Lexus owner told 'just use CarPlay' in battle to get sat-nav updated

A Lexus owner is irate that he spent almost $114,000 on his luxury car only to find out the sat-nav was more than a year out of date and the manufacturer's response was "to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead".

Wheels reader Cliff Anderson from Perth discovered the MY21 Lexus RX 350 Sports Luxury he purchased in June 2021 was fitted with a navigation system last updated in April 2020 – meaning the integrated maps were already 14 months out of date by the time he got the car.

Despite having repeatedly spoken to his Lexus dealer to try and get the system updated to the current version, Mr Anderson was told it was a common occurrence and they weren’t able to get a hold of the latest map as his request fell between updates in the company's schedule.

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Mr Anderson told Wheels he feels it was an insult to be provided a car with an outdated map when it's worth over $100,000.

“I just think it's an insult to sell people a car and tell them that you've got free map updates for the first three years, but then I'd be lucky to even get one [correct] map update in three years,” he said.

“Everyone at the dealership here in Perth, the principal dealers – as well as the service managers, the head service manager and assistant – are on side, they've done as much as they can.

“​​I think this is unacceptable, but Lexus doesn't seem to care.”

After exhausting his local options with the dealership, Mr Anderson took his fight to Lexus Australia directly – but instead of fixing the issue, the company told him to use a phone-mirroring system, such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, instead.

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The integrated maps in Cliff's Lexus have been out of date since it was purchased new in 2021

Emails seen by Wheels said: “Apple Maps and Google Maps can be accessed via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is available on your RX 350 and allow the multimedia unit to be used as a display.”

However, the firm also told the 78-year-old that despite map updates not necessarily aligning with vehicle build dates, he could take advantage of Lexus’s three-year free update offer for customers.

“We understand the genuine map process does mean the mapping released dates don’t align with vehicle build dates and, as such, Lexus does provide up to three years of free updates,” Lexus told Mr Anderson.

“This will ensure your vehicle has the most current map and can be installed to your vehicle by your Lexus dealer at no cost to you.”

But in June this year, when Mr Anderson booked his Lexus in for its 12-month service, the new map version was from April 2021 – again over a year out of date by the time it was uploaded to the car.

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According to the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA), situations like this leave dealers in the awkward position of having to deal with customers' frustrations without any support from their parent manufacturer.

AADA CEO James Voortman believes franchises often get caught in the crossfire, and is calling for better support to resolve disputes more quickly for all involved.

“Dealers don’t want to be telling a customer multiple times that they can’t fix [a problem], leaving the customer without resolution,” Voortman told Wheels.

“Dealers hate it because they are the face of it – often they’d love to give a refund or replacement and then get indemnified.

“With the cost of pushing back against the manufacturer, they’re in a no-win situation – you’ve got an unhappy customer and they spend so much time trying to manage that. Sometimes they’ll just wear the cost of it.

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“It doesn’t make for a great customer experience. It puts everyone under so much pressure because the culture in the industry isn’t great when you have to tow the company line.

“This is why we need more legislation and a tribunal where cases can be dealt with quickly. It’s cut and dry – give the customer their maps or money back. We’ll see it more in the automotive industry than anywhere else because it’s the most emotive purchase you can make, and it’s often the most anyone will spend outside of buying a house.”

Despite the navigation issues, Mr Anderson says he's overall happy with his purchase.

"Coming from a Calais V8, I am impressed with the pick up available on the Lexus via gearing. More than adequate and I am totally impressed with the camera’s view when parking," he said.

"The solid feel, fit out and all other goodies including HUD are first class. Overall I’m pleased with my choice."

Wheels asked Lexus for an official comment, but the manufacturer declined the request.