I was away for three weeks and when I started the engine, es300h, the computer was updated with several changes to map display, voice commands, etc. Where can I find out what the changes were? Thanks.

 

I'm assuming from your post that the car wasn't at the dealer's and you just found these changes in the car. I know nothing about these and I'm quite sure that the rest of us would like to know the origin of the changes. To find out more I would contact your dealer service dept.

 

I'm confused because I don't understand what might have been the source of the update. I would think that the vehicle would have had to have been connected to some sort of media to get an operating system update, and, unless the dealership service department did it or you somehow had media to connect to, I don't know how you could have gotten an update.

I know that there are, from time to time, updates to the apps in Enform that are downloaded from the internet via a smart phone connection, but I don't believe that updates to the operating system are downloaded in that manner. I also know that, just a couple of weeks ago, I had my ES at the dealer for 1 year service. When I was there, I did ask if there were any operating system updates available, and I was told that there were not.

 

I had another thought.

If the car wasn't driven for three weeks, I wonder if there is a chance that the battery drained enough so that, when you restarted the car, the computer was re-set and the same operating system version that you already had needed to be reloaded.

 

Okay, I'm old, but I'm not crazy. When I started the car two days ago, before the screen would display, it said System Upgrade or something like that. Noticed some differences. Called Lexus customer service. They could not help.

After reply from bc6152 called dealer. Didn't know, but said to bring car to dealership. Did so. Service advisor checked it out and said it looks just like the cars on the lot. Try commands I used to use, like AM Radio, and the radio would come on the station previously set. That no longer worked.

In any case, my screen is no longer like the manual. Not a serious problem, I can get to the new screens, but I'm a reader and I wish I had a list of differences. Maybe I can download a manual for a 2014 or 2015.

 

This same thing happened twice to me about 2 and 4 months after I received the car in Feb 2013. One thing I do know is that a couple of days after I received the car I could go into the menu and change the blinker from 3 to 7 seconds. A few months later I could not change the blinker timing. I always thought that one of those service update messages locked me out of that option. The manual says on page 859 the owner has that option. It's my guess that one of those service updates locked out the owner blinker changing option.

 

The ability to change that personal setting is one of the "dealer only" change options. It is not one that can be changed via the menus by the vehicle owner. And it has been that way since I bought my ES well over a year ago. Also, it is listed in the manual as a "dealer only" option, and the manual was printed in 2012. So, I don't think that was ever changed by any software update.

 

When I first got my ES350 - 11/2013 I went to the personalized settings and changed my lane change counter from 3 to 5. When I thought several months later to maybe change it to 7 for a while it was no longer something I could change. This all took place before the car had ever been serviced by the dealer.

Dave Mac

 

In that case, I am befuddled.

See number 39 in the attached pdf for customized settings.

I know that my ES (built in April, 2013) has never had that setting available except as one that can only be changed by the dealer. Also, I have the same software that was in the vehicle when it was delivered to me, and all of the available customized settings are and always have been identical to the ones in the pdf.