Hello fellow gen 1 Alphard owners. We've had our 2003 Alphard since early 2016, but first time posting on the forum (not sure it was around back then, or at least I don't remember coming across it). Anyway, better late than never, as they say!😂
Anyway, back in 2018 I replaced the head unit with an android one (XTrons I think). It was a bit of a slog, but didn't do too badly as rear camera and most (I'll come back to that) speakers worked and even got steering wheel controls.
Unfortunately, I think I jumped too soon as initial joy turned into frustration as it became clear that the functionality of the unit (and to some extent android at the time) just wasn't up to the task and the 7 inch screen size (to slot into the space left by the original) and unresponsive screen compounded the issue.
From what I can see now, from the latest crop from T'eyes, Mekede and the like, Android Head Units look like they've come of age, with large responsive screens and decent ram and processing power, so my thoughts have turned to replacing the head unit again. But at the same time, I thought I'd try and resolve some issues which I'd appreciate any help/pointers/advice on;
1. Connecting the centre speaker. So our Alphard has the theatre speaker system and while I think I got most speakers working the first time I replaced the HU, the centre speaker is not. It's not the end of the world, but the new HUs I'm considering are capable of 5 channels (FL, FR, RL, RR & C) and, if I'm honest, it niggles me that there is something that the car came with that we're not using. So if anyone knows where the wires for the centre speaker are and/or what they look like, their colour, how to connect etc. I'd appreciate it. I did see a wiring diagram on here, but I couldn't really make sense of it.
2. Connecting the front camera. Again, never got this connected or working. However, while at first I assumed I just needed to find the wires and connect them properly, these days I'm not so sure we actually have one. Did all gen 1 Alphard s have them? Looking at the front, I can't tell if it's a camera or a placeholder for one. Either way, given the age of tha car and the likely picture quality, I'm half inclined to try and buy and fit a new HD one, but looking at the front grille, there doesn't seem to be any way to do this easily/discretely, as cameras I've seen tend to be a 1 inch cube (and there isn't a convenient hole of the equivalent size). There also don't seem to be any specially designed ones, like there are for other makes, so would be interested to hear from anyone who's done it.
3. Other odds and ends
A - replacing the rear camera with a better hd one. This seems more straightforward than the front, but still would be interested to hear from anyone who has done it and any pitfalls to avoid.
B - fitting and using an obd(2) reader and external tpms (to show on the head unit). I hear that not all OBD2 readers work, which ones do?also there's the choice between Bluetooth, WiFi or usb. And where does it go?
C - Canbus decoder - does the 1st gen Alphard have Canbus? If so, do I need a decoder, where would I get one and what would it give me?
Sorry for the long email, but appreciate any help/tips/opinion given!👍🙂
