2007 HL stereo replace with MP3/WMA

[bbao]

I plan to replace the original CD/Cassette/Radio with Kenwood Mp3/WMA/USB for about $110 shipped that included the harness and the face kit. Is it easy to do or have to let pro do it? I had a Tacoma I did replace the stereo without any problems. The Kenwood stereo does not match very good with the dash, so I wonder if I can get a toyota stereo with MP3/WMA from another car (like 4 Runner) to replace? You know I can get the Toyota Stereo with Mp3/WMA from ebay about the same price with the Kenwood. Thanks

[drmonkey1313]

I wonder if you might be able to get an MP3/satilight radio out of a Scion and if it would just plug right into your HL? I know you can find them all over ebay and since Toyota owns Scion, there is a chance that it might be plug and play. Just a thought.

My wife has the 06 Scion xB (toaster) so if I think of it, I will pull out her stereo and see what the connections on the back look like and compair them to my HL stereo.

To answer you question about replacing it with an aftermarket stereo, I think you could do it with no issues. In my opinion, if you have replaced one stereo, you can replace almost all of them. They all seem to be very similar. Just get the harness adapter so you can connect the stereo wires to the harness on the work bench and then just plug it into the factory harness. You are good to go.

Good luck.

[colosports]

I wouldn't recommend the factory radio (non-JBL). Your new stereo will sound much better than the factory one. If you have the dash kit and wire harness, you might as well install it yourself. It is fairly simple. You have to remove the plastic trim, remove the 6 hex screws, and unplug the harness from the stereo unit. You will then have to remove 6 more screws with a philip screwdriver to remove the stereo from the unit.

IMO, the hardest part is removing the plastic trim. I have a hard plastic tool that is used for installing tint on windows. It work perfectly and did not scratch up the plastic trim. At a last resort, you may try using a flat head screwdriver. Try taping the screwdriver head with electrical tape several times so that it does not scratch it up too bad.

Also read
Remove Radio Instructions

[asianflava]

It's an easy job but then again I used to work as an installer. The trick is to get the correct "kit" for the dash. If you are getting one of the Kenwoods that has a joystick on it, I recommend that you stay away from it. I had one for 2-weeks before I got so pissed off at it that I exchanged it for a JVC.

The joystick would work in theory but in practice it sucks. I was also afraid that it'd get broken off. I wanted to go back to buttons.