Drabek

Navigation system has been working fine and then today if get a screen that says:
"Unable to read data"
Check if map DVD is correct"

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Marty

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

With the car off, pop the trunk, remove the cover that states, "DVD Navigation System." Slide the black cover to the right, this will expose the Eject button. Eject the disc and clean it. Reinsert and start the car, hopefully this will solve your problem.

texsexlex

iTrader: (3)

...if what ShawnOk stated doesn't work, then your unit may be going out,I had this issue about 2 yrs into owning my Sc. At that time, there wasn't any units available on ebay & the dealership wanted $1500,if I recall correctly. I did a google search & found a company in New York state that actually refurbished Lexus nav systems for the dealerships. I think I paid about $400 & all I had to do was remove the unit,send it to them & they repaired it. The whole process & turn around took about 10 days. If your nav system is a Gen2/3, I would look into upgrading to a Gen4, this way current year disc would still be available to you

Retroplay

I would like to point out that the same NAV DVD player is used in several Lexus and Toyota cars so if you can't find one on eBay using SC430 in the search, do a search on the actual part number of the DVD player or just "toyota DVD". There are a ton of them, and if they don't have SC430 in the title, they are FAR cheaper.

The Toyota Prius uses many of the same components as the SC, for example.

oldbluetoo

My auto nav preference is the Waze app on my iPhone 6+. The turn by turn directions sounds on the ML audio via Bluetooth, Waze learns my favorite routes, plans the fastest route using real-time traffic conditions subscription-free, updates maps and app automatically. I use a Belkin adjustable vent bracket and rarely need a charger cord due to the 6+ high battery capacity. My 2005 SC430 Nav system and maps may be ten years old but my phone OS and maps will stay current. No need to pay for DVD map updates.

Bgw70

That was a nice review and I too like Waze! It has saved me two times now from sitting a traffic nightmare on the interstate!
Waze directed me to exit the interstate, had me drive around the multi mile interstate backups and back on my way in no time at all.

JLeroy

So I went on a 2-week vacation, when I got back home the battery in my 2002 SC430 was completely dead. After replacing the battery, my NAV-DVD unit would only work for a short period and then give me an “Unable to read data” warning. The thing worked flawlessly before, and I saw similar comments regarding the system not function after a dead battery for other models. I tried a DVD lens cleaner first, but since that didn’t work I removed the unit yesterday and opened it up. To my surprise I found out it contained a 3V Lithium battery, which I assume is responsible for keeping memory such as maintenance info stored while battery is off? Anyway, I could not find any info for this on the forum. Does anyone have experience with NAV-DVD drive repair? Could this battery be responsible for the unit not functioning? My multimeter tells me that it is still is putting out 2.74 volts, which is impressive since the car rolled out of the factory 15+ years ago. I plan on replacing the 3V Lithium battery and cleaning the lens before putting the unit back in for a test…unless someone can give me a good reason not to? Thanks in advance,

GmanSC

I have a Gen 4 Nav unit with 2007 DVD. It's still working fine except for the resolution is not so good as my wife's 2007 Prius. I wonder you guys are experiencing the same thing?

Caflashbob

yes. Our 2007 solara convertibles nav unit has a higher resolution screen display versus our 2008 sc430

GmanSC

So what do you think is the difference. The NAV unit, the DVD or the screen?

Caflashbob

the nav unit and its screen as a guess

Need a 2010 unit to swap it with

Harold57

Lithium batteries can last for well more than 10 years. They are typically spec'd for 10 years meaning that if they don't have much of a load on them, they can last for much longer. What is the part number on the battery? It looks like a fairly common battery from what I can see from the picture. (It looks like a solder tab version, so be sure to get the right kind.)

BTW, good catch!

RDF21

JLeroy, I am having the same problem with my 2006 SC430 after I pulled the fuse of the unit as part of an upgrade I was doing to activate the NAV Lockout override feature. I've got the DVD ROM out of the trunk but haven't opened it up yet. I expect there will be some differences as my unit looks somewhat different than yours. I'm not sure of the GEN, but I think it is 4.

How did did you get the top off?
Were you successful in repairing your unit?
Are there any tips you can share?

I'd like to see if I can reset my unit before I resort to a trip to the auto salvage or ordering a unit online.

Thanks for for any help you or anyone else can provide!

RDF

JLeroy

I regret to inform you that I was unsuccessful, but from what I've read it appears that the drive motor failure was a common problem in the generation 2/3 units. I ended up replacing it with the cheapest, very-good condition unit I could find on ebay, which happened to be a generation 4 out of a 2005 Prius (part number is 86841-50090, which I believe is the same as your unit). I think I paid about $225 for it,definitely happy with the upgrade. Anyway back to the old SOB. I believe the 5 screws on the back (shown on my initial picture), were the only ones holding on the top, after that it was just a matter of tilting the metal cover up while sliding it back to pop it off. I replaced the battery with the closest equivalent from the drug store, and cleaned the lens as best as possible without taking the whole unit apart. I didn't end up getting it to work again, let us know how you fare. Good Luck.

RDF21

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply and recount your experience. I am pleased to report I was successful!

The battery drain test did not work for me. Mainly because the LED I had on hand took 3 days to get the battery down to 1.5V from an initial state of 2.75. I wasn't thrilled with this approach anyway as I was worried about draining a battery of this age to abnormally low levels and having problems recharging or maintaining a charge afterwards. I eventually abandoned this method when I found that some users had success disconnecting the ribbon cable. Initially I had looked at this and thought the ribbon cable was soldered in and not disconnectable. I had a closer look with a 10x jewelers loop and was able to flick one side of the ribbon retention bracket up with my fingernail and then the other. The ribbon popped out after that. I left it disconnected for a few minutes and then reassembled everything. When I put the unit back in the trunk (without a DVD installed), I got the "Please insert correct DVD" message that I had been receiving previously. At this point I thought I had failed, however, having everything apart already anyway, I inserted the original disc back in and it began to load much to my surprise and happiness. The unit is now working!

Things to note. It appears this method works as the chip that retains the memory and settings is on the other board without the 3V lithium battery. Severing this connection finally drained the memory and the bad setting or condition preventing the original disc from loading. This also had the effect of clearing all of my memory and presets. Something I am happy to deal with rather than buying a new or pre-owned unit and having the same situation anyway.

I've included a couple of photos, especially of what the ribbon cable looks like when it is free. I wasn't able to find any images of the ribbon cable disconnected in the forums, so hopefully this post and images will help the next unsuspecting soul.

I will add any other relevant thoughts if I think of any.

My sincere thanks and appreciation to you, Club Lexus and the ingenuity of the collective.

RDF