Aftermarket Ipod Interface

[jditom]

I installed this on my Landcruiser that has the same Nav as the Lexus and is works great. $159 and you have full text display and you can change songs, playlists albums or use your iPod controls.

It is next on my to do list for the RX.

http://www.diceelectronics.com/ipod_integration.htm

[skyfish400h]

Does the track info appear on the 7 inch LCD screen, assuming that you have the GPS-NAV system, in addition to, or in place of on the single line LCD display that shows radio station, etc? FYI - in case it matters I have a 2006 RX400h.

My 06 400h w/ nav does not display any radio info on the LCD screen. The iPod info displays on the radio. You can get playlist name, artist, song, and album aternately by holding down the SCAN button when the radio is in text mode.

[jditom]

Here is a great DIY for iPod interface.

Great pics and write up.

DIY

[skyfish400h]

Here is a great DIY for iPod interface.

Great pics and write up.

DIY

It's easy. This is exactly how I installed mine. Only my iPod is hidden in the glove compartment with no visible wires at all. Just be very careful not to drop any of the radio bolts down into the center part of the dash... they will be there forever.

[dobby]

So after searching and reviewing DIY instructions on installing the Vaistech SL1, I'm not sure I'm handy enough to attempt installation on my own.

Anyone have recommendations of places in Seattle that will install? Of course, I'll check with my dealership, Lexus of Bellevue; but I wanted to get some other ideas.

Thanks.

[firewire]

Thanks for the post to the DIY. That was a big help in deciding on whether to buy or not!

[adhong]

Resurrecting this thread to see if there are any updates....i have a 2006 400h with nav/ml and am looking for ipod integration. is the vaistech solution still the most elegant? from what i understand it enables playlists only and i would really like artist/album browsing.

and because i have gen4 nav, does this also mean i will be limited to my radio led output? seems like it would be really difficult to navigate through long lists on such a tiny crude display...

thanks!!

[GoGoGreen]

Can someone post some pics of their install?

Here you go.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-second-generation/227901-vaistech-sli-installation-instructions-w-pics-for-04-07-rx.html

[Melchior]

I've got a 2007 RX400h, and I installed a

USA SPEC PA20-TOY adapter. It was a good price from a vendor on Amazon. It charges the iPod (or Touch or 3G iPhone) when it's connected. Music can be searched by playlist, genre, artist, or album (though it's a little awkward), or it'll just play everything. You can set it to communicate either through the GPS screen or through the CD player display, but not through both (much to my dismay). If displaying through the GPS, it tells you the title of the track you're playing. If you want to know which album or artist is being played, you've got to hit a couple of buttons (folder/details), but they're grayed out if the car's moving, so you'll have to wait until you hit a red light. Same thing for browsing by genre/etc-- you have to hit the folder button, which is grayed out if you're driving.

Aside from the grayed out buttons when you're moving, it's great and I'd happily get it again.

I was able to stuff mine under the head unit, and run the cable into the glove box. Be careful not to drop bolts while removing the head unit, and have a towel ready-- there's poky spots under the head unit.

[richknapp]

I recently tried to have an Ipod adapter installed in my 2007 RX400h and ran into big problems. CarToys put in an ISimple adapter, and although the tech had some problems with the install, he demonstrated it to me before I left the store. However, within a half-mile of leaving, with NO Ipod in it (just listening to the radio), the stereo suddenly went "off". I turned it back on, and it played - so, weird, but no problem. About 30 seconds later, the NAV screen displayed the drop-down message, "Audio OFF". The stereo kept playing, so again, weird, but OK. Then I realized that the NAV system's oral instructions were gone. I pressed the "AUDIO" button and got a screen that just said, "AUDIO OFF", without any touch-screen options. CarToys tried for another three hours to get it back, but the only "fix" was removing the ISimple adapter. The Lexus dealer was up next, but they were never able to get it to work at all, and the service rep told me the tech thinks that there is a short somewhere, either in my stereo system or the amplifier (or both), and that they would have to start charging me for the time to search for it, with no guarantee of success. He also advised me that if they found the "short", that the stereo and the amplifier both were upwards of $700 each. I was a mainframe computer programmer, so I'm thinking that this sounds a lot more like a software glitch than a short.

My RX400h is equipped with the ML sound system, NAV system and a rear-seat DVD player. Has anyone with a similar situation run into problems like this? (Quite honestly, this problem was my motivation for registering with the website.)