milk659

@bamalam Yes LTE and 5G require different hardware than 3G. But selling a car in 2017 without LTE support is abomination.

My 2012 Audi had 3G and Google Earth navigation, and by 2017 their connected services were offered through LTE, not 3G.

I really hope Genesis / Acura eats up Lexus.

bamalam

Different point. Those on this thread thinking there is a software fix are incorrect.

SoCalRX

It's twofold: hardware module and software interface to said module. You're correct: software alone will not correct matters.

milk659

You are correct, it is a hardware issue.

I just called Lexus, the rep did not have any answers other than "We did not think that 3G will be outdated so soon". I conveyed my feelings to her (exact same feelings I have written earlier), and she said she can file a complaint to the Lexus officials.

Quantum501

After owning only Acura for 30 years I came over to Lexus. Acura is never going to eat up Lexus based upon what I have seen in the last 10 years over there. The RDX infotainment has been a mess for all three years...LTE is the least of their problems. Add on Limp Mode, squealing brakes, etc....none of these have solutions after 3 years of the new design....and that is their best car....and I am an Acura fan. My 99 TL was spectacular (gave it away after 304,000 miles....and still running well). Everything after that has been a mess.
As far as the Germans, I will take my chances with Lexus. Maybe if I leased for 3 years, but I buy and keep for the long haul. One Audi was enough for me since absolutely nothing on that car ever worked, and of course it cost a fortune to fix.
Lexus is never cutting edge with tech, and a bad oversight on their part, but I don't see much greener grass overall.

jkeller

Does anyone know which 3g network the system is using? Verizon is end-of-life all pre 4g network Dec 2020, AT&T is EOL their 3g early in 2022, so does that mean it's using T-Mobile?

eddie420

@peasodos Tagging you in on the RX forums. Since the GS will suffer the same fate, wondering if swapping the 3G version with the new 4G/LTE/5G network gateway ECU from a newer Lexus model will work... Going to have to try this.

CaryCatch

As per https://www.multitech.com/documents/...rriers_PDF.pdf, ATT 3G EoL in Dec 2021. So looks to be Sprint / TMobile. I am wondering why Lexus did not introduce 4G receiver module in 4th gen while the technology was in place by then - possibly same story as delayed introduction of CarPlay/AA. Someone in Lexus engineering division should be convinced that many updates to user interface can be done nowadays with software update as long as the underlying hardware is in place. BTW 4G seems to be EoL circa 2027...

I assume there are lot of owners who would like to use the feature even if they have to pay out of pocket (a nominal price though). It is up to Lexus to keep these owners loyal to them, or make them look elsewhere just because they do not keep pace with technology. Someone who has the knowledge of how these hardware modules are put together in Lexus could comment whether a 3rd party module is possible, similar to CarPlay in cars before MY20.

Car manufacturers, including Lexus, should stop investing in onboard map technology and start using available & evolving technology. This will save R&D money for them and couple of grands for the purchaser.

golferjack

Car manufacturers, including Lexus, should stop investing in onboard map technology and start using available & evolving technology. This will save R&D money for them and couple of grands for the purchaser.[/QUOTE]

I agree. Car manufactures are good at building cars. They all have a reputatuion for building terrible infotainment/GPS systems. They could easily contract the work out to Apple and Google.

jkeller

Well if it's using Sprint 3g then it's cdma tech. That's what Verizon's 3g network is also. T-mobile never used that phone tech and is likely to eliminate it quickly, maybe before late 2022.

paid4c4

What years of Lexus does this cover? Will this effect out 2020?
Bill

Quantum501

I believe that this Lexus link provides the key information about years/vehicles and FAQ

https://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/answ...ervices-update

dibl

An actual attorney would know better than me. IMHO, it's not illegal to seem uncaring, and indeed, neither you nor I have ever met or corresponded with the folks who actually made the decision to continue with 3g for Gen 4, until 2018, so the folks we deal with at the dealership had no more vote in the decision than you or me. You would have to prove that, at the time the original Gen 4 design engineering decisions were being made, the shutoff of 3g in 2022 was foreseeable, as well as the availability of sufficient supplies of 5g hardware in 2015. Sounds like a tall order, to me.

SoCalRX

When we purchased our 2017 RX we had shopped about a total of eighteen months and reviewed/drove just about all the brands. One of our main concerns my wife and I had with Lexus was the unavailability of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. We visited several Lexus dealerships and when we asked the question why these features were unavailable the most memorable answer was that "Lexus values customer privacy". We believe that the real reason Lexus did not address the obvious technology that was and is vastly superior to theirs was that Lexus wanted the proprietary recurring subscription revenue stream from their Enform services. I recall, and likely still have the text somewhere, that I texted to one of the salespersons with a list of current brands that provided Android Auto and/or Apple CarPlay and it was fairly extensive with the list including some exotics. Face it, Lexus screwed the pooch big-time on this matter and by the scripted responses I have heard from Lexus customer support Lexus has already addressed this with legal as their scripted customer responses are just a euphemistic ways of telling us, "Go pound sand".

The deprecation of safety features is simply unconscionable. Dumping Designation Assist we can see deleted as the service has been terrible (for us at least), but the safety and vehicle monitoring is just criminal. Our response to Lexus? This is our first and last Lexus. It is sad that Lexus did not plan far enough into the future...other brands have. It tells us a lot about Lexus. Both my wife and I feel we entered the Lexus family just after Lexus' prime. Maybe Lexus will turn matters around...maybe not.

CaryCatch

I am still hoping that the wireless signal receiver and interface is not sealed like some smartphone battery. May be a 3rd party who sees a business opportunity be able to address it but that may require Lexus to allow the subscription to continue, isn't it? If that is true then it comes down to Lexus alone to solve the problem. If they really want the revenue from these subscriptions then better be on it right now. Apparently the same problem will happen with 4G going EoL in some years and it is better for Lexus to solve it to face future challenges.