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Toyota Corolla Audio System Upgrade for Lake City Client

September 10, 2018 By JOey Knapp Leave a Comment

A client recently brought her Toyota to us here at Pinnacle Autosound for a Corolla audio and technology upgrade. She wanted a safer way to interact with her phone while driving and also needed new speakers. We put together a plan for her car and started to work.

Apple CarPlay Radio Upgrade

Apple CarPlay was the star of this Corolla audio upgrade.

The USB port gives the client easy access for plugging in her phone.

The microphone makes sure the client’s conversation are easily heard.

To assist with the client’s driving safety a Sony touch screen radio with Apple CarPlay was installed. This will allow the client to have handsfree control over many functions of her phone. Some of the new features she will gain are: on-screen navigation, speech-to-text messaging, and numerous audio streaming sources. The Sony radio is Bluetooth enabled, so the client can make and receive handsfree calls while driving. Our technicians mounted the microphone for the radio at the top corner of the windshield, for maximum performance. Plugging in her phone to the radio was made easier by a remote USB port that was installed in her console.

Corolla Audio Upgrade by JL Audio

To address the problem of the anemic sounding front door speakers our techs installed a set of JL Audio C1 coaxial speakers in the factory locations. The JL Audio speakers, paired with the new Sony radio, give the client much more output, clarity and response. If she ever decides to add an amplifier to the system, the JL C1 speakers can also handle a bit of power, too!

Backup Camera for Additional Safety

To securely mount the camera the trim panel was removed from the car.

The wiring enters the trunk through a hole protected with a plastic grommet.

The camera wiring was neatly secured to the factory wires.

Once we finished our work on the factory loom it looked completely stock.

Backing up is much safer thanks to the addition of the backup camera.

The final step in the upgrades on this Toyota Corolla was the addition of a backup camera. The camera was mounted just above the license plate on a plastic trim panel. The camera was secured to the plastic with stainless steel bolts to ensure a lifetime of use. The wiring for the camera was neatly routed with the factory wiring. To maintain a factory look in the trunk, the tape on the OEM wire loom was cut and our wires were inserted. Then the OEM wire loom was re-taped, leaving it looking like we were never there. The backup safety system also includes guidelines to help the client judge when she is getting too close to an object.

Audio & Technology from Pinnacle Autosound

If you have a car, truck, boat, golf cart or side-by-side that needs an audio or technology upgrade come see or contact us at Pinnacle Autosound. We offer a wide range of products to fit anyone’s budget. Topped with our award-winning installations, our solutions can’t be beat!

Smartphone Integration at its Best with Apple CarPlay

December 27, 2017 By JOey Knapp Leave a Comment

It seems our lives are getting busier and busier. Thankfully, there is a tool that can help make your time on the road a little more productive. Apple CarPlay can help you knock-out some of your workload while you drive. Is it after hours and time to relax on the drive home? Apple CarPlay has you covered for that as well!

What is Apple CarPlay?

Apple CarPlay is a software developed by Apple in March of 2014. The goal of the project was to integrate popular smartphone apps with the car radio and have them be voice-controlled. Using the powerful Siri voice engine, CarPlay can automate sending text messages, making phone calls, music listening and more.

SAFE Texting While Driving

Almost everyone has been in the situation where they have received potentially important text while driving. Maybe it was a change of plans for a dinner date, or possibly a few more things that need to be picked up from the market. Before CarPlay, your only safe choice was to wait until you got to your destination to read it, or pull over. Thanks to Apple CarPlay, texting while driving is now safe. If you receive a text while you are driving, you will be alerted on the radio screen and have the option of having the text read to you over the car audio system. Want to reply? No problem, you can verbally reply, using Siri as your personal assistant. Siri even reads the text back to you before it is sent, to make sure it is correct.

Integrated Navigation

One of the great things about CarPlay is being able to use the navigation from your phone on your car radio. Now, instead of a little 5″ screen that is unsafe to look at while driving, you have the option for a 6″, 7″ or even 8″ on which to see the maps. Thanks again to the Siri engine, you don’t even have to look at the screen if you don’t want to. Voice controls allow you to input a destination, and audible prompts are given for route guidance. CarPlay seamlessly handles muting your audio sources to let you know of an upcoming turn or lane change.

Numerous Audio Sources

It seems like almost everyone uses their smartphones for listening to music. Whether it is iTunes, Pandora, Spotify, or iHeartRadio, Apple CarPlay has you covered. Just recently, Tidal and SiriusXM were also added to the Apple CarPlay library of sources. We look forward to more and more audio source becoming available on CarPlay as time goes on.

Expert Integration

Apple CarPlay does a great job integrating your phone with your car. Let Pinnacle Autosound do a great job integrating a new Apple CarPlay radio into your car. We sell radios with CarPlay capability from Kenwood and Sony. Stop by today to see Apple CarPlay first hand. If you have other questions or need to make an appointment, feel free to use our online contact form.

Toyota Highlander Radio Upgrade for Lake City Dealership

December 8, 2017 By JOey Knapp Leave a Comment

Pinnacle Autosound was recently contacted by a local dealership requesting a Toyota Highlander radio upgrade. After finding out the features the vehicle had from the factory we put together a plan to upgrade the Highlander with the latest and greatest Kenwood eXcelon touchscreen navigation radio. The Highlander also had SiriusXM as a source so the dealership wanted to retain it as well as the factory backup camera.

Toyota Highlander Radio Installation

We started the installation by removing the factory radio and preparing the new dash kit for installation. After the radio was secured in the dash kit, we began to wire up the radio harness. The radio harness plugs into the factory radio and allows us to install the new radio without cutting the vehicle wiring. This installation would use an interface to not only keep the OEM steering wheel controls, but also the OEM backup camera as well as the vehicle controls that were available on the factory screen. We accomplished this integration with the help of the iDatalink Maestro interface. The Maestro is an incredible little box that communicates with the factory computer. The information the Maestro gets from the computer is displayed on the screen of the Kenwood radio. Things like tire pressure, battery voltage, vehicle speed and RPM are available for display.

Navigation and Backup Camera Integration

Making sure the vehicle’s owner gets safely to their destination is the job of the Kenwood navigation. The Kenwood radio uses navigation powered by Garmin, the world leader in GPS technology. Making the drive safer in reverse is accomplished by integrating the factory backup camera with the new radio. Our technicians accomplished this through the use of a voltage adapter that powers the factory camera with a specific voltage it requires. Now whenever the Highlander is placed in reverse, the backup camera image is displayed on the Kenwood screen, just like the factory radio.

Find Out More About Radio Upgrade Options

If you are interested in updating your Toyota Highlander radio with the latest technology, stop by Pinnacle Autosound today. Our technology experts will talk with you about your needs and come up with the perfect solution. Give us a call today or contact us using our online contact form.

Lake City Client Gets Jeep Wrangler Audio And Technology Upgrade

February 4, 2017 By JOey Knapp Leave a Comment

The Lake City, Florida owner of this vehicle wanted to upgrade his 2005 Jeep Wrangler audio and technology. The Pinnacle Autosound technicians were up to the task.

Alpine 8″ Screen For Easy Off-Road Viewing

Instead of installing the normal 7″ double-din sized screen, the technicians stepped it up a notch and went with an Alpine 8″ in-dash navigation radio. An installation like this is not just plug and play. The fabrication team at Pinnacle Autosound had to modify the OEM trim bezel to fit the huge radio. Custom mounting brackets also had to be fabricated to hold the massive radio.

Jeep Wrangler Audio Upgrade

Not content with just getting a technology upgrade, the client also chose to have Pinnacle Autosound upgrade the audio system too. The front stage was upgraded with Hertz Hi-Energy component speakers. For low-end reinforcement, an Audiomobile GTS 10″ subwoofer was installed in a custom subwoofer enclosure. Powering the speakers and subwoofer is a multi-channel Alpine PDX amplifier.

Stop By Or Call Today!

The result was a drastic improvement in not only the technology in the Jeep, but also the sound quality. If you own a Jeep and are looking to upgrade any of the electronics or audio, give Pinnacle Autosound a call today. You can also contact us here to setup an appointment or for more information.