Roadagain

Hello Lexies! Thought I would share technology upgrade for my 1998 LS400.

I got this car a month ago and only big question was how to go about its connectivity upgrades.
Ditching existing Lexus Premium sound would be too expensive and would not justify the cost. Original amp and speakers are doing just fine for my taste.
I looked at Beat-Sonic SLA-22AD and Pioneer AVH-4200NEX combo to keep all in tact. It offers Android Auto functionality. Combined hardware costs would be around 1K off the bat. Ouch, if you ask me. Plus, I thought many functions of Pioneer unit I wont be using anyway. I wanted more for less. So I thought about adding android tablet instead.

So here is what I did:
1. Added Bluetooth functionality via Tranzit BLU HF ($80 on Amazon). It connects via existing antenna and takes over FM frequency. Sounds good enough.

2. Bought Samsung Tab A 8 inch tablet in Smoky Titanium color. It actually matched dash colors pretty nicely. ($180 on Amazon) + Matte Anti-glare screen protector. $8.00

3. Mounting. Hate most of mounting systems and cleanest way was going with magnets. Two of them hold tablet perfectly stable. Mounted them on radio's screen. ($20 e.a on Amazon. could be cheaper if looked longer I guess, however, liked form factor) Brand: Bungajungle Neutron S-Universal Magnetic Phone & Tablet Mount (Magnetically Shielded) - Deep Space Grey.

4. Connectivity: Connect tablet via Bluetooth to Tranzit BLU receiver. Internet - Using my phone as hot spot to connect tablet online.

5. Software for tablet: Car Launcher: Auto Mate. Integrates desired apps into solid ecosystem.
Car apps thus far: Waze, Google Maps, Yelp, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, Pandora, AirBnB, Viber.

Only issue with this setup is that I need to flip Bluetooth connection from tablet to smartphone for hands-free call.

Total spent: $300

Another investment was Street Guardian dash cam to keep things in check on front of me.

Hope it helps!

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Good job in figuring this out. Can we see a pic of the mount?

Roadagain

Here they go. Size of the magnets did not take much of FM panel. As you can see, they are really small and fit perfectly. Quick removal is a bonus, when leaving a car in questionable areas. Tablet also hides well in armrest's top compartment.

Edit: Another option was to slap magnets on wood trim right below cassette player, covering closed ashtray. It would look cleaner and perfectly aligned to center, but then shift **** would interfere with line of sight when in park position. I use ashtray compartment to put my phone into.