Stump

Anyone know of a way to override the RDXs lockout of capability to allow inputting to nav unit while car is moving? Miss this ability from my MDX...

( and yes, am well aware of Acuras intent here...it's just that driving down highway 5 in Calif, in middle of nowhere, having not seen another car for 10 miles, would be nice to find nearest Starbucks or restroom without having to stop to input)

Vividsi

I had no idea the new RDX locked you out from inputting an address while driving, what a major setback. To my knowledge they have never had that feature.

its_ikon

i can hit the voice command button on the steering wheel and say "find nearest coffee shop" and it will search while i am driving. i also use voice commands to enter the address while i am driving.

dc5k20z1

its acuras intent to use voice command with the newer vehicles and not putting in info manually while driving. I agree... it is kind of annoying.

The nav is tapped into the vehicle speed sense wire, just got to find it. Its a task im not really trying to go for anytime soon

fleuger99

This is not just an Acura thing. My wife's GLK and my prior VW Touareg were the same. I think its America's lawyer happy influence :-)

Steerpike

Girlfriend's 2012 Prius does the same.

I test drove the Honda CRV last week - it has a nice old-fashioned 'button' interface to the nav; did not test to see if it allows entry while moving. Ironically I think the CRV's interface was easier to use!

hrut

Acuras insistance that the vehicle is stopped to key in a destination is totally unacceptable. I hope Acura or somebody else can come up with a solution before I'm driven to trade this car for an Audi.
Incidently, the 2013 TSX will accept destination input while moving.

Mike_TX

Wonder if someone who is computer savvy can download the 2012 or 2013 TL or TSX OS and install it on the RDX? They'll all HDD systems so they should be compatible ...

weather

^^ That is an interesting suggestion....Wonder if it would work?

techman707

I picked up my new '14 RDX last week. Until I came across this thread, I didn't even realize that the NAV on my new RDX locks me out while driving....JUST LIKE THE TOYOTA SIENNA I TRADED IN! However, at least I was able to hack the software DVD on the Toyota using the operating system from an OLDER NAV VERSION and integrating it into the latest map version. There's also another method to defeat it on the Toyota.

Apparently Acura only began doing the lockout with the 2013+(lucky me), so it's relatively new, however, has anyone already tried modifying the software yet? If so, was it successful or not?

JetJock737

Count me in as another disgruntled Navi user. To me, it's more distracting to try to spell a destination letter by letter, check to see if the voice recognition actually recognized it, then repeat ad nauseum. I've done lots of searches on this site and haven't found anything that looks like it'll work on my 2013 RDX.

If anyone's found something, PLEASE let the rest of us know. I'm willing to try the switch technique if it works with this system.

dc5k20z1

Switch technique didnt work, i tried it

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rdx-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-405/cant-program-nav-while-driving-883117/

Dimcorner

does the navi have a speed sensor input?
I wonder if the navi would work on a car that is being towed on a flat bed?

dc5k20z1

navi does have a VSS (Vehicle Speed Sense), but why would you need the navi to work if its being towed?

Dimcorner

Just as a test to see if the lockout is VSS driven or GPS movement driven.

dc5k20z1

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...5&postcount=24


i think the screen lockout is associated with some sort of data or CAN bus input, which would be harder to bypass. I gave up and am just dealing with it

techman707

It does have a VSS sensor and while it CAN be jumped and it will work, it creates other problems. I don't recall exactly what the person who tested it (on a different website) said the problems were offhand (my memory is going bad), that method isn't worth the trouble.

That said, I'm sure someone WILL come up with as solution, but as usual, with my luck it will be AFTER I've gotten rid of the car.

RDX2013

I found a solution! It's called a Garmin Nuvi 2595, 200 bucks at Costco with lifetime map and firmware updates and the traffic receiver built into the power cord (so long Sirius). I am serious. I buy a $40,000 car and can't have my wife program the GPS while the car is moving. You've got to be kidding! The Nuvi fits perfectly on the dash just to the left of the instrument cluster. The mount though does cover the defroster vent to the drivers side window. It is incredibly intuitive and you can turn the voice on and off without going through several menus. No, I don't work for Garmin.

RDX2013

OK. You got me. So maybe with the Nuvi to the left of the instrument pod I program it myself occasionally. It would be a long reach for my wife.

techman707

I agree with you! They should have a seat sensor that detects a passenger so that at least THEY can operate the system. However, in all fairness, it's not just Acura. Lexus, Toyota and others are doing the same thing. Since there's no law requiring it, it's just their legal paranoia. What there is REALLY no excuse for on a car costing $40,000, let alone one claiming to be a "luxury" car, is mirrors that don't fold electrically. Had I been aware of it before I purchased my 2014 RDX, I wouldn't have bought it. Now, before I can go into my garage, I have to get out and fold the passenger side mirror. So much for the worthless HOMELINK.

geocord

Anybody that can afford a $35+K vehicle should be able to afford a bigger garage! I'm totally kidding and just repeating some of the silly comments from the reg vs premium threads. Having said that, if I had a situation where where it was absolutely necessary to fold my mirrors on a regular basis, I would have certainly checked that before buying. Did you just assume they had them? I've never had a car that did have electrically folding mirrors so I guess I wouldn't have assumed it. But I guess if you did have other cars that had them I can see where you might not have checked. Bottom line I feel for your pain as that would not be fun to have to do that.

techman707

I have a BIGGER garage....but it's in Florida. Because of illness I'm pretty much stuck in New York. I had a TERRIFIC Toyota Sienna Limited with every option they make, but it was too much trouble putting it into the garage here in NY and sat out all winter (except when I was in FL). I figured this would EASILY fit being over 20" shorter. I never thought about a "little" thing like the mirrors folding, since many cheap cars have it as an option.

Dimcorner

The ONLY car I had electric folding mirrors was a 1996 Toyota Soarer.
I have had cheap cars and non of them had it.

1996 Accord EX
1994 RX7
1996 Toyota Soarer (Yes it was RHD)
2005 CL Type S
2005 VW Beetle (Geek Squad edition)
1998 Eclips GSX
2006 Mazda 3
2000 Audi S4

I really wish that the NAV lock would disengage with the passenger seat sensor. I think the Mazda CX5 does it already since in the test drive the sales lady was entering new nav destinations to show me how it worked.

techman707

On my Toyota I used the "service mode". While a pain because you had to reset it every time you turned the ignition off, it allowed you to use ALL the functions while the car is in motion. In the car manufacturers minds, it's all about liability. When someone gets killed because they stopped their car to use a function that was grayed out and was rear ended, maybe they will see the light....or the lawsuit.

P.S. I didn't say the mirrors were "standard" on cheaper cars, but it's an option. It SHOULD HAVE been STANDARD on the RDX.

dc5k20z1

I wonder if you could use the service mode on the RDX to bypass the nav lockout. I will have to try, thanks for the idea

dc5k20z1

Failed.

BlackjackM

It is so simple to enter address while the RDX is in motion, I can't believe it's even an issue to be brought up. Simply press the "dest/route" button, voice command "address", "street", enter the street name then the number and say "ok" when prompted and select the line number for the city. Say "ok" again and away you go.

I have a Garmin in my Z3 and it's nearly impossible to hit those small letters to spell the address while in motion.

akim804

I've tried this, where it got really annoying was entering the street name and number via voice. The only way I could get it to work consistently is to hit the voice button before saying EVERY letter and number. Are you able to read these out or just say the street address as a full number?

BlackjackM

I say the street name as a whole but be sure not to add "avenue, road, lane" etc. so for Main Street you would just say Main. The number you can read fully but as individual numbers ie 325 would be read as "three two five" not "three twenty five"

999999

This is my answer. I plan to own the car for 10 years. In 2016, I'll get new Garmin and wonder how people can be happy with those 2013 NAV systems. I learned my lesson buying NAV for my '04 TL. Not a good value.

htowngator

It won't let you dictate an address while driving. The option won't take and it will be grey on the dash.

If you have something stored or can do a quick search like you mentioned for "find nearest..." then it's fine.

Dimcorner

Voice command works for me while car is moving.

BlackjackM

Yes it will. Being greyed out only means you can't select it with the buttons. EVERY nav feature is available while driving with voice command.

Reading through the (thick) NAV booklet will answer all of these questions. To be honest I was really wary of getting tech based on a lot of the misinformation out there on how it works. Now that I have it I see that it works just like most other nav systems out there now, and just like my Mercedes system.

allknight

I think that most of you are missing the point. If your normal drive is alone in the car on unfamiliar roads, the voice activated GPS may be wonderful for you. If, like me, you spend a lot of time in the car with a passenger/co-pilot in "vacation" mode, then the total inability of the passenger to use the system to locate waypoints, requiring the participation of the driver, is DANGEROUS! A passenger microphone or a passenger weight sensor to re-enable the system while underway could allow the driver to DRIVE while the passenger "navigates". The Garmin solution is OK, I guess, but it would have been nice to get this information before wasting 2 grand on the tech package. I could have bought a half dozen Garmins and given the extras out for xmas presents.

MJ-bos

Just want to rant ... the voice recognition is CRAP ... utterly useless, fails to understand more than 50% of the time, but that's not the point ... having to look at the screen and say "1, next, next, 5, 5, next OK" is WORSE and MORE DISTRACTING than using Google Maps or Siri/Apple Maps on my iPhone. Hell, it's more distracting than going to my dash-mounted iPhone and tapping. What's really maddening is that my passenger can't use it while I'm driving. Argh.

This lack of functionality (that my previous TSX, RDX, and TSX all had) has seriously diminished my happiness with this vehicle. I can't wait for iOS in the car - Pandora, Stitcher, Apple Maps ... that all works just fine.

Add this to my keyfobs looking like they've been dragged on the street ... the Acura lustre has worn off on me and I'm not sure I will automatically go to my Acura dealer next go-round.

ESteid

Your beef is with the Government, not Acura. They only conform to the safety standards.

You could turn on voice prompts which would tell you which options are on screen. But most of us think that is more annoying than looking.

robuckj

I partially disagree. At the time Acura developed its implementation of the new "Non-distracting" nav system, the NHTSA was unable to develop and issue a set of "standards" using the normal procedures that would allow for industry and public comment on those proposed standards. They couldn't get the affected party to agree on even a draft. Instead, NHTSA issued "voluntary guidelines" based on its own views and desires.

So, I do have a beef with the Government for side-stepping regulatory procedures that were intended to prevent setting up unnecessary, uneconomical, or inappropriate rules.

I also have a beef with Acura, and other manufacturers, who had to decide how to implement those guidelines; in my opinion, they did an unsatisfactory job, and I blame them for putting out a system that is nearly unsuitable for its intended use.

Just one specific example: I cannot access my Address Book beyond the first 9 entries, even using voice commands. They provide "folders" that I thought I could use to distribute my entries and get access to the first 9 in each folder; I made separate folders for each state I travel through. But no, they block that function if the vehicle is in motion, and only make the "ALL" category available. I don't think that was really necessary to meet the guidelines; it was Acura's decision to do it that way.

I agree with MJ-bos: my happiness with the 2013 RDX with Tech Package is a lot less than it could be.

Yellowbird

I picked up my 2014 RDX 5 days ago. I have previously leased 4 MDX's. I chose Acura for twelve years because the Navigation system did not lock the driver out as did those on all BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. IMO, the lockout feature rendered the system useless. Imagine my dismay/anger when I learned after leasing the RDX that it had added just as the other car makers had done away with this feature. just two days after picking it up I was riding as a passenger and was locked out. My husband was forced to deal with the voice system while I sat idly by. On I95 driving at high speeds my husband struggled to use the system to no avail. On our way to dinner at a South Beach Hotel, neither the hotel nor the restaurant could be found in the system. Five letters into the spelling it would open a new screen with only one option for a business over 1300 miles away. I was reminded of the old days when I wanted to take a sledge hammer to my computer. After many tries and within half a mile of our destination we gave up and used an iPhone. The experience was vey time consuming, frustrating, and distracting. I never thought my navigation system could induce road rage.
Today I decided to give it another try. I am determined to be able to use the system. I was never able to find the restaurant or the hotel even when not locked out. They have been around for two years and are very well known. They should be in the system. I tried to find my husband's office. His business should be listed under a nationally known corporate name as one of more than many locations across the country. I did a "Place Name" search, found the over 9000 locations with the same business name then did a proximity search. His office was not on the list. He's been left out giving his competitors the edge. He has been at the same location for 7 years. I tried to find the information regarding the version of the system but the section labeled "Map update status" was greyed out. Why? Something is not right and I doubt the dealership will help. They did their job after all.

That was not the end of it. As someone else mentioned I am unable to scroll through my contacts when using the voice control. So I will just have to use my iPhone directly and transfer the call to handsfree link. How safe is that? Which genius thought that was a good idea?

Bottom line. If I could turn in the car tomorrow I would. I had a Hyundai picked out and took the RDX because I assumed the Navigation system was better. That was the selling point for me. Big mistake. This will be my LAST Acura...and I'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and.......

davisinla

I find this issue very ironic. It would be SO much safer for my wife to be able to manually use the GPS while we're traveling than for me (as the driver) to deal with the voice commands, especially as an unfamiliar new user.

As I've posted in other threads, I love my new RDX, but the nav leaves much to be desired. It could have been SO much better.

ViperZ

This is a major setback I discovered after just getting my 2014 RDX-T the other day.... Wants also annoying is, do I really have to press "OK" and them "Audio" to just get the audio screen?

That's sort of annoying too