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Lexus human interface issues and climate control discussion

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Old 01-10-19, 02:47 PM
  #61  
JDR76
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I tried Slacker, but have had no luck with it at all.

It never just starts up when I start the car, so I have to go into the media menu and pull it up. And I usually only get 3 or 4 songs out of it then it just stops and won't play anymore, getting stuck on a screen that says "Preparing". Not sure if it's an issue with my car or my phone, but it simply doesn't work for me. I've been going through the hassle of Pandora through Bluetooth on my phone. It works, but it's hardly convenient.
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Old 01-10-19, 02:51 PM
  #62  
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To be honest, I used Pandora in the app all the time. Now I have to remember to pull my phone out and start Pandora before setting off. It was nice to have it just start on its own - not to mention the ability to easily like/dislike/skip songs while driving, and use the steering wheel controls to change stations. Even though it failed to start maybe 30% of the time, which was annoying, I still miss it.

I might have to take a look at Slacker... but it sounds like it might have similar issues to the old Pandora.

edit: Oh, and the unlimited skips and lack of ads were also nice.
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Old 01-10-19, 02:57 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by JDR76
I tried Slacker, but have had no luck with it at all.

It never just starts up when I start the car, so I have to go into the media menu and pull it up. And I usually only get 3 or 4 songs out of it then it just stops and won't play anymore, getting stuck on a screen that says "Preparing". Not sure if it's an issue with my car or my phone, but it simply doesn't work for me. I've been going through the hassle of Pandora through Bluetooth on my phone. It works, but it's hardly convenient.
Have you updated your enform app on your phone to the latest version? I had that issue off and on before I did that. It does often not remember the station you were listening to before and you have to reselect the station after you restart. I just use the voice command "Launch Slacker Radio" instead of going through the menus to open it up,
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Old 01-10-19, 03:03 PM
  #64  
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I do believe I have the latest Enform app. I'll go double check, thanks for the suggestion. I also hadn't thought about starting it over voice command, so I'll give that a try.
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Old 01-10-19, 03:13 PM
  #65  
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Yeah, way better than going through the menus to find it.
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Old 01-10-19, 03:15 PM
  #66  
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I checked and do have the most current app. Guess I'll just stick with Pandora through my phone.
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Old 01-10-19, 03:17 PM
  #67  
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Weird......
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Old 01-10-19, 03:19 PM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
Weird......
Indeed. Kind of sad when the kids get in the car and ask "is the music working today?"...
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Old 01-10-19, 05:52 PM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by JDR76
Indeed. Kind of sad when the kids get in the car and ask "is the music working today?"...
Yeah, it is. Thats how mine was before the update, I know how frustrating it is.
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Old 01-11-19, 12:11 PM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
Who owns the car, you or me?

That button turns the HVAC off.

.
That is not the A/C off switch. Turning the HVAC off is not the same as turning off the A/C and leaving the HVAC on. There is a difference.

Originally Posted by SW17LS
Well there you go. You want to operate the system in a way that its not designed to be operated.
.
Actually you are incorrect. You can use the system in either automated or in manual mode.
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Old 01-11-19, 12:17 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by RXSF
Jill, you can I are on the same page for Auto climate control. I absolutely hate auto, as all it seems to do is blow the fan way too hard. On a regular day, I have to make the temperature much higher just to get it to blow at a lower speed. I never understood auto climate and find it just fine to adjust everything myself
Hey, I didn't see this post till now. Glad you agree. That is the crap thing about remote touch in some Lexus models if you want to use the HVAC in manual mode, the lack of a dedicated A/C button makes using the HVAC system more difficult to use as you can't turn on/off the A/C button as easy as you could in Lexus models with a remote touch and a dedicated A/C button. The lack of an A/C button on some Lexus models with remote touch is a significant omission IMO. Another dumb idea was to have the LS500 buttons that have no settings, but it brings up the heated seat menu on the screen where you need to use the remote touch, a needless two-step process to simply turn on or off the heated or cooled seats.

Originally Posted by RXSF
On a regular day, I have to make the temperature much higher just to get it to blow at a lower speed
Way easier to do when you are in manual mode.

Last edited by Toys4RJill; 01-11-19 at 01:25 PM.
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Old 01-12-19, 11:57 AM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
That is not the A/C off switch. Turning the HVAC off is not the same as turning off the A/C and leaving the HVAC on. There is a difference.
I never said it was. I said it was the HVAC off switch. You said it turned the fan off, you were wrong.

Hard A/C off switches are just not a typical thing in the industry. You feel they are because you've driven Toyota products for so long, but other vehicles I've owned and own with automatic climate control do not and have not had a button to turn the AC compressor off.

Actually you are incorrect. You can use the system in either automated or in manual mode.
You CAN, but its not designed to be used in manual mode, so its not 100% intuitive to use it that way.
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Old 01-12-19, 12:11 PM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
I never said it was. I said it was the HVAC off switch. You said it turned the fan off, you were wrong.
Lol. ^^^ this makes no sense. You can turn the HVAC off or the fan off. It’s the same thing. However, in my CT and the current IS, you can leave the HVAC on while turning off the A/C with a hard button. It’s better. Having no hard button and forcing the use of the remote touch mouse is just plain dumb.

Originally Posted by SW17LS

Hard A/C off switches are just not a typical thing in the industry. You feel they are because you've driven Toyota products for so long, but other vehicles I've owned and own with automatic climate control do not and have not had a button to turn the AC compressor off.
.
I think someone already stated that MB produce have a hard button. I have not looked. But the IS and CT both have hard buttons. Land Cruiser over LX, a quick press of a screen button, easier to use, = better. IMO.

Originally Posted by SW17LS
I
You CAN, but its not designed to be used in manual mode, so its not 100% intuitive to use it that way.
LOL. It’s designed for either or. It is perfectly intuitive to use the system if there were a hard button or a digital press button like in the Land Cruiser. In the LX570 you have to go though the mouse.

No A/C button to quickly turn off the Air conditioning compressor is a cost cutting method as well as a serious omission.


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Old 01-12-19, 12:18 PM
  #74  
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Lol. ^^^ this makes no sense. You can turn the HVAC off or the fan off. It’s the same thing. However, in my CT and the current IS, you can leave the HVAC on while turning off the A/C with a hard button. It’s better. Having no hard button and forcing the use of the remote touch mouse is just plain dumb.


Unless you're like most people and you never choose to turn the A/C compressor off. It would never even occur to me to turn the A/C compressor off. It removes the need for one button on the dash, so I prefer it that way.

LOL. It’s designed for either or. It is perfectly intuitive to use the system if there were a hard button or a digital press button like in the Land Cruiser. In the LX570 you have to go though the mouse.
Its not really designed to be used either/or. Their intention is for customers to use the AUTO function of the unit. Thats obvious...since they removed the hard A/C button.

No A/C button to quickly turn off the Air conditioning compressor is a cost cutting method as well as a serious omission.
Its not a cost cutting method lol. Its one button, its just that they're trying to remove extraneous buttons, and when you only have room for so many buttons in your design you have to decide what goes and what stays.

A "serious omission" for you, I'm happy they got rid of it because its a button I never use. So, I consider it an improvement. I'd like to see them do away with the fan speed hard buttons too since I never use those either. Seeing that I bought the car and you would never buy one, who's opinion do you think they care about?
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Old 01-12-19, 05:00 PM
  #75  
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I own both 3GS and 4GS with touch screen and remote touch respectively.

Remote touch is okay, and I can live with it, but it tends to "overshoot" the desired icon, because Lexus' 5-way joystick with left/right/up/down/enter cannot move 1-icon at a time unlike 7-way rotary jog dials.
The 7-way rotary jog dial can be rotated clockwise/anti-clockwise with detents to more accurately move only 1-icon at a time, without over-shooting.
To really take advantage of the remote touch system, manufacturers should combine remote touch with headup display.

The main advantage of touch screens is that we can simply touch the desired icon directly without having to more slowly pass unwanted icons one at a time through a mechanical control.
However, this design requires a touch screen below the windscreen and within arm's reach.

In truth, motor vehicles could be and should be designed with both touchscreens, and a remote touch 7-way jog dial with headup display right in the center of the front windscreen.
It's not that different to having both an instrument panel in front of the steering wheel, and a head up display directly above the instrument panel and steering wheel...




Last edited by peteharvey; 01-12-19 at 06:29 PM.
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