2001 LS430 Bluetooth options

[CurryAddict]

Hi everyone,

Pardon me for being a bit of an idiot, but I'm a bit confused with the Bluetooth options for my 2001 LS430 and was just hoping if you could give me some advice on which Bluetooth setup to go for?

I'm just after streaming music via my phones Bluetooth with the best quality sound and thats it (no handsfree etc)

I've been looking at the GROM BT3 but cant work out which type of cable I need. I've attached a couple of photos of my stereo and wiring loom if anyone can workout which one I require  (TOY1,TOYF or 5+7 pin?)

Also, from what I've read, the grom system uses the cd player to stream the music via Bluetooth but the cd player on my car doesn't work. ( when I press the cd button it displays "error").

looking at a few older posts I've seen you can get a "bluemusic" version which is consideraly cheaper than groms. Does that use the cdplayer function and is it worth getting that one instead of groms?

Cheers

Barry

 

[MaximusPrime]

Hi Barry, funnily enough, I had my BlueMusik Bluetooth adapter delivered on Friday and went ahead to install it. 

It came with a 6+6 connector, which I assumed would be a straight swap with the existing port at the back of the stereo unit, but, after plugging it in, my Nav screen has gone off completely, and with it the volume adjustment, rear camera and the radio - all gone 🙂 CD changer still worked, as did the "load CD" and "eject" options on the CD changer, and when I paired my phone to the BlueMusik dongle it allowed me to switch tracks, both from the phone and the steering wheel buttons - so it worked, to an extent! Climate control and all the other, non Nav-related screen options work too.

All that is of no use to me of course (as there is no sound), so I went back to their website and it turns out I need a 6+6 Y splitter, which will have a dedicated port for all the existing functions that my stereo came with and a dedicated port for the BlueMusik dongle, that should now arrive tomorrow.

Looking at the back of the unit - yours is different to mine (a 2005 model year), so I'm wondering if it is the 5+7 one that you need? Their website does not mention the pre-facelift LS models however.

Dongle: https://www.musikimauto.de/BlueMusic-Bluetooth-Audio-Toyota-Lexus-57_1
5+7 Y splitter: https://www.musikimauto.de/Toyota-57-Y-plug-large

I'll add a picture of what the back of my stereo looks like if it helps.

 

[MaximusPrime]

Update:

amazon sells a bundle which includes both the 5+7 dongle and the Y splitter / adapter:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-interface-1997-2003-2001-2004-2001-2010/dp/B07JQWPJ49/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1AJOZ3H10NF1O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P3s0327lU_EktFOn9IYf48m-47bvq8Kls3zlu_So8NvxsRBJZLbph-zdgpUrrTkNU4J1bVBvLOyqwZM4jVks7g.oDd56MnSU3zIc8bxvzN8HC7sGXCdv-mAlYhwBoDns3U&dib_tag=se&keywords=BlueMusic%2Blexus&qid=1713087735&sprefix=bluemusic%2Blexus%2Caps%2C68&sr=8-3&th=1

Edit: The middle port on your stereo definitely has 5 pins at top and 7 pins bottom, so I would imagine the 5+7 dongle and the 5+7 splitter should do the job:

Edited April 14 by MaximusPrime
Added Amazon link.

[CurryAddict]

Thank you for the very quick reply MaximusPrime, I’ll give that amazon link an order and I’ll let you know how it goes 🤞

cheers for clearing up the connector confusion too. 

[MaximusPrime]

Thanks Barry - hope it goes well, keep us posted!

My 6+6 Y splitter has arrived a day early, and was a doddle to fit, plug and play 🙂 There's a bit of a lip on the back of the stereo, so I tucked the splitter cable behind that, and traced the Bluetooth dongle to the side and all the way down, to rest on insulation padding behind the lowest wooden panel on the dash (heated seats controls, etc.).

Ignition on - nav screen came back to life, as did the reverse camera and volume controls work again - result! Paired the phone again, double tap on the CD button and it worked right away. The sound quality is brilliant, as good as any FLAC files on my CDs, very happy with the way it turned out. Steering controls work too - up and down to skip tracks, and there's zero input delay, it just works! I've turned the engine off fully, then back on and it started playing again, without me having to touch anything, as close to OEM as you can get 🙂

 

[BigBoomer]

I've had the BlueMusic module for about 3 years now and the only problem I have had with it is that sometimes my phone just decides not to connect to the BlueMusic, so I have to go in to the phone and tell it to connect.

Yes, yours looks like the 5+7 but I don't know of anyone else that has used the 5+7 Y-cable with the BlueMusic module.
I believe you will need the 5+7 Y-cable
https://www.musikimauto.de/Toyota-57-Y-plug-large
and the 5+7 BlueMusic module
https://www.musikimauto.de/BlueMusic-Bluetooth-Audio-Toyota-Lexus-57_1
or the 5+7 BlueMusic with HandsFree if you make/take calls when driving.
https://www.musikimauto.de/BlueMusic-Bluetooth-Audio-Handsfree-KitToyota-57

Please do let us know if you get it working.

[CurryAddict]

Hi everyone,

My Bluetooth adapter with the splitter arrived today and it does look like it fits.

However, over the last few days I've been taking the door cards off to inspect my speakers because the sound quality has been really bad since I bought the car which wasn't long ago. I've noticed that 90% of the foam is perished from each door speaker and the subwoofer on the rear shelf is a cheapy aftermarket for some reason.

Also I remember noticing a few months back, when I had the volume to reasonbly loud, the sound would cut out. I originally thought this would be because of the terrible speakers but now upon inspection, Once they're refoamed, they should be back to new quality.

Looking about on the forums and various youtube videos, the amplifier is the main culprit.

Instead of chancing it or sourcing another used one that will probably fail in the near future too, I'm now looking at installing my own single din radio which I found a good write up from over the pond (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-3rd-gen-2001-2006/905011-how-to-single-din-head-unit-and-amp-in-ls430-with-factory-nav-ml-no-adapters-needed-3.html)

This would also replace my broken cd player. I'd need to source an amplifier that'll probably have to sit in the boot, Although it wouldn't look ideal and spoils the oem look, it would definitely last longer and it also means I'd have the option to connect my phone to it via Bluetooth and usb direct. I wouldn't have to spend quite abit on a used Mark Levinson subwoofer either which do go for alot of money!

It does look like a right chew on to be honest, but I think its the way to go for me personally and also I should beable to get some help from a friend who is very knowledgable with electronics.

Thanks for the help again and I will definitely send some photos and info once its finished!

Cheers

Barry

 

 

[The-Acre]

Practically every LS430 suffers with the speaker foam breaking up, there are kits available to repair them though. The amplifiers are also prone to failure but you can get them repaired/rebuilt. 

[MaximusPrime]

There's a video on replacing the foam that surrounds the amplifier, works out a lot cheaper than having it replaced altogether. Might be of help:
 

 

[BigBoomer]

Better yet fit the Dayton Audio subwoofer. Sounds great and only cost £60.

The Amp will probably be fine once you refoam the speakers.

Replacing the entire audio system is a LOT of time, expense, and hassle and probably won't give you a better sounding system,but it's your choice. If I were to do that I'd probably go the Android route where it replaces the Nav screen and not bother with a CD player at all.

[Malc1]

On 4/18/2024 at 2:21 PM, MaximusPrime said:

There's a video on replacing the foam that surrounds the amplifier, works out a lot cheaper than having it replaced altogether. Might be of help:
 

 

4 Paws are always a useful additional tool  

Malc