Gen 5 Nav Dvd Player (Ecu) In A Ls430

[brendangeorge]

My Nav ECU (the DVD reader in the boot) broke so I need a replacement. I tried a breaker but they ripped me off - i.e. took cash but did not supply the parts or a refund - more on that when I have sorted them out.

It seems second had spares are hard to come by and I am not putting a new part in an 11 year old car. So now I am getting fed up of the phone being stuck to my windscreen for navigation - although Sygic is better than anything Lexus have produced (for £17 if you pay) - which means I have to source an ECU spare from the US.

There are tons of them and many have hard disks (no good for me) - I found a Gen 4 DVD unit that is nice and cheap and all the US forums say they just plug in and go. It seems very easy to upgrade the Nav system however I cannot find a Gen 4 disk in Europe (loads in the US) - they went from 3 to 5 in Europe :(

Anybody got any ideas or experience of doing this? If not I will have to take a £50 punt on a disk.

The ECU I have sourced is PN 86841-50090 NAVI DRIVE DVD MAP READER.

Bren

[ambermarine]

Hi Bren

As you are probably aware the Sat-Nav system on the Lexus range came in before its time on the Ls400 in 97 it was not offered immediatley in the USA even though that was thier biggest market.

I suspect that we were used as guinea pigs and to that end the same thing as happened on the LS430 Dvd version as it as not been updated as frequently as other countries and there is little or no aftermarket source.

I was recently down south in Cheshire and ended up doing many more miles than I needed to because the cd version is so much out of date I met a legion of Roman soldiers coming towards me.

I have considered the possibility of getting someone with the knowhow to install a later dvd sat-nav system in my ls400 but to be honest the system will take you to the vicinity of your destination (as the posh lady eloquently puts it) and if I need any further directions I can always refer to my garmin.

[brendangeorge]

Hi Bren

As you are probably aware the Sat-Nav system on the Lexus range came in before its time on the Ls400 in 97 it was not offered immediatley in the USA even though that was thier biggest market.

I suspect that we were used as guinea pigs and to that end the same thing as happened on the LS430 Dvd version as it as not been updated as frequently as other countries and there is little or no aftermarket source.

I was recently down south in Cheshire and ended up doing many more miles than I needed to because the cd version is so much out of date I met a legion of Roman soldiers coming towards me.

I have considered the possibility of getting someone with the knowhow to install a later dvd sat-nav system in my ls400 but to be honest the system will take you to the vicinity of your destination (as the posh lady eloquently puts it) and if I need any further directions I can always refer to my garmin.

I'm going to have a punt with a Gen 5 DVD and see if that works and I'll report back. The problem is that when the DVD reader fails you have a blank screen - or the message cannot read the disk.

Bren

[ColinBarber]

I found a Gen 5 DVD unit that is nice and cheap and all the US forums say they just plug in and go. It seems very easy to upgrade the Nav system however I cannot find a Gen 5 disk in Europe (loads in the US) - they went from 3 to 5 in Europe :(

Do you mean Gen 4?

Even Nav units of the same supposed generation tend to have different parts codes between US and European vehicles.

I have however heard that Gen 5 discs do work inside Gen 4 units in the US so they may work with a European disc.

Also it does appear that 86841-50090 was used on European Land Cruisers so you should be able to get a European map disc specifically for it.

You don't state what part number unit you currently have - 86841-50100 perhaps? This unit was used on LS430, RX300, RX400h and Toyota Prius and Land Cruisers so you should be able to find one from a breakers, one that will actually send you the part.

[brendangeorge]

I found a Gen 5 DVD unit that is nice and cheap and all the US forums say they just plug in and go. It seems very easy to upgrade the Nav system however I cannot find a Gen 5 disk in Europe (loads in the US) - they went from 3 to 5 in Europe :(

Do you mean Gen 4?

Even Nav units of the same supposed generation tend to have different parts codes between US and European vehicles.

I have however heard that Gen 5 discs do work inside Gen 4 units in the US so they may work with a European disc.

Also it does appear that 86841-50090 was used on European Land Cruisers so you should be able to get a European map disc specifically for it.

You don't state what part number unit you currently have - 86841-50100 perhaps? This unit was used on LS430, RX300, RX400h and Toyota Prius and Land Cruisers so you should be able to find one from a breakers, one that will actually send you the part.

Hi Colin

Thanks for pointing out the inconsistencies in my post and I have fixed them - you are spot on - I got a Gen 4 ECU in the US and now need a Gen 4 WE disk. Great info on the other models thanks i will sort out a Gen 5 DVD.

Bren