Nav Update

[rjb039]

have a  2011 IS 250 Advanced and want to update nav  maps any suggestions please

[Las Palmas]

Buy a Garmin with lifelong updates. Cheaper and better than anything Lexus can offer when it comes to navigation.

[DBIZO]

1 hour ago, rjb039 said:

have a  2011 IS 250 Advanced and want to update nav  maps any suggestions please

The base option is go to an authorized dealer, pay up £££. Maybe consider to negotiate it into a major service if one is due anytime soon. Another option is to obtain a map from a third-party. For that, first you need to determine the exact model of your navigation system, there should be a menu option somewhere. Looking at it it's possible that because your navi is a Gen6 HDD, it is only possible to update by physically accessing the HDD - either copying data onto it in the correct format or swapping the HDD. 

Here are some unauthorized vendors - I cannot vouch for them, never tried them (I negotiated an update for my 2015 IS as part of a dispute with a dealer earlier this year):

Frequently asked questions | ToyotaMaps Online

LEXUS GEN6 08HDD SAT NAV MAP UPDATE EUROPE 2019-2020 (satnavishop.co.uk)

 

[DBIZO]

1 hour ago, Las Palmas said:

Buy a Garmin with lifelong updates. Cheaper and better than anything Lexus can offer when it comes to navigation.

I know it's coming from a good place but I'd find such a comment unhelpful. There must be a reason Roger would like to see it updated. I prefer Lexus navigation over anything else 99% of the time, it's simply pleasant and gives clear instructions for most part. I hate mounting equipment, I'm odd that way. Of course, it's not online, not ideal for the urban warfare we have everywhere these days, but on our journeys so far in the UK and across driving a couple of thousand miles across Europe, it served well. In Paris it missed to know that a few exits from one of the orbitals were shut for roadworks, which caused some migraine, which it tends to get from RDS, but then again, Waze or Google would have simply taken the subsequent exits, which we have anyway. I also note that a few times when we anticipated getting caught up in heavy traffic, neither Waze nor Google Maps, running on phones in the car, warned ahead or planned a detour either, so they all failed.

[Las Palmas]

4 hours ago, DBIZO said:

I know it's coming from a good place but I'd find such a comment unhelpful. There must be a reason Roger would like to see it updated. I prefer Lexus navigation over anything else 99% of the time, it's simply pleasant and gives clear instructions for most part. I hate mounting equipment, I'm odd that way. Of course, it's not online, not ideal for the urban warfare we have everywhere these days, but on our journeys so far in the UK and across driving a couple of thousand miles across Europe, it served well. In Paris it missed to know that a few exits from one of the orbitals were shut for roadworks, which caused some migraine, which it tends to get from RDS, but then again, Waze or Google would have simply taken the subsequent exits, which we have anyway. I also note that a few times when we anticipated getting caught up in heavy traffic, neither Waze nor Google Maps, running on phones in the car, warned ahead or planned a detour either, so they all failed.

I have tried several navigation systems and been told to go one-way streets wrong direction, LED through the highway around Paris and end up going around twice before I saw I was same place as before, have been unable to find streets in Madrid that were not even very tiny. Why have I tried all these navigation systems? Company I worked for was selling them. Most were from China and one from Japan.

Trying all these I found that Becker and Garmin were the ones that never let me down. Now Google maps are OK, but if we should go touring Europe again outside the highway’s I would take my old Garmin Nüvi with me. Placing that in the windshield and having reliable navigation is not something that bother. Google maps are excellent for walking around in unfamiliar cities; good to be able to find back to the place you parked your car.

Another option is to use Google maps to tell you when to turn etc. and you can have the map from Lexus on the screen in the car.

We were not happy with the Lexus navigation (2016) and thought that if we bought the 2021 update from Lexus, not just the maps would be up to date, but also that the clumsy mouse to insert destination would be updated. Paid a fortune for a micro-SD-card with the update and found out that the new streets were there but no such thing as an update to the operation system of navigation.

[DBIZO]

1 hour ago, Las Palmas said:

I have tried several navigation systems and been told to go one-way streets wrong direction, led through the highway around Paris and end up going around twice before I saw I was same place as before, have been unable to find streets in Madrid that were not even very tiny. Why have I tried all these navigation systems? Company I worked for was selling them. Most were from China and one from Japan.

 

Trying all these I found that Becker and Garmin were the ones that never let me down. Now Google maps are OK, but if we should go touring Europe again outside the highway’s I would take my old Garmin Nüvi with me. Placing that in the windshield and having reliable navigation is not something that bother. Google maps are excellent for walking around in unfamiliar cities; good to be able to find back to the place you parked your car.

 

Another option is to use Google maps to tell you when to turn etc. and you can have the map from Lexus on the screen in the car.

 

We were not happy with the Lexus navigation (2016) and thought that if we bought the 2021 update from Lexus, not just the maps would be up to date, but also that the clumsy mouse to insert destination would be updated. Paid a fortune for a micro-SD-card with the update and found out that the new streets were there but no such thing as an update to the operation system of navigation.

 

This is all fair. If it doesn't suit your needs, it becomes an annoyance. I can also see that when you're not in the UK to use the postcodes for navigation, it is indeed clumsy. On balance, I'm so far ok with the trade-offs of the Lexus system.

[rjb039]

HI guys

Thank you for all your inputs, they are much appreciated. I cannot even find what model the nav system is, although did find that map version. I use TomTom have been for years and found that to be reliable. But thought if I have an inbuilt nav system why not use it. Not a simple task by any means to update though...LOL

Any way thank you for trying to help.

Have a great week 

[LenT]

29 minutes ago, rjb039 said:

But thought if I have an inbuilt nav system why not use it. 

My thoughts too, Roger, when I got my IS250.  My Lexus satnav uses a microSD card and I soon discovered that Lexus no longer supports this system.

Worse still, as a longtime Garmin user (like John earlier) I discovered that the Lexus system was woefully inferior in every respect.  Why a car maker with upmarket aspirations, which goes to such as Mark Levinson for their audio system, doesn’t  go to the likes of Garmin for their satnav, is a puzzle.  

I can only hope that the rest of the car lives up to your expectations.

[Zotto]

58 minutes ago, LenT said:

 My Lexus satnav uses a microSD card and I soon discovered that Lexus no longer supports this system.

 

??? Are you telling me that SDs offered in eBay are not from Lexus/Toyota?

[LenT]

19 minutes ago, Zotto said:

??? Are you telling me that SDs offered in ebay are not from Lexus/Toyota?

Can’t help you there as I’ve no idea where  they’re from!

All I could discover was that Lexus no longer appeared to support my system.  
 

Or were you being ironic?  🙂

[Las Palmas]

1 hour ago, Zotto said:

??? Are you telling me that SDs offered in ebay are not from Lexus/Toyota?

I believe they are.

Updated my 13MM nav system here from 2016 maps to 2019/20 and Lexus charged more than 150€ for the same micro-SD-card they sell on eBay for less the 50. Contacted a seller on eBay with 100% feedback and he told me they are from Lexus/Toyota and if not functioning correct money back. Power off - micro-SD-card out, new micro-SD-card in and power on; do not remember how long I should keep power on. That is what I was told. They do not get 100% ratings on eBay if not treating customers correct.

Do not know which systems IS250 have but if it is the same as in the CT which is 13MM in the one we have (registered end of October 2016 - Lexus tell me it is a 2017 model) then the maps can be bought far cheaper on eBay than from Lexus. Lexus told me there were car data on the micro-SD-card and the eBay seller told me that is not correct.

Do not use the Lexus navigation, but should I want to update it I will buy new card from eBay.

[Las Palmas]

1 hour ago, LenT said:

Can’t help you there as I’ve no idea where  they’re from!

All I could discover was that Lexus no longer appeared to support my system.  
 

Or were you being ironic?  🙂

If your car is from 2015 and Lexus tell you they no longer support the navigation system, something is wrong. Or maybe they do not want to charge a fortune for a micro-SD-card from Japan, when the same card can be bought on eBay for about a third? Just kidding. Lexus would never not make money. Great cars but greedy company.

[PCM]

On 11/17/2021 at 9:22 AM, LenT said:

...as a longtime Garmin user (like John earlier) I discovered that the Lexus system was woefully inferior in every respect.  Why a car maker with upmarket aspirations, which goes to such as Mark Levinson for their audio system, doesn’t  go to the likes of Garmin for their satnav, is a puzzle.  
 

My trusty, cheap Garmin got me from Herts to Mayfair in London yesterday. Perfectly.

I wouldn't trust my Lexus satnav for two reasons: 1. It always wants to take me some illogical way. 2. It's stopped working - dead.

[MCR]

I have a IS250 convertible, 2010 and Lexus has told me it is unable to update my satnav.  However if you have Gen6 8HDD satnav, as posted earlier, you can get a 2020 hard drive from the firm below:

https://www.satnavishop.co.uk/lexus-gen6-x2808hddx29-sat-nav-map-update-europe-2019-2020-1087-p.asp

I emailed them to ask what is involved in replacing the old one and they came back to me the next day with helpful info:

“In order to install this update you need to remove your old hard drive from the head unit and replace it with the new one you ordered from us. Please find the attached photos of how to remove your hard drive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIcwVnj88VU

They also sent me some photos on how to remove the hard drive from the unit (below):

I thought that was very good of them.  I will purchase the hard drive from them, but I am awaiting confirmation from Lexus that my system is indeed the Gen6 8HDD (it is certainly not a DVD as I bought that and there is no DVD installed - anyone want to buy a Lexus satnav DVD 2018?).