rad-man

This makes no sense.
Do they use 14.4k dial-up modems?
An OS upgrade on a PC takes less than an hour.
I imagine all they really have to do is plug in the USB, run the installer, click next a few times and wait.
They shouldnt be charging tech time if he's just watching a progress bar.

bclexus

You might want to call your local Lexus dealer's service department or talk with a Lexus technician about it...

dphu626

Thanks for the info BC! I'll ask about it the next time I go in.

Rocknrose

I have a 2007 GS 350, how do I check for the year of my last update?

AJLex19

https://www.manualowl.com/am/Lexus/2...l/6482?page=64
http://www.lexusnavigation.com/what-to-order/
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...sc-update.html

AJLex19

Kinda agree with this comment - seems very odd that it would take that much time...just to compare:

2GB of data downloaded via a stable 4G LTE cell phone connection should take less than 5min to complete.

Maybe if the amount of Map data reaches over 5GB I can see that taking some time and then confirming/testing that the interface is still working might take a few more minutes so they round it up to 30min and charge for an hour.

zicogold

Well they charge you money to watch oil pour out of your pan, so there will be a charge. I think it is about $300 (loonies) and the dealer recommends it be done every three years when I last checked with them.

http://www.lexusnavigation.com/faq/

The link answers all our questions, at least those States-side. The FAQ attempts to explain why there is a cost.

Rocknrose

Thanks for the great and thorough information.

bclexus

It's my understanding that the process (once the vehicle is taken to the technician's service space) is to enter the VIN info into the dealer's computer and request the map update to be downloaded (specifically for a particular vehicle) from Lexus' main server to the dealer's computer (which I'm told cannot always be easily accessed without some waiting - at times over an hour). I'm told the map update download is ~5gb and usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour to download it to the dealer's computer. Once the dedicated map update is downloaded to the dealer's computer the technician downloads the map update to a USB (or Micro SD for '14-'15), which doesn't take much time. Then, the technician plugs in the USB and installs/downloads the map update to the dedicated vehicle's navigation system (which I'm told takes about 15-20 minutes). During the time the map update is downloading to the vehicle the engine must be running. That is my understanding of the process.

So, as you can well imagine; (1) the technician's service space is occupied with the vehicle, (2) the technician must first go through the process of downloading the map update from Lexus' server to the dealer's computer, (3) then the technician must download the map update from the dealer's computer to the USB (or Micro SD), (4) then the technician must install/download the map update to the vehicle's navigation system. I would say the technician is busy and his work space is tied up for at least an hour, if not more.

Edit: Corrected 5mb to 5gb.
I am not defending the cost or how Lexus chooses to update their navigation systems. I am just attempting to explain the process, as I understand it from multiple Lexus sources.

AJLex19

The only part that I question is the amount of time it takes to download the actual 5mb update (45min seems really long with today's speeds) and the amount of time it takes to upload it to the car.

In today's "I need my data/email/etc. now as fast as possible" mentality, Lexus' main server seems to be extremely slow or unable to process the amount of requests being made to download the data.

Just imagine if it took 45min to load the Lexus.com website or Clublexus website if the logo alone was 5mb! In my humble opinion, seems like a money-making ploy - but nonetheless, since this is the process, it does take time and they charge a lot for their tech's time.

You're lucky you got this done for free!

bclexus

I meant 5gb, not 5mb. I corrected my post above... The map update certainly wouldn't be anything close to just 5mb because it covers all streets, roads, highways, Interstates and addresses in the United States, plus tens of millions of commercial or municipal points of interest by address and phone number like restaurants, shopping, schools, gas stations, grocery stores, lodging, banks, hospitals, pharmacies, sports, parks, government agencies, etc. - all of which can change (and oftentimes does) over a period of a year or two. Lots and lots of information (data)!

The map update download speed from Lexus' server seems to be about as fast, or faster, than Garmin's server when downloading a map update. I maintain a Garmin GPS device and download new map updates 3-4 times a year and it always takes about a hour to download the ~5gb update and then install it on the device. I have FiOS 75/75 Mbps speed, but almost always the bottleneck that slows things down (e.g. loading web pages) is the speed of the server you are downloading from, not the speed of your service or your computer.