ste6168

All,

Just purchased a used GX470 for my girlfriend. Friend of ours in a service manager at a dealership, so he has been looking for a good one for us. Was owned by an older couple (in their 70s), original owners, all maintenance was done at the dealership, has 104k on the clock. Timing belt, water pump, and radiator have just been replaced.

Anyway, interested in adding an Aux input (do not need or care for controls, just want to play audio), and have been doing some research. Before I make the purchases, I want to ensure what I am planning will work.

Looks like the VAISTech SL3U is the best option to do so, and it is reasonably priced. http://www.vaistech.com/site/sl3u.php - Is this in fact the best option, or is there something else I should be looking at?

Secondly, can I plug a bluetooth adapter into that, rather than a cord or 3.5mm jack in the dash somewhere? I use one of these on the boat, directly to an amp, and it works great. - My plan was to power the BT receiver using the same ignition and ground wire that powers the radio. Any unforeseen issues?

Thanks!


Also, since I am pretty active on other forums (mainly fishing and woodworking), I know forums typically like pics, so I attached some!

HaywardLex

NICE, looks great and very clean. What year is it though 2008 or 2009 ?

ste6168

2006, actually. Sorry, should have mentioned that.

ScatAdams

Looks good, almost exactly what I started with

ste6168

So, will the two products I have selected work to wirelessly send audio signal through the factory headunit?

VAISTech sl3u: http://www.vaistech.com/site/sl3u.php
Fusion BT-100:

sl3u looks plug and play. For the fusion, I will need to tap into the remote/ignition wire and ground wire for the stock radio. Will that cause problems? Should I run a new ignition/remote wire for the fusion module instead, and ground to the chassis somewhere?

ste6168

Also, this SUV will be staying, for the most part, as you see it. I will be removing (either plasti-dip) or buffing out the gold from those emblems. They are the standard chrome emblems underneath, and 35% tint on the windows. Otherwise, will stay as you see it.

BlackCat81

I'd just remove the emblems all together, then plasti dip the Lexus symbols.

tz693

Congrats to the car and love the color !
I noted you have a non-NAV version. It is a lot easier to upgrade to the latest after market NAV head unit which includes every up-to-date feature. Search the forum for lot of examples.

mann777

Welcome to GX forum , you got a clean truck.

ste6168

Anyone know why it will not allow me to post normally, keeps sending me to a "your post must first be checked by a moderator" screen... I edited this post, and pasted the post below, that I have been trying to post since last night... or some iteration of it, that I have now typed multiple times...

Do the emblems leave behind any holes? If not, I will certainly be removing them all...

No, no need for the RCA jacks. I read through the information about the SL3B though, and it left me confused. Do you HAVE to control the device (iphone) through the radio buttons using the SL3B, or can you use it to just pass audio? I have never been a fan of using the buttons or a screen to control the device. Always seems "clunky" and inefficient.

While I am sure an aftermarket unit would give all of the functionality, I am very keen on keeping the factory look. I personally, do not like the way an aftermarket head unit looks, especially on a vehicle such as this, where everything "flows" together. Thanks for the idea though, and I will keep it in mind, in the event I can not find a good solution to simply stream audio from a bluetooth device.

Thanks! Hope it suits us well for a while.

ste6168

Still looking for information on the whole bluetooth thing also... FWIW, I have not seen the truck in person yet, it is sitting 500 miles away, flying up to pick it up and drive it back to NC in a few weeks. I would like to have the parts ready to install the day it gets to the driveway.

BlackCat81

The V8 and GX470 emblems on the tailgate don't leave holes. I believe the Lexus symbol does have alignment holes though.

BlackCat81

Will that system you recommended also work on an 03 with Nav? Edit; just looked it up and it'll work.