am sure that if enough of us complained to Toyota directly, they may actually force them to change the design for the future or offer a fix for the current Highlanders.
I love my Highlander and exhuasted research of all other SUV's of that size and capability at that time to determine which one was a best fit for my family's lifestyle. I too also have a 3 year old that did the same complaining when it happened.
Compared to a Ford/Mazda Escape/Tribute (many recalls) Jeep Liberty (I detest Crysler products). The Highlander is sure to last many more years than those other offerrings.
I was also tired of the stock system and promptly replaced the unit (Panasonic) and door speakers with Inifinity 3 ways. What a difference.
I would also have the dealer swap out the Goodyear OEM crap for better tires.
Take the Leather. I shudder at the fact that someone is going to cut a huge hole in the roof and potentially cuase leakage/workmanship issues in the future for me. The best place to get the sunroof done is at the factory where the work can be done by Toyota and warranty by them for defects.
Thank you for the reply...you are right I was afraid of the whole 'cutting the roof off' thing too. Hopefully my son's car seat wont damage the leather...or his shoes, fruit snacks or drinks hahaha....Thanks again for your advice, I hope I like the leather, it adds to the value of the car in the future as well. Have a great day.
I agree with malfarag as for exhibiting some concern about having an aftermarket sunroof installed.
Other thoughts:
1. I have a sunroof but hardly ever use it; I normally don't care for the sun beating down on me while I'm driving (the only time I use it is in conjunction with opening all the windows for a few minutes to rapidly cool down the interior after the vehicle has been parked in the sun).
2. While with previous vehicles I drove with the windows down, with the Highlander I rarely do so as I've found that the the fan/airflow system does a great job of providing interior ventilation for the vehicle.
3. Before committing to installing a sunroof, test drive a Highlander that has a sunroof to verify whether it will resolve your open window issue.
I would second the recommendation to test a vehicle with sunroof before considering installing one--at least one person, can't recall where, has said the sunroof did not help much. Of course it's a subjective matter, for example I don't like the buffeting noise (small version of the helicopter effect) from my front window when its down. Most drivers probably won't even notice this but its a big minus for me and I love driving with windows down. But overall I still think the Highlander is the best compromise available. Unfortunately I don't have a sunroof so I can't comment on it first-hand, but would like to note that there is a cross brace in the roof at where the roof would be so it'll have to be cut to install an aftermarket roof (there're about three of these braces spanning from one side of the vehicle to the other). The question would be if the new sunroof frame can replace the strength loss from removal of the brace.
Ok so you all rule on not getting the sunroof. So I called the toyota manufacturer in California and the rep. who took my call said that 'in her opinion' the aftermarket leather is not of equal quality as the leather that comes from the manufacturer. My question: Did any of you get aftermarket leather installed from your totyota dealer If so, have you noticed any problems or a skimp on the quality? I feel like I am giving my car an interior facelift, and want to make sure it will be an improvement. Thanks to anyone who replies.
we went with aftermarket leather because we thought it was superior to what we saw in the units with factory leather. don't know if that is true everywhere but we are very happy with it so far (6 months). my suggestion would be to find out who does the aftermarket leather for the dealer and go to their shop to see some examples. good luck!
I'm sure this seems like a dumb thing but does anyone know of a decent aftermarket wiper blade? I love everything about our 6 month old HL but the factory blades seem to leave some kind of gum on the windshield which makes them streak. Hate to sound picky, but here in Oregon they get alot of use. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I haven't used them, but I hear that PIAA (same company that makes the bulbs) makes some heavy duty wipers. If you get them, you can tell the rest of us what you think. :-)
FYI there has been some recent discussion on the subject of aftermarket leather -- see posts beginning with 7997 in discussion Toyota Highlander, and post 544 in discussion Toyota Highlander Owners: Problems & Solutions. Doing an advanced search in these two discussion groups as well as this discussion group may yield other experiences, either good or bad, posted by members concerning aftermarket leather.
I've seen dealer-installed aftermarket leather that simply looked super; and I've read stories in these discussion groups in which aftermarket leather fell way short of the expectations of the customer, so definitely check-out an example of the finished product before taking the plunge.
What do you think are beneficial or dis advantages of perforated vs. regular leather? I have the choice and don't know which is better. THANKS FOR ANY REPLIES.
I went with the OEM version (which I bought from the internet, not the dealership). I have been extremely pleased. As best I can tell, only one rock "ding" since September on the hood--high up, near the washer nozzle. Prior to the deflector, there were numerous chips and marks all over.
Do consider how the dark-smoke deflector color will look against your HL. On my green HL, it's nearly invisible from a distance, but I see them on white/silver HLs and it stands out quite a bit.
An advantage of perforated leather is that it will allow your body to "breathe" a little better, but don't think that there would be a big difference in comfort with non-perforated leather; don't know of any dis-advantages associated with perforated leather. Looks and personal taste should guide your decision -- perforated leather has more character and looks sportier, while non-perforated can look more luxurious -- ideal would be to see examples of each by the installer. If it were me I'd probably go with perforated; that's what the Highlanders with factory leather come with.
I need to remove the factory radio from my 2001 Highlander Limited...how do i first remove the facia's surrounding it? Does the outermost facia (woodgrain on my Limited) just pop out if you pry on it? If so, where do i pry...top or bottom?
After noticing that the stock Highlander splash guards were pretty ineffective at keeping mud and rocks off of the side of the vehicle I decided to see about improving the situation.
I searched far and wide in most of the local auto parts stores but didn't really find what I would consider an optimal solution. I was looking for something flexible (rubber) in case I ever hit anything with them. I imagine that the plastic ones would either break or transmit enough force to break the original factory guards which now served as backers and damage the body.
The only two brands that I found were Groboski and Plasticolor. Groboski had some really large rectangular generic flaps that would have required a lot of cutting. Plasticolor had a generic 9"x15" size which would require little cutting but were still about an inch shorter than I would like.
I finally decided to go with the Plasticolor figuring that if they didn't offer enough increased protection I was only out about $25 and some of my time. I was sort of surprised to find such a poor selection or perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places.
While I had the factory guards off for measurement I decided to go ahead and add a layer of rubberized undercoating to all of the plastic inner fenders in the wheel wells. This should help reduce tire noise even further. I also added an aditional coat around the lip in the rear quarter panels. This joint was the only spot that rusted on my 90 Camry.
I noticed this thread and couldn't help to comment. I have noticed similar stone chips, etc. to the area below the door bumpers of my 2001 Highlander. I have also noticed that the supplied splash guards are almost totally worthless at catching road debris before it hits the side of the vehicle. The stock tires also contribute to this problem because of the wide width and the deep tread tends to pick up rocks which are later released at high speed which can hit the side of the vehicle.
This is the reason that I originally decided to install better splash guards. The combination of the larger SUV tires with deep tread and the stock splash guards just doesn't work. The ideal size for the splashguards seems to be about 9x16+".
I was driving down Beach Blvd, in Huntington Beach, CA, yesterday and saw a Highlander on the dealer's lot with the same body kit. Didn't look as good in person as it does in the picture. The plastic on the front and rear bumpers didn't sit completely flush with the bumper. Which made it look kind of cheap. While I like the front grill, it didn't look quite right. It was set in too far. Just my opinion.
I want to upgrade my non-JBL stereo system by buying an amp and new speakers. I want to keep my existing head unit and mount the new speakers in the existing holes so that everything still looks factory. So my first question is: Does the standard head unit have a line level output for an amplifier? If I bring my Highlander to a place like Tweeter, should they be able to install the amp and new speakers for me and not mess something up?
I read one earlier post where someone had to make modifications to the factory speaker holes to mount new speakers. I definitely don't know how to do that. I'm hoping that the installers know how. I want to go with Boston Acoustics speakers - anyone have luck installing these in a Highlander?
I'm also a little leery of trusting a stereo installer to pry off the plastic parts of the dash to get to the factory head unit. Should I worry about something getting scratched, or is it a pretty foolproof process? (I just got my Highlander this week, so I want to keep it scratch-free for as long as possible).
Anyone who has upgraded the factory stereo (and especially the ones with the stock head unit) please help me!
Be very careful about prying off the dashboard. I discovered within the first few hours of picking up my Highlander how easily the dashboard can be scratched. According to the repairman who I was referred to by the dealership, he is kept very busy repairing dashboards for the dealership as they almost always scratch it when they need to remove the dash. Make sure the installer is responsible for repairing any damage to the dashboard. If it helps: my dash was flawlessly repaired, but it cost $125.
archiegates, The JBL unit does not have line-level out for amp., so i doubt that the non-JBL does.
To remove the radio, all you have to do is remove the trim fascia that surrounds it (it contains the A/C vents), and then its self-evident from there. The fascia is held on with tabs on the bottom and sides, and 2 pawls across the top. You can actually remove the fascia with your hands...put about 8 of your fingernails under the bottom left corner (kinda beside/behind the shifter) and work it out a little bit, then do the same on the bottom right corner, then go up the sides working them loose. When the fascia bottom and sides pop free, then drop it down behind the shifter to free the pawls at top.
I replaced the front speakers and rear speakers in my wife's 2003 HL with Infinity 6.5 components and 6.5 coax for the rear doors. All speakers are being powered by a JL Audio 75/4 amp. Everything were installed by a Tweeter stereo shop here in MD. I just can not remember the exact models of the Infinities I've installed.
fx35driver: Thanks for the info about how to take the trim off. I'll make sure to print that out and give to the installer that I end up using (probably Tweeter). One question - since the head unit doesn't have line level out, does that mean I can still use an amp with it? Do I just need to get an amp with speaker imputs instead? Also, where's the best place to put the amp and can wires be run to everything without being seen?
Dohc97: I was really happy to hear that you were able to upgrade your system at Tweeter because that's where I'm thinking of going. Did you have a good experience with them? Were you able to use the factory head unit and keep everything looking completely factory? Except the amp of course. Speaking of which, where in the HL did you have the amp installed? I'm really concerned about everything looking factory and nothing being scratched or damaged. The installation I'm considering is very similar to yours though. I was looking at Boston speakers but I'll give the Infiniti's a look too. You had the non-JBL system, correct? How much better does it sound now?
Sorry for asking all of these questions. I just got my Highlander and I'm really paranoid about scratching it and I don't want to cut any holes for the tweeters and stuff.
Tweeter did a nice job in installing my stereo equipments. The HL is actually my wife's SUV. Her HL does not have the JBL upgrade as I was thinking of upgrading the OEM system anyways. All of our cars, past & present have/had upgraded sound system. I even wanted to install 2 subwoofers in the back but she would not let me. I have two brand new Kicker Comp VR 10 inch subs sitting in the box here with me. The speakers are direct replacement, including the tweeters, and nobody would notice that they were replaced by just looking at them. The amp went into the back of the rear passenger seat behind the driver. The speakers are of course much much more better than the OEM speakers. Just don't expect too much bass. But they are much more 'cleaner' in sound. BTW, I used the OEM head unit. I don't want to attrack any non-friendlies.
My car is using a/d/s component speakers and a/d/s subs powered by 2 Rockford Fosgate amps. I bought my daughter an 03 Civic EX last December and it is using Infinity components in the front, MB Quarts components in the rear, 2 Kicker Comp VR subs and a 6 channel PPI amp.
I, like you and dohc97, wanted to upgrade my system in such a way that everything looked factory, and was able to do so to my satisfaction.
Many after-market amplifiers have speaker-level inputs, so the fact that your head unit does not have line-level outputs should not be an issue.
One of the installers I went to at first told me that I had to buy a new head unit as they didn't know how to tie-in to the factory head unit, but after a bit of discussion (why in the world would I want an aftermarket head unit that has a flashy control panel that looks like it belongs in a Las Vegas casino when the factory head unit with its sedate controls which match the rest of the controls in the Highlander serves my purposes just fine, thank you?) they conceded that adapters were available to accomplish this interface.
If you are having a professional installer do the installation, they should be able to tell you which speakers will fit in the Highlander and of course should be able to figure out how to fit the speakers in the existing factory holes, though I admit that I am a little less than confident sometimes about these stero shops. If for some reason they do need to remove the dash, make a really big deal about it by asking them whether they will do the install without scratching the dash of your expensive brand new high-class car, or, if they do, how they will take care of repairing the scratch. Make them aware that that the Highlander dash is painted, not vinyl (yes, its painted, believe it or not, as vintagegold noted) and thus highly sensitive to scratching. This will alert them that you are a high-class customer for whom scratches are a concern, and that you'll be inspecting the dash afterward for this with a fine-toothed comb. Check with the Better Business Bureau for any negative references before doing business with the prospective installer (just because one Tweeter installer does a good job does not necessarily mean all Tweeter installers do a good job).
I ended up installing the amp and speakers myself and thus do not have any experience with installers. I was a little paranoid about scratches as well, but after I scratched things up a bit during the install the paranoia faded away (at least they were my scratches -- I wouldn't have felt nearly as good about it if someone else had scratched it all up).
I think I know which post you're referring to in which someone had to build-up spacers to fit his speakers in the factory holes (I think its the same guy that had his entire Highlander dynamatted), and I can assure you that my experience was fairly straight-forward and not nearly as involved.
I installed my amp (Alpine MRV-F340 V12 series (not to be confused with the cheaper the "V power" series)) under the passenger seat. I didn't even remove the dash or head unit; I simply spliced into the harness running under the passenger door plastic scuff plate (the Highlander electrical wiring diagram service manual was invaluable for this). However mine had the JBL system and I don't think that all of the speaker wires are accessible via the harnesses under the scuff plates for non-JBL systems.
I don't have any experience with Boston Acoustics in car audio (I can attest that they're awesome in home audio), but see post 297 for an opinion on them. If you haven't done so already, click "Advanced Search," enter "speaker," select "Find messages in discussion Toyota Highlander Owners: Accessories & Modifications," and click "Search" for all posts relating to Highlander speaker selection and installation.
If I were you I'd audition the speakers you're thinking of installing at the car audio store -- play them at a high volume as this is the volume you'll be playing them at at highway speeds to hear the music over the road noise. Pay particular attention to the bass response as this is what suffers the most at high volume -- make sure the boomy quality of the low notes does not become fatiguing (give you a headache) after several minutes.
fx35driver, note that the JBL system's head unit does have line-level outputs!
landdriver, Is the JBL line-level out wires or RCA jacks...i didn't see any RCA jacks.
archigates, If landdriver says the JBL has line-level outs, i'd take his word for it because i wasn't specifically looking for them when i had my unit out. There seems to be plenty of room under the seats, so that would probably be a good place to mount the amps.
So if I wanted to get a subwoofer too, would I need 2 amps, or do they make a 5 channel amp?
One thing that would be awesome is if JL Audio made one of it's "Stealthboxes" for the Highlander. There is one for the 4Runner but it doesn't look like it would fit the HL correctly. I'm going to email them and beg for a Highlander version. If anyone else wants to email them too, you can go to this link and check out the Stealthbox:
So if I wanted to get a subwoofer too, would I need 2 amps, or do they make a 5 channel amp?
One thing that would be awesome is if JL Audio made one of it's "Stealthboxes" for the Highlander. There is one for the 4Runner but it doesn't look like it would fit the HL correctly. I'm going to email them and beg for a Highlander version. If anyone else wants to email them too, you can go to this link and check out the Stealthbox:
If you are going to be replacing all the door speakers and adding a subwoofer, you can use 1 5 channel amp. There are some companies out there that makes 5 channel amps. In my daughter's Civic, I put in a 6 channel PPI amp rated at 6 x 50 and I was surprised at how good it came out.
One other manufacturer that makes custom-fit subwoofers is MTX Audio, but they apparently don't make one for the Highlander either, and I don't know anything about MTX Audio whereas I've heard good things about JL Audio.
One idea I had was to get a pair of Kenwood WooX's compact powered subwoofers, which seemed to have favorable reviews on epinions.com, and vertically mount one behind each wheel well in the cargo area. I'd get a paint store to match the color of the Highlander's interior and use a compressor to spray the paint on the enclosures. The result would be a pair of stereo subwoofers that are pretty much out of the way and that somewhat look like they match the interior.
I was initially thinking of installing a WooX under the back seat until I discovered that the bottom part of the back seat moves down some when the seat is folded down, effectively eliminating the space where the WooX could be mounted.
One other idea I had was to somehow integrate a subwoofer in the center console area between the front seats.
Performance Products is offering a glove box organizer for 2002-03 Highlanders. I inquired about getting one for the 2001 HL and was told that they didn't offer one for the 2001. I have never checked but in just casually glancing at the dash of the 2002, I cannot see any difference in the glove box of the newer models. Can anyone help me out on this? Thanks, Wally
Starting with the 2002 model year Highlanders have a climate control air filter which I understand is located in or behind the glove box, so this may have something to do with the apparent difference between the two. I have a 2001, and it occurs to me that maybe Performance Products just assumes 2001 owners are more organized and hence don't need the organizer...
Thanks for the reply. I added a climate control air filter to my 2001 without any problems after reading where someone else had tried it. I asked the service manager to check if it could be done and he went ahead and put it in. Guess I should ask him about the glove box organizer also.
Hello-I am new here and forgive me if this has already been discussed, but I could not find this information anywhere on Edmund's or in these forums.
Is there a site that has a complete list of Toyota Highlander options and accessories with the invoice price? When I checked pricing for the HL, it only had a partial list.
Skipper 53 - thanks for the link. Apparently the catalog is messed up when it reported that the 2001 HL glove box organizer was not available but the 2003 was. Your link indicated the opposite. I went ahead and ordered it this morning. I agree with Brad 22 that the price is out of line for what seems to be a couple a bucks worth of plastic, but if it serves my needs I'm willing pay the price. I know guys that do the same thing for their women. Wally
From experience, Performance Products' prices have always been higher so I only order from them if I can't find the identical product from another reputable web retailer. I ordered mine for around $20 from truckperformance.com, and when they were also offering free shipping. BTW, the organizer appears to be made of thick cardboard covered with felt: nice, helps minimize rattling in the glovebox, but definitely not worth $40.
I installed a Hidden Hitch on my 03 Highlander. Easy to install but I am not happy with Hidden Hitch they have the "U" for the muffler exhaust to large and misaligned. I will live with it but wish I had shopped around for a better fitting hitch.
Comments
Ken
I have owned a Highlander since April 2001. Same issue with the rear window rolling down and the sound that a helicopter is landing in the back seat and the fact that your ear drums cannot take that vibration. It is a topic that has been beaten to death on the board.
I also went to the dealership and complained after discovering this issue. The Highlander is so well built in terms of air pressure within the car that it has no way of releasing the air flow when driving in that situation. Thus, the flow simply bounces back from the rear and causes the vibration. Try this, if someone wants to open the rear window just make sure that one of the front windows is opened a crack to release the pressure. It works for me. Toyota knows about this so called 'design flaw'. As of current, all Highlanders do this and there has been no attempt by Toyota to change or acknowlegde any kind of investigation. I am sure that if enough of us complained to Toyota directly, they may actually force them to change the design for the future or offer a fix for the current Highlanders.
I love my Highlander and exhuasted research of all other SUV's of that size and capability at that time to determine which one was a best fit for my family's lifestyle. I too also have a 3 year old that did the same complaining when it happened.
Compared to a Ford/Mazda Escape/Tribute (many recalls) Jeep Liberty (I detest Crysler products). The Highlander is sure to last many more years than those other offerrings.
I was also tired of the stock system and promptly replaced the unit (Panasonic) and door speakers with Inifinity 3 ways. What a difference.
I would also have the dealer swap out the Goodyear OEM crap for better tires.
Take the Leather. I shudder at the fact that someone is going to cut a huge hole in the roof and potentially cuase leakage/workmanship issues in the future for me. The best place to get the sunroof done is at the factory where the work can be done by Toyota and warranty by them for defects.
Goodluck.
Thank you for the reply...you are right I was afraid of the whole 'cutting the roof off' thing too. Hopefully my son's car seat wont damage the leather...or his shoes, fruit snacks or drinks hahaha....Thanks again for your advice, I hope I like the leather, it adds to the value of the car in the future as well. Have a great day.
Other thoughts:
1. I have a sunroof but hardly ever use it; I normally don't care for the sun beating down on me while I'm driving (the only time I use it is in conjunction with opening all the windows for a few minutes to rapidly cool down the interior after the vehicle has been parked in the sun).
2. While with previous vehicles I drove with the windows down, with the Highlander I rarely do so as I've found that the the fan/airflow system does a great job of providing interior ventilation for the vehicle.
3. Before committing to installing a sunroof, test drive a Highlander that has a sunroof to verify whether it will resolve your open window issue.
Unfortunately I don't have a sunroof so I can't comment on it first-hand, but would like to note that there is a cross brace in the roof at where the roof would be so it'll have to be cut to install an aftermarket roof (there're about three of these braces spanning from one side of the vehicle to the other). The question would be if the new sunroof frame can replace the strength loss from removal of the brace.
I've seen dealer-installed aftermarket leather that simply looked super; and I've read stories in these discussion groups in which aftermarket leather fell way short of the expectations of the customer, so definitely check-out an example of the finished product before taking the plunge.
THANKS FOR ANY REPLIES.
thanks
Do consider how the dark-smoke deflector color will look against your HL. On my green HL, it's nearly invisible from a distance, but I see them on white/silver HLs and it stands out quite a bit.
I own a White, 2001 V6AWD.
I was thinking of replacing the stock steel rims.
I wanted to stay with the same size and diameter.
225/70/16 - but, the original rims are 16 by 6.5.
Is there any harm in replacing to be a 16 x 7 rim and will the extra .5 inch cuase issue with turing diameter or rubbing / suspension components.
Thanks in advance to all who reply.
Greg
Thanks for any help.
I searched far and wide in most of the local auto parts stores but didn't really find what I would consider an optimal solution. I was looking for something flexible (rubber) in case I ever hit anything with them. I imagine that the plastic ones would either break or transmit enough force to break the original factory guards which now served as backers and damage the body.
The only two brands that I found were Groboski and Plasticolor. Groboski had some really large rectangular generic flaps that would have required a lot of cutting. Plasticolor had a generic 9"x15" size which would require little cutting but were still about an inch shorter than I would like.
I finally decided to go with the Plasticolor figuring that if they didn't offer enough increased protection I was only out about $25 and some of my time. I was sort of surprised to find such a poor selection or perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places.
While I had the factory guards off for measurement I decided to go ahead and add a layer of rubberized undercoating to all of the plastic inner fenders in the wheel wells. This should help reduce tire noise even further. I also added an aditional coat around the lip in the rear quarter panels. This joint was the only spot that rusted on my 90 Camry.
Let us know if the rubberized undercoating reduces tire/road noise. It it works, I'd be interested in knowing where to get it and how to apply.
This is the reason that I originally decided to install better splash guards. The combination of the larger SUV tires with deep tread and the stock splash guards just doesn't work. The ideal size for the splashguards seems to be about 9x16+".
http://www.mollydesigns.com/highlander.html
I read one earlier post where someone had to make modifications to the factory speaker holes to mount new speakers. I definitely don't know how to do that. I'm hoping that the installers know how. I want to go with Boston Acoustics speakers - anyone have luck installing these in a Highlander?
I'm also a little leery of trusting a stereo installer to pry off the plastic parts of the dash to get to the factory head unit. Should I worry about something getting scratched, or is it a pretty foolproof process? (I just got my Highlander this week, so I want to keep it scratch-free for as long as possible).
Anyone who has upgraded the factory stereo (and especially the ones with the stock head unit) please help me!
The JBL unit does not have line-level out for amp., so i doubt that the non-JBL does.
To remove the radio, all you have to do is remove the trim fascia that surrounds it (it contains the A/C vents), and then its self-evident from there. The fascia is held on with tabs on the bottom and sides, and 2 pawls across the top. You can actually remove the fascia with your hands...put about 8 of your fingernails under the bottom left corner (kinda beside/behind the shifter) and work it out a little bit, then do the same on the bottom right corner, then go up the sides working them loose. When the fascia bottom and sides pop free, then drop it down behind the shifter to free the pawls at top.
Dohc97: I was really happy to hear that you were able to upgrade your system at Tweeter because that's where I'm thinking of going. Did you have a good experience with them? Were you able to use the factory head unit and keep everything looking completely factory? Except the amp of course. Speaking of which, where in the HL did you have the amp installed? I'm really concerned about everything looking factory and nothing being scratched or damaged. The installation I'm considering is very similar to yours though. I was looking at Boston speakers but I'll give the Infiniti's a look too. You had the non-JBL system, correct? How much better does it sound now?
Sorry for asking all of these questions. I just got my Highlander and I'm really paranoid about scratching it and I don't want to cut any holes for the tweeters and stuff.
My car is using a/d/s component speakers and a/d/s subs powered by 2 Rockford Fosgate amps. I bought my daughter an 03 Civic EX last December and it is using Infinity components in the front, MB Quarts components in the rear, 2 Kicker Comp VR subs and a 6 channel PPI amp.
Many after-market amplifiers have speaker-level inputs, so the fact that your head unit does not have line-level outputs should not be an issue.
One of the installers I went to at first told me that I had to buy a new head unit as they didn't know how to tie-in to the factory head unit, but after a bit of discussion (why in the world would I want an aftermarket head unit that has a flashy control panel that looks like it belongs in a Las Vegas casino when the factory head unit with its sedate controls which match the rest of the controls in the Highlander serves my purposes just fine, thank you?) they conceded that adapters were available to accomplish this interface.
If you are having a professional installer do the installation, they should be able to tell you which speakers will fit in the Highlander and of course should be able to figure out how to fit the speakers in the existing factory holes, though I admit that I am a little less than confident sometimes about these stero shops. If for some reason they do need to remove the dash, make a really big deal about it by asking them whether they will do the install without scratching the dash of your expensive brand new high-class car, or, if they do, how they will take care of repairing the scratch. Make them aware that that the Highlander dash is painted, not vinyl (yes, its painted, believe it or not, as vintagegold noted) and thus highly sensitive to scratching. This will alert them that you are a high-class customer for whom scratches are a concern, and that you'll be inspecting the dash afterward for this with a fine-toothed comb. Check with the Better Business Bureau for any negative references before doing business with the prospective installer (just because one Tweeter installer does a good job does not necessarily mean all Tweeter installers do a good job).
I ended up installing the amp and speakers myself and thus do not have any experience with installers. I was a little paranoid about scratches as well, but after I scratched things up a bit during the install the paranoia faded away (at least they were my scratches -- I wouldn't have felt nearly as good about it if someone else had scratched it all up).
I think I know which post you're referring to in which someone had to build-up spacers to fit his speakers in the factory holes (I think its the same guy that had his entire Highlander dynamatted), and I can assure you that my experience was fairly straight-forward and not nearly as involved.
I installed my amp (Alpine MRV-F340 V12 series (not to be confused with the cheaper the "V power" series)) under the passenger seat. I didn't even remove the dash or head unit; I simply spliced into the harness running under the passenger door plastic scuff plate (the Highlander electrical wiring diagram service manual was invaluable for this). However mine had the JBL system and I don't think that all of the speaker wires are accessible via the harnesses under the scuff plates for non-JBL systems.
I don't have any experience with Boston Acoustics in car audio (I can attest that they're awesome in home audio), but see post 297 for an opinion on them. If you haven't done so already, click "Advanced Search," enter "speaker," select "Find messages in discussion Toyota Highlander Owners: Accessories & Modifications," and click "Search" for all posts relating to Highlander speaker selection and installation.
If I were you I'd audition the speakers you're thinking of installing at the car audio store -- play them at a high volume as this is the volume you'll be playing them at at highway speeds to hear the music over the road noise. Pay particular attention to the bass response as this is what suffers the most at high volume -- make sure the boomy quality of the low notes does not become fatiguing (give you a headache) after several minutes.
fx35driver, note that the JBL system's head unit does have line-level outputs!
Is the JBL line-level out wires or RCA jacks...i didn't see any RCA jacks.
archigates,
If landdriver says the JBL has line-level outs, i'd take his word for it because i wasn't specifically looking for them when i had my unit out. There seems to be plenty of room under the seats, so that would probably be a good place to mount the amps.
The line-level outputs are indeed wires.
One thing that would be awesome is if JL Audio made one of it's "Stealthboxes" for the Highlander. There is one for the 4Runner but it doesn't look like it would fit the HL correctly. I'm going to email them and beg for a Highlander version. If anyone else wants to email them too, you can go to this link and check out the Stealthbox:
http://www.jlaudio.com/stealthbox/index.html
Anyone know of any other place that sells these kind of "custom fit" subwoofer enclosures?
One thing that would be awesome is if JL Audio made one of it's "Stealthboxes" for the Highlander. There is one for the 4Runner but it doesn't look like it would fit the HL correctly. I'm going to email them and beg for a Highlander version. If anyone else wants to email them too, you can go to this link and check out the Stealthbox:
http://www.jlaudio.com/stealthbox/index.html
Anyone know of any other place that sells these kind of "custom fit" subwoofer enclosures?
One idea I had was to get a pair of Kenwood WooX's compact powered subwoofers, which seemed to have favorable reviews on epinions.com, and vertically mount one behind each wheel well in the cargo area. I'd get a paint store to match the color of the Highlander's interior and use a compressor to spray the paint on the enclosures. The result would be a pair of stereo subwoofers that are pretty much out of the way and that somewhat look like they match the interior.
I was initially thinking of installing a WooX under the back seat until I discovered that the bottom part of the back seat moves down some when the seat is folded down, effectively eliminating the space where the WooX could be mounted.
One other idea I had was to somehow integrate a subwoofer in the center console area between the front seats.
The glove box organizer is NOT available for the Highlander (any year)
http://www.performanceproducts.com/ProductPage.aspx?ProductName=A- uto+Organizer+-+Glove+Box+Organizer&productid=100788&prod- ucttype=20
: )
Is there a site that has a complete list of Toyota Highlander options and accessories with the invoice price? When I checked pricing for the HL, it only had a partial list.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
E. Klisiewicz
If you select 2003 Highlander - the result is
Glove Box Organizer is NOT available for 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER