Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

OK, I looked at a variety of Ipod mounting options for the SC here, there, and everywhere., But before I begin my quest I first needed to ascertain what my ultimate goals/needs were:

1) Solid mounting
2) Within each reach
3) Clean install
4) Good reception
5) Charged at the same time

SIGNAL
I first looked at hard wiring into the system but discarded this quickly as I do not have the time and the one's that I have seen required bypass toggles for the signals. Cassette adapters were out. As much as I disliked FM transmitters I figured I would try several to see if one or more worked well. Buy, refund, buy ,refund,etc…..

I tried several from Apple, Belkin, and others that I no longer remember the names. Really pricey though. The performance in reception was from poor to downright criminal in performance. Then I saw one on Ebay that I thought would work well and did in fact perform very well in our Tundra-we bought two. The Fusion hated it though but then nothing works in the Fusion anyhow as the stereo reception is plain poor. But...in the SC it worked wonderfully with excellent reception and very rarely any static. I picked it up off Ebay for less than $20.00 shipped each!

MOUNT
I quickly found that that the problem was it stuck in the lighter location and hindered the shifter from going to Park which necessitated removal each time I went to park which was a pain. Getting a Japanese ashtray with the flip-flopped lighter location was out as then the cup holders would get in the way.
But I really liked the reception of this unit which is when I came across the Ipod base mount pictured below from Kudo. http://www.kudausa.com/kuda_mount_an...02-21-212.html. Made specifically for the SC430 with poor instructions to but easy to figure out. Shipping was 3 days flat.

INSTALL
I first had to remove the lighter adapter from the back of the Ipod base and then opened it up to gain access to the power wires so that I can solder those into a live 12v line under the console. This way, my lighter is still open for other accessories if needed like a cel charger and stuff. I soldered on longer power wires and also rerouted the FM transmitter antennae in the picture to provide better transmission and away from the power wires to prevent any possible interference like humming. The picture does not reflect these changes.

The mount itself is very easy to install on the car. There are NO holes to be screwed into the car. There is a small hole that must be screwed into the bottom of the Kudo and they really should have done this at the factory. This attached to a small clip and then loops up and grabs the bottom of the console on the car from the inside. A screw ratchets them together and this mount is on there nice and tight. Very nice.

Some double stick tape mounts the Ipod mount to the Kudo mount and that is it.

The texture and color of the mount is slightly off but it still carries a OEM look and feel about it. The color is really only noticeable in the flash photos but in daylight things are very close to matching and most would not see any difference.

Nice, solid, within reach, xlnt transmission, and clean install.
Lee


Please share you mounting ideas for others to use as guidance in their decision.


This is the plug in unit itself before I opened it up

Opened up.


The Kudo mount installed. The enclosed screw is too long in my opinion as it goes into the carpet. I used a 1/2 long screw instead.


Completed project. Ipod installed and unplugs within 2 seconds.


I am thinking of going from this 4gb Nano unit to a 60gb unit as this one is filling up fast, but at least this mount will accommodate it.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

The old method of installing. Shifter would not go into park but easy to use.

egoldy

Posted this in another thread, but was reading this so I thought I'd reply here too:

(copied this from my other post).

I just bought a pre-owned Lexus SC430 - 2003 and was trying to find ways to integrate my IPOD into it. Did some research, and came across this site which began to point me in the right direction.

Long story short, I paid a company to install this:

http://www.vaistech.com/sli.html

along with the new Harmon Karmon "Drive and Play" thing.

The implementation is VERY clean -- picture perfect. I had been using the ipod with a higher end cassette tape adapter, but the sound this way is much better - not to mention the interface being 100 times better.


I took a few pictures to show how clean this install went.

http://img188.imageshack.us/my.php?...cture004hr4.jpg

http://img477.imageshack.us/my.php?...cture005ck3.jpg

http://img477.imageshack.us/my.php?...cture006lr9.jpg

You can also see the Parrot CK3000 I had installed if you look below the vent on the left of the steering wheel.

To answer the questions above:

- The Drive and Play has it's own interface, so it doesn't use the text capabilities. I was originally going to have them stick it in the ash tray area (take that out as I don't smoke in the car), but I like where we put it more. It's very easy to look at when you're using it. The UI control panel is perfect -- i lost the very very useful change holder though .. wah wah wah..

In terms of the disassembly, I paid someone to do all this for me. He told me it was tricky, but not as bad as the Mercedes are (which he said are a nightmare). The Parrot was actually trickier than the drive & play / VAIS as it had to be directly wired to the speaker.

The installer stuck ALL the stuff (and there were three things - -the VAIS box, the drive and play controller, and the parrot controller all behind the console..

The IPOD (as you can see from the picture) was put in the center console for easy usage..


BTW, I did my first long drive with it yesterday and am honestly blown away. Even without the Drive and Play UI, the SOUND from this sucker now is CD quality -- incredibly clean.

http://www.harmankardon.com/drive-1/default.aspx

It's more expensive than what you're talking about, but I can't get over how good the sound is compared with either a tape adapter or FM signal option.

Eric