Need Advice- iPod/Serius for 2008 400h
04-12-14, 07:35 AM
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Need Advice- iPod/Serius for 2008 400h
Just purchased my first Lexus last week- a 2008 Rx 400h in Matador Red with 50k in miles. I'm in love
It's a far cry from my 2003 Honda Pilot!
However, I hate commercial radio and and am looking to add iPod and Serius XM connectivity...anyone know what's best in 2014 technology or what is still available with old technology? I checked the old threads but many are a few years old at this point. If I missed a good one, just point me in that direction.
I am looking at the MediaBridge AMBR-1500-TOY unit, but it needs an add-on for Serius which Crutchfield says is no longer produced and now sells for about $200 on eBay. The MediaBridge comes with Bluetooth which I don't particularly need. Are there other options?
Btw, I have a factory radio with SAT/AM button, factory navigation, no Mark Levinson stereo or DVD.
It's a far cry from my 2003 Honda Pilot!However, I hate commercial radio and and am looking to add iPod and Serius XM connectivity...anyone know what's best in 2014 technology or what is still available with old technology? I checked the old threads but many are a few years old at this point. If I missed a good one, just point me in that direction.
I am looking at the MediaBridge AMBR-1500-TOY unit, but it needs an add-on for Serius which Crutchfield says is no longer produced and now sells for about $200 on eBay. The MediaBridge comes with Bluetooth which I don't particularly need. Are there other options?
Btw, I have a factory radio with SAT/AM button, factory navigation, no Mark Levinson stereo or DVD.
04-12-14, 07:55 AM
#2
The Sat button is key, there is a port waiting on the back to be hardwired to your new source. Lexus no longer makes the XM module that would have gone there but there is still an iPhone/pod/pad cable that will let you use iTunes and/or Pandora streaming. Couple hundred dollars through parts, install it yourself if you are reasonably
skilled.
skilled.
04-12-14, 08:03 AM
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The Sat button is key, there is a port waiting on the back to be hardwired to your new source. Lexus no longer makes the XM module that would have gone there but there is still an iPhone/pod/pad cable that will let you use iTunes and/or Pandora streaming. Couple hundred dollars through parts, install it yourself if you are reasonably
skilled.
skilled.
I just don't know what to buy in order to make it work...Can I just buy a cable for the iPod for now or do I need a whole unit? I'd be happy with just satellite or just iPod for the short term.
04-12-14, 09:34 AM
#4
Welcome to Club Lexus, aimeerose1.
Much of what you will find by searching the 2nd Generation RX forum, while it can be old, is still relevant to your situation. Cables and connectors are still available. You have the option of also replacing your stereo with an updated unit to provide additional features.
Whether you just want to add an iPod, you can easily go with a cable setup, or other a good place to start with such are the products from VAIS:
http://www.vaistech.com/site/home.php
There are others, you can spend plenty of time searching CL and the internet for more details. Most all work well.
Even my 2004 RX330 has the SAT button, however, there was not even a product available to take advantage of it for it for quite some time afterwards. Was always "Available Soon."
Here is my standard copy and paste from a previous conversation on this topic:
If you have a 2nd Generation RX and wish for a more modern upgrade, you can replace the existing cassette/CD/AM/FM receiver as done by alchemist, Carver, 1koolfella and others. For any of these systems you need to purchase the Double-Din faceplate along with the adapter cables to plug into the existing wiring harness and provide access to the steering wheel controls. First, you need to read Carver's writeup:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...a-dnx6960.html
Be sure to read all the way through this as there is also a writeup from 1koolfella who has a setup with the existing NAV. Not relevant to your situation, however, it is good material.
Then, Packrat1's writeup:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-installs.html
Finally, the cheapest receiver replacement would take the form of the following from CJG:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-with-nav.html
There is a post in that last thread from RX330iPad showing his setup. More of its start here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...em-coming.html
There is plenty more here at CL if you care to search.
Much of what you will find by searching the 2nd Generation RX forum, while it can be old, is still relevant to your situation. Cables and connectors are still available. You have the option of also replacing your stereo with an updated unit to provide additional features.
Whether you just want to add an iPod, you can easily go with a cable setup, or other a good place to start with such are the products from VAIS:
http://www.vaistech.com/site/home.php
There are others, you can spend plenty of time searching CL and the internet for more details. Most all work well.
Even my 2004 RX330 has the SAT button, however, there was not even a product available to take advantage of it for it for quite some time afterwards. Was always "Available Soon."
Here is my standard copy and paste from a previous conversation on this topic:
If you have a 2nd Generation RX and wish for a more modern upgrade, you can replace the existing cassette/CD/AM/FM receiver as done by alchemist, Carver, 1koolfella and others. For any of these systems you need to purchase the Double-Din faceplate along with the adapter cables to plug into the existing wiring harness and provide access to the steering wheel controls. First, you need to read Carver's writeup:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...a-dnx6960.html
Be sure to read all the way through this as there is also a writeup from 1koolfella who has a setup with the existing NAV. Not relevant to your situation, however, it is good material.
Then, Packrat1's writeup:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-installs.html
Finally, the cheapest receiver replacement would take the form of the following from CJG:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-with-nav.html
There is a post in that last thread from RX330iPad showing his setup. More of its start here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...em-coming.html
There is plenty more here at CL if you care to search.
04-16-14, 10:37 AM
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Just wanted to provide a quick update on what we went with in case others are on the same quest.
I did not wish to replace the entire factory radio with a new system. The factory radio is adequate to meet my needs and I did not wish to spend more than a few hundred dollars for the upgrade. The original intention was to complete the installation ourselves, but we ended up paying a small amount to have it all installed at Abt Electronics, located just outside of Chicago.
1. iSimple Connect Premium Factory Radio Interface...this unit plugs in behind the radio. There is now a cord running out from under the center console with a 30 pin Lightening adapter to connect with my iPhone 5. It can run in either iPod or Aux mode. iPode mode allows me to search and select tracks, artists, genres, playlists, etc using the navigator screen. Aux would limit controls to the phone itself. There is another version of this unit that includes Bluetooth, which would have been redundant. Sound quality is great. The controls take some getting used to. My only long-term concern is the lightening adapter...review on Apple are less than stellar and in fact the first one we tried did not work.
Unit: http://www.abt.com/product/65271/iSimple-ISTY651.html Available at Amazon and Best Buy for about $100. My installer matched those prices
2. Sirius XM Tuner (similar to http://www.xm-radio-satellite.com/SI...e_Adapter.aspx). This unit is added as a daisy-chain to the iSimple for Sirius. It's actually an XM product, so if you are adding to an existing account, make sure you have XM or it changes your fee structure (even thought the companies combined). This unit allows my XM subscription to run through the factory radio, since I have the AM SAT button. It works through the touch screen on the navi, as well as with the steering controls. It required an additional antenna be run through the vehicle (out of site), attached to the roof just above the rear hatch.
Both systems run without compromising the navigation system, steering controls, and cd changer. With installation and taxes, the total was just under $400, plus the XM subscription.
As a side note, I did look at the AudioBridge system offered through Crutchfield. Per Crutchfield, it only works with ax XM tuner SCC1, which is no longer produced. You can find them on eBay for about $150 (originally sold for $69). I also looked at the Vais Technology systems (http://www.vaistech.com/site/home.php) which look really pretty, but run about $200+ for each of the modules I would have required (1 for iPod and 1 for XM) which would have much more expensive and really too fancy for my needs.
I did not wish to replace the entire factory radio with a new system. The factory radio is adequate to meet my needs and I did not wish to spend more than a few hundred dollars for the upgrade. The original intention was to complete the installation ourselves, but we ended up paying a small amount to have it all installed at Abt Electronics, located just outside of Chicago.
1. iSimple Connect Premium Factory Radio Interface...this unit plugs in behind the radio. There is now a cord running out from under the center console with a 30 pin Lightening adapter to connect with my iPhone 5. It can run in either iPod or Aux mode. iPode mode allows me to search and select tracks, artists, genres, playlists, etc using the navigator screen. Aux would limit controls to the phone itself. There is another version of this unit that includes Bluetooth, which would have been redundant. Sound quality is great. The controls take some getting used to. My only long-term concern is the lightening adapter...review on Apple are less than stellar and in fact the first one we tried did not work.
Unit: http://www.abt.com/product/65271/iSimple-ISTY651.html Available at Amazon and Best Buy for about $100. My installer matched those prices
2. Sirius XM Tuner (similar to http://www.xm-radio-satellite.com/SI...e_Adapter.aspx). This unit is added as a daisy-chain to the iSimple for Sirius. It's actually an XM product, so if you are adding to an existing account, make sure you have XM or it changes your fee structure (even thought the companies combined). This unit allows my XM subscription to run through the factory radio, since I have the AM SAT button. It works through the touch screen on the navi, as well as with the steering controls. It required an additional antenna be run through the vehicle (out of site), attached to the roof just above the rear hatch.
Both systems run without compromising the navigation system, steering controls, and cd changer. With installation and taxes, the total was just under $400, plus the XM subscription.
As a side note, I did look at the AudioBridge system offered through Crutchfield. Per Crutchfield, it only works with ax XM tuner SCC1, which is no longer produced. You can find them on eBay for about $150 (originally sold for $69). I also looked at the Vais Technology systems (http://www.vaistech.com/site/home.php) which look really pretty, but run about $200+ for each of the modules I would have required (1 for iPod and 1 for XM) which would have much more expensive and really too fancy for my needs.
04-16-14, 12:24 PM
#7
Thanks for coming back and letting us know about your upgrades. The products from iSimple have been discussed here at CL many times and are very acceptable upgrade paths for 2nd Generation RX vehicles.
And yes, those 30-pin Lightning adapters from Apple are garbage. This is where Bluetooth might have an advantage as it allows you to connect without a physical connection assuming your device supports Bluetooth. Not applicable for iPods, for example.
And yes, those 30-pin Lightning adapters from Apple are garbage. This is where Bluetooth might have an advantage as it allows you to connect without a physical connection assuming your device supports Bluetooth. Not applicable for iPods, for example.
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