Liphotoman

I've tried using ENform in my newly acquired RX350 for 2 of its functions, and I just don't understand the need for it.

For Pandora, I can just open Pandora on my phone & play it via Bluetooth. Since you have to have the Enform App open on a phone, what's the difference of opening the Enform App, or the Pandora App? I'd would expect the Pandora App on the Lexus would be able to open without needing to have it open on the cellphone.

And to use eDestination, one goes through many more steps with the registrations, then loading it on computer, then opening cellphone, and then downloading, than one would do if they just entered the address in the Nav directly, or even if i used Bing to search for the address and then entered it. And trying to find the addresses I loaded to my computer was very non-intuitive. I finally found then under POI's, not under sddresses.

But the worst part is that the Enform App, which must remain open on cellphone to use the apps in car, KILLS the battery life! I had it on today for 45 minutes, and it drained 20% of my battery in that short time. And the iPhone got very hot too.

So what am I missing here?

jmhenrie

in its current form i will probably let my free year expire and not renew, i am with you i do not see the need for Enform

saz25

I agree that Enform isn't worth the money. But I wonder if I can get them to reduce the rate when it comes time to renew, just like I did with XM radio. When my free 90 days expired I said that I wouldn't pay $15 a month. They agreed to giving me the service for half price. I've been doing that on my Corvette for 5 years now. I've never paid more than $8 a month.

Has anyone tried negotiating with Lexus on this? Would they lower the rate if I threaten to not renew?
Steve

kitlz

Lexus will not reduce the rate. The only way to get a discount is through multiple year renewal. I've kept my subscription for the convenience of calling Lexus to get directions. This was especially handy when I received an emergency phone call while driving and couldn't stop. I also use eDestinations often. And Safety Connect adds peace of mind. It's a keeper for me. BTW, I went with lifetime XM before they dropped it so paying for Enform isn't so bad.

UCSB

I tried ... and failed. So no discount. I like the safety connect concept and eDestinations. But, didn't renew when the trial ran out. Seemed like a nice service and I may sign up at some point in the future. Price just seemed a little higher than I wanted to pay. At a lower price point, I would definitely have signed up. Recently I noticed that you can do only safety connect for $140/yr ... I've considered just going with it.

tfischer

Kitlz:
Calling Lexus to get directions, in today's cars with today's technology, is hardly "convenient," especially at that price. I'd rather have a NAV system any day, which is, in the long run, far more convenient and self contained.
I can call my friends for directions. (I have not done that, because I'm a considerate person, but I have had friends call me for directions, so they owe me.)
Still, chatting with a stranger in India is always fun.

kitlz

tfischer let me clarify and maybe you'll understand its worth. I was driving home from the dealer, taking the more scenic route, when I got a call my mom was rushed to the hospital. I didn't know exactly where I was (dealer is 30 miles away) and couldn't pull over to enter directions to the hospital. Not that I was in a condition to do it myself anyway. I called Lexus, the operator was able to find the address and download it to the RX very quickly. She also overrode the destination I already had in there. I made it to the hospital in no time and more importantly, mom was ok. So Enform was beyond convenient for me.

tfischer

Admittedly, that service can come in handy, as it did for you.
I simply observe that the service has a relatively high price simply for the value rendered in the rare instance you describe above.
The rest of us have to pull over, take a deep breath, find the hospital in the POI directory, and get back on the road again. Your call-in service saved you the necessity of doing that.
I think the cost is fairly pricy for the reward, but upon further consideration, I would be willing to classify it as convenient.

LexRexBlue

Realistically, Enform is expensive but each of us has a different amount we're willing to spend. It's not a matter of not having a navigation system. I renew the Safety Connect system. As the car ages, the maps get outdated and Enform may become more useful. However to take advantage of the new features you have to have the New car!

DunWkg

Oh my, another occasion I agree with Anita

I don't have a 2013, so can't comment on the new Enform suite. I do have Enform and will keep it. I use eDestination often, on my phone, iPad and laptop. The Destination Assist folks at Mother Lexus are always most helpful. The rates seem similar to that of OnStar.

I too have lifetime XM, avoids the periodic haggling. Too bad it's not available anymore or is it?

satnav

Personally I don't know why its not a Concierge Service. BMW Assist and Teleaid both include this feature and can send destinations to the car. We had Teleaid back in the day in our 2004 E Class and found it more useful. If you couldn't find the car in the car park you can call them to have the Panic button go off. They could also tell you weather, flight information and stay on line for turn by turn directions in the city when the GPS was off. I hope Lexus considers this in the future. The technology in the car is their and I hope they will make its retroactive to older Lexus Enform cars like mine 2010.

When I got lost with bad GPS signal the satnav that kept telling me to take closed road in a rural area; I called Lexus Enform. I was hoping they could help me find an alternate route. She told only my car could do that by choosing the routes. All three routes took me over the same closed bridge since I was only a few miles from my destination. I remember in our Merc they would provide turn by turn directions in such a case, but she told me she couldn't. I ended up driving around for 40 minutes even though I was less than 10 miles from my destination. I was a bit disappointed since this was a "destination related matter." Also I am reasonable I wouldn't ask the rep to stay on the line for longer than 15 to 20 min.

I guess the one good thing is you have unlimited calls and minutes to Enform; with Teleaid I think we bought time by Minutes for certain features. Not really sure how the Teleaid payment plan worked just remembered in high school me and friends used to love pushing the button when I borrowed my dads car.


Anyone else think a concierge function would be more useful and a better value? Look up flight, weather, stocks, book restaurant, etc.

Marqevans

I find calling for directions very useful. However will not renew. That money would be better spent upping the 401k contribution. Of course I will have to learn how to enter addresses manually come April.