Satnav map updates?

[AWC]

My RX450h just went in for a first service and asked if they could look at updating the satnav maps as I have been getting the "Unable to update maps" message. The dealership checked the version I have installed and they say it is still the latest, so after more than a year there is no Lexus map update! I was told before buying the car that there would be multiple updates each year so what has happened Lexus customer support?

[katabrontes]

Get a TomTom.  Free map updates!  Costs less than a Lexus update.

[Herbie]

Use Android Auto (or apple CarPlay depending on what your phone is) where you can use my personal favourite Waze, or Google Maps, Sygic, TomTom and HereWeGo amongst others (at least on Android).

[JasonH]

22 hours ago, AWC said:

My RX450h just went in for a first service and asked if they could look at updating the satnav maps as I have been getting the "Unable to update maps" message. The dealership checked the version I have installed and they say it is still the latest, so after more than a year there is no Lexus map update! I was told before buying the car that there would be multiple updates each year so what has happened Lexus customer support?

They may be wrong. I don't have the RX450h+ but I do have a 2022 RX450h that was unable to update the maps.

When I had a service I asked the dealer to update the maps, or fix the problem. After about 3 hours they told me it was done and I had the latest version. When I was driving home I found the version was the same as when I brought the car in....

After contacting the dealer they insisted they had updated it.

So I registered with https://www.lexus-tech.eu/ got the latest maps and installed them myself.

[bjf101]

That’s interesting. I don’t know which version sat nav you have but is suspect it’s MM21. I have MM17 which is essentially the same maps as MM19. There were reports a few months ago of MM21 units being totally bricked after a map update and requiring replacement. When I downloaded the update for MM17 a few months ago there was also an update for MM21. I’ve just had a look now and there’s nothing there at all for MM21 - not even older maps. I suspect it’s been pulled completely.

In short therefore I think the dealer is telling you the truth - just not the whole truth……..

[AWC]

6 hours ago, JasonH said:

They may be wrong. I don't have the RX450h+ but I do have a 2022 RX450h that was unable to update the maps.

When I had a service I asked the dealer to update the maps, or fix the problem. After about 3 hours they told me it was done and I had the latest version. When I was driving home I found the version was the same as when I brought the car in....

After contacting the dealer they insisted they had updated it.

So I registered with https://www.lexus-tech.eu/ got the latest maps and installed them myself.

Thanks, that's a great idea, the dealer told me the version they had was the same as was on the car. I've checked out the tech website you've suggested and the option for MM21 is back up but looking at the date, which is 2023-03-5, this is 4 months before my car was delivered so likely to be the version I have. I'll check what's on the car tomorrow but maybe the dealer was telling the truth?

[AWC]

On 7/16/2024 at 6:33 PM, katabrontes said:

Get a TomTom.  Free map updates!  Costs less than a Lexus update.

 

On 7/16/2024 at 7:37 PM, Herbie said:

Use Android Auto (or Apple CarPlay depending on what your phone is) where you can use my personal favourite Waze, or Google Maps, Sygic, TomTom and HereWeGo amongst others (at least on Android).

Solutions granted but I've paid a lot of money for the car and expect free map updates for a number of years.

[bjf101]

Just had another look. The MM21 version is nearly a year older than current MM17/19. I presume they’ve pulled the new update as it was bricking units. Here’s the thread from earlier.

There is usually a map update release twice per year so the next one is due some time around October / November. Hopefully they will sort out whatever the problem is for then. Hard to believe something like this gets released without testing though and I’m not sure I would be too keen to carry out the update myself until I was sure it was ok.

[IGR]

I took delivery of a new NX 3 weeks ago and wondered about the maps as I also had the ‘map update error’, and the map version is also 2023-03-5. Car build date was Feb this year. I asked the dealer and he said maps are updated OTA as part of the smart services sub for first 4 years. I am keeping an eye on this as a roundabout near me was changed recently and the car map hasn’t been updated. I just checked the map in the link+ app and it was not showing the change but when I pressed the mapbox icon and ‘improve this map’ it went to the mapbox website and showed an up to date map ! Hmmmm

 

[Herbie]

15 hours ago, AWC said:

 

Solutions granted but I've paid a lot of money for the car and expect free map updates for a number of years.

Fair enough my friend and I respect your choice. However, the navigation and infotainment systems have always been the Achilles Heel of any Lexus car and lots of people end up thinking that life's just too short to stress about it, preferring to keep whatever hair they have rather than pulling it out in frustration.

I've had three RXs and never managed to successfully use voice commands, whether navigation or phone. It usually goes something like this:

Me - Call Caz home

Lexus - Calling Dentist

Me - Dial Caz home

Lexus - Dialling 0321

Me - Aargh, I give up!

or

Me - navigate to M33 4XX

Lexus - Navigating to BB1 3SJ

Me - M33 4XX

Lexus - SB1 2AJ

Me - Aargh *$%£ ^^"(*$

I sincerely hope you have better luck with yours but I promise you that if it ever does get too much for you and you do end up using one of the alternatives, you'll wonder why you ever wanted to use the factory system.

[AWC]

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

Fair enough my friend and I respect your choice. However, the navigation and infotainment systems have always been the Achilles Heel of any Lexus car and lots of people end up thinking that life's just too short to stress about it, preferring to keep whatever hair they have rather than pulling it out in frustration.

I've had three RXs and never managed to successfully use voice commands, whether navigation or phone. It usually goes something like this:

Me - Call Caz home

Lexus - Calling Dentist

Me - Dial Caz home

Lexus - Dialling 0321

Me - Aargh, I give up!

or

Me - navigate to M33 4XX

Lexus - Navigating to BB1 3SJ

Me - M33 4XX

Lexus - SB1 2AJ

Me - Aargh *$%£ ^^"(*$

I sincerely hope you have better luck with yours but I promise you that if it ever does get too much for you and you do end up using one of the alternatives, you'll wonder why you ever wanted to use the factory system.

I understand your frustration with the voice command system, the system on my 400h was really sketchy and I pretty quickly gave up using it but the new model seems to work quite well and gets it right 80% of the time. Doesn't work so well for the wife but she keeps adding little qualifiers to the command as she is saying it! You also get to know the vocabulary pretty quickly which helps with the recognition.

[AWC]

I checked the map date on my car and it's even older, 2022-07-8, two years!

Can anyone confirm if the 2023-03-5 version works OK on the series 5 RX450h, and I may have a go at updating it myself?

[PeterI]

Has anyone had a go at doing an update via a USB stick? I've downloaded a spring 2024 update via the lexus uk site but given some of the replies here and the NX forum I'm a bit wary of trying personally.

My new RX has a map dated Mar 2023 which is a bit out of date to be honest.