Looking at upgrade

No I don't have brands in mind..my ??? I boondock a lot death valley type stuff .lots of wash board roads..ect..are there any unit that I should stay away from with this style of driving. Or ones that really handle it well???---2019 tundra limited

 

What are you looking to upgrade?

 

Omg sorry. My radio sorry about that ...lol

 

Hmmmm, I'll be boondocking down some likely washboard roads very soon... Honestly, I think most of the reputable brands are pretty bulletproof with regard to vibration.

Guess we'll find out how the big floating screen Kenwood does.

 

No worries lol, as far as brands go, unless you're a tech tinkerer, I always tell friends and family to stick to the "big name" brands, i.e. Sony, Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer. Lots of people on this forum and many other vehicle or car audio forums really like the "knock off" Android based type of head units. There's pros and cons to big name vs knock off. Very generally speaking, pros for big name brands are: reliability (fewer bugs/glitches, customer support (buy from say Crutchfield and they have great customer support), and ease of warranty if you have any issues (much easier to do warranty via Crutchfield, Bestbuy etc.). Cons for big name brands are: cost (more expensive) and worse specs (less powerful processors, less ability to customize or do things like screen mirroring). Pros for knock off brands are: cost (usually cheaper), parts included (often times come as a plug and play unit) and specs (screen resolution sometimes better, more powerful processors, more ability to basically have your radio be a computer/tablet/phone type of device vs just a radio). Cons of knock off brands are: quality control (although even big brands nowadays seem to struggle with this some), reliability (more prone to weird bugs/glitches) and customer support/warranty (usually these companies are direct from overseas and while they respond to emails in a timely manner etc., harder to get on the phone or live chat with and warranties are usually shorter).

As far as your concerns about washboard roads etc. I wouldn't be concerned about one brand vs another. So long as your wiring/connections are done properly, the internal components of any of the radios should be able to handle any type of driving just fine.

 

You’ll need to buy a Maestro iDatalink RR2 module to retain all of your factory steering wheel controls with whatever head unit you pick. Make sure that thing is secured, you end up stuffing a lot of extra wiring back in the dash on an aftermarket HU install and it will rattle around like mad on rough roads if you don’t take care of your wire management.

 

While most newer head units are moving towards iDatalink capability, it's still about 50/50 on the market right now, same concept though in using a PAC module or a Crux harness, like you said lots of extra wiring to stuff in but there's plenty of room behind the head unit.

 

• This from add for phoenix automotive says Android Navigation Radio Can Be Installed in Toyota Tundra 2014 - 2021
• Both manual and auto AC are compatible.
• Retain OEM steering wheel control, USB, AUX, camera. So do i still need the maestro??

 

Are you looking at one like this: [ New ] 13” Android 13 Vertical Screen Navigation Radio for Toyota Tun – Phoenix Automotive (phoenixautomotiveinc.com)

If so, no you wouldn't need a Maestro. Nearly all if not all of the Android based head units like these from Phoenix Automotive or Daisaita is another brand a lot of people on here have installed do not require a Maestro.

 

Also like to add - i had one of the Phoenix units from previous years and it was ok. Also, there is one guy (Sergey) who builds custom roms
strictly for Phoenix Units which adds additional functionaliy to the unit. The cost for the rom is $100.00 and its a one time payment and you get additional updates
as they become available, at no charge.

If you go that route, you must be careful during the install and afterwards. DO NOT press hard on the screen or you will crack the glass and "brick" the unit.
Pressing to hard while wiping off finger prints will do you in....... Dont ask me how I know this, i just know... LOL

 

He has firmware for all of these Android Tesla style radios. TBH, there's little to no difference between the Phoenix ones and the $200 Amazon/alibaba tablet radios. They all have the same processing units, and Android OS. Phoenix is just a US drop shipper and carries a warranty.

Edit: That said, I am running a 2018 tesla style radio in my GX470, and may be upgrading to the 13.6" style in the future. Currently i can only find that on Alibaba. No US supplier yet.