Hey guys. New 04 LC owner here...well, soon to be. I have a JDM 04 LC VX coming from Japan that I have recently purchased through an auction and am trying to get it ready for Canada when it gets here Oct.
Already been lurking on this site and have learned a ton about the 100 series (particularly, the wheels and suspension options, or lack thereof)
Anyways, since this is a JDM vehicle, the nav will be in Japanese and am considering swapping out the head unit and came across this thread, as well as a couple of others.
Mechanical mods I am fine with doing most myself. Electronics installation and I don't get along, historically. I hate electrical mods ( done a couple in my current 03 4Runner with a 50-50 success rate) and am willing to pay those who have the knowledge and patience to do that for me.
I have seen the interior of my vehicle from photos and it looks like it is going to be the integrated NAV and HVAC with the sound system and from all of the info I have read, I think I have concluded that but please correct me if I am wrong:
1) These Tesla style units are not truly plug and play, despite the claims of the manufacturer, unfortunately for me. Or are they plug and play if you keep everything stock like the speakers, amp etc?
2) Even those that have successfully installed them, there still have been gremlins that pop up, either electric or software and not necessarily only the HVAC
3) Since this is going to be JDM and right hand drive, there still may be other issues that I could encounter based on options/features/accessories that this vehicle may or may not have compared to the NA market. Haven't read of too many other than the NA drivers on here
4) Finding a shop to do an install as specialized as this is going to be hard? Or will this be relatively straightforward for most of the stereo shops? Assuming, they would even install somehting that they didn't sell?
5) If I don't do the Tesla style, there are very few other options aftermarket that will integrate the HVAC controls into a sound unit (don't care about NAV, as I use my phone for that anyway)
Probably getting a little ahead of myself but trying to prepare myself for as many details as possible.
Thanks guys.