I got my AIC-100i from VAIS Technology (http://www.vaistech.com) last Thursday and I got the unit installed and working over the weekend. I've been waiting for months for this to become available and now that I have the unit installed it is just what I wanted.

I took some pictures during the install process and created a web site with the pictures and description of how I installed the unit. If you're mechanically inclined at all it isn't that hard to do the install yourself. If you have two left thumbs, better get someone else to do the install. The pictures and description are at:

http://www.emba42.com/lexus/

Nice writeup! I can't wait for this to come out with Sirius...

That is a nice write up you did. Thanks, I too will be installing one of those little beasts in the near future. I noticed that you have a blue background on your Nav System screen. The '04 models have a gray background. I think I like the blue. I hope that the screen color is about the only thing that is different between the two model years (although I think you have phone numbers with the POI and bluetooth).

I got my AIC-100i installed over the weekend. Darryl: your writeup probably saved me 2 hours and a lot of brain damage. Thanks! I put it into a 2004 GX470, and am pleased so far with the interface. Having some sound quality issues, but haven't been able to determine whether that is my iPod's mp3 / AAC collection or the VAIS device.

thats a nice write up - and a damn nice install.

I have my eye on this exact unit for my GS430 - waiting for them to ship to the UK too

What kind of sound degrading are you experiencing? I've got an '05 GX that I'm going to install. Is it less quality than an FM transmitter?

I could never get happy with an FM modulator (the only one I tried was a Belkin device), and was predominantly using a cassette tape adaptor prior to installing the VAIS device. The sound on most of my music is far better than the cassette adaptor.

Another issue I have found is that if you advance the tracks within a playlist, or advance the disc (skipping from one playlist to the next) too quickly that the VAIS device gets hung up. The only thing I have found that corrects the issue is to turn the radio on and off. It happens sporadically, so I have yet to find a pattern.

Occassionally I can hear the disk drive on the iPod seeking. In other words, when I advance a playlist or song, I can hear some sounds emanate from my speakers which are definitely not part of the music. Otherwise, I am still trying to figure out why some music sounds more distorted than others. It doesn't seem to be related to MP3 quality or file type (all my music is either MP3 or AAC of 160 bitrate or higher). If I can find a pattern, I'll post a follow up. Or if anyone else has encountered this, please let me know.

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase.

I had this problem originally and it turned out to be a defective cable between the AIC-100i and the iPod. Vais Tech sent me a replacement cable and now it works great. I believe the problem was that the connector that plugs into the bottom of the iPod wasn't making good connection with the iPod connector contacts.

Try putting a ground loop issolator between the AIC-100i and the iPod. http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?cata...ct%5Fid=270-054 That solved the problem for me.

I am encountering the problem, and I think I know what the problem is. If you were to pull your music into an application that allows you to view the amplitude of the encoded music (e.g. http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/) I'm pretty sure you'll see that the amplitude of the ones that distort are higher than those that don't. My guess is that the circuitry inside the AIC-100i isn't able to handle the higher amplitude and saturates thus causing the distortion. Call up Vais Tech and let them know what is happening.

I was wondering if you have the rearview camera on your GX, and when you installed the aic-100i if the camera still works, or does one need to get the avic-100i.

I do have the rear view camera and it works fine after the AIC-100i integration. The only thing that changes is that you have a couple new screens that show up after the installation. You access them by hitting the "Disc" button or cycling through the "mode" button on the steering wheel. No functionality goes away, you just get functionality added.

Based on my experience and the other posts on this thread, I'd advise calling Vais Tech before you order and inquire about the sound quality issue mentioned in the previous few posts. Originally I thought I just had a bad unit (waiting for it to be swapped out), but the fact that two other folks are having the same problems leads me to wonder if there is a problem with the AIC-100i design.

Very helpful! Your page has been viewed more than 1000 times! Wish the moderators would "pin" your photos to make them easier to find. Wish Vais would link to them!

I have been having these exact same issues. It's not difficult for me to advance too quickly. I talked to Vaistech about the disk drive noise issue and they suggested getting a ground loop isolator, which I've purchased, but not yet installed.

Is the advancing issue really a problem with the cable? Even with my admittedly meager amount of electronics knowledge, that doesn't sound like it'd be the problem. Should I have Vaistech replace the cable? I had the unit professionally installed, and I don't want to rip it out too many times....


Mark