So I have a Pioneer AVIC-D3 right in front of me and I need some clarification on some things. Crutchfield sent me the wrong wire harness

1. Is it true that it is impossible to hook up the stock speakers, amp, sub to and aftermarket headunit?

2. I have a '99 ES300. Can I follow this writeup? It is for a different gen ES ('92). https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...t=wire+harness

3. Is there an adapter or something I can get to make it work w/ the stock system. I'm pretty happy with the way they sound. I just want to get my navi installed.

 

1) I dont think it's impossible. I do know you cant hook up the stock amp to the head unit cuz it will sound horrible, the HU has its own internal amp that you could use to hook up to the speakers. You need to bypass the stock amp and have all the speakers and sub running directly thru the HU.

2) Im not so sure you should follow that write up, the 92 is a 2 gen. difference from yours, im sure there are a lot of differences between the two.

3) Like i said, im not 100% sure on this, but i believe if you bypass the stock amp and hook up the speakers to the HU, they will work.

 

Thanks for the info.

What would be the cheapest audio solution?
I'm thinking to have the speakers run directly to the pre-outs on head unit and get a small mono-amp to power the stock sub? I'm kinda new to mobile audio and it seemed much easier installing an aftermarket head unit in my friend's RSX. He was able to connect it to his stock amp... Is it just Lexus trying to make this difficult?

 

I currenty have a 92 with an aftermarket head unit installed. The guys who installed it said that it had to be run through the factory amp to be able to power the separates in the doors, because the crossover is built in. It works, but there is the most annoying whistle that comes through my speakers that goes along with my engine revs. The only way to bypass this (according to them) is to get new speakers and power them with a separate amp and junk the factory one.

So if you do just install the h/u, you're gonna most likely hear the same thing.

 

lol probably, if you want to make your life a WHOLE lot easier, go pick up some aftermarket speakers. you dont need super expensive speakers for good sound quality, check this website www.woofersetc.com this is where iv bought my stuff, they are usually alot cheaper than other sites. see if you can find some speakers there you like to suit your budget. then IMO you'll have a way better sounding system and alot less headaches lol.

 

WHoa good lookin out on that site. I just found the amp I was lookin at for less than half the price i've seen it anywhere else.

 

According to this thread, they were able to use the stock system w/ this wire harness.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...pic=1660&st=15

I bought a similar harness from eBay. It hasn't come in yet, but I'm confused why it has RCA connections on it. From my understanding, a wire harness is just used to connect the aftermarket head unit to the existing connector, so you don't have to hard wire it.

I hope I don't sound stupid. I'm learning!

EDIT:
found another thread about connecting to factory amp
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...00+factory+amp

... but still confused why the majority of the people I ask say it can't be done.

 

Yea man it blows crutchfields prices out !! When i found the site i was thanking God cuz iv saved a LOT of money there lol.

P.s. i can teach you a trick to save even more money if u want, PM me and ill give you the info.

 

OK. So I stopped by a local car audio shop and bought a wire harness there. It has power connections for the head unit and RCA connectors to hook up the preamp outputs. I talked to installers at different audio stores and they said that harness will allow me to hook it up to the factory system. The cable looks really similar to this: http://cgi.ebay.com/92-99-LEXUS-ES30...QQcmdZViewItem

However, I hear a high pitched sound coming from the speakers and it makes a "popping" sound when I turn it off. Any ideas how to remedy this problem?

 

Updated w/ pics of my install.





Got a couple ground loop isolators and that got rid of the hum for the most part. Still can't figure out how to get rid of the pop sound when I turn off the card. It sounds like someone just pulled the plug on your radio.

 

Very clean install!

 

Maybe you can try just turning the volume down low before you turn it off? It may reduce the popping sound, if that doesnt work take it back to the shop and tell them about it to see if they can fix it. Iv never heard that before.

 

Just took some daytime shots

Pioneer AVIC-D3. Lovin' it!


Custom loading screen


iPod cable ran to center console


On-screen iPod interface


iPod controls hidden, Lexus background

 

duuuuude.... i want an Avic D3 sooo bad. They look so good! You know you can change the button lighting to green... to match the lexus buttons. When you do that... i believe this is the closest you can get to stock!

How much did the d3 set you back?

 

Yea. You can customize the colors of the buttons to whatever you want. I liked the blue since it matched w/ the background I made. D3 retails for $1000... which I thought was a steal at that price. I spent about $900 for everything.