I have posted this over at scionlife.com but I wanted to make sure that this got high visibility.
First I’d like to thank Big Kokujin for selling me his Radio to Console Connector cord, Scionlife.com, clubxb.com, and everyone else (especially Frosty) who have helped me figure out how to complete this mod.
HowTo: Install 2006 Factory iPod Radio into 2005 and older xB,xA,tC
DISCLAIMER: Clubxb.com and ZanexGt do not take any responsibility in what you do to your car. This write-up is most likely filled with incorrect information. You could be voiding your warranty if not installed by a certified mechanic or dealership. It is quite possible that you can totally mess up your car by using this as a guide to install anything. That being said, let’s install a radio!
What You’ll Need:
1. Part Number - 08600-21802 – This is the box that contains the upgraded iPod head unit as well as Part Number which are 2 of the 3 cables you will need to complete the upgrade.
2. If you have just purchased the head unit, you will need to also purchase Part Number PT546-21060. This is a bag that contains 2 of the 3 cables you will need to complete the upgrade. The two cables are the iPod Customer Cord, and the iPod Console Connector Cord.
3. The Radio to Console Connector Cord. Unfortunately, this is a difficult cord to find. In the 2006 model year Scion introduced a few changes to all models. One of the changes included the optional upgraded iPod head unit. However, this head unit utilized a new cord, the Radio to Console Connector Cord that the previous model years did not utilize. Instead of reinventing the wheel and creating a brand new wiring harness, Scion/Toyota took the existing 2005 wiring harness, taped on the brand new piece (the Radio to Console Connector Cord) and gave the whole wiring harness a new part number. Therefore, this cord comes in every 2006 Scion (xA, xB, tC). Here is a picture of the Radio to Console Connector Cord plugged into the back of my 2006 iPod head unit.
4. The big problem with this cord is that there is no individual part number for the cord alone. If you are contemplating doing this upgrade there are only a few ways to get this necessary cord and they are.
I. Befriend a 2006 owner and buy their cord. (This is what I did and I paid $50 for the cord).
II. Find a totaled 2006 Scion in a junk yard and remove the cord yourself. (good luck!)
III. Buy a brand new 2006 wiring harness from the dealer ($1,500) ouch!
Here is a picture of all three cables. Note, the Radio to Console Connector Cord is on the far right, the iPod Console Connector Cord is in the middle, and the iPod Customer Cord is on the left.
5. iPod, any iPod (3G, 4G, Photo, Video, Mini, Nano) with a dock connector and updated firmware. Any firmware after 06/04 will work just fine.
Install Procedure:
1. I used
this write-up to guide me in the removal and install of the factory radio. Pay special attention when removing the center console so that the delicate plastic does not break. Here are a few pics from disassembly.
2. After the factory radio is removed the connectors will be hanging out of the center console for you to insert into the new iPod head unit. However, before you hook everything up, this is the point in time where you will need to decide where you’d like your iPod to be stored. For 2006 models, the Console Connector Cord connects on one end to the center console so that the iPod would rest in the open down near the emergency brake. I didn’t like the idea that people looking in my car could see the iPod so I didn’t route my cords this way. Instead, I took out my glove compartment, bundled up / wire tied the excess wire not needed and stored the iPod nicely in the glove compartment.
Click Here if you need instructions on how to remove the glove compartment. Now my iPod is out of sight. Another added bonus to this method is that there is no extra cutting needed to store the iPod in this manner.
3. Once you have your wires routed it is time to plug in the iPod head unit to the connectors in the console. You should attach the two harnesses that came out of the original radio into the new iPod head unit as well as the antenna connector. Lastly, attach the iPod to Console Connector Cord into the back of the new iPod head unit. Before putting the screws back into the radio, test the radio for functionality in every mode (AM/FM, CD/MP3, iPod). *Note – It should be possible to retrofit the steering wheel controls out of the 2006.5 into an earlier Scion. The radio works well without the controls but it’d be sure nice to have them. If you were to try to retrofit the steering wheel controls you’d need the 2006.5 steering wheel, steering wheel buttons (if they don’t come w/ the steering wheel), and the cord that connects the head unit to the steering wheel. Unfortunately, I think this was also taped onto the wiring harness and this wire most likely doesn’t have it’s own part number. However, that’s info for another write-up.
4. Lastly, follow the instructions listed in #1 in reverse to reinstall the radio and center dash.
5. Enjoy!
Here are some pictures of the finished product. You can see that the install looks very much like an OEM install.
As you can see below, I had to organize and store the excess cable behind the center console. Using wire ties made this a breeze.
Action Shot!
Closing Remarks:
This upgrade only took me about 30 minutes to complete and I was taking my time as well as taking pictures. The hardest part of this install was finding the Radio to Console Connector Cord. The actual removal and installation of the new radio was quite easy. I chose this route as opposed to the AUX-POD, USA-SPEC, Denium ICE adapters because I wanted text on the head unit to show artist/song info and I didn’t like the playing by play list option of those CD Changer solutions.
Overall Rating:
Installation – 2/10 (Easy)
Sourcing Parts – 8.5/10 (Hard)
