So, I took a few hours this Sunday, and did the horn mod! It wasn't that hard, the hardest part was taking off the whole front bumper (2 hours!) The actual replacement of the horns took less than 15 minutes (after I bent the brackets so they don't get too close to the radiator). Then putting the bumper back on took 30 minutes.
I purchased the horns from DealerDirectParts.com
Low Note: 86520-AA010
High Note: 86510-AA010
These parts are direct plug-and-play horns. OEM Toyota parts from a newer Camry.
A couple of questions:
Were you able to remove the bumper by yourself or did you need help? Any "gotchas" in removing the bumper other than undoing all of the screws/clips/fasteners?
Made the same change in my 2007 although I didn't have to remove the bumper...it's was a 20 minute job, plug and play. I too remember having to bend out the brackets just a little bit to make sure the Camry horns didn't rub on the radiator. No more road runner sounding "meep-meep"!!!
A couple of questions:
Were you able to remove the bumper by yourself or did you need help? Any "gotchas" in removing the bumper other than undoing all of the screws/clips/fasteners?
Yes, I was able to remove the bumper by myself. The hardest part was removing all the screws/clips/fasteners. The bumper is held on by a dozen screws and a dozen more clips...
You don't need to remove the bumper at all. There's 2 ways to get to it (I used only method 1)
1) Go from the top. You can see the bar the horn is attached to so just remove the plastic on top and then the bar above that. Just note the bar is grounded so unless you have the bar touch the body of the car, the horn wouldn't sound (when you're testing before you screw everything else back on).
2) Unbolt the top of the radiator and pull it back. It gives you just enough room to get to the horn from in front of the radiator.
You don't need to remove the bumper at all. There's 2 ways to get to it (I used only method 1)
1) Go from the top. You can see the bar the horn is attached to so just remove the plastic on top and then the bar above that. Just note the bar is grounded so unless you have the bar touch the body of the car, the horn wouldn't sound (when you're testing before you screw everything else back on).
2) Unbolt the top of the radiator and pull it back. It gives you just enough room to get to the horn from in front of the radiator.
Why couldn't Toyota have attached the grill to the hood the same way it is in the 4th Gen 4R. When you pop the hood the engine bay is exposed down to the bumper and the horns are sitting right there out in the open.
Both horns are on the drivers side, one, on an angled bracket, so getting a wrench in there to undo the bolt is impossible because the grille is in the way.
In previous years, I think the horns were on both passenger and driver (allowing more access) and not on bent brackets (also allowing more access). Even removing those radiator bolts would not have helped in this case because the bolt heads were on the front side (grille blocking).
Both horns are on the drivers side, one, on an angled bracket, so getting a wrench in there to undo the bolt is impossible because the grille is in the way.
In previous years, I think the horns were on both passenger and driver (allowing more access) and not on bent brackets (also allowing more access). Even removing those radiator bolts would not have helped in this case because the bolt heads were on the front side (grille blocking).
Nice...
I'm ordering Hella SuperTones later for the 09. 118 dB
I'm letting the dealer do it.
James... I have 4 friends there now!!
$102. That's about what I value my time at for the job. Now I sit, watch Fox News and drink Earl Grey Tea.
Oh, $102 in one hour.
OH!! The tech has them... he said going direct to the battery makes them LOUDER!! Anyone hear that??
Dean, those horns should be plug and play. No relay necessary as you already have a horn relay in the driver's side fuse box. I used these Fiamm's and they work perfectly:
I installed Lexus horns this weekend as well on mine (I think the P/Ns match the OP's first post). Was plug and play, no mods to the connectors. I did not remove the front bumper cover for it. I just released the grill from the rad support (3 clips on top and 4 bolts at the bottom), pull the grill out towards me and was able to access the mounting bolts easily. I did get small scrapes on the back of the hands but it sure beats removing the bumper
My wife has put her request in for this mod to be done first on her Rav4. Anyone else done this lately? What year Camry (or Lexus) did the new horns come out of?
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