Does the SOS light come on in red if you are not a member of the enform use? Never noticed this before. Thanks

 

Yep. Once your membership expires, it goes from green to red.
So, in my RX, I have this worthless piece of electronics sitting where sunglasses holder would have been.
I will not pay for data services for my vehicle(s). That's what my cell phone is for.

 

They should just say you bought the car, you get the service. Give me Siri hands free that is actually worth something Lexus.

 

Mine just recently went to red on my RX 350 and I haven't had the service for 2 years. I took it in and they said the transmitter or something is bad and it would be 2k to fix it. I said to disconnect it and clip the wires b/c I don't want the red light on all the time. He said he couldn't b/c it would send a signal that something is wrong.....but I told him that you just told me the transmitter didn't work? I don't have the service so it shouldn't do anything. I'm not paying 2k to fix something that I've never used (I got 1 year free evidently and never knew it).

Is that right? Can they just disconnect it? Sounds like I'll be calling Lexus to see.....

 

It's not designed to be disconnected. Thing is, at any moment, they can reactivate the service and track you.
I haven't tried unplugging the receiver yet or taking it apart. The whole Enform thing may be a little too integrated on 13+.

 

that sucks..even though I just bought a 2014, knowing that a red light will always be on overhead in awhile makes me very angry...that's something I would expect from gm, not lexus..

 

^^ to clarify, the indicator light is red when starting your car for about 5 seconds, then it turns off all together. It doesn't stay red all the time, unless you have a problem like Ktintx above

 

They are keeping my car another night and letting someone else take a look at it. The connect light stays red. It just started 1-2 weeks ago. It's a 2010 RX350 that I bought certified pre-owned in Nov. 2010.

 

So, your cell phone will:

Stolen Vehicle Location
If you ever file a police report stating that your vehicle has been stolen, local authorities can remotely activate its tracking beacon using the vehicle's embedded cellular and GPS technology. This helps them to recover it more quickly and may minimize the amount of damage that can be incurred. Unlike some third-party services, the Stolen Vehicle Location system also works across the United States.

...and...

Automatic Collision Notification
In the event that your vehicle's airbags[9] deploy or you're involved in a severe rear-end collision, you'll be automatically connected to a Safety Connect[7] response center agent. After attempting to speak to the occupants, the agent will notify local emergency services of the situation and direct them to your vehicle's location.

 

Just some miscellaneous comments:
I've always had the service and probably always will.
I rarely notice if the light is red or green or even on - that's probably a bad habit Makes me wonder, if something is wrong will it show up on one of the displays?
I used it a couple of days ago when the temperatures were subzero for a flat tire and loved that all I did was push a button to get the repair initiated. The folks behind the SOS button made sure I was okay, safe and warm. They called my cell phone later to make sure the repairs had been made.
Could I have done this with my cell phone, sure.

 

While I agree that your smartphone can not accomplish the above, I see little reason for Lexus to charge over $250 a year for these services. You can go several years without using any bandwidth barring a threft or accident. At the least they should do like my Ford and it cost nothing for these services as it uses your own cell phone to transmit the data.

Safety services should be included with the vehicle for at least 5 years.

 

Hard to use a cell phone when you are unconscious.

You will be "bucking" the trend as both Apple and Google have BIG plans for our cars and the data plans most will pay for. I do not think the Enform system is worth the price and should not cost the owner a penny but in the next few years the MFGs have big plans to get big brother in the front seat with you!

How do you think they will be able to tax you by the mile if you are not connected? You will not have a choice.

 

Sounds like the NSA needs to get in on this vehicle tracking business. I'm sure they would love to know where all the Lexus owners are at any given time. Heck, NSA needs some sort of data to store in that massive new data storage facility in Utah. LOL!

 

Be careful what you wish for.....

 

What makes you think they're not already doing it? The device has IMEI and it pings off cell towers as it travels, probably once every few minutes. Cell triangulation will get a less-than precise location. Then, it's just a matter of activating the device and letting a packet of data to go through. Then deactivate it, and the owner won't know any better. Maybe the light will turn green for a second or so.