Is It Possible To Add Bluetooth To The Stock Stereo Without Nav

[cslinger]

My wife has a 2007 RX350 without the NAV as neither of us want the NAV system. We would, however, like to have Bluetooth capability added. Can Bluetooth be added to the stock head unit?

Thanks everybody,

Chris

[1990LS400]

What do you mean by asking if Bluetooth can be added to your stock head unit. Of course, an aftermarket Bluetooth kit can be installed in your car. I consider installing phone kits a challenging and fun project -- but I'm weird that way.

There are Bluetooth kits available from lots of companies -- Motorola, Parrot, Nokia, etc., etc. It should be possible to attach any of them to your audio system so that your radio/CD/etc. automatically mutes when a call is made or received. It is possible to play the phone call through a door speaker but easier in most cases to use a separate speaker installed under the dash.

If you want to do the install yourself, the first thing to do is get a copy of your audio system wiring diagram -- a Lexus dealer printed it for my LS so I could identify the wire color of the mute connection. The easiest way to power a phone kit is with an "add a circuit" piggyback fuse connector at the under-dash fuse box.

Not that it is necessarily the best Bluetooth kit, but both Lexus and Toyota dealers in the U.K. and Europe sell the Motorola IHF1000 Bluetooth kit as an official accessory on vehicles without navigation. The IHF1000 sold in the U.S. does not have an external antenna and charging cradle like the ones sold in the U.K. and Europe.

You will likely need to pull your radio to access the back for a mute connection. There are good instructions on the Pro.Fit International website -- they sell brackets for phones, GPS, etc.: http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/MV-50-03-G3-p1.pdf I don't know where the audio system amp is located on the RX and even if the amp is separate from the head unit; if your RX has a separate amp, there may be a mute connection there. It varies -- sometimes the mute is on the amp and sometimes on the head unit.

Here is a thread where someone installed an IHF1000 in his LS400 -- the principles are the same regardless of the car: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=IHF1000

If you install a Parrot, here is a company that might have interface cables to make it a little easier: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/find.php

There are a number of past threads on this forum about installing phone kits.

[cslinger]

Thank you so much for the reply. I realize that I could install and aftermarket system so to speak I was just wondering if the stock system could be added sans navigation. Certain Toyota products do actually offer the Bluetooth/wheel controls etc. without the Nav. This is for my wife and she wants it totally stock so to speak.

Thanks much

Chris

[1990LS400]

Thank you so much for the reply. I realize that I could install and aftermarket system so to speak I was just wondering if the stock system could be added sans navigation. Certain Toyota products do actually offer the Bluetooth/wheel controls etc. without the Nav. This is for my wife and she wants it totally stock so to speak.

Thanks much

Chris

It's bad that Toyota didn't go back and add Bluetooth to the non-nav systems in the RX -- Toyota is not exactly the quickest company to make adjustments to existing products.

Depending on which Bluetooth kit you choose, the only additional non-stock item that would be visible would likely be a small microphone and a control module. Some Bluetooth kits have control modules that are substantially smaller than the IHF1000 control module -- some from Nokia are very small.

Or you could just buy a visor mounted Bluetooth product or one that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket or accessory socket -- but they do not automatically mute your audio system. They are, however, very inexpensive. My wife and I missed a lot of incoming calls before I hooked up our phone kits to mute our audio systems.