2005 Es330 Sat. Radio

[Brass ES330]

I did a search in the forums but did not find the answer to these quick questions. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a 2005 ES330 with a Premium sound system. This system has a SAT button on the radio and the dealer tells me for a mere $600 he can get it installed.

I have my own unit in the armrest going into the tape player. Changing channels or viewin gthe scrolling screen is impossible. I don't like the look of an off the dash install so I am considering biting the bullet and dropping the $600. I know the kit is out there to be bought for about $300, but whenever I pull a dash off, it never is the same again ! Now the questions:

The SAT antena that the dealer wants to stick on the front window SUCKS. It is way too big. Is there a way to use the standard sirius antena with the kit?

The factory radio with the SAT button.. how do I tell what brand it is without pulling it out of the dash?

Does the dealer unit have the SONG SCAN feature the AudioVox Sirius units has? This is the feture that beeps and tells you a song you saved as a memory slot is now playing on a Sirius channel. The Dealer can not answer this.

How does the song display look on the factory unit? DOes it scroll? There is no NAV in my car.

I know it is tough to answer these questions without seeing it or having one installed already, so if anyone has a factory installed Sirus via the SAT button in an ES330, I would REALLY appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks all...

j

[mehullica]

I've installed a few OEM Lexus XM radio kits. All had Nav options so I don't know the how your display would be. The tuner mounts in the truck right side behind the trim covers. All you see is the antenna on the trunklid. Never saw a SIRIUS kit for an ES330 from LEXUS. Ther're probably selling an aftermarket kit.

[Al Cannaday]

I can’t answer your questions about the Sirius satellite installation on the 05 ES, but I do have the XM dealer installed optional XM system on my 05 ES. My ES has the premium sound system without the navigation system. My total cost was just slightly lower than your dealer is quoting. (maybe due to local labor rates)

I think that the dash board was opened up because they left a small scratch on the digital clock. (buffed out easily) Two and a half hours at the local labor rate seems to be quite reasonable due to the amount of interior work.

My antenna is 2 ½ inch square and ½ inch high; it is installed on the package shelf inside the back window and sits next to the center mounted stop light. (hardly noticeable unless you know to look for it)

My XM receiver is a Pioneer unit, my guess is that the sound system is Pioneer also or at least is compatible. All of the SAT functions are exactly as described in my owner’s manual.

My system does not have a SONG SCAN function as you describe it. The song display does not scroll (or least we have not found how to make it scroll) and only displays a certain number of characters; Ricky Nelson reads RICKY NE and runs out of digits.

[Geo]

Sirius Rocks !!

Tried both XM and Sirius and Sirius had so much better programming thats the route I went. All of you out there wasting time with i-pods and CD's will be amazed once you try satellite.

As for the antenna... there are plenty of places the antenna can be put without and loss of reception. Mine is on the inside, in the back behind the seat.

Geo

[Brass ES330]

Thanks for your input folks!

As I stated, I have my Sirius unit ( AudioVox) have sitting in my armrest. The antenna 2" Cube is also sitting inside the car near the brake light. Like you said, you'll never see it unless you were looking for it.

The kit comes from the dealer for the 05 ES300. The antenna is a front windshield mount and is at least twice the size of the rain sensor triangle. Looks like a hike to the Dealer to talk to the actual install crew will be in order to see if we can use the existing antenna.

The display not scrolling is a major bummer! Maybe even enough to make me change my mind. Not that I would ever listen to RICKY NEL, but rather something from the Classic Rock or Blues channel! :)

Thanks again for your help... if anyone else wants to chime in, please feel free!

j

[SW03ES]

You might want to take the kit to a high end car audio shop and see what they think. I'm sure they can use your existing antenna. They're also more open to your opinions about where things like the antenna are installed than the Lexus dealer (who always wants to do it by the book). I bet a good high end shop will charge you $75-$100 and they're probably more knowledgable about dismantling and re-assembling the dash than the Lexus dealer.

I have my radio installed in the armrest too, and I'd gladly accept the scrolling issues and the loss of the song seek to be able to move between streams when driving. Unfortunately there is no OEM kit for my '03.

Don't worry about the install, I watched the guy do mine and very little of the dash has to be removed. The center console comes out with three bolts, and then the climate and radio just slide right out and everything goes back together really easily. You actually could do it yourself no sweat.