Nav Problem

[rokeven]

I got my car back in February and have been having frequent problems with the nav and wanted to find out if anyone else has been having this problem. What is happening is the nav will occasionally not register where I actually am. The most frequent error is the nav shows me as being about 50 miles off the coast of northern california. I live inland in sacramento, so I am nowhere near the coast. The directional indicator will turn in random circles not relative to me actually turning the car. *sometimes* turning off the car and restarting it fixes the problem, but not this last weekend. On Saturday I drove about 300 miles in northern cali and the entire time it showed me being 10 miles west of my actual location......HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING???

[Scott M]

I got my car back in February and have been having frequent problems with the nav and wanted to find out if anyone else has been having this problem. What is happening is the nav will occasionally not register where I actually am. The most frequent error is the nav shows me as being about 50 miles off the coast of northern california. I live inland in sacramento, so I am nowhere near the coast. The directional indicator will turn in random circles not relative to me actually turning the car. *sometimes* turning off the car and restarting it fixes the problem, but not this last weekend. On Saturday I drove about 300 miles in northern cali and the entire time it showed me being 10 miles west of my actual location......HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING???

No, that's not normal.... Bring it in.

[Sleepyk]

I got my car back in February and have been having frequent problems with the nav and wanted to find out if anyone else has been having this problem. What is happening is the nav will occasionally not register where I actually am. The most frequent error is the nav shows me as being about 50 miles off the coast of northern california. I live inland in sacramento, so I am nowhere near the coast. The directional indicator will turn in random circles not relative to me actually turning the car. *sometimes* turning off the car and restarting it fixes the problem, but not this last weekend. On Saturday I drove about 300 miles in northern cali and the entire time it showed me being 10 miles west of my actual location......HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING???

I've heard that metallic window tinting and/or any other obstructions near the back window can cause the GPS to go nuts. I'm given to understand the the GPS antenna is embedded in the rear window, so you might want to look into that too.

Definitely a dealer issue unless it turns out to be the window tinting or the illegal pirate radio station you're broadcasting from your trunk.

[Cherokee_Outlaw]

I got my car back in February and have been having frequent problems with the nav and wanted to find out if anyone else has been having this problem. What is happening is the nav will occasionally not register where I actually am. The most frequent error is the nav shows me as being about 50 miles off the coast of northern california. I live inland in sacramento, so I am nowhere near the coast. The directional indicator will turn in random circles not relative to me actually turning the car. *sometimes* turning off the car and restarting it fixes the problem, but not this last weekend. On Saturday I drove about 300 miles in northern cali and the entire time it showed me being 10 miles west of my actual location......HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING???

not sure if you jixed me or not... but today.. everything was fine.. even used it to find a lake that we could not find... but when we started heading home... it had us nearly 30 miles away... then kept skipping around!?

When I got home... I turned it off and turned it back on... and it works fine now... but thought it was strange....

Only thing I can think of... I just got a big foil sun shade... wonder if that could be !Removed! with it?

[TEAMRAMROD]

This is a longshot, but have you tried calibraing your compass (the thing that shows in the rear view mirror)? I remember there being something in the owners manual that said you might need to re-calibrate the car to tell it exactly where north is etc. Maybe the GPS is somehow relying on it?

[Rx330driver]

yes, common guys, lets keep all magnetics things away from the car!

okay, all kidding aside, i would bring it into the dealer and have them check it out...

[Scott M]

I know this is a long shot.... but, did you by chance take part in the ML DVD wiring hack?

These are the problems being seen after hacking the wiring harness, to play DVDs and change addresses while driving.

[clubfoot]

This is a longshot, but have you tried calibraing your compass (the thing that shows in the rear view mirror)? I remember there being something in the owners manual that said you might need to re-calibrate the car to tell it exactly where north is etc. Maybe the GPS is somehow relying on it?

Actually there is a menu item in the NAV menu for recalibrating the GPS, i.e. your position.

[Scott M]

This is a longshot, but have you tried calibraing your compass (the thing that shows in the rear view mirror)? I remember there being something in the owners manual that said you might need to re-calibrate the car to tell it exactly where north is etc. Maybe the GPS is somehow relying on it?

Actually there is a menu item in the NAV menu for recalibrating the GPS, i.e. your position.

All NAVI's have a recalibration tool... but they are VERY rarely needed.

Since this appears to work sometimes, and not others... there may be another problem here requiring more than just a recalibrate.

If the system hasn't been hacked, I'd ask about it during your next service visit.

And you can suck down a few doughnuts and cokes while you're there. :D

[bartkat]

This is a longshot, but have you tried calibraing your compass (the thing that shows in the rear view mirror)? I remember there being something in the owners manual that said you might need to re-calibrate the car to tell it exactly where north is etc. Maybe the GPS is somehow relying on it?

Actually there is a menu item in the NAV menu for recalibrating the GPS, i.e. your position.

All NAVI's have a recalibration tool... but they are VERY rarely needed.

Since this appears to work sometimes, and not others... there may be another problem here requiring more than just a recalibrate.

If the system hasn't been hacked, I'd ask about it during your next service visit.

And you can suck down a few doughnuts and cokes while you're there. :D

Other owners have mentioned that sometimes they find their NAV location to be off by 10 miles or so. There may be a glitch somwhere with this model.

[Scott M]

There's been a lot of talk on who has the best NAVI system.

Although Infiniti offers a fancy looking 3D system, I have heard nothing about how good it is.

All the talk I hear puts Lexus & Acura at the top of the list.

I just bought an '06 MDX which will become the wife's ride when I get my IS.

The NAVI system is DEAD nuts acurate.

We took it through the big dig and it knew of every jersey barrier, detour and shortcut.

We drove it to Michigan and then down to Chicago, just typed in the person's address when we left the house.

I love the fact that Acura trusts it's drivers enough to allow them to change addresses on the fly and to dial numbers and such, without having to hack the system.

I only hope that I'm as happy with the Lexus' NAV as much as I am in the Acura.

[Sleepyk]

There's been a lot of talk on who has the best NAVI system.

Although Infiniti offers a fancy looking 3D system, I have heard nothing about how good it is.

All the talk I hear puts Lexus & Acura at the top of the list.

I just bought an '06 MDX which will become the wife's ride when I get my IS.

The NAVI system is DEAD nuts acurate.

We took it through the big dig and it knew of every jersey barrier, detour and shortcut.

We drove it to Michigan and then down to Chicago, just typed in the person's address when we left the house.

I love the fact that Acura trusts it's drivers enough to allow them to change addresses on the fly and to dial numbers and such, without having to hack the system.

I only hope that I'm as happy with the Lexus' NAV as much as I am in the Acura.

Although I'm jealous of the ability of acura drivers to navigate and dial numbers while moving, I've got no complaints about the Lexus version at all. We live in a mildly populated area of California, and I haven't a single problem, and have only found one missing street to date. It's a really good system.

Not to mention how amusing it is to try to think up new voice commands for her to see what you get. I found a zoo I didn't even know about when she misinterpreted my demand for directions to a cocktail lounge...

[lexuus]

There's been a lot of talk on who has the best NAVI system.

Although Infiniti offers a fancy looking 3D system, I have heard nothing about how good it is.

All the talk I hear puts Lexus & Acura at the top of the list.

I just bought an '06 MDX which will become the wife's ride when I get my IS.

The NAVI system is DEAD nuts acurate.

We took it through the big dig and it knew of every jersey barrier, detour and shortcut.

We drove it to Michigan and then down to Chicago, just typed in the person's address when we left the house.

I love the fact that Acura trusts it's drivers enough to allow them to change addresses on the fly and to dial numbers and such, without having to hack the system.

I only hope that I'm as happy with the Lexus' NAV as much as I am in the Acura.

bmw also has a terrific nav system. its extremely accurate and explains the directions and shows them on the screen in a very easy, simple manner. you also have complete control of everything whether the car is moving or not :D. also i dont understand if lexus didnt want u to enter addresses while driving, why do they have the 6 second override? the least they could do is let u enter addresses by voice like infiniti.

[CWS]

bmw also has a terrific nav system. its extremely accurate and explains the directions and shows them on the screen in a very easy, simple manner. you also have complete control of everything whether the car is moving or not :D. also i dont understand if lexus didnt want u to enter addresses while driving, why do they have the 6 second override? the least they could do is let u enter addresses by voice like infiniti.

I can't seem to find anything about the "6 second override" by using the search feature; can someone point me to a post, or explain what the override does and how to do it, please?

[lexuus]

quote-

Press Menu

Press Volume

Press the Top Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Bottom Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Top Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Bottom Left Corner of the Screen

A Menu will come up.

Press and Hold Override for 5 seconds or until you hear a beep

Hit back and you are done, you should be able to enter destinations while driving.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26339

[Scott M]

quote-

Press Menu

Press Volume

Press the Top Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Bottom Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Top Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Bottom Left Corner of the Screen

A Menu will come up.

Press and Hold Override for 5 seconds or until you hear a beep

Hit back and you are done, you should be able to enter destinations while driving.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26339

Keep in mind that you will be doing this every time you start the car. (Not a sticky hack)

Yes, I said "Sticky Hack" :D

[CWS]

Thanks. That might come in handy sometimes!

[Cherokee_Outlaw]

quote-

Press Menu

Press Volume

Press the Top Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Bottom Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Top Left Corner of the Screen

Press the Bottom Left Corner of the Screen

A Menu will come up.

Press and Hold Override for 5 seconds or until you hear a beep

Hit back and you are done, you should be able to enter destinations while driving.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=26339

Yup.. grad little hack... I just wish it would overide the Audio system also so you can browse folders and such....

[Sleepyk]

Yup.. grad little hack... I just wish it would overide the Audio system also so you can browse folders and such....

and the phone dialing, and the RDS messages from the radio...

[rokeven]

so I took the car in last wednesday, and just got a call from lexus saying they cannot find anything wrong with the nav.....at least I got a loaner for a week. But, as soon as it happens again I will drive straight to the dealership and make them deal with it again. This thing better not turn into a lemon.

[rokeven]

so I took the car in last wednesday, and just got a call from lexus saying they cannot find anything wrong with the nav.....at least I got a loaner for a week. But, as soon as it happens again I will drive straight to the dealership and make them deal with it again. This thing better not turn into a lemon.

[rekognized]

I have been experiencing the same problem. My car is now about 40 miles from where I currently live. I have taken it to the dealer 2 times and I believe they did some sort of "reboot" and recalibration. Both times the Nav wandered off course on my drive home. Today I took the car in for the 3rd time to get this repaired.

What interesting is that I purchased my car in February of this year just like the original post by ROKEVEN and my problem began the same week as ROKEVEN. Coincidence??? Lexus customer service is awful based on what I am dealing with now. Looked up lemon laws for NY and it states that if they cant repair on the 4th attempt and less than 18,000 miles and you file paper work and if there is still no resolution. I can get a full refund or replacement vehicle. I guess I should take just get a full refund if I am in the position to do so...

ROKEVEN, has your problem been resolved????

[navguy]

I have been experiencing the same problem. My car is now about 40 miles from where I currently live. I have taken it to the dealer 2 times and I believe they did some sort of "reboot" and recalibration. Both times the Nav wandered off course on my drive home. Today I took the car in for the 3rd time to get this repaired.

What interesting is that I purchased my car in February of this year just like the original post by ROKEVEN and my problem began the same week as ROKEVEN. Coincidence??? Lexus customer service is awful based on what I am dealing with now. Looked up lemon laws for NY and it states that if they cant repair on the 4th attempt and less than 18,000 miles and you file paper work and if there is still no resolution. I can get a full refund or replacement vehicle. I guess I should take just get a full refund if I am in the position to do so...

ROKEVEN, has your problem been resolved????

If you have a radar detector, satellite radio or other electronic device that broadcast radio frequency, these devices could be the source of your issues. Unlike some older vehicles, most of the newer cars have the GPS antenna installed in the dash 6" behind the display. When these electronic devices are mounted on the windshield, or on the dash, they can emit enough radio frequency interference (RFI) to cause positioning anomolies. The worst case ever was an XM antenna coiled around the GPS cable.... when the device was off GPS was good. However, when XM was turned on (and broadcasting via the FM modulator) the GPS accuracy was way off!

In addition to devices that emit RFI, other cables near the GPS antenna causes issues too. I have seen a power cable routed across the GPS antenna cable cause positioning anomolies. Every time the current flow changes a current was induced onto the GPS wire which caused positioning to be off. Eventually, the position returned to normal when the current draw was low.

Not only can electronic devices wreak havoc, metallic window tint causes issues too. Some high grade tint has the potential to interfere with GPS reception. In the worst case scenerio, which occurs in AZ and NV, people have metallic tint installed on every window - even the front windshield! Plus, the metallic window tint causes issues with radio reception too! But that is another story.

[rokeven]

In response to the other posting about the radar detector, I DO have a radar detector, but it is stuck up on the windshield next to the mirror. I do know the gps antenna on the new IS is located in the back window, not the front. I also know the radar is not the culprit since I picked up the car once from the dealer after they messed with it again, and it started !Removed! up again before I left the parking lot and the radar detector was still in my bag and unplugged.

As for my current status with fixing the issue, I have been to the dealer on 6 separate occasions. They have replaced the disc...that didnt work. They replaced the whole nav unit the last time I was in....that didnt work (but it did make me lose all my saved places, dang it). I drove to San Francisco this last weekend and spent about 1/2 the trip there randomly traveling off onto side roads off the freeway according to the nav, even though I never left the freeway. And when I say travel, I mean suddenly take a 90 degree turn off an off ramp and head off for 5-10 miles or so and then jump back onto the freeway. It makes the directions fun to follow. "Make a legal U-turn in 1/2 mile." How can I make a U-turn on the freeway?!?!?!?? Another new issue since they replaced the nav unit is nearly every time I start up the car, the nav resorts to the east coast, which is an issue since I live in Cali.

Also, I have been plagued with other problems caused by the repair people at the dealership that has been working on my car. For example, my rear view mirror has fallen off, and I have mentioned to the service guy on 3 occasions when bringing my car in that it needs to be fixed since the plastic housing that hides the wires is missing and everytime I pick up my car it is not fixed. I could legally lemon the car just on that at this point.

[bartkat]

Maybe you should lemon it, take advantage of the California law.