Scotty6486

Here's a couple of videos of the Apple TV in action. Not finished yet, still need to install a web browser and Boxee for better streaming video support. Booting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPq7iUrqPA In action showing song search function: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNHEGuTrtYY

Thanks for all the compliments, much appreciated. Looks like this Friday I'll be installing an AVIC-Z110BT to replace the Eclipse unit, I'll post a few more pics then.

After a loooong search for a newer SC400 I finally found a 1999 Silver on Black with 60k miles. The first thing I did right off the bat was replace the factory rims with chrome 17" GS350 wheels. Next it was time for an upgrade of the audio system. The equipment to be installed. I chose the AVN5510 as my source unit for it's excellent sound quality and 5 volt preouts. I chose the Alpine MRP-F300 and MRP-M500 amplifiers for their size as they are mounted under the parcel shelf. For speakers I upgraded the factory 4" speakers to Infinty Kappa 6.5" components up front and Kappa 6.5" speakers in the rear. For some nice sounding low end I chose a single Alpine 12" Type R subwoofer and it works very nicely with the MRP-M500 amp. I had done a few installations of the Viper 5701 and really liked the range and the way remote works and functions, so to protect and warm up my SC400 the Viper was the way to go. Also, the new integrated remote start relay pack and on-board shock sensor made installation a breeze and allows for a nice clean install. Along with the Viper 5701 I added the Viper SmartStart for infinite range for the Remote start with the iPhone application, it's also a simple single connection add on to most newer Viper remote starts. I used the new Metra 95-8157B dash kit for a nice clean factory look. I also decided to remove the factory volume knob and after hours of sanding, filling, and painting I was able to get a nice factory paint and texture match. For the Alpine Type R I used a sealed custom box designed to fit nicely in the left corner corner of the trunk, it provides .75 cubic feet of airspace and also is a good match for the Alpine sub. Finally for multimedia integration I chose to install an Apple TV for it's nice clean interface and simple to use remote control. The installation of the Apple TV was fairly straightforward. The components used for the install were an Apple TV, power inverter, Jobsite IR repeater(operates off 12 volts DC), component to composite video adapter(from svideo.com), ground loop isolator, and several sets of well shielded RCAs for audio and video to the Eclipse Navigation unit. The Apple TV is installed in the location of the factory amplifier and cd changer. To mount the equipment I cut a piece of 3/4" MDF to fit the corner of the trunk and used wire ties for the Apple TV for easy removal in the future. The install turned out pretty clean considering the amount of components that needed to be installed. The IR receiver is mounted to the right of the navigation unit just below the glove compartment. To cover the factory changer opening I fabricated a matching cover for the opening that can be removed for easy access to the Apple TV. Here's a picture with the trunk still partially disassembled. Here's a picture of the Apple TV booting. And a picture in the song selection menu. The Apple TV works really well, the only downside is my Eclipse Nav unit's low resolution display that can make some small text hard to read. It also is currently set to boot when the car is on and takes about 20 seconds to start up which is pretty reasonable and Apple remote works great with the Jobsite repeater. Anyways, there's a current list of modifications I've done to my vehicle so far. As a long time reader of the forums thanks for all the inspiration!

Haven't put one on my IS350 yet but I have a Camry Hybrid which uses the same smart key system and it was surprisingly easy, I used the DEI XK05 module for the key bypass (haven't checked to see about IS compatibility) and pressing on the brake still shuts the vehicle off, plus the steering wheel lock is still on during remote start operation so it is completely secure. Also it should be noted as long as the remote start is properly installed it voids no manufacturer warranty. It may be a little more expensive to do a vehicle with a smart key, but it is very possible. Look at the Python 872p (made by the same company as Viper units), it's a nice 2-way alarm remote start that has very factory looking remotes.

It's pretty shallow, like maybe 3" total. The gas tank is immediately below the sub and limits what can be put in that space, plus the sub is free-air so most aftermarket subs won't work or just won't sound very good. On an old LS400 I had I just opened up the space for air to pass through and purchased an enclosure that fit nicely in the corner of the trunk without taking up too much space.

Yeah, for some reason the Lexus Corporate thought the dealer would help me with the purchase of another vehicle, which I didn't understand. They let me know today they are replacing the ECU again as well as some MUX controller. They said they had a Lexus engineer come in from Chicago and I guess that's what he determined was wrong with it. It's supposed to be completely done this Wednesday. Finally!! Looking back on it was a bit odd that it had only been leased for a total of 8 months, however I was told that it was normal for a corporate lease to be short. Not sure about the whole accident thing, had a clean carfax and the dealer I purchased it from seemed surprised to hear there had been some paintwork done to it. I explained that and the combination of it being in the shop for 4 weeks right after I bought it was not acceptable and that was when they agreed to take it back. The weird part about it is Lexus said if it was determined to be collision damage they would not warranty the repair. So I guess the accident and my problems are unrelated. Now I'm off to find another IS350(I think) similar to mine which so far has been very difficult.

Well, the car is still in the shop and will be until at least the end of this week or maybe longer. Talked to the original dealer I purchased the car from again and explained my whole long fiasco of a car buying experience and eventually they agreed to repurchase the vehicle even though they obviously have no obligation to. Lexus as of today says that they still consider this a warranty issue(so apparently the whole damage in the rear quarter thing was nothing of concern). So, on Friday I went to retrieve some paperwork I needed from the car to title it and noticed that all the center console trim pieces, my glove box, as well as my driver's door panel are all piled up on my seats, no seat covers, nothing...all my panels and parts are lying clip side down on my seats. I complained to the service manager about it and he didn't seem remotely concerned and actually acted kind of offended that I was questioning his service techniques, so I explained placing objects with sharp corners on leather seats is never a good idea and requested that they don't do that while working on my car even if it wasn't going to be mine for long. I've also been in contact with Lexus corporate regarding the whole situation considering the car will be out of service for what looks like almost four weeks and asked their assistance locating another similar vehicle because very soon I would be out a vehicle, they said they couldn't help with that, but if I had purchased a CPO vehicle they may have been able to do something for me...not sure what that has to do with anything seeing as my car is still under warranty with only 12K miles on it and had what was up to this point an excellent service record with Lexus. I tried to explain that it isn't the dealer where I purchased the vehicle from responsibility to resolve issues I have concerning the factory warranty, but since I didn't purchase the car from a Lexus dealership (because they didn't have what I wanted at the time), I don't seem to be getting any help even from Lexus customer service regarding the whole matter. I don't think I've been unreasonable, I just want a car that isn't going to cause me problems especially once the warranty is up, but I am made to feel like somehow I am trying to take advantage of them by even suggesting that they help me find another similar car or give me any assistance in the matter at all. If this is the "Passionate pursuit of perfection" I hear about on all the commercials I'm beginning to wonder if I want any part of it. That's just my rant, sorry for the long post!

That was just the first repair attempt, it did the same thing again a day after I picked it up. I dropped it off at the dealer again last Friday, still haven't heard any news on it yet this time.

Here's the invoice from the first shop visit, just got it in the mail today, it explains the details of what was going on better than my service advisor.

Yeah, I've been talking with them. They say they damage to the rear would be unrelated and I agree, because it looks like the only thing that might have been done is some slight paint work. There are no signs of obvious repair work(did a magnet test to check for body filler). So I think the Lexus dealer is just basically saying they have no idea what's going on. Anybody know what my legal rights might be? The dealer I bought it from, while being sympathetic, doesn't seem to be willing to do much about it. I would have the battery replaced if it has not already been done. I had a battery go bad where I could basically put a wrench on the + battery terminal and switch the vehicle power on and off. Something inside the battery was cracked and the battery would lose its capacity. However this was not a battery from a Toyota product. Good luck Yeah, I will probably ask them to replace the battery if they haven't already. Seems like a car that's only a year old should have a good battery, but then again it seems like a car that's only a year old shouldn't really have any problems.

Yeah, I've been talking with them. They say they damage to the rear would be unrelated and I agree, because it looks like the only thing that might have been done is some slight paint work. There are no signs of obvious repair work(did a magnet test to check for body filler). So I think the Lexus dealer is just basically saying they have no idea what's going on. Anybody know what my legal rights might be? The dealer I bought it from, while being sympathetic, doesn't seem to be willing to do much about it.

Here's the latest update. I got the car back on Thursday and all was fine until about 4:00 in the afternoon on Friday when (as I kind of expected) it did it again, power cuts out for a split second an comes back on, once again the clock resets itself, window lights are blinking, turn signals are not working, and this time all of the door locks stopped functioning. I was accelerating uphill going about 75 mph this time. So I called the Lexus dealership and let them know that the problem is not fixed, and decided to go ahead and drop the vehicle off. When I dropped the car off the service manager showed me that the vehicle had a small amount of paint work on the driver's side rear door and rear quarter panel that I did not notice when I purchased the car. They never mentioned the paint work before and it looks very minimal either way, plus the Carfax was perfectly clean, however they said if they determine the repairs were not properly done they aren't going to warranty the repair work (almost $1400 for the previous repair, but was covered by warranty). I'm afraid even if it's not related to the paintwork/previous repair they may still determine it is and I will get to pay the repair and diagnosis cost. Not sure what I should do, the vehicle was sold to me by a dealer stating that it had a warranty (the remainder of the manufacturer's warranty) and doesn't seem to think they should be responsible because they say there is nothing in the back quarter area that could cause that issue. It's all very frustrating....

Well, my car is finally supposed to be fixed today. The dealer nor Lexus I don't think is exactly sure what happened, this time the said the ECU was bad not the BCM. The service manager said in his 20 years of service he has never seen lights blown out by an ECU failure. Lexus said the car is up to "Lexus specifications" whatever that might mean. So hopefully they have found the problem and fixed it. It sucks though to think I might have purchased a $33,000 problem car.

The dealer just called me and explained that the BCU(Body Contol Unit) had failed. So I asked if the BCU had failed and caused the problems I was having or if something else caused the the failure and the answer I got was "Well... the BCU failed so we have ordered one and your car should be ready tomorrow." So I asked again if they knew why the BCU failed and he said "No." I'm very concerned that the BCU isn't actually the problem, but a result of it. I also don't think that would explain all the blown turn signal bulbs like they said. Any ideas on how that might be caused by the BCU or what might be wrong based on the info they gave? Thanks!

I ended up dropping it off at the dealer yesterday, but before I did I check all of the fuses and battery connections and everything was good and tight. I also noticed that all of my turn signals were not operational and that the bulbs were actually blown....weird.