Nokia Hands Free Car Kits

[hernia]

I've just had my IS200 se fitted with a Nokia car kit and the engineer told me that it is not possible to have the stereo to mute when the phone rings. :o

Apparently the car had multi something or other wiring and will cause the ABS etc. to stop working properly!

Being a complete novice to this I was wondering whether anyone else had heard the same thing or if there was a work around. The engineer did mention about putting in a new radio loop cositng about £50+ .

Help!

Matthew

[ifraz]

When I bought my car a Nokia Car kit was already fitted and wasn't installed via the radio so it muted when the phone rang. I did speak to the previous owner about why he had it installed this way and he told me the same as what you were told, the standard Lexus stereo does not support this feature. :( I never bothered checking elsewhere to see if it can be done. If you do find a way round it I would be interested. My previous car kit was installed via the radio and worked great :D

[ricky_is200]

I was told the same when I had mine fitted, I didn't really believe the fitter so I called the dealer who told me the same thing (this was back in Jan 2000).

I've since heard the original stereo (CD slot at the bottom) does have an imput to mute the stereo, but the updated unit (CD slot at the top) doesn't. Also none of them have ever had the ability to put the sound through the car speakers.

[ricky_is200]

Check out http://www.dashmount.co.uk/otherproducts.pdf they sell leads for most cars, including Lexus's but not for the IS200 :(

[djanderso]

Yup, I got told this too when mine was fitted.

[ricky_is200]

Anyone got a Nokia Bluetooth kit fitted? I'm having one fitted next week to the Merc and I'm hoping the quality is as good. I can't get a lead for that car either as I would have prefered to put the sound through the car speakers. I've never been that happy with the sound quality of the CARK-91 kit in the Lexus.

[djanderso]

Anyone got a Nokia Bluetooth kit fitted? I'm having one fitted next week to the Merc and I'm hoping the quality is as good. I can't get a lead for that car either as I would have prefered to put the sound through the car speakers. I've never been that happy with the sound quality of the CARK-91 kit in the Lexus.

Unfortunately not

My company standard issue is Nokia 6210's although I'm hoping for a nice new 6310 this year - I think that one is Bluetooth enabled. Would then have justification for a new car kit.

Agree on the comment re sound through the CARK-91

[ricky_is200]

I got my 6310 last week! (after many months of moaning to the company about needing a new phone). It still fits the CARK-91 kit though so you won't be able to justify a new car kit! Handy for me as it will still fit in the Lexus.

I don't think it helps in the Lexus having quite a bit of tyre noise, so at speed I struggle to hear people clearly.

[Joysoflife]

Apparantly it can be done.........when the phone rings the radio mutes and the voice comes out of the car speakers. I've got a blue tooth phone (nokia 6310i). Have to make a couple of phone calls this afternoon so let you guys know for definite and how much it's likely to cost.

[Rodders_UK]

Thre's deffo a radio mute on the standard Lexus amp.

You can also get a box to route the phone through the stereo speakers - costs a tenner or so and there's a dealer in "gold" who can supply them (not recommended if you have voice SatNav though)

[ricky_is200]

Thre's deffo a radio mute on the standard Lexus amp.

You can also get a box to route the phone through the stereo speakers - costs a tenner or so and there's a dealer in "gold" who can supply them (not recommended if you have voice SatNav though)

Although dealers list these for the GS rod, there isn't one available for the IS200.

[Rodders_UK]

Thre's deffo a radio mute on the standard Lexus amp.

You can also get a box to route the phone through the stereo speakers - costs a tenner or so and there's a dealer in "gold" who can supply them (not recommended if you have voice SatNav though)

Although dealers list these for the GS rod, there isn't one available for the IS200.

It's not a Lexus part Ricky - just a small box of electronics that works on any system

[mik]

My dealer fitted a Nokia carkit to my IS and it DOES mute the radio/CD once the phone rings .. sound comes from the Nokia speaker under the passenger footwell and the quality is fine - you can adjust the volume using the volume control on the phone handset (6210).

Have also set the auto answer feature in handsfree profile so I don't have to take my hands off the wheel to answer a call :P

[Zee007]

Thought long and hard about purchasing a Bluetooth kit (had my 6310i since july last year) but opted for a Bluetooth headset instead. Cheaper, no holes on the dash, practical (use it in the car and out) and still allows you to drive "hands free" without wires etc....

[ricky_is200]

Thought long and hard about purchasing a bluetooth kit (had my 6310i since july last year) but opted for a bluetooth headset instead. Cheaper, no holes on the dash, practical (use it in the car and out) and still allows you to drive "hands free" without wires etc....

The idea of the Bluetooth car kits is that you don't have any holes in the dash as there isn't any cradle, you can keep the phone in your pocket.

What put me off the headsets is that they only have a standbuy of a few days so you'd have to always make sure they are charged up.

[Zee007]

Didn't know that Rich about the car kits to be honest.... And you're right about stand by time too. However, from a personal perspective, I find it more practical.... :)

[ricky_is200]

Are you pleased with the headset Zee? I have been thinking of buying one aswell as the car kit (they look like a good toy!). Which one did you get? Do you have to keep charging it?

[Zee007]

Are you pleased with the headset Zee? I have been thinking of buying one aswell as the car kit (they look like a good toy!). Which one did you get? Do you have to keep charging it?

I have the Motorola Headset (I shall get the box later and put the model number down here for you). Chuffed to bits with the quality of it, but I do need to charge quite often. However, as an investment goes, it will be useful no matter how many Bluetooth phones I change. If you are coming to any of the meets Rich, I'll show you.... :D

[agalbraith]

I tried the Parrot Bluetooth carkit in my 99 IS200. It did mute the stereo (using the mute cable on the old series head unit) and worked fine with the Nav system.

However, it seems impossible to connect the output to the stereo speakers (mainly because they use a separate power amp) so you have to use an aux speaker. The sound quality was fairly awful - if you turned it up loud enough to hear, it fried the speakers and left the caller with a bad echo. Any quieter, and you couldn't hear it at all.

Fabulous idea, and probably good if you can use the car speakers - but otherwise not so great.

I bought the Ericsson HBH-30 Bluetooth headset, and it's fantastic. I use it all the time with my phone (whether in the car or not) and charge it overnight. The ericsson power connectors are all the same, so I can either charge the headset or the phone using a single 12v cable in the car.

It's a bit of a pain putting the headset in your ear when the phone rings, but you get used to it. Call quality is hugely better, and you aren't left with a sore throat from shouting.

Needless to say, I haven't bothered with a car kit at all in the new car.

The only downside? People tend to think you're marginally insane when on a call in a public place - the telltale wire for a normal handsfree just isn't there...

Manufacturers are starting to fit Bluetooth in the car head units now - Saab and BMW offer this option already. This has to be the way to go.... it's just a shame you have to buy a Saab or a BMW to do it ;)

[Zee007]

Just had a look at my headset :

Motorola Bluetooth Wireless Headset HSW8000

Upto 3 days standby, and 2.5 hours talktime. Can be fiddly but will not bother with a car kit.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one whereby people have thought you are nuts talking to yourself....!

[Mattj]

All, I have the Nokia car kit fitted which I use with my 6310i, this will of course work with the other phones that have the same bottom.

I can confirm that it will mute the stereo, it didn't in my old car, when they fitted it to the Lexus I asked them if they could do it and they did without any need to add any electronics as far as I am aware.

One piece of advice though, there is a feature of the car kit such that when you turn the ignition off, if you don't use the phone, then the kit will power itself and the phone off. The phone displays a warning telling you about this when you turn the ignition off.

On my old car they didn't fit it properly, this meant this feature didn't work, so the car kit was constantly draining the Battery, I had to call the AA on numerous occasions, usually upon returning from holiday as the Battery went flat. It tooks months of mucking about, going to the car dealership, going to the people that fitted the stereo and car kit and back to the dealer again, before it finally got sorted.

So whatever you do, please make sure that once your kit has been finished that it behaves in the correct manner or you could end up in a right pickle!

Cheers

Matt

[chrispy]

Matt,

Does your stereo have the slot at the top or bottom for the CD ?? If its at the top, let me know how its wired or the number of the guy who fitted it, Cheers.

Chris

[ricky_is200]

One piece of advice though, there is a feature of the car kit such that when you turn the ignition off, if you don't use the phone, then the kit will power itself and the phone off. The phone displays a warning telling you about this when you turn the ignition off.

On my old car they didn't fit it properly, this meant this feature didn't work, so the car kit was constantly draining the battery, I had to call the AA on numerous occasions, usually upon returning from holiday as the battery went flat. It tooks months of mucking about, going to the car dealership, going to the people that fitted the stereo and car kit and back to the dealer again, before it finally got sorted.

So whatever you do, please make sure that once your kit has been finished that it behaves in the correct manner or you could end up in a right pickle!

I didn't have the ignition wire connected either, so as you say the car kit is always connected, but after 3 years I have never had any problems, even when leaving the car whilst on holiday etc. I've always assumed if the phone is not in the cradle the hand free unit is not switched on.

[lexus_john]

Hi all, the plot thickens, I had an Orange bloke out last Thursday (9/1/03) to install my 6310i car kit on a December 2001 IS200SE, he said he could not mute the stereo (CD slot at top) because there was still 2 years warranty left on the car and it would invalidate the car stereo warranty. :(

Also should there be any wire showing as he has left about 6" of black cable showing from the bottom of the gear stick panel to the entry of the phone cradle.

Cheers

[Grangey]

Hi all, the plot thickens, I had an Orange bloke out last Thursday

Was he orange from head to toe, or just in patches? :D

My SE is the 'CD at the top' type, and it mutes the stereo no problem. No messy fiddling about to do it, so I would've thought, on my model anyway, there is an easy solution already built in? I have the Nokia kit fitted and, used with the old 6210, the phone would turn itself off when you switched the ignition off. Now I have the 6310, the phone stays on if I leave it in the cradle with the ignition off. Must be a phone feature?