99 LX470 head unit recommendation? And help on install?

[ehh]

Looking for a CarPlay unit that’ll fit well and won’t be laggy.

Also hoping for some help on install, did some research but in this case the old unit was stolen and the wires are all cut. I don’t know which original head unit was in it. There’s a preamp under the passenger seat

 

[cryptyk]

This is going to be harder than on a normal vehicle because the LX has the climate controls as part of the headunit in most cases.

Step one is to figure out which stock system you had. Can you take a picture of the dash area?

 

[DanInDenver]

What year is your vehicle? The years without Nav are fairly straight forward and posts exist detailing the wiring.
The Nav with integrated HVAC very much complicate things but not impossibly so.

 

[ehh]

It's a 99, the climate controls below the head unit are still there. It's just the actual head unit itself is gone. Vehicle history shows lexus dealer had to repair the wiring due to the cut wires shorting everything out

 

[cryptyk]

It's a 99, the climate controls below the head unit are still there. It's just the actual head unit itself is gone. Vehicle history shows lexus dealer had to repair the wiring due to the cut wires shorting everything out

That's great news that you have the separate climate controls. You can just replace the headunit with any standard headunit that supports carplay. My suggestion would be to buy the correct wiring harness for the truck from crutchfield, cut off the factory side of that harness, and carefully connect each wire from the truck wiring to the new harness wiring.
That will give you a connector you can use to install a new headunit.
The factory manual and the wiring diagram for the harness will be critical to get the wires lined up correctly. Someone here might also be able to give you a picture of their 99-02 LX factory connector so you can visually compare.

 

[ehh]

That's great news that you have the separate climate controls. You can just replace the headunit with any standard headunit that supports carplay. My suggestion would be to buy the correct wiring harness for the truck from crutchfield, cut off the factory side of that harness, and carefully connect each wire from the truck wiring to the new harness wiring.
That will give you a connector you can use to install a new headunit.
The factory manual and the wiring diagram for the harness will be critical to get the wires lined up correctly. Someone here might also be able to give you a picture of their 99-02 LX factory connector so you can visually compare.

I don't believe crutchfield has a wiring harness, it says it's gotta be manually spliced in. I'm also looking for a head unit recommendation if anyone has one

 

[cryptyk]

I don't believe crutchfield has a wiring harness, it says it's gotta be manually spliced in. I'm also looking for a head unit recommendation if anyone has one

This thread will be a good resource for you:

Nakamichi Update - '99 LX 470

Yes, I know this has been done and posted before - big thanks to @sk8salomon for their thread where I learned a lot: LX470 Stereo Upgrade with Nakamichi As many folks know, there is no adapter you can order to plug an aftermarket deck into the 22-pin connector (F) that our LX470s are equipped...

forum.ih8mud.com

This post references one of the (multiple) times someone had referenced using an LC harness from crutchfield to install a double din headunit.

Nakamichi Update - '99 LX 470

I have followed @steppecruiser 's guide and it has been very helpful. I have the RCA cables crimped and ready to go, but before I go installing my Pioneer AVH-2550NEX I want to make sure that I am understanding the part where pin 5 and 14 need to be wired together to the control wire on the new...

forum.ih8mud.com

You're correct that it needs to be manually spliced in. That what I was saying. But rather than splice into the headunit harness directly, my recommendation is to find the wiring harness for the LC and manually splice the factory wires to that. Then you at least have a standard connector you can use going forward.

 

[ehh]

This thread will be a good resource for you:

Nakamichi Update - '99 LX 470

Yes, I know this has been done and posted before - big thanks to @sk8salomon for their thread where I learned a lot: LX470 Stereo Upgrade with Nakamichi As many folks know, there is no adapter you can order to plug an aftermarket deck into the 22-pin connector (F) that our LX470s are equipped...

forum.ih8mud.com

This post references one of the (multiple) times someone had referenced using an LC harness from crutchfield to install a double din headunit.

Nakamichi Update - '99 LX 470

I have followed @steppecruiser 's guide and it has been very helpful. I have the RCA cables crimped and ready to go, but before I go installing my Pioneer AVH-2550NEX I want to make sure that I am understanding the part where pin 5 and 14 need to be wired together to the control wire on the new...

forum.ih8mud.com

You're correct that it needs to be manually spliced in. That what I was saying. But rather than splice into the headunit harness directly, my recommendation is to find the wiring harness for the LC and manually splice the factory wires to that. Then you at least have a standard connector you can use going forward.

Ahh I see, so get a 99 LC harness to splice in? I need to take some time to delve deeper into that thread but in short, any idea on whether or not one needs to bypass the amp or if it's better to splice back into it? Or will that harness handle that?

 

[cryptyk]

Ahh I see, so get a 99 LC harness to splice in? I need to take some time to delve deeper into that thread but in short, any idea on whether or not one needs to bypass the amp or if it's better to splice back into it? Or will that harness handle that?

The options are:
1) splice factory wires directly to the headunit wiring. I wouldn't do this, because it makes any future headunit replacement painful.
2) Get a factory connector and splice that in to basically get back to stock. I wouldn't do this either because then you still need to get from stock to a more standard audio harness.
3) get the harness from crutchfield and splice into that. Then you have standard RCAs you can use with the accessory wires broken out. This is what I would do.

If you go with option 3, you just need to find a diagram or picture of the stock harness so you know which wires to spice to which on the new harness. I think this is the right harness, but you should verify:

Nakamichi Update - '99 LX 470

I have followed @steppecruiser 's guide and it has been very helpful. I have the RCA cables crimped and ready to go, but before I go installing my Pioneer AVH-2550NEX I want to make sure that I am understanding the part where pin 5 and 14 need to be wired together to the control wire on the new...

forum.ih8mud.com

I would dry test the wiring first, then go back and solder each connector.

 

[cryptyk]

Also, bypassing the amp depends on whether you want to use the amplifier in the headunit (and bypass the amp), or whether you want to use the line outs on the headunit (and keep the amp)

 

[ehh]

I ordered the metra harness and one of those atoto cheaper 9'' units, hopefully those work together

 

[rock climber]

I ordered the metra harness and one of those atoto cheaper 9'' units, hopefully those work together

I just did mine last night and it was a mess. Mine is a 98 with the pioneer amp. Can you take pictures of the wiring in the dash and also by the amplifier?

I have an ATOTO in my son's car and I've been happy with it. Especially for the price. WIll the 9 inch fit though, it may be too big.

Here's the writing for the headunit. Since the harness has been cut, the numbers won;t matter, but the colors should match.

LX470​
Stock Headunit
01 WHT +B​
02 BLU/YEL +B2​	Power (Blue/Yellow)​
03 n/c​
04 GRN ILL​	Illumination​
05 BLK/RED ANT+​	Antenna (amp turn on)​
06 PNK FL+​	Left Front Positive​
07 n/c​
08 RED RR+​	Rear Right Positive​
09 BLK RL+​	Rear Left Positive​
10 GRY ACC​	Accesory​
11 BRN E​	Ground​
12 n/c​
13 WHT/GRN ILL​
14 BLK/RED AMP+​
15 ORG MUTE​
16 GRN BEEP​
17 BLU FR-​	Front Right Negative​
18 LT GRN FR+​	Front Right Positive​
19 VIO FL-​	Front Left Negative​
20 n/c​
21 WHT RR-​	Rear Right Negative​
22 YEL RL-​	Rear Left Negative​
	Amp Turn on​

This is at the amplifier and it's to connect the speaker wires from the headunit to the speakers (basically connects them where the amp used to be).

Wires from head unit to amp		Wires from amp to speakers		Wires to subwoofer		Power wires	Power wires
01 n/c​		01 LT GRN FR+​		01 BLU/BLK WF1+​		01 BRN GND1​
02 n/c​		02 PNK FL+​		02 BLU/RED WF1-​		02 BLU/YEL +B1 (from 20A radio fuse)​	Connect D2 and D5​
03 LT GRN FR+​		03 n/c​		03 n/c​		03 n/c​
04 BLK RL+​		04 RED RR+​		04 n/c​		04 BRN GND2​
05 RED RR+​		05 BLK RL+​		05 n/c​		05 BLU/YEL +B2 (goes to Head unit)​
06 BLK/RED AMP​		06 BLU FR-​		06 BLU/WHT WF2+​		06 GRY ACC (goes to 15A Cigar fuse)​	Connect D6 and D8​
07 GRN BEEP​		07 VIO FL-​		07 BLU/YEL WF2​		07 ORG MUTE​
08 BLU FR-​		08 n/c​		08 n/c​		08 GRY ACC0 (goes to head unit)​
09 VIO FL-​		09 n/c​		09 n/c​		09 WHT +B0​
10 PNK FL+​		10 n/c​		10 n/c​
11 NCA SDG1​		11 n/c​		11 n/c​
12 NCA SDG2​		12 WHT RR-​		12 n/c​
13 YEL RL-​		13 YEL RL-​		13 n/c​
14 WHT RR-​				14 n/c​

 

[ehh]

I just did mine last night and it was a mess. Mine is a 98 with the pioneer amp. Can you take pictures of the wiring in the dash and also by the amplifier?

I have an ATOTO in my son's car and I've been happy with it. Especially for the price. WIll the 9 inch fit though, it may be too big.

Here's the writing for the headunit. Since the harness has been cut, the numbers won;t matter, but the colors should match.

LX470​
Stock Headunit
01 WHT +B​
02 BLU/YEL +B2​	Power (Blue/Yellow)​
03 n/c​
04 GRN ILL​	Illumination​
05 BLK/RED ANT+​	Antenna (amp turn on)​
06 PNK FL+​	Left Front Positive​
07 n/c​
08 RED RR+​	Rear Right Positive​
09 BLK RL+​	Rear Left Positive​
10 GRY ACC​	Accesory​
11 BRN E​	Ground​
12 n/c​
13 WHT/GRN ILL​
14 BLK/RED AMP+​
15 ORG MUTE​
16 GRN BEEP​
17 BLU FR-​	Front Right Negative​
18 LT GRN FR+​	Front Right Positive​
19 VIO FL-​	Front Left Negative​
20 n/c​
21 WHT RR-​	Rear Right Negative​
22 YEL RL-​	Rear Left Negative​
	Amp Turn on​

This is at the amplifier and it's to connect the speaker wires from the headunit to the speakers (basically connects them where the amp used to be).

Wires from head unit to amp		Wires from amp to speakers		Wires to subwoofer		Power wires	Power wires
01 n/c​		01 LT GRN FR+​		01 BLU/BLK WF1+​		01 BRN GND1​
02 n/c​		02 PNK FL+​		02 BLU/RED WF1-​		02 BLU/YEL +B1 (from 20A radio fuse)​	Connect D2 and D5​
03 LT GRN FR+​		03 n/c​		03 n/c​		03 n/c​
04 BLK RL+​		04 RED RR+​		04 n/c​		04 BRN GND2​
05 RED RR+​		05 BLK RL+​		05 n/c​		05 BLU/YEL +B2 (goes to Head unit)​
06 BLK/RED AMP​		06 BLU FR-​		06 BLU/WHT WF2+​		06 GRY ACC (goes to 15A Cigar fuse)​	Connect D6 and D8​
07 GRN BEEP​		07 VIO FL-​		07 BLU/YEL WF2​		07 ORG MUTE​
08 BLU FR-​		08 n/c​		08 n/c​		08 GRY ACC0 (goes to head unit)​
09 VIO FL-​		09 n/c​		09 n/c​		09 WHT +B0​
10 PNK FL+​		10 n/c​		10 n/c​
11 NCA SDG1​		11 n/c​		11 n/c​
12 NCA SDG2​		12 WHT RR-​		12 n/c​
13 YEL RL-​		13 YEL RL-​		13 n/c​
14 WHT RR-​				14 n/c​

I measured across the open slot and it was closer to 9 than 7, I measured diagonally. Was that incorrect?

 

[rock climber]

I measured across the open slot and it was closer to 9 than 7, I measured diagonally. Was that incorrect?

Maybe. The slot is bigger than what will actually fit depending on how it's installed. Is it a standard double din mounting but then a bigger screen?

I bought this to fill in the gap so the 9 inch might do that better then my ebay plastic piece.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[ehh]

Maybe. The slot is bigger than what will actually fit depending on how it's installed. Is it a standard double din mounting but then a bigger screen?

I bought this to fill in the gap so the 9 inch might do that better then my ebay plastic piece.

Pardon Our Interruption...

It’s either double or single with a double din size with a larger screen, the actual opening was beyond 7” diagonally so the smaller ones seemed like it’d leave space but maybe I made a mistake

 

[rock climber]

It’s either double or single with a double din size with a larger screen, the actual opening was beyond 7” diagonally so the smaller ones seemed like it’d leave space but maybe I made a mistake

It might actually better than the ebay faceplate. Since you already ordered it I'd go ahead and see what it looks like. Maybe I'll follow your lead

 

[wthomp10]

Take a look at this thread. May help

DIY: 2001 LX 470 Apple CarPlay stereo install, Mark Levinson Amp Removal, Speaker Replacement

Overview: I replaced the stereo, replaced speakers and bypassed the amp in my 100-series cruiser (2001 Lexus LX 470). I installed a Sony Apple CarPlay headunit and Alpine component speakers and removed the factory amp. The instructions are below. NOTE: I took so many photos that I realized if...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Africaster]

I just did mine last night and it was a mess. Mine is a 98 with the pioneer amp. Can you take pictures of the wiring in the dash and also by the amplifier?

I have an ATOTO in my son's car and I've been happy with it. Especially for the price. WIll the 9 inch fit though, it may be too big.

Here's the writing for the headunit. Since the harness has been cut, the numbers won;t matter, but the colors should match.

LX470​
Stock Headunit
01 WHT +B​
02 BLU/YEL +B2​	Power (Blue/Yellow)​
03 n/c​
04 GRN ILL​	Illumination​
05 BLK/RED ANT+​	Antenna (amp turn on)​
06 PNK FL+​	Left Front Positive​
07 n/c​
08 RED RR+​	Rear Right Positive​
09 BLK RL+​	Rear Left Positive​
10 GRY ACC​	Accesory​
11 BRN E​	Ground​
12 n/c​
13 WHT/GRN ILL​
14 BLK/RED AMP+​
15 ORG MUTE​
16 GRN BEEP​
17 BLU FR-​	Front Right Negative​
18 LT GRN FR+​	Front Right Positive​
19 VIO FL-​	Front Left Negative​
20 n/c​
21 WHT RR-​	Rear Right Negative​
22 YEL RL-​	Rear Left Negative​
	Amp Turn on​

This is at the amplifier and it's to connect the speaker wires from the headunit to the speakers (basically connects them where the amp used to be).

Wires from head unit to amp		Wires from amp to speakers		Wires to subwoofer		Power wires	Power wires
01 n/c​		01 LT GRN FR+​		01 BLU/BLK WF1+​		01 BRN GND1​
02 n/c​		02 PNK FL+​		02 BLU/RED WF1-​		02 BLU/YEL +B1 (from 20A radio fuse)​	Connect D2 and D5​
03 LT GRN FR+​		03 n/c​		03 n/c​		03 n/c​
04 BLK RL+​		04 RED RR+​		04 n/c​		04 BRN GND2​
05 RED RR+​		05 BLK RL+​		05 n/c​		05 BLU/YEL +B2 (goes to Head unit)​
06 BLK/RED AMP​		06 BLU FR-​		06 BLU/WHT WF2+​		06 GRY ACC (goes to 15A Cigar fuse)​	Connect D6 and D8​
07 GRN BEEP​		07 VIO FL-​		07 BLU/YEL WF2​		07 ORG MUTE​
08 BLU FR-​		08 n/c​		08 n/c​		08 GRY ACC0 (goes to head unit)​
09 VIO FL-​		09 n/c​		09 n/c​		09 WHT +B0​
10 PNK FL+​		10 n/c​		10 n/c​
11 NCA SDG1​		11 n/c​		11 n/c​
12 NCA SDG2​		12 WHT RR-​		12 n/c​
13 YEL RL-​		13 YEL RL-​		13 n/c​
14 WHT RR-​				14 n/c​

Rockclimber … please PM me your address and favorite tipple … the above has saved my sanity without a shadow of a doubt. Cheers Brad