I was looking for Highlander engine upgrades as well. Like you, I added the K&N Air Filter. However, based on what I've read, that's about as far as it goes. Superchargers are made for Toyota V6 engines, but not ones with VVTi. Same with a cat-back system. I don't know what it is about the VVTi, but messing with it seems to be a no-no.
Hopefully those gurus at TRD will find something that works, though.
Yes, TRD products for the Highlander seems to be limited to the muffler and shoulder pads and stickers..not much to boost horsepower..but plenty of items to look like a geek with at a traffic light. Toyota has to step up new product development for us.
I haven't seen any aftermarket HID kits for Highlander. This might be the reason for so much discussion about aftermarket fog lights for the non-limited (is that actually a word?) I notice a marked improvement in the light pattern with the fog lamps on, and try to use them only when necessary, instead of blinding on coming traffic.
Meassage #172 has a link to pictures for the Highlander with fender flares but it turns out to be a subaru brat. Another link in the message has a small picture http://www.toyparts.net
Please tell me what after-market fog or driving lights will fit in the front bumper holes? Are there any installation/mounting kits available ? (Toyota says there are none available as accessories.) Manufacturers names and part numbers woulf be fantastic.
Actually, there are quite a few HID kits available for HL. These kits are made to replace the OEM 9005 or 9006 halogen bulbs. There are many successful reports on the acuramdx.org board and club.lexus boards. Most of these people are very happy with their upgrade and swear will never go back to halogen headlights.
Yes. Due to the fact these kits still use the OEM light housing and reflector, which are not designed for HID, they do seem to generate more glare to other drivers. It seems the degree of sucess various from vehicle to vehicle, and from installation to installation. I was just wondering if any HL owners have had experience with these kits to share with us. From the reponsse posted here it seems not many have gone this route. BTW, I have the OEM fog lights on my HL. IMHO, they are rather weak, illuminating maybe 2 feet of distance from my bumper. I may try to change out the factory 35W H3 bulbs and put in 55W ones. I know the increase current will not exceed the rating of the 10A fuse for the fogs. But I am not sure if the extra heat generated will cause any problem to the light housing. Any comments from experienced owners are welcome. Thanks.
When I mentioned that no HID kits are available, I was talking about the $400+ replacement units either from the factory or after market, not the replacement of bulbs. I've gone the bulb switch and 55W for the fogs and definitely throw more light down the road. The light is different from a true HID system which has a warm blue neon glow, or the cool rings of light on a M5.
Nitrous express kits for the V6 and Edelbrock's kits for the 4 cyl. with adjustable HP levels. Anyone want to risk their warranty and test one? Local speed shop has a 4 wheel dyno that I could document the gains for the K&N filter, TRD sport exhaust and NOS...if only I could get someone to sponsor me, how about TRD? This same dyno was used by my mechanic Jeff Hill, that races a 91' AWD Eclipse to 9.86@ 142MPH in the IDRC street class. He made 28 pulls in one session and got 650Hp to the wheels, ending when he broke the prototype flywheel in half. I would guess it can handle the Highlander. Does anyone think TRD has sold any Sport mufflers for the HL? Just waiting for a brave sole to try one and see if your other half notices the increased noise level. Probably sounds great since the engine sounds so sweet in the upper range under full load. This is the highest output from any 3.0L that Toyota currently makes, even ten more horses than the same engine used in the Avalon. The engine definitely has enough low to mid range torque, only runs out of breath right before redline, and always willing to rev quickly in a VVTi frenzy. Best part about the driving experience.
I have had my 2002 Highlander for about two weeks now. I wanted and got a 4 cyl front wheel drive. Unfortunately, as all low end Landers come with the stock not so pretty wheels. I went to the local dealer parts department and just about died when he told me how much they wanted per wheel. Thus my question, does anyone have any ideas where I can locate some of the high end sport wheels that come on the limited and the 4 wheel drive models. I have my name on a list at the local recycling yard in case someone totals their new vehicle. I looked at some sites on the internet but came up short. There was one set available on Ebay but they were for a 2001, they looked O.K. but I was kind of questionable about fit and condition.
I own a 2001 limited which I purchased in March of 2001 with the console then available. I want to remove that console and put in a 2002 model console...I know that there may be holes in the carpet.... Has anyone done this in Los Angeles? A local dealership has declined to do it?
I just finished installing a 2002-style center console in a 2001 Highlander, so it can indeed be done. However be aware that the list price for just the parts is $1,129, so this may not be a good option for the price conscious. Also note there is a Toyota-brand center console available for the 2001 Highlander for roughly $200 for parts that is of a completely different design from the 2002-style center console but still looks pretty nice (if you'd like a used one for a beige interior, I'll sell you mine for $50 plus shipping; let me know in a subsequent post if interested).
I haven't asked my Toyota service department in my area (SF Bay Area) if they are willing to install a 2002-style center console, but I know that the Toyota parts department is willing to sell the parts necessary for doing so. If you do find a service department that is willing to install it I'd be interested to know.
For those interested in installing a 2002 center console in a 2001 Highlander themselves, the overall procedure is:
a. Assemble the plastic parts into a console. b. Secure three metal mounting brackets to the floor of the vehicle. c. Attach the assembled console to the mounting brackets.
A detailed description of my experiences follows:
A photocopy from the Toyota parts department of the parts graphic for the center console was handy to determine, among other things, which screws went where.
At least the driver's seat needed to be removed as the panel in the seat housing the cup holders needed to be replaced with one that did have this housing; the protrusion in this panel does not coexist with the center console. Removing both front seats made working in the center console area much easier.
The existing cowling encompassing the gear shift assembly and the gear shift cosmetic panel were removed. The plastic panel adjacent to the gas pedal and the corresponding panel on the passenger side did not need to be replaced as these are the same on the 2002 model.
Assembling the console itself was very intuitive and straight-forward. The cigarette lighter and 12V outlet proved to be a little stubborn to remove to transfer to the new gear shift cosmetic panel, but otherwise there were no hitches. Interestingly, the position of the cigarette lighter and 12V outlet are reversed on the 2002 Highlander. As a result the harness in the gear shift assembly going to the 12V outlet had to be lengthened. A soldering pencil served to splice-in the required lengths of stranded 18-gauge wire to the two-wire harness. Another solution may have been to re-work the notches in the gear shift cosmetic panel so that the lighter and outlet didn't need to be transposed.
Holes were made in the carpet and the padding beneath where the three brackets were to be mounted to the sheet metal floorboard; the brackets were located by temporarily attaching them to the console and setting the console in position; the center bracket aligns with the center of the slightly raised ridges on the underside of the console tray. Oddly enough, mounting holes already existed in my 2001 Highlander for the center and rear brackets, but not for the front bracket. Drilling a couple of undersized holes and then forcing the screws through, effectively self-tapping the holes, resolved this issue. A pair of nylon conduits under the carpet housing cable harnesses that traversed from the gear shift assembly toward the rear of the vehicle had to be trimmed to prevent interference with the center bracket. With all this having been done the three brackets were secured to the sheet metal floorboard.
The final step simply entailed mounting the assembled console to the mounting brackets on the vehicle.
Swapping the panel in the driver's seat housing the cup holders with the 2002 counterpart was a chore. The seats were replaced, and I just sat there admiring that new sleek-looking console!
The installation was a bit more involved than the forgoing implies, but I'd certainly recommend installing it yourself if you're mechanically inclined, you enjoy doing these kinds of things, you are comfortable with a drill and soldering pencil, and feel the cost is worth it. I'm very glad I did it and am happy to report that the finished product is indistinguishable from the center consoles factory-installed in 2002's!
Hugh, in the Yahoo! HL Club, there's a member who goes by imelda388. He has switched out the stock Ltd wheels for some others and he might have the originals available. Sorry I can't give his email as it's private. You might want to join the club over there and then post a request to him. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ToyotaHighlanderclub/)
BTW, sorry Steve for recommending the competition but that's the only way I could help out Hugh.
Here is link that might be helpful in your research of tires. I'm sure there are other tire web sites out there, this one just happens to my in my bookmarks.
I just bought a new indigo blue Highlander. After I picked it up last night from the dealer, this morning I found a long scratch (not too deep, but visible) on the body. Also there is a small patch (about 2mmx2mm) of paint detached. I am so sad about that. Should have picked it up during daytime.
Any suggestions on what I can do now? Call the dealer?
I picked up my brand new bluestone metallic HL two weeks ago in Dixon, Illinois -- and while the service guys were installing my new bull bar, they put two small scratches on the front bumper. (They showed me what they had done right away.) My salesman said they had an airbrush touchup guy stop by several times a week at the dealership. So, three days later I received a call from my salesman, I took it in and they fixed the scratches on the front bumper PLUS a scratch I had put on the back bumper, and a rock scratch on the side. All for no charge. The repairman mixed up the exact color on the spot. FYI : He also said that if you buy the tube from Toyota it will be too dark. My salesman is the best - this is the third vehicle I have bought from him ! Best of luck to you !
I recommend the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV's. For the first 500 miles I suffered with shimmies and shakes on the highway and was beginning to strongly regret purchasing my Highlander. The dealer checked it out, confirmed the tires were balanced fine, and told me that's just the way it rides. Rather than continuing to be irritated everytime I drove the HL, I decided to switch from the Goodyear Integrity tires to Michelin's best. Now my Highlander drives like a dream and I like it again. The only irritation now is that I spent way too much for this vehicle for Toyota to put such worthless, cheap tires on it from the factory. Bluestone87: I think you'll like the Michelin Cross Terrain's.
Hi all, I am a big surfer/cyclist and need all the interior space to haul my bikes,while my surfboards sit atop the car.Does Toyota have an interior bike attatchment as does the honda Pilot?? Thanks
I installed the front mats last week. I would call them a custom fit - i.e. no trimming. Side to side and rear coverage of both front mats is excellent. In my opinion, they should be longer on the front by 4-6 inches. The drivers side comes to the heel of the gas pedal -- not to the top of the pedal. On the passenger side, they also are maybe 4 inches short on the front and do go around - not over the wheel hump on the right side. Likely not a problem for someone 5-8 or under, but someone taller who stretches his feet full forward can mud up the front wall of the area - or if they place their feet on the wall next to the pedals.
I've read some of you guys have installed a fog / driving light to your highlander. Did you do-it-yourself or had it installed professionally? I you did-it-yourself can you post how did you do it?
Is the unlimited highlander pre wired for the fog / driving light?
Be advised the fog lights that go in the front bumper are only 35 watts! (There is a kit available from performaceproducts.com for $450.00 and there is photo of them on a Highlander in their Toyota catalog.)
If you really want adverse weather "effective" fog lights (ie 55 or 85 watts) you should consider a bull bar to mount them on. I have a pair of chrome ion-crystal PIAA 520's and they were very easy to hook up. I did not think the bumper hole mounting hassle, the tiny candlepower, and the high cost - were worth it.
Hi, Does anyone know the specs for the factory JBL speakers in the Highlander (Limited)? What's the max power they'll take, rms? Thinking about upgrading my speakers...deciding on whether to just keep them stock and get an amp for the mids and highs, or to replace them with some Boston Components...thanks.
I don't know exactly but a rough guess is that the speakers are rated at 15W rms / 60W peak. This is based on the assumption that the factory speakers are matched to the factory amplifier and on the observation that when I substituted a power amp that was rated at 40W rms per channel (Alpine MRP-F200) the sound system sounded significantly more powerful. However this didn't produce the clean-enough highs that I was seeking so my final installation consisted of an amp rated at 55W rms per channel (Alpine MRV-F340). Thus almost any aftermarket speaker will be able to handle the power from the factory amp as most aftermarket speakers exceed 15W rms.
For what its worth this was my first experience upgrading a car sound system. After listening to the factory system for some time I concluded that the factory speakers were pretty good and the amp was the weak link. This was confirmed after I hauled out my home amplifier and patched it in to substitute for the factory amp. However, after upgrading to the second Alpine model referenced above, although the front speakers sounded great to my ear, when I connected the rear speakers the sound quality became really distorted in the highs. I was initially going to just upgrade the rear speakers but then decided to upgrade the front speakers as well for consistency. I chose JBL GTO605C component speakers for the front and JBL GTO625 coaxial speakers for the rear (not that I was trying to keep the system JBL, it just ended up that those were the speakers that I settled on (okay, I was under a time constraint and a smooth talking 50s-something former hippy sound geek salesman talked me into them...)).
I installed the amp and speakers myself and it was quite an involved project. To gain access to the factory amp which is located under the carpet behind the rear seats I had to disassemble the entire lower half of the rear interior plastic panels and carpeted floorboards going from the rear seats all the way to the rear hatch including the large plastic panels covering the wheel wells. The new amp wouldn't fit in the location of the factory amp and so ended up installing it under the front passenger seat after splicing into the cable harness running along the bottom of the right side of the vehicle (I used the existing 16 awg +12V and ground wires instead of running new 8 awg wires for power that the amp's manual recommended). To make the speakers fit I had to remove part of the mounting ears from the speakers and mill the existing speaker housings. I used a hole saw (by hand) to enlarge the holes for the front door tweeters and glued the tweeters and the crossover to the inside of the plastic door panel.
The front speakers sound great but the rear speakers STILL sound so-so; I'm thinking of upgrading the rear speakers to the same type as the front. Also, although the highs sound great, the speakers have a harsh boomy quality in the low-end, probably since the amplifier is fairly powerful and 6 1-2" speakers aren't typically able to handle power in the low end of the audio spectrum with grace (for an exception to this see post "Aftermarket stereo" dated Aug 14, 2002 in this discussion group). To address this I'm thinking of building a preamp filter to shape the frequency response in the low end to compensate for the boomy resonance and possibly even extend the low-end cutoff frequency. If this doesn't help I may install a subwoofer although I resist this as I like the idea of a sound system being heard and not seen.
Wow, thanks for the info landdriver. Seems like a lot of work replacing the speakers...unfortunately I don't have the time nor the expertise to switch them out myself so I'd probably have a shop do it for me I've been looking at the Boston Acoustics Rally, maybe even the Pro, components but I'm open to suggestions. The guy at the shop also suggested the new Pioneer Rev series...said they're pretty good. I haven't heard them yet so I'm still partial to the Bostons. My plan is to upgrade the front speakers, leave the back speakers stock for now and get an amp to power both, looking at the RockFord 550x. Just curious, what else have you done to your sound system? Upgrades on HU, subs? Any tips/suggestions? Thanks again for the reply.
No, you can only get the fog lights with the Limited model. See my previous message regarding buying them from somebody like Coniceli Toyota aka partznet.com or performanceproducts.com and installing the low-wattage units yourself.
Boston Acoustics are an excellent name in speakers so I imagine they put out good car speakers. From what I've been able to gather from talking with sound system installers, sound system salespeople and from reading the edmunds.com "Audio system upgrades (Head units, speakers, CD changers etc.)" discussion (Town Hall | Aftermarket & Accessories | Audio), excellent names in car speakers for sound quality are the Infinity Kappa series, Polk Audio and MB Quartz. JL Audio and Focal Utopia may also be good names. But once again I'm fairly new to this stuff so if anybody else has any feedback please chime in. Component systems will generally always exhibit much better sound quality than coaxial speakers so definitely go for a component system for the front.
The Rockford Fosgate name you mentioned seems to be highly regarded at least at one stereo shop I visited. I'd expect the 500X to deliver very clean highs as the power rating is 65W per channel. Another excellent amp line is the Alpine V12 series (not to be confused with the lower-line Alpine V-Power series). crutchfield.com is an excellent source of information on car audio components.
In general I read you should go by how the speakers sound to you, not by how much they cost. I'd recommend auditioning the Boston Acoustics (since these are the ones you're interested in; sounds like you may have already done so), Infinity, Polk Audio and MB Quartz component systems and pick one of these if they sound great to you, or to try some other brands if not. Bring a CD that you're familiar with that that is representative of the type of music you listen to and that exercises the entire audio spectrum (lows, mids and highs). Play the music at a fairly loud level as you will tend to do this in the car at high speeds due to ambient road noise even though the Highlander is a fairly quiet vehicle. At one place I went to none of the speakers sounded very good to me; their head unit may have been driving the speakers directly instead of going through a separate amp, so you may have to shop around a bit. The ideal thing would be to audition both the speakers and the amp you're considering together). I made the mistake of buying speakers without auditioning them (the shop's patch panel was not working that day and I was under a time constraint). I'd be a little reserved about what stereo shop salespeople say as some have the reputation of pushing whatever they happen to stock.
I chose to keep the factory head unit as my impression is that it is very good in terms of sound quality and because I wanted to keep the dash looking consistent as opposed to buying one of those flashy high-end models that look like they belong in a Las Vegas casino. The stereo shops will typically push hard to persuade you to upgrade your entire system including the head unit, but this isn't necessary as this is based on the generalized assumption that all factory head units in are of poor quality and this doesn't apply to the Limited as its head unit is very good in my opinion, unless if you're spending several thousand to achieve an extremely high level of audio fidelity and have an extremely acute sensitivity to sound quality. Shops may also tell you that its not possible to upgrade the amp without also changing-out the head unit because of the proprietary nature of the connections on the factory head unit, but this is just plain nonsense as I and others have done just that. Typically they don't want to do this because it is a little bit more difficult for them. However, if you LIKE the idea of having a fancy-looking head unit with a lot of cool controls then by all means go for it.
I may end up adding a subwoofer if I can't clean-up the low-end with the contour filter I mentioned in my previous post. One thing I learned is that if you add a fairly powerful amp (say over 40W rms per channel), then to balance-out the sound you almost need a subwoofer as the 6-1/2" door speakers are too small to reproduce the lows at the higher power levels. But simply wait until after you have upgraded your speakers and amp before deciding on whether you need a subwoofer. One enclosed powered subwoofer system that caught my eye is the Kenwood KSC-WA62RC which is one of the smallest subwoofer systems I've seen; another is the Infinity BassLink. But once again I have no experience with subwoofers so anybody who has please chime in. In particular I'm curious as to whether the sound quality of a subwoofer is critical to the sound quality of the entire sound system, or if almost any subwoofer will do.
I'd be interested to know how your sound system turns out...
I've been reading the discussion on the Highlander's stereo and have a question and a few comments. First Landdriver you've got lots of good advice, so a little help if I could please... How do you get the rear door panel to come off. I unscrewed the door handle piece, I unsnapped all the edges but something behind the handle is holding on. Any help is appreciated. Now I got my highlander 2003 ltd last week and love it to death, I had a 2000 Volvo S40 which turned out to be a real lemon of a car. But this isn't the place for comments on that, I had a full Boston Accoustic Pro series stereo in that car and I've never heard sound that good before, granted I had a thousand dollar amp (Xtant 1001dx) for my subs (two Pro 10's) and a thousand dollar amp for my front and rear speakers (Xtant604) but JMarouse, you would do good to get the Pro series over the RX or any other series of Boston's minus the ZX series which run a thousand dollars a pair. I had the RX my friends have RX and the pro's sound Much better... Also for a little bit extra a little sound dampening in the doors while thier replacing the speakers is a good Idea. They already have the doors off so labor isn't as much and it'll help the speakers overcome road noise and a cheap tin-ny sound. In anycase always get what you want the first time, it is very expensive to play catch up if you buy something to just get by. If you have to wait and save a little do so and get the best, even one component at a time. Anyhow glad to see such good conversation about such a great vehicle.
Before removing the door panels affix about 4" of masking tape to both sides of the inside black metal window frame where the frame meets the door panel as it is very easy to scratch this when the door panel is removed and reinstalled.
For the rear door panel in addition to unscrewing the door handle piece, you need to remove the black plastic holder (~1" x 4") in the armrest and remove the screw behind it. Then the panel should unsnap.
(For the front door panel in addition to the above you need to remove the black plastic triangular piece above the door panel adjacent to the mirrors (it just pulls off), and press in on the center of the beige/charcoal button in the door panel a few inches below the aforementioned triangular piece to remove the button.)
I've searched High and Low for this info... You're a life saver. I tried to pull on the little cup thing but didn't want to break it if it didn't remove. I'll be a little more steadfast with it now. Thanks again.
I don't know if this is the best place to post so pardon me if it is not. I have a 2002 highlander and have just installed a Britax roundabout using the latch system on my driver's side backseat. However since it is rear facing for now I don't know where I can attach the tether to the car. Since my driver's seat is automatic I can't attach it there so I need suggestions please. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Just remembered the cup thing is a little tricky to remove; affix a couple layers of masking tape to a slotted screwdriver and insert the screwdriver between the lip of the cup thing and the armrest at one of the ends (the ~1" side) and press in hard on the end (force parallel to the armrest) while applying a gentle twisting motion to apply upward force to the cup thing.
Just added 30mm spacers to my HL's wheels - now I can put on some bigger (255/65-16) tires! The spacers give the HL a more aggressive stance and really improve the appearance, especially with fender flares.
Comments
Hopefully those gurus at TRD will find something that works, though.
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyotahighlanderclub/lst
You may have to register first. then click on photo. I have posted several pictures with fender flares.
03bluestone
Yes. Due to the fact these kits still use the OEM light housing and reflector, which are not designed for HID, they do seem to generate more glare to other drivers. It seems the degree of sucess various from vehicle to vehicle, and from installation to installation. I was just wondering if any HL owners have had experience with these kits to share with us. From the reponsse posted here it seems not many have gone this route.
BTW, I have the OEM fog lights on my HL. IMHO, they are rather weak, illuminating maybe 2 feet of distance from my bumper. I may try to change out the factory 35W H3 bulbs and put in 55W ones. I know the increase current will not exceed the rating of the 10A fuse for the fogs. But I am not sure if the extra heat generated will cause any problem to the light housing. Any comments from experienced owners are welcome. Thanks.
Check out http://performance.autotoyotaparts.com/ Wide variety of kits including
Nitrous express kits for the V6 and Edelbrock's kits for the 4 cyl. with adjustable HP levels. Anyone want to risk their warranty and test one? Local speed shop has a 4 wheel dyno that I could document the gains for the K&N filter, TRD sport exhaust and NOS...if only I could get someone to sponsor me, how about TRD? This same dyno was used by my mechanic Jeff Hill, that races a 91' AWD Eclipse to 9.86@ 142MPH in the IDRC street class. He made 28 pulls in one session and got 650Hp to the wheels, ending when he broke the prototype flywheel in half. I would guess it can handle the Highlander. Does anyone think TRD has sold any Sport mufflers for the HL? Just waiting for a brave sole to try one and see if your other half notices the increased noise level. Probably sounds great since the engine sounds so sweet in the upper range under full load. This is the highest output from any 3.0L that Toyota currently makes, even ten more horses than the same engine used in the Avalon. The engine definitely has enough low to mid range torque, only runs out of breath right before redline, and always willing to rev quickly in a VVTi frenzy. Best part about the driving experience.
Any ideas will be much appreciated.
I want to remove that console and put in a 2002 model console...I know that there may be holes in the carpet....
Has anyone done this in Los Angeles?
A local dealership has declined to do it?
I haven't asked my Toyota service department in my area (SF Bay Area) if they are willing to install a 2002-style center console, but I know that the Toyota parts department is willing to sell the parts necessary for doing so. If you do find a service department that is willing to install it I'd be interested to know.
For those interested in installing a 2002 center console in a 2001 Highlander themselves, the overall procedure is:
a. Assemble the plastic parts into a console.
b. Secure three metal mounting brackets to the floor of the vehicle.
c. Attach the assembled console to the mounting brackets.
A detailed description of my experiences follows:
A photocopy from the Toyota parts department of the parts graphic for the center console was handy to determine, among other things, which screws went where.
At least the driver's seat needed to be removed as the panel in the seat housing the cup holders needed to be replaced with one that did have this housing; the protrusion in this panel does not coexist with the center console. Removing both front seats made working in the center console area much easier.
The existing cowling encompassing the gear shift assembly and the gear shift cosmetic panel were removed. The plastic panel adjacent to the gas pedal and the corresponding panel on the passenger side did not need to be replaced as these are the same on the 2002 model.
Assembling the console itself was very intuitive and straight-forward. The cigarette lighter and 12V outlet proved to be a little stubborn to remove to transfer to the new gear shift cosmetic panel, but otherwise there were no hitches. Interestingly, the position of the cigarette lighter and 12V outlet are reversed on the 2002 Highlander. As a result the harness in the gear shift assembly going to the 12V outlet had to be lengthened. A soldering pencil served to splice-in the required lengths of stranded 18-gauge wire to the two-wire harness. Another solution may have been to re-work the notches in the gear shift cosmetic panel so that the lighter and outlet didn't need to be transposed.
Holes were made in the carpet and the padding beneath where the three brackets were to be mounted to the sheet metal floorboard; the brackets were located by temporarily attaching them to the console and setting the console in position; the center bracket aligns with the center of the slightly raised ridges on the underside of the console tray. Oddly enough, mounting holes already existed in my 2001 Highlander for the center and rear brackets, but not for the front bracket. Drilling a couple of undersized holes and then forcing the screws through, effectively self-tapping the holes, resolved this issue. A pair of nylon conduits under the carpet housing cable harnesses that traversed from the gear shift assembly toward the rear of the vehicle had to be trimmed to prevent interference with the center bracket. With all this having been done the three brackets were secured to the sheet metal floorboard.
The final step simply entailed mounting the assembled console to the mounting brackets on the vehicle.
Swapping the panel in the driver's seat housing the cup holders with the 2002 counterpart was a chore. The seats were replaced, and I just sat there admiring that new sleek-looking console!
The installation was a bit more involved than the forgoing implies, but I'd certainly recommend installing it yourself if you're mechanically inclined, you enjoy doing these kinds of things, you are comfortable with a drill and soldering pencil, and feel the cost is worth it. I'm very glad I did it and am happy to report that the finished product is indistinguishable from the center consoles factory-installed in 2002's!
the dealer wants 500.00
I think that is too high
BTW, sorry Steve for recommending the competition but that's the only way I could help out Hugh.
Here is link that might be helpful in your research of tires. I'm sure there are other tire web sites out there, this one just happens to my in my bookmarks.
Hope it helps.
http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp
Best Regards,
Philip
Any suggestions on what I can do now? Call the dealer?
I am a big surfer/cyclist and need all the interior space to haul my bikes,while my surfboards sit atop the car.Does Toyota have an interior bike attatchment as does the honda Pilot??
Thanks
Has anyone purchased mats from this company? Do they fit good without trimming? Are they worth the premium price?
In my opinion, they should be longer on the front by 4-6 inches. The drivers side comes to the heel of the gas pedal -- not to the top of the pedal. On the passenger side, they also are maybe 4 inches short on the front and do go around - not over the wheel hump on the right side. Likely not a problem for someone 5-8 or under, but someone taller who stretches his feet full forward can mud up the front wall of the area - or if they place their feet on the wall next to the pedals.
The rear cargo mat by Weathertech fits excellent.
Is the unlimited highlander pre wired for the fog / driving light?
If you really want adverse weather "effective" fog lights (ie 55 or 85 watts) you should consider a bull bar to mount them on. I have a pair of chrome ion-crystal PIAA 520's and they were very easy to hook up. I did not think the bumper hole mounting hassle, the tiny candlepower, and the high cost - were worth it.
Does anyone know the specs for the factory JBL speakers in the Highlander (Limited)? What's the max power they'll take, rms? Thinking about upgrading my speakers...deciding on whether to just keep them stock and get an amp for the mids and highs, or to replace them with some Boston Components...thanks.
For what its worth this was my first experience upgrading a car sound system. After listening to the factory system for some time I concluded that the factory speakers were pretty good and the amp was the weak link. This was confirmed after I hauled out my home amplifier and patched it in to substitute for the factory amp. However, after upgrading to the second Alpine model referenced above, although the front speakers sounded great to my ear, when I connected the rear speakers the sound quality became really distorted in the highs. I was initially going to just upgrade the rear speakers but then decided to upgrade the front speakers as well for consistency. I chose JBL GTO605C component speakers for the front and JBL GTO625 coaxial speakers for the rear (not that I was trying to keep the system JBL, it just ended up that those were the speakers that I settled on (okay, I was under a time constraint and a smooth talking 50s-something former hippy sound geek salesman talked me into them...)).
I installed the amp and speakers myself and it was quite an involved project. To gain access to the factory amp which is located under the carpet behind the rear seats I had to disassemble the entire lower half of the rear interior plastic panels and carpeted floorboards going from the rear seats all the way to the rear hatch including the large plastic panels covering the wheel wells. The new amp wouldn't fit in the location of the factory amp and so ended up installing it under the front passenger seat after splicing into the cable harness running along the bottom of the right side of the vehicle (I used the existing 16 awg +12V and ground wires instead of running new 8 awg wires for power that the amp's manual recommended). To make the speakers fit I had to remove part of the mounting ears from the speakers and mill the existing speaker housings. I used a hole saw (by hand) to enlarge the holes for the front door tweeters and glued the tweeters and the crossover to the inside of the plastic door panel.
The front speakers sound great but the rear speakers STILL sound so-so; I'm thinking of upgrading the rear speakers to the same type as the front. Also, although the highs sound great, the speakers have a harsh boomy quality in the low-end, probably since the amplifier is fairly powerful and 6 1-2" speakers aren't typically able to handle power in the low end of the audio spectrum with grace (for an exception to this see post "Aftermarket stereo" dated Aug 14, 2002 in this discussion group). To address this I'm thinking of building a preamp filter to shape the frequency response in the low end to compensate for the boomy resonance and possibly even extend the low-end cutoff frequency. If this doesn't help I may install a subwoofer although I resist this as I like the idea of a sound system being heard and not seen.
The Rockford Fosgate name you mentioned seems to be highly regarded at least at one stereo shop I visited. I'd expect the 500X to deliver very clean highs as the power rating is 65W per channel. Another excellent amp line is the Alpine V12 series (not to be confused with the lower-line Alpine V-Power series). crutchfield.com is an excellent source of information on car audio components.
In general I read you should go by how the speakers sound to you, not by how much they cost. I'd recommend auditioning the Boston Acoustics (since these are the ones you're interested in; sounds like you may have already done so), Infinity, Polk Audio and MB Quartz component systems and pick one of these if they sound great to you, or to try some other brands if not. Bring a CD that you're familiar with that that is representative of the type of music you listen to and that exercises the entire audio spectrum (lows, mids and highs). Play the music at a fairly loud level as you will tend to do this in the car at high speeds due to ambient road noise even though the Highlander is a fairly quiet vehicle. At one place I went to none of the speakers sounded very good to me; their head unit may have been driving the speakers directly instead of going through a separate amp, so you may have to shop around a bit. The ideal thing would be to audition both the speakers and the amp you're considering together). I made the mistake of buying speakers without auditioning them (the shop's patch panel was not working that day and I was under a time constraint). I'd be a little reserved about what stereo shop salespeople say as some have the reputation of pushing whatever they happen to stock.
I chose to keep the factory head unit as my impression is that it is very good in terms of sound quality and because I wanted to keep the dash looking consistent as opposed to buying one of those flashy high-end models that look like they belong in a Las Vegas casino. The stereo shops will typically push hard to persuade you to upgrade your entire system including the head unit, but this isn't necessary as this is based on the generalized assumption that all factory head units in are of poor quality and this doesn't apply to the Limited as its head unit is very good in my opinion, unless if you're spending several thousand to achieve an extremely high level of audio fidelity and have an extremely acute sensitivity to sound quality. Shops may also tell you that its not possible to upgrade the amp without also changing-out the head unit because of the proprietary nature of the connections on the factory head unit, but this is just plain nonsense as I and others have done just that. Typically they don't want to do this because it is a little bit more difficult for them. However, if you LIKE the idea of having a fancy-looking head unit with a lot of cool controls then by all means go for it.
I may end up adding a subwoofer if I can't clean-up the low-end with the contour filter I mentioned in my previous post. One thing I learned is that if you add a fairly powerful amp (say over 40W rms per channel), then to balance-out the sound you almost need a subwoofer as the 6-1/2" door speakers are too small to reproduce the lows at the higher power levels. But simply wait until after you have upgraded your speakers and amp before deciding on whether you need a subwoofer. One enclosed powered subwoofer system that caught my eye is the Kenwood KSC-WA62RC which is one of the smallest subwoofer systems I've seen; another is the Infinity BassLink. But once again I have no experience with subwoofers so anybody who has please chime in. In particular I'm curious as to whether the sound quality of a subwoofer is critical to the sound quality of the entire sound system, or if almost any subwoofer will do.
I'd be interested to know how your sound system turns out...
Thanks for the detailed analysis ! Does the factory amp have line-level inputs or speaker level ?
Thank You
It has line-level inputs.
Drockw
Before removing the door panels affix about 4" of masking tape to both sides of the inside black metal window frame where the frame meets the door panel as it is very easy to scratch this when the door panel is removed and reinstalled.
For the rear door panel in addition to unscrewing the door handle piece, you need to remove the black plastic holder (~1" x 4") in the armrest and remove the screw behind it. Then the panel should unsnap.
(For the front door panel in addition to the above you need to remove the black plastic triangular piece above the door panel adjacent to the mirrors (it just pulls off), and press in on the center of the beige/charcoal button in the door panel a few inches below the aforementioned triangular piece to remove the button.)
Good luck!
Drockw
rlambertinga