Brad9282

I'm planning to replace my stock head unit in my '05 RX330 with a Pioneer AVH-X2800BS. I personally don't care much about the steering controls, so Crutchfield is just recommending the Metra TYTO-01 wiring harness. They also say that "when you replace the factory radio, the factory navigation (if present) will still work, but you'll lose the voice guidance system. This kit includes a resistor that should be soldered between two wires on the factory harness to retain the vehicle's factory climate controls. This resistor will also retain factory navigation, if equipped."

So the way I understand it - If I replace it as directed, I'll still retain use of everything that I currently have with the stock unit EXCEPT the navigation's voice guidance (but the maps will still work).

Are there any other "gotchas" that I should be aware of? I'm really not wanting to lose a ton of existing functionality, but I can live with minor things like voice guidance. I've read some of the threads on this subject saying I could possibly lose airbags, stock backup camera, climate control, complete use of navigation, etc...

Just looking for some peace of mind before I dive into this and move forward.

Thx!

canamrotax

The install kits from Metra or Beatsonic work pretty well.

If you have the Mark Levinson system you may have to add a digital amp interface http://www.metraonline.com/part/AX-ADBOX1

These are not cheap, but may be the only way to retain the factory amp(s).

If you move up to a Pioneer NEX model, you would have Apple carplay/Android auto, so the factory NAV would not matter anymore.
In my experience the factory NAV is lackluster and expensive to buy updates for.