Tips and tricks you might not know about the 2010 RX

DigMyM35x · 08-31-09, 06:38 AM

I belong to another message board for a different vehicle and one of the sticky threads that seems to get a lot of posts over time is one where people post tips and tricks that they find with the vehicle.

True most of them can be found in the user manuals but few of us really go through those manuals on a regular basis and I learned a lot about my other car from those willing to post things they've identified as cool or lesser known about the vehicle.

I will start with two easy ones that most people already know but I found it very helpful when it was posted some months ago by a new RX owner.

Two things that can make the voice command much easier are:

1. If you double press the voice button on the steering wheel you can go right to certain commands and you won't have to wade through all of the prompting menus. It makes the process much quicker. It's good to have the prompts when you are learning the system but it really speeds things up once you get the hang of the system.

2. You can press the voice button on the steering wheel to skip the system's 'repeat' of your commands. I often get frustrated having to wait for the system to read back what I just said and if you press the voice button after the second beep you can avoid having to listen to those repeats.

A good example of both of these is when dialing a phone number. You can press the voice button twice and then just say "Dial 555-1212" instead of having to go to 'Phone' then wait for the next beep and wait for the system to say "If you want to dial say dial, etc. etc.".

Then, once the number shows on the screen you can press the voice button again to skip the re-read of the number and the system asking you to say 'dial'. You can just hit the button and say 'dial' and it will dial.

Again, not earth shattering, but once you get the hang of the system those repeats and prompts get old and this helps to skip them.

Any other tips out there?

Jay

DigMyM35x · 08-31-09, 06:41 AM

And, in the interest of tips and tricks that some may not know . . .

You can easily link your smart access key to the seat memory position so that two difefrent drivers can get into the car with the keyless access and have the driver's seat go right to their memorized position so you don't have to press the memory button manually.

Here is a link to a thread about this with the instructions from the user manual.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-t...problem-2.html

Cheers!

Jay

kitlz · 08-31-09, 10:12 AM

Thanks Jay. This will definitely decrease the learning curve for me

PatsSoxfan · 08-31-09, 12:32 PM

Thank you! This is definitely a good idea (providing tips and tricks). I might add that any tips and tricks about the RX450h would also be appreciated here.

One thing I am having trouble and probably not properly using is the side view monitor. There are two camera views and I usually mess it all up when trying to back into a spot. This should be an aid to parking close to a sidewalk and for some reason, I am not utilizing this feature very well. Maybe someone could provide some "tips and tricks" about this feature.

yanje03 · 08-31-09, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigMyM35x

I belong to another message board for a different vehicle and one of the sticky threads that seems to get a lot of posts over time is one where people post tips and tricks that they find with the vehicle.

True most of them can be found in the user manuals but few of us really go through those manuals on a regular basis and I learned a lot about my other car from those willing to post things they've identified as cool or lesser known about the vehicle.

I will start with two easy ones that most people already know but I found it very helpful when it was posted some months ago by a new RX owner.

Two things that can make the voice command much easier are:

1. If you double press the voice button on the steering wheel you can go right to certain commands and you won't have to wade through all of the prompting menus. It makes the process much quicker. It's good to have the prompts when you are learning the system but it really speeds things up once you get the hang of the system.

2. You can press the voice button on the steering wheel to skip the system's 'repeat' of your commands. I often get frustrated having to wait for the system to read back what I just said and if you press the voice button after the second beep you can avoid having to listen to those repeats.

A good example of both of these is when dialing a phone number. You can press the voice button twice and then just say "Dial 555-1212" instead of having to go to 'Phone' then wait for the next beep and wait for the system to say "If you want to dial say dial, etc. etc.".

Then, once the number shows on the screen you can press the voice button again to skip the re-read of the number and the system asking you to say 'dial'. You can just hit the button and say 'dial' and it will dial.

Again, not earth shattering, but once you get the hang of the system those repeats and prompts get old and this helps to skip them.

Any other tips out there?

Jay

Jay, Thanks for your input. I was wondering why sometime work and sometime not. so now I know it has to be pushed twice.

DigMyM35x · 08-31-09, 10:33 PM

Hey Patsoxfan - sorry I don't have the sideview monitor to help. Hopefully someone will post some suggestions.

Speaking of which, if we can get a good number of folks throwing out their tips and tricks perhaps the mods will see it valuable to create a sticky out of this thread. Let's see if we can make that happen!

Jay

DigMyM35x · 09-07-09, 08:56 AM

In the interest of keeping this thread alive I thought I would post something I figured out this weekend driving my wife's RX (I don't get a lot of time in it).

I can't stand the way you can't get a status or summary screen with audio information when viewing the map. It's a really bad design. Hopefully they will come up with a workaround like so many other car companies developed from the start. A simple line across the top of the screen with basic info would be helpful. Anyway, I digress. . .

So I learned something this weekend that made this just a tad less frustrating for me.

If you move the mouse into position on screen to select the 'audio' option and leave it there, when the screen reverts back to map and you want to see audio info you only need to hit 'Menu' then 'Enter' and it will select the audio screen as the pointer stays in it's most recent position. This obviously won't work if you move the mouse in between pressing the buttons.

Again, it's a ridiculous workaround but it saves hitting menu then moving the mouse all around to lock onto the audio screen.

Still holding out hope for a software upgrade!!!!

Happy Labor Day everyone (in the states at least)!

Jay

Jay

Theojt · 10-04-09, 10:42 AM

I did that for a while also, however this looks like a better solution:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-t...at-screen.html

jskennedy · 10-04-09, 12:04 PM

list of features dealer can enable/disable for your

http://www.lexus.com/pdf/service/RX350_LPS.pdf

kitlz · 10-04-09, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jskennedy

list of features dealer can enable/disable for your

http://www.lexus.com/pdf/service/RX350_LPS.pdf

Great checklist to bring to the dealer at the 30 day check for programming/reprogramming. Thanks!

jclem · 10-09-09, 08:09 PM

I didn't like the fact that the manual took up the whole glove compartment, but I still wanted to keep the manual in the car. Well, I discovered that the center console is cavernous. Lift out the lower, bigger bin and you'll find a huge space. The manual fits in there, standing on end. You can slide it forward and still have a lot of room for more stuff.

alfaxtc · 10-10-09, 09:29 AM

Now I just need someone to figure out how to turn off the seat belt buzzer

Audriuss · 10-11-09, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfaxtc

Now I just need someone to figure out how to turn off the seat belt buzzer

did you know, that if someone fastens their seatbelts in back seat, and after some time just changes their mind and unfastens, the seat belt chime STARTS BEEPING!!!!

so I think, this time, shutting of seat belt chime will be a little bit more difficult then it was before

pulp · 10-11-09, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfaxtc

Now I just need someone to figure out how to turn off the seat belt buzzer

it can only be done by the dealer through the diagnostics laptop they hook up, i had it done on mine, it doesn't chime anymore but the lights keep flashing.

i like this behavior, you get rid of the annoying beeping but still keep a visual reminder to wear the seat belt.