Help Needed To Change Oem Stereo To A New Modern One

finest1 · February 4, 2009

hi all,

i've been saving up to buy and install a new head unit.

i have the MK1 gs300 sport. these versions did not come with sat nav or anything so i would like to change it. i DO want to keep my 6 changer in the back and still run that.

here is what i've got my eye on:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TD702G-7-Motorized-C...%3A1|240%3A1318

i have taken the measurements and it theoretically fits, however, i don't know the depth of the OEM. the depth of the unit on the e-bay ad says 169mm. i need to know if it will fit in my slot.

i also need:

tips/tutorial guidance on how to install the head unit once i get it.

i also need to get a facia to fill in the gaps. the mk1 has a sort of trapezium shape. so not sure who or where i can get it from.

hope you can help, looking forward to watching dvd's whilst dossing at work !!!

:D

sparkystav · February 4, 2009

DO NOT BUY THAT HEADUNIT

seriously if your gonna change to a double din then do some research and buy a branded one. theres a thread recently on the pioneer double DIN unit and its not very expensive but much better quality than them units.

I've had two of these all singing all dancing multi function headunit and honestly they're really not that good. yes they have all the function but the interface is basic and the sound quality is horrible and you'll more than likely get alternator whine to boot.

I've now got a decent alpine single DIN and i will never get another unit like that.

Stav

finest1 · February 4, 2009

great !

advice noted!

can you, or anyone, recommend me other units to consider?

still need help on installation etc

thanks

sparkystav · February 4, 2009

have a flick through this thread mate on choosing a headunit:

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...=56319&st=0

As for fitment, not sure mate, maybe browse the GS section and have a look.

Stav

TigerFish · February 5, 2009

I changed out the head unit on my Mk1. I think you will struggle to find anything that will work the factory CD unit in the boot. I used my original Sony single Din unit that I have had in all of my cars for the last few years. I like the "blacked out" appearance. I ditched the amp in the boot, the CD changer and the sub out of the rear shelf. I did use the exiting wiring to get the sound to the speakers, and just ran new cabling to deal with the Vibe CBRA10 sub I have in the boot. Because I have the ipod adaptor for my Sony head unit I can control all of the ipod playlist via the remote commander control for the unit and see all track details on the head unit. Works great for my non-audiophile ears!

A couple of my threads covering the fitment, although not a huge amount on the wiring side as that was just a case of cutting and splicing wiring into a set of ISO connectors (so that I could fit the parrot Ck3100 hands free kit into the system.

finest1 · February 6, 2009

thanks rick

TigerFish · February 10, 2009

Some answers to a PM that finest1 sent to me earlier.

just to clear up some points on changing head unit. i read your threads a few times. questions i want to ask :

No Problem

you mentioned that installing a double din unit won't work because of the connectors won't line up with the oem wiring. is that right?

A double din will work mate, just that I already had a single DIN that I wanted to use. None of the wiring will line so to speak for any head unit as the connectors are more than likely going to be different. i.e. My Sony unit has ISO connectors, the Lexus has three toyota connectors so I cut those off and connected the required wires into an ISO harness.

by going single din, is that better for wiring? is it because you'll have more room to work with?

There is more room, but that isn't the reason I did it (see answer above).

you changed your amp from the oem one. is that because you wanted to, or it needed to be done? ideally i'd like to keep the amp and speakers. if it is necessary to change the amp, is that because of the wiring won't match?

I didn't change the amp, I discarded it. The replacement head unit has the amp already in it so it was redundant. If the replacement head unit has RCA connections (Mine does but I din't want to use them for this purpose) it may be possible to feed the factory Amp. That would have to be at your own risk... lol. With my setup, I essentially bypassed the amp by joining the in and out wiring of the amp together so that the factory wiring could be used straight from the head unit to the speakers. This meant the amp could be completely removed. The RCA connectors on my head unit were used to feed that Vibe sub-woofer in the boot.

i understand that i can't use my cd changer. is that regardless of whether its single or double din?

Yes, single or double DIN doesn't make any difference. I doubt there will be any after market head units that "talk" the same protocol to make the CD changer work and/or have the same connectors. There possibly are but again you would have to cut and splice wiring and try it at your own risk.

if changing the amp is a must, did you pick your replacement because it was the right dimensions, or any aftermarket amp would work? you can understand that i didn't budget for a new amp as i didn't think i needed it. also, i use the boot for work.

I didn't need change the amp, just remove it, so there was no cost involved (the head unit had the power I needed from its own built in amp). Because I use my ipod, there was no need for the CD changer for me, hence why that was removed also. This would have a positive side effect for you, as you mention you use the boot for work. You would be surprised how much room is freed up in the boot when the Amp and CD changer are removed ;)