02 Ls 430 (Non Levinson) Stereo Replacement

johnnelson · July 13, 2014

I humbly request a dialog with some experts....

I am ambitiously seeking to replace the stock stereo in my 02 LS430. I would love some help with my checklist, and some advice about what will or will not work. My Utopian dream is to have a stereo with a nav/backup camera screen, that tunes to sirius/xm channels, uses the stock amp, allows for steering wheel controls to remain useful, and cooks breakfast. Can I do it with the proper harness, a sirius/xm adapter, a stock amp adapter, an adapter for the steering wheel controls, and a basic backup camera rig (which I can do with a backup cam compatible head unit) any and all assistance/advice is welcome. thx

pj8708 · July 15, 2014

Hi John, and welcome to the LOC.

First things first; I'll have two eggs over medium- hash browns- one pancake- and fresh Orange Juice!

That was goooood!

Now, to the probem at hand. You have a pretty tall order but based on my knowledge, I think it could be done. You already seem to have compartmentalized the major system groups you'll need to interface, along with a wheel barrow full of Franklins to fund this death march! LOL

I haven't run across someone rewiring the steering wheel. As you say, with the proper wiring harness you can do about anything.

There are also companies that make to order harness. The real difficulty with your project is having at your finger tips the correct tech info regarding How do I know the configuration of each component involed? When you install your new head unit, how much power does it need to send to the camera at the rear license plate? When usuing your current on board amp, are you also going to upgrade the speakers? They are 14 years old and have given good service over those years. If you are going to basicly reconfigure your system. it would be foolish not to take advantage of the new technology for better overall sound.

That point brings up another regarding using the present amp. If you haven't already, you need to verify the power needs of your current amp. You'll need to know how much power it needs to drink-up, what wattage per channel does the amp put out? Do you know what the impedance/ohms are that go to the speakers. Not every Lexus, of every model year had/have the same amplifier ar the same speaker impedance.

I've talked a lot but not sure if I've actually moved the processes forward.

I'll leave it hear, and if you think I can help more let me know.

Paul

johnnelson · July 15, 2014

Paul, you have moved the process forward by just showing the willingness to dialog. Thank you so much. I should give you a little background about myself so that you can be confident of what I am capable of understanding. I am, by trade, a recording engineer, so I am hip to the idea of signal flow, speaker powering and impedence matching, the independence (and dependence) of the various componenent parts of the system, and most importantly...when to jump over the rail and exercise the art of letting go. If I may, at this point, having all of the expense of this ahead of me, show preference for those things I really need, and work down to those things that I can do without, at least for now. First to go would be steering wheel control, Backup camera is a luxury, so for my purposes here we can disregard it, I have two critical priorities, and then the rest falls in. First, I need a head unit that tunes to Sirius XM channels, and it needs to have a screen so that all of the ambitious things that utilize the screen can be added later. Getting an adapter that allows me to use the current amp and speakers resulted from the idea that a new amp and speakers would be way more expensive. Finally, the entire project came about because the stock head unit isnt working. Replacing it will be a bit expensive, so boom---a project is born.

RVBC · March 28, 2015

One of the speaker considerations is impedance. Lexus uses its own proprietary system that has an array of balanced 8 ohm impedance matched speakers. All the auto stereo systems I looked at were based on supplying power to 4 ohm speakers. If you use an after-market receiver and amp system, you may (or may not) be able to use the Lexus speaker wiring, but I doubt the speakers will give very good performance. And given Lexus' history of speaker membrane disintegration (I bought inexpensive kits to replace them on my four door speakers), maybe you will want to include 4 ohm speakers in the upgrade.