airdzi

Be aware you spell warrenty - warranty!

navigator

how do you spell ****head?

airdzi

****heads do not drive LX470 and I mean it with respect to all members of this group. It is up to individual owners to make a decision about the DVD mood. What errors are you talking about? My opinion on the mood is that disabling speed sensor signal will enable all the features which are normally available only when vehicle is not moving. Same features are usually enabled on aftermarket units. Lexus cares about vehicle owners and it is probably liability issue on top of everything else. Fact is, that if you perform mood on your own, Lexus is still covered and you (not Toyota Motor Corp) will be responsible for resulting
misshapps. It is strictly up to you to make that decision and I admit I have not made up my mind as of yet! I would like to hear from other clublexus members who actually did it.

As far as spelling goes I'm probably not better than you, so do not take it personally! I respect all LX470 owners and belive we have something in common!

navigator

The function of the speed pulse is not only as an "interlock" to prevent operation while the vehicle is moving, but also serves to assist in vehicle location.

The GPS receiver determines vehicle location. The Gyroscope inside the ECU determines vehicle heading. The speed pulse indicates vehicle speed.

These three sensors, working in conjunction with a software routine called "Map Matching" accurately indicate vehicle location on the navigation screen, assist with route calculation, and provide timely voice prompts.

Disconnecting any of these 3 sensors WILL result in degraded navigation system performance.

Additionally, modifying your navigation system will void any warranty you have. That means that if the system fails in the future, you are stuck with replacing a $5000 part.

airdzi

I hate to argue but I believe speed is calculated by mathematical formula comparing distance between waypoints to the amount of time it takes your car to move from waypoint to waypoint. I had previous experience with dashboard Garmin unit, laptop unit by NAVMAN which I used in my Landcruiser before I got LX and it was very on mark with car’s speedo and it was never connected to either speed sensor or ECU. Garmin Street Pilot III Deluxe had voice guidance, was portable and voice directions were just as accurate as Lexus system.
As far as warranty coverage goes (it may vary from state to state) but in Illinois dealer will have to prove that your mood actually caused damage!
Best to my knowledge there is no gyro sensor in the Lexus, gyro sensors are mechanical and include moving weight or liquid where ECU is all electronic chip board. Multiple sensors (o2, temp, air, knock, speed…etc.) connect to ECU for processing but no gyro. You will find gyro sensor on the new Seagwell two-wheeler highly publicized by TV in the recent months! Speed sensor input you see on ECU is for the transmission mgmt, cruise control but not the NAV system!
Lexus NAV system is not as sophisticated as you think and speed sensor connection is there for safety to disable some more intriguing features while driving period. I’m getting ready to order set of factory manuals and will double check for you!
Again I'm not trying to force the DVD mood on you, it is strictly up to you to make a decision. You are the one paying for the Lexus and you are the one driving it. It is a great vehicle. I wish we can get more input here from people who already performed DVD mood.
Good luck to you!

BP01LX

As mentioned earlier in this thread,I have done the mod on my NAV. and can report that no noticeable inaccuracy's have occured on my watch.I too have a Garmin (172C) unit on my Boston Whaler and it certainly has'nt the faintest idea what my "wheel speed" is nor does it have any difficulty immediatly detecting and correcting for even a rapid change in direction and its entire "package" is only 6"x 8".Navigator pretty much had me going until the "Gyro" part.
Be safe,have fun and enjoy these wonderfull vehicles!

tcounts

Okay, I did it. I even went to the trouble to install a switch cleanly mounted on the big square blank to the left of the steering wheel to re-enable the VSS when I don't want to show DVDs for my 4yo girl. To my surprise, whether the switch is in VSS enable (or not) appears to make no difference at all in vehicle location interpolation. So far, I've only made a 10 mile trip (approx.) with VSS disabled and saw no change whatsoever in location precision. I'm thinking I went to a lot of trouble in mounting the switch when it appears to make no difference. However, when moving and I re-enable the VSS, the movie does go off and return to NAV so I know it is working properly. Regardless, the entire mod took no more than an hour and most of that time was in removing the blank, installing and wiring the switch. If I had just cut the violet wire and tied the red/white wire to ground it would've only taken 20-30 minutes.

I took thorough pics with my digital camera if anyone needs some help. It's a breeze. Removing the wood surround is also easy albeit scary! Just use a clean putty-knife and it comes right out.

FYI for those interested,
Tom

navigator

You know nothing about the engineering aspects of this system. I will post images.

navigator

image

navigator

would you like the technical specs?

navigator

You can MOD your system any way you like, however if you permanently disconnect the speed pulse, you navigation system will be affected. Introduction of a switch is the best way to do it.

airdzi

I respect your opinion, I will go with extra effort and wire microswitch for the speed sensor. Is that a Lexus ECU and GPS receiver on the photos? Are you positive sensor (looks big enough for gyro?) is being used by GPS?

navigator

and I am positive. good luck.

Ruairidh

Hi there - this is my first of I hope many posts here.

I pick up my new to me '01 LX470 tomorrow and, having three little girls, I'm already thinking of this mod!

But the link no longer works!!!!!

I'd be very grateful if someone could e-mail me the instructions at ruairidhross@comcast.net - TIA