I own a 2007 Lexus GX 470 which I bought new back in 2007 I have 81,000 miles on it now and have had no problems with it basically at all just did the regular maintenance timing belt water pump etc. over the years I also love this vehicle I keep it pretty much like a baby garage kept I only have Lexus service it I can see this is the vehicle that I probably will have for the rest of my life since I’m 75 years old I love it and want to enjoy it as much as possible as well as keep it going as long as possible thank you for your great instructional videos well done and very professional as well as friendly.
When I bought my 08 last year, my 25 year old Daughter said " Dad this is so dated". Her new Durango has better phone connectivity, and about $600 a month more than I'm paying! Mine is loaded as well and the Nav works fine out in the country where the roads haven't changed. The sound is great, no need to spend money to create another headache with climate and cameras. Did the timing and water pump kit and all the basics. Started looking at FJ's and ended up with a lot better buy on a 470. Can't wait to hit the beach with the grandkids , maybe see some wild ponies on Assateague Island!
I have owned by 2007 GX 476 now I have about 86,000 miles on it now I keep it in the garage and try to baby it as much as possible I find it a very comfortable luxurious safe vehicle that I hope last me for the rest of my life as I am 75 years old and want to keep it going as long as possible come to think of it I want to keep myself going as long as possible also😂.. thank you for your wonderfully instructional videos you do them very well very professional as well as with a friendly over town and I appreciate that thank you.
I have a 2007 Lexus GX470 and I love it! When are you going to do a video about the Nav update? Or where can I purchase an updated disk that is compatible
If anyone buys one of the nav update DVDs, let us know how it works. I've heard both success and failure stories with eBay nav updates. I also read somewhere you can create your own. If I recall correctly there is a licence key you need to copy from your original disk onto a disc with the updated maps. One of the eBay issues I've heard of is some don't include this key so you have to combine your old key with the new database to get some of them to work.
@@Slider68 Interesting, I havent heard about the key part. Ive heard that it gets rid of the intro "accept" screen. Ill be doing a video when I get around to buying the disks
Can you please tell me where I can get that cup holder replacement panel for the switches. Send me a link or where you got it. I can't can't it on eBay. Maybe I don't know how to word the search.
If you mean your phone (for calls) the OEM Bluetooth check the owners manual, if you mean for music it pairs through my Bluetooth devise that plugs into the aux port, I have a video on that too.
My gx470 map nevagation is black out since yesterday, the audio, climate, display and even touch screen works, but the navigation is black out. Can you help me with this
Actually the rear auxiliary video inputs can be displayed on the front screen when stopped with the parking brake on. This works in my 07 GX470. I haven't done it but there are several ways to disable the front video lockout if you do a bit of googling. One of the better ways is to install a module that solves this. If you just disable the parking brake and speedo input (this also allows you to use the nav while driving) there are glitches, especially when in tunnels. Edit: the rear auxiliary audio & video inputs might be only included if you have the optional rear DVD player and flip down rear screen. When I use these the rear DVD doesn't work at all so I assume they bypass the audio and video from the rear DVD. Just wondering... If you don't have the rear DVD player, maybe the audio and video inputs for it are still at the back of the front head unit?
Once you cut the green wire that goes to the ground for the E break will the E break will the E break light light up on the dashboard if you pull it up? Understand it doesn't light up once you cut the wire and ground it but just curious if it would light up on the - afterwards
I'm impressed with these systems too, although I'm also frustrated with mine. A guy I know locally also has an 07 GX470 and I was impressed overall with the vehicle but also specifically how he could load up 7 DVDs and control from up front what his kids were watching in the rear (6 playing from the front changer, 1 from the rear). So I searched and found our own mint 07 GX470 but to my annoyance when I try to play a front loaded DVD to the rear, only the sound works. The front screen works with the parking brake on but the rear screen gets an error message stating "no video signal". This was one of the features we were very much looking forwards to having for long trips with the kids. Does yours work? We can play the single DVD in the rear but that is it. My local Lexus dealer doesn't know how to fix the issue and I tracked down the original owner of my GX470 and he says he has never been able to figure out how to get it to work since new (the owners manual explains how to get it working too). I called a couple of large Lexus dealers in the US and was told many GX470's were sold with the Mark Levinson systems incorrectly configured and this specific issue was common. Basically the video would never show up in the rear when played from the front DVD changer. They say if I bring it to them they can reconfigure it and get it working - but they are 500+ miles away. My local dealer won't touch it, other than offer to install a brand new head unit for something like $4000 (I forget the exact price). Have you got this working? Did it work right away or did you have to do something to get it working? Thanks for the video and any information on getting this to work.
I just watched the last 3 minutes of your video and I have to agree with you. This system has so much going for it I wasn't planning to replace it. On the other hand, if I can get a "Tesla style" unit that truly integrates with everything, including the 6 DVD/CD/MP3/WMA changer and can feed both audio and video to/from the rear system, I would definitely be interested.
Yes and no. There are write ups on it, but like all 470 stereo installs theres lots of "issues" depending on your options and what you want to keep working.
Pretty simple if you have a unicorn non nav model I.e no touchscreen then yes it’s pretty easy. Now if you have the ML with touch screen then it’s Tesla style for you.
Beatsonic MVA-81 lets you swap single + double DIN head units (Another cassette bites the dust) and more... Now why I'm really here. I'm leaning towards these plans. The rest is too spendy. Sound deadening in the doors & walls to support additional bass. A) find the best speakers to let the Mark Levinson amp really sing. Seriously hard to find specs. The closest I've found are a couple of Lexus pages yielding speaker locations & watts on sedans. Safe to assume they didn't mess with the ML amp between models? I'll have to check if they used different part number. B) new speakers & amp, patch it in from the preamp. leaving the ML in place. Probably too much to locate Y plugs or other connectors. There are good vampire taps around, just can't think of them right now.
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks For me, Its better than patching in a used non-nav, or starting from scratch. I think the double din market needs to mature. Maybe next year. This year I'll do acoustic treatment and revisit. The big hassle with keeping the M/L is it's low wattage compared to the vast majority of high end drivers are 4 ohm 300+ watts per channel. Fire up the stereo if the heater takes a dump.
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks there actually is way to listen from your phone through an aux cable w/charger function...bought one from Amazon. But I would prefer through a USB flash drive for when I'm using Navigation on my phone... Aux Cord for iPhone with Charge Port, Car Aux Audio Cable for iPhone 11/11 Pro/X/XS/XR/XS MAX/8/8P/7/7P with Charging Function,Aux and Charge Cable for iPhone Support iOS 11/12/13 and Above (Grey)
If you have the MP3 capable 6 DVD/CD changer in the glove box you can load a 9.4 GB DVD-R loaded with MP3s and it provides many hours of music. It also supports several other audio formats such as WMA and lossless PCM audio.
At this point, I'm not ready to talk about converting my 05 factory stereo either LOL. I have the factory Mark Levinson, Nav, and DVD system...but of course something is messed up in it as it sounds like garbage. As for Bluetooth I run a cheap Bluetooth FM adapter thing that works pretty good for songs and such...but the climate controls drive me nuts just like our 2015 GX460....everything is fine except there's no fan speed controls on these models! As of early 2021....you can either try to upgrade the speakers at big expense, or use the "Tesla-Style" screen for 700 bucks, or go ahead and dive into trying to convert to non-nav climate controls in the center stack and then you can run whatever Single-Din or Double-Din HU you want...but that's no walk in the park at all. We'll all see what happens....I previously owned an 03 GX with no Nav and I wish I held onto that one...but that whole vehicle was a nightmare including a blown engine at 130k AND trying to kill my wife with a failed brake servo...but at least it had non-nav and was easy to get good tunes in 🤣🤣
Mine has fan speed controls I can change..... I never use them though because I always use the auto. Unless Im using the defrost then I do use the fan controls. Ive never heard of one of these 4.7 motors going bad besides poor maintenance. It is an interference motor so timing belt replacement is key. I know the electronic brake servo's can go bad but they always show warning signs well in advance. Thats crazy.
my rear player only says DISC SEEK. the dvd player in the glove box loads it, shows on the front screen. can i use the glovebox player to transfer the video to the rear overhead screen?
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks I see, when i put a disc above it says DISC SEEK all black....then a few minutes later. It will show the DVD Menu with the line underneath and just sits on Disc Read with a black screen.
I have the same issue as you with my 07 GX470, although the message on the rear screen is slightly different. I posted this question in a different thread. I know it is supposed to handle playing DVDs from the front to the rear because another 07 GX470 in my town does it perfectly as did an 09 I considered buying. Unfortunately this is apparently a common configuration issue with these and I haven't figured out how to fix it myself. My local Lexus dealer won't touch it, other than to replace the head unit for something like $4000. Apparently only certain Lexus dealers are certified to work on Mark Levinson systems and they say they are not (uncertified dealers can only swap out major modules). I phoned a large Lexus dealer in the US that does handle Mark Levinson and they told me many of these, over several model years, were configured incorrectly, causing this exact issue, and they are well aware of it and have fixed many under warranty. If I drive the 500+ miles they'll fix it for a reasonable fee (possibly free) but ... I don't know if you need to reconnect something, flip a switch on the DVD changer, use an OBD controller, get into a Mark Levinson configuration menus or ? They did describe it as something that was configured incorrectly in the entertainment system though. If you figure out what the solution is, please post it here.
How are you getting to AUX on the unit? It looks like the same unit I have and would like to play music using my phone like you did but have not found any way to get to an AUX option. Mine does not have DVD, other than that it looks the same. 2006 with Nav. and CD changer. Thanks.
Some have an auxiliary input for audio in the front and as well as audio and video inputs in the rear. My 07 GX470 has both. The rear audio inputs can provide audio throughout the vehicle or just through the rear wireless headphones as well as video to both the rear and front screens. The front auxiliary input also provides audio everywhere but I don't think it can send it to the rear wireless headphones if the front audio doesn't have aux selected. There are additional modules you can add, both aftermarket and OEM that can add additional selectable inputs, such as mini-disc, Bluetooth audio, and auxiliary. If I recall correctly the electronic components in the GX470 are actually manufactured by Panasonic for Mark Levinson. Somewhere I found list of modules compatible with the particular head unit and an auxiliary input is one of them.
I own a 2007 Lexus GX 470 which I bought new back in 2007 I have 81,000 miles on it now and have had no problems with it basically at all just did the regular maintenance timing belt water pump etc. over the years I also love this vehicle I keep it pretty much like a baby garage kept I only have Lexus service it I can see this is the vehicle that I probably will have for the rest of my life since I’m 75 years old I love it and want to enjoy it as much as possible as well as keep it going as long as possible thank you for your great instructional videos well done and very professional as well as friendly.
That’s awesome!
When I bought my 08 last year, my 25 year old Daughter said " Dad this is so dated". Her new Durango has better phone connectivity, and about $600 a month more than I'm paying! Mine is loaded as well and the Nav works fine out in the country where the roads haven't changed. The sound is great, no need to spend money to create another headache with climate and cameras. Did the timing and water pump kit and all the basics. Started looking at FJ's and ended up with a lot better buy on a 470. Can't wait to hit the beach with the grandkids , maybe see some wild ponies on Assateague Island!
Sounds awesome
Wait a few months and your gx will be worth more then her Durango.
@@paulthewall haha that could be very true
Assateague island is a place I go often I have a 2000 4Runner lifted 5 inch on 33 inch tires !! Maryland historic tags ! Hope I run into one day !!!
I have owned by 2007 GX 476 now I have about 86,000 miles on it now I keep it in the garage and try to baby it as much as possible I find it a very comfortable luxurious safe vehicle that I hope last me for the rest of my life as I am 75 years old and want to keep it going as long as possible come to think of it I want to keep myself going as long as possible also😂.. thank you for your wonderfully instructional videos you do them very well very professional as well as with a friendly over town and I appreciate that thank you.
Thanks for watching!
I have actually listened to some of my old tapes since getting my GX. The Ghostbusters II soundtrack has some exemplary new jack swing on it! 😂
lol
Pretty cool review! Can't wait to see the video on the add in cup holders on the console!! That's one of my complaints on my Gx.
You and me both!
Yes agreed! More cup holders would be amazing 🤩
Thanks a lot! I followed your instructions and make my DVD works!
man, i wish my gx had this updated unit\
Ive not experienced the other style but Ive heard this one in in fact way better
I have a 2007 Lexus GX470 and I love it! When are you going to do a video about the Nav update? Or where can I purchase an updated disk that is compatible
Discs are on ebay. I haven’t done it yet because it hasn’t been a priority lol
If anyone buys one of the nav update DVDs, let us know how it works.
I've heard both success and failure stories with eBay nav updates.
I also read somewhere you can create your own. If I recall correctly there is a licence key you need to copy from your original disk onto a disc with the updated maps. One of the eBay issues I've heard of is some don't include this key so you have to combine your old key with the new database to get some of them to work.
@@Slider68 Interesting, I havent heard about the key part. Ive heard that it gets rid of the intro "accept" screen. Ill be doing a video when I get around to buying the disks
I got the 2017 disc off ebay. Works really well. Shows roads now around me that weren't on the original disc. No problems.
The tape player makes a great business card /coffee punch card holder.
You're welcome.
Haha nice
Get a Anker Roav Bluetooth its well worth it and mucho cleaner look
Ill look into it
I will like to be able to listen to pandora on car radio, but s22 don't come with axillary port
Can you please tell me where I can get that cup holder replacement panel for the switches.
Send me a link or where you got it.
I can't can't it on eBay.
Maybe I don't know how to word the search.
I made it. Im working on a kit though that may be for sale in the future.
I just got my gx and i was wondering how you connect the BT to the original head unit
If you mean your phone (for calls) the OEM Bluetooth check the owners manual, if you mean for music it pairs through my Bluetooth devise that plugs into the aux port, I have a video on that too.
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks no to pair my phone to make phone calls
My gx470 map nevagation is black out since yesterday, the audio, climate, display and even touch screen works, but the navigation is black out. Can you help me with this
Is there a "nav" fuse?
Is there an axillary Bluetooth jack that can connect to my phone?
yes theres lots, check out my other videos
I'm guessing there is no RCA input anywhere that connects to the front screen. That would be an easy way to get your phone screen displayed.
nope
Actually the rear auxiliary video inputs can be displayed on the front screen when stopped with the parking brake on.
This works in my 07 GX470.
I haven't done it but there are several ways to disable the front video lockout if you do a bit of googling. One of the better ways is to install a module that solves this. If you just disable the parking brake and speedo input (this also allows you to use the nav while driving) there are glitches, especially when in tunnels.
Edit: the rear auxiliary audio & video inputs might be only included if you have the optional rear DVD player and flip down rear screen. When I use these the rear DVD doesn't work at all so I assume they bypass the audio and video from the rear DVD.
Just wondering... If you don't have the rear DVD player, maybe the audio and video inputs for it are still at the back of the front head unit?
Nice! Does the iPhone aux/charger work well? The ones I see on Amazon have mixed reviews.
It works, for awhile. I have one in my work vehicle too, between the 2 Ive returned 3 lol I need to see if Apple makes one and just bite the bullet
I bought one that lasted a month. Pieces of junk that all come from the same factory.
@@joeljenkins9424 yep starting to look that way. I have a white one right now that may be different but it’s too soon to tell.
sweet info bro
Thanks!
Did you have a way to make the front DVD player usable without emergency brake engaged?
Pull it up one click lol putting a switch on that ground wire is on my list of things to do and make a video about
Once you cut the green wire that goes to the ground for the E break will the E break will the E break light light up on the dashboard if you pull it up? Understand it doesn't light up once you cut the wire and ground it but just curious if it would light up on the - afterwards
yes it still works as it should
I'm impressed with these systems too, although I'm also frustrated with mine.
A guy I know locally also has an 07 GX470 and I was impressed overall with the vehicle but also specifically how he could load up 7 DVDs and control from up front what his kids were watching in the rear (6 playing from the front changer, 1 from the rear).
So I searched and found our own mint 07 GX470 but to my annoyance when I try to play a front loaded DVD to the rear, only the sound works. The front screen works with the parking brake on but the rear screen gets an error message stating "no video signal". This was one of the features we were very much looking forwards to having for long trips with the kids. Does yours work? We can play the single DVD in the rear but that is it.
My local Lexus dealer doesn't know how to fix the issue and I tracked down the original owner of my GX470 and he says he has never been able to figure out how to get it to work since new (the owners manual explains how to get it working too).
I called a couple of large Lexus dealers in the US and was told many GX470's were sold with the Mark Levinson systems incorrectly configured and this specific issue was common. Basically the video would never show up in the rear when played from the front DVD changer. They say if I bring it to them they can reconfigure it and get it working - but they are 500+ miles away. My local dealer won't touch it, other than offer to install a brand new head unit for something like $4000 (I forget the exact price).
Have you got this working? Did it work right away or did you have to do something to get it working?
Thanks for the video and any information on getting this to work.
I just watched the last 3 minutes of your video and I have to agree with you. This system has so much going for it I wasn't planning to replace it.
On the other hand, if I can get a "Tesla style" unit that truly integrates with everything, including the 6 DVD/CD/MP3/WMA changer and can feed both audio and video to/from the rear system, I would definitely be interested.
The radio following is not
Could you put a single DIN stereo in the casset/radio area?
Yes and no. There are write ups on it, but like all 470 stereo installs theres lots of "issues" depending on your options and what you want to keep working.
Pretty simple if you have a unicorn non nav model I.e no touchscreen then yes it’s pretty easy. Now if you have the ML with touch screen then it’s Tesla style for you.
Beatsonic MVA-81 lets you swap single + double DIN head units (Another cassette bites the dust) and more...
Now why I'm really here. I'm leaning towards these plans. The rest is too spendy.
Sound deadening in the doors & walls to support additional bass.
A) find the best speakers to let the Mark Levinson amp really sing. Seriously hard to find specs. The closest I've found are a couple of Lexus pages yielding speaker locations & watts on sedans. Safe to assume they didn't mess with the ML amp between models? I'll have to check if they used different part number.
B) new speakers & amp, patch it in from the preamp. leaving the ML in place. Probably too much to locate Y plugs or other connectors. There are good vampire taps around, just can't think of them right now.
Thats still a pretty expensive option
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks For me, Its better than patching in a used non-nav, or starting from scratch. I think the double din market needs to mature. Maybe next year. This year I'll do acoustic treatment and revisit. The big hassle with keeping the M/L is it's low wattage compared to the vast majority of high end drivers are 4 ohm 300+ watts per channel. Fire up the stereo if the heater takes a dump.
Hey, just wanted to ask what year is your Gx? thaaanks!!
2007
Wish there was a way to set up for music via USB flash drive...
Yeah or phone and charge the phone
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks there actually is way to listen from your phone through an aux cable w/charger function...bought one from Amazon. But I would prefer through a USB flash drive for when I'm using Navigation on my phone...
Aux Cord for iPhone with Charge Port, Car Aux Audio Cable for iPhone 11/11 Pro/X/XS/XR/XS MAX/8/8P/7/7P with Charging Function,Aux and Charge Cable for iPhone Support iOS 11/12/13 and Above (Grey)
@@6Mictian9 I have one, it works but still kind of crap lol
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks fair enough lol
If you have the MP3 capable 6 DVD/CD changer in the glove box you can load a 9.4 GB DVD-R loaded with MP3s and it provides many hours of music. It also supports several other audio formats such as WMA and lossless PCM audio.
At this point, I'm not ready to talk about converting my 05 factory stereo either LOL. I have the factory Mark Levinson, Nav, and DVD system...but of course something is messed up in it as it sounds like garbage. As for Bluetooth I run a cheap Bluetooth FM adapter thing that works pretty good for songs and such...but the climate controls drive me nuts just like our 2015 GX460....everything is fine except there's no fan speed controls on these models! As of early 2021....you can either try to upgrade the speakers at big expense, or use the "Tesla-Style" screen for 700 bucks, or go ahead and dive into trying to convert to non-nav climate controls in the center stack and then you can run whatever Single-Din or Double-Din HU you want...but that's no walk in the park at all. We'll all see what happens....I previously owned an 03 GX with no Nav and I wish I held onto that one...but that whole vehicle was a nightmare including a blown engine at 130k AND trying to kill my wife with a failed brake servo...but at least it had non-nav and was easy to get good tunes in 🤣🤣
Mine has fan speed controls I can change..... I never use them though because I always use the auto. Unless Im using the defrost then I do use the fan controls. Ive never heard of one of these 4.7 motors going bad besides poor maintenance. It is an interference motor so timing belt replacement is key. I know the electronic brake servo's can go bad but they always show warning signs well in advance. Thats crazy.
my rear player only says DISC SEEK. the dvd player in the glove box loads it, shows on the front screen.
can i use the glovebox player to transfer the video to the rear overhead screen?
I honestly cant remember, Id have to fire it all up and try.....
@@HawkeyeSkunkWorks I see, when i put a disc above it says DISC SEEK all black....then a few minutes later. It will show the DVD Menu with the line underneath and just sits on Disc Read with a black screen.
I have the same issue as you with my 07 GX470, although the message on the rear screen is slightly different. I posted this question in a different thread.
I know it is supposed to handle playing DVDs from the front to the rear because another 07 GX470 in my town does it perfectly as did an 09 I considered buying.
Unfortunately this is apparently a common configuration issue with these and I haven't figured out how to fix it myself. My local Lexus dealer won't touch it, other than to replace the head unit for something like $4000. Apparently only certain Lexus dealers are certified to work on Mark Levinson systems and they say they are not (uncertified dealers can only swap out major modules).
I phoned a large Lexus dealer in the US that does handle Mark Levinson and they told me many of these, over several model years, were configured incorrectly, causing this exact issue, and they are well aware of it and have fixed many under warranty. If I drive the 500+ miles they'll fix it for a reasonable fee (possibly free) but ...
I don't know if you need to reconnect something, flip a switch on the DVD changer, use an OBD controller, get into a Mark Levinson configuration menus or ? They did describe it as something that was configured incorrectly in the entertainment system though.
If you figure out what the solution is, please post it here.
@@Slider68 Sorry no idea....
How are you getting to AUX on the unit? It looks like the same unit I have and would like to play music using my phone like you did but have not found any way to get to an AUX option. Mine does not have DVD, other than that it looks the same. 2006 with Nav. and CD changer. Thanks.
Its an OE option, not all of them had it.
Some have an auxiliary input for audio in the front and as well as audio and video inputs in the rear.
My 07 GX470 has both.
The rear audio inputs can provide audio throughout the vehicle or just through the rear wireless headphones as well as video to both the rear and front screens.
The front auxiliary input also provides audio everywhere but I don't think it can send it to the rear wireless headphones if the front audio doesn't have aux selected.
There are additional modules you can add, both aftermarket and OEM that can add additional selectable inputs, such as mini-disc, Bluetooth audio, and auxiliary.
If I recall correctly the electronic components in the GX470 are actually manufactured by Panasonic for Mark Levinson. Somewhere I found list of modules compatible with the particular head unit and an auxiliary input is one of them.
Where Ford Explorer
I have no idea. Sounds like you need to watch some more of my old videos
I don't get it
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽