retrofitting Bluetooth and reversing camera to a 2003 Corolla

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timmmay

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#272023 6-Jun-2020 07:26

What is the best value way to retrofit Bluetooth and reversing camera to my 2003 Corolla? I was going to buy a new car with those features, but with working from home looking like it's going to last a long time I'm thinking of retrofitting my old runabout which still works perfectly. I like being able to listen to my address of music, have a hands-free conversation occasionally, and reversing camera is just convenient. 2003 Corolla has a double height radio.

I'm happy to do work myself but I know nothing about cars.

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#2499375 6-Jun-2020 08:18

I retrofitted a wired one to my 2001 Toyota Corolla wagon. Pretty straightforward.

The key is working out how to automatically switch the head unit to show the camera when you put the car into reverse.

For my head unit it had a 12 volt input for this. I ran a wire from the reversing lights all the way to the head unit.

Cheers, Matt.

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k1w1k1d

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#2499376 6-Jun-2020 08:22

Probably will get rubbished for this, but I suggest going to a local reputable radio installation company to see what is available, and what installation costs would be. You may be able to do some of the work to keep costs down, eg fit camera and run wiring to dash. This will give you an idea of what is involved.

The alternative is to search for a suitable system yourself and fit it. Most head units these days have ISO connections, so there should be an adapter lead available for your car that hopefully makes the wiring "plug and play".

There are also wireless systems available now, so just need to connect camera power feed to the reverse lights.

nickb800

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#2499377 6-Jun-2020 08:27

The cheapest option might be a single DIN (height) Bluetooth head unit (radio) for around $150 and a separate reversing camera for a similar price, which would mount on top of the dash. You can get a din pocket to fill the difference in height between the old and new head unit.
Probably looking at more like $4-500 for a double din Bluetooth head unit with reversing camera. Obviously this would look neater than having two units.

The two hard bits are:
1) Dismantling trim to replace head unit and run wiring to the boot. Get plastic trim removal tools, and find YouTube videos for your specific car so you can visualise the whole process
2) wiring the radio. You can avoid this by buying a pre made loom the matches the connectors on your car to the radio.

geekiegeek

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#2499425 6-Jun-2020 11:00

I had a Panasonic headunit with wireless CarPlay installed with a reversing camera. The headunit also included GPS and maps but that’s a bit redundant with CarPlay. All up installed was $2500 in a 2007 Audi A3. Reversing camera turns on when you change gear and has guide lines to know where the car is.

there can be some finicky stuff to get things working with your electrics so I’d also recommend a professional install. Mine was done by Streetsoundz in Wellington. They even had a stock Audi reversing camera module so it doesn’t even look aftermarket.

i spent the money instead of buying a new car as I plan to just run this one into the ground as we only drive occasionally and even more so now my wife and I mostly work from home and ebike when we do go to the office.

timmmay

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#2499871 6-Jun-2020 21:26

Thanks guys. Definitely not worth paying someone to do it, the car's worth little now, though it works great and is very reliable. It all sounds like one of those jobs that if you know what you're doing it's fairly straightforward, but getting the correct wiring done could take a lot of time if it's a one off. Maybe it's not worth bothering with, I just listen to the radio, use the mirrors, and poke my head out the window in tight spaces.

linw

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#2499923 6-Jun-2020 22:05

I bought a dbl DIN headunit and camera from TM nearly 6 yrs ago for my Lancer hatchback at cost of $207. Also bought a dash installation kit from Amazon to fit my car. Think it came with a wiring harness as well.

Installing it wasn't that hard but you need to find a YT vid, preferably for your car, to see what is involved. Luckily, I found one for my car model.

I wouldn't spend thousands either!!

Good luck if you decide to go ahead.

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Jvipers2

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#2499941 6-Jun-2020 23:18

If you have a working radio, easiest and cheapest to get Bluetooth audio is to get a FM transmitter with Bluetooth...

As for the reversing camera, see if you can get one of those ‘dashcam’ that adapts to the rearview camera and had a secondary camera for the rear. Could be obtained for cheap and you also gain some security.

Scott3

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#2499949 7-Jun-2020 00:49

I put a new heat unit into my 2006 corolla, basally to get Bluetooth and aux in.

Pretty easy to do, main trick is to pull out the middle climate control knob to access a screw under it to get the old head unit out. There are video's online.

The cost more, but I don't like the look of single din head units so I went for a double din JVC.

You need to buy a couple of bits of plastic trim (cheap) to go either side of the the new head unit (or buy a Toyota sized one as standard double din is a little narrower).

I brought a wiring harness from repco to convert the plugs (I needed 2, Toyota to Standard, and then Standard to JVC) so didn't have to spice wires, was plug and play...

Have done a stand alone reversing camera install in a different car. Running the video wire is the hardest bit of the process. I took power from the reverse light wires to power the camera, and from the cigarette lighter feed wires to power the screen.

If you are getting a new head unit anyway, might be neater if you can get one with a screen allready so you don't need the dedicated screen.

linw

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#2499959 7-Jun-2020 06:52

Have a look here:- https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/dvd-video/listing-2648220107.htm?rsqid=rmlms-353b1c97ed434adf9474e90e390d369f-001

timmmay

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#2500174 7-Jun-2020 20:39

Thanks guys. $220 is pretty cheap, with a wiring harness. Is there such a thing as a wireless reversing cam?

Handle9

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#2500234 7-Jun-2020 22:09

linw:

Have a look here:- https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/dvd-video/listing-2648220107.htm?rsqid=rmlms-353b1c97ed434adf9474e90e390d369f-001

Low res, not very good screen and the bluetooth hands free calling will be pants. The GPS will work, sort of, but might be a bit slow.

If you know that stuff going in you won't be disappointed, just be aware of what you are buying (basically a $50 tablet with some custom firmware and a mounting kit).

I had one in my Japanese import in NZ and it was good for the money but not comparable to a really good unit. It's also worth having a look at the Android head units, they can run Android Auto which is really quite cool. I have one in my car in Dubai.

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Fred99

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#2501156 9-Jun-2020 09:03

I'd want to see the head unit / reversing camera set up in action at a real shop.
My son had a TEAC (IIRC) unit put in his mid 2000s import Toyota - everything works fine except the reversing camera which has too much delay initialising. It's probably "only" 2-3 seconds from engaging reverse until the camera view appears - but that's plenty annoying if you're doing a 3 point turn etc. That head unit was probably "latest model" for that brand 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe they're better now. I don't think I'm being overly-fussy or have expectations of Le Mans style "start your engine" then maximum speed in reverse - in normal use it's just not very good / annoying.
There's some delay initialising the head unit in my vehicle before the menu screen appears - especially if it was left with the GPS screen on, but at least if you start the vehicle and put it straight in reverse, the rear camera view appears "almost" instantly - still a slight delay (maybe a second) but it's OK.

Fred99

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#2501158 9-Jun-2020 09:09

timmmay: Is there such a thing as a wireless reversing cam?

Yes - Jaycar sell them. I have no idea how well they work in practice - display units I've seen seem to work fine, but there might be a big difference when the camera is a couple of metres away from the screen separated by mainly air, and 4 metres away separated by metal.

timmmay

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#2501164 9-Jun-2020 09:20

Fred99:

Yes - Jaycar sell them. I have no idea how well they work in practice - display units I've seen seem to work fine, but there might be a big difference when the camera is a couple of metres away from the screen separated by mainly air, and 4 metres away separated by metal.

They have one that works at up to 70m - that'll be perfect for attaching to my freight train...

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#2501215 9-Jun-2020 09:33

On my previous vehicle I tried both wifi and wired cameras running to my android phone. Neither was what you would consider optimal but the wired solution running through OTG was better than the flaky wireless. Both were laggy. The most difficult part of the wired option was routing the wires forward to the dash but there are some useful tools available to assist with that.

In the end I gave up on trying to make my dumb car smart (even started a thread about it) and just bought a more modern car (I recognise you are trying to avoid this).

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

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