It's been awhile since I've updated this but that's 'cause nothing much has happened to the 'Lux. 'cause of financial reasons, of course. Bit of an essay ahead.
In terms of trips, not much action happened there either. I took a few mates to Newnes for their first camping experience; it definitely could've been smoother but they seem eager for a second. The main attactions were The Glow Worm Tunnel and The Lost City. We use HERE Maps for our off-road navigation and I actually wanted to take the easy way to The Lost City but alas, HERE Maps intended differently.
From the Newnes camping area, we headed back down Wolgan Rd. As you pass Angus Place Colliery (
https://goo.gl/maps/deAXBgDCa6D2) you'll be asked to turn left into what looks like an illegal road (something to do with coal I believe - you'll see the signage). Cross the road and follow the fencing on the left and you'll end up on Angus Fire Trail - which I don't believe is an illegal road - which merges into Beecroft Fire Trail. Being only one car with a bunch of first-timers with me I wasn't too confident on this trail but we made it through.
Gotta thank The Ultimate Suspension here - I was amazed at the rear articulation the lift had given me. I had to get one of the first-timers to spot me through but he did a good job (except he kept standing in front of the bloody car!). The track itself is gnarly and I did experience a bit of a slide on one obstacle but the 'Lux got through unscathed. I knew what to expect as I've been on the track once before which helped bolster confidence.
Our first big obstacle was a technical hill with a lot of dips that I just wasn't keen on taking. Thankfully, a convoy was already at the bottom of the hill attempting it. I watched them have a go and whilst they all made it up, I still wasn't keen on heading down it as they were kitted out far better than I. A chicken track was to the right and after some advice from the convoy, I took it. My concern was that the chicken track was loose soil, and it required a sharp left to avoid hitting a tree. There was plenty traction though so my concerns were unfounded.
The second obstacle was a fallen tree in the track. This must've been here for awhile as there was a nice loop around it that had been well travelled.
The third obstacle was a ridiculous decline that I wasn't going to take a chance on. Fortunately, doubling back revealed a nice chicken track that led into Sunnyside Ridge Rd and to The Lost City. I can't share HERE Maps routes but here's a screenshot of the way in (it's probably a known track but I know a few people have missed it - it's a nice shortcut to get into The Lost City area instead of going all the way 'round). You can see right at the end the two off-shoot tracks linking Beecroft Trail and Sunnyside Ridge Rd that avoid taking that last technical decline.
I also lost my front number plate on the trip - not sure where though! I think it was the small water crossing over to the Newnes Ruins that stripped it? Anyway, I ended up back at Lithgow with another group of friends for New Years and showed them the same attractions. I may as well become a tour guide for the area!
In terms of modifications, I received and installed these items over the past fortnight:
- Kenwood DDX5015DAB - Audiovisual Receiver
- Kenwood KCA-WL100 - HDMI WiFi Adapter
- Kenwood CMOS-230 - Reversing Camera
Went with the Kenwood for two reasons - one, it was on special and two, the wireless air mirroring. Essentially, it'll let you mirror whatever's on your phone exactly to the head unit. To make my life easier, I also got these items:
- Aerpro Toyota ISO Harness (APP0141)
- Aerpro Kenwood to ISO Harness (APP8KE2)
- Aerpro Toyota Facia Kit (ATB2)
Here's how it looks:
Installation was straightforward after some research on the forum. I did get an autoelectrian to wire up the adapter and camera though. I wasn't confident on the space I had to work with. The hardest part is not losing one of the screws for the radio brackets. Also, I can confirm that grounding the parking brake wire will give you access to all features while driving (video playback and removal of application restrictions from air mirroing).
A few recommendations: a good spot for the external microphone is clipped to the top of the A-Pillar. I'd also recommend running an AUX from the back of the unit to the glove box (along with the attached USB extension) for easy access.
I'm happy with the unit in general though I feel radio reception is slightly worse. The air mirroring is a finnicky to get working but I drove home tonight using it the whole trip and it worked a treat. My phone was navigating with Waze and playing music with Google Play Music and it didn't hiccup on the display but you can tell there is a connection issue as your music will stutter
just a little every now and then. Nothing to really rage about.
Now, controlling your phone is another issue. Swiping is difficult, and the screen calibration is just off. As such, you can't scroll through Facebook while driving for example (not that you should). You need to be a little forceful with your finger gestures and taps on the head unit for it to properly register where you're tapping or swiping. If you tap the head unit as you would your phone, it'll register a tap in the vicinity of where you tapped. I found forceful presses much more effective.
I can't tell you much on the reversing camera as I still need to run it to the back of the 'Lux but I can tell you that this head unit allows you to view the camera on-demand. You wire the reverse wire to the head unit itself, not the camera, for on-demand viewing. However, the only way to view it on-demand is to set your hold-TEL command to R-CAM.
My major gripe with this though is sun glare. You cannot see the head unit AT ALL when the sun's out. I've seen some makeshift solutions from the forum - love 'em! - but I wanted something a tad more OEM-looking so I bought
one of these today. Admittedly, I don't expect it to work well at all but I thought I'd bite the bullet. This is a car fault, not the product's fault.
So, that's where I'm at. If you made it to the end, thanks for reading