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My problem is where to put the phone when using navigation. Windshield mounts are annoying and distracting and that's even without having the plugged in for power. It's even worse plugged in. Same for air vent mounts which also have the added disadvantage of blocking air flow from the vents. I'd take the bunny l built in nav over Google maps on my phone just for the convenience of having it on the car's built in screen. No wires and no mounts is worth to me to not have quite as good of a nav experience.
The large screen in the '19+ ES makes placement of a phone holder awkward.
I used a NATO mount in the car. It is a magnetic mount and the base is held onto the dash with 3m adhesive. The base can be trimmed to fit the area nicely. The base can also be molded slightly with a hairdryer to conform to the surface
I mounted mine on the right side of the A/C controls. It is visible here, it's readable, and it can use a short USB cable
My problem is where to put the phone when using navigation. Windshield mounts are annoying and distracting and that's even without having the plugged in for power. It's even worse plugged in. Same for air vent mounts which also have the added disadvantage of blocking air flow from the vents. I'd take the bunny l built in nav over Google maps on my phone just for the convenience of having it on the car's built in screen. No wires and no mounts is worth to me to not have quite as good of a nav experience.
The large screen in the '19+ ES makes placement of a phone holder awkward.
I used a NATO mount in the car. It is a magnetic mount and the base is held onto the dash with 3m adhesive. The base can be trimmed to fit the area nicely. The base can also be molded slightly with a hairdryer to conform to the surface
I mounted mine on the right side of the A/C controls. It is visible here, it's readable, and it can use a short USB cable
That does look better than on the windshield or covering an air vent but it looks like it would be hard to reach while driving and you'd have to take your eyes off the road to look at it. The things I like most about the built in nav is how easy it is to see and interact with while driving.
Also, what's that adhesive going to do to the dash if it ever has to be removed?
I actually mailed a letter to the Lexus address at their office here in Plano. I had 10 minutes to write one in Word, print, sign, and stamp it... This lead to an actual "caseworker" calling me back about my pointed feedback. It wasn't much more than "sorry you feel this way" and "we'll keep you updated and put your feedback in the system".
I'm now at 13 months since lease... I've been watching the Lexus payoff value on the lease vs what I can get from Carmax/Carvana/Vroom. Hoping I can just get out of the lease here at around the end of year two by having a quote to buy that equals the buyout. Lexus' flippant regard for us suckers who bought cars made between the beginning of the run and Oct 2019 leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm convinced Toyota doesn't think much of its own customers. I may get a newer ESh lease or just pickup a 2 year used Tesla Model X. I have a Cyber Truck order in but I assume I'm about 700,000th in line.
I actually mailed a letter to the Lexus address at their office here in Plano. I had 10 minutes to write one in Word, print, sign, and stamp it... This lead to an actual "caseworker" calling me back about my pointed feedback. It wasn't much more than "sorry you feel this way" and "we'll keep you updated and put your feedback in the system".
I'm now at 13 months since lease... I've been watching the Lexus payoff value on the lease vs what I can get from Carmax/Carvana/Vroom. Hoping I can just get out of the lease here at around the end of year two by having a quote to buy that equals the buyout. Lexus' flippant regard for us suckers who bought cars made between the beginning of the run and Oct 2019 leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm convinced Toyota doesn't think much of its own customers. I may get a newer ESh lease or just pickup a 2 year used Tesla Model X. I have a Cyber Truck order in but I assume I'm about 700,000th in line.
All the "suckers" knew precisely what they were purchasing. Me included. I couldn't care less about AA nor Carplay.
Last edited by mikemu30; Jun 28, 2020 at 05:20 PM.
I actually mailed a letter to the Lexus address at their office here in Plano. I had 10 minutes to write one in Word, print, sign, and stamp it... This lead to an actual "caseworker" calling me back about my pointed feedback. It wasn't much more than "sorry you feel this way" and "we'll keep you updated and put your feedback in the system".
I'm now at 13 months since lease... I've been watching the Lexus payoff value on the lease vs what I can get from Carmax/Carvana/Vroom. Hoping I can just get out of the lease here at around the end of year two by having a quote to buy that equals the buyout. Lexus' flippant regard for us suckers who bought cars made between the beginning of the run and Oct 2019 leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm convinced Toyota doesn't think much of its own customers. I may get a newer ESh lease or just pickup a 2 year used Tesla Model X. I have a Cyber Truck order in but I assume I'm about 700,000th in line.
Have you considered buying a refurbished iPhone and leaving it wired in your glove box? That's what I did and have been an extremely happy camper ever since. I enjoy Google Maps and Amazon HD music on the big screen. I rarely use the Lexus infotainment system other than to bypass it with CarPlay.
Have you considered buying a refurbished iPhone and leaving it wired in your glove box? That's what I did and have been an extremely happy camper ever since. I enjoy Google Maps and Amazon HD music on the big screen. I rarely use the Lexus infotainment system other than to bypass it with CarPlay.
I think I read your details on this idea on another thread about 6 months ago... I'm not super tech savvy - but didn't you say in your other thread that you bought an old iphone and got service through a pay as you go type service? I've tried to hold out for Android Auto, but interested in your solution.
I think I read your details on this idea on another thread about 6 months ago... I'm not super tech savvy - but didn't you say in your other thread that you bought an old iphone and got service through a pay as you go type service? I've tried to hold out for Android Auto, but interested in your solution.
I started out with an iPhone 6s, but the battery didn't last long enough. I now use an iPhone 8, which works well.
I use tello as my service provider. It costs me $7 a month for 100 minutes and 1 GB of data a month with no contract. You can mix and match whatever combination of minutes and data you want.
Since it's not my primary phone, I use only about 5% of my minutes and about 25% of my data each month. I leave the phone wired in the center console glove box.
I download music at home to the iPhone from Amazon HD music. I don't stream music while driving. If I did that, I would probably need a larger data allowance.
I just replaced my Galaxy S6 with the S20+ (nice size screen compared to the 6) and in the case/stand I have it in, it sits perfectly either on the front cupholder with door closed or the ledge that the big screen sits on. But I still primarily use the Lexus NAV system when I need directions unless there's a known traffic issue during my commute in which case I run Waze from the phone.
Would you please elaborate on this setup? Is your primary phone an android? Do you leave a wired iPhone in the center console glove box?
My primary phone is an iPhone 11 Pro Max and I have an iPhone XR in the center console that remains in the vehicle plugged in. Every other week I download more music to the XR from Tidal and Amazon when I'm home. I love that I never have to initiate the music and it continues from the point the vehicle was turned off.
Keep it in the cupholder...
