Nav System On 2004 Es330

[jay swinger]

What is needed with this system on my car is either a complete makeover ala Bill Gates or someone who can diagnose whether MINE is corrupted.

Remember, this is about a 2004 ES330 with the latest version of the DVD (3.2).

Nobody can afford to master the system in my car. I have spent hours without the engine running trying to make it comply to some order.

We need software that is something like other software AND that we can setup in our desktop computers and take to the car.

I was convinced from spending an hour with someone who has had some experience that it required me to set the ultimate destination first and then to set waypoints close to the ultimate destination working backward to the starting point. Today, it does not work like that at all.

At this point this has been a waste of $2,000.00 except for the fact that the map is onscreen wherever you are.

And there is nobody you can call to guide you through this to my knowledge.

Grrrrrrr!

[amf1932]

When I took delivery of my 2003ES, my dealer has a girl who's main job is to explain the basics of using the Nav system. She spent over an hour with me, and I have to admit it I felt really dumb because this NAV option was so intensive. I read the Supplemental Owners Manual for a few hours and tried programming some of the features. After a few mistakes I learned a little more. To this day, I'm learning more & more.

Remember this, "Nobody was born knowing".

I agree that the manual was poorly written for the average person, but as any piece of software for a computer, there definitely is a pretty steep learning curve and there are too few knowledgeable people around to teach you some of the tricks when using this device.

Finally, I now feel confident to do the necessary programming to find my way.

I love it, and I would never buy another car without NAV. ;)

[iammikey]

Jay,

What issues are you having with your Nav?

[SW03ES]

Like I said in the other thread, I have no problem using multiple destinations. I just input them one after another.

No manufacturer has a system that can also be used on your computer, best to buy a portable nav system for that.

[iammikey]

Sounds like you want a chartplotter like I have on my boat that will allow me to plot courses over routes I select. The navigation system is what it is- A Navigation system and not a chartplotter.

I haven't experienced any issues with programming multiple destinations on trips. It has worked flawless since I read the manual and followed the user disc.

[jay swinger]

When I took delivery of my 2003ES, my dealer has a girl who's main job is to explain the basics of using the Nav system. She spent over an hour with me, and I have to admit it I felt really dumb because this NAV option was so intensive. I read the Supplemental Owners Manual for a few hours and tried programming some of the features. After a few mistakes I learned a little more. To this day, I'm learning more & more.

Remember this, "Nobody was born knowing".

I agree that the manual was poorly written for the average person, but as any piece of software for a computer, there definitely is a pretty steep learning curve and there are too few knowledgeable people around to teach you some of the tricks when using this device.

Finally, I now feel confident to do the necessary programming to find my way.

I love it, and I would never buy another car without NAV. ;)

Hmmm. It is a good idea to have one person responsible for this feature. Forward-looking dealers [all of them] might take that idea and run with it.

Unfortunately, in the 2004 model, there is no additional manual besides the one labeled as the Nav System Manual. There are two Supplemental Owner Guides but neither of them has any instructions on the Nav System.

I suspect the system has been changed or that my system is buggy. It would be really great if you were to see a new one and let us all know whether you think they are as bad as mine seems to be.

I think there is a way the dealer can reset this system. I may ask them to try this before other things. It seems there is a note in the owner's manual that if you are replacing the battery this needs to be done as a specific and additional step.

[SW03ES]

I have a brand new Prius with the new system and it is NOWHERE NEAR as user friendly as my system on my 03. I can totally see what you're saying, the new system isn't nearly as intuitive. No difference in manuals between the 04 and 03 system really. They look the same almost, but the button placement and menus are really different. I MUCH prefer the old system I have in my ES to the new one. My dad's LS has the new system but I never really played with it.

If its really that annoying to you you might want to look into driving an 03 and see if its any difference and maybe trading down, the depreciated price of the 03 should offset your loss. Maybe there is some way to swap out the systems? Probably not though...

[amf1932]

The Lexus dealers should have in stock an Instruction Manual on a CD disc to explain the operation of the 2004 NAV system.

[nancyd]

Just caught your post about the Nav system. My husband is a computer expert . . . but even he was challenged with the instructions. But after a few minutes he figured it out. We thought we wouldn't have much use for the system up here in northern NH/VT, but we tested it this weekend on a very familiar drive - even though we knew full well where we were and were going, it was "WAY COOL" to be instructed so accurately by a pleasant (albeit slightly monotone) female voice and bell tones.

We're taking a family member to the Manchester Airport and will use the Nav system to be sure!

Jay, don't give up. I'll ask my husband to read your post - he may have some tips on navigating the navigator system.

[jay swinger]

Just caught your post about the Nav system.  My husband is a computer expert . . . but even he was challenged with the instructions.  But after a few minutes he figured it out.  We thought we wouldn't have much use for the system up here in northern NH/VT, but we tested it this weekend on a very familiar drive - even though we knew full well where we were and were going, it was "WAY COOL" to be instructed so accurately by a pleasant (albeit slightly monotone) female voice and bell tones.

We're taking a family member to the Manchester Airport and will use the Nav system to be sure!

Jay, don't give up.  I'll ask my husband to read your post - he may have some tips on navigating the navigator system.

Thanks Nancycd,

I had some instruction at the dealership. The technician knew a little more and I saw some features I had never seen before. He reminded me of the instructional DVD which I played again. It doesn't go nearly far enough.

Whoever put the instructional DVD together had a nearly impossible job. They recognized there were some things they would NEVER be able to explain in the length of one DVD. Here is one of them: setting multiple destinations. Every time they show how to set a destination a different way, they delete it before showing an alternate. But they state that you CAN set multiple destinations.

There is a tiny clue in the printed manual that "when you ADD a destination it then becomes the first destination." Did that pass right over anybody's head? It did mine. Said another way: "when you ADD a destination it goes to the top of the deck."

What this does with a series of waypoints or destinations is that it reverses the normal order of an itinerary. If your auto is in Atlanta and the route you intend is from Atlanta, thru Birmingham to New Orleans and you set destinations in that order, when you look at it the order will be:

1) New Orleans

2) Birmingham

3) Atlanta

Yes, the guide will attempt to send you from Atlanta directly to New Orleans, then to Birmingham and finally to Atlanta. When you first set a destination, only at that point will it be first. Whenever you add one it is replaced.

In other words: "The system expects the final destination to be added first, then the furthest waypoint working your way back to the starting point."

Remember this is only on the 2004 ES330. I don't know about any other models.

[Geo]

My "navigation system" is in the glove box... Its called a map.

George

[SW03ES]

Don't knock nav systems until you've had one. I will never buy another car without one again...

Glad you sorta figured it out jay!

[amf1932]

I agree with SWO3ES 100%.

I was considered an excellent map reader, but the NAV system adds a complete new dimension when locating all types of destinations, whether they be addresses or Points of Interest. Try it you'll like it. :)

[jay swinger]

Sorry folks, mine failed again. It will be a couple days before I can get to the dealer to see if the technician there can set more than five destination points.

I deleted ALL destination points first and then started over. After I set five of eight, it would not accept any more, asking me to delete some.

I sure HOPE this is a defective unit and that I can eventually get this unit to function as it ought. If there is anyone reading this with this identical unit, please see if you can set a long trip with ten or so intervening points.

For two trips within the last month my preparation was to use MS Streets & Trips on my desktop computer and then to zoom, crop, and edit various portions. Having this on the front seat was only insurance because by the time I finished with S&T, I had almost memorized the route.

I am still very disappointed.

[JGT]

I have a 2004 RX 330 with NAV. It will be 1 year old in August. When I ordered the vehicle, the dealer gave me an instructional DVD that really helped to familiarize me with the basic NAV functions. When I took delivery he spent some time with me to review the NAV system operation. I never had problem using it and it now seems very intuitive.

I know now that I would never buy another car without a NAV. It has saved me much time and fuel and makes long trips much more relaxing.

I'd be curious to hear about the problems you're experiencing.

Best Regards,

JGT

[jay swinger]

Your model has a different system than an ES. Yours has voice control, I believe. Assuming mine is just defective and needs to have the computer replaced these are just not comparable. I am going to hope for the best in getting the car back tomorrow from the dealer, but if it needs to be replaced I may have to wait for parts to arrive.

Have you seen the advertisement from Chevrolet that shows a console between bucket seats with a flat shelf just for holding a laptop? Well, we do need the larger screen, but it still needs to be right in the middle of the dashboard.

[jay swinger]

I demonstrated the failure of the Nav system to take more than five stops (destinations). I am waiting for them to find out from Lexus whether this is all that is available for the 2004 ES330.

There could be two answers: 1) that is the nature of the beast, like it or lump it; and 2) there is a defect and the computer or the DVD is at fault.

IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE WITH THIS SYSTEM WHO WANTS IT TO CREATE A ROUTE ACROSS THE COUNTRY?

[msmith1086]

I have an 01 RX 300 and maybe it works way different than the new ones, but if you are taking a trip with multilpe stops, why not enter each as a separate trip. Then when you want to go to your first destination, just enter it from marked points. When you are ready for the next leg, enter that one. This will allow you to use the nav to travel around the city you are visiting.

[ahnj]

Every piece of software, desktop or otherwise, requires some investment of the users' time and effort to learn and master. Although it's only been about two weeks since I took delivery of my 2004 ES330, my wife and I find the Nav system intuitive and user-friendly. It's user-interface has been improved since the previous generation, and the routing calculation speed is significantly faster. However, I was dissapointed to find that the 5 million POI database lacked the complete listing of certain catagories of businesses. For example, the system failed to list the nearest UPS office or FedEx office. Apparently the complete yellow page listing database contains 12 million POIs.

[amf1932]

It's user-interface has been improved since the previous generation, and the routing calculation speed is significantly faster.

I doubt that since I've used both from the '02 thru '04 and I didn't find any appreciable difference in accessing the routing calculation. What I did notice was the most recent upgrade to the newest DVD disc POI. In this respect it's much more complete.