Pioneer AVIC-W8400NEX Installation and Review

Yes, it's expensive -- but it's also an amazing little piece of technology. I decided to upgrade my stock head unit for a lot of reasons, but the wireless Apple Carplay feature was probably on the top of my list. The phone never leaves my pocket unless it needs to be charged. This thing obviously has lots of features. You just have to decide what they're worth.

The capacitive touchscreen is great. So much nicer than the mushy resistive screen. Connecting via wi-fi rather than Bluetooth is impressively better as well. I installed a Pioneer AVH-X4700BS in my daughter’s car a couple of years ago and the Bluetooth was slow to connect and prone to random drop outs. This is night and day different. Very fast and robust. Haven’t had a single connection error.

My 2017 SR5 came with the Entune Plus system and (as everyone knows) the “Scout GPS” is complete garbage. I now have the ability to use either the built-in GPS or a phone GPS through Carplay. Again, a huge improvement.

The iDatalink Maestro black box gives me back my OEM steering controls as well as access to a subset of information available from any OBDII device. Engine monitoring, tire pressures, door ajar, collision sensors, (if I had them) fuel data, etc.

The sound is terrific. I’ve done the Subaru tweeter/Kicker door speaker replacement, and now I’m very pleased. I’ll get the fever to add a sub at some point, but for now I’m happy. Lots of connectivity options that I haven’t even explored yet.

As far as the installation goes -- I'm not easily intimidated. I'm an electrical engineer who has been installing audio equipment in vehicles since I saved up and put a Craig 8-Track player in my 1974 $500 high school ride. The stereo was quite literally worth more than the car. Nostalgia aside, the installation of the 8400 along with the Maestro box and all the cabling was somewhat challenging. Lots of stuff to figure out how to connect and get working again. Back-up camera…USB input…lots of wires.

The Pioneer/Maestro integration instructions were mediocre at best. Programming the Maestro was a piece of cake. (I had to revert to using IE to get the plug-in to work, but flashing the unit was simple) The wiring installation instructions, however, were pretty sketchy. There are undoubtedly support people from iDatalink that walk folks through this every day, but I’m too stubborn to ask for help. Never had to call anyone, but I was close once or twice. From popping off the bezel and removing the OEM head unit, through taking it for a drive to test the GPS was about a 4-1/2 hour process.

The finished product really looks amazing though. Aside from a few back-spacing washers to make everything line up perfectly, (anal-engineer issue) the dash kit from Crutchfield worked extremely well. It’s as close to "OEM looking" as anything I've ever installed…or anything I’ve seen installed professionally.

I’m still feeling my way around the new system and trying to figure out all of the features, but so far I'm very pleased. I struggled spending the money, buy now I’m glad I spent a little extra and bought the 8400. I spend a lot of time in the truck and I think it’ll be a solid investment.

I’ll post this in both the A/V and 3rd Gen forums for anyone interested.

Factory bezel removed:

Beginning reconnect of Maestro module (lower left)

Blue painter's tape to prevent scratching everything up. Rewiring continues.

8400 Sitting on the seat to begin testing

Back in the dash. Plastic covering that glossy capacitive display.

Final adjustments

Hard to see, but there are two washers behind the screw to perfect the alignment of the aftermarket install kit with the OEM bezel. I used a total of four washers....ymmv

All done!

Carplay...

Corresponding center display...

 

This is a great write up.
Thanks for the review.

Any insights into which OEM features DON'T transfer over with the maestro link? Mainly the driver center console screen. do you get the song listings? what about directions? what about caller ID?
just checking!
thanks!

 

Great review, thank you. Happy to hear more positive feedback on this unit as I'm looking at the same. The washer additions are great info for install prep.

Also curious about OEM features transfering. I'm assuming you were not able to use the original Mic for bluetooth phone purposes?

 

I'll be perfectly honest...I did the install this past weekend and haven't had time to play with my new toy. Sunday I was busy doing other projects and yardwork, and I've been at work since then. I hesitated even posting a review this soon because I knew questions would come that I wasn't prepared to answer.

I'll defer to someone who's possibly had more playtime, and I'll come back with a proper reply when I've had time to work with center console screen a bit.

 

Your install looks great!
Is there a difference in size between the entune premium headunit face and the regular entune?

One of the things bothering me with this type of install was the huge dash kit necessary, making the pioneer look tiny. Your dash kit looks thinner, so are the dash trim pieces different between entunes? Hmm....

Also, yours looks alot less rounded at the edges of the screen vs. Others I have seen. Looks great!

 

Very interested in purchasing this unit as well...ditto on the questions regarding the driver’s cluster screen for OEM info

 

Also how much for the complete kit?

 

Added a couple of pics to the original post. Song listings, yes...Caller ID and directions, I don't believe so. Will try a few things this weekend to verify functionality.

 

I spent a few minutes trying to outsmart the factory mic, but ended up using the aftermarket...for now. I didn't permanently mount it because I'm not giving up on at least using the factory location.

 

Yes -- all-in was close to $1400. $1199 for the head unit is the going rate from all authorized dealers. One of the (several) reasons Crutchfield is great to deal with is their price guarantee. If they lower their price or put it on sale within 60 days of your purchase, they'll refund you the difference. I've taken advantage of this before, and they stand behind their pledge.

 

Do they price match bc i found it for a little cheaper https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVIC-W8400NEX-DVD-Receiver/dp/B07D65DR1K

 

They'll price match anything from Amazon that is sold by Amazon directly. The link you attached is actually sold by a 3rd party which they won't match. Lots of grey-market resellers on Amazon.

 

How challenging was it really? I can handle the tech part of it no problem but I have zero experience with vehicle audio and visual installation.

 

The bezel and head unit removal was a piece of cake. The bezel pops off and the factory head unit is held in by four easily accessible 10mm bolts. Putting everything back together was almost as simple, with final alignment and tidying up the glob of wiring being the only trick.

Flashing the Maestro took about ten minutes. No problem.

99% of the challenge was interpreting the lousy Pioneer/Maestro integration instructions and wiring everything up correctly. The cable harnesses are long enough that I was able to function check most everything before reinstalling the head unit. As I stated earlier, I did everything by myself without calling for any tech assistance.

Overall for me -- about a three out of ten on the difficulty scale. If you've never tackled a head unit replacement, you may need to make a phone call or two. There are numerous small/large harnesses and a lot of wires.

 

Nice install...I installed the 8200 in mine and love it. I ran my mic wire to the location of factory mic and it works great. I also used washers as well..I noticed that even the factory head unit was not the same on both sides either, the right side is not as flush.

 

I wonder if this can be done on the 2018 Sport Tacoma. I have no problem with my OEM head unit but more so if something happens after the factory warranty expires. Great job by the way!!!

 

Thanks, and yes -- the install for your vehicle would be identical.

I hated the factory head unit. If you're happy, save your money. Technology moves at an ever-accelerating pace. Who knows what features will be in the 8600...or 8800...or...

 

Also curious about the Maestro and cluster display features. Looks like you got the Audio page running, and I wasn't expecting that. If it does Nav turn by turn I'll be amazed but I'm skeptical.

 

Looking forward to know more!!!

 

Hmmm. Just happens to be 57 days until Black Friday.......