I was wondering if i can stick my 06 GX470 NAV disk into my 03 SC430.... hmm perhaps i cant cuz the whole interface seems different....

Is it true that 05-06 cars are GEN4 brain and 02-04 are GEN2 or GEN3?

 

nop it wont' work. you are right that 05+ are gen 4 nav, and your 03 has 3rd gen nav

 

I have a similar problem. My Lexus dealer screwed me a bit at the last minute during the sale and now to make it a bit sweeter the salesman sent me DVD map disk with version 4 for free, I have version 2 there now. This is info on the disk:
DVD NAVIGATION MAP
NORTH AMERICA
W41 D

DATA VERSION 04.2
After loading it I am getting an error: "Unable to read data. Check if map DVD is correct.
From reading the post on this matter my understanding is that my late 2002 model has version 3 DVD and this disk is probably for version 4.
Am I correct?
And if I am to call that salesman what the correct DVD should say?
Thanks.

 

I'm not sure what should be on the disc itself, but when I have bought updates (twice) the disc comes in a bubble wrap envelope, and on the envelope is a big sticker with the Lexus part number and a warning: "This disc is for the following vehicles: . . . " and then it lists all the various Lexus models and specific years that use the disc, such as 2002-04 SC430 and 2001-2003 RX300, 2004 RX330.

Since my cars have a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 system, they can both use the same data disc, and the list on the packing is a complete list of all Lexus models with either Gen 2 or Gen 3 systems. My guess is that all the discs themselves look pretty much the same except for some little bitty numbers, so it's going to be hard to tell from the disc itself what Gen it's for.

You need to get the actual Part number and be sure you have the right disc. If the system will not read it, then my guess is that you have a Gen 4 system and a Gen 2/3 disc (or maybe a Gen 5), or something like that.

Finally, I note from looking at the list that some models got a new generation system a year before other models. In other words, the '04 LX might have had a Gen 4 system while the '04 RX had a Gen 3 system, etc., so don't go just by the model year.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info. So basically, i gotta dish out $280 for the update disk for the SC430 AND another $280 for my GX470 when it needs upgrade.... oh well... nice to know now... kind of sucks that im living in a area where it is recently developed in the past year or so..... therfore a lot of the streets are not there... sigh...

 

yup indeed that's true, you need two dvds....

about the version, i'd like to clarify something. please keep in mind version number =/= part number.

when i talked about 3rd and 4th gen nav, and that you need different disc, it's according to part number.

so for 03 sc430 for example, you need to look at the part number that ends in 3x, and among those, there might be version 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.... but if you have say 05 sc430, then you need part number that ends in 4x, and there might be again different versions.

i hope this clears it up

and btw, from what i know, the 04 ls430 was the first yr (and first lexus) to use the 4th gen nav (and they had some problems with it in the beginning). starting 05, i think all nav got updated to 4th gen except the is300. someone can correct me.

 

Good info here... each generation of NAV system has their own version of updates which cannot be used interchangably. I personally had expereience the buggy 04 LS430. It just get you lost and makes you go around in circles.. haha it was funny that i was 500 ft away from my house and it made me pass it and make a u turn and then pass my house again.. weird...

 

I do know that the above observation is not exactly correct.

My 02 SC is a gen 2 nav system, and my 04 RX is a gen 3 nav system, and they both use the same data disk. Neither one, however, will read a disc for a Gen 4 system.

I would not be surprised to learn that the gen 3 system and the gen 4 system use different data discs, but different operating systems can be designed with different features yet be able to access the same data files, like the two cars mentioned above. There are many nice features on my RX's NAV that are not on my SC, and I wish they were, but since they use the same data disc I only have to buy one, if you get my drift.

So check with the parts department at your dealership or the parts inventory of an on line Lexus parts vendor to see what the part number is for your cars.

Finally, as noted above, every system has a new Data version that comes out about once a year or so. My '04 RX had an original Ver 2.01 data disc in it when I bought it (as did all the ones on the various dealers' lots that I looked at -- not too many people buy new data discs). The current version is labeled Ver 5.01, and came out in January, so I skipped over 2 data versions when I put the new disc in the RX. When I bought my '02 SC in April of '01, it had version 1 of the Data, and I later upgraded to ver 2 and just recently to Version 5. These "data versions" are different from the Generation Nav system, so be sure you understand what you are buying. If you are going to buy one now, you want to specify that the disc is a 2006 data disc (look for the copyright year on the label) designed for the Generation 3 or 4 or 5 or whatever generation Nav system your car has.

Happy hunting.

 

the story is, with the 4th gen nav, lexus switched to a whole new company, and yes it's a whole new nav operating system, that's why the dvd aren't close to be compatible with each other. 02 and 03 doesn't matter coz' they were from the same company.

that's why the quirky nav on the 04 ls430 with the 4th gen. it was the first batch setup from the new company and it was buggy at best. so lexus had to make some urgent calls to fix all the problem. starting 05 (or late 04 i forgot), most nav issues were resolved

they swaitched to new system when they incorporate the new voice recognition system and also the bluetooth. thus the resaon for new nav operating system as well. the 02 and 03 nav are pretty much the same thing.

 

ROMINL:

That makes sense to me. When I first drove an 05 RX with the Gen 4 Nav I noticed that the maps had an entirely different look on the screen. I'm just pleased that my two cars have very similar systems, so it's easy for me to operate them, and that they use the same data disc.

Finally, in all my used car shopping for a used RX330 with NAV, I always checked every one to see which data version was installed, and every one had the original data disc in it. Updating is not something a lot of owners do. I have a friend with an 02 RX300, and he still has the 2001 data disc and has no interest in a new version.

Finally, I also noticed in some of these used cars on the Lexus lot that some still had "marked points" for Mom's house, babysitters, home, and all kinds of other interesting places (although someone deleated them from the car I eventually purchased, maybe the dealer). As a general principal, this is not good -- don't forget to clear out your previous destinations and marked points before you sell your car.

 

haha good points there man. that's why if you look at my nav, i have NO marked points at all, not for my home and nothing for the preset memory. just imagine if someone got my car, they know where i live... no no..... especially when most people program their homelink to begin with

 

It's very convenient to have the "Home" button there, especially since it can be accessed while the car is in motion and can help get you quickly get out of an unknown area. For the paranoid, I suggest programing the "Home" button to a neighbor's address just far enough away so that your garage door opener won't work.

This will still get you close enough to home, but will prevent a thief from using the info to find your house and open the garage door.

On the other hand, the Lexus is the hardest car to steal and, accordingly, the least stolen and secondly, getting into my garage won't do much, because the alarm system obviously is not hooked up to the garage door but to the door from the garage to the house. So maybe he steals my lawn mower.

If he's got my car, at that point I don't care.

On the other hand, I don't want the next owner of the car to have a list of all my most frequently visited friends and my favorite topless bars (why bother the guys down at "The Jiggley Room").

 

I paid for the 05 update to my 02 SC. Ouch!! Didn't make it any better. Sucks. I stick my Magelan on when I really want to get somewhere. Sad!!!! I hope the new system is better.