is250fspor

Hey Guys, I'm fairly new to the forum, as I've only been encountering some issues lately. Considering I thought, that buying a Lexus in the first place would be a good option to avoid electrical issues altogether, as they`re known for their reliability. I purchased the car back in 2015 with 45k on but have since run it up to about 105 meaning my warranty is now over.

So here`s the long story short of what`s happening. My radio/navigation/screen does not function at all or I mean it has it's times. It all started out with it restarting continuously , where it would turn off and back on play music for a couple of minutes and then reboot again, it was a viscous cycle. It basically got to the point when it became a screen that showed a memory card was being read, but right as it would boot up it would turn black with some white letters saying that, it could not read the memory card or something of the sort. I tried searching online to see if anyone was having that same issue and most people were saying to disconnect the terminals on my battery and wait for a couple of minutes and retry, this pretty much didn't do anything it just reset everything else in the car, I tried to take out the memory card and insert it back in hoping it would be some dust or dirty causing it, to not be able to read the card but that didn't work either. What really makes this all strange is that when I put the car in reverse, it still displays everything when I'm reversing so I know it's not the screen itself.

I pretty much ran out of options and headed out to my local dealership Ken Shaw Lexus in Toronto, the gentlemen there working told me that there was a firmware update available, and for me to try it, that it would hopefully fix the problem at which point I sat around and waited for about an hour and a half only for him to return and tell me that he had not so good news, his technician and the technician foreman said they were trying to update the system, and that it would just disconnect on them, that the communication would be cut off. In turn he told me that I would have to leave the car in the shop for a couple of hours just for a diagnosis, which meant they had to take apart the unit itself which was located below the volume ***** and buttons for the radio. They said they believed it must be a rodent problem or somehow a wire of some sort had gotten chewed on or something. They would have to check all the harnesses to see if there was something that didn't look right. At this point going for that option is significantly more expensive then the what would have been update to fix.

I apologize if i just wrote a bible here and sound like I'm rambling on, but was wondering if anyone has gone through this same problem as I am or if anyone could suggest something else, maybe It can be something that I could diagnose my self by taking the unit out myself, I mean the warranty is over after all so i have nothing to worry about in terms of taking things apart lol. I may have not explained all of this to the best of my ability, so if i missed some details or anything by all means let me know so I can be a little more informative of the situation.
Please and thank you

Supersonic Blue

Sasnuke

Welcome to the forum!
Since you have pretty much nothing to lose, you could try doing the firmware update again yourself. Link: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...re-update.html
I doubt you have any chewed wires if you've never seen traces of rodents in the vehicle.
I suggest disconnecting the battery cable for about 10 minutes, then reconnect, then do the firmware update. Hopefully it stays functioning long enough to complete the update, and maybe that will fix the issues.

is250fspor

Hey Sasnuke thank you for the welcome, nice to meet you, I should have added that in there, the reason why the dealer thought that it was a rodent problem, was because under my hood on the firewall right behind the battery there some sort of chewing on that insulation or barrier missing, it's the same material that is under the hood as well. When that happened i also noticed what seemed to be a piece of fruit or something on top the battery terminal, but i cleaned that off and thought nothing of it, but that had happened about a year and a half to 2 years prior to this whole problem. I'm going to try your suggestion and keep you posted on how it goes. Thanks Cheers.

Sasnuke

While finding evidence under the hood of rodents is certainly not good, them being inside the cabin is a different story.
It's a lot easier for them to access the engine bay than the interior of the vehicle. For all intense purposes, the cabin is sealed from the exterior in one way or another.
If they got inside, you should see or smell some evidence of it.
Having said all that, even if they chewed on something outside the cabin, it would cause a significant failure inside the vehicle. All the major power feeds are outside the cabin, so the infotainment system wouldn't be the only thing screwing up.
The condition you're describing is nothing new unfortunately, there are several threads documenting infotainment issues.
At this point you're pretty much down to replacing the unit or installing the firmware update. At least the firmware you can do yourself at no cost.

Solara350

LOL Toronto KenShaw Lexus Toyota Keele/St-Clair , i have that plate cover behind my Lexus IS, 1st i'd like to welcome another TOronto fellas aboard Clublexus, 2nd i have had the same Navigation problem and i doubt the issue will be the wiring or connector , this is Lexus KNOWN ISSUE for their new Navigation system, this happens on most 2013+ Lexus Models like IS GS ES and CT, every once awhile Lexus IS driver complaint about Navigation issue on Club Lexus, mine case was worst, the piece of Radio Unit broke apart, i emailed Lexus Canada they insisted their product has met quality inspection, they cannot do anything about it, they suggest me to bring to Lexus Dealership for Diagnostic and probably gonna cost 2500$ to 3000$ CAD to replace the unit.

3rd, Do as Sasnuke said, perhaps it fixes the problem mine currently fixed but there is no Guaranty on electrical and yes i was WRONG like you, 1st i ran away from Germans car like Audi Mercedes because of Electric issues oh well , we can run but we CAN'T hide and Lexus Canada does not care ! i have the new Firmware file given by Sasnuke but didn't bother to update.

is250fspor

Yes agreed, at this point I have no other failures happening everything else is working perfectly fine, I am going to attempt to do the update as you suggested and disconnect the terminals for about 10 minutes, and see where it goes from there or if it goes anywhere, and I will return with an update on how it goes. I also believe that if worse comes to worse I'm going to attempt to dissemble the unit my self and maybe keep an eye out for any wires or something that doesn't look right and maybe try to follow the wiring harness, or at least try my best. I will also keep you guys updated on that too, if I attempt it myself. I probably may not find anything but hey, its worth giving it a shot I guess. As much as I would like to keep everything as original as possible, I've heard there are android replacements or something of the sort, like an aftermarket unit that works in conjunction with all the features the car has to offer, I may look into that as probably another viable option, but as my last resort. It's not even about the money the new unit may costs..... well maybe it is lol, but i can't justify paying so much for a new unit, considering this is something that shouldn't be such a big issue to be begin with.

is250fspor

Thank you Solara350 for the warm welcome, I'm glad that we have such a welcoming Lexus community of this forum. I usually go to KenShaw because it's the closest one to me,and some of the people I deal with there are pretty straight forward and trust worthy, as odd as that is to say considering we call em stealerships lol. I originally bought the IS as Downtown Lexus, but ever since I got the vehicle in my hands I've had nothing but bad experiences there so I stay away, far, far , far........away(airheads). I was also thinking of contacting Lexus Canada to see if they could help with something, anything at all, but I would be going out on a limb and spending a lot of time waiting for a negative answer, as I would assume they just wouldn't help at all. The service guy at Kenshaw told me that I would have to leave the car there for about 3 hours or so, to see if they could diagnose or find what the problem is, and that just for the diagnoses on the verge of 3$ brownies if not more.

I'll be honest I previously owned bmw, and I never had any electrical issues with anything. The biggest problem was a couple of engine issues, you know... the light of doom that comes knocking on my wallet. I didn't even have suspension issues which I'm also encountering with my IS, along with the most known issue with IS's the wear out on the tires because of the crappy bushings lexus has provided us with.

Solara350

You're so welcome brother, as we are Canadian Lexus drivers, we love smiling laugh and joke , is this a coincidence ? lol i live near Lexus Downtown and bought the car from KEN SHAW Lexus Toyota i bought a brand new 2017 Toyota Rav4 at Kenshaw Lexus Toyota last year too, yep i would say KENSHAW LEXUS TOYOTA is one of the BEST HONEST good service Toyota Lexus Dealership in TORONTO, the people at Kenshaw Lexus Toyota were nice from Sales to Services, at Lexus Downtown i had bad experience with them too but they are closed to me , i just can't forget that Cute ASIAN GIRL told me, THIS LEXUS IS350 is not mine lol i was like what the ?? hey babe i paid off this car here my Ownership under my full name by the way, i liked and trusted Kenshaw Lexus Toyota as well, should you let them check and take care for you ? well if they don't cost you anything otherwise do the battery and update yourself.

BMW always have Engine or ECU problem as i have seen at my friend's shop, those guys there loved Mercedes they told me if i change my mind to drive German cars, drive Mercedes CLS

There's a lot of TOronto members on this forum, there's Chris Michael Choi and Sasnuke from Richmond hill, Chris is Boss at "North West Lexus Brampton Ontario" , i think Sasnuke worked at Lexus Downtown lol , keep in touch bro ask any question any Modification or Wheel setup, there are whole lot of Pro on this forum glad to help you out, ECU Tuned to get more Power, Chris is Pro at that.

is250fspor

That is good to know, we have a couple of Canadians on hand too brother. I will definitely keep in touch and reach out if any other situations arise.

is250fspor

So I thought I would bring you guys up to date on my situation with trying the update my self. I followed up with Sasnukes suggestion to check out another link on this forum with information on doing the update myself. I went onto the website and put filled in my year model and picked with navigation, the following is what happened.

1) When I pick the IS250, there is only 2 years to pick from, so I pick 2014 as that is the year of my car 3rd gen but the picture that shows up on the site is the 2nd gen, so im not sure why that happens. I tried going with the is350 assuming that the unit is all the same across all the 3rd gen models, and for the 350 between the years 2014 and 2015 it displays 3rd gen for both

2) Regardless of how i played around with the update site , with the year and model trying to find the new update..... I click search, and..... nothing shows up, it says there are no new current updates available, so looking at the forum I realized it was posts back from 2016, so maybe the site isn't working or not offering the updates anymore. I'm not sure to be honest(if anyone may know why this is happening or had happened to them as well) let met know.

3) Considering this far in to my thread, I am going to attempt to search up how to take the unit apart, and see if I can find something out of the ordinary, or see if i can manage to follow the wiring harness to look for something out of the ordinary as well(if anyone has any helpful tips or have tried it themselves, let me know)..

Solara350

Sorry we didn't mention, the new firmware on Lexus USA website has been taken down, now we have to pay and that sucks, here the link from original "sasnuke's post" from other Thread https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b2wkebwh3...iiuTAsWza?dl=0 The file for 250/350 3rd Gen is 13LHENNA-AB01_007.kwi , i know Chris would offer it for free as well but we gotta go to him in Brampton Ontario, no worry i have the file on my computer and Laptop too, if you want i always hang out at mechanic shop on Bloor and Lansdowne , we have a MAZDA RX7 Twin Turbo heavy Modification on sale for 12-13k $ CAD lol 400hp+ and a Lexus SC430, got a 94 Toyota Supra but sold they are RIGHT HAND DRIVE except the Lexus SC430.

Anyways bro, thats the working file and download link from Sasnuke , just download it and do the update, if you think you'll be confused PM me your number we'll text

dojoman

iTrader: (5)

Backup camera video feed is actually not coming through navigation system that's why you're still seeing backup cam view.

is250fspor

That's amazing man, thank you so much, I should of just bought a supra to begin with lol, still on my bucket list for someday. Those rotary rx7 can give any car a run for their money, but I don't think there is a handful of mechanics in the GTA that can manage to work on them, but i could be wrong considering it has 400+ hp lol.

So the bad news is that I actually disconnected the battery terminal again for about 10-15 minutes and connected it again, and nothing happened the screen ramained completely black. It's just strange because there are times where the screen turns on and tries to read the memory card and then it just says error, and ends up turning off. I downloaded the file either way just for safekeeping.

I also wanted to mention I actually just took my interior apart to see if I could trace anything wrong with the wires or the unit itself, I got as far as actually disconnecting all the wires from the back of the radio unit and all but at which point to me it just looked all foreign to me considering I'm not too good with electrical or pinpointing if there would be an issue with any of the wires. All in all it's still good to know how to get to in case of wanting to change the unit myself or other wise. I'm actually going to add pictures and description of how I did it.

is250fspor

I figured that it would be working on seperate wire or something, as I was telling solara350 , I attempted to take my interior apart to get to the unit and radio to see if i could trace anything wrong or out of the ordinary, but im starting to think it was just all a waste of time, I should just bite the bullet and raplace the unit, either way I'm going to attach some pictures and descriptions of how I got to the unit.

is250fspor

Alright guys, as I was telling everyone else, I attempted to take my interior apart to get to the Radio/Unit to check all the wires and connections hoping there would be a visible sign of damage, but as I reached the final destination I just back tracked and put everything back because I'm not to good with touching electrical, and wanted to refrain from breaking something or causing another problem somewhere else, either way, I thought I would add some DIY on how I did it and provide some pictures. If you guys think I should make a different thread just for the DIY let me know and I can make that happen too.

So I guess in terms of tools, you'll need pretty regular stuff, I used a 5/16 wrench,(because it's what i had laying around) which i guess would translate into a 8mm if im not mistaken or a star screwdriver, also a 10mm wrench or socket. Oh and something to pry some of the pieces off I used a flat head screwdriver(I know it should be illegal to use that for a pry tool, but I was careful and managed to get it out pretty easily).



This would be where you would use a pry tool , just slip it behind the panel and then pull out. I literally didn't even use a pry tool it came off just from pulling with my hand. Fairly easy, they're just clips.


Next you'll have to unscrew these 3 little guys here, you can use either a star screwdriver or a 5/16 wrench or socket 8mm. Both sides passenger side as well.


After you've removed the screws this panel comes off by pulling on it, a little force is required. It's not as easy as the first panel to come off. Both sides including passenger side as well.


once you've pulled off the panels from the 3rd step, you'll find this one screw on the drivers side. i used a star screwdriver to take it out, but you can also use a socket which is probably easier. Make sure you remove this screw or else you wont be able to perform the next step.


Once you've removed the screw, you'll find yourself having to pull out this part where the cursor control and cup holders are. For this you'll have to use some force, I basicalled held it from the cup holder and pulled up first, and back as demonstrated in the picture.


Once you've managed to pull this out, you'll find a wire harness connected to the back here when the cursor side is, it fairly easy to remove , just press down on the clip and pull out style wire.


Now that you've gotten the part out of the way , you'll have to remove your shift ****. This is fairly easy, use you just pull down on the boot first and it will un clip, and then you twist the **** counter clockwise and it'll come off. You'll need to take off the **** in order to do the next step.


This step was a little more difficult and patience required(i recommend keeping the middle storage compartment open for all of this), but once you've take off the **** you'll have to take out the trim around it, it all comes out in one full piece. You'll find these clips on both sides, I basically stuck a flat head in there and slowly pried it up one at a time, and then just pulled on it with a little force and it came out.


Once you've managed to pull this whole piece out, you'll find some more harness wires that you'll have to disconnect in order to take the whole piece away to have more space to work with. I circled the clips on the passenger side too, because I wasn't able to take a picture of showing properly how I pulled this out so hopefully this helps.


This is what it will look like once you've removed that trim piece around the shift ****. Now keep in mind that the middle storage compartment wont need to be touched or anything, just putting that out there because the picture doesn't do justice, but you'll see the trim only goes up to the storage compartment anyway.


So this next step you'll need a 10mm wrench or socket(recommended easier), to take out these 4 bolts, there's one on the passenger side also as I wasn't able to fit it into the picture.


Once you've removed all 4 bolts you'll notice these clips holding the unit in place, I basically just put my hand behind one side of the unit and pulled out, it comes out fairly easy, put a little force into it, or try putting one hand on each side behind the unit and pull out. (I should add, the unit came out with the climate control attached to it also, i'm not sure if you can pull out just the unit with out the climate control, but this is how it worked for me.


Once you pull out the unit this is the back of it with a whole bunch of wire harnesses connected to it. I should mention i pulled out all the wires to see any visible signs of damage to the wired but didn't find anything, and since i'm not good with electrical i pretty much came to a dead end at this point.


I'm sure this is nothing, but as i pulled out the biggest connection on the unit i stumbled across these 2 wires that were wrapped in electrical tape, but I'm sure that's not the root of the problem.( i should also mention I randomly decided to start the car up to see how it would react with all of these wired disconnected, and everything was find except for a warning on the cluster about the airbags, it goes away once you connect everything back up again).


And this is pretty much what it all looks like once everything is moved out of the way. I'm sure i could have kept going and take more stuff apart but I pretty much ran short on time, and since i wasn't going anywhere or figured i wasn't going to find a fix, i put everything back together and these were no problems warning or errors after that. (except my radio/nav still doesnt work )