siearly

Hi all,

I've been reading all the XM threads because I just picked up an 09 RX-350 with nav but not XM.

I have found that Sewell shows the factory unit is discontinued.

I contacted lexuspartsonline and they no longer sell accessories-they refer you to your local dealer. I suppose Lexus is cracking down on dealers competing with other dealers not in their territory.

My local dealer does not sell the unit either. In fact, they refer you to an independent installer in the area who does the complete install. I just want to buy the equipment and install it myself.

Anyway, I still plan to add XM and am looking for recommendations on aftermarket units people have been happy with (or a source for a factory unit). I do want it to integrate with the existing XM button on the console and all the other radio buttons.

Thanks,

Steve

MC5Wes

eBay always has the kits for sale.

siearly

Thanks. Right now I see only two kits on ebay, neither of which is factory. Does anyone have any experience with either of these?

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=....c0.m270.l1313

RX330inFL

Welcome to Club Lexus.

If you search the forum(s) you will find a number of existing threads regarding VAIS, XM or SIRIUS Radio, and many other questions you have regarding your RX. Many have already been answered extensively and include photos for installation or diagnostic help.

VAIS is a forum sponsor.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/vendor_directory.php

http://www.vaistech.com/dev/home.php

siearly

Thanks. My research was based on searching only this forum since this is the car I have. I'll expand the search.

lisasf

I just picked up a 2008 CPO RX 350 yesterday and am adding SiriusXM next week.

I'm getting a kit from Pacific Accessory, which was recommended by my local audio shop, which was recommended by the Lexus dealer.

http://www.pac-audio.com/

You type in your vehicle make and year and the site lists all the options that will work for that car.

I'm so happy to be back in a Lexus - had 2 1st Gen RX's back to back, then drove an Infiniti EX35 for the last year and could never get comfortable in the car, so traded it in for a mint-condition 2008 CPO. The RX really is like a lazy boy recliner on wheels, so incredibly comfortable.

cmichael

VAIS Technology has a nice unit for XM Radio that also includes the tuner:

http://www.vaistech.com/dev/sl2xD2-tkit.php

I have the VAIS SL2 SIRIUS Radio Adapter but plan to sell it here or on ebay as I didn't find enough good channels on SIRIUS to warrant the annual subscription. I purchased the USB Interface Adapter and just loaded about 200 songs on a flash drive.

siearly

Thanks all. I went with Vias.

willyb0b

Let us know how the install and your thoughts after go. VAIS company hq is about 25 min. from me. I'm debating driving there one day and picking up a unit

siearly

I've completed the installation and the unit works great. Below are some pointers.

I got the installation instructions for the factory unit from the Sewell site. They were invaluable in helping me with dis-assembly. Figure on about one hour for this step if it is your first time.

Installation was easy - just a few plugs to move around and connect. Routing the antenna wire was the most time-consuming part. I put the antenna on the passeneger side roof at the top of the windshield. I ran the wire down the windshield under the rubber weather stripping and in the passenger door. The only place you can actually see the wire is if you open the passenger door and look at the jam.

There are three units you will get from VAIS, all about the same size. I bundled them and the extra wire all together with zip ties and stored the assembly at the base of the radio/nav stack. Now I can gain access by simply removing one panel on the passenger side (this will turn out to be a very smart move as we'll see later)

Programming - After hooking everything up, you have to do a one-time programming of the unit so the Lexus system will recognize it. There are dip switches on the VAIS unit for this purpose. The programming part is pretty simple but beware, you are to listen for beeps between steps. I did not get any beeps no matter what I tried. I thought the unit was defective. Then I figured out the beeps come not from the VAIS unit but from the Lexus system. Well, we had our beeps turned off. So, after over an hour of trying to figure out what was wrong, I re-enabled the beeps and the unit was programmed in minutes.

Registration - To register the radio you will need the radio ID. XM gives you the ID in three places; on the box, on the unit and on channel 0. Well, VAIS does not include the original XM box with the unit and guess what, the Lexus system will not tune channel 0. That means your only option is to get the ID off the unit. In my case, the unit was nicely tucked away as I had completely reassembled the vehicle. But as mentioned before, I was able to access it by removing one panel, cutting the zip ties and writing down the number.

Overall, it was an interesting experience. To summarize:

• Get the factory unit installation instructions from Sewell to aid in vehicle disassembly
• Write down your XM radio ID!
• Make sure your Lexus Nav system has the beeps turned on