Road Top Wireless CarPlay for Lexus with Small Touchpad/Joystick

Works as intended. It is a half day installation for the average weekend mechanic.

Installation was pretty much straight forward thanks to the kits included connectors. It was actually more tougher to put everything back together. Tried it out and it pretty much worked seamlessly. Even better when you start the car and if the phone is connected, it boots it over to carplay which is pretty nice. Reason why I got 4 stars is because I encountered a half screen apple carplay and half lexus screen flicker glitch. It only lasts till you just restart the engine, but that is strange. I think its livable.

At first I was skeptical about picking this up, as the popular choice for these decoders for my gs350 costed upwards of $700. I took the gamble, and I'm glad I spent less than half of what I would have. Now, installation can be easy or it can be a headache depending on your experience. For me, it wasn't hard it was just time consuming and at some points difficult to understand. This was my first time taking out a radio/screen, but I found some youtube videos on similar decoders and used that with the manual to figure it out. There are some cables that needed to be used on certain models, in my case I had to use the joystick one for my 2014 gs350. For whatever reason after installation I had a flickering line at the bottom, but I messaged the seller for update files and the update fixed it! I decided to not even mess with the audio cables and just used the cars OEM bluetooth, there is a setting in the decoder menu to use it. All in all it was worth the hours it took me to install it as a newbie, it connects and works the way it should. The joystick can be a bit finicky at times, but it was like that in the OEM system so I can't fault this product for it. Edit: There is now another new update that changes to a "mouse cursor" this unit is wayyyy better than before with this update, just reach out to roadtop for the files.

End up being more than it was worth. Did it work, yes. The sound was not as good due to tapping in though the aux port. Had mono sound and played passenger side no the driver side. I found it better to stick with the factory infotainment system.

This product is fantastic! I've had it for 8 months. The Carplay kit was easy to install, though it may take a bit of time if it's your first experience. I watched several YouTube videos, which made the process even easier. I really appreciate being able to switch between the Lexus and Road Top interfaces. Both Carplay and Android Auto work perfectly! I’m especially in love with the Airplay feature! Support is also 10/10

Glunky but does add Apple play. Installation took about two hours and is semi complicated. The interaction with the existing Lexus menu is less than ideal. I have to hold the menu down to switch between Apple Play and the Lexus menu. While using Apple Play it doesn’t show the volume as you just turn it up/down. It will also display random popups while using. This morning it displayed a message “favorite teams” which looked to be from the Lexus menu while using Apple Play. Not sure why it did that. Using the joystick is now a challenge, right is now up and left is down. Very frustrating to use while moving. Lots of engine noise when using. Very noticeable when the car is quiet. Over half my calls complain about an echo sound now and I have to disable the CarPlay feature. They should engineer this so that it’s just a display for CarPlay and the audio runs through the existing Lexus audio system. It should just show the maps, visual of the audio and appointments. The Lexus audio is way better. I would look at other options prior to purchasing this.

All these CarPlay controllers are not created equal. I had an identical one I had installed on my 2013 Lexus GS350 and while it technically worked it was slow and clunky. I ended up having a leak in my firewall and water got into my dash during a heavy storm. And due to where I tucked my previous unit it got fried from the water. Enter this unit. Night and day difference. It’s fast, the garbage joystick Lexus gave us is somewhat usable now vs the old one, zero connectivity issues, it’s just genuinely so much better. If you’re looking for a CarPlay solution for your aging vehicle this one is a winner. Plenty of videos online to show you how to install. If you’re remotely mechanically inclined it’s not bad at all. 1-2 hours tops.

I own a 2018 Lexus RX450h F-Sport, which originally didn't come with OEM CarPlay. Considering the underutilization of the screen, I explored retrofit kits and stumbled upon this product. Given that similar products were priced between $600-$800 excluding installation fees, which themselves could exceed $200, the $300 price tag of this kit seemed reasonable. Upon receiving the kit, I was greeted by a box full of wires, necessitating additional tools and reliance on YouTube for disassembly guidance. For those with the same model, I recommend acquiring an auto trim removal tool, a 10mm deep socket with extensions for reaching the central control unit, and screwdrivers. Here are my observations and suggestions: The kit includes two LVDS cables; only one will fit your vehicle, so choose accordingly. Avoid connecting all wires to the decoder immediately; they are tough to disconnect later, and you may need to fit them into tight spaces. Two specific wires, labeled 'joystick extension cable' and 'screen power cable,' should not be connected initially. Install everything else and conduct a trial. If there are issues with the joystick or screen, then consider connecting these. Exercise caution when connecting wires; a bent or damaged pin can prevent proper functioning. If you require technical support, plan to work on the installation during nighttime hours due to the support team operating on Chinese Standard Time (9 AM - 6 PM CST). Ultimately, I couldn't successfully install the kit without it affecting my OEM screen, which turned purple when in CarPlay mode. Despite numerous attempts and following all support advice, I couldn't resolve the issue. I ended up returning the product. While I'm still considering my options regarding CarPlay, I suggest that if the product fits your vehicle's compatibility and you're willing to take the risk, it might be worth trying. At worst, you can return it. Hopefully, my experiences can provide some insight. Drive safe y'all!

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