Linux car stereo upgrade - Toyota iQ and Scion iQ 2008-2016
The iQ has one of the oddest centre stacks ever fitted to a small car: a triangular panel and almost nowhere to put a screen. Our LT9118 mounts a 9-inch Linux unit above the air vents, keeps the factory climate panel, and runs wired CarPlay and Android Auto. It doesn't ask you to learn Android.
The LT9118 is built for the Toyota iQ and the Scion iQ, model years 2008 through 2016, and both badges matter because the same little car was sold under one name in Europe and Asia and the other in North America. Under the trim it's a 9-inch IPS panel at 1024 by 600, a Linux system driving it, and a moulded fascia that replaces the triangular centre trim so the screen can sit above the vents instead of inside an aperture that was never designed to hold one.
The range we publish is the Toyota iQ and Scion iQ, 2008 to 2016, and it's the window our own install photography comes from.
The iQ left the factory in more than one dashboard layout, and that's the one thing worth checking before you buy. Our product page opens with a note panel that puts two iQ centre stacks side by side, one ticked and one crossed out.
Can't tell which one you have? Photograph your centre stack and send the model year and VIN with it, and we'll confirm the version before it ships. Returning a dash kit from the other side of the world isn't how you want to spend a month.
| Model | Vehicle | Model years |
|---|---|---|
| LT9118 | Toyota iQ | 2008-2016 |
| LT9118 | Scion iQ | 2008-2016 |
Before, you get the factory triangular stack: a small display at the top of the panel, a narrow radio slot below it, and air vents squeezed into a shape that was never built to hold a nine-inch screen in the first place.
Look closely at our install photos and you'll see what doesn't move. The vents are still the factory vents, the climate panel still does its own job underneath, and the instrument binnacle behind the wheel is untouched.
What changes is the glass, and everything feeding it.
You have three realistic routes. Keep the factory head unit and live with a radio that predates the smartphone, buy a generic 9-inch shell online and hope the fascia matches what's behind your dash, or buy the version designed against this dashboard.
So why would anyone pick Linux over Android for a car this size? Because the job is small and fixed: radio, phone, music, reversing camera. A Linux build goes straight to the same screen every time you turn the key, and there's no app store to babysit. I'd fit it to a city car parked in a hurry on narrow streets.
A dashboard this shape punishes guessing. Match the layout first, then choose the screen.
| What you are comparing | Keeping the factory unit | A generic marketplace listing | Our 9-inch LT9118 kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | Small factory panel | 9 inch, fascia sometimes missing | 9 inch IPS at 1024x600, with the iQ fascia |
| Software | Closed factory menu | Android builds, version rarely named | Linux, with a fixed and quick layout |
| Phone connectivity | None on early iQ builds | Claimed, rarely specified | Wired CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirrorlink |
| Fitment check | Not applicable | Chat with a reseller | Model year, VIN and dash photo confirmed by us |
The left columns describe each route in general terms; the right column lists our published specification.
The screen is a 9-inch IPS panel at 1024 by 600, and IPS is the part you'll notice: it holds its colour from the passenger seat, so the map and the clock stay readable from both sides.
Plug in and your phone's maps, music and calls share the screen. Mirrorlink sits in the same menu.
Bluetooth brings the phonebook in with name search, caller name on screen, and incoming, dialled and missed lists with caller ID.
The tuner scans and stores stations, keeps 18 presets, and remembers your station and volume when the ignition goes off.
USB and TF/MMC up to 256GB, not included, with MP5 playback and the video, audio and photo formats on the product page.
Around the back you'll find video output, rear-view video output and audio output, a built-in rear camera input with a reverse parking function, and an infrared remote for the days you'd rather not reach across the car.
The Linux build ships with three pre-installed interface designs, and you pick your favourite in settings. The first is a flip-clock layout with tiles for radio, phone link, Bluetooth, USB and SD, the second puts music front and centre with a large now-playing tile, and the third is the radio face, where you'll find a tuning scale, six presets and RDS, AF, TA and PTY on one line.
Your hand learns the layout in a week, and then you'll stop thinking about it.
There's a row of touch keys down the left edge for power, home, back, volume and mute, and a 24-hour clock with the date sits on the home screen.
We list the pieces people usually fit in the same visit, so you aren't ordering from two places.
| Add-on | What it adds |
|---|---|
| DAB+ antenna with USB adapter | Digital radio reception for markets that broadcast it |
| USB front dash DVR camera | Forward recording with the footage saved to a card |
| USB TPMS kit, four sensors | Tyre pressure readouts while you drive |
Some functions depend on your car rather than the screen: the factory amplifier, the steering wheel buttons, and any camera already fitted. Tell us what your iQ carries and we'll walk through it with you, because guessing in that gap is how you end up with a quiet stereo, a warning light and an annoying second visit.
Need a wiring reference, a fitting sequence, or a second opinion on which dashboard layout you have? Send the model year, the VIN and a photo of your centre stack, and we'll answer with a version number.
Full product information for the LT9118 is on our product page: Linux System 9" Screen For Toyota IQ Scion IQ 2008-2016 Car Multimedia Stereo CarPlay Player.
Zhuhai WITSON Industrial Co., Ltd. - Tel: +86-756-8120312, 8120211, 8120212.
Give your iQ a screen that fits the dash it came with.
See the LT9118 product pageThe Toyota iQ and the Scion iQ, model years 2008 to 2016. Outside that window, send the model year and VIN and we'll tell you what we have rather than sell you a guess.
No. The screen mounts on a pod above the vents, and our install photos show the factory vents and climate panel still in place underneath.
Because the job is small and fixed. It boots to the same layout every time, and there's no app store to maintain. If you want your own apps, ask about the Android version for the same car.
Our published specification for the LT9118 is wired CarPlay, wired Android Auto and Mirrorlink. Tell us which phone you use and we'll confirm before shipping.
That depends on your trim level, not on the screen. Send your model year, VIN and a photo of the wheel, and we'll confirm what carries over.
Compare your centre stack with the note panel on our product page, which shows two iQ layouts, one ticked and one crossed out. If it's still unclear, photograph your dash and send it over.
