That 75 month plan, even at 3% APR, was a LONG time

Bought the 18’ ORP at 25K miles in 2020, hit 160K miles the day I paid it off late last month

BUT SHE’S MINE

The SofTex leather on the driver’s side seat is cracking/peeling in my 2019 ORP. Besides throwing on some seat covers, I’m curious on what my options are to potentially fix this?

I finally got Apple CarPlay in my 2019 TRD ORP, and I’m so freaking excited. CarPlay and a heated steering wheel are the only two things I’ve lamented my 4Runner not having.

I ended up going with a third-party module called AutoABC that I got off Amazon. For a long time, I’d been debating what route I wanted to go.

I considered the T9 style units because I really liked how OEM they looked once installed, but something about them never sat right with me. Maybe I was being irrational, but I just wasn’t confident enough in the manufacturer to pull the trigger.

Most of the other options weren’t really appealing to me either. I wasn't a fan of the floating screens because they were both bigger than I wanted, and I didn't like how they partially blocked the vents. I didn't like the screens that sat flush because they eliminated most of the physical buttons and created a lot of dead space on either side of the screen.

The other factor that had made me hold off on purchasing a new head unit was that even if you bought a cheap head unit on Crutchfield like Boss for $220, you would still need to pay another $400 plus if you want to be able to keep using the radio or steering wheel controls. And for the type of driving and amount of driving I do, I just could never justify that expense.

I’d always been intrigued by these third-party modules that basically convert the factory infotainment system to CarPlay, but I was skeptical about how well they actually worked. Then my buddy told me how he installed the AutoABC one in his Highlander and said it worked great, which was enough to convince me. It was also super affordable at $138, but as of now it is $98.

Installation wasn’t necessarily hard, but we managed to turn what should have been a pretty straightforward install into a three-hour fucking nightmare. We pulled the stereo, connected all the new harnesses, tested it, and everything worked. Then we noticed an empty harness slot behind the radio and a nearby white harness. My buddy thought that harness had been unplugged when we removed everything, while I thought it belonged in the empty slot because it fit perfectly.

We plugged it in, partially put everything back together, and suddenly CarPlay wouldn’t work. We spent forever trying to diagnose it before I finally said screw it, I’m probably returning this thing, let’s just put the interior back together.

We disconnected everything and restored the original connections. When I went to reinstall the climate controls, I suddenly noticed the empty slot where that mystery white harness was actually supposed to go.

Yep. It was the harness for the AC and heating controls.

For whatever reason, plugging that harness into the wrong port behind the radio completely prevented the CarPlay module from working. Once we moved it back where it belonged and reconnected the CarPlay module, everything worked again.

I’ve only driven with it once so far, but I’m pretty happy with it. Obviously, it doesn’t look amazing because it’s still using the original infotainment screen, which looks like crap, as you all know. But it works, and is still a huge improvement over the OEM infotainment system, and for the price I’m pretty happy.

The only issue I’ve noticed so far is that swiping left and right through the CarPlay menus isn’t particularly smooth. I’m not sure if I just need to clean the screen or if that’s simply the reality of using the old touchscreen. Either way, it's still better than the OEM system.

Some other quick observations and details:

• Reverse camera works and came on when I put it into reverse. It also came with harnesses to connect to other cameras you might have installed.
• It can take 30ish seconds or so (I didn't time it) for CarPlay to load and start playing music or a podcast. Slower than OEM, but this is a tradeoff I can live with, and really isn't a massive deal. Might be annoying with phone calls, though.
• It also came with the ability to use a wired connection, which I ran to the driver's sorta in line with the 4x4 shifter, should wireless not work for whatever reason.

I also haven’t tested everything yet. I need to see how all the steering wheel controls work with it, make some phone calls, and generally use it for a while. But using voice-to-text to send text messages worked well thus far.

Maybe I’ll report back in a month or two once I’ve lived with it for a bit and let everyone know how it holds up.

Edit: I will also add that I use my phone way too much while driving, and I know I shouldn't. By getting wireless CarPlay, the hope is that it reduces my use of or picking up my phone. I think I will probably put it out of reach going forward so that I can't use it while driving, but now have the functionality of being able to actually pick music or podcasts without using my phone.

Like many have done, I’m strongly considering upgrading to a lightly used new Tundra. My old man has a 25’ Limited I force max that he barely drives; mostly a weekend truck. He’s considering selling the truck and I asked how much he’d sell it to me for and he said just take over the loan. Now my 22’ TRDORP is paid off and I love her. The only thing is I have a growing family. Wife and son.. for now (adding more down the road). I’m not using the Runner for trails or camping anymore cause I’m just busy being an husband, father, and employee. I could get about $35k for the Runner and put that down on the $55-$60k Tundra balance. Plus I get a car allowance from work around $650 + mileage.

What would you do?

For the past few months my rear door hatch actuator, rear window, and rear wiper have been working intermittently. I’ve inspected the wires in the boot harness at the hinge and nothing seems to be damaged. I looked the ECU under the rear hatch panel and there was some corrosion around the pins, however minor cleaning and wiggling did not provoke any change. Any suggestions?

Hi Guys,

Apologize ahead for this question. First time 4Runner owner and no idea what to expect. Just wanted to check if the sound was normal. 94k miles. The sound goes away after a few mins though. Just needed to warm up?

I just bought a 5th gen 2018 limited , it has the jbl speaker package , and honestly i think it sounds terrible. Is this common ? It just doesn’t sound full and kind of cracks when volume is high. What are my options to try and improve this

Thank you

Went into my maintenance screen today to increase the lock / unlock volume. It was at 5, moved to 7. That’s all I touched.

Now neither key fob will lock or unlock the vehicle when I click. It will open with the proximity sensor, and it still starts fine.

Also the volume is at 7, but it’s not making the usual chirp when I open it with the proximity sensor.

So it’s clearly not the fob battery… both work to proximity open and start

It’s not the fuses (I checked)

It’s not the lock actuator - because power locks and the door sensor still work.

And it’s at max volume and just ignoring that setting and no sound whatsoever.

Anyone run into this gremlin before?

When will the Zevia be back in stock 🥤

Figured I’d share since I haven’t seen a lot of options for this. I didn’t want a 30” bar with 1/3 of it covered up by the sensors so I made my own brackets and went with 2 10” Rigid E-Series Midnight bars. Clears the AC line, no sensor interference, no drilling

I have a 2020 Limited(70k Miles). It was recommended to replace the front struts & rear shocks due to leaking.

• Do these pictures show replacement is needed?
• Front Strut replacement quoted at $1,800, Rear Shocks at $700, Is that good?
• Is there a aftermarket options I should consider over a OEM replacement? I am 95% on the road.

Gas anyone wrapped their console lid in leather? The katzkin rep told me it wouldn't adhere and would bubble with a "choppy, uneven" look. Can anyone confirm?

Local shop with a great reputation… BMC + fender push and trim. $600 OTD

After almost a year of looking I finally found what I was looking for. Zero frame rust for an ‘06.

does this setup look OK? i just got this 4runner and already had these crossbars and fairing from my previous vehicle, so i prefer to just reuse (with the timberline towers)… but i haven’t seen anyone with this setup.. will the fairing even reduce noise in this position?

For those who are excited by the little things and use press on nails, Lava by Olive & June is pretty darn close match for Solar Octane😂

2022 ORP, 80k miles. Currently on my third 4runner. These trucks have taken me thousands on thousands of miles all over this land from below sea level to 14,000 ft. And, more importantly, brought me back home every time without fail. Apart from fluids and filters, I've only ever had to change one idler pulley on a 4th gen at 186,000 miles. Side note, I sold that truck with the park badges still on the headliner because these milestones belong to the trucks not to the drivers!

Just picked up a 2024 SR5 69,000KM.

Back to gas ⛽️ but worth it for this legendary motor

First stop, tints. Second stop, new tires

Let me know good tire recommendations preferably AT!

So I get my new to me 4runner tomorrow. Im trading from a 2019 f350 platinum to a 4runner trd offroad with 82k miles on it. Im excited to not be paying diesel prices anymore and I have always wanted a 4runner. Any tips or advice for a new 4runner owner as for what to check on and do for maintenance at this mileage? She runs super smooth and quiet. Especially in comparison to the powerstroke.

Done by @208digitals on Instagram

God dammit I love army green. And I need bronze wheels

Has 170k miles, from Virginia. Asking 12K.