"Tesla Style" found for older LX470/LC100

[Lotarp100]

I found this link (opens in ALIEXPRESS - no i'm not an "affiliate") that shows the touchscreen style radio/head unit with integrated HVAC controls mounted in an older model LX470. Anyone have luck with this? For $759, it's about the price of a broken nakamichi replacement AND broken HVAC control replacement.

Don't get me started about the fake lego's on there. Whatever you do don't put "millennium falcon" into the search engine.

 

[Mumblix]

I have a 2002 with the Nav screen. I know you have to do a lot of wire splicing to convert it back to the standard HVAC controls. I wonder if this is designed to directly replace the Nav screen unit or the standard contol. I do like the idea of this.

 

[aharlan001]

Cheaper option here if anyone wants to be the guinea pig. This one looks like it only works for non-nav models but not sure. From what I can tell no one has been able to get the 03+ tesla unit to work properly so I'm not holding my breath that this will actually work.

Toyota Land Cruiser LC100 Lexus LX 470 1998 - 2002 12.1

Explore our latest Tesla Style Android Radios. Unique vertical screen, Android system, bluetooth handsfree calling & music, video playback and thousands of apps waiting for you to explore. *Manual wiring might be needed for 98-00 LX 470. G6 Fully Loaded comes with built-in CarPlay, bluetooth 5.0...

rhinoradios.com

 

[jLB]

My son is making noises about wanting to try one of these in his 2000 LC (no nav).

Has anyone given one of these a shot yet, or dug any deeper than the "pretty pictures"?

Am I going to end up being guinea pig #1 (or patient #0), again?

 

[Lotarp100]

If I hadn't put $3K into the ac this month, I'd be patient zero by now. Seems every time i have the money saved for bumpers and roof rack and sliders that something else needs fixed! Would love to hear from anyone about build quality.

 

[jLB]

I now have a unit in hand.

I’m chasing down a spare climate control/stereo bezel, to act as a “donor” for the Chinese “Tesla” panel, just in case I run into an issue.

I’m not in a great rush to get it installed, but I’ll probably start fiddling with it over the weekend.

“Somebody hold my beer, and watch this..”

 

[aharlan001]

Why the need to get a donor bezel?

 

[Lotarp100]

I now have a unit in hand.

I’m chasing down a spare climate control/stereo bezel, to act as a “donor” for the Chinese “Tesla” panel, just in case I run into an issue.

I’m not in a great rush to get it installed, but I’ll probably start fiddling with it over the weekend.

“Somebody hold my beer, and watch this..”

Bless your risk! Can’t wait to hear back.

 

[jLB]

Why the need to get a donor bezel?

I probably don’t, but it would make me more comfortable as guinea pig #1 or patient #0.

1) A poorly documented bundle of wires about the size of my head, that will probably take some time to sort out. There’s a pretty good chance I’ll have to make more than one attempt at installation. I don’t want to have to restart from scratch each time.

2) Brittle plastic A/C vents need to be moved over, I don’t want to keep moving them back and forth during installation and removal.

3) Some of the OEM climate control board(s) need to be moved across. Again, I don’t want to have to keep swapping back and forth if I run into installation issues. Most importantly, if the “magic smoke” escapes from the OEM board(s), I can reinstall the original, and my son’s car still has HVAC in August.

 

[jLB]

Bless your risk! Can’t wait to hear back.

I hope that wasn’t a southern “bless your heart”!

Risk was slightly mitigated by picking it up locally, from someone that was going to try to replace their factory nav in a 2001 or 2002, until they figured out that they would have to do a “nav delete” conversion to a “3 knob control” to even get started.

 

[Lotarp100]

I've got 2000 with no nav, so this may not be applicable to me regardless.
and my button's are getting finicky, so one of the reasons I'm looking at this.
(Rear AC only works from rear buttons, auto button doesn't work, and the mode selector you have to hit 3X).

 

[jLB]

I've got 2000 with no nav, so this may not be applicable to me regardless.
and my button's are getting finicky, so one of the reasons I'm looking at this.
(Rear AC only works from rear buttons, auto button doesn't work, and the mode selector you have to hit 3X).

My install is into a 2000 TLC without navigation.

Visually, It appears that the OEM HVAC control board(s) are reused (transplanted), but the physical buttons are not. I suspect it would depend on if your problems were with the logic on the OEM board or physical issues with the switch(es) as to whether or not it could resolve your current issue(s).

 

[Lotarp100]

My install is into a 2000 TLC without navigation.

Visually, It appears that the OEM HVAC control board(s) are reused (transplanted), but the physical buttons are not. I suspect it would depend on if your problems were with the logic on the OEM board or physical issues with the switch(es) as to whether or not it could resolve your current issue(s).

Copy that, and great info on the logic boards being used. Pretty sure it's just a button issue.
So it seems the version that you have (model number or part number?) is for a manual button HVAC?

 

[jLB]

So it seems the version that you have (model number or part number?) is for a manual button HVAC?

Well, that is my understanding, but saying that there is “very little” documentation is being generous. It’s limited to a few Chinese decals on some of the wires, I got really excited when I figured out some even had an (nonsensical) English word on them!

 

[Wetwillie]

Cheaper option here if anyone wants to be the guinea pig. This one looks like it only works for non-nav models but not sure. From what I can tell no one has been able to get the 03+ tesla unit to work properly so I'm not holding my breath that this will actually work.

Toyota Land Cruiser LC100 Lexus LX 470 1998 - 2002 12.1

Explore our latest Tesla Style Android Radios. Unique vertical screen, Android system, bluetooth handsfree calling & music, video playback and thousands of apps waiting for you to explore. *Manual wiring might be needed for 98-00 LX 470. G6 Fully Loaded comes with built-in CarPlay, bluetooth 5.0...

rhinoradios.com

I actually got this working on my 2003.

It was a long frustrating journey, but In the end , well worth it.

My unit came in a box with NO instructions. NONE

I specifically asked if the unit came with the new harness so I would have climate control, and if it was plug and play. They said it did, BUT NO , it didn't. I had no climate control, or sound. If you call them, they never answer the phone.

So, I pulled out the Tesla unit, and put the factory unit back in, emailed them for a new harness, and waited.

2 weeks later I got a new harness, climate control worked, but no sound.

The seller was unresponsive.

Luckily, a mud member did a write up on how to get around the sound issue (splicing into the Tesla harness), and now all is good.

To be clear, I did not have to cut wires on the OEM harness., ( A deal breaker for me. )

I bought a apple car play dongle for the unit, and it works.

The unit works great, and was a serious upgrade from my 16 YO factory unit.

My experience with the seller was frustrating, but in the end I did not give up, and was rewarded.

 

[Lotarp100]

Same seller that I posted OT? or the second one? or another?

 

[95Fantasma80]

My install is into a 2000 TLC without navigation.

Visually, It appears that the OEM HVAC control board(s) are reused (transplanted), but the physical buttons are not. I suspect it would depend on if your problems were with the logic on the OEM board or physical issues with the switch(es) as to whether or not it could resolve your current issue(s).

i have 2001 lx470 non nav with mark Levinson, any chance this works for me? that tesla style is so polarizing, i like it.

 

[Wetwillie]

Same seller that I posted OT? or the second one? or another?

I purchased from Phoenix Automotive. I had a bad experience.

My expectation was for them to send me a new harness next day overnight, maybe I expect too much?, it took 2 weeks. meanwhile, my dash was apart, so I had to reinstall the factory radio.

At this point there is enough info on mud to install these as long as you get the correct harness.

If the seller does not answer their phone-I would move on.

 

[jLB]

i have 2001 lx470 non nav with mark Levinson, any chance this works for me? that tesla style is so polarizing, i like it.

I’m not far enough along, to say with any authority that it will work for me, much less in another slightly different vehicle.

On the web, the Chinese vendors seem to advertise both LC & LX applications w/o OEM navigation.

It has been my understanding that the non-nav HVAC controls are "plug compatible" between LC & LX, but I don't know about if the boards are interchangeable in this "transplant".

It is my understanding that the OEM stereo connectors are different between LC & LX, so I'd expect a different harness would be required/supplied by application.

My primary goal is to get this installed and 100% operational in my son's vehicle.

My secondary goal is to document the process, and/or problems on 'Mud.

 

[jLB]

I picked up the extra OEM climate control ( thanks @ranma21 ), and started the process.

The good news: I think I was able to figure out transplanting the HVAC amplifier board and tying the provided harnesses together.

The bad news: I appear to have been provided the wrong stereo cable(s) (maybe for the LX ) because none of the "Tesla" stereo connectors match the TLC stereo connector