https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs daily 0.75 2025-10-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/6d30605b-e76e-4afc-afee-de0c94e881de/Untitled+%287%29.png https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-20 monthly 0.5 2025-03-07 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-19 monthly 0.5 2025-03-06 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-18 monthly 0.5 2025-03-06 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-17 monthly 0.5 2025-03-04 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-16 monthly 0.5 2025-03-03 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-15 monthly 0.5 2025-03-02 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-14 monthly 0.5 2025-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/e24e2cae-524d-470e-9596-7cf5eed2beb8/54352368576_f869208e9e_w.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 14 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-13 monthly 0.5 2025-02-28 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-12 monthly 0.5 2025-02-27 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-11 monthly 0.5 2025-02-27 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-10 monthly 0.5 2025-02-25 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-9 monthly 0.5 2025-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/614513eb-0237-45b5-94e0-12d5e5ffeace/PXL_20250224_004554494_exported_887_1740369166753.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 9 - Sarah Lee And this is what happens when I start to scratch her neck… she just leans right back with no care in the world completely trusting that I won’t let her fall out of her bed LoL https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-8 monthly 0.5 2025-02-23 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-7 monthly 0.5 2025-02-22 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-6 monthly 0.5 2025-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/62d02b13-a00a-4971-ab1c-aa01eb168571/processed_1000001278.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 6 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/d88a0e37-6200-488a-94b0-4904c9108c33/processed_1000001190.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 6 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-5 monthly 0.5 2025-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/aa81a7ff-0c38-4cf2-b515-ac1359a50b98/Sarah-Lee-Amit-Snow.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 5 At some point I’ll build a proper window shelf for her to enjoy the view whenever she likes! https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/day-4 monthly 0.5 2025-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/d1089d07-24f4-44aa-903a-01d7d0b42c80/PXL_20250219_000648826.MP%7E3.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 4 - Make it stand out Cricut Maker 3! https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/daily-blog-day-3 monthly 0.5 2025-02-18 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/daily-blog-day-2 monthly 0.5 2025-02-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/22643fc5-f56c-4bc3-9461-7c4b169eb28c/Stich+I%27d+Rather+Not.jpg Daily Blogs Michael Amit - Day 2 https://www.michaelamit.com/daily-blogs/michael-amit-daily-blog-day-1 monthly 0.5 2025-02-18 https://www.michaelamit.com/tech-blogs daily 0.75 2025-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/c530fd02-a38a-469e-b2e4-cbd8276778a9/Untitled.png https://www.michaelamit.com/life-blogs daily 0.75 2025-02-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/20e1ed41-d48d-4831-8315-7f88ef8c22b8/Untitled+%283%29.png https://www.michaelamit.com/project-blogs daily 0.75 2025-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/1a83eba3-8fd5-4429-9fb8-88f35c041691/Untitled+%286%29.png https://www.michaelamit.com/project-blogs/lexus-ls-500-f-sport-retrofit-kit monthly 0.5 2025-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/42c7c617-ee6e-4d94-9e57-3015805c3e1b/PXL_20250327_190426452.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Then you’ll need to remove this top bolt from the right side of the system and it’s “mirrored” twin on the left side of the system. (8mm socket… you should have bought a craftsman set by now if you haven’t already!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/7a5e20bf-952b-4c0d-b2f2-3a3a802458b5/PXL_20250327_162241226.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out basically I worked my way down from the far passenger side to the center of the dash. Remember… Craftsman if you want the job done well! LOL https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/5882c41f-11b0-4159-9fa0-e51602bf9474/PXL_20250328_163805575.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out That’s where my Depstech Endoscope came into play! I couldn’t see diddly-squat behind the unit so I had to poke around to see where I could feed cables and I ended up mounting the aftermarket box on the passenger underside panels ( I was not taking pictures of that process because again… I’m one man and I can’t do that and take pictures haha) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/5eb28550-bbe0-4da6-bcfe-f4872ba6b2bd/PXL_20250327_160453772.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out The toggle Switch determines how to decode the signal that’s coming in (for this car it’s Toggle switch 2 and 4 on). The video (I don’t know why they call it that) its for USB updates and 3rd party cameras. I literally did nothing with the “video” cable other than run the USB port to an accessible location and mount the Bluetooth antenna which I’ll show later on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/8b213974-3a55-41c0-8118-76ece7ede795/PXL_20250327_214851860.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Ok… let’s pause for a moment and look at my beautiful puppy Sarah Lee while I try to explain why I had to take the whole dashboard apart to remove the screen! LoL Sooo…. When I got the harnesses placed in I went ahead and hooked the battery back up, turned on the car and nothing… The car turned on, the car was working as usual, I even heard the Lexus system booting up and chime on the speakers but the screen was black. I thought maybe I needed to change the toggle switches, even though I knew I read the combination for this model car. I tried the other toggle combinations and NOPE! After going back and forth troubleshooting I finally gave up for the evening… Now mind you, not only was this project pushing my nerves because the “troubleshooting” steps of the guide was only two options followed by…"contact us if you still have problems” I also made the day a “cheat day” and had some horrible food along with candy AND…. Forgot I had my follow-up doctors appointment the next morning LOL THANKFULLY my doctor told me my next bloodwork wasn’t going to be done until Dec. and she laughed and said I am doing great! I lost 7 pounds, my blood pressure dropped to normal and I seem more energetic. The whole cholesterol thing we will address in 9 months when I do my next blood work but she said she is sure it’s looking good! Anyway…. Right after the appointment I grabbed some breakfast and tried to breath, have some quiet time and relax until the outside warmed a little bit. Because of my quiet time and just letting the Holy Spirit speak to me, I was able to get outside of my normal “thinking” head and let God point me in the direction to troubleshoot. I did end up emailing tech support but I figured it out before they could respond and here’s what I found out…. The blue LDVS cable yeah….. The cable that came with the aftermarket box had one female connector and one male while the factory system and screen both have female connectors with one cable connecting them together (a male to male cable). In my logical head… I figured I would plug the aftermarket male connector into the back of the system and then connect the female aftermarket cable into the male end of the cable that runs up to the factory screen but NOOOOOO Some really bright person who designed the aftermarket box decided that the male end of the aftermarket cable needed to be plugged directly into the back of the screen and the female connector on the aftermarket cable would then connect to the factory cable that originally plugged into the screen. You know what that means?!?! I had to take the whole dash apart so I could get to the back of the screen so HERE WE ARE! YEAHHHH!!! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/116d967c-7173-4aee-b9b5-12795bc8e7cd/PXL_20250326_151457761.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Here is where I’ll be spending most of my time working! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/114307cf-d9fa-486d-b8f4-69cd1332e57d/PXL_20250327_160446934.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Ok the aftermarket system! This is what comes in the box. The receiver/decoder (which is the black box) the manuals (which are garbage!) the LVDS cable (Black cable with 3 blue connections and is used to intercept the video) the power/data cables (the biggest cable bundle) the USB port for updates and aftermarket cameras (the only cable with a yellow connection) a WIFI antenna for Wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay (the smaller bagged cable), and lastly a cable for older cars (the other bagged cable). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/26a59c75-ab65-4377-8d4d-755d442d15e6/PXL_20250328_182919684.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out I ran the WIFI antenna and USB port through the center console and placed them between the shifter console and the system front face. This was the only “empty” space I did not see used! I have no clue what it’s for… maybe a pen? lol but the the antenna and usb port sits perfectly in that space. FYI I have no clue what I didn’t take a picture with the USB port but just image another cable sitting on top of it for easy access to the driver to plug in their phone or usb flash drive haha https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/d1741351-b74c-490a-9c1f-40145335ce9e/PXL_20250327_165705112.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Next remove this vanity cover over the base of the disk drive to reveal a bolt on each side that needs to be removed. Same process… find a good place to get your pry tool in and work around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/8c4d16a0-1aae-461f-a196-8bd2ab46557d/PXL_20250327_160500255.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Basically only two ports connects directly to the factory system which are the LVDS port (video) and CAN (power and other communication). The RF Cable is for the WIFI ant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/e24519ce-3d3a-4270-a994-2c8a3d68ae26/PXL_20250326_151131084.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Lexus LS 500 F-Sport V6 Twin Turbo! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/147a0506-033e-4b9d-bafc-87297fc24525/PXL_20250327_161950271.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Then you are going to start working the front dash which is 3 separate parts. The bottom trim is for the AC control. The middle is for the vents and the top is the dash panel for the base of the screen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/104dbd9d-257e-498c-9f70-c3a31383a0cc/2.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out And by golly I put everything back together and it’s so PURRTTYY! Oh and hey you can see the USB cable I was talking about HAHA it just sits there if my client wants to hardwire his phone or needs to update the system. So where do I go from here?! No where because I’m tired of this blog already lol I had to drive this bad boy around for a little to re-calibrate all the cameras and other sensors and by the way, if you ever need to re-calibrate your reverse camera lines with your steering wheel…. Just put it in reverse, keep your foot on the brake and turn the wheel as far as you can left and then as far as you can right and the lines come back to life!!! Just an interesting tip I learned after having to do it on another project that required the battery to be pulled too! Oh I should post a blog for the next time I have to install a security camera on a car which will hopefully be soon lol Until next time! Take Care! -Amit https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/7fc51774-fc18-4966-abf7-45712218a595/PXL_20250327_155206686.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out These are my suggested tools for said project! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/98fa9dff-90a0-4971-afe7-44f3a1a1b50e/PXL_20250327_195918039.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out At this point, you take the large cable harness, plug it into the CAN part of the aftermarket box and the these cable go between the factory system and it’s cables. I thought it was straight forward for the blue LVDS but NOOOOO, I had a rude awakening after I tried testing the unit… Thank God I didn’t put everything back together and have to pull it all apart! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/9593b1cf-f22a-4399-91bd-280fcc0e32fd/PXL_20250327_161345573.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Now….Essentially I have to remove the system that is located where the Disk Drive is located just in front of the shifter knob. In order to do this, the dash above it has to be removed. We do that by starting along the passenger side! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/154a4b4f-ce09-45e7-841a-148717b9ddf3/PXL_20250328_182218440.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out I mounted (taped lol) the Bluetooth antenna https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/c5d3ff91-5918-438f-b21b-f40beabfc33b/PXL_20250327_164058597.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out First things first! Disconnect that Negative terminal first, followed by the positive terminal. This requires a 10mm socket (again Craftsman…) and just so you know… this car’s engine is stupid big and they use every inch of that engine bay! The battery is in the trunk if you didn’t gather that from the picture haha https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/6ecf3286-bc6f-478d-9151-19c2529d6fdd/PXL_20250327_170122238.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out You will need to remove the very top bolt and it’s “mirrored” twin on left side of the system. (10 mm socket… craftsman….) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/4eedf09a-1ab2-4394-85cd-8de603e5978a/PXL_20250327_162320339.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Now in the beginning I “thought” I was going to be able to avoid taking this entire dash board apart so I just removed the bottom section (I will be rudely corrected later in this project and have to remove everything lol) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/1214629b-4fcf-4d10-8d3b-a4630554ac30/PXL_20250327_224846442.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out And here we are! After a day and a half of work, I get to see the new system works! Now I had to figure out how on earth to get the system back in with all the “extra wires” AND figure out where on earth I’m going to mount the aftermarket box! Just as a side note, when you have a fancy sports car with all these extra bells and whistles… every inch of that car is used for something so I was scratching my head for a while lol https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/3c97d171-613f-41c8-8693-08d741b07231/PXL_20250328_164653891.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out I started feeding cables through after I knew where it was open. (By the way the side panels along the center console just pop right off) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/6eca0b5c-8b97-41da-84b2-aaa04cbcf3cb/PXL_20250327_161410856.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Basically you find a decent spot to get in with your pry tool and work your way around! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/ae95f69f-ae0a-46d1-83a3-f263c307417c/PXL_20250327_173145492.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Not sure why I don’t have a picture of this but basically your pry tool goes between the leather trim and the silver trim of the shift console and the piece come right up! p.s. I removed the trim under the red leather because I wanted to see what I was working with under it. It’s not necessary for this project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/ac64af60-d6fb-4a3f-b9bb-3a30fa618eb0/PXL_20250327_165915820.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out I worked the right side, then left side and then pulled from the center and it came off like frozen butter… LoL https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/2ad33c80-1e03-46ce-b63f-f05131fe4dee/PXL_20250327_162339923.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out The AC panel is connected with just one cable (thank you God!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/5c9a4a00-70eb-49aa-8d56-f0c3ac113073/1.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out I had no desire to go through the process of taking pictures of how to remove this screen. It’s straight forward for the most part. Remove the top panel trim which I showed in previous pictures (you do have to pop the panel above the steering wheel console up but that literally pops up just by moving it up, which blew my mind! lol) then there are two bolts that hold the screen in place (the bolt holes you can see in this picture) and then that lovely blue male LVDS cable needed to be pulled to put the aftermarket cable in it’s place and the female plugged into the cable I pulled out. And by the way, yes I suggested to the manufacture to change the cables because it makes no sense to pull the screen! They responded with a generic “thank you for pointing that out, we will pass it on” and I hope they do! lol https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/8cacd72f-9877-4fa6-b286-cf70f2550b10/PXL_20250327_173043101.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out The knob just screws off! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/38c17081-9f15-494a-b087-bb847315a654/PXL_20250326_151259229.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out Here’s a simple view of the front interior with it’s red leather! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/bcea850b-dc05-41cc-8008-ea210c108cae/PXL_20250327_192627943.MP.jpg Project Blogs Michael Ami - Lexus LS 500 F-Sport Retrofit Kit - Make it stand out I’m only one man so there was no way I was going to take pictures of me taking this system out, disconnect cables and not yell, scream and shout! Basically the system comes out, the cables are all stupid short and if you have huge hands (which thankfully I don’t) good luck trying to get these harnesses disconnected! And you wanted to see pictures of me doing that LOL NOPE! https://www.michaelamit.com/home daily 1.0 2025-07-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/04ce8e92-af17-4e53-bdc6-e0f8588ec9a3/Untitled+%282%29.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/20e1ed41-d48d-4831-8315-7f88ef8c22b8/Untitled+%283%29.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/6d30605b-e76e-4afc-afee-de0c94e881de/Untitled+%287%29.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/1a83eba3-8fd5-4429-9fb8-88f35c041691/Untitled+%286%29.png https://www.michaelamit.com/about-michael-amit daily 0.75 2025-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/a940c543-e68f-40fb-85f4-2c2b4f834246/Michael-Amit.png https://www.michaelamit.com/michael-amit-profile-picture daily 0.75 2025-10-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/679d0428d7fae560f48a01f1/a940c543-e68f-40fb-85f4-2c2b4f834246/Michael-Amit.png