[smonter]

Hi guys, I'm really new to these forums and now that I have set a little money aside I would like to start modding my 2010 Toyota Corolla XLE. I just need some help with some questions since I have never done this before.

1. What brand of GPS should I get? I would prefer stick with a stock GPS but if a after market is better and cheaper then I would do that. Budget for this would be around $300, but wold like to get it as low as I can!

2. Does anyone have a good installation video or post where I can read how to do it step by step and if I will need anything else extra wires or such.

3. On my XLE model I have volume and radio changing stations buttons on the left side of my steering and Bluetooth calling and voice commands on the right side. Will these work after installing the GPS? For example I install the GPS and go the radio function will I be able to change the radio station from my buttons like I had been able too.

If someone could please answer these questions I would greatly appreciate it!

There are a lot of different GPS systems available for aftermarket and most can be configured with the right install kit to work with your steering controls. However it may or may not be worth the extra money to have the controls available since the kit required to make that work is usually around 50-80 dollars.

I would start with Crutchfield or somewhere similar and just read through some reviews of GPS enabled systems and what works well and what doesn't.

At your 300 dollar price point you will be limited in what you will be able to get for an in-dash GPS system if that is indeed what you want. The good news is that the installation is very easy and should only take an hour or so. I have a Dual-Din Bluetooth Sony touchscreen receiver without GPS that I do like a lot here and the install was 45 minutes tops.

 

[Faces]

There are a lot of different GPS systems available for aftermarket and most can be configured with the right install kit to work with your steering controls. However it may or may not be worth the extra money to have the controls available since the kit required to make that work is usually around 50-80 dollars.

I would start with Crutchfield or somewhere similar and just read through some reviews of GPS enabled systems and what works well and what doesn't.

At your 300 dollar price point you will be limited in what you will be able to get for an in-dash GPS system if that is indeed what you want. The good news is that the installation is very easy and should only take an hour or so. I have a Dual-Din Bluetooth Sony touchscreen receiver without GPS that I do like a lot here and the install was 45 minutes tops.

Thanks for you're reply, will ALL internal GPS's need the extra wiring to work with my handset steering or are there any in the market that come with the wires or work without it.

 

[TigerHeli]

What features are important to you?

You have essentially four options:

• I think you could install the factory GPS from a junked Corolla. Not sure how much that would cost or if the pinouts are exactly the same. From the brochure, the GPS and JBL Audio systems can't be combined, so if you have JBL, you would probably need to remove a lot of that to install the GPS. You would also need the GPS antenna. I don't recommend this b/c map updates are typically about $200 and sometimes only available every two years.
• There are plug-n-play Garmin/Tom-Tom/Magellan GPS units with lifetime map updates that will work in any car for around $200. Drawback here is you would have to dig the GPS out and mount it on the windshield or dashboard, and it would not interrupt the audio system.
• There are Chinese Android or WinCE GPS units on AliExpress that are basically plug and play and close to your price range: http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale...SB_20150119063727&SearchText=2012+Corolla+GPS - These are typically plug-n-play and support steering wheel controls, but typically will NOT work with Sirius/XM and quality is a bit suspect.
• There are Pioneer/Kenwood/JVC navigation units that will work, but map updates are pricey and installation is pricey and a separate module would be required for steering wheel controls.

 

[Faces]

Thanks for your help, I think I'm probably going to shop around a little bit and when I do get around to buying it Ill be back if i have any other questions.

 

[TigerHeli]

Good info here on the Chinese GPS units - http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1.../881577-2007-corolla-stock-radio-upgrade.html - it's for a 9th Gen, so you wouldn't want the exact same models, but the concepts will be the same ...

 

[smonter]

Something else to mention is that if you like listening to music, it might be a good time to consider speaker upgrades if you're doing the GPS/Stereo as well. The stock corolla speakers are pretty terrible.

For your question if all units require the adapter for the steering wheel controls and the answer is that most do, but some do not. It's very product specific. This is one of those cases where I wish auto manufacturers would decide on a standard for most cars on a stereo size and pinout so there were more choices that were plug and play.

 

[TigerHeli]

For your question if all units require the adapter for the steering wheel controls and the answer is that most do, but some do not. It's very product specific.

99% of the Chinese AliExpress units DO NOT need an external adapter. Probably 90% of the traditional aftermarket do. (I think Jensen had a few units with built-in SWC controls and there might have been four or 5 other models, but not many.)

This is one of those cases where I wish auto manufacturers would decide on a standard for most cars on a stereo size and pinout so there were more choices that were plug and play.

How could they get you to buy the $3K JBL 35-speaker option if they did something like that?>