aej

I have one in my RX330 and I would say dont waste your money. It does not integrate cleanly and forces you to navigate only via playlists you create (i.e. not smart playlists) and then only the first 9 (if I recall correctly), and each can only have (again I think) 99 songs in it. If its not in your playlist, you cant play it. It does have a "dumb" mode where you basically use the device as a line in and then use the iPod to control playback - and this is the mode I leave it in because the playlist mode (which allows control through the navigation screen) is a pain in the butt. Just my 2c before you (IMHO) waste you money. A-

First off, for my thoughts on the VAISTECH unit, see this post. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ndpost&p=193373 Bottom line - dont waste your $$. As for the hum - tjp had it exactly right - its called a ground loop and caused by the fact that the thing receiving the power (in this case the iPod) is NOT grounded. The NAV unit has to be grounded, and hence no ground loop noise. The most striking thing is that this was NOT an oversight on Lexus' part - its right there in the manual! "When using a portable audio device connected to the power outlet Noise may occur during playback. Use the power source of the portable audio device" What you need to do is buy one of these: http://www.radioshack.com/sm-see-all-needs...pi-2062214.html Its a ground loop isolator and its only $17 -> noise gone. Now I just have to find a way to get under the console so I can hard wire that thing after it leaves the AUX port in the console and not inside, cause right now I have a tonne of wires chewing up the only real bit of useful storage space in the car! Hope that helps.

The problem is that you guys are all using what is known as "packet writing" to write to the CD, which is flaky at best, and therefore a lot of set-top or car decks have trouble reading CDs written with this method. Thats is almost certainly why you are only seeing the first folder. Do yourself a favor and get some software that burns in ISO-9660 format (i.e. data format - multisession OFF and preferrably in DAO mode) and you will cease to have this problem. Nero is a great program for this, but the latest release is a bit bloated with crap you dont need. And so the other program I have been using is Goldenhawks CDRWin. There are also a a few free open source apps for those who dont want to lay out the cash for NERO. Hope that made sense. As far as the ARTIST / TITLE info goes - you need to TAG the files before you burn them. The headunit gets that info from the ID3 tag, and not the file name (in the same manner an iPod does). I dont use WMP10, but I would suggest (again) using something else, as WMP10 is full of DRM crap that can render any CD you burn useless. There are a tonne of great FREE CD ripping/tagging apps out there. Try something called "The Godfather" - its simply amazing and best of all - free. AEJ-

I am desperately searching for a good iPod interface for my brand new IS250, came across this thread, and need to comment. Dat Ei -> I have this in my RX330 and I must say, I'm not impressed. It allows you to navigate only the first 12 playlists (i.e. thats all it will let you do, and so theres no access to the anything else in the iPod menu system), and even then sometimes skips around and gets it wrong (jumps from one playlist to another without warning). There is a "dumb" mode where it simply functions as an AUX port (defeating the purpose of the intergration), which is how I currently use it. playb0ybunnny-> An iTunes enabled cellphone is something ENTIRELY different than an iPod - and so NO, this will not work with any cellphone (that I know of). _tjp_-> My DEALER installed this for me, and so NO, it does not void your warranty. Cherokee_Outlaw-> I hate Apple (and their monpolistic "you must use Apple HW and ONLY Apple HW" marketing strategy) as much as the next guy, but the iPod is a solid piece of hardware. I toyed with a few other "clones" including one from creative (? the muvo) and they are all built like CRAP. My iPod on the other hand has been to war and back and keeps on ticking. Plus, because it has bcome the defacto industry standard there are a tonne of accessories out there. I think its only a matter of time before Lexus puts a stock deck with iPod support into their cars. VW, BMW and Acura all currently have some iPod integration into their factory decks. As far as iTunes goes... there are sooo many better options for the Windows platform - many of them free, and all of them allow you to copy stuff back and forth without problems. And so having said all that, does anyone know of a good aftermarket iPod integration for Toyota/Lexus that allows full control of the iPod from the headunit? AEJ-

Your computer may be pulling the track info from a local database, or even FreeDB (a remote CD database system). For CD Text to work... you need to burn the CD with CD TEXT option enabled. Nero supports it (and I'm sure many others) but your burner must also support it (most new ones do, but not all - check your manual). Most commercial discs still DO NOT have CD Text (not sure why) but every disc I have burned for the last 5 years or so has text enabled. And a side note on the VAIS adaptor. Beware if you have an RX. The TEXT option doesnt work at all (its not enabled on the RX). Hope that clears things up.

Hello all... just thought I'd add my 2c as I just bought an RX330 and have had the same VAIS AIC-100i installed. My dealer did it for me, as I negotiated the price of the car with the unit installed. And no, it did not affect my warranty in any way. When I first looked at the unit, I was told that ALL lexus head units supported MD-Text. Apparently they have now changed their tune, and it explicitly states that the RX DOES NOT support MD-Text. Which completely blows, but hey... I guess you cant have it all. The big problem with MD mode is that it obliterates your display (in the iPod) and you cant see what the hell tune is playing, and so its essentially a waste of time (when you have a 40GB iPod, its really nice to surf the choons graphically rather than by number alone). I run mine exclusively now in AUX (Simple) mode. And lastly... about the sound quality... its hands down better than any tape adapter and there really no point in comparing it to an FM transmitter. I owned an iTrip for a short time, but I ditched it shortly there after. I have my Honda Accord hardwired as well (with a different interface) and I really dont know how I lived with that iTrip at all. Now having said all that, thus unit is the only true hardwiring option available for the Lexus, and so if youre going to get anything... get this. What I dont understand it why Lexus (or any luxury car manufacturer) doesn't simply add a dock connector to the dash and then I could just snap my iPod right in. It would be beyond simple. But then I guess thats asking too much. As an aside, there is a guy who has this installed in a GX470... and his MD-Text works. So my question is, can I swap out my RX radio for a GX radio (the dash certainly looks very similar) and get the MD-Text function ? Hmmmm....