flipp4

Well I finally installed a fly audio nav unit in the es350 tonight and heres my list of pros and cons

Pros
-Complete factory look
-keep the steering wheel remotes
-lots of options and very easy too navigate through menus
-navigation is very easy to use and read
-ipod, rearview camera, aux, rear monitor, USB, and SD card inputs
-6 sec start up time from time start button is pushed.
-original radio isnt dead underneath, still works as 6 disc changer and am/fm radio (think of the screen as an another display for the radio for those operations)
-very easy to install, all plug and play, only need 2 sockets, plastic panel remover, and a phillips screwdriver.

CONS
-bluetooth not as good as factory, unable to use factory after instalation
-to turn on the ac/heat you have to hit one button to get to the control screen then you can control everything as you normally would
-need to route the aftermarket GPS antenna outside the car (hardest part of the install)
-doesnt have the options a normal double din nav unit would have (button color, 24 band EQ, sat radio) stuff like that

Over the past 6 years i've owned 3 diff aftermarket nav units, clarion, kenwood, and pioneer. Comparing these to the fly audio I'll give it a 8 out of 10 rating.
I have never used a lexus factory nav so I dont know those differences.

Well if anyone has any questions or coments i'de like to hear them.

MadMax96

It looks like the buttons along the left are climate control buttons - these are the same buttons that are on the factory Nav setup as well. For the most part you really only need to hit "Auto" and then adjust your temp accordingly. I rarely have to go into the climate control screen (does your button say "CLIME" on the right side?). If I want the fan to blow less I just raise or lower the temp.

Install looks good though! Glad to see you accomplished this yourself instead of paying someone else to do it.

Is this a 2010 ES since there is no tape deck? Just noticed the large unused area on the bottom.

Robert_J

Looks exactly like my 07.

So basically, this is just additional inputs to the factory radio. That is still the volume, bass, treble, balance, fader, etc.? Did you have factory XM?

flipp4

My es350 is an 08, and yes the factory radio still controls the volume, it still does the bass and trebble and that stuff too. It still does all the fm and am. I never had factory xm radio, so im not sure if I could even have it now. As for the AC/heat controls, im gonna try raising and lowering the temp to see if it controls the fan speed, I havent realy messed with that yet. Also when I did the instal I mounted the Ipod hookup in the ashtray, I just slide my phone in and out and it hooks up to the radio. I also bought another set of Ipod A/V output cables and mounted them in the ashtray as well, on top of the radio ipod input. So now I can watch videos from my ipod on the tv.b Also, unlike alot of other factory nav/dvd units, there are no extra wires to hook up to enable the tv use while driving, I thought that was pretty sweet too.

flipp4

In the pic I posted you can see the first ipod hookup in the ashtray, the second one went in the hole on top of that one, its not installed in the pic because I got a bad set of cables from radio shack, I exchanged them for new ones and it works nicely now

SatComm302

Nice job!

Does the shifter need to be in Drive before you can plug in your iPhone, and do you have to remove your phone before shifting to Park?

flipp4

No, it still slides in and out of the ashtray when in park. I thought about that before i hooked it uplike that, It woulda been super annoying if it didnt.

Robert_J

So this really is just extra audio and video sources. The original head unit still controls everything so there is no change in the sound.

I want to make sure that all readers know that this will fit their needs.

The biggest item - did it satisfy your goals of the upgrade? Do you think it was a good value based on what you wanted?

flipp4

The sound of the unit is unchanged, and I'm satisfied with my purchase, no regrets.

hahnt

I didn't think these could still be purchased. Where did you buy it and how much did you pay, if I may ask? Thank you for the pictures and writeup.

flipp4

I bought it on ebay, it was only 899 with free shipping brand new. Just type in "es350 flyaudio" and it should come up

ekwlee

blahhhhh....sorry but i had a bad experience with flyaudio..i installed it when i had my IS250 but try and read the thread of the flyaudio on the is250, a lot of dissatisfaction with the customer support of the flyaudio company..

flipp4

yeah, before I bought i bought it I did read the thread in the IS forums. I did take a chance buying it and I still dont regret it. Alot of the complaints the IS owners had were with the climate display because it showed celcius, an the clock because it displayed 24h mode. Both of those issues were fixed a while back and mine displays (american) normal, lol. I think this unit is designed to keep the overall look, feel, and sound of the stock vehicle, and with that said i think its great. If your one of those guys who needs all aftermarket speaks three subs, two amps, and 10 tvs in your car then this prob isnt the the unit to get

flipp4

I havent even tried customer support yet, I knew that getting into it, I mean its some chinesse made, designed unit, they ship them here set up some crappy company in cali and start selling them as is.

ekwlee

no i had the stock radio..i think the biggest problem i had was (i am pretty ****/perfectionist at the same time too) the bluetooth was pretty crappy, i had to scream at the bluetooth, i tried to adjust all the settings...the clock wasn't actually in 24 hour mode...it just had 12 hours and just resetted to 0 at every top of the clock..even 12 am and 12pm it would just go back to zero..i also hated that the clock didn't display in every screen (i.e. the climate control radio etc..) but i agree, the overall look and feel is great..i didn't really care about the celcius stuff...i guess i was salty too kuz i paid over a thousand for the unit and it should be perfect for that price..i mean you wouldn't accept a computer that had beta defects and when you tried to contact customer service their response was "well..we'll fix it in the next round..so buy the new model"..and that was the last straw for me and i sold my unit..not to bash you or anything...just wanted to let people know what the IS owners faced....i was tempted to do it on my ES, but i dont really want to go through the same issues again..