lexus trekker16

I would love to see a class action against Lexus not only to give drivers the options you suggest but to fix all of the inaccuracies that the Lexus navigation system has. That ^%*%()'g system has sent my wife and I to the wrong place or on some ridiculously long routes so many times, I feel like throwing a brick through the screen. And I do know how to operate the system, as I have Lexus GX470 which is almost always accurate. As a result of the LS 460's poor directions, we cannot trust the nav system and can no longer depend on it. The LX460 nav system is wrong so many times that I have named it the CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS SYSTEM. It does not know where it is going, it does not know how to get there, and when it arrives it does not know where it is. It was a complete waste of money. It has been to the dealer three times and Lexus says that it operates as designed. The problem is that the design is basically in error. And Lexus is going to hard line it by denying any errors, since it is too cheap to fix the problem. Guess what my next car will not be. Don't any of you have similar problems?

I agree that the head lights are unusual. The high beams are really high, too high. They illuminate trees etc. about 30 ft. off the ground. And there is a black, dark line between the space lit up by the low and high beams. The dealer says that the lights cannot be adjusted relative to each other. That is, the dim beams cannot be raised to meet the high beams and vice versa. "It is working within specifications". Where have I heard that before? Has anyone else noted this problem and/or soved it?

My navigation system has, on multiple occasions, taken me to the wrong final destination. It has missed the final destination from a few hundred yards to several miles. But sometimes it is right on the final address. The dealer has "recalibrated" the system, but the problem continues. Has anyone had the same problem and its solution? UPDATE: The dealer admitted the problem and called in a factory service person. I am told that there is "focus" in the navigation system that is adjustable. The focus in my system was not precise and just gave a general location. The system has presumedly been adjusted to a more precise location. So far, I have not had the same problem but I have only given it limited testing. After more testing, the problem of faulty final destinations continue. So far, it has tried to reroute me OFF of the street with the final destination and send me to the wrong place. The navigation system has also refused to accept addresses that do exist and does not show streets that have existed for decades. Even when the final destination is close to the actual one, it often gives a route that is clearly not the shortest. The navigation system on my GX470 and my former LS430 were accurate and on target every time. The LS460 system is clearly defective and Lexus acts like the problem does not exist. My confidence is dropping fast on Lexus quality and service. The service people tell me that I am the only one to complain of this problem. The messages on this forum show that this is BS. It appears that a long battle is shaping up until Lexus can come up with a solution. Nov. 20, 2007 update; The Navigation system remains inaccurate. In the latest trip it wanted to send me to someplace that was completely in the wrong direction. When I ignored the wrong direction, it then recalculated and sent me to the correct location. Other trials resulted in many wrong directions. My conclustion is that THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS UNRELIABLE AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED. It was a $3,000. waste of money. I would appreciate more reader's feedback who do and do not have this problem. If there are units without any problem and are accurate all of the time, I can go the dealer and demand that it be replaced or reprogrammed. However, if all of the 2007 Nav systems are defective, then there is no use trying to get it fixed. Thanks. 12/27/07 The Lexus service manager, my salesman and I took a tour of a couple of places that had given me wrong directions in the past in my LS460. The nav system was completely in error on a major intersection near my home. It had the screen and the voice contradicting one another in one direction and in the opposite direction, both the screen and the voice were wrong. The service manager then said that he took two or three other new Lexus over the same route and they made the same mistakes. It was Lexus' conclusion therefore that the satellites were the problem and NOT the nav systems. WOW, what convenient reasoning powers. I wonder how my GX470 nav system received the correct signals at the same location from these faulty satellites? On another route, the nav system routed the car to the wrong place by about 1/2 mile when the address was put in manually. But when the name of the club was put in then the nav system went to the correct address. How are we supposed to know when to put in the name or the address? Shouldn't it give the correct directions for both the name and the address? I have to give the agency credit for at least sending out its people to see what the problem is. Howver, my impression is that the service manager is fearful of Lexus and is following the factory orders. My salesman was more honest and said that he has had many complaints about the nav system. My only resort seems to be to buy a Garmin and set it on the dash or return the car as a lemon. Maybe I will do both. Why can't Lexus own up to its problems?

Jeff, I demod a LS460 with standard Turanza tires and did not like them at all, not great traction and harsh. I took a chance and ordered my LS with the new Bridgestone Turnaza with Serenity tires. That is, I had the dealer change them. The Turanza tires with Serenity are head and shoulders above the old models. They are quiet, smooth and the traction is great in corners. As an extra plus, they have a z rating in the size for the LS. Braking also seems to be improved. If you jam the brake pedal, it feels like you are going to go through the windshield. I read the poor reviews of the brakes and handling and cannot help but feel that the poor tires were a large part of it. David

I have the same problem with my 2005. When in cruise control, it continuously downshifts and upshifts all the way up a gently incline. It shifts 10-15 times up a long hill. It is not tolerable and I just turn it off on a hill. I sent it to the dealer and just got it back. But the note just says the cruise control is operating as designed. SOME DESIGN! I talked to the service manager and she said that Lexus has not issued anything on it. And by the way, it still clunks after having a new driveshaft installed.

I really like my GX 470, but I would like to change the steering effort to turn the wheel. At the present time, it takes very little effort to turn the steering wheel, even above 60 mph. As a result there is very little "feel" and it is easy to let the vehicle drift if you are not paying strict attention. Also, in turns there is little feedback. I have no reason to believe that the GX is not acting as it was designed or that anything is defective. As I understand it, the steering effort is speed sensitive. Is there any way to "fool" the power steering into thinking that the GX is traveling faster that it acturally is , so that the effort will be greater? Or in general, is there any other way to increasing the steering effort and feel, preferably in a reversible manner so that the warranty is not affected. On prior LS models, there was an electrical connector to the power steering that could be disconnected. When this was done the LS thought that it was doing maximum speed and the steering effort was set at the maximum. It created significantly more feel, but it was hard to steer at slow speeds. Does anyone have any suggestions?

W6RU Sorry to take so long to respond. I haven't checked this subject recently, since my problem was solved. I will look at my info to see if something is wrong in order to let you contact me. First of all, I love my GX470. It is a great combination of luxary and toughness. The ride is smooth and quiet, but not quiite as smooth and quiet as the LS 430. The LS has a bigger, heavier feeling. But the difference is very small. The GX has a quicker, more lively sprorty feeling. Of course, the GX has four suspension settings from Sport to Comfort. There is little more wind noise in the GX at 65+, but it is really small. You ought to give one a good test ride. You mentioned tar strips. I found the tar strips more noticeable on the GX, a little annoying but not to an obtrusive level. Interestingly, when I put the slightly oversize tires of 265/70X17 on the GX, the ride comfort improved significantly. The tar strips now feel about the same as the LX, and the sensation of all bumps is much, much less. Apparently, the taller side wall absorbs bumps much better than the 265/65/s. Where I previously put the ride on Comfort, I now put it on Sport and it is still smoother than the original tires. Incidentally, my tires are Bridgestone A/T's, so I would guess that highway tires would be even smoother. I took my GX out to the woods and pastures and mud and ditches this weekend. It performed like a champ and did not leave me stuck in the country. My LS may be a little smoother but it stays on the highway. As an aside, I made six changes to the GX. They are all small changes, except one. But the overall change in the appearance makes it unique. The one significant change is that I had a body shop remove the crease on the front fender from the window to the the headlamp. In my opinon, it smoothed out the looks and removed the cluttered look of the front fenders. Lexus disigners will probably disagree. I hope that this answers your questions. trekker16

Thank you very much, I found it. I wonder why my dealer and Lexus customer service never heard of that button.

nice B) ← Where did you find the grill guard? Was it made specifically for the GX470?

WHERE! More details please. ← I found it. If you have a navigation system, just click: MENU, SETUP, CALIBRATION, TIRES. And the computer will recalibrate itself for the new tire size. It is scary that my dealer, Lexus customer service and a very large tire dealer all told me that new tire sizes would foul up the car computer and that recalibration was impossible.

Thank you for your reply. I had heard all kind of problems could occur, but it sounds like the change works fine. I think that I will give the larger tires a try.

I have these wheels on my 04 GX. Before you buy, let me tell you that almost no one understands what is happening with the wheel sensors. The TRD wheel that they show will not work. What you need is: 00041-34960 Anything other than that will not work with the 20 degree wheel sensors that are wired into your ABS, skid control, and tire pressure sensor. I did tons of research and got stuck by a guy in FL who did not know what was going on. It worked out and he took the wheels back, but it was a hassle. If you are interested, the wheels can be bought and mounted for about $1600. You will want to use your sensors, as each one is $105. Mine were mounted at the Toyota dealership in Greensboro, NC. I have Hankook 285/50/20's and it looks sweet. They hit me for about $180 each, but it is one of the greatest looking tires on the market and is rated well against Michelin LTX series, which is an awesome tire. The ride has not changed significantly, but it did change it a little. In my opinion, the GX handles too much like a car in the first place. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll provide some more info. Attached is a pic. ← Did the change in diameter of your new wheels and tires bother any of the controls?

I have a 2005 GX470 with about 500 miles. Because I occasionly take the truck off road, I am considering a tire change. Bridgestone makes an excellent all terrain tire called the Revo. Off road, it is desireable to have a lot of contact area of the tire on the ground. The Revo comes in a 265/65X17 (standard on GX 470) and 265/70X17, but nothing wider which would give the same diameter as the standard 65's. The 70 profile is about 1" greater in diameter than the standard size. If I buy and install the 70's will it mess up anything besides making the speedometer, mileage etc. slightly inaccurate? Can the computer be reset for the different size tires? Has anyone installed over sized tires? I asked the service department at my dealer, but he really wasn't sure what would happen. Thanks for any help.