Built-in Cell Phone

[jbcent]

I have a 1996 LS400 with a very nice, albeit analog built-in phone. Any suggestionson how this might be replaced with a digital and use the existing wiring, etc??

[1990LS400]

I don't think there have been any significant developments since you asked this question on January 26, 2004.

I have not seen anyone on this or other Lexus forums come up with a way to pop a modern digital phone into a 90's LS system and to allow the use of the steering wheel controls and to play the call through your radio speakers.

Since then, however, I found to be fairly easy to hook up an aftermarket phone kit in my 2000 LS so that it at least mutes the radio a call is in progress.

If you are not using your Lexus phone, I recommend removing it and installing an aftermarket phone kit - probably a Bluetooth kit. Of course if you don't have a Bluetooth phone you will have to change phones and perhaps even carriers.

[jbcent]

I don't think there have been any significant developments since you asked this question on January 26, 2004.

I have not seen anyone on this or other Lexus forums come up with a way to pop a modern digital phone into a 90's LS system and to allow the use of the steering wheel controls and to play the call through your radio speakers.

Since then, however, I found to be fairly easy to hook up an aftermarket phone kit in my 2000 LS so that it at least mutes the radio a call is in progress.

If you are not using your Lexus phone, I recommend removing it and installing an aftermarket phone kit - probably a Bluetooth kit.  Of course if you don't have a Bluetooth phone you will have to change phones and perhaps even carriers.

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Thanks. Any specific manufacturer of Bluetooh technology that you have experience with?

[ArmyofOne]

I don't think there have been any significant developments since you asked this question on January 26, 2004.

I have not seen anyone on this or other Lexus forums come up with a way to pop a modern digital phone into a 90's LS system and to allow the use of the steering wheel controls and to play the call through your radio speakers.

Since then, however, I found to be fairly easy to hook up an aftermarket phone kit in my 2000 LS so that it at least mutes the radio a call is in progress.

If you are not using your Lexus phone, I recommend removing it and installing an aftermarket phone kit - probably a Bluetooth kit.  Of course if you don't have a Bluetooth phone you will have to change phones and perhaps even carriers.

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Thanks. Any specific manufacturer of Bluetooh technology that you have experience with?

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MOTOROLA. :D

[1990LS400]

As you might guess, "Armyofone" works for Motorola. The main thing, if you go Bluetooth, is to verify that the car kit you choose is compatible with your Bluetooth phone.

The Howard forums are always a good place to research phones and car kits.

We will not be going with Bluetooth for the forseeable future since our older Nokia phone kits work incredibly well and we keep cars for 11-15 years. In each of our cars, we do not have to remove our hands from the steering wheel to turn down the radio, answer a call or hang up after a call - it is all automagic and really cool. We do have to remove our hands from the wheel to initiate one of the nine 1-key speed dials, to press the "names" key so we can voice dial, or to dial from the 750 entry phone book.

[SW03ES]

Motorola's Bluetooth works well as long as you don't buy from Verizon...

[SKperformance]

Just get a bluetooth earpeice for any compatible phone.

It makes car ktis useless other than to charge the phone.

I never use either of mine in my 2 cars with it installed any more since i got a motorola hs-820 earpeice.

[SW03ES]

I hate earpeices, I much prefer having a true handsfree system. The reason I like handsfree is you don't have to do anything, if you have to clip an earpiece to your ear then you might as well plug it into the phone making the expense for a bluetooth phone AND a bluetooth earpeice a waste. Plus they just irritate me.

Thats why I like the installed bluetooth so much.

[amf1932]

I hate earpeices, I much prefer having a true handsfree system. The reason I like handsfree is you don't have to do anything, if you have to clip an earpiece to your ear then you might as well plug it into the phone making the expense for a bluetooth phone AND a bluetooth earpeice a waste. Plus they just irritate me.

Thats why I like the installed bluetooth so much.

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I keep my phone on the sun visor, and keep it in driving mode. It even uses voice recogniton to dial my telephone numbers, so everything is totally hands free. The send/receive quality is great, so I'm doing pretty good without bluetooth. :)

[1990LS400]

I think it is interesting that Lexus U.K. does not pretend that a Bluetooth phone is going to perform satisfactorily when left in one's pocket. Take a peek at the U.K. market "Bluetooth Complementary Kit" which includes a phone cradle, charger and an antenna connection.

http://www.lexus.co.uk/colours.php?model=l...age=accessories

[SW03ES]

Alan-

My phone's speaker doesn't work that way (Verizon set it so that the speaker only works when the flip is open to force you to buy Bluetooth headsets from them, among a longer list of dirty practices) but I have it set up basically the same way. I have a portable bluetooth handsfree speaker clipped to the visor that activates when the phone comes within range and works great.

Other benefits of hard installed bluetooth kits are that they don't have to be charged (my speaker needs to be charged every 2 months or so), they often have superior sound quality, and they mute the radio when calls come in.

Jim-

Interesting, I never have a problem with the phone staying on my belt with my system and my fiance has the Toyota/Lexus Bluetooth system in her Prius and leaves her phone in her purse, no problem.

[Matthew_McNally]

I think it is interesting that Lexus U.K. does not pretend that a Bluetooth phone is going to perform satisfactorily when left in one's pocket.  Take a peek at the U.K. market "Bluetooth Complementary Kit" which includes a phone cradle, charger and an antenna connection.

http://www.lexus.co.uk/colours.php?model=l...age=accessories

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I have a bluetooth handsfree kit in the UK - a Sony Ericcson one.

The microphone is by the rear view mirror

The control button is on the blanking plate above the foot brake release.

that tiny piece of wire below the button is the only wire you can see of the install.

The only issue with a bluetooth kit is that it does not charge your phone. I get around this by having a phone charger in the bottom of the arm rest, and I keep the phone in there.

I have no problems with reception, or pairing.

I get in, the phone and car connect - and I make and receive calls using that one button, and voice tags ;)

I also have a bluetooth headset, as I dislike using mobile phones.

I find it much easier to have a rpoper car kit, than to worry about putting the ear piece on, or wearing it all trip in case some one calls.

[1990LS400]

With a Bluetooth phones on your belt or in a purse, how do you know who is calling when using these aftermarket Bluetooth kits? Do the kits have a caller ID display?

With my wired kit, I glance at the the phone's caller ID display (phone holder mounted by the radio) and often press the "decline" button (before the phone auto-answers after three rings) and send the call to voice mail depending on who is calling and the traffic conditions.

Based on how often I loan my phone to others when in the car, having an external antenna seems to be very important where I drive. During the last leg of a 325 mile Saturday drive to an Iowa football game last year, three people in the backseat were all trying to talk on their phones at the same time - what a circus! You would think they could talk to each other... And half the time my wife in the front passenger seat was talking on the privacy handset of my old CARK-91 Nokia kit. Every once in a while I would hear an "Oh !Removed!" when the people in the backseat lost their signals. But the CARK-91 with the external antenna never lost its signal.

[Matthew_McNally]

With a Bluetooth phones on your belt or in a purse, how do you know who is calling when using these aftermarket Bluetooth kits?

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I cannot tell who is calling.

But then, in the UK, the authorities are pretty anal about using a phone in the car - it is an offense to use a phone in the car unless you are fully handsfree.

I fully agree with these rules - so have no problem obeying them.

Do the kits have a caller ID display?

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mine does not - but some do.

There is a Parrot kit, which has a combined microphone / screen, pic below.

[SKperformance]

Hmm that is a nice display, never seen it.

I agree my 2 cark-91 car ktis are amazing and i do love them, but it is redundant to me now. I keep the stupid earpeice in all day ,so i never have to look for it.No wire ,no looking and no fuss atleast for me.

I agree most earpeices are really weird looking ,ok they are all weird looking. With mine being the least weirdest,lightest and lasts for 3 days on 1 charge if i don't use it alot.

Now i need to find a cheap bluetooth GPS for my ipaq 5500 so i can get around to apointments easier.

If anyone has one of those and any input i woudl apreciate it.

thanks

[SW03ES]

Jim- Like Matt says, some do have displays like that parrot kit. I'm going to upgrade either to the kit he has or to the Parrot kit with the display. They mount the display there where his microphone is between the rearview mirror and the headliner. You can buy the Parrot kit with the display at BestBuy now.

I assign special ringers to people that I know, my fiance has one, my mother, my father, certain key customers have special rings so I know who they are.

My old Sanyo phone spoke the name if it was in your phonebook, that was cool but it wasn't Bluetooth.

[Matthew_McNally]

Jim- Like Matt says, some do have displays like that parrot kit. I'm going to upgrade either to the kit he has or to the Parrot kit with the display. They mount the display there where his microphone is between the rearview mirror and the headliner. You can buy the Parrot kit with the display at BestBuy now.

I would have had difficulty putting the parrot screen by my rear view mirror - the screen would have obscured the mirror.

I've not seen that section of an ES though - so you may have room.

My old Sanyo phone spoke the name if it was in your phonebook, that was cool but it wasn't Bluetooth.

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my sony ericcson does that now - just not through the car kit.

It even does it through my laptop speakers, as I was horrified to find out when I was doing a presentation / walkthrough on a previous contract.

I had the phone paired up to the laptop, as I have software that lets me control the PC through my phone. Sounds geeky I know - but its ace for powerpoint stuff, you can wander around the room, clicking the "Yes" button to trigger the next bullet point, slide etc.

My phone was on silent, but obviously turned on.

My partner rang up, and instead of just vibrating, where I would have just dropped the call - the laptop announced her name, VERY LOUDLY.

[SW03ES]

LOL!

The ES has a traditional mirror that is attatched to the windshield instead of the (nicer) interior colored mirror that attatches to the headliner in the GS and LS. Thats a good point, you'd have trouble mounting it there on an LS too. Plus you'd loose the little thin visor strip there.

[1990LS400]

I hope you all realize that I am sometimes, tongue in cheek, making fun of some of the newer phone technologies which, from my viewpoint, do not seem to work nearly as well as older ones.

I suspect that Bluetooth or a similar protocol with Nav will become standard or cheap options on all cars in the near future and all these issues will fade away. I doubt if aftermarket Bluetooth car kits like the Parrot will even be available in 5 - 7 years - there just won't be much of a demand.

[Matthew_McNally]

The ES has a traditional mirror that is attatched to the windshield instead of the (nicer) interior colored mirror that attatches to the headliner in the GS and LS. Thats a good point, you'd have trouble mounting it there on an LS too. Plus you'd loose the little thin visor strip there.

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I see - that unit would probably fit real nice up there then.

good place for it too - its unobtrusive, and a natural place for your eye to go when you receive a call.

if you do this - I wouldn't mind some pics of your install

[SW03ES]

My only concern is wiring it up there with the side curtain airbags in place. No install shop wants to touch it because of that.

[Matthew_McNally]

My only concern is wiring it up there with the side curtain airbags in place. No install shop wants to touch it because of that.

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of couse you dont want the unit anywhere near your side curtains - thats a recipe for diaster!

but surely you can put it by your mirror, and run the wire along the headlining, and down the wiring conduit in the A-pillar?

guessing then that the ES doesn't have the powered self dimming rear view mirror?

[ArmyofOne]

My only concern is wiring it up there with the side curtain airbags in place. No install shop wants to touch it because of that.

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guessing then that the ES doesn't have the powered self dimming rear view mirror?

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it should, my concorde has it.

when you say powered, do you mean able to move with a switch, or powered as in, has electricity going to it...if its the latter then my concorde ahs it, if its the first one that scratch that.

[SW03ES]

Matt- It does it just has a generic parts bin Gentex mirror instead of the one in your GS and in the LS. Its a autodimming/compass mirror.

This is the mirror mine has:

Lexus is starting to use these, they come identical on all sorts of makes and models because they're cheaper.

Oh it can definately be done, I just prefer to have a professional do it and nobody will touch it because of the side curtain airbags. If they were to say destroy one airbag when they ran the wire down the A pillar they'd be liable if I or my passengers were injured in an accident. I wanted them to install my Sirius radio there.