Cosmo2002

I was able to snag one of the BeatSonic Apple CarPlay systems when they went on sale earlier this week, and installed it yesterday on my 2017 LS460. So far I am very impressed. I like to live dangerously, so I installed it myself with nothing but BeatSonic YouTube videos and written instructions. I've never installed anything in a car, so it was a first for me. It took me about 3 hours, and it was actually pretty easy because I really took my time and was careful. I included a picture of the dismantled dash below, and it freaked my wife out because I'm not the most handy guy around. She thought I was going to ruin the car :-)

It really does feel like it's completely OEM, as it is exactly like other cars with CarPlay that I've driven.

Some Pros:
-I'm able to use all the controls on the steering wheel, including volume changes, music track skip (i.e., the buttons next to the volume buttons that skip to next song, go to previous song). The BeatSonic website said the music track skip buttons would not work on the steering wheel, but they work fine on mine.
-I can use Siri the same way I did before I installed the CarPlay kit (i.e., press and hold the call button on the steering wheel until I hear the beep). The microphone works great.
-The audio quality is the same as before I installed the CarPlay kit. The music sounds great.
-You use the OEM remote touch system to navigate CarPlay. Works great.

Some Cons:
-You change the volume using the buttons on the steering wheel, and the **** on the radio. However, the volume number does not appear on the display.
-If you change the climate temperate, the display switches from CarPlay to the OEM screen for about 3 seconds, then automatically switches back to CarPlay. Not a huge issue, but something to consider.
-If you want to use the full screen of the LS, the CarPlay icons will be slightly stretched. You can use completely proportional icons, but then CarPlay won't fill up the entire screen. I elected to use the entire screen because I liked the full map on the screen.

I was worried about where I was going to place my phone, because you have to have your phone plugged in for CarPlay to work. However, I came up with a solution that works for me. I simply removed the cigarette lighter, and fed the USB cord into the center console through the cigarette lighter hole. So I just plug my phone in to the lighting connecter in the center console and close it up. No cables, no fuss, clean look. Works great.

So far, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's a really great system. It fixed my only complaint with this LS 460 - that is the awful infotainment system.
Happy to answer any questions. I'm not affiliated with BeatSonic in any way.

BeatSonic Video that demonstrates some of these cons (skip to 16:17):

URL for the Beat Sonic CarPlay system: https://www.beatsonicusa.com/lexusca...droidauto.html

comotiger

Hello Cosmo, looks great! Congrats on doing the install yourself. I like your solution to plug in the iPhone. Alternatively, you could have made another hole near the lighter outlet and retained the outlet. Good to know Carplay works great! You and Steve (SW17LS) should do a side-by-side comparison of the features of the Beatsonic and LSailt kits!

SW17LS

Only issue I see vs my Laslit unit is your issue with the Carplay display being stretched vs being native to the LS's screen size, sort of like watching a 4:3 TV show on a widescreen TV stretched. I noticed this also in the YouTube videos of the BeatSonic unit. The Lsalit unit I have uses the proper ratio for the screen and gives me 5 icons across each row.

For reference:



Kudos to you for tackling this yourself! You can answer a question for me. Can you remove the wood strip/vents/clock piece without removing the radio stack?

Cosmo2002

Unfortunately, the radio stack must be removed before removing the wood/strip/vent/clock piece. I discovered this after I put the radio stack in place before that part. I then had to start over adn take out the radio stack to get it in.

After using the system some more today, I like it even more. Very happy with the upgrade.

SW17LS

Yeah thats annoying. My LED strip is burned out on one side and I bought the part but dont want to deal with disassembling the whole dash.

Yeah the Carplay revolutionizes the car

comotiger

In addition to the 5 by 2 icons, the graphics in Steve's LSalit kit look much crisper than Cosmo's Beatsonic kit. I wonder whether it has to do with the video connectors used for the displays in the two kits. It's good to see there are at least two great options for CarPlay on our cars.

SW17LS

I think its likely because his image is stretched vs mine being the native resolution. Thats always going to reduce the resolution.

Zetascry

Can this be installed on the 2014 LS 460? Thanks!

SW17LS

Yes, but it cannot do the full screen, you will still have the smaller screen to the right.

bigsherv

I was getting ready to buy a new clock since mine is always running crazy fast. So I have to take the whole dash apart to get to it? I was hoping it was a couple of clips and I could use a pry took to remove it.

SW17LS

Yep, you have to take the whole center stack apart.

Cosmo2002

Quick update - I emailed BeatSonic about the stretched screen resolution, and they said they will release a firmware update that will implement native resolution for 5 icons per row and improved resolution. The firmware will be released in the next 3 months.

SW17LS

Excellent! That makes a huge difference

rlaw66

That did it for me. Thanks for the heads up.
Just ordered it.
Curious. Was there a specific install video that helped you with taking the ls460 dash down?

jdanielca

the plastic trim on the bottom left of the screen is a bit off you might wanna fix that to avoid dust dirt and squeaks. good job