BLK ISF

Yeah myself and many have the same setup as this. You'll be happy. I had excessive break squeal and too much dust as with my old setup but with this setup ive been happy. I'm sure there are pads that perform better under more heat stress but for street use its great.

Hi Ruben, My car is a 08 ISF, so my ML system is different to yours being a 12 however i beleive some of the functionality will be the same. Ok, GROM is right in saying that all stereo functions will be working the same way but yes they are missing some extra details. To initially launch the VLine, the Audio button has nothing to do with this. Pressing Audio will simply change from radio presets etc as you have described as Vline is not activated yet. It will just toggle through the modes as per your OEM stereo setup. To launch Vline in the first instance, you need to press Aux/CD button (well on my ML system, thats how its done). This will boot Vline and from there, pressing Audio becomes a shortcut to return to Vline after entering any other OEM function like aircon or when a proximity sensor goes off (such as a drivethru) or even reversing because the camera kicks in. Everytime i reverse out of my driveway and then enter D, i need to press audio to enter Vline again otherwise it remains in OEM ML mode. Pressing Audio from now on will have nothing to do with your OEM ML setup. To use your OEM radio functions again, you need to exit Vline by pressing the Aux/CD (as in my case) and then pressing audio toggles through the radio presets etc. This setup works well for me so i can use Vline always without having to turn it on so to speak. If a OEM function interrupts it, its a matter of pressing 1 button (Audio) to get back into it. If for whatever reason i want to exit Vline, i just press Aux and now Vline will not funciton. All buttons will operate OEM ML functions (besides Aux of course), which will re-enter Vline. Hope that makes sense.

Congrats on the "pending sale", hopefully the buyer pulls through and its not a waste of your time. Yeah subies are good, i had a WRX prior to the ISF for over a decade, modified the hell out of it. Good little 4cyl on steroids. Things started to break a fair but but then again mine began to age and it was heavily modified so no surprise. Im sure if i left it standard, it would probably still be running well and reliably. Yeah Liberty GT's are nice. Sure, its not like an ISF but for a downgrade, its a good compromise and AWD grip is great. If you get bored, being turbo as you know its so much easier to make power. Probably wont be long before you miss it and you start with an exhaust, bigger turbo etc haha.

Nope, headlights on or off makes no difference

Forgot to update here for those who dont have FB or Instagram. Just wanted to share now all is working well. Another use for my Vline. As per my pic, i can now control my exhaust valves through the OEM screen, its a novelty but quite cool. Driven past police a few times and could easily close the valves so it became very quiet but then press 100% moments later and it was loud again. Last thing i want to do is reach for my phone to operate it with police nearby so this setup is working out quite well for me.

Just sharing a recent install, as im sure others could benefit from this. No its not a power mod or will make your ISF faster but it still put a smile on my face after ignoring it for years. My bonnet has always lifted ok but needed assistance, the gas struts did nothing and dropped kind of heavy. Same with my boot, very heavy to lift and would slam shut so i know the struts was not doing anything. I saw some replacements online, eBay etc but also read some reviews about those same aftermarket parts failing not long after so thought id go with a good quality aftermarket with good reviews or OEM. Anyway to purchase replacements from Lexus will set you back: Front (none available, have to order from Japan) = $235 + GST Rear (local) = $252 + GST Total = $487 AU Through Lift Support Depot.com i ordered the following: https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/sachs-sg329063-gas-charged-hood-lift-support/ = $53.90 USD for 2 x Hood gas struts https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/lift-supports-depot-pm1016-gas-charged-trunk-lift-support/ = $49.90 USD for 2 x boot gas struts Total = $103.80 USD + approx $37.35 USD postage Total = $141.15 USD or $201.20 AU with our crappy dollar. Regardless, less than 1/2 the price of OEM and its so much nicer closing the boot without it slamming shut, more like a soft close and lifting the bonnet and letting the struts do the rest. Its the little things but still it all adds up.

Theres some space in that engine bay............so when is the turbo kit coming :-)

Damn that is a good price. I got my T3's from Brakes Direct at $194 each, $397 for the pair. When you look at Ebay, on the listings it still shows $398 until you click on it and then it shows the extra 15% at $338 with the code so nice find :-). At a glance its easy to miss the discount, wish they had it on the thumbnail listings vs when you click onto it.

To be honest, i dont mind the loudness but id just like it quiet early morning when i leave for work and when i see police etc so i think manual is my only real solution. Time of the day might be good but cant see how thats possible. i.e. Driving before 5am which is me (be in quiet mode). When i first got the exhaust i was impressed with the sound, loved the v8 sound. My first impression when i got the PPE's was Oh crap what have i done, its way too loud haha. Of course its grown on me and i love it now, never gets old so mine is open most of the time. Only other mode id like would be "wife" mode. Varex smartbox detecting my wife is in the car and changing to quiet mode lol. Ps Ive been defected a long time ago with my WRX for the exhaust being too loud and my ISF is much louder but so far so good. Its definitely more of a sleeper which helps.

Haha thanks for that. I guess at $509 vs $498 is near enough. Just when i recalled you paying $400 i thought, thats a good price. As im in no rush i was going to hold out for that but i assume $500ish is probably as good as its going to get (well for a new one anyway). I liked the idea of still having the remotes as backup. Even now i have one hidden but conveniently mounted. My car has PPE's as well so its quite loud vs exhaust alone. For that reason i get paranoid when Police are near and i see them look so i can quickly press the remote to shut it up. Probably quickly and safer than turning on my phone screen to tap close etc. Most times id use the app but i like my remotes for that reason. Xforce Head office installed mine at their premises so i know my current box is behind the foot area of the passenger side. I know what you mean about the power. Mines is routed under the centre console to the cig adaptor in the middle compartment console. I'd like to have it hardwired in but im not savvy enough in those areas lol.

Just curious if anyone local (vs the US) has it installed and running the latest Android updates. I believe all new VLines are preloaded with the latest software. I havent bothered updating as everything i use it for works just fine. Even recently installed Netflix which the kids love watching and even i get to catchup on some series whilst waiting for the kids at school pickups etc lol. Movie streaming working well as well so just seeing if anyone is running the newer Android OP system and is happy/annoyed with it???

Just had a look and noticed the smartbox is on sale now for a few days. RRP $598.95 down to $509.11 (free shipping) so about 15% off. I thought that was good until i remembered you mentioned you paid $400 (about 33% off). Hmm tempted, wander if they'll give that kind of discount again or is low $500's as good as it will get??? Given i already have the Varex i think connecting the existing box to the smartbox doesnt look that difficult from what i saw on Youtube. Not even sure id bother with the OBD port function (assume thats for Matrix mode, controlled by RPM etc) or even Geo mode (based on GPS) as i want mine open all the time besides early mornings and if Police are around (dont want the attention lol).

Cheers thanks for the tip. $400 is a good price, almost $600 now i noticed 😞 Do you find it easy, convenient to use via the phone vs pressing a remote button. I guess if you forget your phone at home or battery is dead, phone not responding etc, the remote is the backup. I know some products are good but their app lets them down. Ever have any issues with the app not working, locking up, not working etc?

Hard to say, i know on atleast 1 occasion when a motor failed, Xforce was busy at the time so they gave me a spare motor. I got it changed over during a service and got my mate to test the faulty one. Well it wasnt faulty, it worked fine but the way he explained (im sure ill word it wrong) was that the motor is quite strong and doesnt have a stopper or timer on how it runs so if i press it open and hold the button, it wont stop when open, it keeps spinning so the cogs likely popped out of alignment. Hence why it appeared faulty but it was still working so i got a spare out of it. I know they are only about $50 but still. So im very conscious now when opening/closing it to press the button for a second or so not over press it because i cant remember if i left it open or closed if that makes sense. Ill see when i get my car serviced next if the current issue is the motor failing or if its just popped out of alignment again. If this is the case, its possible the other times i went to Xforce when they simply changed it over, might not have been necessary vs getting the existing motor at the time to work, who knows. With the smart box it would be better in that respect as you simply press a button so i cant see that issue ever coming into play although Xforce advised about end last yr i think that they have redesigned the motors so it might not even be an issue at all anymore with new varex exhausts. Mine is easily over 3 yrs old. The smart box wasnt even an option back then. I think to fit it to mine is about $500. I may fit in in the near future???

LOL, well after changing the motor a few times, they conceded and out of warranty period changed the entire muffler so cant come down too hard on them for that. It was always the one side so something about the muffer itself being the issue causing the motors to fail. Passenger side was always good (well for about 3) and that is the one that has recently gone. Ive just been too lazy to fix it at the moment. Ill get it done next service which isnt that far away. Now if it was stuck in the closed position id be really annoyed as i enjoy the sound vs the quiet haha. Ps Even with one working its not quiet at all. It really needs both working and closed and then its stealth mode (very quiet)

A bit late to chime in. You'll be in good hands with Chris from Chatswood. For my headers i got TNK to install them (as recommended by Danny here on the forums). They have installed numerous headers and did a great job with mine, over a year and no issues, rattling, codes and quick turn around etc. Left it there overnight and done by morning. They were amongst the cheapest as i called several exhuast/work shops for install prices. As a few have mentioned, not many have installed them. Some were willing to give it a go lol (um not at my expense, didnt want to be a test vehicle). Ps Whilst the subframe is off, get your engine mounts checked. Few have mentioned theres was on the way out and best time to change them over to reduce labour costs) Oh and also check about ceramic coating for the headers to reduce heat. Some have had issues with wrapping and dont like it

Ive had my Varex for atelast 3.5 yrs now. At the moment 1 motor isnt working but beyond that, i have never heard any kind of vibration attributed to the varex.

Ok, my 2cents worth......Ps Mine is a daily so spends alot of time on crappy roads like Parra rd and does not see the track. Its not lowered but i do have aftermarket rims so its a 1/2 inch wider like the later model ISF's. Fronts: I was running the Mich Pilot Super sports and they were great. Good for the street, great grip and longevity. I do enjoy a spirtied drive and getting it a bit loose around corners but maybe dont push it as hard as some given i got about 32000kms out of them (yeah i was surprised as well lol). I have since changed them to the Mich Pilot Sport 4S MPS4S and yeah the hype is justified. They are a great tyre and didnt mind given i got so much out of the previous MPSS and the 4s are supposed to have more grip and better longevity. Ive done about 13000kms with the MPS4S and they are still performing great. Ok prices vary and generally most are very high. I know Tempe parallel import but they were priced cheaper than most and i simply emailed/phoned about 5 of my local tyre places and on this occasion, Jax was willing to price match so i got 2 front MPS4S in 245/35 19inch for $329 each supplied and fitted. Extra $50 or near enough for an alignment (was considering 255 but didnt want to scrub). The 245/35 fit great, no scrubbing whatsover. Rears: Initially ran the OEM size of 255/35 in MPSS and to be honest i wasnt that impressed. Ok plenty grip at first but after about 10000kms, i still had decent life in them but they lost a lot of grip and would break action with little effort. Ok i did up the power (tune, exhaust, headers etc) but still..... Then when i had about 20% life left in them i had a horrible tyre blowout (few of you probably saw my other post where i was lucky the rim wasnt damaged, tyre shredded). So i need replacements quick and got it towed back home that morning. I know youre not supposed to run different rears to fronts but i didnt think it was that big a deal in my situation and where i drive. So i went with 285/30 Kumho PS91's and paid $275 each (local price matched Tempe) so for $550 for both, i couldnt complaint about the price. They looked great being that wide and performed well. I was happy with these tyres and would of got them again when the time came but i had problems finding them recently. I had the PS91's fitted a few years prior and got about 22000kms out of them so cant complain. The only issue was at first i did get slight scrubbing and that was shaved guards (as said, my aftermarket rims has agressive offset as i believe 285's wont scrub on OEM later model wheels). After they settled in, no more scrubbing but im sure losing a few mm's in tyre helped lol. I only have my 2 kids in the rear not adults so little weight as well. When the time came a few months back to change my rears. The MPS4S was alot more exp than my fronts and given i had different brands front/back for years without issue i looked around and settled on Bridgestone Potenza S001. Got good reviews etc. This time i went a bit less wide at 275/30 (didnt want to go 275/35 based off the dia going to 26.6 inch vs OEM of 26in. Id rather keep it the same or under than over to avoid that bulge look). Ok its early days, about 3500kms but very happy with the rears to date. Good grip, low noise (not that id hear it over the PPE's lol) and longevity im yet to see. I paid $299 each for those (this time none of my locals wanted to price match) so got them from Tempe. About $450 was the cheapest i could find for the MPS4S for my rears so decided to pay $600 vs $900. Ps Not sure about the Azenis but i used to run Falken ST115's on my WRX. Anyone with a WRX knew they were the tyre of choice (REXNET and other WRX forums all those years ago lol).

Damn its been a long journey but that light at the end of the tunnel isnt far now. Good to hear youre sticking to it (well guess youve invested too much time and cash to turn back now) but it will certainly be unique and a 1 off. Hope it performs well. I dont have that kind of patience. I know the ISFs are cheap in the US and they sell many SC kits there. Like others mentioned, our crappy dollar and value of ISF just makes it a more distant option now. I mean mid 30's, early 40's for a early model ISF, then approx 20k (half the car's value) for the kit. Perhaps if i had a 2014 model it might prove more worthwhile $$ wise lol Look forward to the final updates.

Paid $799 and $10 postage back in Jul18 (although paid $781, cant remember why, thats whats on my statement). Paid about $130 for the install (about 2 hrs but got a dash cam fitted same time). No problems regarding the install and was appreciative of the idea of placement of the unit as i still retain my storage (what little we have) and is very easy to get to. Is it worth buying, hmm how long is a piece of string? Really depends on what you want to use it for, how often etc. Im sure you'll get divided opinions on this. As its all hidden, it doesnt feel like value for money as there is no visible hardware, big screen, new controls to play with etc. On the other hand its a unique product in what it does, retaining the OEM appearance perfectly. There is no way anyone would know i have it installed and i can still use all OEM functions so any passengers would have no idea until i activate Vline mode. I like that its OEM in appearance. I saw the Beatsonic extra screen options but thought it cheaped the look (personal tastes) I think 1k is alot, even what i paid i thought it was a bit rich. Its a hard justify for the price hike given what extra you get. I think some more RAM, perhaps upgrade processor (havent checked) but mine doesnt lag anyway. I mean i use it when driving so im not constantly pressing many buttons like you would a phone etc. New ones are pre loaded with Android 8 but again, i personally dont have an issue with what its running. Id rather wait until its more stable before paying for upgraded firmware. Bottom line, i paid the $800ish and whilst pricey i have no regrets as i hated the OEM unit. Its very outdated, the maps are not good (i even had the latest maps), CD for music is quite old and i didnt want to have to plug all sorts of devices in to stream etc. With hotspot i can play music from webradio, spotify so easily that i dont bother plugging anything in. I like hassle free. I just get in my car, and once booted it all works. My car is a daily so i use it all the time so that made it easier to justify the purchase. If a weekend car, i probably wouldnt have bothered.

Hi mate, well ive had it running in my car now for about 9 months. I really have to think hard about the minor issues ive had. Certainly not as bad as some venting on the US forums. I think like anything, you always read about the bad/negative vs the positive. Im sure many have it installed and dont even follow the forums or post etc. I do think its a bit over priced, id feel like id get more for my $ if i had an aftermarket unit that i could physically see but the big benefit i wanted was that i wanted it discreet and to look OEM and the Vline achieves that perfectly. Overall i am happy and still have no regrets. Its my daily ride and i use Waze for Navigation (leaves the OEM nav well behind, live alerts etc). I also use Spotify a fair bit which works great, sharing playlists between my mobile and car. Also use an aftermarket launcher, web radio, youtube for my kids and occasional movie streaming when im waiting in the car. Otherwise i would hardly use the OEM unit as it cant do much. It rarely fails and the few times it has, a normal restart of the car resolves it (not rebooting of the unit though). I dont mind their after sales support. They have been prompt when i ask something and when i did have 1 issue, they emailed me an update file with clear instructions how to reboot my unit with this update and it resolved that issue. Ok some gripes/issues i have had: 1. A few times i would not have audio. No music or audio for the sat nav. This happened a couple of times but the update file GROM sent me resolved it. At least 3 months on without any reoccurence of this 2. This is a gripe. Whenever a native feature enables the screen, it reverts back to the OEM maps. I then have to hit audio to enter Vline mode. Ok not a big deal but where it gets annoying is when im on call. The telephone screen appears and you cant remain the call and use mapping or anything at the same time. So if you were heading somewhere unknown relying on the map, well you couldnt. Also if i go through a drive through and my parking sensors go off, once i exit, i have to select Vline mode again. 3. There is an upgrade available to V8 but been advised we need to pay for it via an SD card. If not formatted correct, it could brick our device. Im in no rush, what i use it for works great so doesnt bother me. Cant think of any other issue. Overall it makes driving for me much better and generally always works. OEM functions work as they did before (aircon, rev camera etc), much better music options, i can still use CD's if i wanted, music and mapping etc all work great so im happy. I have 80gb per month on my phone plan that i hardly touch so even using hotspot in the car as much as i do barely makes a dent. Also like that its small so i dont lose any storage where i have mine mounted and its easy to get too.

Haha, if i hadnt of got my car tuned and then retuned after headers id consider them but more of an FYI if anyone else it considering a tune.

Hi all, more of an FYI if anyone is looking to tune their ISF. Now just to point out im not affiliated with these guys in anyway, havent used them before as mine has already been tuned but just sharing. Not sure if any of you have heard of ETuners based in Taren point SYD. I see many of their posts via social media, tuning the usual Euro suspects like the A45, GTI, C63, RS7, RS3, M3 and even the new I30n etc. All with some really big gains with minimal mods. Dump pump, exhaust, tune etc. Even at the moment they shared something i think last week, their tuned RS3, Aussie record at 10.22. Anyways i messaged them a while ago and they couldnt tune our cars at the time but i was bored earlier in the week so asked again out of curiosity and they said they believe they could possibly be able to tune it now. Mine is a daily ride but they asked if they could have the car overnight they could give it a go. Given their tuning results from other cars it looks promising to have another player on the market who can potentially tune our cars. Anyway they advised $1250 for a custom tune (one of the cheaper quotes for Sydney tuners anyway).

Im running the MPS4S on my ISF now since Jul 18. 245/35 R19 (2 fronts only at the time) and overall very happy. I have run the older MP Super sports previously and find the MPS4S to be a better tyre overall. Well grip for now, as for longevity/durability lets see how long they last vs my previous tyres.

Xforce themselves advised the heat shouldnt be an issue but then again i doubt they would admit to that kind of design flaw and what else could it be. One on instance when the motor stopped, i had it checked and nothting was wrong with it. The motor wheel/cog popped out of alignment somehow so when i got my car serviced, the workshop guys virtually took it off and put it back on and it worked again so its like depressing the remote too long strains it. i.e. Its not like the bluetooth varex app where you press a button, say 100% and then it stops when its done. With the remotes you can hold it down and even after its fully open or closed, the motor continues to work so i think thats a design flaw myself. Maybe the newer designed motors have changed, not sure.