I've seen the mod instructions here on this forum, and it looks tempting. I'm no slouch with a soldering iron, and it looks straightforward enough. I just have this irrational aversion to voiding the warranty of a $50K in the first week, I don't know...

The www.coastaltech.com kit looks promising, but it also seems like I might wait awhile before I can get it. The nice thing about that one is disabling the @$^!@#$% "I Agree" screen.

But what I really want is to re-enable the friggin Bluetooth while the vehicle is in motion. What a stupid idea. Let's see... have the driver press a few buttons out of the corner of his eye, or be forced to fish through his pockets and fumble with a small keypad on the phone itself...

Anyway, what would be killer is to have a wiring harness insert (ala the coastaltech mod, but without the active electronics) that performs the same re-wiring as the cut-and-solder mod listed on this board. That way it's easy to remove if necessary, and doesn't officially void any warranties. Anyone want to jump on a business opportunity? I know I would definitely pay $50 for such a thing, and I'm pretty handy. I can only imagine that less confident folks would be all over it.

But in the meantime, anyone know a source for the harness plugs themselves? I'd need a male/female pair for both plugs presumably, and then could adapt the cut-and-solder mod into my own harness.

 

I clicked on the link to coastaltech.com and didn't see anything that was remotely associated with the bluetooth function of the audio system. I hate it that I can't dial from the touchscreen. It seems like trying to dial from the keypad of the phone is more of a safety hazard.

Can you shed some more light on the mod you were talking about.

Thanks

 

I believe yon is reffering to the NAV KIT from Coastal Electronics Tech:

http://www.coastaletech.com/nav_kit.htm

I also read from another Lexus GS forum that the owner performed the mod by only cutting one wire and could be returned to stock if needed. However, they did not provide any info . Was wondering if anyone here could elaborate on the details.

 

don't be a wimp- just do it! You can always reverse it later. You'll be happy- I use my bluetooth function while driving EVERY DAY!

 

Well, "wimp" isn't exactly the correct adjective if you knew what I've done with a Dremel tool in the past.

No, the mod itself doesn't scare me, but at this stage in life I have little appetite for giving Lexus service any excuse to renege on warranty work. Even if I reversed it, it would be nearly impossible to hide the original cut, which would be all they would need to hassle me.

And yes, I know that the likelihood of this being a problem is pretty low.

But that said, a simple harness insert solves all the problems. I'd even be willing to do it myself if I could get a lead on where to buy the connectors.

 

Where is the wire that you have to cut ? I'd much rather find a harness that could be connected that left that one circuit open rather than cutting it. Perhaps Coastal E Tech might be willing to come up with one for the GS. I'd pay $100 for one rather than risk having a warranty issue.

Has anyone talked to Coastal E Tech about this?

 

Exactly, I am in the same position as you. I can do the job but don't feel comfortable doing it on a brand spankin new $50k car. It would be different on a car that has a warranty almost expired and paid off more than halfway thru. It's just the fact that if something did happen and you needed warranty repair the dealer would give you a hard time.

 

I think that website is incorrect.

 

I'd do it. Does anyone know if it will actually work with our cars. Looks like it's all spec'd for the Prius. However, the Prius and GS may have the same version NAV system.

 

Sorry, didn't mean to call you a wimp. This is a topic that has been covered extensively and it's a simple mod that is easily reversible if anything went wrong. Many of us had a shop do it for $150 and 30 minutes investment. I can't imagine not having this mod. Good luck!

 

What type of shop did the mod for you on the speed sensor wire leading into the audio system? Did the shop just cut the wire? You mentioned that it's reversible. What do you do, twist the two ends of the wire and solder them?

Pardon my ignorance. I would really like to have the functionality of the Bluetooth telephone features available while I am driving.

 

Oh, no offense taken at all. Just figured I'd call you on a less-than-constructive response to my question. I hear you on how useful it must be---that's why I'd like to get the functionality, but on my terms.

It's not so much that I'm concerned about the permanence of the mod, it's that these days it doesn't take much to have a dealer try to get out of warranty coverage. So even if I reversed it later, any competent tech is going to see that the harness was tampered with.

So again, if this mod was available as a harness insert, why wouldn't one prefer it over cutting wires? Saves time and reduces errors on install (probably lowering the cost of the install), and later the car can be completely restored to original condition without any signs of tampering.

Unfortunately it seems that the source of the appropriate connectors is a mystery. I'll have to do more digging when I have some time.

 

I'm with you. I'd much rather use a harness rather than cutting and soldering wires.

 

I sent an email to support@coastaletech.com inquiring about a harness that could be used to basically bypass the speed sensor. Haven't heard back from Dave at Coastal yet.

It would probably help if other people did the same. If Dave doesn't have such a harness yet, he might see that there is a market for one and build it.

I absolutely hate having to use the keypad on my Blackberry while driving.


The correct web address for Coastal Electronic Technologies is http://www.coastaletech.com

 

Hear you loud and clear and if there was a snap in, no cut harness I would have gone that way also, but the bottomline was that I also hated trying to use the buttons on my Blackberry and so I found a shop from CL members that did this mod.

$150 and 30 minutes later I was watching DVD's and free from holding my Blackberry while driving. So if you can stand to wait and find a vendor that will build this for you good luck.

By the way with "all" mods the dealer must be able to show that the mod directly resulted in the problem, this is true with intakes, stereo, video, exhausts, etc.