stanatl

I have a 2011 LS 460 that is about a year old and have never had problems either having my I-Phone link to the bluetooth connection or transfer contacts. My problem is that every few weeks the contacts and speed dial numbers are wiped out and I have to re-link the phone, transfer the contacts and manually re-enter the speed dial numbers. It has turned into a real nuisance.

Has anyone out there experienced the same type of problem?

jmcraney

What may be happening to you is that your car may be connecting to a phone that is different from the one you expect. That can occur when more than one phone is registered to the car's BlueTooth. The way that it works is if more than one phone is registered and more than one of those phones is within range when the car is started it will connect to the last phone it was connected to. If it can't find the last phone that it was connected to then it will connect to a different phone. The different phones use different directories that are stored in the car and different speed dial tables.

An example of this happens with my Toyota Sienna. When I drive the van and my phone was connected last before I park it in the garage and my wife goes to the van, with her phone in her purse, and starts the van, and my phone is in the house, within range, then the van connects to my phone and my directory and speed dial are displayed. Another example of this is when we both get in the van and her phone was last connected, and we both have our phones, even though I am driving, her phone is connected and her directory and speed dials are displayed and they are different from mine. On my Sienna, a 2011 model that is probably much like your 2011 LS460, I can tell which phone is connected by looking at the touch display and I can break the BlueTooth link and connect to any registered phone that is within range. My 2007 LS460 works like this too to some extent except I can't change the BlueTooth connection without restarting the car.

Other things to consider is that if you have a new phone and you passed your old one to a family member or just keep it in the house then your car may be connecting to the wrong phone before you can get out of range.

I don't consider this a problem but more a convenience. If it is causing a problem for you then deregister all of the Bluetooth devices and then register only your current phone.

stanatl

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, my phone is the only phone that has ever been registered with the car. I spoke to my SA at the dealership and she told me that this happens with the I-phone and the LS, that Lexus knows about it but it has to do with the phone dropping the communication link with the car and there's nothing that Lexus can (or will) do about it.

Anyone else out there with an I-Phone experiencing the same issue? If my SA is correct, there should be bunches of people witht he same problem. I don't remember seeing any threads about this on CL and my search found other bluetooth issues but not specifically this one.

jmcraney

Well, the part about the Iphone dropping the Bluetooth connection is a little more complex. WiFi devices and Bluetooth devices share the same RF frequency - 2.4GHz. So, that means that you need to disable all 2.4 GHz WiFi devices that are inside the car to be sure that the Bluetooth will not drop its connection. I think that the reason that you are loosing the directory info is because the Bluetooth connection is dropped and if your 2011 LS460 is like my 2007 LS460 it is not established again until the Ignition switch is turned off and then back on. This is nothing new with the Iphone as there has always been a problem for Bluetooth and WiFi in close proximity and you see warnings and disclaimers about this problem in most product manuals.

And you should not have to reload your directory and speed dial info as that is stored in the car and when the Bluetooth is reestablished then that should return.

Check this thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-problems.html

stanatl

Interesting. I will try turning off my WiFi when before I get in the car but my problem is related to dropping the connection between driving experiences. It has never dropped the connection while operating the car. If it auto connects, it stays connected as long as I have the car running. It only happens after shutting off the car with it working and starting it up with it not working. Also, when it happens, my contacts as well as my stored speed dial numbers are always gone, which should not happen based your response above.

nsaldanh

I've used an iphone 4S with a 2008 LS and a 2012 LS with no issues. My wife also has an iPhone 4S and it always connects to the last device that it was connected to. I have not observed any issues on either car with it loosing the contacts for each phone. My wife has a 2012 GX and it works the same way.

Shibumi1

well it may depend on what IOS your using there have been reports of the iphone failings due to firmware issues..(iphone 5 users beware)

http://www.ceoutlook.com/2012/09/25/...ems-with-ios6/

Craig B

No problems with my 4S, and I just upgraded to the I Phone 5 last week, no problems...

stanatl

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I just upgraded my 4S to IOS6 and have ordered an I-Phone 5 so I'll see if there are any differences. I re-checked with my SA and she insists that it is a commorn problem and is due to the I-phone and not the Lexus Bluetooth system. Doesn't seem like it is a common problem with CL members though.

jmcraney

I don't have an Ipnone. But I am confident that the phones have a way to disable the WiFi and those who are not having a problem likely don't have the WiFi enabled. WiFi is the feature that allows the phone to be connected wirelessly to a LAN and many phone users don't use that. WiFi is 802.11 a/b/g/n technology and Apple calls it "AirPort" so if you are having a problem then try turning off the "AirPort" feature while you are using your phone in your car. I can't think of any reason to have the WiFi on in the car and many phone owners never use WiFi.

stanatl

Thannks. No reason to have Wi-FI in the car but I have it on to connect to the routers at work and in my house so it is activated most of the time - pretty much all the time. I will have to shut if off every time I get in the car. I will try it when I get my car back from the dealership - still dealing with an issue with my drivers seat cushion.

jmcraney

Keep in mind that your car has to have a Bluetooth connection to the phone for the directory and speed dial numbers to display. That stuff is not lost when it is not displayed.

SBlexus

I have a iPhone 4S and a Bluetooth ear piece and if I don't use the ear piece for a week or so I have to press forget this device on my phone and then pair the ear piece with the phone and then the Bluetooth works fine. So I think it's the phone and not the car.

Shibumi1

its not a bluetooth calling issue more of streaming audio,image data,bluetooth control from headunits..apple requires companies to be licensed to use their software..(an pay to do so) so every time they upgrade, companies not only need to update their firmware they need to pay to do so.. its a timely process because once its done and paid for they then must wait for apple to approve it before it can be released to the public...

jmcraney

If any one has a question about LS460/Bluetooth compatibility, I found a neat tool that answers most questions.

Go to this link: http://www.lexus.com/bluetooth/

Click the "Launch Tool" button and fill in the blanks.