Great experience with Custom Car Stereo CarPlay kit (1 Viewer)

[Foggy415]

Does carplay continue playing in the background when you switch out of carplay? Like, does Spotify keep playing even if you are on the OEM Climate screen?

Yes, music will continue to play even when you switch back to the toyota unit, including the oem climate screen

 

[MeWantLC]

Too bad they don’t have a model for the pre-2016 200

They do. It's in their web ttoo.

 

[shelby95]

They do. It's in their web ttoo.

I have a 2013 and they list a unit for 2007-2012 so I’m a bit confused. The pre-installation stock setup they show appears identical to my 2013. I need to do a deeper dive.

And another discrepancy is the description of an upgraded amplifier under “Specifications,” yet the claim retention of “Factory amplifier / speaker system” under “Installation / Compatibility Notes.”

 

[MCtree]

@1Maverick
I didn't know that EC updated their unit, that's nice. I contacted them about 5 months ago and they said only wired is available. It didn't make sense to not have wireless carplay. It doesnt fit with the idea of a tech upgrade if you need to be wired. Glad they updated it.

Foggy,
It’s great that you posted this review and have fielded all the questions from us, so I hate to ask this follow up question:

If EC now has wireless, what’s the selling point of Custom Car Radios if it’s twice as expensive?

 

[shelby95]

Foggy,
It’s great that you posted this review and have fielded all the questions from us, so I hate to ask this follow up question:

If EC now has wireless, what’s the selling point of Custom Car Radios if it’s twice as expensive?

If, in fact, the model I addressed earlier is compatible with my vehicle, it is CCSS offering is considerably cheaper than the comparable EC unit.

 

[MCtree]

If, in fact, the model I addressed earlier is compatible with my vehicle, it is CCSS offering is considerably cheaper than the comparable EC unit.

Ah. My mistake. I didn’t realize that the EC had different prices per which year LC one has.

So the CCSS for my 2021 is $1342
And the EC is $953.

Not “twice” as expensive as I said above.

 

[Foggy415]

Ah. My mistake. I didn’t realize that the EC had different prices per which year LC one has.

So the CCSS for my 2021 is $1342
And the EC is $953.

Not “twice” as expensive as I said above.

Hey! I honestly am not sure. I messaged EC awhile ago and they said they didn't have wireless carplay, which was a dealbreaker for me. It still says wired connection on their site, interestingly. But if they offer wireless now I imagine there isn't any marked advantage. I haven't used the EC offering obviously, but assuming they retain all the steering wheel controls, especially phone pick up/ hang up and siri being bound to the voice command button, then they are probably the same unit. One weird thing is EC says their unit doesn't support bluetooth obd, while ccs does. Also CSS pre-loads all the data for TOMTOM, which I don't know if EC does as well. (not that I plan on using it much anyway) Lastly I don't see any mention of SIM support on the EC website, if you want the unit to have it's own data connection (which I haven't tested)

Also, the css customer support is genuinely unparalleled. It took a few days for EC to answer my email message, it took ccs a few minutes generally. I don't know if that's worth 300+ bones, but it was very helpful for me.

 

[hbar]

Having had wireless carplay on my Jeep (Pioneer AVH-4400NEX) and wired carplay on my wife's Expedition, I might actually be a fan of wired carplay. Sure, it's nice to just be able to have it pick up where you left off on your spotify playlist, but what drove me batty was that just about anything on the phone that played audio would take over the stereo. If you never ever touch your phone while you're in the car, well good for you, but it was annoying how often the music would get interrupted. And if my kids want to play a game on my phone, forget it. I may as well just accept that I'm listening to the audio track to Boom Beach or whatever.

Whenever I go Carplay on the LC, I know I won't be paying extra for wireless. I might pay extra to not have it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[shelby95]

Well, the guys at CCSS already replied. The unit will work with my 2013.

 

[dnh1]

I’ve had Naviplus wireless CarPlay for over three years in my 2019. Maybe four years. Can’t remember. I am not sure why this new option is such a big deal. EC also has wirelsss.

Mine boots up in less than 10 seconds.

 

[Foggy415]

I’ve had Naviplus wireless CarPlay for over three years in my 2019. Maybe four years. Can’t remember. I am not sure why this new option is such a big deal. EC also has wirelsss.

Mine boots up in less than 10 seconds.

That's cool! I think the difference between naviplus and ec/ css is that the latter has an android unit underpinning it, so you can watch netflix, youtube etc and also it has apps like torque for monitoring obd and the like (which is nice if you tow a lot). It's also nice because all the steering wheel functions are supported and you don't have to touch any buttons to start it up, it boots right in as the car starts. Much more OEM feeling to not have to press any buttons to get to carplay imo. But im happy that option works well for you.

 

[MeWantLC]

I was referring to this one:

Toyota Landcruiser 200 Series GX / GXL / VX 2007-2015 10.1" Replacemen

Quick Glance 10.1" Capacitive hardened glass touchscreen 1024 x 600 / 1280 x 720 QLED Screen resolution 4GB of RAM and 64GB of memory / 8GB of RAM and 128GB of memory WIRELESS Apple CarPlay / WIRELESS Android Auto phone connection Kit includes new screen / stereo, vehicle specific dash facia /...

customcarstereosystems.com.au

I also have a 2013 and very interested !

I have a 2013 and they list a unit for 2007-2012 so I’m a bit confused. The pre-installation stock setup they show appears identical to my 2013. I need to do a deeper dive.

And another discrepancy is the description of an upgraded amplifier under “Specifications,” yet the claim retention of “Factory amplifier / speaker system” under “Installation / Compatibility Notes.”

 

[dnh1]

.

 

[Foggy415]

lol

Beautiful HE btw!

 

[asbury]

I agree w/ the op, great unit! I put the CCCS system carplay module in around 3 years ago and it’s a game changer for sure. The support during install and a year ago when I needed to update was second to none. One other cool feature is the ability to hotspot it to your phone and essentially have a tablet in your dash. It really transforms the LC.

 

[Specialeyes]

I was referring to this one:

Toyota Landcruiser 200 Series GX / GXL / VX 2007-2015 10.1" Replacemen

Quick Glance 10.1" Capacitive hardened glass touchscreen 1024 x 600 / 1280 x 720 QLED Screen resolution 4GB of RAM and 64GB of memory / 8GB of RAM and 128GB of memory WIRELESS Apple CarPlay / WIRELESS Android Auto phone connection Kit includes new screen / stereo, vehicle specific dash facia /...

customcarstereosystems.com.au

I also have a 2013 and very interested !

One thing that gives me pause about this one is the row of buttons along the left side of the OEM head unit on our 2008-2015’s here in the states. How critical are those buttons? Doesn’t seem like they would matter all that much since you wouldn’t need the OEM Nav having CarPlay and thankfully climate controls are separate. I’ve recently discovered this now that I’m shopping for an older 200 myself.

To me that’s the biggest Achilles heel in the 200 post refresh. Climate controls being integrated into the OEM head unit means it been impossible up to this point to get a full blown aftermarket head unit assembly. Instead having to resort to these android boxes that tie into the OEM system.

 

[dnh1]

I agree w/ the op, great unit! I put the CCCS system carplay module in around 3 years ago and it’s a game changer for sure. The support during install and a year ago when I needed to update was second to none. One other cool feature is the ability to hotspot it to your phone and essentially have a tablet in your dash. It really transforms the LC.

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View attachment 3736965

I didn’t realize you could watch TV on it. That’s sick.

 

[7000ft]

Thanks for the great writeup. I'll spend a little more for a solid stable upgrade. Does this CCCS unit allow for Sirius radio to be used? If not, I guess I could run Sirius through my Android phone.

 

[Foggy415]

Thanks for the great writeup. I'll spend a little more for a solid stable upgrade. Does this CCCS unit allow for Sirius radio to be used? If not, I guess I could run Sirius through my Android phone.

Tbh I don’t have Sirius so I can’t speak to that specifically. Wish I could be more helpful

 

[asbury]

Thanks for the great writeup. I'll spend a little more for a solid stable upgrade. Does this CCCS unit allow for Sirius radio to be used? If not, I guess I could run Sirius through my Android phone.

You can still run satellite radio through the “factory side” of the radio while using an app on carplay. I’ll turn on satellite radio and then switch over to google maps and the sound will still come through while using carplay. Of course you can always use the app as well.