Aux Ipod Adaptor

[rebus]

I just purchased a 2008 GS 350 with the Mark Levinson stereo system. There is an AUX plug in the glove box. Any suggestions about a cable to connect my Video iPod? I would like to control the iPod with the radio system while I am driving.

[abeg]

Let me know if you find something for the iPod where you can control it using the navi.

[sacfam]

I just purchased a 2008 GS 350 with the Mark Levinson stereo system. There is an AUX plug in the glove box. Any suggestions about a cable to connect my Video iPod? I would like to control the iPod with the radio system while I am driving.

I haggled with the dealer when i bought my car. 2006 GS430 and they installed an IPOD integration unit. They claim that it cost them $375. I now have a cable that is inside my console where i store my ipod. I am able to use my navi controls to go thru listen to my ipod. It works great!

[Wimbley100]

I just purchased a 2008 GS 350 with the Mark Levinson stereo system. There is an AUX plug in the glove box. Any suggestions about a cable to connect my Video iPod? I would like to control the iPod with the radio system while I am driving.

I haggled with the dealer when i bought my car. 2006 GS430 and they installed an IPOD integration unit. They claim that it cost them $375. I now have a cable that is inside my console where i store my ipod. I am able to use my navi controls to go thru listen to my ipod. It works great!

Any idea what they installed ? I am looking to do the same to my 2007.

[Linda]

Any idea what they installed ? I am looking to do the same to my 2007.

I had an iPod adapter installed in my 06 GS300 yesterday by a local Lexus dealer. It is a SoundLinQ2, model SL2i by Vais Technology (www.vaistech.com). The price quoted in this thread sounds about right for the retail price of this gadget, which Lexus charged me about $500 to buy and install. I'm guessing they didn't really pay $375 for it. If you know what you're doing, it looks to me like you could do this yourself (I couldn't, though). The website has all the instruction manuals posted as pdfs.

The thing works pretty well with a couple of drawbacks. Running in "CD-emulation" mode the iPod playlists show up as if they were CDs on the screen (each playlist is a separate "CD" with room for 99 total playlists). It will show the name of the playlist and the name of the track on the screen when it's playing. It will NOT however access the podcast menu on the iPod, which means if you download a lot of podcasts (like I do), you have to use "simple mode." This means control reverts to the iPod itself and you don't get any information on the screen. Not so bad, but not worth $500, either.

The other issue I'm having is that the audio quality is a little disappointing. I'm still working on it, and it may be that comparing the sound of MP3s on the iPod to the original CD running through the same speakers isn't quite fair. Nonetheless, I think the sound is less than ideal.

If anyone else has installed this gadget and has insight into the sound quality issue, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

Oh, and they have a new model specifically for the video iPod that will show videos on the console screen. Looks cool.

Thanks.

[06gs430]

i have the vaistech (non video) it works well. sound quality seems off, because of the fact that its an MP3 that you're comparing to CD. i dont think the unit itself degrades audio quality. im dying to have the video version, but it hasn't been tested on my year car.

[mohave_tbird]

I just purchased a 2008 GS 350 with the Mark Levinson stereo system. There is an AUX plug in the glove box. Any suggestions about a cable to connect my Video iPod? I would like to control the iPod with the radio system while I am driving.

I haggled with the dealer when i bought my car. 2006 GS430 and they installed an IPOD integration unit. They claim that it cost them $375. I now have a cable that is inside my console where i store my ipod. I am able to use my navi controls to go thru listen to my ipod. It works great!

Do you have photos you can post?

[netgabe]

The search is over! I was tired of researching the ipod integration options and went to Best Buy today to get the Periphial brand adapter and even had it installed by them. (I'm a big-time do it yourself guy) $149 for adapter and $49 for installation. The sounds is awesome and the installation took about 45 minutes. I usually have my doubts about Best Buy but they delivered today!

Quit searching and just go get this thing done, especially if you are getting frustrated with FM modulators!

By the way, I have a 06 GS300 and have used this forum to get info on wheels and such!

Thanks!

NG

[matt2421]

I have a 2006 GS430 with Nav and Mark Levinson. Like you, i did tons of research on what would work for ipod integration in my car. I was stoked when i heard that Vais Technology had a product that would show my ipod videos on my nav screen but got tottally bummed out when it wasnt compatible with my year car. I ended up going with an Elekteck model and it works great. I'll tell ya the first time you hear your ipod music through your Mark Levinson without the noise and static of an FM modulator, you will get blown away. Also, i have installed a Sportster 5 satelite radio in my car and it was a snap connecting it to my Elekteck integrator as it already had an extra auxillary input. hope that helps

[mcodude]

I have a 2006 GS430 with Nav and Mark Levinson. Like you, i did tons of research on what would work for ipod integration in my car. I was stoked when i heard that Vais Technology had a product that would show my ipod videos on my nav screen but got tottally bummed out when it wasnt compatible with my year car. I ended up going with an Elekteck model and it works great. I'll tell ya the first time you hear your ipod music through your Mark Levinson without the noise and static of an FM modulator, you will get blown away. Also, i have installed a Sportster 5 satelite radio in my car and it was a snap connecting it to my Elekteck integrator as it already had an extra auxillary input. hope that helps

Mat2421: I have a 2005 LS 430 with Nav. Which adapter should I go with. I am a newbie. Is Vais or Elekteck good? I have more qns:

1) Can Bestbuy do this if I were to buy the adapter online?

2) DOes the original CD system comes out? WHat goes in the space of the CD unit?

3) I have a navigation unit, would it mess up anything?

4) How about iphone compatibilty for either of the vendors?

5) What would be the price for install

6) Also, how can I add the satelite radio functionality?

Sorry about too many qns.

Regards

Jay

My email is: mcotocjb@yahoo.com

[matt2421]

Jay,

1) Can Bestbuy do this if I were to buy the adapter online? I cant speak for best buy, i went to a local car stereo installation place for the work. They charged me $50 and it took about a half hour to install.

2) DOes the original CD system comes out? WHat goes in the space of the CD unit? Nothing comes out of the car at all, with the elekteck model there is an extra 2" x 4" piece that gets installed behind your head unit. You cannot see it all and you never even know its there once its installed

3) I have a navigation unit, would it mess up anything? My nav unit still works fine and the installation of the ipod integrator has no effect on the nav unit

4) How about iphone compatibilty for either of the vendors? the only difference between my itouch and iphone when hooking them up to my car is that when i hook up my iphone i get message if i want to switch to airplane mode, in which i press no and everything works fine. normally i just leave my itouch hooked up in the car at all times but there are times when my iphone battery needs charging so i unhook the itouch and hook up the iphone. i have the same playlists on both my iphone and itouch so the two devices are interchangeable for me

5) What would be the price for install? i guess this would depend on where you go. I paid $50 but from what i have read on these posts i would expect anyhwere from $50 - $100

6) Also, how can I add the satelite radio functionality? If you get the elekteck device that i have the unit actually has two auxillary output's that you can use for whatever you like. i used one of them for my sat radio. so i can switch between either my itouch or my sat radio whenever i want.

I havent done any research on this in quite a while but i do remember that vais technology was working on a way to watch videos on your nav screen via your ipod, if that technology would have been available when i was shopping around i would have got that. But all in all i am extremely happy with the elekteck product i purchased

I have a 2006 GS430 with Nav and Mark Levinson. Like you, i did tons of research on what would work for ipod integration in my car. I was stoked when i heard that Vais Technology had a product that would show my ipod videos on my nav screen but got tottally bummed out when it wasnt compatible with my year car. I ended up going with an Elekteck model and it works great. I'll tell ya the first time you hear your ipod music through your Mark Levinson without the noise and static of an FM modulator, you will get blown away. Also, i have installed a Sportster 5 satelite radio in my car and it was a snap connecting it to my Elekteck integrator as it already had an extra auxillary input. hope that helps

Mat2421: I have a 2005 LS 430 with Nav. Which adapter should I go with. I am a newbie. Is Vais or Elekteck good? I have more qns:

1) Can Bestbuy do this if I were to buy the adapter online?

2) DOes the original CD system comes out? WHat goes in the space of the CD unit?

3) I have a navigation unit, would it mess up anything?

4) How about iphone compatibilty for either of the vendors?

5) What would be the price for install

6) Also, how can I add the satelite radio functionality?

Sorry about too many qns.

Regards

Jay

My email is: mcotocjb@yahoo.com

[gswilsongs]

I have a 2006 GS430 with Nav and Mark Levinson. Like you, i did tons of research on what would work for ipod integration in my car. I was stoked when i heard that Vais Technology had a product that would show my ipod videos on my nav screen but got tottally bummed out when it wasnt compatible with my year car. I ended up going with an Elekteck model and it works great. I'll tell ya the first time you hear your ipod music through your Mark Levinson without the noise and static of an FM modulator, you will get blown away. Also, i have installed a Sportster 5 satelite radio in my car and it was a snap connecting it to my Elekteck integrator as it already had an extra auxillary input. hope that helps

Matt2421, im wondering by any chance if u know if Elekteck will be compatible with the 2006 GS300 with Nav and Mark Levinson. Thx for your help in advance!