Randy B

Is there a way to get the cd changer to play a MP3 CD? Can it be changed out or upgraded?

Thanks,
Randy B

airtime

I wish I could swap out the CD changer into a DVD changer. That would be a nice combo for the lockpick.

mtaalib3

hi. i have a 2006 custom luxury ls430 with the ml navi system. i removed my cd changer and installed an alpine iva-d900 dvd/cd/mp3 player in the same location the factory changer came in. this unit also has a 7inch lcd screen with over a million pixels. i can either use it's video screen or the factory navi screen to watch movies while the vehicle is in motion (i don't recommend this if you are driving). if you purchase an "ultimate lockpick" from coastaltech you can add this dvd unit or any other dvd/mp3 player to your lexus and use it's video/audio outputs to link directly into the factory ml system. however, i also installed an alpine mp3 cd changer in the glove box, aftermarket amps in the trunk (us amps), and replaced all the factory speakers including the ones in the dash which were a royal pain (had to pull the dash to get to the tweeters). i also had to make new runs of upgraded speaker wires to all of these new speakers. if you have any questions about the install, please feel free to pm me.

airtime

Did you integrate the Alpine so it mimicks the original CD changer? meaning you can use the factory touch screen to change disk, etc. Also, how is the fitment, just drop in or some cutting. I'm guessing with the wiring it would be pretty tight?

Thanks.

spender

Hi mtaalib3, that sounds pretty cool what you did. I certainly think that it should be possible to integrate a different CD changer in the spot taken by the current changer, and have it controlled by the ML receiver (nav unit), given that most changers have universal controls/signals. I wouldn't be surprised if an aftermarket company made a replacement unit that could be dropped in. I've been waiting for the next version of the Ultimate Lockpick before I make the leap to that.

KILLERGS4

can you post some pics... sound like a cool idea...

mtaalib3

well, i had to pull out the entire system (navi/radio combo, glove box) etc. there was a previous thread on how to pull the navi/radio combo which saved me a lot of time. i had to use a dremel to grind down a total of .125 inches on each side of the plastic piece that was on each side of the factory cd player. i can't close the top piece since the d900 sticks out too far. it is about flush with the radio/tape combo. i took pics but i don't know how to post them. all in all it looks like a professional job. tight fitting and everything. i also tapped into the line level outputs of the radio/tape combo so i may keep my steering wheel controls and also hear voice guidance for the navigation.
it was not possible to utilize the radio controls to control the d900. the cd player and radio are linked together via a electronic strip which i had to disconnect when i disconnected the radio.

mtaalib3

before i disected the radio/cd player combo i would have thought an aftermarket radio could be controlled by the factory controls too. however, as i previously mentioned, the cd player is connected/controlled by the radio via electronic strips. the most we could hope for is pulling out the factory changer, installing an aftermarket cd changer in it's place, connecting that aftermarket cd changer via a lockpick's rca connectors, and controlling that cd changer with it's own remote. considering what is involved with pulling the navi/radio combo and removing the cd changer from the radio, i really don't see it being done as a "drop in" set up. it will have to be either a d.i.y. (do it yourself) job or something the ls owner would have to hire out to have done.

mtaalib3

i have never posted pics. how do you do that?

airtime

To post images, I would suggest opening a free photobucket or similar freebie accounts available on the web. ie http://www.photobucket.com . Once you have uploaded to photobucket or similar, it then offers you a link to paste the line of code into your message here. Example:

IMG]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w154/airtimecellular/ls430Large.jpg[/IMG]

(I've left out a bracket ([) in front of the first [IMG] on purpose so it will show you the code vs actually displaying the image). Shazam, your pictures shows up and it doesn't eat up any bandwidth on this forum, only from the hosting site. You can post multiple lines of code in your message to display them all at once instead of posting a message one after another. Also, make sure your photobucket image is somewhat reasonable in dimension, like 800x600 or 640x480 so we can all see it fast and without scrolling side to side.

Now, show us the install

mtaalib3

thanx airtime for the tip. i will try it tonight and post some pics if i am successful.