I tried this painful process to install my Vais IPOD interface:

http://www.emba42.com/lexus/

Reasons why NOT to do it this way:

1. 99% chance you will break the ABS connector from the small plastic panel at the top of glove box

2. Mounting the unit directly in front of the air recirculating valve will block air and possibly jam the valve.

3. You will never be able to get easy access to the Vais unit for any reason.

4. You will waste an hour of beer drinking time.

I have my unit above the black plastic piece under the glove box. There is one screw to get to it and the Ipod can live in the glove box quite easily. The above link is helpful for gaining access to the radio head, but that's it.

Hope this saves someone an hour and broken clip.

Lou
06 Blizzard

 

Lou - do you have RSES in your GX? Does this kit work with the RSES (if you know)? Thanks.

 

llcc1975,
Unfortunately, I did not get the RSES - my 10 year old reminds me about that every day. I can't help you with that, but I did remove my unit - in 30 seconds - to sent it back to Vaistech. They will be reprogramed it to enable bypass of the "I agree" button. I let you know how that goes.
Lou

 

Okay thanks. Would be good to know. Amazing how much of a pacifier these DVD setups can be.

 

Hi Lou,
I just got the Vaistech for my Ipod & I'm going to install it on my 06 GX470 by this weekend. I am confused about what part shoud I skip. Just forget the glove box part and go ahead open the head unit only? Thanks.
bz2pp

 

bz2pp,
Yes, the dash instructions are good, but leave the glove box and cd changer alone. Install the unit above the padded plastic panel below the glove box. There is one phillips screw and three clips holding the panel up front. Lower the front and gently pull towards the passenger seat to free the rear stem from the slot it fits into. The unit just sits on the panel and gets a slight squeeze when you fasten the panel back on. No need for velcro or wire ties, it is nested in to keep it secure and not rattle. You will need to thread the wires from behind the dash to the unit, very easy. Also, thread the Ipod connector into the glove box from the side or top, there is plenty of space. Just make sure the wire wire feels free in the glove box, so you are sure it is no catching when you open and close the glove box.

I am using a Ipod Nano. I had tried to install the Ipod Nano base in the ash tray to make it of use. I thought it would be cool to tap the ashtray and stick the Nano in the base. I would be able to see it, but there isn't enough room. So, then I tried to store the Nano flat, while connected, in the asktray - still no room. I found the glove box to be the best place for it. In case you didin't know, the Ipod will charge whenever the truck is running - nice touch. Hope this helps.
Lou

 

I did the exact same installation as described above. And, I recently sent my SLI back to Vaistech for an update. It took 2 minutes to pull it out and unplug. And another 2 minutes to install back. The SLI box kind of rests up against the outer wall of the truck, not toward the firewall but the right side of the fender area. It stays up there pretty well without any additional points of attachement. just the tight fit of the panel when replaced is all it needs to keep from moving. I recommend this procedure ....

The new software for the Vaistech is good. There are more options of setting up how you want it to interface with the ML stereo. Nice to bypass the AUX input, since I do not need it. Makes selecting the IPOD that much quicker. You can change the Sound Levels out of the IPOD as a feature. But, the expanded Song/Playlist recognition is worth the update alone.

One note, I did speak to Vaistech about the "no audio" issue when switching between CD-DVD-IPOD (for me this occurs whenever I switch off the IPOD to another disk source and than back to IPOD, I hear NO audio from the system and no way to get it back without apparently turning the truck off and back on). VaisTech did mention there is a small group of early '04 Nav units which have this issue. They are working on it.

[NOTE]: For now, the work around I discovered (since I don't want to turn the truck off to reset it) is to switch to FM and than back to DISK. This will restore the audio output of the IPOD selection. A small pain, but I would rather do this than not have an IPOD to listen to.

 

Thanks alot LOU &ADVocate for your clearly informations, I hope I will have no trouble on it. You have a nice weekend.
bz2pp