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Selecting a Bluetooth adapter for car stereo


Unclejake

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I'm keen to play music from my smart phone through my car stereo. There's a few options available, but I really want a reliable unit that will interface with my factory dash and steering wheel controls. In my case it's a 2007 Lexus GS430, but if you know of a brand of Bluetooth adapter that's very reliable it'd be great to hear about it. My car has the 330 watt ten speaker Mark Levinson stereo (a $4.5k option when new) so it'd be good to keep as much sound quality as possible over bluetooth

I do not want to use the aftermarket handsfree calling if I can avoid it. The Lexus does that thing perfectly adequately. I'm just after a music source (whilst preserving the factory handsfree function). There's no auxiliary input for the Lexus stereo BTW

I'm tending towards the Vais brand SL3b-L bluetooth adapter, but there's heaps of others like Grom, iSimple, GTA and Crux

Any recommendations?

 

http://www.vaistech.com/product/sl3b-l/

http://gromaudio.com/store/bt3_adapters/toyota_lexus_scion_98-11_aux-in_mp3_bluetooth_ipod_iphone_adapter.html

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i1903_lexus-bluetooth.html

 

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I'd like to be able to play music off my phone through the free OS radio cassette I got from Tumeke, but I don't want a full handsfree kit since I ignore the phone when driving.  Jaycar have an FM transmitter unit for $19.90, that would probably do that for me. https://www.jaycar.co.nz/fm-transmitter-with-mp3-player-and-remote-control/p/AR3136 

That Vais unit sounds great for the Lexus.

 

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On 3/3/2017 at 10:09, Unclejake said:

I'm keen to play music from my smart phone through my car stereo. There's a few options available, but I really want a reliable unit that will interface with my factory dash and steering wheel controls. In my case it's a 2007 Lexus GS430, but if you know of a brand of Bluetooth adapter that's very reliable it'd be great to hear about it. My car has the 330 watt ten speaker Mark Levinson stereo (a $4.5k option when new) so it'd be good to keep as much sound quality as possible over bluetooth

I do not want to use the aftermarket handsfree calling if I can avoid it. The Lexus does that thing perfectly adequately. I'm just after a music source (whilst preserving the factory handsfree function). There's no auxiliary input for the Lexus stereo BTW

I'm tending towards the Vais brand SL3b-L bluetooth adapter, but there's heaps of others like Grom, iSimple, GTA and Crux

Any recommendations?

 

http://www.vaistech.com/product/sl3b-l/

http://gromaudio.com/store/bt3_adapters/toyota_lexus_scion_98-11_aux-in_mp3_bluetooth_ipod_iphone_adapter.html

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i1903_lexus-bluetooth.html

 

Had the dude at myaudio in Webb st chuck a similar unit in the missus mazda 3 no idea what make but it works really well, maybe have a yarn with him?

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Ness has a xcar link in her accord and that plugs in to the stock stacker & uses the aux button. There is some functionality with the steering wheel controls too. It has a usb or micro sd card adaptor too so you can fill it with your tunes

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  • 5 years later...

Mine is a NZ new 2007 GS430.

Lexus didn't put Bluetooth into the GS until later.

I think I purchased a Vaistech adapter which I installed in the glovebox. I can't remember the exact brand but Vaistech sounds correct. 

The adapter has been flawlesince 2017. I've never needed to touch it since the day I installed it (but to be fair I don't drive the vehicle often)

 

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1 hour ago, rumrum said:

@Unclejake Dredging up the past buttt..... was it a jap import gs430? What did you end up going with? Cheers

45 minutes ago, Unclejake said:

Mine is a NZ new 2007 GS430.

Lexus didn't put Bluetooth into the GS until later.

I think I purchased a Vaistech adapter which I installed in the glovebox. I can't remember the exact brand but Vaistech sounds correct. 

The adapter has been flawlesince 2017. I've never needed to touch it since the day I installed it (but to be fair I don't drive the vehicle often)

 

Old thread dredge but I got a warehouse 30$ spec thing that goes on the ciggy lihter and broadcasts a fm station.

Put in @- i5oogt - gen 4 paj with Rockford sound system in it and its equally as good sound as the full android system in my e39 wagon 

/ling

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3 hours ago, Unclejake said:

Mine is a NZ new 2007 GS430.

Lexus didn't put Bluetooth into the GS until later.

I think I purchased a Vaistech adapter which I installed in the glovebox. I can't remember the exact brand but Vaistech sounds correct. 

The adapter has been flawlesince 2017. I've never needed to touch it since the day I installed it (but to be fair I don't drive the vehicle often)

 

Cheers I just bought a jap import one and looking at options...  seems like there's no great way of doing it aside from sending the hard drive to chch to change to English, or wait to find a wrecked nz one 

20230127_203145.jpg

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3 hours ago, rumrum said:

Cheers I just bought a jap import one 

 

I've owned about 60 cars from Triumph Heralds to Alfa GTV, to Jags, to turbo Porsche (and even a BA Falcon amongst a previous ~ 15 Falcons).... and the best car I have EVER owned is the Lexus GS430.

The only reason I'd ever sell it is to upgrade to a GS F... and perhaps I'd regret that.

Nice work mate. You've set yourself a high benchmark

 

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1 hour ago, Unclejake said:

I loved the BA wagon.  K-trips possibly still has it? Dunno. 

Rumrum - talk to Vivaspeed. He knows import GS stuff

Nah I ran that around for a couple years and spent a bit too much moolah on it. Then one day I realised that I owned  a BA wagon, an XF wagon, a VH wagon and a Xantia wagon and realised one man can only get so erect/should only get stay erect for so long. So I sold the BA and XF and scrapped the Xantia, concentrating on the VH now. Which in saying that, is fairly close to driving.

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On 30/01/2023 at 12:46, JustHarry said:

 

Old thread dredge but I got a warehouse 30$ spec thing that goes on the ciggy lihter and broadcasts a fm station.

Put in @- i5oogt - gen 4 paj with Rockford sound system in it and its equally as good sound as the full android system in my e39 wagon 

/ling

Link or picture please

like this?

https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/tech.inc-bluetooth-v2-fm-transmitter/R2618139.html

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