Can someone help me with a question (may be silly) What is the small two to three inch antenna mast on the top rear of LS 430 for. If it is missing what system will not work or work as well? Thank in advance

 

Its for Lexus Link I believe...

 

No unfortunately It does not have that service. Any others????

 

That antenna was for the Lexus Link and it was installed whether or not you had the service or not. I guess Lexus figures it was easier to just install it on every vehicle than to specifically not install it. Who knows why.... that is not the radio, satellite, or NAV antenna, that is for sure.

 

Thanks very much for that info...I can see I'm going to love this site for help with insite on my new 430. Have one other question for now. What is the square shaped item stuck to the inside passenger side windshield. Has small wire lead from it heading down the side of support frame and disappearing into car.

Thanks again so much...

 

That black box glued to inside wind shield is the rain sensor for the wipers. If you put your wiper switch on auto the rain sensor will take over wiper control and turn on the wipers at the appropriate speed when it senses moisture on your windshield. Mine works great , I just leave wiper switch on auto all the time, the sensor handles the rain and I don't even think about it 90% of the time. Just another way the LS is designed to let you focus on actual driving. This is a great forum for asking questions, and nobody minds helping at all, and we welcome any questions from new owners. . Having said that I'd suggest any new owner take some time to read and study certain parts of the owners manual - especially study the first section where all the switches are labeled. It is a complicated car and to really enjoy all it has to offer it is best to build some expertise on its capabilities.

 

There is a little more to it than that. The stubby LS430 roof antenna was also used for the optional Lexus dealer installed phone system unless the car was equipped at the factory with Lexus Link. On cars with Lexus Link, the Lexus dealer installed a stick-on phone antenna on the LS430 rear rear window similar to the factory installed imprinted phone antennas on the rear windows of 95-00 LS400's.

The 2003 LS430 dealer installed phone system used the Nokia 6310i GSM phone from AT&T and some of the same components, including the handset cradle, as the Nokia CARK-91H phone system in my 2000 LS400. On LS430's with nav, calls could be placed on the Nokia 6310i from the nav screen. On both nav and non-nav LS430's, calls could be made or received using the steering wheel phone controller. (FYI, the Nokia 6310i was the first, and for a while the only, Bluetooth phone certified by Lexus to work with the 2004 LS430 Bluetooth system.)

The attached photo shows what the Nokia cradle and a 6300 series handset looks like in my LS400 -- the Lexus dealer would have installed the cradle in the center console in the LS430. My Nokia kit uses the factory phone antenna on my LS400 like it would in an LS430 with the dealer installed phone (and no Lexus Link).

Attached is a diagram showing the LS430 roof antenna used with the dealer installed phone system.

The LS430 roof top antenna can still be used to supply an antenna connection to a cell phone through a phone charging cradle such as the Bury System 9 which is the basis for the Lexus Bluetooth Complementary Kit sold in Europe for the LS430 and LS460/600h. If you drive in areas with poor cell phone reception, using the LS430 roof antenna with your cell phone should provide a significant improvement in range and help prevent calls from being dropped.

The interchangable cradles in the Bury System 9 (and in the Lexus Bluetooth Complementary Kit) are available for mainly higher end smart phones like iPhone and Blackberry. For example, if family members have different phones -- e.g. an iPhone and a Blackberry -- each family member would have his own cradle insert that would snap into the Bury System 9 "phone base". It all works like the interchangable charging cradles available from U.S. Mercedes dealers.

The Lexus Bluetooth Complementary Kits are pretty expensive although you could probably call up a European Lexus dealer and have one sent to the US. In comparison, the Bury System 9 phone base and interchangable cradles are pretty cheap (total about $150 for the base and one snap-in cradle) from eBay seller unlimitedcellular but they don't include all the installation items (e.g. wiring harnesses) like the official Lexus accessory does.

Once I getted started on this stuff, its hard to stop ...

 

Jim, That was some great insight!!!....I am an iPhone user and one of my concerns was of getting the '03 vs '04 model was the lack of bluetooth. If i understand you here I need to take to dealer first and see what I really have. Sounds like I have more options than I thought and this LS430 has Nav.

Thanks again..appreciate any other insight and keep all the other helpful great post coming.

TImeguy

 

This will fit the LS430 as it is the only one I have seen that comes with the required M4 screw adaptor. Ebay seller: epartsgogo
Beware if the description says it will fit your car and they don't specify the screw size adapters provided. 76MM ANTENNA UNIVERSAL FIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ht_3046wt_1086

 

I'm confused. The wire from my rain sensor goes directly into the headliner and is virtually invisable. No wire lead from this box is visable down the side of the support frame on my car, an 04. Was it different for 03?

 

Rain sensor should be on the windshield, around your rearview mirror. Step outside and look for a small hole (almost looks like a small camera) where the plastic above the wipers are. That should be your rain sensor.

From the other posts, it sounds like the small plastic piece was once a part of Lexus Link or a dealer installed mobile phone.

Btw, welcome and congrats on the car. Post up some pics!

 

^oops meant to say above the *rearview mirrors* for the above post

 

I also have a 2003 LS430 with nav and Lexus Link. I know the Lexus Link is analog and no longer works but it still will turn down the radio and anounce through the speaker every time about a minute after startup regarding a "Lexus Link system error being detected". I just turn the volume way down and can hardly hear it, but was wondering. Is there a way to utilize these system components to also handle a bluetooth phone?

 

No offense, but I know exactly what and where the rain sensor is. What I was trying to say was that only about an inch of the lead from that sensor is visible, as it goes directly into the headliner and disappears. There is no visible lead down the front front pillar as described in the post I was responding to.

Sorry about the confusion, as it really doesn't matter. Just sounded like an add on and not original equipment.

 

My apologies, I skimmed it on my phone and thought it was something OP posted and misinterpreted your post. No hard feelings?