Rostra250-9621 Complete Cruise Control Kit 2012 Scion IQ

This aftermarket unit works well. I am a retired auto tech and felt I could do the installation without any problem. I can read instructions and have done well for over 50 years. But WARNING! The instructions fail to clarify one very important point. During the installation it is recommended that BEFORE DRILLING A HOLE IN THE STEERING COLUMN SHROUD, you test the unit operation. That made sense to me, so except for that one step of drilling the hole, I completed the rest of the wire routing, secured it with the included wire-ties, and soldered the power lead as instructed. I was pleased with the performance and was ready to install the switch/lever to the steering column shroud.PROBLEM! As I followed each step through the instructions I did one item at a time. In the illustration JUST ABOVE the warning NOT TO DRILL the shroud, it shows the connectors that are to be installed in the proper cavities and the color coding clearly labeled for each black and white connector. What they FAIL to point out is that the wires should NOT be installed into the cavities BEFORE the test that is to follow until AFTER the hole is drilled for the lever and wires routed through the hole. If you chose to "test" the unit BEFORE drilling as recommended, then just push the wires into each specified cavity WITHOUT THE PROVIDED CONNECTORS until the road-test is over and you are confident that you are keeping the unit,I made that mistake! I have terminal tools to work on similar connectors, just not a cavity tool that small. I will get this problem resolved in the next few days I am sure. I look forward to having cruise-control on my wife's IQ, and this unit works very well. I could never maintain a steady road-speed the way this unit does. I was constantly up and down on the accelerator trying to maintain a steady speed. This IQ is the most difficult vehicle I have ever driven and tried to do that with. For that reason I found my eyes on the speedometer far more than on the road. Driving without a working cruise on this vehicle was becoming a danger. The decision to install this unit from a safety standpoint alone was no longer an option for me. Worth every penny! A quality unit at a fair price! You cannot ask for more.

We've actually bought TWO of these, just to be sure. The first was purchased and installed by Car Toys, and for half a year worked like a charm. True, it's not as good as a stock Scion/Toyota unit - the accelerate and decelerate functions of the buttons on the unit have some lag time when engaged. Also, the control is a bit clunky compared to an OEM Scion unit.One other (relatively minor problem is the suggested location for the stalk. Probably due to the relatively tight driver's compartment, the recommended location is on the left side, the reverse of typical Scion/Toyota practice. If installed that was, the stalk is completely obscured by the steering wheel, making it hard to see the on light and/or any of the three buttons. As a result, we had to fumble around a bit, on occasions accidentally resetting thecar's clock in the process! Nothing fatal, but it is clumsy at times. (Rostra does make a right hand stalk, but trying to order one as a part was a bit of an ordeal. All of my inquiries met with the same response - "Have your installer order it." More on that later as well. )The first installation (Unit #1) took about three hours, and the installation went well as far as we could tell. And, function at first was flawless, with the caveats as mentioned above.Then began the "troubles". With no warning (and at times while not using the cruise unit) our iQ would slip into "limp home" mode. When this happens, the car still functions, but at a much reduced rate of speed. We had it in to the dealer ship on at least three occasions, but the codes thrown never led to the cause.The (on a cross country trip, no less) it happens again. We motored on (slowly) to Dayton OH, the only city on our route with a dealer and an open car rental firm,The dealer took the car under warrantee and had a technician work on it for the better part of two days, all while we drove up and back to Vermont in our FREE rental car. When we returned, it was ready to go, with no faults found.However, on the way to the airport, - bam - limp home mode again. Back to the dealership, where "our" technician was pulled from his current job and put back on our car.We spent a pleasant day at the local museums, only to be called late with the news that the problem had been found. After running all of the diagnostics on the car and coming up negative, he accidentally bumped the wiring for the cruise unit's connection to the car, and limp home was again set in place.He disconnected the unit at the OBD port and ran the diagnostics, again with no faults detected. We then drove home, after first refusing payment for the two night's extra lodgings) without further incident.Once home in TX, we had the unit pulled out, and then discovered the cause of our problems - the red wire was connected by a connector, NOT by soldering. This is clear in the instructions (which we never saw with the first unit, and Rostra makes ominous statements about what go wrong.With the new unit, I cautioned both the manager AND the installer of the "solder only" requirement, and then verified that soldering was used (with two mirrors and a bit of contortion).We're currently on a long trip into the Midwest, and thus far things have gone on without a hiccup.So, if you buy this unit and have installed by others, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS YOURSELF and MAKE CERTAIN that's your installer understands that this is not a 'suitcase connector' job.All of that said, it does what it's supposed to do, and looks and feels solid enough for an aftermarket, one size fits most product. If I could give it 4 ½ stars I would.(I've gotten a second steering wheel shroud bottom piece, and intend to experiment with a right side install (with the stalk from the old unit. If anyone manages to obtain a right hand side stalk, please let me know how you did it. Lord knows I've tried...)

When we first bought our iQ, we were ok with it not having any option for cruise control. Well, shortly after driving our first trip out of town in it, we knew it NEEDED cruise. Cramped feet, constant watch over the speed, and continual adjustment through up hills and down hills gets old quick. Luckily, me being a Toyota Technician, I felt I had all the knowlege and tools needed to install this kit. Come to find out, not much was needed. A 10mm socket and ratchet (I used a cordless impact driver) and a wire stripper (for the power wire on the kit, not for wires on the car).The panels on the car to remove come off easily. Theres only 2 10mm bolts and the rest of it just snaps off. The kit has plenty of wire length to route them out of the way and everything fit together snug. The only modification was to drill a hole in the plastic peice you want the switch mounted on.The kit work as well as a factory unit should. with quick up/down adjustments, hold to adjust up/down, and resume all work like it was factory. The kit has plenty of zip-ties to secure wires, but since I routed mine differently than the instruction said to, I had to use some extra.All in all, we're very pleased with the operation ease of the system and I'm pleased with how easy the install was.

Works like a charm. Just needs to be installed by a pro. Do not recommend doing it solo.

Looks factory and works perfect.