ADF

I bought a 2015 RX 350 on July 15, 2014 and subsequently discovered what I believe is a flaw in the navigation system. When I looked at the navigation screen, I noticed the left half of the screen was almost completely "browned out". At the time my wife and I were wearing prescription sun glasses, with different prescriptions. When we took off the sunglasses the screen returned to normal. Previously we had a 2006 RX350 and a 2011 RX350, and there was never a problem with viewing the navigation screen. We live 120 miles from Atlanta, GA so we called the dealer we we got home. I was told this had not been previously reported, and we arranged to bring it back to the dealer the next week which we did. In the mean time we talked to people at an eye exam place and got a possible cause. We were shown what happens when two polarized screens are viewed together at the same time. The vision is almost lost. Apparently Lexus has been polarizing its navigation screens since at least 2012 because our 2011 screen worked fine.

The next week my wife and I went to the Lexus dealer and met with the salesman, shop Forman and IT Specialist. We also checked the screen of a 2013 RX 350 F with the same brownout. They had no information for a possible fix. The IT man took some photos to send to Lexus engineers. I ordered some non polarized regular sun glasses that fit over regular glasses and there were I no vision problems when we tried them. I have talked to Lexus three times and am expecting a call from a case manager. The problem is I paid 50K+ for this vehicle and I expect this situation to be satisfactorily resolved. Apparently people in the eyeglass business are aware of the polarization issue, but Lexus engineers are not. I also learned aircraft pilots are prohibited from wearing polarized glasses so they can see the instruments.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

I've had the same problem looking at some atm machines as well as CC pay points at the gas station when wearing my polarized sun glasses.

greeknasty

Sorry to burst your bubble but that is a common affect of most LCD screens and polarized sunglasses..there are some screens(nexus7) that the display goes completely black when you put the glasses on

txes

Let's just blame Lexus for everything.

Cruiter

Aaron, there is nothing wrong with your screen. Wearing those polarized sun glasses would affect any LCD screen you viewed through them in any car (even your TV). The only fix is to use non-polarized glasses.

jfelbab

FWIW, I wear Transitions Vantage lenses which have variable polarization that adjusts to match outdoor glare levels. They don't have any effect on my NAV screen while in the car.

ADF

Thanks for the info. I bought a 2014 Ford F150 with nav screen and do not have this problem. I did not know that if one bought a 2015 Lexus , one must also buy new non-polarized glasses. It seems there should be some warning notice.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I agree, Ford should provide a warning that the glare from their non-polarized screen could cause an issue with seeing their screen during bright days or in direct sunlight.

Seriously though, an easy answer is tilt your head a little or look over the glasses if the angle where you're seated causes polarization issues when looking at the screen.

KeithPI

There is actually a note/warning about this in the Nav manual that came with my 2015.

niklow

I noticed same thing, wasn't sure if it was an issue. But very clear once glasses were off. so i forgot about it.

t2014rx

Luckily I don't have a problem seeing the non-nav screen when using polarized sunglasses. I use 2 different brands. It's true regarding the nexus 5, if the phone is in landscape while using polarized sunglasses the screen will be completely black. To the OP, I'd try another pair of polarized sunglasses. Good Luck!!

JDR76

Welcome to CL, ADF.

This is why I stopped buying polarized sunglasses a few years ago. The glasses would wash out the radio displays in both my Acura TSX and my Tacoma, and countless rental cars while on work travel.

I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed in this aspect of your RX and understand your desire to have Lexus change this for you, but I can't imagine any fix other than ditching the polarized lenses of your sunglasses.

vlad_a

I have a set of polarized sunglasses, which also causes issues with some screens. No problem with the Lexus Nav. Now, the usability of the Nav is a completely different issue (ain't a secret how I feel about it).

wa3cuj

You can see how this works by slowly turning your glasses through a 90 degree angle the screen will become clear as you turn. This is a common experiment in physics class and is easily seen with a polarizing filter on a SLR camera lense.

There are several pros and cons to polarized sunglasses. You have stumbled onto one of the cons.

4482

With all that's been said it sure does not appear to be a Lexus NAV problem.