armadillo

Makes sense if you keep your subscription. Not needed in Hawaii though, so I guess that makes sense too.

dctex99

I think a petition is in order for a sunglass holder; it seems an almost totally irresponsible oversight to NOT put a sunglass holder in ANY vehicle. It makes my Lexus ALMOST undrivable; and makes that 1987 Pontiac in that ad with the sunglass holder look like the responsible vehicle to drive!!!!!!!
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armadillo

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151125862797

EMSLEXUSRX

I don't mean to be nitpicking here, Armadillo, but the photo of the side mirror on your RX looks like it is the Matador Red color. That color was discontinued for the 2013-2014 RX's. So, perhaps you have an early production 2010 RX??? Thus, explaining the sunglass holder??

armadillo

Sorry, it's a claret mica 2014 RX 450h. It's exactly 3 weeks old and was custom ordered late last year.

vlad_a

It may be using GPS satellites to get your location, but I don' think these devices use satellite phone services. This is usually handled through the cell network.

JDR76

Correct, you need to have a cell connection:

http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/lexusenform/home

Contact with the Lexus Enform and/or Safety Connect response center is dependent upon the telematics device being in operative condition, cellular connection availability, navigation map data and GPS satellite signal reception, which can limit the ability to reach the response center or receive emergency support. Enrollment and Telematics Subscription Service Agreement required. A variety of subscription terms is available; charges vary by subscription term selected.

BertL

FWIW, I bet it's possible to have differences in Lexus options (and even colors) in the same model year for vehicles delivered to Hawaii (Armadillo) vs the rest of the United States as we've found may be the case in some non-US countries -- so variations from what those of us on "the mainland" know to be fact may be possible. At least it used to be that way.

I lived in Hawaii and purchased my first Lexus there in 1995, eventually shipping it with me back to Arizona where the US dealership had to work with Lexus NA over the course of several days to manually enter the VIN into the system as if the car had come in from a foreign country. It was an unknown car to the NA system, but Lexus NA could handle warranty and after-warranty service for me as the customer. Servco owns all Toyota/Lexus dealerships in Hawaii and has a relationship direct with them in Japan, vs through North America Toyota/Lexus HQ that all other dealerships in North America have -- it's why you see exclusions on some ads or references that things may be different in Hawaii. Hawaii may be our 50th State, but when it comes to Toyota/Lexus, the dealership relationship and vehicles sold there is almost as if it were from another country and isn't necessarially bound by what we know for North America.

...and Armadillo, congrats on that RXh!

armadillo

@BertL: You are absolutely correct. In fact, I called up Servco headquarters to discuss the "problems" us Lexus owners in Hawaii face. We are not part of the mainland distributor group and therefore are not recognized by drivers.lexus.com. We cannot use Enform and we do not have SOS functionality (as I've written elsewhere, I'm not sure that is such a bad thing). Another thing that may be different is the roof railing, which is absent on all the 450h models, but standard on RX 350 even in Hawaii. Actually, I think their absence makes the 450h look more elegant... Finally, we do pay a premium for the sunglass holder, since there is little bargaining power by customers as Servco is the only game in town/island.

CanadianRX

Similar to Canada we don't have enform or the Lexus apps. In its spot we also have a sunglass holder.

bring

Here is my annoyance:

The dealer installed crossbars are too close together for my Thule roof box. I had to pull off the rubber stoppers on each side to get them further apart. Once I got the roof box clamps on the crossbars I discovered that the back of the roof box was sitting on the "shark fin" antenna. So I wrapped a bunch of tape around the back crossbar at the spots where the clamps rested to get some height. Last but not least, the tailgate hits the back of the box just before it is fully opened.

Can someone recommend a roof box that fits? I need to carry skis....

PeteInGilr

I just called Lexus SOS and was told a cell phone is not required to be in the vehicle, or have cell service for the system to work and that the system works off satellites.

I was also told to test the SOS twice a year....which I will do when I'm on a road I infrequently travel that has no cell service.

I'll check to see if I can get the SOS without a cell tower.

armadillo

Whatever they told you, I seriously doubt they know what they are talking about. Here is the text from the Enform site:

Emergency Assistance Button (SOS)
Whether it's a health emergency, a traffic accident or some other urgent situation where help is required, a single press of the Emergency Assistance Button (SOS) will connect you to a 24-hour Safety Connect® [3] response center agent. Using your vehicle's GPS technology, the agent will send emergency services to your vehicle's location while offering to stay on the line with you until help arrives.

And here is what the (3) disclaimer reads:

[3] Contact with the Lexus Enform and/or Safety Connect response center is dependent upon the telematics device being in operative condition, cellular connection availability, navigation map data and GPS satellite signal reception, which can limit the ability to reach the response center or receive emergency support. Enrollment and Telematics Subscription Service Agreement required. A variety of subscription terms is available; charges vary by subscription term selected.

Please let us know what your test reveals.

PeteInGilr

The only reason I believe that cell reception is not required is because a friend of mine, driving an American car with a similar service, came upon a very serious accident in a remote mountainous area and every one was panicking because no one could make a call out.

My friend used his SOS (On Star??) and was able to get help on the way.

I should be able to test this out on Monday.

armadillo

As I understand it, you can indeed trigger the SOS button and they will dispatch emergency vehicle to your GPS location (similar to the collision notification system), but I don't think you will be able to have a conversation. So your SOS button test may end up sending an ambulance your way without you being able to call it off as you likely won't be able to talk to the call center. That's just my guess.