Navigation Disc For Germany

[Roburb]

Good afternoon all! I'm in the AF and starting in March 2010, my wife and I will be stationed in Germany for 3 years. I wanted to inquire if there is an English navigation disc for Germany that I can install in my '06 Is 350? Is this something I can purchase from a dealer, or will I have to purchase from an aftermarket retailer? It would defeat the purpose of having NAV if I had to use a Garmin or Tom-Tom GPS :0)

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Rob

[1990LS400]

Based on a number of similar questions that have been asked on this forum, it would appear that European navigation disks are not compatible with the North American specification navigation system. You might try searching this forum for relevant past threads. You could try contacting Lexus customer service. When I asked about taking a U.S. spec LS400 to Switzerland during a work assignment in the early 1990s, Lexus customer service told me that there would be no warranty support for my U.S. spec car while in Europe.

Perhaps it has changed, but in the 1990s there were an amazing number of differences between U.S. spec and European spec Lexus cars and particularly with German spec cars that had lighting requirements different from the rest of Europe.

It must not be all that big a deal to take a U.S. spec vehicle to Europe and bring it up to local standards. My Swiss coworkers took all sorts of vehicles back home with them -- one of the last Honda Accord wagons, a Harley motorcycle and, most recently, a Ford Expedition SUV. I mainly remember the guys having to add a rear fog light.

[laviticus]

Good afternoon all! I'm in the AF and starting in March 2010, my wife and I will be stationed in Germany for 3 years. I wanted to inquire if there is an English navigation disc for Germany that I can install in my '06 Is 350? Is this something I can purchase from a dealer, or will I have to purchase from an aftermarket retailer? It would defeat the purpose of having NAV if I had to use a Garmin or Tom-Tom GPS :0)

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Rob

Rob, I am a Soldier stationed in Germany. I own a 2007 IS 350 and have the same problem that you will have once you transfer here to Germany. I have been unable to find a DVD with German road maps that are compatible for my navi. I have been told by a dealership here that the required American specs DVDs do not exsist. I have further been told by the German dealer that I could purchase a German Navi for my car for around 2,500 Euro, however, he could not garantee that it would function properly in my car. I was recently in Las Vegas where I inquired at a Lexus dealership and was told that it would cost $17,000.00 to have the European Navi installed into my car there. I find it baffling that Lexus has not been able to or refuses to assist in this increasingly annoying problem. As it stands now, I am looking for a Garmin or Tom-Tom that I can attach to the screen of my navi to help me get around Europe. Senseless, right!! Oh and BTW my wife is furious!!!!!

[1990LS400]

Even an ordinary video DVD player designed for the U.S. market will not play DVD's meant for Europe and vice versa. The region codes are different. I wouldn't expect it to be different for a DVD based navigation system although the nav software could be different too.

Not long ago, my bro-in-law told me about a time he was in Europe demonstating a very expensive military-grade GPS navigation product that his employer - a U.S. defense contractor - was hoping to sell to the military of a particular European country. During a break, one of the officers went out to his car, retrieved his portable Garmin nav and proceded to demonstrate that his Garmin was more accurate than the megabucks military GPS that bro-in-law was trying to sell them. OK ... the military GPS nav was more than a wee bit sturdier.

If you buy a Garmin, you might as well get one that comes with both European and North American maps so you can use it when you return home without having to install more maps.

[NicLX470]

I agree that Lexus should make maps for all other contries an option to buy that will work with our current U.S. cars. I mean, hello!!!....not all of us drive just in the U.S. with our cars. Where I live here in Texas it is only a 6 hour drive to Mexico in which I like to travel there frequently. But as soon as I cross the border....nothing but " brown dirt" on the navi screen. So I break out my Mexico atlas that takes up the entire windshield and I almost wreck. Like we are driving in the 80's!! Pointless. it should at LEAST be a seperate option to buy. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Or am I the only loser who likes to travel with my Lexus outside U.S. borders?

[bartkat]

No, but probably one of a few who tries to read an unfolded map while driving.

[tex2670]

Good afternoon all! I'm in the AF and starting in March 2010, my wife and I will be stationed in Germany for 3 years. I wanted to inquire if there is an English navigation disc for Germany that I can install in my '06 Is 350? Is this something I can purchase from a dealer, or will I have to purchase from an aftermarket retailer? It would defeat the purpose of having NAV if I had to use a Garmin or Tom-Tom GPS :0)

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Rob

As silly as it may seem to have an in-dash nav PLUS a portable, seems to me that is the simplest solution. If a replacement US DVD is $250+, I'd hate to see what Lexus charges for a DVD of Germany maps. Without even getting to the specs/compatibility issue, you can spend the same money on a portable nav unit, and get what you need.

[Roburb]

Thanks for all the help. It looks as if I will be purchasing a GPS and placing it right in the middle of my Navi screen -- How dumb does that look :0) ?!?! I'm with you, laviticus, my wife will not be happy about that either ... But what can you do but deal with it!

Good afternoon all! I'm in the AF and starting in March 2010, my wife and I will be stationed in Germany for 3 years. I wanted to inquire if there is an English navigation disc for Germany that I can install in my '06 Is 350? Is this something I can purchase from a dealer, or will I have to purchase from an aftermarket retailer? It would defeat the purpose of having NAV if I had to use a Garmin or Tom-Tom GPS :0)

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Rob

Rob, I am a Soldier stationed in Germany. I own a 2007 IS 350 and have the same problem that you will have once you transfer here to Germany. I have been unable to find a DVD with German road maps that are compatible for my navi. I have been told by a dealership here that the required American specs DVDs do not exsist. I have further been told by the German dealer that I could purchase a German Navi for my car for around 2,500 Euro, however, he could not garantee that it would function properly in my car. I was recently in Las Vegas where I inquired at a Lexus dealership and was told that it would cost $17,000.00 to have the European Navi installed into my car there. I find it baffling that Lexus has not been able to or refuses to assist in this increasingly annoying problem. As it stands now, I am looking for a Garmin or Tom-Tom that I can attach to the screen of my navi to help me get around Europe. Senseless, right!! Oh and BTW my wife is furious!!!!!

[lzolka]

Hello all!

I live in Hungary, and I have a US Toyota Camry (2009).

Officially the europe maps don't work in US Toyota/Lexus cars.

However the disc works with some restrictions:

- only first 12 countries selectable in the country list (cannot be selected: Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, UK),

- there is no voice control,

- there is no voice guidance,

- some BMP graphics are missing,

- search of address don't work in some countries

I can modify this navi disc so the countries over the first 12 (any country) can be selected.

My modified disc has been tried in Lexus RX400h(2005-2008), Toyota Camry(2007-2009), Toyota Highlander(2007-2008), Toyota Siena (2006).

If your car works with W41, U20, U21, U22 or U23 disc, then your navi system is a Gen4, I can help you.

If your car works with U30, U31, U32 or U33 disc, then your navi system is a Gen5, I can help you.

I need your car model (for example RX400h), made year (2006), working US disc (U22), after this I can select the correct EU navi disc.

If you want to find out more, visit this page: www.toyotanavi.hu/solution_.html

If you want to read from US navi generations, visit this page: www.toyotanavi.hu select the "Navi generations" at left.