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*** Official New Member Introduction Sticky ***

93K views 496 replies 244 participants last post by  scipper77 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
All introduction threads have been merged with this new intro sticky. Please post all introduction postings by new members here. Thanks! And welcome to Toyota Nation! :hi:

Edited by TrailDust




I thought I'd introduce myself here since I've been lurking for a while during the research period of my new Highlander. I picked up a 2016 Highlander XLE in gray with black interior and captain's seats. I paid $37.7k for it here in Massachusetts a couple weeks ago. I was able to work out a deal with the dealer to sell the stock Michelin tires back at their stock price. I had Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires put on at the recommendation of Tire Rack.

I've modded it so far by adding the HID headlights from xenon depot. I did the H11 kit with Philips 4300 bulbs. They went in fairly easily once I stopped trying to put them in the high beam plugs :grin:. I installed the Kenwood DX9903s receiver based on the feedback I received about the built in navigation. I think the audio quality of the built in radio isn't bad and I think it's UI is fairly decent. It suffers from the same issues that most non-carplay receivers have when integrating with iPhones. It likes to play the very first song on the iPhone and doesn't always start playing music when you press play on the phone.

The Kenwood install wasn't too bad with help from Crutchfield. It's challenging because I installed it with the Maestro unit. You end up with several sets of instructions and it's hard to know which ones to follow. A few calls to Crutchfield helped solve these issues. The hardest parts were taking the dash apart, making about 20 wiring connections, and fitting it all into the dash.
My immediate reactions with the Kenwood unit is that the screen is smaller than the OEM version. However, the UI is better designed and the Carplay integration is flawless. I can start/stop music while listening to the radio without issue. The driving directions from Apple Maps come through perfectly. I was able to program the Maestro so that the up/down arrows go through my presets in the desired direction and the voice button activates Siri. I was skeptical about having an aftermarket bluetooth microphone. Clipping it right next to the bottom right corner of the odometer has proven to be unobtrusive. I've already forgotten that it's there and it works great. I don't think the satellite radio antenna is connected correctly. There were a few wires that didn't end up getting connected to the Kenwood unit that were connected to the OEM radio. I also wonder if I'm not getting quite as good FM radio reception. My gut tells me it's about 85-90% for some reason but I didn't drive around long enough without it to have a good baseline.

The other vehicles I considered when buying were the Honda Pilot and a BMW X3. My plan was to go for 3 year old BMW with 30k miles and pay about the same as the new highlander. In the end, there were none in the area that fit the profile I wanted so I went with the Highlander. I have to say, I wasn't real excited walking out of the Toyota dealership. However, after owning for a month now, this is a really nice vehicle. I was coming from a 2012 Nissan Murano SV. I like the handling of the Highlander better. The acceleration is better. I had no problem with the CVT in the MO and I expected going back to regular gears would not be as smooth. I definitely don't feel that way with the Highlander. The cargo capacity is impressive and I don't feel like I'm driving a bus. I'm looking forward to taking it out in the New England winter to see how it does in the snow.

I think the cost on this vehicle is extremely reasonable. I paid $37k for it and I project that after 4 years and 60k miles it'll be worth $18-20k. That puts my cost at about $5k per year which is very reasonable for a vehicle of this luxury.

My wife has one of the polluting VW diesels. We're getting a killer deal from VW to sell it back to them. Now, I have to decide if I want to put my wife into a Highlander or a Subaru Outback.
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new ride!

Looks like you have done quite a few "upgrades" on yours already. I thought all XLE are come with Bench seat instead of Captains. That's interesting.

I definitely see multiple Highlanders in a single family. My neighbour has three(3) 2016 highlanders in their garage...two LE and one XLE all in white color. And none of them work for Toyota.
 
#3 ·
I'd be interested in CarPlay functionality by installing an aftermarket receiver but I'd be worried about losing some kind of functionality like steering wheel controls, backup camera, Driver Easy Speak, etc. Did you lose anything by removing the stock unit?
 
#4 ·
The only thing I lost is data on the compass option between the tach and the speedometer. I also no longer see what song is playing when I'm listening to my iPhone. However, the kenwood unit has a compass and the song is clearly visible on the kenwood unit. The screen between the tach and the speedometer does get the AM/FM information as well as the HD radio information. I think these things net out to zero and CarPlay is a huge win.
 
#5 ·
I do miss the big screen but I think I would have grown tired of the OEM navigation and lackluster iPhone integration over time. Oh, one thing I did lose is this kenwood unit can only play one HD stream per station from what I can see. The OEM unit can do two.
 
#8 ·
New Member Intro

Hello Toyota Nation!

I'm a new member here and wanted introduce myself. My name is Ken and I purchased a 2015 Higlander XLE AWD in Blizzard Pearl last October. I came from a Lexus GX470 and am missing it a lot but practicality pushed me to buy the Highlander. The main feature that got me to the Highlander was the rear cargo space when the 3rd row seat is up. We're a family of 5 and taking trips with extended family becomes an issue with limited cargo space. I'm a current member of Club Lexus and have contributed to posting mods and helping others out. I'm a big "do it your selfer".

Looking forward to the discussions, getting help and providing help when ever I can.

Best,

Ken
 
#13 ·
Actually I have 2 mods that I am interested in doing, the first is simple the second not so simple.

1) Looking to get a rear bumper sill guard. I'm not fond of the one toyota offers because it doesn't cover the entire length of the sill of the bumper.

I did some research and am considering the following item that's currently on ebay.


2) I was surprised and disappointed after I picked up the vehicle, the XLE model didn't come with memory seats. To me it's mind boggling that the vehicle comes with NAV and rear back up camera but no memory seats? So I'm going to be looking into the cost of installing memory seats with toyota OEM parts.

Below is a picture of my 2015 Highlander, it was detailed with Zaino after I took the picture a few weeks ago. I'm in love with Zaino!
 

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#15 ·
Welcome phuken Ken!

Yes, that last one would be great. I too wanted a rubbery or black plastic one, but got the standard. It does the job, since its rare if ever you will have contact towards the sides. But I like stealth, so the chrome to me is a turn off.
 
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#16 · (Edited)
Hi Phil,

Thank you, I emailed the manufacturer "Bushwacker" of the product in the last picture. I'm hoping they are in the works with something for our generation. I'll keep everyone posted on their response.

For you I can understand the chrome will stand out like a sore thumb, for me on my Blizzard Pearl Highlander, it wouldn't be too bad.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I got a response from Bushwacker, unfortunately, they currently don't have anything in the works for a similar product for our Gen3 Highlander.

Sarah Hutchins <shutchins@lundinter.com>
5:10 PM (2 minutes ago)

to me
Thank you for the inquiry. We do not currently have plans to introduce this product for the newer year model.


Sarah Hutchins | Customer Service | Lund International
Office: 4325 Hamilton Mill Rd. | Buford,GA | 30518
lundinternational.com


Since I couldn't find anything else I went ahead and purchased the following "Toyota Highlander 2014 - 2016 Rear Bumper Sill Plate Protector" from ebay. Will post up a picture after its installed but its coming from Hong Kong so I might not get it until the end of this month.

 
#18 ·
Welcome and congrats. You are the fastest aftermarket convert I know of!

I don't miss the Entune at all. Once you grow tired of the cool little graphics and you look at the dash for all info, you just don't care.

The Pioneer, much like the Kenwood does it all. Nice that you wired up the oem cam to turn on with the video button. the 4100Nex can take 2 video feeds plus hdmi and such, BUT I have to wire it to turn on, and I think thats what your installer did(or maybe even put a new camera?).

Enjoy!
 
#21 ·
New Member

Hello all, My name is Felix new member, first Toyota ever. I have a 2016 XLE AWD Blizzard Pearl. Love the color. I do have allot of reading to do but I do have my first question.

The XLE has keyless entry/comfort access. Can I set up the system so that when I open the driver door, it can unlock all the other doors at the same time? if this has been answer, I'm sorry. Please send me the link.

Thanks all

Felix
 
#35 ·
Hello all, My name is Felix new member, first Toyota ever. I have a 2016 XLE AWD Blizzard Pearl. Love the color. I do have allot of reading to do but I do have my first question.

The XLE has keyless entry/comfort access. Can I set up the system so that when I open the driver door, it can unlock all the other doors at the same time? if this has been answer, I'm sorry. Please send me the link.Thanks all Felix
Welcome to the BP club. Yes you can use the Setup to change this feature. Additionally I'm sure your aware hitting the remote unlock button Twice will unlock all four doors as well.
 
#22 ·
Hello Felix,

welcome!

if my memory serves me right, you can Click on Apps > Setup > Vehicle > Vehicle Customization. you can change the unlocking feature of the vehicle.
 
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#23 ·
New member from California

Hi there

I'm Winston Lee, leased 2016 Highlander limited just last month. My former car was BMW 428i. It's nice car but the shortcoming was the size. Coz I love camping and surfing, I made up my mind to get new SUV which is enough to load the luggage for outdoor activities.

One of the reason why I joined this forum is the crossbar. My Highlander is 'Limited' which has flush rail on the roof. I searched via ebay and ordered this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Fit-14.../252561922815?ssPageName=ADME:X:RRNTB:US:3160

As the description it's supposed to fit to my car. However it didn't work. I tried to install it onto my roof but I couldn't. I brought it to local mechanic but he also failed to install it. I visited Toyota dealer shop two days ago and they told me the fee for installation is $133. I'd better buying pricey Thule series and install it for myself.

I need your help ladies and gentlemen.

1. Is it the right part for my car ?

Manufacturer Part Number:
BL402140
My car is 2016 Highlander limited.

2. If it's the right part, how on earth can I install it ?
It's not bragging but I'm pretty good for installing parts and love to assemble some stuff but I think it's so tough than I expected.
If only you guys let me know any youtube video for this. I searched Youtube as much as possible but I could see only the installation for old year of Highlander or for LE grade which has no flush rail which is applied to limited grade.
 
#24 ·
Welcome,

The buyer you used is clueless of his product. The part lists as a fit for LE as well as Limited.
This cannot happen as the LE doesn't have the chrome appointments on top. The Limited does. They are different parts.
So you likely need to return it.
 
#25 ·
Pictures on the ebay page show limited and .. maybe XLE? (no drls - both have chrome rails.)
So if it doesn't fit, the description is definitely misleading.
If the instructions aren't clear, I'd definitely return it and look elsewhere.
Also, this is something you are going to rely on to keep your expensive equipment secure, no? Why cheap out? Get thule or yakima and you know it'll work as designed.
 
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