SaniDel

The first year* of free service is about over and Lexus wants us to renew for $264.90 ("... less than 75 cents a day ...") for an additional year of service or progressively less for longer term renewals, but paid in advance. Lexus Enform® services include Destination Assist that we haven't needed, eDestination that we use extensively and Lexus Insider that is more interesting than useful. Lexus Safety Connect® services include Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, Emergency Assistance and Enhanced Roadside Assistance, none of which we have needed and hope never to need, but may be valuable ... even if used just once.

Presumably, every owner of a new GX 460 received a free subscription to these services and will receive a similar letter near the end of their first year of ownership.
Regards,

SaniDel


* The VIN at the bottom of the letter for our GX indicates that our vehicle was the 518th produced in the 2010 series. The build date on the driver's door pillar was November 2009, but we didn't take title to the vehicle until February 4, 2010. It appears the first 'year' of service is actually 13 months!

Craig B

Yeah, I received the same letter twice. I'm not going to renew the subscription. I've never used it and think 265.00 per year is a lot of money for nothing...

Luke27617

iTrader: (2)

Got it too. For sure will not renew. Not worth it.

JsGX460

on the other side of the fence... when the time comes, I will renew mine.

I'm lazy, I've hit the button to have them look up something and download it to my car too many times.

The safety aspect of having the SOS is worth 99 bucks a year for me... so, 150 or so for carte blanche' on destination assist sounds good to me.

I wonder if they'll do the 'concierge' service and make reservations for me if I ask.... hmmmm....


FYI - I am too cheap to renew XM radio for 77 bucks.

Maybe I'm not prioritizing correctly....

Craig B

I would rather have my satellite radio...

Koz

With a 6 CD/DVD changer and a complete (and future) library of my music on an ipod, I refuse to pay for music. I do like the XM traffic but I think it is at an additional cost. I personally would want to be the one who decides to call in an emergency. The theft locator feature is ridiculous. You have to have a police report filed before you can have the locator activated. By this time the system will be easily defeated. This is not like LoJack. I have not used the edestination yet (really could care less).

I see all of these fees as excessive and if they don't sell well they would have lower the premiums to keep the feature available. I would have paid for HD radio and/or AM stereo, if were offered. It’s funny how these FREE formats are not even available yet we had to pay for the hardware for a system that you may not subscribe to. I better leave it at that!

Koz

jaylexus46

Does anyne know if we can buy the "ENFORM" servicve thru another vendor, sort of like the extended warranty that can be purchased or shopped to get a cheaper price

kl323

So are you saying LoJack is better?

I'm actually looking to renew just for the Safety Connect. I won't be needed Enform.

Koz

Absolutely, the Lexus system can be defeated simply by disconnecting the battery. Also how long do you think it will take to get a police report?

Koz

MickeyS

I just renewed the subscription in my wife's ES350, I will definitely do it on my GX, I think is worth the money, it may not be essential for some but it's always good to have in case you ever need any of the services. It's like a Swiss army knife, you don't use all the tools but they are there when you need them!

davrober

I dont believe that is correct, the location feature cannot be disconnected by disconnecting the battery. Or am I wrong about that?

Koz

This is the info I read.

"There are pros and cons to each type of system. GPS-based systems have the advantage of immediately reporting their location to authorities, but they also must have both a satellite signal and a cellular connection to make that call. Thieves that steal a car by towing it can immediately disable such systems by disconnecting the battery. LoJack’s Achilles heels is that it can only report a relative location and it requires a police officer within a few miles with a receiver in his car. However, LoJack transmitters, which can be hidden in more than 20 different locations throughout a vehicle, have on-board battery backup power and their signals can go through walls, concrete and even shipping containers. LoJack currently only operates in 28 states, whereas GPS-equipped recovery systems work nationwide."

Koz

davrober

I called safety connect Friday to check if I was renewed and I asked if the location feature is turned off when the battery is disconnected and they said it was not because it was a GPS locater although the rest was . Now it sounded like she was reading a pre written response and did not explain how it worked with the battery disconnected. "Are we Clear" obviously we aren't yet LOL

[QUOTE=Koz;7837660]This is the info I read.

"There are pros and cons to each type of system. GPS-based systems have the advantage of immediately reporting their location to authorities, but they also must have both a satellite signal and a ....

Koz

Yes LoJack is better, as long as it is available in your area. It is a one time fee; it has a battery back-up and uses RF. As long as the thief doesn’t find the transmitter, it has a 90% recovery rate when the vehicle is still within the range of the Police receiver. I have a problem with any system that has a monthly fee!

Koz

tazdevl

I think you are giving thieves a bit too much credit. Only a very small percentage would have that degree of sophistication.