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USB Port Location in Vehicles....

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Old 09-09-13, 02:14 PM
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LexFather
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So I wanted to discuss something many of us use today in cars. USB ports. For many of us its an essential part of driving today (from charging electronic devices to playing music, etc) and cars have gone from one to two ports (not sure if any have three yet). I am in awe of how some vehicles have them in pretty easy locations and how in some cars you have to nearly break your wrist and arm to get them in. It seems its still an afterthought with a lot of cars and they just use the armrest as the default location.

My tip, I don't use dedicated chargers. I use a charger with a USB slot so I can use it to charge any device I want with different cords. I've seen splitters but I have yet to use it. That is for cars that still offer the old ashtray ports.

Special mention has to go to the RX where the model without remote touch has a space seemingly shaped just for the iPhone instead of having to put it in the cup-holder.
 
Old 09-09-13, 02:39 PM
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I8ABMR
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my old LS had the AUX plug only but then Henry took care of that with the ipod connector. What year forward do the Lexus vehicles get these USBs??
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Old 09-09-13, 03:50 PM
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Hoovey689
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Originally Posted by I8ABMR
my old LS had the AUX plug only but then Henry took care of that with the ipod connector. What year forward do the Lexus vehicles get these USBs??
2010 was the first introduction of a USB port in conjunction with BT Audio. Dual USB is first seen on the 2014 IS
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Old 09-09-13, 04:42 PM
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pbm317
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The new full size GM trucks have up to 5 USB's, with 4 12-volt plugs and a 110-volt outlet.
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Old 09-09-13, 04:50 PM
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I have always assume that car makers put usb ports in weird places for aesthetic reasons. However, I dont think having a little visible slit will ruin the flow of a car's dash
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Old 09-09-13, 04:51 PM
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I8ABMR
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Originally Posted by pbm317
The new full size GM trucks have up to 5 USB's, with 4 12-volt plugs and a 110-volt outlet.
DAMN !! Thats a lot of plugs. Im sure its probably used for more than phones. Probably able to plug in camping equipment
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Old 09-09-13, 08:35 PM
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Aron9000
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Originally Posted by I8ABMR
DAMN !! Thats a lot of plugs. Im sure its probably used for more than phones. Probably able to plug in camping equipment
Can you charge a cordless drill or saw if you work construction? I know you could with the 110 outlet, but it would probably take forever with a usb or cigarette lighter type of outlet.
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Old 09-10-13, 04:58 AM
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http://autos.yahoo.com/news/the-wors...184845123.html

seems yahoo agrees
 
Old 09-10-13, 07:15 AM
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FrankReynoldsCPA
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My 92 LS has two ports:

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Old 09-10-13, 08:04 AM
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My S4 doesn't have a USB port because it came with Nav. Instead I have the AMI, which has a series of dongles you can buy for a ridiculous amount of money for an Apple 30 Pin, USB, AUX in, w/e. But there is no power in the glove box, so if you're using AUX in, you have to have a power cord hanging out of the glove box and plugged into the ash tray lighter. Inelegant solution for sure unless you want to run your own cable.

Without the Nav, there is an AUX-in in the center console. Why does getting navigation remove this? I'm not sure. It seems pretty illogical to me.

Audi's best solution is to just load up your music onto an SD card, but that's kind of a pain since pretty much everyone buys music on their wireless device.

Instead, we must turn to a 3rd party - in this case, a company that makes a device that emulates the Apple interface to the car, and in turn communicates with my phone via bluetooth. This works nearly flawlessly, and I can browse music using the MMI itself, except some times it won't connect and I must unplug / replug it.

Apparently, the 2013+ Audis have music streaming capability. It's rather silly they don't just add this feature to any 3rd gen MMI car since they already have phone bluetooth capability!
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