Driving home last week my climate control and ML nav system in 2010 LS460 went out - though not entirely. My driver side heater is stuck on Hi, passenger side stuck on Lo (but on average...I feel fine). Also, the Audio and Map buttons on the ML nav are completely unresponsive. The screen is all there, map works though to reactivate it I need to go to the Dest button and punch in a destination.

Took it to the dealer and they said (I suppose not unexpectedly) that the nav unit is "fried" and I need a new one. They hooked up a separate used nav lying around and everything works fine with that one installed - though that seems to not inform me much about the one I've got. They claim there are no diagnostics to run on the nav. I'm actively trying to forget how much they told me a new one costs and even a refurb is a few grand.

I'd have them fix just the climate control and deal with the audio and map buttons but they say they can't even do that - it's all integrated

Any help GREATLY appreciated!

 

Ugh. So obviously you are not under warranty. I can tell you that two members here reported that replacement cost for the nav unit was $11,000 to $13,000. I don't doubt that it is all integrated, so I think you are SOL there.

I'm guessing you are just going to have bite the bullet and replace it, or live without it. The only problem with not replacing it is the resale/trade-in value will plummet.

 

O.......M..........G.........

 

You sure it wasn't hitting one of those vicious NY potholes or suffering a minor fender bender that caused the shock that jostled loose some delicate electronics in the head? If so, perhaps your insurance company will help out with the head replacement. Good luck.

 

I see that there are businesses offering repair services for these units. I have no experience with any of these companies but here is a link to one that has an Internet site: http://www.hitechserv.com/electronic...nger-repair/78

 

Thanks very much for the comments, particularly jmcraney for the hitechserv link. Hadn't seen that before. Will definitely call and check them out.

Not really sure of the origin of the problem - NYC potholes are certainly not pretty right now. I'm the type of person that's very conscious of using technology the way it's intended, have had lots of different types of cars/gear, and generally with very few problems. That's in part why I like(d) Lexus - if you treated the car right, it'd go forever with very few problems.

I've found United Radio (near Syracuse) which has a free evaluation service - send them the unit and they'll diagnose it and provide a repair estimate, usually between $300 and $1500 and send it back. Now will the dealer take it out for me and let me keep the loaner while I try to ship it off to get the nav revived? Don't expect it but it'd be nice

Any experience with these nav repair shops (or recommendations!?!?) much appreciated. I should probably post this on the nav subforum too.

Thanks again

 

Well done Sir....Great info right there.

 

So the ongoing story is this. I'd installed a Prestigious Society nav override that let my wife plug in an address while driving. Unfortunately, forgot to remove the override before taking the car to the dealer and they of course said any 3rd party hooked up to the nav voids the warranty.
They also said a new unit is ~$10,000 and they don't have any refurbs.

So, there are 3 things going wrong. The driver side temp is stuck on low, the passenger side is stuck on high (but on average, we feel fine!). And the Audio and Map buttons are unresponsive when driving. You can get back to the map when parked or by going thru picking a new destination when driving.

To get this fixed I've checked out United Radio out of Syracuse (closer to me in NYC) and a place on the west coast called Hi-Tech Electronic Services. Anyone have experience with either one?!?!? I'm hoping I can ship the unit off to them, get a diagnostic of what's wrong and get it shipped back fixed at some reasonable cost. The dealer said they hooked up one of their navs for testing and everything in the vehicle worked fine so hoping this will put the saga to rest.

Not sure if the Prestigious Society override was the culprit but think I'll be taking that out to ensure I avoid risking repetition of this painful journey.

Any help GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

 

You should re-read tyrenfroe's post again.

 

Yes. They're have been some particularly bad potholes this winter given the storms...good point.

 

I believe that Syracuse NY shop is has a good reputation on ML audio repairs. Stumbled upon several posts about it.

 

Thanks Mishutka. Called United Radio in Syracuse and be sending the unit up there tonight. Crossing fingers and will let this board know how it all winds up.

 

Maybe this guide will help with the radio removal. I wish you the best!

-Joe

 

This is exactly why I remove these type of mods before going in for repairs under warranty. Whether or not the PS device caused the issues is probably up for debate. They have to prove that was the cause if I understand the warranty act, but they can easily use that against you and won't hesitate to save that kind of coin. WOW..this absolutely sucks! Maybe try removing the PS module and try another dealer..maybe, just maybe they left that line item out of the notes. Another avenue that may work is getting one of those 3rd party extended warranties. Keep it for about 2 months or so and then go to an independent lexus repair shop and then claim it as an issue. That warranty may cost a couple grand or so, but much cheaper than a whole new unit at $10K+. I don't know how much investigations they do on that..maybe they search to see if there was an exisiting issue with Lexus or something, I dunno...just brainstorming. Sounds like you may be on a good path with the loaner unit and the eval from the shop...you might be in good shape after all minus $1500 or less that is..

 

Unfortunately, that's not quite right. They can refuse the warranty work at their whim. It is then UP TO YOU to seek justice....through small claims court, or whatever. At least that's how it works here in Canada.