2008 Navigation "A Program Cannot be read, please consult to a dealer"
 

My youngest kid (2.5 yrs old) was pushing buttons in daddy's car and hit the nav eject button. I didn't even know there was a button for that! The glove box was closed and when he did this the DVD went back in, however, it gave the grinding noise of a player that is dying and an error message on the screen, cannot read the DVD. I was able to eject it at that point and did some compressed air spray into the DVD, however, nothing worked and I was unwilling to try the hammer trick. So I decided to remove the negative terminal on my battery to see if that would reset something in the CD and get it working.

Well, then I got crazy japanese characters and "A program cannot be read, consult with a dealer" message. Its clear to me that the CD actually contains the operating system for the nav ECU and no dvd == no OS and that's why we get the message. In my car it impacted the clock and of course the nav map button. It impacts the clock because the GPS antenna is obviously connected to the Nav ECU and no OS to process the signaling == no clock (or position info for that matter)

Dealer wanted $5K for a new Nav ECU, wouldn't entertain anything else, god I love Lexus dealers...

So I'm an EE and I was like, ah screw this I'll replace the DVD player for 50 bucks or whatever. So I got it out and looking at the DVD player itself this is a special DVD player. Not because it does special things, but, because its Automotive Temp Rated (as opposed to Commercial or Industrial Temp certified). Long story short, its about $250 for the DVD player, no joke and worth every penny.

Well, I found a guy on ebay selling a brand new nav ECU for $425, so I just did that.

I just wanted to let everyone know you:

1) Don't need to spend $5K fixing this problem.
2) Removing power resets the ECU and you get into that "no OS" situation that I got myself into.
3) Because it was "sorta" working before the power cycle you probably just have a DVD player problem like I did.
4) The Nav ECU contains a LOT more than just the DVD (shame on you lexus for combining the two)
5) You end up disassembling a lot of your dash to get the damn thing out - Why isn't it in the trunk?!?

Hope it helps someone and saves you significant $.

Thank you for that info, it's people like you that make CL such a great forum!

So, when you say "nav ECU", you refer to the unit inside the glove box, where you put the NavDVD in, correct?

Correct.

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/oem-cat...S460-2008.html

Note the 86421 part.

Last note on this, I did replacement with a "86841-0E030" rather than the specified replacement "86421-33040" Although you will find this part is only for the RX, it does indeed fix exactly the same if you take the plastic bezel off the front (two tabs and its gone), connections on the back are in the same place, screw holes same place for the brackets and general form of the device is the same.

So for anyone who has this issue in the future if you can get a deal on the 0E030, don't be afraid it won't fit.

Battery change caused Error on NAV system
 

I changed my battery out last weekend and got the dreaded "A Program Cannot be read, please consult to a dealer" on my 2008 LS460. I asked Jeff at Davenport about it and he said his guys always change the battery with the engine running. I wish I had. I'll report back but so far the cheapest I can find the NAV module for is $5,000.00. I wish I had a cross compatibility chart.
Mine is Lexus Part Number: 86420-50010.
For my LS460 which was manufactured in January 2008.
2008 Lexus LS460 460L 200701 1URFSE ATM USF40L-AEZGHA
I don't know if other units are compatible or not. There are lots of them on EBay but not that number.

WTH.....change the battery while the car is running?

At a dealership? This can't be true...I just can't...nevermind

I've seen AAA connect an external battery to the + cable while they disconnect it from the dead battery as a way to keep power to the car and all the electronics. Never heard of replacing a battery while the car was running though.

He even asked me if I changed it while it was running. I'd never heard of such a thing.
It isn't a dealer. It's Davenport Motors, a chain of Lexus only repair shops in Dallas.

Followup
 

Follow up. I took my car to Factory Repair Service in Richardson TX. They did a hard reset by disconnecting the battery and holding the positive & negative cables together for 1 minute. I had already done this twice.
My hard drive is dead. It is about the size of an iPhone 5 and retails for $1,500.00. Sewell wants $2,000 Plus to replace it.

Final follow up on failed hard drive
 

I met Factory Repair Service in Richardson TX today to have my hard drive replaced after it failed during a battery change.
They charged $1,100.00 to replace the hard drive. Lexus wanted $2,050.00. Apparently this is happening more and more, not just with the LS 460 bus also IS and GS models.
The key to preventing the problem appears to be maintain power to the car's electrical system during a battery change AND making sure your new battery has the EXACT same specs as the old battery.
Sewell Lexus does the battery change by hooking auxiliary power to the Battery CABLES while swapping the battery.
Davenport Motors accomplishes the same thing by leaving the car running during the battery swap.
There is tiny writing above the battery that says to contact the dealer before doing a battery change. I did not notice this until it was too late.
I hope this helps someone from having to blow 1 to 2 thousand dollars but I am afraid most people won't read this until after they blow the hard drive. Whatever you do, don't let a gas station change your battery for you.:egads:
Kudos to Dale and John at Factory Repair Service in Richardson, Texas. Not only did they save me nearly a thousand dollars but they were professional friendly and helpful unlike the money grabbers at Park Pl*ce in Grapevine who's main concern seemed to be emptying my bank account.

Yes you can change a battery with the car running. Your car runs off the alternator once its turned on. Ive seen it done. Crank the car.....remove the post... take out old battery and insert new one

When it was showing the "A Program Cannot be read, please consult to a dealer" message on the screen, was the touch screen responsive on any of the other screens, ei: audio, climate control etc...