Introduction

Vehicles, manufactured for the American market, are unfortuantely not sold in Europe, so that many accessories were designed for use in America. For European users this may cause much problem, for they can't use their navigation system properly, the radio doesn't pick up certain broadcasting wawes, the built-in remote controller can't control our garage gate opener, the displays are not metric, so instead of km/h they display mpg, instead of Celsius we can see everything in Fahrenheit, etc.

Most of these minor problems can be cured by now, with much search and investigation. On this page I tried to collect all those information (most of them were found on the internet) I could find on the issue, and with whiches help I could figure out some possible solutions.

I'll gladly take any amandments, corrections from anyone, I'm just an usual user. I might have missed some possible solutions, what others find obvious.

We are going to discuss the following issues:

• Navigation
• Radio
• Bluetooth hands-free phone
• On-board computer
• Door opener controller
• Air-condition
• Posteriorly installable parts
• Tips, tricks

In a bit more detail:

• Navi generations:

In different model year cars, different head unit models had been built in.

 

• Navi system, discs:

Basics of navigation system, system disc, map disc, different options, regional differences, warning messages, locked options while driving, tricks of making a safe disc.

 

• Hungary map:

Modification of the newest 2009-2010 East Europe E12 map disc, so that Hungary could be chosen, and so we can set our destination by searching settlement and street name, address, and not just by looking around on the map. This modification also allows us that we search by POIs (Point Of Interest - érdekes pontok), for they will be displayed on the map.

 

• Voice navigation:

The original American disc helps navigation with voice guidance, and some of it's options, like phone, radio, and even navigation system can be cammanded by voice command. These options of the European disc just don't work. But why?

 

• Europe maps:

The E12 navigation that covers almost the whole of Europe includes 4 discs, East, West, North, Central. If we roam toward the Western region after East Europe, we might need the other discs as well. These must be modified just like we did the East disc. Let's see how we can fare with that.

 

• Disc order:

How to order the modified disc use for US Toyota/Lexus?

 

• Navigation 1x1:

In case you don't have the English users' manual for the use of the navigation system, you can find here the most important know-hows for Toyota and Lexus models alike.

 

• Free menu restriction:

While driving, certain menus are unavailable for security reasons. We cannot set destination, change options, etc. So what can we do to be able to mess with these options while on trip? There is a simple, but uncomfortable, and a complicated, but comfortable solution.

 

• Hidden menus:

Beside the features, reachable via the touch screen, the system contains some hidden menus, in which we can find some useful options.

 

• Bluetooth hands-free phone:

In the previously mentioned menu we can increase the voice quality of the hands-free phone as well.

 

• Radio:

Amercan car radios usually can't pick up broadcast waves with even number ending frequencyes (for example 97,8 MHz), only those ending with an odd number, and it can't even be changed. Or could it be?

 

• On-board computer:

The display installed in the Instrument cluster (near the speed-o-meter) is the Multi-Information Display of the on-board computer. Originally it displays information in miles, Farhrenheit, mph. How to convert to km, Celsius, km/h?

 

• Door opener controller:

In the car above our head, there is a unit that contains a three-button HomeLink compatible gate opener controller, which is of course not compatible with gate openers in commerce here in Hungary. But how useful it would be! We'll see what we can do to by-pass the problem.

 

• Air-condition contol unit:

The control unit of the air-condition (found under the radio) displays temperature in Fahrenheit, insead of Celsius. It is still an open issue, i'm waiting for ideas.

 

• Installing a rear-view camera:

Once we have a pretty large built-in screen, can't we attach a rear-view camera? We'll find out soon.

 

• Video input:

So if we can connect the rear-view camera to the navi's screen, why couldn't we connect a portable DVD player, or a TV?

 

• Installing a new head unit:

And who is really not satisfied with the Denso head unit, the JBL sound system, and their features, could replace the whole unit with a size-matching new head unit, which can be used to watch films, surf on the internet, or on which a Hungarian speaking I-Go navigation system can be installed. We'll see where, for what price, what units can be acquired instead.

 

• Tips, tricks:

Tips, tricks

 

• Lexus tips, tricks:

Tips, tricks especially for Lexus

 

Thanks to my son for translation.

 

Send your notes, asks for help, and asks for prices of realization for the following E-mail address:

 

 

tchnavi@gmail.com

 

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The site started: 2009.04.20.