Best Ipod Integration For 2008 Rx400h?

[LauraW]

I just bought an RX400h last weekend, and now I want to get an iPod integration kit for it. It's a 2008 RX400h with Nav and the Gen5, Mark Levinson audio system with CD/MP3 changer. Some of the things I want on the iPod hookup are:

• Able to control the iPod fully from the radio controls and Nav touch screen. In particular, I want to be able to browse by artist, then by albums for that artist, etc.
  
• It would be even nicer if I could also browse by Composer, since some of the music on my iPod is classical. I've never seen an aftermarket iPod interface that does this, but it can't hurt to ask.
  
• I want to be able to see the name of the current artist, album, and track on the Nav screen, not just on the tiny radio display.
  
• Even better, it would be great to see the album art on the Nav screen too. Some of the third-party radios with iPod integration like the Kenwood and Alpine can do this, but I have no idea of the software in the Lexus screen (or its audio bus) is capable of this. I've never seen a factory audio system that could do it. But again, it can't hurt to ask. :-)
  
• Finally, the ability to add an HD radio would be a small plus, because some of the stations in my area run extra programs on additional HD channels. This is pretty minor, though
  

I know I can't get all of those features together and will have to pick the best combination, but I'm curious what you all know about units that support them. Here's what I've been able to find so far:

• The VaisTech SL2i or SL2vi, with the latest firmware. The new firmware does let you browse by album and artist, though the UI seems pretty primitive and it's unclear whether you can browse the whole hierarchy: artists, then albums, then tracks. Lots of people on this form and elsewhere seem to have the VaisTech units and are happy with them, and there's an active community on the VaisTech forums, which is a plus. The firmware is upgradable, also a plus. They have no plans to support HD.
  
• The Peripheral Electronics PXAMG kit, which claims to be an "OEM" kit that interfaces correctly with factory audio systems on many different makes of cars. Their web site has a video showing how it works on a cheapo Ford factory radio, but I can't find any info on how well (or whether) it integrates with the Lexus Nav system's touch screen. They told me in an email that this will work in the 400h, but they didn't really answer my questions about how it integrates with the Nav system, so I'm pestering them again. This unit has an optional HD tuner, which none of the others seem to have, and its firmware is upgradable.
  
• The Lexus-branded iPod interface. I don't know much about this, and I haven't seen posts from anyone who has one. I downloaded a one-page info sheet on it (from somewhere on these forums, I think), but I now I can't find where it came from.
  
• The HD Dice unit. They seem to allow browsing by artist and album, and there's an HD radio built in. I've seen posts from people who have the non-HD version of this, but none from anyone with the HD version. I'm not sure the HD version actually exists yet; their web site says it's "on backorder".
  
• The USA Spec PA20TOY, which a local audio shop recommended. It claims to let you browse by artist, album, track, etc. using either the radio controls or the Nav screen. No HD as far as I can tell.
  

If I had to choose right now I'd try the PXAMG + HD unit or the DICE HD (assuming it really exists). But I'd love to find people with first-hand experience with these things. Does anyone have personal experience with any of these units? I'd be interested in hearing opinions on how easy their interfaces are to use. Can you find artists, albums, and songs (almost) as easily as on the iPod itself? How do they deal with huge lists of artists (200+)? Is that fairly efficient (e.g. a scroll bar) or do you have to scroll through the whole list one item at a time?

Thanks!

-- Laura

[RXREY]

Laura,

Don't get mad, I really don't know anything about what you are asking, I am simply welcoming you to our little club! I have had my 400h for almost three years and love it. I had to take care of some rattle issues and I did that myself so if you get anything like that please check my posts on rattles and how to get rid of them. The three areas were easy fixes but have driven some club members crazy. I think that you can simply click on my name and see the posts that I have put up. I am simply handy and can fix many of the little irritating things in not only in cars but in life! Happy trails and once again, welcome from me, Rey in L.A.

[SW03ES]

I have the Vais unit in my car (the older unit, not the new one with the new firmware) and am very happy with it.

My guess is the OEM Lexus kit is going to be the way to go. I test drove a GS350 that had it but couldn't play with it because I didn't have my iPod. The Vais unit I have really only lets you browse by playlist.

I know some people have had crashing issues with the DICE units...

[LauraW]

I have the Vais unit in my car (the older unit, not the new one with the new firmware) and am very happy with it.

You can put the new firmware in the older units too, as far as I know, though it won't do you much good if you don't have the Gen5 nav system with MP3 support.

My guess is the OEM Lexus kit is going to be the way to go.

I need to ask my dealer if they have one I can play with. Monday.

The Vais unit I have really only lets you browse by playlist.

The new firmware supposedly lets you browse by artist, album, etc., but the posts on their forums don't make it very clear how the UI works. I'm about to post a question about it there, and hopefully their support folks will post more information.

Thanks!

-- Laura

[LauraW]

Answering part of my own question...

[*]The Peripheral Electronics PXAMG kit, which claims to be an "OEM" kit that interfaces correctly with factory audio systems on many different makes of cars.

I bought and installed one of these today because they're available (and returnable) at the local Best Buy. Installing it was pretty easy using the instructions here.

The pros:

• The install was pretty easy, though pulling off the trim panel with the seat heater controls in it was a bit scary because it took quite a bit of force. I put the HD tuner behind/below the factory radio (so the antenna cable would reach it easily) and put the main unit down by the passenger side footwell where it's easy to get to for upgrades.
  
• Having an HD radio that will pick up the HD2 channels that some of the local stations broadcast is great.
  
• The HD reception on FM stations is also great.
  
• The unit is upgradable via a simple USB cable, though the one I bought already had the latest firmware.
  

The cons:

• The iPod integration user interface totally sucks. And I mean totally. You can browse by artist, album, etc. as advertised, but you have to do it using the tuning knob rather than the touch screen, and you can only see the first few characters of the artist or album name. I found it basically useless. If I keep this unit I'll end up mounting the iPod on the dash so I can control it with its own clickwheel.
  
• AM reception on the HD tuner and on the factory stereo now stinks. There's a slight chance that this is because I didn't make the wiring harness mod that their instructions recommend for radios with two antennas. (I skipped it because there's a good chance I'll return the unit and I don't want to do any permanent surgery until I'm sure which kit I'm going to keep.) But I kind of doubt that this what's causing the bad AM reception.
  

I'm probably going to end up taking this back to Best Buy for a refund, but it was a worthwhile experiment. The only way I'd keep it is if all the other units also have lousy UIs that make me want to control the iPod directly, in which case this unit might be worthwhile just for the HD capability.

On to the next experiment...

-- Laura

[SW03ES]

I have a feeling the UI for the iPod is going to be like that with everything...

I bet the type of control you're looking for isn't going to be available since the Lexus touchscreen doesn't have the menus or controls available to provide it...

[Jim Clark]

Pardon my ignorance or stupidity. What's an iPod?

[SW03ES]

You're kidding right? The iPod is the worlds best selling music player made by Apple.

I thought everyone would have at least heard about iPods, its kinda like asking what a DVD player is...

[RXREY]

I didn't know what that was either and have absolutely no need to know, at least I don't think so. I don't usually even use the CD player that came with my 400h! I don't have a cell phone either, have no need to have a phone with me,don't like the thought of someone calling when I am out and have no reason to call anyone when I'm out either.......but at least I know what that is. I have something called "Bluetooth" in my car but I'll settle for having my hybrid system , that's enough fancy stuff for me! Happy trails, Rey

[SW03ES]

Really? Wow. I can understand not having one, but not knowing what it was? Do you read the paper, watch TV?

[RXREY]

I know this got off topic but I also hear about celebrities and such stuff on the "news" but because it has absolutely no interest to me, I don't let that info get into my brain. I work a lot with my brain and I like to keep my mind clear of stuff that I don't need. I also don't drink, smoke and I don't think that I am missing anything. It's a great thing to have free will, isn't it? Anyway, I love all of our differences and I do know that some "New" friends don't like that they can't get a hold of me but then it never turns out to be anything that they needed an emergency anatomy professor for! So, no cell phone for me. If i hop, or i pod,whatever, is something that requires you to have anything in your ear...then that is absolutely out! I like to hear unfettered and I do love to hear the world as I walk or as I sit at my local cafe'. I see people on their cell phones and it makes me feel sad, maybe just a little, but it's almost always some insipid conversation, with the person speaking unusually loud and the sight of a grown person over 20 with things in their ears is weird to me as well. But to each his own... Take care, and all of you, be well and happy. Rey

[SW03ES]

I only use my iPod in the car, it sits in the armrest hooked up to the Vaistech kit and never leaves. I don't understand why people want to listen to their iPods when walking around and stuff either.

[LauraW]

Another response to myself....

I haven't been online in a while (except for at work), but I've done a bit of work on my 400h. Last weekend the VaisTech SL2i I ordered arrived, and I returned the Peripheral Electronics adapter to BestBuy and installed the SL2i. My verdict is: It sucks less.

The SL2i, when used with a Gen5 nav system, lets you pretend that your iPod is a CD/MP3 changer. The 6 different "CDs" let you pick different modes: #1 lets you browse playlists, #2 browses artists, etc. The browsing is fairly reasonable: you see a bunch (10?) on the screen at a time and can use the up and down arrows to jump to the next batch. If you're browsing artists, then pressing that artist's name on the touchscreen shows you all the songs by that artist. If you're browsing playlists, then pressing the playlist shows you all the songs in that playlist.

The common them here is "songs", which is why I'm still not 100% happy with the VaisTech interface. Ideally, what I'd want when browsing all the artists on my iPod is to touch the artist's name and see all of their albums. Then I'd touch the album's name and see all of the songs on that album. For some artists it doesn't matter too much, but for artists where I have 10+ albums (e.g. The Beatles), it's a pain. And for later, more album-oriented rock music (think Pink Floyd or Yes) or classical music, I really want to be able to play a whole album, not just individual tracks. This is why I say the VaisTech unit still "sucks" a bit.

Another downside of the SL2i's interface is that the nanny software in the Lexus nav screen doesn't let you browse MP3s while the car is moving. If an album or playlist finishes playing, I have to stop before I can select another one to play. This is going to be seriously annoying on long road-trips, which is when I use the iPod the most because of the lack of good radio stations out in the middle of nowhere. I may try one of the Coastal Technology "lockpick" kits to see if they fix this, but I don't know if they unlock the audio system screens or just the nav and bluetooth ones. If anyone has tried this and knows whether it works, please let me know! I'm going on a long road trip in a week or two and am thinking of installing one of these gizmos real soon now.

The display from the SL2i is much better than from the other unit, though. You can see the entire Artist, Album, and Track name on the Audio screen, not just the first 6 or 10 characters. I'm pretty sure it displays that even while the car is in motion, unlike the radio, which hides the info on the "message" screen while the car is moving.

The SL2i is good enough that I'm going to stop experimenting and stick with it. Hopefully the VaisTech people will eventually upgrade its firmware again to allow multi-level browsing of Artists -> Albums -> Tracks. (I'll ask about this on their forum.) Since it's fairly easy to control the iPod with this unit, I decided to put the iPod in my glove box. I put the SL2i down by the passenger-side kick panel under the dash. Fishing the iPod cable from there up to the back of the glove box was a bit tricky because you have to go around a corner. I ended using electrician's "fish tape" that I've used for home wiring and networking projects in the past. Then I drilled a 3/16 hole in the back of the glove box, up near the top left, cut a slit down to it with a utility knife, and used that to thread the iPod cable through the hole. That way it doesn't have to bend over the top of the glove box and there's no danger of it floping around in the glove box or falling back behind there and getting lost.

Still, if anyone has info on the real Lexus iPod adapter, let me know. My dealer claims not to have any cars that have it installed and says there's no manual for it, but says that since it's made by Lexus "it must be good". Right. I'm certainly wasn't going to buy it with that little info, so I ended up with the VaisTech unit instead.

The other thing I did to the Lexus last weekend was install a tow hitch. My dealer wanted $600 (parts + labor) to install one, but they sold me the part for $275 plus tax. Installing it took maybe 2 hours, part of which involved learning how to use the new torque wrench I bought. (50 ft-lbs is a lot less torque than I thought it was.) The install was pretty easy, except for getting the first bolt holding the hitch in place on each side. The friend who was helping me had to leave just before that point, so I struggled a bit trying to hold one side in place with my feet while bolting the other side in place with one hand while holding it with the other. That didn't work so well, though it was a great upper-body workout. Eventually I figured out I could prop one side in place with a milk create, put in a couple of bolts on the other side, and then take out the milk crate and bolt that side. Then I put in the rest of the bolts and torqued them all down. If I'd known what I was doing, all this would have been very easy, so the ~$300 that the dealer wanted for installing it was way too much.

Installing the wiring for the hitch was fairly easy too, though you have to disassemble half of the interior of the back of the car to get to the socket where it just plugs in. There are excellent photographs and instructions for this elsewhere on this forum. If you're thinking of installing a hitch, spend a bit extra for the Toyota/Lexus part: the wiring is very easy to hook up and has pre-attached clips and grommets to keep it in the right places.

-- Laura

[SW03ES]

Thats a big improvement from my older Vais system and its interface to the older menu system...

[Fenton House]

Thats a big improvement from my older Vais system and its interface to the older menu system...

Got my VAIS iPod interface from Christian at Enfig (http://enfigcarstereo.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/lexus_ipod.html). He has good prices and knows his stuff. If you want to play with the interface while driving get the unlocking kit.

I'd like to find out if the NAV OS can be hacked. There are a lot of neat things that could be displayed with some crafty work.

Fenton House

[Fenton House]

Another response to myself....

I haven't been online in a while (except for at work), but I've done a bit of work on my 400h. Last weekend the VaisTech SL2i I ordered arrived, and I returned the Peripheral Electronics adapter to BestBuy and installed the SL2i. My verdict is: It sucks less.

The SL2i, when used with a Gen5 nav system, lets you pretend that your iPod is a CD/MP3 changer. The 6 different "CDs" let you pick different modes: #1 lets you browse playlists, #2 browses artists, etc. The browsing is fairly reasonable: you see a bunch (10?) on the screen at a time and can use the up and down arrows to jump to the next batch. If you're browsing artists, then pressing that artist's name on the touchscreen shows you all the songs by that artist. If you're browsing playlists, then pressing the playlist shows you all the songs in that playlist.

The common them here is "songs", which is why I'm still not 100% happy with the VaisTech interface. Ideally, what I'd want when browsing all the artists on my iPod is to touch the artist's name and see all of their albums. Then I'd touch the album's name and see all of the songs on that album. For some artists it doesn't matter too much, but for artists where I have 10+ albums (e.g. The Beatles), it's a pain. And for later, more album-oriented rock music (think Pink Floyd or Yes) or classical music, I really want to be able to play a whole album, not just individual tracks. This is why I say the VaisTech unit still "sucks" a bit.

Another downside of the SL2i's interface is that the nanny software in the Lexus nav screen doesn't let you browse MP3s while the car is moving. If an album or playlist finishes playing, I have to stop before I can select another one to play. This is going to be seriously annoying on long road-trips, which is when I use the iPod the most because of the lack of good radio stations out in the middle of nowhere. I may try one of the Coastal Technology "lockpick" kits to see if they fix this, but I don't know if they unlock the audio system screens or just the nav and bluetooth ones. If anyone has tried this and knows whether it works, please let me know! I'm going on a long road trip in a week or two and am thinking of installing one of these gizmos real soon now.

The display from the SL2i is much better than from the other unit, though. You can see the entire Artist, Album, and Track name on the Audio screen, not just the first 6 or 10 characters. I'm pretty sure it displays that even while the car is in motion, unlike the radio, which hides the info on the "message" screen while the car is moving.

The SL2i is good enough that I'm going to stop experimenting and stick with it. Hopefully the VaisTech people will eventually upgrade its firmware again to allow multi-level browsing of Artists -> Albums -> Tracks. (I'll ask about this on their forum.) Since it's fairly easy to control the iPod with this unit, I decided to put the iPod in my glove box. I put the SL2i down by the passenger-side kick panel under the dash. Fishing the iPod cable from there up to the back of the glove box was a bit tricky because you have to go around a corner. I ended using electrician's "fish tape" that I've used for home wiring and networking projects in the past. Then I drilled a 3/16 hole in the back of the glove box, up near the top left, cut a slit down to it with a utility knife, and used that to thread the iPod cable through the hole. That way it doesn't have to bend over the top of the glove box and there's no danger of it floping around in the glove box or falling back behind there and getting lost.

Still, if anyone has info on the real Lexus iPod adapter, let me know. My dealer claims not to have any cars that have it installed and says there's no manual for it, but says that since it's made by Lexus "it must be good". Right. I'm certainly wasn't going to buy it with that little info, so I ended up with the VaisTech unit instead.

The other thing I did to the Lexus last weekend was install a tow hitch. My dealer wanted $600 (parts + labor) to install one, but they sold me the part for $275 plus tax. Installing it took maybe 2 hours, part of which involved learning how to use the new torque wrench I bought. (50 ft-lbs is a lot less torque than I thought it was.) The install was pretty easy, except for getting the first bolt holding the hitch in place on each side. The friend who was helping me had to leave just before that point, so I struggled a bit trying to hold one side in place with my feet while bolting the other side in place with one hand while holding it with the other. That didn't work so well, though it was a great upper-body workout. Eventually I figured out I could prop one side in place with a milk create, put in a couple of bolts on the other side, and then take out the milk crate and bolt that side. Then I put in the rest of the bolts and torqued them all down. If I'd known what I was doing, all this would have been very easy, so the ~$300 that the dealer wanted for installing it was way too much.

Installing the wiring for the hitch was fairly easy too, though you have to disassemble half of the interior of the back of the car to get to the socket where it just plugs in. There are excellent photographs and instructions for this elsewhere on this forum. If you're thinking of installing a hitch, spend a bit extra for the Toyota/Lexus part: the wiring is very easy to hook up and has pre-attached clips and grommets to keep it in the right places.

-- Laura

Laura//

Can you pass along the link to the wiring harness installation?

thanks,

Fenton House

[Lex Rida]

Laura,

From what I've heard so far: the Vaistech unit is superior by far to the original Lexus iPod adapter. So you made the right choice. Too bad the touch screen functionality seems to be unavailable for my 2006 model.

Those are official documents:

Ipod Interface Adapter Installation Manual

Ipod Integration Kit Owners manual

in case those session id links no longer work, the site to find these documents is here:

http://techdoc.lexus-europe.com/Aim.aspx?menuitem=3

click: Search AIM and choose: RX400h in the Vehicle dropdown and Accessory Group: IPOD

hope this clarifys a few things

[JeffDonnelly]

We had an iBROWSE installed by our dealer. You can sellect a song or playlist,FF RW go to next song or previous. Pick by Artist,Album or Genre. It will also show the text on the nav screen. It is a plug and play unit. We sold the car 07 RX 400H and took the unit out. Send me a private e-mail if you are interested in it.

Jeff

[FlyDoc]

Another response to myself....

I haven't been online in a while (except for at work), but I've done a bit of work on my 400h. Last weekend the VaisTech SL2i I ordered arrived, and I returned the Peripheral Electronics adapter to BestBuy and installed the SL2i. My verdict is: It sucks less.

The SL2i, when used with a Gen5 nav system, lets you pretend that your iPod is a CD/MP3 changer. The 6 different "CDs" let you pick different modes: #1 lets you browse playlists, #2 browses artists, etc. The browsing is fairly reasonable: you see a bunch (10?) on the screen at a time and can use the up and down arrows to jump to the next batch. If you're browsing artists, then pressing that artist's name on the touchscreen shows you all the songs by that artist. If you're browsing playlists, then pressing the playlist shows you all the songs in that playlist.

The common them here is "songs", which is why I'm still not 100% happy with the VaisTech interface. Ideally, what I'd want when browsing all the artists on my iPod is to touch the artist's name and see all of their albums. Then I'd touch the album's name and see all of the songs on that album. For some artists it doesn't matter too much, but for artists where I have 10+ albums (e.g. The Beatles), it's a pain. And for later, more album-oriented rock music (think Pink Floyd or Yes) or classical music, I really want to be able to play a whole album, not just individual tracks. This is why I say the VaisTech unit still "sucks" a bit.

Another downside of the SL2i's interface is that the nanny software in the Lexus nav screen doesn't let you browse MP3s while the car is moving. If an album or playlist finishes playing, I have to stop before I can select another one to play. This is going to be seriously annoying on long road-trips, which is when I use the iPod the most because of the lack of good radio stations out in the middle of nowhere. I may try one of the Coastal Technology "lockpick" kits to see if they fix this, but I don't know if they unlock the audio system screens or just the nav and bluetooth ones. If anyone has tried this and knows whether it works, please let me know! I'm going on a long road trip in a week or two and am thinking of installing one of these gizmos real soon now.

The display from the SL2i is much better than from the other unit, though. You can see the entire Artist, Album, and Track name on the Audio screen, not just the first 6 or 10 characters. I'm pretty sure it displays that even while the car is in motion, unlike the radio, which hides the info on the "message" screen while the car is moving.

The SL2i is good enough that I'm going to stop experimenting and stick with it. Hopefully the VaisTech people will eventually upgrade its firmware again to allow multi-level browsing of Artists -> Albums -> Tracks. (I'll ask about this on their forum.) Since it's fairly easy to control the iPod with this unit, I decided to put the iPod in my glove box. I put the SL2i down by the passenger-side kick panel under the dash. Fishing the iPod cable from there up to the back of the glove box was a bit tricky because you have to go around a corner. I ended using electrician's "fish tape" that I've used for home wiring and networking projects in the past. Then I drilled a 3/16 hole in the back of the glove box, up near the top left, cut a slit down to it with a utility knife, and used that to thread the iPod cable through the hole. That way it doesn't have to bend over the top of the glove box and there's no danger of it floping around in the glove box or falling back behind there and getting lost.

Still, if anyone has info on the real Lexus iPod adapter, let me know. My dealer claims not to have any cars that have it installed and says there's no manual for it, but says that since it's made by Lexus "it must be good". Right. I'm certainly wasn't going to buy it with that little info, so I ended up with the VaisTech unit instead.

The other thing I did to the Lexus last weekend was install a tow hitch. My dealer wanted $600 (parts + labor) to install one, but they sold me the part for $275 plus tax. Installing it took maybe 2 hours, part of which involved learning how to use the new torque wrench I bought. (50 ft-lbs is a lot less torque than I thought it was.) The install was pretty easy, except for getting the first bolt holding the hitch in place on each side. The friend who was helping me had to leave just before that point, so I struggled a bit trying to hold one side in place with my feet while bolting the other side in place with one hand while holding it with the other. That didn't work so well, though it was a great upper-body workout. Eventually I figured out I could prop one side in place with a milk create, put in a couple of bolts on the other side, and then take out the milk crate and bolt that side. Then I put in the rest of the bolts and torqued them all down. If I'd known what I was doing, all this would have been very easy, so the ~$300 that the dealer wanted for installing it was way too much.

Installing the wiring for the hitch was fairly easy too, though you have to disassemble half of the interior of the back of the car to get to the socket where it just plugs in. There are excellent photographs and instructions for this elsewhere on this forum. If you're thinking of installing a hitch, spend a bit extra for the Toyota/Lexus part: the wiring is very easy to hook up and has pre-attached clips and grommets to keep it in the right places.

-- Laura

Laura:

Just read through your posts. Now that you've had your SL2i for a while would you buy it again? Also, I saw on a YouTube video that the SL2Vi has a 117 limit on the number of files it will display on a play list. Was this also a problem on the SL2i? Finally, did you get the LockPick from Coastal and does it work?

[vinovelo]

Another response to myself....

I haven't been online in a while (except for at work), but I've done a bit of work on my 400h. Last weekend the VaisTech SL2i I ordered arrived, and I returned the Peripheral Electronics adapter to BestBuy and installed the SL2i. My verdict is: It sucks less.

The SL2i, when used with a Gen5 nav system, lets you pretend that your iPod is a CD/MP3 changer. The 6 different "CDs" let you pick different modes: #1 lets you browse playlists, #2 browses artists, etc. The browsing is fairly reasonable: you see a bunch (10?) on the screen at a time and can use the up and down arrows to jump to the next batch. If you're browsing artists, then pressing that artist's name on the touchscreen shows you all the songs by that artist. If you're browsing playlists, then pressing the playlist shows you all the songs in that playlist.

The common them here is "songs", which is why I'm still not 100% happy with the VaisTech interface. Ideally, what I'd want when browsing all the artists on my iPod is to touch the artist's name and see all of their albums. Then I'd touch the album's name and see all of the songs on that album. For some artists it doesn't matter too much, but for artists where I have 10+ albums (e.g. The Beatles), it's a pain. And for later, more album-oriented rock music (think Pink Floyd or Yes) or classical music, I really want to be able to play a whole album, not just individual tracks. This is why I say the VaisTech unit still "sucks" a bit.

Another downside of the SL2i's interface is that the nanny software in the Lexus nav screen doesn't let you browse MP3s while the car is moving. If an album or playlist finishes playing, I have to stop before I can select another one to play. This is going to be seriously annoying on long road-trips, which is when I use the iPod the most because of the lack of good radio stations out in the middle of nowhere. I may try one of the Coastal Technology "lockpick" kits to see if they fix this, but I don't know if they unlock the audio system screens or just the nav and bluetooth ones. If anyone has tried this and knows whether it works, please let me know! I'm going on a long road trip in a week or two and am thinking of installing one of these gizmos real soon now.

The display from the SL2i is much better than from the other unit, though. You can see the entire Artist, Album, and Track name on the Audio screen, not just the first 6 or 10 characters. I'm pretty sure it displays that even while the car is in motion, unlike the radio, which hides the info on the "message" screen while the car is moving.

The SL2i is good enough that I'm going to stop experimenting and stick with it. Hopefully the VaisTech people will eventually upgrade its firmware again to allow multi-level browsing of Artists -> Albums -> Tracks. (I'll ask about this on their forum.) Since it's fairly easy to control the iPod with this unit, I decided to put the iPod in my glove box. I put the SL2i down by the passenger-side kick panel under the dash. Fishing the iPod cable from there up to the back of the glove box was a bit tricky because you have to go around a corner. I ended using electrician's "fish tape" that I've used for home wiring and networking projects in the past. Then I drilled a 3/16 hole in the back of the glove box, up near the top left, cut a slit down to it with a utility knife, and used that to thread the iPod cable through the hole. That way it doesn't have to bend over the top of the glove box and there's no danger of it floping around in the glove box or falling back behind there and getting lost.

Still, if anyone has info on the real Lexus iPod adapter, let me know. My dealer claims not to have any cars that have it installed and says there's no manual for it, but says that since it's made by Lexus "it must be good". Right. I'm certainly wasn't going to buy it with that little info, so I ended up with the VaisTech unit instead.

The other thing I did to the Lexus last weekend was install a tow hitch. My dealer wanted $600 (parts + labor) to install one, but they sold me the part for $275 plus tax. Installing it took maybe 2 hours, part of which involved learning how to use the new torque wrench I bought. (50 ft-lbs is a lot less torque than I thought it was.) The install was pretty easy, except for getting the first bolt holding the hitch in place on each side. The friend who was helping me had to leave just before that point, so I struggled a bit trying to hold one side in place with my feet while bolting the other side in place with one hand while holding it with the other. That didn't work so well, though it was a great upper-body workout. Eventually I figured out I could prop one side in place with a milk create, put in a couple of bolts on the other side, and then take out the milk crate and bolt that side. Then I put in the rest of the bolts and torqued them all down. If I'd known what I was doing, all this would have been very easy, so the ~$300 that the dealer wanted for installing it was way too much.

Installing the wiring for the hitch was fairly easy too, though you have to disassemble half of the interior of the back of the car to get to the socket where it just plugs in. There are excellent photographs and instructions for this elsewhere on this forum. If you're thinking of installing a hitch, spend a bit extra for the Toyota/Lexus part: the wiring is very easy to hook up and has pre-attached clips and grommets to keep it in the right places.

-- Laura

Laura:

Just read through your posts. Now that you've had your SL2i for a while would you buy it again? Also, I saw on a YouTube video that the SL2Vi has a 117 limit on the number of files it will display on a play list. Was this also a problem on the SL2i? Finally, did you get the LockPick from Coastal and does it work?

Hey Laura,

You sound pretty cool. I'm just down the street from you in Newark, CA. Geez, maybe I should have YOU install a trailer hitch on my 08 RX400h. :D

I haven't got around to that yet.

One thing I have a problem with in regards to the stereo in general it it's poor bass response. I'd like to fix that before I go for an iPod interface. I only have the 4g Nano though. Might not be worth it. I look forward to hearing about what unit you finally settle on.

I've had my RX for a year now. When I was shopping I would not find a Levinson stereo with an AWD unit with the tow package. The lack of satellite radio and iPod interface was just a little annoying.

/Steve

[raleedy]

Pardon my ignorance or stupidity.

Do we have to choose?

[My kids hate this SUV]

I couldn't follow all the words these posts.

I'm taking deliver of a new 2008 RX400h this week. What's the best unit for XM and ipod integration. Sound and ease of use are my priorities.

Thanks

[Gryphon]

Pardon my ignorance or stupidity.

Do we have to choose?

You don't post for 21 months, and now this is the best you can come up with?

Pretty lame.

Tom

[Cat Rodery]

Reviving a dead thread with a question.

Looking into buying a 2006 RX 400h (only 38k miles on it!) and a big concern is I live with my iPhone music for my long commutes. I play all my music through the MOG app on my iPhone (same thing as Spotify if you know what that is instead of MOG). Right now I have a pioneer stereo in my current car which has an iPhone USB hookup that works awesome. Would the VAIS support MOG/Spotify? My current Pioneer in my existing car supports regular MP3's loaded on the iPhone + any songs I want to play in MOG (and I can control it through the stereo and see the song titles etc). Just want to make sure that the VAIS option or something similar would still let me use this app if I invest in it.

EDIT: Going to sign all the papers tomorrow, got them to finally agree on a decent price.