mattt

Well i've given my red GT86 a clean after a very long spell of awful weather and OMG so many new stone chips to add to the ones already there Just trying to weigh up patching them all up vs. a full respray. Has anyone had a full respray and what sort of price range would I expect to pay? I guess having the paint protected as far as is possible afterward is as important to me to try and minimise stone chips in the future if I went down this route. Appreciate the shared experience

Thanks for this - I'll see how it all pans out. Fingers crossed for some sporty number as a courtesy car! Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the quick response! Waiting for my insurance company's nominated repairer to call me - some company called Auxillis Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

I realise I'm taking this off topic but has anyone been in this situation where some insurance repairs are needed, but also asked for a full respray to be done at same time and paid the difference? Is that possible or quite a nightmare? Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Thanks.. it'll buff out....

Thanks for all the interesting replies and sharing of experience. Unfortunately I'm going to a bit distracted from my review as someone has just reversed a flatbed lorry into the back of the 86 today! Have all the details so just the hassle of putting it right... Will come back to this when sorted.... Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Part three: first impressions Software and usability: This XTRONS unit is running Android 8 Oreo with a custom launcher overlay. There are software buttons along the notification bar for switching between apps, and changing the screen brightness to its lowest setting. This seems a bit redundant as the unit dims automatically to a brightness level you can specify when you turn the sidelights/dipped beams on. The standard android notification panel is there when you swipe down from the top for accessing WiFi, Bluetooth and so on. The home screen has 4 widgets for controlling the radio, Bluetooth phone connection, music player and a clock. Other apps are displayed as rectangular buttons. All the other apps are not in a tray, but all displayed on multiple pages if you swipe right. They aren't in any order, and frankly this is poor design. The other notable software element is the lack of lock screen. This being android though, all of this is completely fixable! Using my phone as a WiFi hotspot, Google Play Store holds all the answers. In the first few days of ownership I tried a number of different launchers to replace the XTRONS one. I settled on Smart Launcher 5 and added a lockscreen. Scroll down to see the results. Re: the hardware buttons. They are of the capacitive touch sort you find on smartphones and are acceptably responsive. I agree with Church - I'd have preferred a rotary control for volume, but the touch buttons work well enough. Sound quality: Once I'd tuned the equaliser to my liking, to my ears the XTRONS sounds marginally better than OEM. This is on stock speakers and I will be fitting Focal IS165TOYs in the future and will update you all then. I can always add an amp and sound deadening if the SQ isn't up to par. My overall first impressions are very positive. It connects quickly to my WiFi hotspot. Apps are very responsive. Radio reception is ok but not amazing. I don't really listen to the radio as the stations down here play utter rubbish. In any case - internet radio apps solve that problem. I play music through Spotify and that works like a dream. GPS locks instantly. Google maps is fantastic for satnav and offline maps can be downloaded for patchy signal. One word of warning - I haven't been able to get Co-pilot satnav working as it's been designed with phones in mind. Therefore the starting screen where you have to accept a license agreement assumes a portrait orientation with no scroll: you can't get to the accept button. Stupid really as easily fixable by the Dev team and I have alerted them. In conclusion my first impressions are overwhelmingly positive. A few niggles but they can be overcome. The versatility of android in your car is absolutely great. Will live with it for a bit and then write a bit more. Cheers all! Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Part two: Install and Initial Impression One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was how easy to install this was. Fitted it using the OEM brackets from the touch and go. Only needed to grind off 1 locating tag that wasn't quite in the right place. No adaptor main wiring harness needed, the wiring with the unit was Toyota specific and we'll labeled. Interestingly the wiring is all modular: don't need aux out - don't fit the specific cable module. Makes the back very neat. Comes with a GPS antenna however I used two adaptors to make use of the OEM GPS antenna. You can find these here and here. Only other adaptor was one to utilise the front USB port. The unit comes with 2 other rear usb ports on a long wire that can easily be routed to the glove box. Quality wise it feels solidly put together. All the wire clips locate well, and generally it's pleasing to look at. Here it is in-situ after first powering up. I'll gather my thoughts on daily use over next few weeks. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Part one: Why I chose this headunit When it comes to technology and cars, I find most choices are an exercise in compromise. Do I want the best sound quality? Do I want a recognised brand I trust? What does it look like aesthetically? Does it have all the features I want etc.. For me I've always been someone to prioritize sound and function over looks, but with the GT86 I really didn't want to go with a standard double DIN unit and have to have those plastic fillers in the dash. A compromise too far for me in order to have a headunit from a recognised brand. The second big factor for me is that over time I've moved away from listening to CDs or MP3s, and I listen almost exclusively to Spotify. This means either streaming from my phone, or an android headunit. I decided that I didn't want to have to either plug my phone in, or rely on Bluetooth. Thirdly the satnav on the Toyota touch and go is rubbish, and I find that no other satnav comes close to the power of Google maps. See above - having this native on the unit rather than plug my phone in is my preference. Lastly, I've been using a Chinese made OnePlus 5 phone... this has convinced me that most android products coming out of China are actually very good quality. This gave me confidence to try XTRONS even though I've never heard of them! You can find the unit here on the XTRONS website: http://xtrons.co.uk/pb78hgtp-android-8-octa-core-4gb-ram-32gb-rom-multimedia-dvd-player-with-6-95-display-custom-fit-for-toyota.html I decided to buy through Amazon for some added piece of mind. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Thanks for this - I'll give it some thought. First I'm taking her to tuningdevelopments for their NA package haha!

Hope you find one! I'm also in Devon and lucked out with a red one just up the road from me. Paid a bit over what I wanted to but that comes with living down in the southwest I've found.

Hi! I'm about to buy an android headunit which comes with it's own GPS antenna, however I already have a "Touch and Go" SatNav so there must be a GPS antenna already in the car. Does anyone know if I need some sort of adaptor to use this with an aftermarket unit? From my google searches the standard GPS connector is a FAKRA? Not sure what Toyota use. Thanks for anyone's help with this.

Fair enough haha! Any advice on where's best to route the android GPS antenna to?

Hi! Deposit down on a 2013 GT86 Hopefully picking up this weekend. Any other Devon owners on here? Any recommendations on a good independent garage for future servicing in the south Devon area? Matt

Very tempted by this! How long does it take to fit and tune? I ask because I'm in Devon - is it something that could be done on a Saturday for example?

Just picked the car up! Drives like a dream! Can't quite work the central locking / alarm out - beeps randomly when trying to lock it!

Thanks, I'll give that road a go! There's quite a few nice A and B roads around the south hams but I will definitely go for an explore (just moved here). Will let you know of any nice ones!

So should I be looking into selling a kidney now to release some funds then?

This is correct. There are some grey bits with people in them, but I try not to go there... Oh, and the car is red. Main plans are: Sort out audio a bit Possibly powdercoat the OE alloys one colour as I'm not keen on them in the standard two tone. I'm thinking white or silver. Probably get some fancy valenti rear lights: they look rather tasty. I'm going to hold off doing anything adventurous with regard to tuning and just enjoy the car in standard form first. See whether I catch the bug later. Any advice on other things I should definitely do / get checked etc?