I just found this site tonight, hoping to find other Lexus Link owners sympathetic to my/our plight. I'm surprised at the lack of posters who feel like I do. I never wanted Lexus Link in the first place but it was forcefed as a part of the Nav/Levinson option. Heck, I just paid $61,000 for the most reliable vehicle out there (J.D.Power). But did I really need to be told that 'My Lexus Link System is Active" each and everytime I start the car? What about my brakes? or airbags? Traction control? I tried relentlessly to eliminate this obnoxious, intrusive, needless annoyance. Turning down the volume is not the answer as it still cuts out the audio system and also reduces the Memo Recorder volume. The dealer tells you that disconnecting anything will screw up another operating function of the car. Customer Service tells you that they have no way of altering the voice prompt. This is absolutely untrue. Believe it or not, I have recently experienced a three month complete silence from hearing this voice prompt. I may be the only Lexus Link owner ever to experience this. I had to show it off to all the service people at the dealership to prove it much to their amazement. How did it happen? No one knows for sure how I silenced it but I do know how I regained it last week. Back in August'03, my one year anniversary was approaching. I started getting bombarded with reminders to renew. Coincidently(?) I got the 3LD service campaign to update my Lexus Link software at the same time. So I called Service from my car and requested them to stop the junk mail as I was not interested in renewing. Shortly thereafter, the voice prompt was gone. But so was my Memo Recorder. They tried to tell me that the two were not related. But if I updated the software, I might get the voice back. They were going to order a new computer for the Memo recorder. I told them not to. I would live without it. And I did. Three months- until one day my car wouldn't start. The battery appeared dead. As I was connecting the jumper cables, a voice calls out my name. It's Lexus Link, responding to my dilemma, using the separate battery located in my trunk just for these situations, even though I deactivated the service. "No thanks", I have it covered, I said. Would you belive that my Memo Recorder was now fixed and my voice prompt was back!!! I took the car in for the update, and the new message is much worse than before. I'll get into Part II of this message if anyone else responds to Part I above.

 

I don't want Lexus Link either, and our subscription recently ended. Now we have the annoying "Lexus Link is not active,e tc." message everytime we start the car. It's maddening, but if you find out how to deactivate it, I'd be in your debt!

 

The message does suck. That and the "I agree" button. I'll sign anything to keep from having to hit the I agree button. I have had to use the Lexus Link and it is pretty handy. I just renewed my membership. Hate the voice prompt. They should have an idiot light on the dash that shows "LL" for 5-10 seconds after startup. If it's inactive or a problem the light could come on. If you cancel the subscription, there should be a fuse or switch to disable the light. Do you think they could cram on a lot more info on the DVD Nav if they eliminated the French portion??? Get rid of the French!!!!

Doc C

 

I'm glad to see I'm not alone. Customer Service called me from Ca. to tell me that they"are working on the problem, and we should have it fixed by the end of the year". We shall see. Lexus Link is derived from GM's Onstar. But Onstar owners have no such messages to listen to . If they can record a new outgoing message telling me my system is inactive, then they could just as easily delete the message or record it blank. The Navigation System is a whole other subject that is just as frustrating. Was my car manufactured just for Canadians from Quebec? You would at least expect Spanish to be the optional language in the USA. They didn't give me a language option on the LLink voice prompt. And if I get in an accident due to that Nav screen, it's okay with Lexus if I was changing the radio stations to crash but not if the map is on the screen? And why do I have to pull up the audio screen each and every time I get in the car when that is the one I use 90% of the time? Like I said, a whole other subject!

 

This is my favorite flame about Lexus- that blasted LL message. My dealer told me that if I installed the 3LD "upgrade" that the message would shut off entirely. After the upgrade, I found that the message is indeed longer and more obnoxious, and the service people could not (or would not) revert the car to it's previous state.

Some weekend soon, I will disect the car and try to hack out this lousy feature. As our first poster said, I wanted the Lev/Mav combination, but I have never had a use for the Lexus Link system. Considering that the option cost $1600 extra, we should have all been given a free lifetime subscription. GM practically gives it away in their cheapo cars in comparison, and the OnStar isn't near as "noisy" at startup time.

The whole idea of these LL messages reminds of the old joke about the IBM salesman, who spends all night on the edge of the bed telling his wife how good it's going to be...