Hello all. I just acquired my first Lexus (been driving Acura's lately, finishing with the '04 RL, Black on Black). I decided to go with an '01 LS430 Ultra Luxury. My problem is my navigation seems to be working fine, but the locator arrow that shows where you are on the map keeps blinking. Has anyone had this problem or know what may be causing it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to the Club! I did the same migration...except from an 02 RL (w/nav) to an 05 LS430 (w/nav). Would I be stating the obvious saying you couldn't get the same model year car that you got rid of instead of going back 3 years? After all, the RL isn't a slouch (although there's a thread where the haters of the RL come out..lol) I mean, the LS is nice, but personally would take an 04 RL over an 01 LS. (here is where I get flamed)

When you say the locator arrow, are you referring to the triangle with the circle around it, (depicting your car on the map)?

 

I loved my RL, especially because it was fully loaded, but I went down 3 years because the Lexus is a much nicer car, inside and out, especially with the Ultra Luxury package I got. It was a no-brainer for me. I mean brand new the Acura was around $48k, while the Lexus was around $75, not to mention well over double the options. I also made some money from going down 3 years because of the great deal I got on the LS.

Anyway, you are correct. The triangle with the circle around it keeps blinking non-stop. The navi seems to be working, but every once in a while, it loses my location, when it loses the GPS signal. It finds me when it links back up, but I don't think it's supposed to lose me that often. I don't know if this is a software issue, or with my luck, the hardware. Please let me know if you know what's causing this and how to fix it. Thank you.

 

my friend has an 01 LX and his navi does the same thing- however, when I asked him about it, he said he thinks it always did it. I don't think so. He also said he thinks you can switch it- again- I don't think so. it might mean something to have the flashing indicator- O tpo am interested in this.

 

I am positive it's not supposed to do that. I don't know what the problem is, but this is not how the car originally came. If you can check with your friend to see if he ever got the car looked at, and if so, what they told him the problem was, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

 

I had a Volvo before that did the same thing from brand new. Volvo never got it fixed (along with a bunch of other problems!). Anyway, when the triangle would blink on the Volvo, it meant it lost the satellite signal. Where on the LS is the antenna for the GPS? If internal, do you have any tinting on the windows of your LS?

 

No, that can't be the problem. My friend used to have the same car, but his location point never blinked. The map actually shows a little GPS label, and when there's no signal, there's no label. When there is a signal, it still keeps blinking as before. Also, the antenna is on the roof, and I don't have tinted windows yet. I just bought the car so i haven't really had a chance to look into the problem. If no one knows what the deal is, I guess I'll have to go get ripped off at the dealer. Thanks for all your help guys.

 

I have a 2001 GS and yes, the blinking locator was there the first day i got the car from dealership.

 

Did you get the car brand new? I had a friend who had exactly my car and his didn't blink. Also, my cousin has an '06 GS and his doesn't blink. I don't believe this is the way it is supposed to be. I really think there's some sort of issue with the hardware, just don't know what it is. It doesn't really bother me that much, especially because it still works, but I may go get it checked out at the dealer anyway. Once again, any help is appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

I am sure it's not supposed to blink. It's also not supposed to lose signal often, although that is dependent all on WHERE you're driving it. As Jim already asked, I was going to ask you if you have any tint on the windows but you already replied, no.

Do you ever lose signal in a wide open area, standing still? Do you always lose signal in the same area or random areas when you lose signal? Has the car ever had physical or water damage in the trunk area? If the 01 is like the 05, the nav electronics are on the passenger side of the trunk, under a panel.

If I were you, I'd spend about 30 minutes and gain access to the nav unit, then, with the car not on, disconnect and reconnect all connectors/harnesses/plugs several times.

Also, do you know for a fact the nav antenna is on the roof? I thought the antenna was in the dash. Is your dashboard cluttered by anything by chance? (notebooks, clipboards, etc?)

 

I wonder if there's a configuration page in the NAV that allows you to change the setting for how your position is displayed. Blinking may be an "option" as opposed to solid. Especially if its tracking properly all the time...

 

I see where you're going with that. Similar to, how aftermarket gps systems, have the ability to choose a racecar, an arrow, a smileyface, a horse, a truck, etc, as the car's location/icon?

I am 99% sure the 04-06's don't have that option. I would guess the older versions wouldn't either?

 

The antenna on the rear roof is not for the nav system.

a blinking nav system light? Doesn't sould like anything I've ever read or heard about. My guess is that something is wrong and this is a warning. I'd check with my local Lexus dealer. Just my opinion.

 

What version does a 2001 LS430 have?

I'm almost positive that my 2003 LS430 uses a more updated system than a 2001... there are threads on it around here somewhere. Hopefully someone can chime in on this.

 

LSUltraLux,

Your LS didn't come from north of the border by chance did it?