trailershowroom.com

I have attached a front and rear scan of a post card that I received from Lexus a couple of weeks ago. The price that they are offering me is a little better than what they offered you, so you may want to print this and take it with you to your dealer if you buy the update. As for me personally, they can kiss my !Removed! until they put the ability to input destinations into the GPS while the car is in motion back into the software as it was prior to the last "upgrade" to the software. As of the last disc update, they removed the ability to add destinations, or search for destinations if the car is moving more than about 1 MPH or so. If you're driving down the interstate and you decide that it's about time to stop for the night, your passenger can't even search for nearby hotels. If you decide to go to a different destination while you're driving down the road, your passenger can't change the destination in the GPS. You have to pull off of the interstate and come to a complete stop in order to make pretty much any destination changes to the GPS. It sucks in a large way. I and several hundred other people have written scathing letters to Lexus with regard to this issue. I have never met a Lexus owner who was not irritated by this issue. As far as I am aware they didn't change it on this version of the software, so I must assume that they don't much care what their customers think. They claim that it's a liability issue, but that's a load of BS. My Mercedes allows for changes while in motion. It puts a warning screen up that you have to acknowledge prior to making the change, but then it allows the changes. Lexus could do the same thing. It's just another example of a company telling it's customers how they WILL use a product whether they like it or not. This is the link to another thread on this site where this issue is addressed at length: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=57466

trailershowroom, please tell me you're test driving a Ferrari in a Bert's Tee Shirt!!!! Awesome!!! Don't you know it..............an $11K Rolex, a $300K Ferrari, and a $12.00 Bert's Surf Shop T-Shirt and Levi's shorts. What else do you want out of life? I drove the F430 about 20 miles. They told me to "drive it like you stole it if you want to"..........Wooooooooo.

Prettiest................I don't know. Here are a couple of pictures of mine.............and then a couple of pictures of me and the Ferrari F430-F1 that I test drove a couple of days ago. I'm going to look at a red one with tan interior this coming week. I think the Ferrari has it beat.........

Come on guys.........I assume that we are all adults here. There's no need for all the name calling is there? There aren't many people posting to this forum to begin with. There's no real need for the few of us who are posting here to be at each other's throats. As far as the performance parts and what they add or don't add to the HP rating, it's darn hard to argue with the dyno.............The dyno doesn't have an ego. It just tells it like it is. In all forms of motorsport the "performance parts" suppliers tweak, stretch, and skew the data to make their product look as good as is possible. Some even down right lie about it. That's just business. I for one am glad that there are a few people out there with access to a dyno who are willing to buy and test these after market parts and then post the results. Though they may get great numbers in the lab, you simply can not depend on the data that you read on the side of the manufacturer's packaging to be correct in "real world" conditions. It doesn't matter how well it performed in the lab if it doesn't produce the same results out on the road. As for people who "don't know anything about performance tuning", there are a lot of people who honestly believe themselves to be a leading authority in engine dynamics when they really don't know as much as they think that they know, but that doesn't make them bad people. It just means that they don't have all of the correct information. They aren't necessarily trying to mislead anyone. In most cases they are just repeating what they have heard or read somewhere else, and are just trying to be helpful. Ok..........for what it's worth (probably less than $0.02) that's my $0.02 on the subject.

Ya' know........for me the SC430 is not really all about the horse power or the speed anyway. Don't get me wrong......speed is my friend. I ride a YZF-R1 sport bike and I fly my own plane. I love the power and the speed. The thing is.....if I was more concerned with raw power and speed I'd buy a Viper or something of that nature. The SC430 for me is more about having a reasonable amount of power while traveling in style, comfort, and with a good deal of "class". The "class" part of it is not really a tangible thing, but the car just looks "classy".

That's good information......... You may have just saved me a little money. No need adding parts that don't produce results.

I took my 06' SC430 to Johnson Lexus in Raleigh, NC yesterday and had them install XM radio in it. They used the Vaistech SL2xmt interface unit and the XM mini tuner for the installation. They mounted the XM antenna in the center of the flap behind the rear seat head rests for a nice clean "factory" appearance (no antenna on the dash). They used the "SAT immulation mode" for the installation and the thing works great. The steering wheel controls function as they should, or you can just use the buttons on the face of the radio. The only minor issue with the whole thing is that the channels are a little slow switching, but that's no big deal. In any event, I recommend Johnson Lexus on Capitol Boulevard in Raleigh, NC for this install. They charge a flat $599.00 for the entire job (parts and labor). If you are handy with tools, it is an easy enough installation to do yourself, but for $599.00 with labor included I would rather let them deal with it. That way if any clips are broken while taking the radio out of the dash, it's their problem to fix.

nc211, Thank you for the reply. I do live in Wilmington. I grew up in Myrtle Beach. From your screen name I assume that you have some connection to HWY 211? There was a time years ago that I used to drive down it almost every day. Saltworks is a great place to grab a bite on a summer afternoon. J. Michael's Philly Deli is another great place to eat.........if you like Philly Cheese Steaks. As I am sure that you already know from reading my first post, I was just in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I have a good friend there who flies a 777 for American Airlines. He flies the international routes out of O'Hare. The next time that I am up your way I'll give you a heads up. The next time that you are down South, let me know and we'll grab a bite to eat......I'll even spring for it since you will have guest status while you're here. You know how hospitable we Southerners are..... Thanks for the advise. I'll take the number down but as far the telephone number goes, it's listed on my business website anyway so I'm not very worried about who gets their hands onto it. I keep it there so that my employees will realize that customers actually do have a way of contacting me if they are not happy with the way that they were treated by said emloyees (I had a problem with an employee allowing her bad mood to spill over onto my customers a while back......not good for business). Oh.......by the way, I do have a Garmin NUVI but I hate the thought of having to clutter my windshield up with it....... You would think that if I can manage the avionics in these pictures, it should stand to reason that I should be able to handle the 430's navigation system...... I guess I just have to complain about something and the only two things that I can find to complain about where the 430 is concerned is the navigation snafu and the lack of rain sensing automatic wipers. I guess I could complain about the lack of a factory XM radio, but at least there is a fix for that. Oh.....and I actually enjoyed the Chicago highways (only because I don't have to drive on them every day). They drive 90 MPH there.........and I like to drive 90 MPH. Take it easy, Rick

This is my reply back to Lexus......... Yes I know that I am probably fighting a losing battle, but you never know unless you try. Mr. Bergen, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my complaint. Please don't take my response personally as I am aware that you personally didn't have anything to do with Lexus' decision making process where this is concerned. As I stated in my email, I am not the only customer who is frustrated with this over stepping of the manufacturer's bounds. Lexus as a company does not need to play the role of my Father as if I were a teenager by dictating to me what I can and can not do with my vehicle. When I purchased the vehicle this was not an issue. I didn't write the check to purchase the car with the knowledge that one day my car was going to be partially disabled by the manufacturer. I don't see that Lexus has the right to disable any part of my vehicle without telling me prior to the fact and giving me the option of not going through with the "upgrade". I am a private pilot. I fly a high performance Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft. I am instrument rated, hold a certification to fly both high performance and complex aircraft. My plane has 10 times the buttons and switches that any Lexus has installed in it. I have to make corrections to my navigation system (Garmin 530 WAAS) numerous times WHILE IN FLIGHT. I assure you that it is infinitely more complex than the navigation system in my SC430. What makes Lexus think that I am incapable of making changes to the simplistic navigation system in my SC430 when I decide that I want to do so? The statement "For your safety, only when the vehicle is not moving, can the destination and route selection be accessed" is extremely offensive to me. I don't need Lexus dictating anything to me. I will decide what is safe for me and what is not. I have a Mercedes ML500 also. It does not try to dictate safety to me. It has a disclaimer screen that prompts me to read it and then dismiss it if the vehicle is moving when I access the controls to change my destination or search for points of interest. After I dismiss the disclaimer screen, I am free to operate my vehicle and my navigation system in the manner that I deem safe (not the manner that Mercedes deems safe FOR ME). Lexus should take a lesson from Mercedes where this is concerned. As I said, I would never have updated the navigation DVD in my car had I known about this foolishly decided upon assault on my freedom of choice. Now I am stuck with it and I am not at all happy. I am the type of person who will go on a crusade to let everybody on the planet know when I feel that something has been done that adversely affects me personally. Be on the look out for my posts all over the internet with regard to this. I won't be the only one posting. There are already hundreds if not thousands of others who are infuriated with Lexus for this very issue. I will only be one among many. I don't appreciate a company who took my money for a product dictating to me how to use said product.

I received a reply from Lexus today. I can not say that I am happy with the reply. Here it is: Subject 8.1 Navigation DVD Discussion Thread Response (William Bergen) 05/05/2009 01:46 PM Dear Mr. McKeithan: Thank you for contacting the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your thoughts. It is through input, such as yours, that we are able to gain greater insight as to how our customers perceive the products we sell. Lexus makes every effort to manufacture a quality product by researching, testing, and constantly monitoring performance. Consumer opinion and perception also play an active role in our ongoing efforts to lead the automobile industry in quality, innovation, styling, and reliability. At this time, there is no override available for the 8.1 navigation system to allow anyone to access the unit while the vehicle is in motion. For your safety, only when the vehicle is not moving, can the destination and route selection be accessed. We understand your dissatisfaction with this feature and Lexus does apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. We have documented your concerns at Lexus National headquarters for future product consideration. We hope that your future interactions with us will reflect the high standards of quality that we strive to uphold. If you require further assistance, please respond to this e-mail, or contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 5:00 am to 6:00 pm, or Saturday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, Pacific Time. Sincerely, William Bergen Lexus Customer Satisfaction

This is a great informational site. I'm exceedingly happy that I found it, but I guess I'll have to start my very first post on this site with a bit of a rant.......... Don't get me wrong, I love my (ok......my wife's) SC430 (I get to fly the plane......she gets to drive the Lexus), but I have one very frustrating bone to pick with Lexus. I have combed the site for information regarding the possibility of overriding the motion lockout on the Gen4 / 8.1 iteration of the navigation DVD for the SC430 and have come up empty handed. I know from browsing the threads here that many of you have expressed frustration with this issue, but has anybody else taken the time to "yell at" Lexus for it through their website contact information page? Yes I know that the letter sounds a little (ok a lot) snobbish, but the more that I thought about their trying to play "parent" with me as well as all of the other owners as the child, the more irritated that I became. Maybe I missed something and there is actually a "fix" out there for this issue. If so, then I guess I owe Lexus an apology for the following email that I sent out to them tonight: I recently paid for an 8.1 update DVD for my 2006 SC430 navigation system. I would like to know why Lexus took it upon themselves to remove the override functionality from the system after this upgrade. I would never have applied the upgrade had I known this. I am furious to say the least. I DO NOT need Lexus to tell me whether I can have my passenger program a new route into my navigation system while we are driving down the interstate. The thing will not even allow my passenger to search for points of interest while on the move. This is unacceptable. I own seven businesses located in five states. I earn enough of an income to support this $70K automobile as well as an 11,000 square foot home (all paid for in full out of pocket I might add), for God sakes I'm an instrument rated pilot and fly a high performance, complex aircraft with more switches and buttons than you will find in any ten SC430s combined, and Lexus seems to think that I am incapable of making a decision where the programming of MY CAR's navigation system is concerned. Wrong answer! On the way back to North Carolina from Chicago last week I had to stop beside of the road more times than I would like to remember just so that my wife could enter points of interest into the system (hotels, etc.). No luxury automobile should be this inconvenient. I am not alone in this frustration as I am sure that you are well aware. I have done a google search and there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of people who are extremely upset about this. Take this bit of advise......listen to your customers if you want them to remain future customers. I want to see a revision to the 8.1 navigation DVD to reinstate my ability to override the motion lockout on the navigation system as well as the telephone system. My having to take the extra step to disable the lockout is reason enough for Lexus to be protected from any possible litigation resulting from any possible accident caused by my programming the equipment at an inappropriate time. My Mercedes doesn't have this frustrating bit of programming incorporated into it's navigation system. It has a simple disclaimer screen that I have to acknowledge when the vehicle is initially started. That is obviously enough to take care of any legal issues or Mercedes would not have set their system up in this manner. I want an answer to this email.