trebien

I was wondering if wombat55 was ever able to hear the ipod on the interior speakers after connecting to the AUX inputs of the RES. I'm aware of the VAISTECH but don't want to go that far. Does any fm modulator work in the GX? Thanks

No offense, but FM modulators are crap. I've tried several, and unless you regularly drive out in the middle of nowhere, I constantly experienced interference, and bad sound quality. Get a true iPod interface, such as the Vaistech unit. You'll be glad you did.

hey guys update the rest of us here and mention ANY time the clunk comes up with this new tsb. if it completely solves the problem then i will have mine done also. i hope i hear good updates ASAP cuz my warranty's running out(44k miles) and am in the middle of a decision whether to mortgage this Gx after the lease is up or get a new one. ;)

My clunk was fixed via TSB 2+ weeks ago, and I just got back from a 3000 mile road trip - still no problems. I'm satisfied.

The noise is back, of course, since there's no long-term fix for it, but the service experience was what's staying with you!

Actually there is a supposed "fix". Mine is in now for the TSB for "clunk" although the parts are on backorder since there are so many with this problem.

What do you mean "no fix"? There is now a real fix that replaces many parts. Mine was done a couple of weeks ago, and I just got back from a 3000 mile road trip - still no clunk.

Is anyone aware of an aftermarket chip to increase fuel economy :cries: for the GX?

There is one out there I know of....

But they cost about $25K and are permanently embedded in a Prius.

It's done... and no more clunk. Granted, it does need to pass the test of time, but I'm not that worried.

I doubt Lexus would have invested the money and resources into creating thousands of sets of driveshafts and control arms if there was much of a chance it wouldn't work - this is an expensive repair between part costs and labor they have to pay the dealerships. They really don't want to do it twice.

Besides, they've had several YEARS to work on the problem and perfect the fix.

:P

I tow a two-horse trailer with my GX about twice a week. Unfortunately it causes a vibration and front end shimmy above 55 mph that was not the case with my previous tow vehicle, a K2500 Suburban. With the Suburban, I could tow on the interstate comfortably at 70-75 mph. With the Lexus, I have to stay below 55mph.

I've towed a lot of different loads with a lot of different vehicles. The chassis of the GX should be rathe stable up to it's limit.

If you get a shimmy, I would check your alignment, and also make sure the tongue weight of the trailer is within range of where it should be.

We are evaluating an SLI unit in a 2006 GX470, set in MD changer mode.

You can control the iPod through the touchscreen and steering wheel.

The way it works, is that it acts like a CD changer. The "playlists" on the unit are seen as "CD"s in the changer, up to 99 playlists (CDs).

What we did is make a playlist for all CDs in our Nano that is in the vehicle. The album/song/artist info is displayed on the screen. I do not believe there is a method to move between songs based on artist and/or song title. Just from playlist to playlist by using "Disc up" and Disc down"... and in between songs ON that playlist by "next Track" and "previous Track". Also, the Fast forward and Rewind buttons work on the touchscreen controls to skip along within the song.

The sound quality is very good and we are happy with the unit so far.

Since the stock stereo doesn't natively support iPod interfacing... this adapter has to make the iPod look like a CD changer, and control it like a CD Changer, using built-in CD changer controls. Therefore, the previous limitations are in place.

It's really no big deal, and we got used to the controls very quickly. About the best you can hope for, considering the limitations of the stock head unit.

I just took a 2000+ mile trip in my 2006 GX on mainly flat highways, and played around with fuel grades for kicks. The premium cost more, but got much better gas mileage so it outweighed the cost.

Basically, in a modeern high-compression engine designed for higher octane fuel, the electronics will !Removed! the timing if you use lower octane, and you will need more gas to create the same amount of power as a higher octane gas would be capable of creating.

Most times, using a lesser octane (cheaper) gas will not save you money in an engine designed to use a higher octane fuel in the first place. Plus, the higher octane fuels tend to have a better mix of detergents/additives to keep everything running smoothly.

For instance, in one very long stretch of flat road, 91 octane "Premium" gas got me 18.5 MPG and 89 "Plus" got me 16.5 mpg... I went back and forth, and the results were the same. Didn't try the basic "low-grade" 87 octane.

I used this info to install a Vaistech iPod adapter 2 weeks ago... works well and went smoothly. I didn't like the mounting point of the actual adapter right in the path of the A/C airflow intake... I stuffed mine towards the outer side of that cavity.

I've been out of town, but had a message on my cell phone last week that the parts were in stock and ready to go... we'll see. Probably schedule within the next week or so... don't really want to be the "first". BTW - I have an 06 with ~5K miles on it.

FYI -

I went to my dealer today and my service advisor noted that there was a TSB released by Lexus today for the clunking driveshaft. I asked him what it entailed, and he mentioned many parts like rear connecting links and so forth... not simply "lube the driveshaft".

We'll see, as more info becomes available. Maybe Lexus finally stepped up to the plate to provide a real solution.

It WAS stuffed in another thread. I found this:

Clicky Here

I did a search both here and another site for "gx470 dash". The only thread that came up (ironically) was this one, telling me to "Search".

;)

I need to install a radar detector and stuff, and also need directions to take aprat the GX470 dash.

Anybody have an actual link to the write-up or DIY? Was it stuffed in another thread?

Thanks.