Best products from r/ft86

Let's start by saying car covers are a pain in the ass for daily use, the car has to be perfectly clean to prevent it from scratching and it just doesn't work that way unless the car is washed every couple of days.

Instead I'd just wash 1 or 2 times a week, and get a gallon-size of Meguiar's spray wax and Last Touch, because you know you'll be in a constant battle against certain elements, might as well stock up (and you save like 50% just buying in bulk this way). In fact I recommend checking out their entire detailer line because you're going to go through a lot of soaps, waxes, etc. Their gallon of shampoo plus for $20 is a great start. And you can find deals like 3-packs of their supreme shine towels for $6 as an amazon add-on item if you're a prime customer.

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D11101-Shampoo-Plus-Gallon/dp/B000EZICII

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-X3002-Microfiber-Wash-Mitt/dp/B000RXKR6M/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485457672&sr=1-1&keywords=meguiar%27s+microfiber+mitt

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D15601-Synthetic-X-Press-Spray/dp/B005JPJMI2

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D15501-Touch-Spray-Detailer/dp/B0006SH4NC/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485453717&sr=1-1&keywords=last+touch

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-D12001-Glass-Cleaner-Concentrate/dp/B0006SH4KU/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485457691&sr=1-4&keywords=meguiar%27s+glass+cleaner

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Supreme-Shine-Microfiber-Cloths/dp/B0009IQZH0/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1485455013&sr=1-2&keywords=supreme+shine

I just buy all their gallon sized stuff and then reuse my old bottles of spray wax, detailers spray, glass cleaner, wheel bottles, etc. Saves me lots of money, like the difference between $100 now or a couple hundred by next year. For instance their gallon size of glass cleaner is probably enough to set you straight on that for a few years, dilutes 10-1 with distilled water. That's 10 gallons of glass cleaner, put that in an old windex bottle and never run out!

Also the Chemical Guy's bucket kit https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-ACC_101-Detailing-Bucket/dp/B001U522GO was a pretty amazing deal and necessary if you're going to use coin-wash bays. However the mitt included is a bit rough, so instead I use a meguiar's microfiber mitt as its the softest I've found so far. The paint on this car is very soft so it's important to use the softest products possible on the paint.

An Invisible Glass Reach and Clean tool has worked out great for cleaning the interior glass and keeping it from fogging up. Great item to have. https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Glass-Reach-Clean-95161/dp/B0017K69MA

And a bird poop tip, keep a plastic container with microfibers, a bottle of water, and a bottle of last touch / spray wax mix in the trunk or behind passenger seat. If a bird hits the car, just soak microfiber with water, apply for 30 seconds, and then clean with the detailer spray / spray wax.

To prevent corrosion, you're going to want to clean deep into the wheel wells and stuff with dedicated brushes and mitts, and then use an anti corrosion product (I ordered some ACF-50 spray recently, getting it in the mail today probably) https://www.amazon.com/Lear-Chemical-ACF50-Anti-Corrosion-Lubricant/dp/B000P1C8UO . You're going to want to check crevices for salt buildup, it can happen on some of the window trim parts, so it might be necessary to remove them and clean them out if it starts to rust underneath. You might want to use dabs of silicone stuff to prevent water and salt from corroding these spots. There are a few posts about corrosion of FT86club forums so read up on them. Also your cabin air filter, leaves and bugs like to get in your cabin air filter and make things nasty. You can easily check / service this yourself, its behind the glove box.


For maintenance, I would NOT go past 5000 miles on an oil change, and be choosy where you take your oil changes. The car likes running on fresh oil period. Buy a 5 pack of oem oil filters and oem crush washers to keep yourself straight for awhile, saves money and time. Or also a fumoto oil valve can save even more effort, as a DIY'er it made my oil changes the easiest thing to do. Check your tire pressure constantly, because a decrease in pressure will make the car drive like crap and will wear your tires out quickly.

Your 60k mile maintenance or therabouts is an important interval. Needs stuff done like spark plug changes, and probably checking the clutch throwout bearing to see if it has become worn. These are expensive and labor intensive, expect a $1000 bill.

If you want it to be easy as possible, you can use one of these (and you'll need to pick up a maestro sw or rr):

https://www.amazon.com/AutoHarnessHouse-Aftermarket-Installation-compatible-2016-2019/dp/B07GD8627K/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=autoharnesshouse+brz&qid=1573219865&sr=8-1

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That covers the steering wheel controls and camera, antenna amp, and factory amp. You'll need to add a pin and wire on the harness (it's included) to power up the factory amp and door speakers. Also, ignore the instructions included on the two 5-pin connectors - just connect the two on the harness together if it's not shipped as such. If you want to try to keep costs down and make your own, you'll need to wire in a voltage converter for the camera power feed.

You'll also need the standard Toyota harness for the rest of the speakers. You can use one of AutoHarnessHouse direct connect Pioneer ones, or just make your own a little cheaper. I believe this is the part, but please double check - I don't have the part number handy right now (You can actually get these at Best Buy, it's in their computer system):
https://www.amazon.com/Metra-70-1761-Wiring-Harness-Speaker/dp/B0002BEQJ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=344R0OVLJ7ACT&keywords=metra+toyota+harness&qid=1573220037&sprefix=metra+toyo%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1

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For the 4500, I also recommend either wiring up their GPS antenna, or just using an adapter for the OEM one (I went this route just to keep things clean). This pack contains the correct adapter (it's the one with the bright green end, maybe you can find it standalone cheaper):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K03PORU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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If you don't hook up the GPS antenna, the head unit will throw up an error message every time you start up a navigation app in AndroidAuto (it'll still work, it's just annoying).

Lastly, don't forget an antenna adapter and (optionally the OEM USB port adapter cable). I opted not to use the USB port since I have a high speed charger that uses a 12v socket. Same as above, please double check this to make sure it is the right one, but here's what the antenna adapter looks like:

https://www.amazon.com/Metra-40-LX11-Antenna-Adaptor-Select/dp/B00JYHSDKO/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?keywords=toyota+antenna+adapter&pd_rd_i=B00JYHSDKO&pd_rd_r=aae8b955-0220-497c-bcd6-480183748bd8&pd_rd_w=bmQ4P&pd_rd_wg=7ZU9O&pf_rd_p=a6d018ad-f20b-46c9-8920-433972c7d9b7&pf_rd_r=F20PSH58JCQN60PP1T5G&qid=1573220626

You'll need to wire in the blue wire to power the antenna amp. Don't hook it up to a constant 12v feed (yello), either use a switched feed, or wire it to the matching blue feed on the back of the harness (it's the one that feeds out of the two pins jumped together by a blue wire).

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Sorry I can't be 100% on the last couple of adapters - if you have trouble confirming feel free to DM me and I will be happy to check when I get home from work, I kept the packaging for later reference, and again, Best Buy does have these in their computer, so even if your local one doesn't carry them, they should at least be able to give you the part number.

There are 3 different connectors that you'll have to hook up to the connector that comes with the head unit that plugs into the head unit itself. The other 3 connectors are VERY easy to install. 0 electrical engineering education, but common sense and the color coded instructions on the back of the packaging explains all you need to know.

Radio Antenna harness

Main connection (two main connectors that came out of the factory head unit)

USB Connector (if your car came with usb at the bottom right of the center console)

Should mention that the stock AUX connection won't function. You will have to run an extension from the back of the head unit to somewhere in your car. I routed mine to the left side of the passenger seat held up by this thing.


I don't use the microphone for bluetooth so that's not connected. I don't plan on using my head unit for displaying for any video sources so I didn't bother hooking up the hand brake bypass. The GPS antenna I just stuck to some metal plate that was inside the head unit cavity (pretty strong magnet and pretty accurate).

You may want to pick up a bracket like this. to fill in the rest of the head unit cavity along the sides. I'm not too sure if this is the exact one for the head unit. Crutchfield automatically told me what parts I would need to completely setup the head unit including the bracket and connectors. I couldn't find yours on the site so I can't tell you exactly which bracket to get. They're both Pioneer head units so it's worth a try. The bracket is a generic bracket made for most Toyota cavities to support double DIN sized head units. I had to do some slight Dremel work to get everything to line up with the stock mounting bracket. A solid afternoon with everything and I was set by the end of the day.

I had to contact OEM Audio Plus about how to get power to their amplifier because they have a replacement harness for the stock harness. But that's information that doesn't pertain to you unless you own their system with a subwoofer.

Tl;dr: Links 1-3 are what you need to connect everything. Link 4 is some random accessory I bought that happened to work things out. Link 5 is a bracket adapter to the stock bracket. Last link is the site that showed me all the stuff I needed and I just looked them all up on Amazon.

Equipment

• Nexus 7 2013 w/ Timur's kernel (still in closed beta - open for donors)
  
• Custom 3d printed housing
  
• Alpine KTP-445U 4-channel Power Pack Amplifier
  
• USB OTG Cable - Modified to fit
  
• DC-DC Converter
  
• Behringer UCA202 USB DAC
  
• Bluetooth OBD2 Adapter - For getting real-time data into the Torque app
  
• Add-a-fuse
  
• Ground loop isolator ** Item still needs to be tested. This was purchased to hopefully eliminate a popping noise i get when first powering on the system
  
  Must Have Apps
  
  
• GMD Gesture Control - Since i have no physical volume control buttons anymore GMD gesture control allows me to setup custom gestures like a 2-finger swipe to access volume control.
  
  Very excited to be ~95% complete with the install. A couple things left:
  
  
• pull out the double-din housing i made and put the top on it which also includes a fan
  
• address a 'popping' sound when turning on the system. possibly caused by the amp turning on before everything else? still seeking a solution here
  
  More than happy to try to answer questions for anyone else looking to do the same thing. Very happy with the outcome thus far.

Probably possible. Not sure if it would be worth it. A dash cam with motion detection and an additional battery might be enough to ease you worries. I had one installed and it makes me feel a little better.

These were taken from https://www.reddit.com/r/Dashcam/

Best cam recommendations

Best value:

• A119 v3 ($110-120 USD)
  
• B1W ($47-55 USD)
  
• Street Guardian SGGCX2 (Includes memory card and CPL filter) ($160-290 USD)
  
  Best value Dual cams:
  
  
• A129 ($150-170 USD)
  
• A129 Pro Duo 4K ($250 USD)
  
• Thinkware FA200 2CH WiFi ($170-180 USD)
  
  Budget dash cams:
  
  
• Yi Dash cam ($50 USD)
  
• Rexing V1 ($100 USD) - Lipo battery
  
• Anker Roav S1 ($90 USD)
  
• Anker ROAV C1 ($73 USD)
  
• AUKEY ($70 USD)
  
• YI Nightscape Dash Cam ($65 USD)
  
  Budget Dual Cams:
  
  
• Rexing V1P Pro Dual ($200 USD)
  
• Aukey DR02D ($130 USD)
  
• Mini 0906 ($120 USD)
  
  Dual Cams:
  
  
• BlackSys CH-300 2CH ($290 USD)
  
• Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO ($260-360 USD)
  
• BlackVue DR900S 2CH (4K) ($430-591 USD)
  
• Thinkware Q800PRO 2K QHD ($380-490 USD)

Pioneer AVH-4200NEX Does both Android Auto and AppleCarplay. Has native OBDII integration + other native apps. It's the bees knees. I'm getting it very soon. It's expensive, but god damn, it's the best thing out there right now for head units. Also it's has super easy pop-out ant-theft screen, for easily removing it for when you park. (Parts of downtown St. Louis are really ghetto/risky to park)

Got thin black frames from amazon. https://www.amazon.ca/Ohuhu-Powder-Coated-Aluminum-License/dp/B01IVIH4YC . 11 months old and the finish is still great. I also put felt pads behind my trunk plate to keep everything raised off the paint and avoid any potential rubbing.

I have personalized plates so I wax them every time I do the car to keep them looking nice and provide a bit of UV protection. Now I'm wondering if you can ceramic coat them...

Glad to see another BC twin on here. Welcome! The FT86 Vancouver club sells black plastic frames as well I think...

Oh wow thats great. I had no idea it was that strong. I will probably plastidip my wheels a matte black color to go with my white BRZ. Should look good!

Never use a bristle brush on my wheels, just a microfiber mitt.

Slow and smooth when letting the clutch out. Also, Allow the RPMs to drop to avoid the jerking/jolting. Pretty much treat it Zohan. Make it silky smooth

Being a 2017, i'd assume you're still in the break in period (or around there), which doesn't help matters.

I'd recommend the removal of the clutch spring as well to provide more driver feedback, making things that much easier.

If none of that helps.... maybe try a different oil like Motul 300 or Red Line MT-90

Depends on what you get, I suppose.

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I have this type: https://www.amazon.com/Partsam-Canbus-Interior-Lights-Courtesy/dp/B00LP4RWYC/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1536480652&sr=8-17&keywords=BRZ+interior+led

Obviously I don't look at them directly, otherwise they ARE bright, but it does light up the interior nicely.

I think you'll be ok as long as you don't go overkill and get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/iJDMTOY-110-SMD-Interior-2013-2016-BRZ/dp/B00CRQYX62/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536480652&sr=8-3&keywords=BRZ+interior+led

You should check out this reverse camera kit for BRZ's with no factory camera installed. I've been running using one in my car for over 2 years at this point, and it's the best practical mod I've added to the car. It's a super wide-angle camera, and makes getting out of anywhere a lot easier for sure.

The Roav S1. I bought them for $90 each on September 17th so I'm not sure why the price went up by $20. I've also had the Goluk T2 dashcam which I also really liked but the app for it is trash, quality is pretty good even at night. I'd take the Roav over the T2 though but the T2 does mount a lot more discretely.

https://smile.amazon.com/Roav-DashCam-Resolution-NightHawk-Wide-Angle/dp/B07DF8MQX1/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1539531473&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=roav+s1&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/Goluk-T2-G-sensor-Detection-Recording/dp/B01KX35KB2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539531809&sr=8-2&keywords=goluk+t2

This is a cheaper model than what I have. I have the 8200 nex and the one I linked is the 4200.

This is what it looks like. There is a gap, but it's not too bad honestly. It's almost impossible to find one that fits fully. I don't think any reputable brands make it in the size we need in the USA. Anything is better than the shit stock one. I hated that fucking thing lol.

I went for this one and cant go back. Here Tinted rear window (20%) as well. i even have the convex side mirrors polarized too haha

any wider is too wide, i already see both C pillars and anyone in the rear seats from the chest up. i wish they were sold a bit narrower. I did have a realllly curved one and it was way too distorted, this one is perfectly curved. (aka, almost flat)

Carista Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista&hl=en_US

Carista iPhone app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/carista-obd2/id954363569

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This looks like the improved version of the OBDII reader I have: https://www.amazon.com/Foseal-Improved-Version-Diagnostic-inCarDoc/dp/B077F8F6TB/ref=dp_ob_title_auto

Hope this helps! 😃

Well I would love a head unit that actually interfaced with my phone. Im hoping Apple and Pioneer will do the new siri and appleTVish head unit that should be in some cars by next year.

I bought this awesome car mount and it works great...who even uses CDs anymore

They are a lot better than just having the stock upholstery especially if you live in the warm temperatures and get out of the gym and sweat.. I used to have some el cheapo ones from auto zone but these feel good they are not thin but not super thick leather either kind of in the middle, decent step down from the Sard ones on 86worx that will run you $550, they don't feel cheap so I'm satisfied and look really legit plus they come with black soft seat belt cushions which are nice (not pictured) since I'd already put my TRD ones shown here on https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0ZKPGY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So then the fluids are the same?

I'm having trouble understanding the difference between this and this.

Is this just marketing from the company?


Yeah, I plan on buying these fluids myself in the future and having the mechanic do it, I just wanted to be sure I didn't put something where it didn't belong.

Thanks for the help, man. Solid advice as usual :)

First off, get this phone mount instead. If you have a phone (which means you have bluetooth and AUX at your disposal), you don't need the CD player. It works wonderfully and makes it feel built-in to the car.

Otherwise, just keep a phone charge cable around.

If you actually want to talk mods, some people have installed backup cameras and integrated radar detectors (that mount to the front of the car), so those would make things better.

What spray cleaner do you guys use to clean the alcantara?

I was wondering if this $20 Sonax cleaner was worth it: https://www.amazon.com/Sonax-206141-Upholstery-Alcantara-Cleaner/dp/B00BBWJ16U/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494953995&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=alcnatara+cleaner

or can I get away with a $3 bottle of Tuff Stuff? https://www.amazon.com/Tuff-Stuff-Purpose-Cleaner-Cleaning/dp/B0009PCPNQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1494953867&sr=8-4&keywords=fabric+cleaner

edit: or can I even get away with just vacuuming and using a damp microfiber cloth?

I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G1L52Q
Instead of mounting it in the cd player like it is supposed to, I put it in the upper gap between the head unit and the trim piece. It works out pretty well.

I highly recommend getting a dashcam so you don't have to make any guesses whose fault it is.

I currently use a Rexing V1 dash cam and it has been great.

As for the power hookup in my WRX, I use this fuse hook up kit. For the FT86 cars though, they have a hidden cig lighter in the glove box compartment. You could route your power cable to make it hidden that way as well.

I got this usb harness and these things to get it to work. Plug and play harness. Excellent unit. Never realized how good the stock speakers in this car were, until I got a new headunit.


AXXESS AX-TOYUSB - USB-Auxilliary... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QF01H2E?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Metra 40-LX11 Antenna Adaptor... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VYWSES?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

And the beatsonic bh-1 harness kit


https://imgur.com/a/6vPuFgG

I have this for mine. Works great. I had a smaller one that would droop due to vibrations but this one has an adjustment screw. I wish it could move a bit more but some sanding would fix that

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004G1L52Q/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://i.imgur.com/DYoWONe.jpg

Do yourself a favor and get a reverse harness set from something like Metra. It'll break out the connections into bare wires in fairly standard color coding. Yellow is hot +12V, Red is switched +12V, Black is Ground, Blue is amp +12V, etc.

Metra Harness Set

Antenna Adapter

Mountek nGroove Grip. It goes into your CD slot and a little flap opens up to remain there very solidly. It's more stable than a suction cup and the quality is pretty good too. Only downside is you can't listen to CDs while your phone is mounted, but I haven't listened to a CD in almost 2 years.

http://www.amazon.com/Rexing-Dashboard-Recorder-G-Sensor-Recording/dp/B00X528FNE?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

I have this one. I just placed mine behind the rearview mirror. Pretty low profile.

This is what I use:

LINK

Note: Risk to break into your CD Player (Rare) or just drop

For general functionality of the head unit you just need Metra 70-1761 Radio Wiring... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BEQJ8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share this is what i use in my 2014 brz and the metra usb adapter. I had the pac from a prewired harness from crutchfield but it was annoying.