Etski

I recently purchased a 2003 sc430 and love it. I've done lots of little projects aided by this wonderful forum! My quick fix for adding bluetooth to my sc430 is the alexa auto unit. It's cheap and even came with a dual USB cigarette lighter adapter which I installed in the center console. The alexa auto works great and the second usb port on the cigarette lighter adapter also solved my charging needs for my iphone. The one thing that is not great is that currently I am getting audio output for my alexa auto by utilizing a cassette tape adapter plugged in to the 3.5 mm jack on the alexa auto. The sound quality of my cassette adapter is not what I would like. I would much prefer to have an aux1 input or a cd2 or md1 option for cleaner audio. By reading forums, I have found VaisTech SL3U https://www.vaistech.com/product/sl3u/ but this seems pricey and overkill for my needs. Is there a cheap easier alternative that I'm missing? It looks like https://www.sc430mods.com/product-pa...apter-with-mic has the knowledge to do this, but again, his solution is overkill (& out of stock). Who can tell me who supplies this harness and plug or jack I need or give me the wiring diagrams to build one? I know one of you has the knowledge because this forum has some awesome info and I love the info I get here. I am also looking for the best way to hook up , probably a naviks system, but again, do I really need that? is there a simpler way?

Thanks in advance!

digitatc

If I don't already have mine, I would order the kit from that guy on sc430mods and save the trouble. You can search for poorman aux input from this forum.

maxrpm

I just installed SC430Mods adapter in my 2002 SC ..... works great and relatively EZ installation. Definitely a good value, excellent sound from my cell phone music library through the ML sound system. Phone work fine also as well as Google assist.

Harold57

Here's an installation video for the sC430Mods adapter. If nothing else, he shows you how to remove the radio. (There's other videos linked to on this forum.)

Etski

I liked the poor man’s aux input thread and already had the Alexa auto unit hooked up through cassette adapter, but my cassette adapter was distorting terribly so I was thinking about hooking up with poor man’s aux input. I instead bought a y adapter Yomikoo Car Radio CD Changer Port Y Harness Cable Fit for Toyota (5+7) Connector Camry RAV4 Yaris Corolla Highlander https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01EUZ8C...ing=UTF8&psc=1 and an aux adapter Auxillary Adapter,Yomikoo Car Stereo USB Aux Adapter for Toyota 5+7 Pin 1999-2005 Yaris, 1998-03 Highlander, 1998-2002 Corolla, 1998-2004 Camry https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01EUZ8K...ing=UTF8&psc=1 through Amazon and plugged it into my alexa auto. The results are fabulous!

no soldering, plug and play!

I did have some issues on the install because I have big hands and needed to pull the radio out to swap plugs, but it’s all back together and working well. I actually still use the cassette adapter to keep tape selected (but don’t plug it in ), I might just cut the aux cord off of it or I might burn a blank cd instead. The alexa auto is a great option because I can just say “alexa answer the phone” or “alexa, use Waze to get me home” or “alexa, play Grateful Dead” and she listens without me ever taking the phone out of my pocket. If I ask Siri, she says, please unlock your iPhone first, blah, blah.

BuffMan

Etski - I've now grown very intrigued with your apparently very cost-effective DIY solution to adapting the use of cell phone to provide higher quality sound & related apps, such as Waze.

As I understand your post only three components all connected properly does the job. Correct? Please elaborate. What was the hardest job ... removing existing radio, etc.? Is that all?

Where/how did your physically located your Alexa auto component(s)? Anything unique or tricky?

Thanks for taking the time to help us best understand all pros & cons of your solution!

Etski

Sorry it took me so long to respond. Living in Utah, my Sc430 is a summer habit.

the hardest part of the install for me was pulling the radio out and not doing any damage. I was familiar with the process because when I bought the car the stereo door wouldn’t open and another post said it was often just the plug in back (which it was). All in all, it was pretty easy!

BuffMan

Thanks for reply,

Scott R

Hey Etski, I recently started up this other thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...-speakers.html

I was all set to buy a new head unit w/CarPlay but wasn't looking forward to the hassle of having to coordinate getting an install set up quite a distance from home at a BestBuy (to get the best value - free install) versus getting it done by a closer shop but for quite a bit more money. I also didn't love the fact that the display would be so low. Well, there are some pros to that, too, I guess, but I'd prefer to have my GPS maps closer to the windshield so that I'm not taking my eyes off the road too much. Then I spotted again some of the "add-a-CarPlay" units on Amazon which are completely separate units that plug into an existing stock radio via FM transmission or AUX input. Example:
This unit is only about $130 with a 9" screen and front and back cameras, but there aren't many reviews, and several of them are poor. But there are a ton of other units similar to this available on Amazon.

So now I'm thinking of trying this route instead but ideally getting an AUX input working since my experience with FM transmissio (via a few different small FM transmitters I've tried) is poor. I was happy to see that the links you provided to the two parts on Amazon still work, so now I just need to contact one of the more local installers to see if they'd be willing to do the install for me.

I'm just now noticing that those two Amazon links each have multiple options (AUX vs AUX + USB). Would the more "deluxe" versions (with both AUX and USB) be compatible with my 2002 SC430?

Scott R

A few more questions:
1) The link to the USB & AUX input shows three buying options. Is it definitely the "USB+AUX" option I should choose?
2) The link to the CD Changer Port Y Harness cable option also shows three buying options and your link preselected the "Auxiliary" option. Is that right?
3) Any more details you can provide on the install details? I'm most likely going to try to find someone else to do this for me, but would love to be able to provide them with some some extra details and photos.
4) You mention leaving a cassette adapter plugged in to keep the tape selected...can you explain why that is necessary?

GmanSC

For those who want to have an AUX input, here is your answer.
Thanks to Retroplay

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...aux-input.html

CCC-TT

iTrader: (1)

Awesome thank you!

Etski

1) The USB & AUX input option is cheap and greatly increases your options. Mine is 2003 and it works, I'd spend the extra 5 or 10 bucks!
2) Auxilliary is correct, that is the Y Harness that allows you to connect the stereo and also the adapter you are ordering for USB & AUX
3) If you're handy and comfortable with electronics this is pretty easy. the hardest part was just contorting, squeezing plugs on and not scratching the woodwork. It was pretty easy to snake wires discretely. If you have someone with good dexterity and small hands, recruit them to help. Sorry, I think I posted any pictures I took if any. I'll look around, but it really should be pretty foolproof. I will take a pic of my current installation because I got a new iphone 14 pro and I got a new magnetic charging mount
4) you need to select an input, either tape or cd because otherwise you're listening to radio and you get both signals, your phone input mixed over your radio. I liked keeping the cassette adapter in because that automatically selects tape, but my old cassette tape adapter or the stereo deck itself starting making a little noise, so I finally burned a blank cd and I just keep it in disc 5 and select that, pretty much permanently. That works great.

Hopefully that answers your questions, let me know if you have more. I'll go take pictures of my current mount.

Scott R

Thanks for the replies. OK, that's a bit of a bummer about needing to use a fake cassette or CD. I'll need to double-check my setup because I think the last cassette AUX-in gadget I used had some sort of problem which caused me to stop using it, so hopefully that wasn't a problem with my head unit. And I also vaguely remember/think that I may have had a jammed CD in there, too.

Scott R

I'm sure I'll be told to do a search here, but if anyone has handy a link to a thread or YouTube video that has especially good photos/videos of how to safely remove various front/center panels, it would be appreciated. Do you think I could do that without breaking any panels/clips? If there are some specialty tools (I think they make plasticky things intended to remove panels without damaging things), let me know.