Has anyone tried installing in the new hybrid Toyota Prius? I am aware that mounting in dash isn't very likely, but, I'm curious if there is sufficient wiring in place for an auxillary input, etc.

Thanks!

I drug this post back up because I'm looking at buy a 2004 Prius. Has anyone installed an Empeg in one of these? It looks like it might be a challenge. Also, does anyone know if you can install an aftermarket head unit indash in this vehicle. Looking at the curvature of the dash I'm not sure you can.

Sure you can. Depends on how committed you are. Looks like a worthy opponent. Good luck.

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By the way, for those outside the United States who were puzzled by Tony's reference of "Illegal crosspost. 10 yard penalty." in the general forum, he is refering to US Football, not to be confused with your football. Think of it as an equivalent to a "yellow card" - if my definition search was correct...

</aside>

Nope, yellow card is far more serious than a ten yard penalty.

Two yellow cards, and its an early bath for you.

We do have 10 yard penalty's in Rugby, and of course we are now World Cup winners too

A very simple Google search for "toyota prius stereo" turned up this link. It looks like it was made for the 2001-03 models, but it may work for the 2004. If that adapter works on the same IR frequency as the Empeg, I'm sure you could use the built in controls of the Prius to control the Empeg with ir-translate in Hijack. You should also join the 2004 Prius Yahoo Group and ask about aftermarket stereos.

Who is "10 yard penalty", and what do they own?

I went ahead and bought a Prius today. The waiting period is anywhere from 2 to 6 months. Mark, The hybrid adapter shown on that link will not work with the 2004. It is a 2nd generation vehicle. Totally different. I simply thought that the empeg site might be a good place to pose the question. Thanks for the link to the yahoo site, that might prove interesting.

I would watch this website
http://www.coastaletech.com/

They have a ton of stuff for the 2003. I looked at the 2004 and there was a pocket that it looks like the empeg would fit into.

If you wait around, I'm sure coastaletech or that other guy will come up with a nice kit. However, if you want to be cool, you'll help out other owners and figure it out yourself, posting instructions the whole way.

If you got the premium sound, you could tap into the audio outputs of the radio before the amplifier, and add some sort of switch to switch between empeg and stock stereo. Or, you can actually just run the audio out of the stock radio into the aux of the empeg, and then send the out of the empeg into the amp. All this would require either just cutting and splicing the wires, or finding the right connectors to whip up some custom Y-cables.

Now, if you have the regular (non-premium) stereo, it's probably a little harder, since the amp is integrated into the head unit. In this case, either you add an outboard amp, run both the stock stereo and the empeg to them and switch between them, or fashion a way to get the empeg sound into the CD changer input of the stock stereo. If you want to tap into the changer input, finding the right wire to connect to won't be a problem, but figuring out how to tell the Prius AVC-LAN that there's a device available on that input is trickier That's what some of those links in this thread have done in their kits, by tacking on a little circuit board that knows how to speak AVC-LAN.

For the physical mounting of the empeg, you shouldn't have any problem putting it in the lower dash storage compartment, after actually taking the storage pocket out. That's where the add on changer goes (for the lower end stereo), and that changer is DIN sized. If you were to buy the changer to add it on after purchase, there might be a "settings kit" required that would include the cable for it and possibly hardware to put the changer in that pocket. Depending on whether that kit is required (like for the 2001-2003), and on what hardware is in it, it may be worthwile to purchase to help mount the empeg in that spot.

Now, in case you haven't found this yet, these are your three best friends for this project:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/2004-prius
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/prius_technical_Stuff
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius

Now, whatever you do, please report here to keep us all apprised. I'm especially interested, because I have one on order to come in probably next month, and I'll definitely be putting my empeg in. At this point all I know comes from the groups, the various tech documents, and my dad's 2003. Having some hands on reports from someone trying to put an empeg in a 2004 will be priceless.

Thanks for the links! I'm pretty excited about this vehicle. It is quite a departure from what I am use to. I expect the excitement will wear off before I get the car as it will be at least 4 months before I see it. I ordered the option package number 8. It comes with the enhanced audio package and the nav system. It should be pretty cool! I will definitively document the installation of the empeg complete with pictures and post it here. It looks like your going to beat me though Aaron as I just ordered the car.

Thanks!

Its more 'offside' than yellow card!

Please keep us informed... I have been looking at the new Prius myself and wondering how the heck to get the empeg in there.

Good Luck!

Your car was just picked Motor Trend Car of the Year in the US. Congrats!

I just got on the waiting list as well. Perhaps if we all voice our interest in an AUX IN adapter from Costal Tech, we could influence their priority.

Not sure if anyone else actually used the Prius bluetooth capabilty. It worked like a charm. Incoing call (while my phone is in my pocket), auto-muted the stereo, and let me answer hands free mode from the steering wheel control.

I heard back from CoastalTech support. They are actively working on AUX IN support for the 2004. If I get any further updates I will let everyone know.

Thats good news. I will be getting my Prius this week! When I ordered it a couple of weeks ago I wanted an option package that was just made available. I was the first person to order that package at this dealership. A car came in with the package I wanted. It's white instead of silver but that is the only difference. Oh Yeah!

*bump*

Just test drove one yesterday, and am seriously considering buying. Looking at the dash, it looks like the empeg would fit perfectly under the exising stereo. The empeg with no sled almost slides into that pocket.

I'm probably going for option package 9, so electronics wise, they should be the same. It's a shame the empeg can't tie into the touch LCD.

If any of you want a Prius, can live with an older one, but want it "now", evrental.com seems to be selling off previous model years which were used as rentals for around $12-$13k.

Not associated with them, haven't even managed to rent from them, but I noticed it while I was doing research on replacement cars.

The 04 changed quite a bit over the 03. More interior room, more trunk space, better gas milage, and some new toys like keyless entry and starting. Some of the toys are why I am considering one.

Thanks for the link though, I know someone else who might be interested.

There are certainly reasons to get an 04, but indeed, this was more pointed at impatient people who aren't wedded to the new features.

Just ran into this tidbit :

"We have completed the Audio Auxiliary Input for use with the XM
radio addition and will make it available soon. It is something that
can be added later after the installation of the XM unit with
minimal disassembly and will provide direct input to the radio for
left and right audio signals. You can use them for your portable
players or whatever audio you are trying to add. This will be
something that factory XM radio owners can use or owners of Prius
who have had the 6 CD changer added to their base system. The aux
input is installed and operating at this time in our Prius and
provides clean high quality audio.

Happy Monday
Coastal Dave
www.coastaletech.com"

I've had mine now for about two weeks. The only mods I've made so far are seat covers and studded snow tires. I think I will start to take a look at installing the Rio. At first I was not sure if I really wanted to do it. The six cd changer is pretty nice and I may not be quite as diehard a Rio user as some of you but I think I will give it a go. I need to find instruction on how to disassemble the dash center console and then I will be able to see if the hole in the dash is deep enough to hold the rio. Hooking it up should not be a problem. This new gizmo by cabletech would make it easy. Even without that a 4PDT relay powered by the rio amp wire would probably be all that I would need. If I decide to do this I will document the steps.

Later

I wanted one but I didn't want to wait so I bought a Mazda 3 5 door instead.

Ok, I took the plunge and ripped into my 04 Prius this last weekend. Of, course to remove the existing stereo you have to pretty much tear apart the entire front of the dash. This includes the removal of the touchscreen as it is the last piece that needs to be removed to get to the last two bolts that hold the deck in place. The good news is that the Rio WILL fit in the Prius! The bad news is that it is not an easy fit. When I am finished the Rio will be snugly fitted into the dash under the existing stereo. In order to fit it using a sled I had to remove the lip from the front of the sled and then mount the sled to the existing frame work that holds the stereo. The frame work and the stereo come out together so this will not be a big deal. The cubby hole that existed under the stereo needs to get cut larger to except the rio. In fact I chose to cut the opening big enough so the rio is recessed into the dash. This will allow me to close the cool door that is in front of the cubby hole. When done and the door is closed the Rio should be hidden and the car will look stock. Also the plastic tray that is the cubby hole actually fits almost perfectly into the Rio sled when the Rio is removed. I should be able to remove the Rio and install the tray for a look that is close to stock when the door is open. More to follow. Oh, yeah. If anyone has the stereo wire color codes for this car, I could use them. They are NOT the standard Toyota color codes. I will be taking my Oscope to it to figure it out but if you have 'em it would save me some work.

C

We want pr0n!
We want pr0n!

pr0n

oh... you prolly meant install pr0n. disregard

The cubby hole that existed under the stereo needs to get cut larger to except the rio.

I'd have expected the opposite: shrinking the opening would except the rio, while enlarging it would be needed to accept it

I bet priusonline.com has info on the harness

Doh!

Here ya go! http://home.earthlink.net/~charles1357/Prius/

I put back on the parts of the dash around the steering wheel so I wouldn't be kicking them around.