Client Loves His 2001 Lexus But Wants 2013 “Stuff”
A customer from Westminster, Maryland came to us recently with a few specific requests. He loved his 2001 Lexus IS300 and said he wanted to continue driving it for a while, but he wanted the modern conveniences of a new car. He wanted a Lexus stereo upgrade to improve the sound and volume and he wanted his windows tinted to improve cosmetics and cut down on heat. We went out to his vehicle, sat inside and looked it over. We listened to what he liked and did not like about the vehicle. It is important to note that these vehicles age well. They are built like tanks and are very classy looking. It is easy to see why the guy wanted to keep this car! After our consultation we worked up three different ideas for him based on his needs. Let’s dive right into what we did.
Kenwood Touchscreen is Part 1 of this IS300 Project
First, we installed a Kenwood DDX470 in dash touchscreen unit. This unit gave him all the modern conveniences like Bluetooth for hands free calling and wireless music streaming. It gave him an iPhone hookup to allow complete control over his music library and the ability to control the Pandora internet radio app. He also gained the ability to mirror the Garmin and Motion X navigation apps from his phone to the larger Kenwood screen. This makes using one of the iPhone’s mapping software much safer while driving. He had requested SiriusXM satellite radio so that was installed as well.
JL Speakers & Subs Round out Lexus Stereo Upgrade
So now the modern conveniences were taken care of and we moved on to the nuts and bolts of this Lexus stereo upgrade: Great Sound! In the front doors we installed JL Audio C3-650 front speakers and we installed JL Audio C2-690TX speakers in the factory locations in the rear deck. Hushmat was applied to the front doors to eliminate the possibility of any rattling or unusual sounds that may appear when high performance speakers are installed.
We made a custom enclosure to hold one JL Audio 10W1v3-4 subwoofer. We designed the enclosure to take up very little trunk space while affording the customer the kind of authoritative low end that will bring a smile to anyone’s face. Hushmat was applied in the trunk area to eliminate any rattling that might occur from the installation of the subwoofer. Rattling effectively colors the sound and lowers the sound quality of the system. The rattling is also annoying, and we always suggest installing this product liberally when a good sound system is being installed.
For power we chose an Arc Audio KS300.4 amplifier, sending 90 watts per channel to the front speakers and 350 watts of power to the subwoofer. We used the power in the Kenwood unit for the rear speakers as they did not need near the power of the front speakers. In the design phase of the system we allowed for future upgrades such as a backup camera should the customer so desire.
Let’s Not Forget the Window Tint
Rounding out the installation was our High Performance grade tint. This tint does a great job of rejecting heat, provides UV protection for the interior and most importantly, helps to protect the customer from skin cancer.
All in all we were very pleased with the outcome. The customer loved the work that we did, enjoyed having all the modern technology integrated into his car, and the sound system had him grinning from ear to ear. We love seeing that. It made our day.
If you would like to upgrade the stereo in your Lexus (or any other vehicle for that matter), please stop in any time for a free consultation. You can also contact us at any time!