Lexus Enform going away in 2022- Angry

[Lgoldste]

3G is so old that they've had a good part of the last decade to anticipate the need to upgrade. That a 2017 vehicle was built with this outmoded tech at a time when 4G was pervasive and 5G well on its way to replacing it is preposterous. Yes, the right thing to do would be to upgrade -- to 5G (no sense in repeating this fiasco in the next 4-5 years) -- at a minimal cost. But no solution is unacceptable. Like others have expressed, if this remains at status quo, this will be my last Lexus vehicle.

It is Lexus fault that they did not design the 3G depended components and capabilities in their vehicles in a way that allowed future plug and play replacement. The progressive changes in cellular technologies is nothing new.

Lexus knew that they did not control the support of 3G so why design make your vehicles depended on such technologies without providing a way to easily update. You can expect cellar technologies to go through 4 or more generations during the expected lifetime of a luxury car.

Telling a customer to just buy a newer model is not good customer service expected of a Luxury brand . I have only 30K miles on my Lexus which now has significant capabilities obsolete due to Lexus design decisions that showed no consideration of the customer. I will not be buying another Lexus.

Lexus has left their customers holding the preverbal bag. Their actions on this issue is not behavior indicative of a Luxury brand or a company that values its customers.

Does anyone from Lexus read these posts? When this new first came out, I reach out to Lexus leadership and their "Brand Engagement Center" responded to me. They indicated that their engineers had indicated there was no way to update the 3G communications module but they were going to take another look. Since then, nothing. Customers have a right to be angry. This diminishes the value of our vehicles and eliminates support for functions that were key selling points when we bought them. I worked in digital audience measurement for nearly 10 years. EVERYONE in the business had to deal with the evolution of cellular technology. Lexus simply put its head in the sand. Frankly, you (Lexus) withheld material information when you sold our cars.

What will it take to develop a 5g add-on module? Our vehicles already support bluetooth connections to our phones. "Simply" build a circuit that will use that bridge to support the existing functionality via the separate circuit. The right thing to do would be for Lexus to support the update as if it were a recall fix but, short of that, customers will pay for it.

If you can't make that happen, this will be my last Lexus (or Toyota) vehicle. I'm already researching Genesis and other alternatives.
By the way, is anyone else interested in a class action suit?

 

[pjpavelic]

This same set of circumstances happened to our home alarm system. We were forced to upgrade the cellular module from 2G to LTE. It required the simple replacement of a $200 device, no big deal. We can all get our feathers ruffled over the changes in technology that are taking away valuable services to which we have all become dependent and accustomed to using but the fact is, this kind of change is the constant. How long has it been since you upgraded your phone? Now, in an attempt to move forward from this, I've been able to install Apple CarPlay as an aftermarket option in my 2017 LX. Why then would we not be able to install a new cellular module in our cars to overcome this loss of service? There has got to be an option. Has anyone heard anything since this thread began a couple of years ago?

 

[NXracer]

Could be a variety of reasons why they havent done it.

1) Planned Obsolescence
2) Licensing issues with the OG vendor and new vendor
3) Team members who designed that project are busy or have moved on from the company
4) Security issue that wont go away with a hardware upgrade.
a) Side note one of my primary concerns with the Aftermarket Android Add-ons everyone seems to be pushing from Social media and forums. The Android OS install these aftermarket companies are installing are homebrew without any LTS updates. They're essentially sitting IOT ducks. Attach your phone, and well thats a bad day waiting to happen.

 

[Sulu]

Add another item to our no-user-serviceable-parts-inside, no-right-to-repair, throw-away society, where it is easier to buy a new refrigerator than to repair a broken compressor and where smartphones and tablet computers come factory-sealed without even being able to replace the battery.

Added to that problem is the fact that we have not (yet) standardized automotive infotainment systems, unlike car audio head unit sizes which were standardized as Single-DIN or Double-DIN (ISO 7736) and car audio connectors (ISO 10487). With the standardized head unit sizes and connectors, it was possible to swap out an old, cheap factory-mounted AM-FM radio for one with much more functionality, including a CD player.

If the world's automakers could standardize automotive infotainment (with display) unit sizes, electronic interfaces and mechanical connectors, it is foreseeable that they would become interchangeable and replaceable onboard communications and display computers. But until then, we are stuck with built-in obsolescence with no way to upgrade them.

 

[NXracer]

Add another item to our no-user-serviceable-parts-inside, no-right-to-repair, throw-away society, where it is easier to buy a new refrigerator than to repair a broken compressor and where smartphones and tablet computers come factory-sealed without even being able to replace the battery.

Added to that problem is the fact that we have not (yet) standardized automotive infotainment systems, unlike car audio head unit sizes which were standardized as Single-DIN or Double-DIN (ISO 7736) and car audio connectors (ISO 10487). With the standardized head unit sizes and connectors, it was possible to swap out an old, cheap factory-mounted AM-FM radio for one with much more functionality, including a CD player.

If the world's automakers could standardize automotive infotainment (with display) unit sizes, electronic interfaces and mechanical connectors, it is foreseeable that they would become interchangeable and replaceable onboard communications and display computers. But until then, we are stuck with built-in obsolescence with no way to upgrade them.

The upside Lexus/TMC PR stands to gain by answering this issue with some sort of hardware fix is quite significant. The number of places I have seen this exact issue raised is too many to count. If they backed off from the remote start subscription rumors, I hope to see a favorable solution in the future.

 

[jimhwall]

Since my cell phone is backward compatible from 5G to 4G LTE/3G/2G I would suspect the chip in our lexus's also is. I find it hard to believe a custom 3G only chip was created for Toyota/Lexus in 2017. Even if design was set in stone many years before. 4G LTE started in 2009. Any 4G chipset would be backward compatible to 3G. Due to the high volume and how automated chip Fabs are their would be no significant cost savings to continue to manufacture a 3G only chip. When I learned about the shutdown I thought there would be an announcement of a fix. Either a software update/driver to enable the unused 4G in chipset or use Bluetooth to phone for data instead of 3G. At least all features would not die. If no software fix possible then a board replacement. Replacing the main board in my heat pump is $900. I would think the board in a car would not be much different.

 

[Hillarde]

first off, yes it sucks. What cracks me up about all the “I will never buy another Lexus” comments is who will you get? A chrysler, Subaru, dodge, Hyundai, kia, Jaguar, Acura, Audi, bmw, Honda, nisaan, Infiniti, porche, tesla, and Volkswagen. Yup you guessed it. All affected. So angry customers who will buy Lexus will buy Kia who will buy jaguar who will buy...... All thinking a great point was made when really just changing business to someone else who ended services. Whatever you do make sure the next car has 5G because almost all brands are affected by this. Lol

 

[Hillarde]

What does this mean for 2019 models?

Most 2019 cars are safe. Very few have 3Gin them. Safety connect offers the car crash notification, sos button, and help with a stolen car. Destination assist is directions being sent to the cars navy system. Remote lets you control your car from afar. And dynamic nav lets the nav system update biyearly.

 

[NXracer]

3G networks are shutting down — and that's bad news for your car. Here's why

Mobile carriers are shutting down their 3G networks this year. The planned shutdowns could create a headache for drivers across the country.

www.cnbc.com

How the 3G Shutdown in 2022 Could Screw Your Car

Smartphones are getting faster, but some older connected cars may lose service forever.

www.thedrive.com

Depends on the brand. Seems some brands are offering solutions whether free or paid out of the mess. TMC however is firmly against any solution.

 

[Lgoldste]

So far, Lexus has done nothing to address this. In fact, it's gotten worse. The Lexus Enform App Suite is no longer usable. All of the prior functions (fuel guide and other applications) are gone. The app simply says some functions are available in the Lexus app. They aren't. Not one of them. Lexus continues to degrade the user experience and devalue our vehicles. My RX 450h was my first Lexus vehicle. Now it will be my last. You've had more than ample time to develop a solution. Instead, it's clear that you don't give a damn about your drivers.