Aftermarket Sirius Install

[Sandmanmd]

I purchased a 2007 GS 350 awd in May and am reconsidering my decision to go without satellite radio. I have been looking at the VAIS Sirius kit for Lexus, which purports to work through the nav system and steering wheel controls like the factory installed system. It even has an auxiliary input for an iPod.

Has anybody done this installation in their GS 350s? I've seen posts elsewhere for installations on other models, some of which involved placing the antenna on the inside of the windshield. I'd prefer to connect to the shark fin if at all possible for a cleaner look. I'm not crazy about pulling apart the dash either, but again I'm hoping to go with the "always been there" look.

I'm just getting tired of the crappy radio reception from the standard system, but didn't want to wait until Lexus figured out that cassettes are on the way out and to substitute a ready auxiliary access port for my iPod.

[joeyv]

yes, I had an audio shop do the install with the ipod plug in and it works great. only downfall is you only get 12 presets, the other 6 are used for the ipod hookup

[Sandmanmd]

yes, I had an audio shop do the install with the ipod plug in and it works great. only downfall is you only get 12 presets, the other 6 are used for the ipod hookup

Thanks for the quick reply. Was it a national outfit that did your install or a local one? Did you use the VAIS unit? Were they able to use the shark fin antenna, or did they install a windshield unit? The reason I ask is that I spoke with my Lexus dealership today and they said they'll install XM and it will be seamlessly integrated into the system. I know they offer XM as an option when you purchase, but I'm interested in Sirius programming (specifically NFL programming) which XM now doesn't offer. The service manager said they "tried Sirius but didn't get the reception and service" that they receive from XM. I don't know if this is just the corporate party line, but I suspect it is.

How have you found the Sirius "service and reception"? Any complaints other than fewer available presets?

[Greg00]

yes, I had an audio shop do the install with the ipod plug in and it works great. only downfall is you only get 12 presets, the other 6 are used for the ipod hookup

Thanks for the quick reply. Was it a national outfit that did your install or a local one? Did you use the VAIS unit? Were they able to use the shark fin antenna, or did they install a windshield unit? The reason I ask is that I spoke with my Lexus dealership today and they said they'll install XM and it will be seamlessly integrated into the system. I know they offer XM as an option when you purchase, but I'm interested in Sirius programming (specifically NFL programming) which XM now doesn't offer. The service manager said they "tried Sirius but didn't get the reception and service" that they receive from XM. I don't know if this is just the corporate party line, but I suspect it is.

How have you found the Sirius "service and reception"? Any complaints other than fewer available presets?

I have dealer installed sirius in 06 GS300. at that time, lexus offered a choice between that and xm and i chose sirius for the same programming reason. I have been very frustrated with the lexus reception and have taken it to the dealer several times trying to address it. happened across another customer in the lobby who was there for the same reason so i actually think the dealer is giving you real information in this case. In fact, the dealer installed unit (they finally replaced the receiver and antennae just to satisfy me that there wasn't a defect) gets spotier reception than the little magnet antennae/after market device we have in our 2nd car. for the most part reception is fine on open roads tho it does drop on occasion. it's much spotier on secondary roads where there are more trees nearby etc. (understandable but the $99 Best Buy portable gets better reception on those same roads.) All that said, there are a number of satellite boards that aren't lexus specific that have a lot of chatter about xm signal being more reliable in general. I figure the VAIS unit can't be any worse if you're considering the switch. The ipod interface alone would be an upgrade for me even if sirius is no better tho as others have posted, sat3 preset is used by ipod so you have 6 fewer sat presets.

[gordonw]

I have dealer installed sirius in 06 GS300. at that time, lexus offered a choice between that and xm and i chose sirius for the same programming reason. I have been very frustrated with the lexus reception and have taken it to the dealer several times trying to address it. happened across another customer in the lobby who was there for the same reason so i actually think the dealer is giving you real information in this case. In fact, the dealer installed unit (they finally replaced the receiver and antennae just to satisfy me that there wasn't a defect) gets spotier reception than the little magnet antennae/after market device we have in our 2nd car. for the most part reception is fine on open roads tho it does drop on occasion. it's much spotier on secondary roads where there are more trees nearby etc. (understandable but the $99 Best Buy portable gets better reception on those same roads.) All that said, there are a number of satellite boards that aren't lexus specific that have a lot of chatter about xm signal being more reliable in general. I figure the VAIS unit can't be any worse if you're considering the switch. The ipod interface alone would be an upgrade for me even if sirius is no better tho as others have posted, sat3 preset is used by ipod so you have 6 fewer sat presets.

I agree, the reception using the sigma antenna is kinda weak. We installed a few Sirius in 2006 before they got pulled. One of the installs was on a 2006 GS. It came back with same issues as yours, reception problem. The technician drove the car around our building, and we're not in the city or a big dealership, the radio dropped reception three times. I have a plug and play with a small magnetic antenna on my trunk and have no problems on the route. We also initially did the same repair, install a new unit, but it didn't help. We finally installed an external antenna. The difference was amazing, like night and day. Just for your information, we used a factory external Sirius antenna from an LX470. The LX was the only vehicle that offered an external Sirius antenna. Forgot which Toyota vehicles use the same external antenna, RAV? or Highlander?. The antenna through the dealer is a little pricey though.

[Sandmanmd]

Wow. Really appreciate the input. Seems there should be a way to make this work. I'm more comfortable with the idea of the aftermarket installers using a seperate antenna for Sirius after hearing this.

i've talked with some people who do have XM and they're happy. No NFL though....