2004 rx300 which to buy?

[Nickyt211]

I'll have a look at cars4you for the mats. The car already has the boot liner in it which is great. With the load cover and I'll definitely get these LED lights are they w5w for the reverse lights then? What about the other rear lights which type are they? Are they simply a straight swap fitting. Thanks 

[Nickyt211]

Btw does anyone know which sat nav model will be in my car? I don't know what disk will be in it and wanted to price up an update. 

Another question out of curiosity, what size are your wheels/ tyres? Thanks

[rayaans]

38 minutes ago, Nickyt211 said:

Btw does anyone know which sat nav model will be in my car? I don't know what disk will be in it and wanted to price up an update. 

Another question out of curiosity, what size are your wheels/ tyres? Thanks

Wheels should be 18" and tyres should be 235/55 r18 on the RX300. 

 Im not too sure on the load rating but the ones on my RX450h are 101V so close to that I presume.

 

For sat nav updates follow this link-

http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/Shop/Index

Put in "RX350/300" on the dropdown list and then scroll to the right. Look at the Caution icons and you'll know which Gen nav you have. Then you can search eBay for the disc - original ones are about £40-70

 

[Nickyt211]

Great idea thanks for your advice 😊 I've ordered a rear bumper protector for the boot opening. Just waiting for the car Saturday now. I'm Gna be needing a spare key as this car only has one. Apparently Lexus keys aren't easy to program and expensive. So I've started trying to get quotes, first to respond was £250!!! 

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, Nickyt211 said:

Great idea thanks for your advice 😊 I've ordered a rear bumper protector for the boot opening. Just waiting for the car Saturday now. I'm Gna be needing a spare key as this car only has one. Apparently Lexus keys aren't easy to program and expensive. So I've started trying to get quotes, first to respond was £250!!! 

Yep they will roughly be around £250. 

Dont know why but second hand cars always seem to have keys missing!

My son's first car - 06 VW Polo bought at auction last year, guess what? key missing. VW wanted £200, another guy said he could do it for £90 but it wasn't worth it. Then bought another car, 08 VW Golf - guess what? key missing! 

[Nickyt211]

I know I've always looked after my keys. I looked at 4 of these cars and 2/4 had only one key? I've had a quote for £100 so I might give it a go only because I'd be left in trouble if I lost my only key I bet it's a fortune to sort it then. Thanks 

[sorcerer]

On 30/05/2017 at 8:28 PM, Nickyt211 said:

Btw does anyone know which sat nav model will be in my car? I don't know what disk will be in it and wanted to price up an update. 

Another question out of curiosity, what size are your wheels/ tyres? Thanks

On satnavs (here's the text from a previous posting I made in a different topic a while ago):

Buy a TomTom/Garmin or other satnav and forget about the factory installed one.

No, I'm not being facetious, it truly is the best option. You won't be able to get 2016 or 2017 maps, even if you get the unit. I've got a 2005 RX300 and I'm sure I remember reading that the latest maps I could get would be dated 2011 and there's been a LOT of road changes since then. Also, because these units are DVD-based, you cannot add in your own POIs. A great example of this is that our car runs on LPG, so I have the TomTom programmed with every LPG filling station in the country as POIs. If I'm running low, I just tell the TomTom to navigate to the nearest LPG station and off we go - you couldn't do that with the factory-fitted DVD unit because you can't add your own POIs.

On cars as old as ours the factory-fitted DVD-based units are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard and I just use the factory-fitted one as a sort of rolling screensaver.

On tyres:

Avons are very good - here's the text from a previous posting I made in these forums back in November:

I've just put 4 Avon ZX7s (235/55 R18 100V) on my RX300 and ordered them from http://www.tyreshopper.co.uk for £386 then used a Tyreshopper discount code to get 5% off, making it £366 and also got 3.15% cashback by going through http://www.topcashback.co.uk making the final, fully-fitted price £354. They were fitted at a local branch of National Tyres who, if I had bought the tyres directly from them, would have charged £421.

I'm VERY impressed with the tyres. They're 'A' rated for wet conditions and they certainly deserve it as the car is so sure-footed now, in both wet and dry conditions - I can highly recommend them.

[Nickyt211]

Thanks for the info. Does that mean the unit would play DVD films lol my husband thinks it would be good for the holidays. I said I doubt as it would be distracting. I'm really excited about getting the car on Saturday now. My dad is a bit unsure about these as he said if things go wrong they will be very expensive. I just hope it will be reliable for me. First Lexus I will own and I hope it doesn't let me down.

[Farqui]

Someone recently mentioned that the HU will play DVD's when you are parked up, in Accessories mode.

Not tried it myself and not sure if the comment is applicable to all model/years.

[Nickyt211]

lol that's great I'll give it a go. 

Does anyone know if the wing mirrors fold in on locking the car? 

[Neil E]

Lexus are very reliable but when they do go wrong the forum can help out and hopefully keep costs down.

Here's an example. If you buy the correct 3 button Lexus key with the module (second hand) it can be transferred into a blank and cut by any decent locksmith. Many can also programme them but it's quite expensive. There is a DIY sequence that can be followed to re-programme it to your car. The instructions are below but the video might make it easier to follow. I've done this a few times with different models. I can't remember if there are any subtle differences between the models but I think this should work. With luck it will be about £40 total.

KEY PROGRAMMING:

REMOTE PROGRAMMING: 

1. Close and lock all doors. Unlock and open drivers door. 
2. Put key into ignition and remove. Do not turn it on.
3. Using the electric lock switch. Lock and unlock 5 times. (Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock)
4. Close and open drivers door.
5. Using the electric lock switch. Lock and unlock 5 times. (Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock, Lock, Unlock)
6. Put key into ignition. Turn to "ON" , turn off and remove.
7. You will see the door locks cycle by themselves.

If the door locks do not cycle (lock and unlock) by themselves then the car isn’t in programming mode and you must start over.

8. On the remote, press and hold the LOCK and the UNLOCK button at the same time for no more than 2 seconds.
9. On the remote, press the LOCK button for no more than 1 second.

AT THIS POINT, the locks should cycle by themselves ONE time. This means the procedure was accepted.
IF the locks cycle twice it has failed.
The most common reason for programming failure is because the car didn’t receive a good signal from the remote. To fix this problem try these tips. 1) Stand outside of the car while you are performing steps 8 and 9. 2) Don’t hold the remote buttons down as long.
As long as the car is still in programming mode you can keep trying steps 8 and 9 until you complete the programming. If you wait too long and the car exits the programming mode then you must start over.
After you get the remote to program then continue on with step 10.
10. Close and open door to end programming procedure.

1. Insert an already programmed master key into the ignition. Do not turn.
2. Press and release the gas pedal 5 times. 
3. Press and release the brake pedal 6 times.
4. Remove the key from the ignition. 
5. Insert the new key you want to program into the ignition.
6. Press and release the gas pedal one time.
7. Wait 1 minute. The security light will be blinking for this one minute. When it stops blinking your key is programmed. To end programming step on brake one time.
NOTE: Look for your security light. This light will guide you during the programming procedure. The security light will go off at Step 1. It will remain off until Step 6. The security light will come on and start to blink after Step 6 until the key is programmed. If the security light comes on after Step 4 STOP the procedure and start over again. 
If you perform this procedure too slowly your car will not go into programming mode. If you can not get your car to go into programming mode make sure you are using a master key and not a valet key. If you have a master key then you will probably need to perform this procedure more quickly.

The SEL with rear screen entertainment package can play DVDs but I'm not aware that any of the other models do.

The mirrors can be set to auto dip in reverse gear (flick the left/right mirror control button to the right) but I'm not sure if there are any C-best settings for auto folding when the car is locked. There is an auto switch on the later models. I just do it with the manual switch if required.

 

[sorcerer]

With the greatest of respect to Neil, I'm not sure if those instructions are for the RX300 - ours involves a lot of opening and closing the driver's door but no pressing of any pedals and using the lock button if I remember correctly (although it was about a year ago that I did this, so sincere apologies Neil if I have got it wrong). Have a look at this previous topic I started a while ago:

 

[rayaans]

21 hours ago, Nickyt211 said:

lol that's great I'll give it a go. 

Does anyone know if the wing mirrors fold in on locking the car? 

The mirrors wont fold in on these - remember it first came out in 2003!

However, it can be done from what I remember but not sure if its really worth the outlay

[Nickyt211]

Ok so does that mean In theory that I could buy a second hand Lexus key off eBay. Get someone to cut a new key blade for it. Then I could program it myself? To work the immobiliser and central locking etc? It would save me a lot of money if it would work.

[Neil E]

On 6/2/2017 at 8:22 AM, sorcerer said:

With the greatest of respect to Neil, I'm not sure if those instructions are for the RX300 - ours involves a lot of opening and closing the driver's door but no pressing of any pedals and using the lock button if I remember correctly (although it was about a year ago that I did this, so sincere apologies Neil if I have got it wrong). Have a look at this previous topic I started a while ago:

 

@sorcerer Ah! apologies, thanks John, yes I copied and pasted the wrong notes.   You are quite right. Which way to the headmaster's study?

I would like to claim that I was distracted 'elsewhere' on the complexities of dropping a 5 litre 2UR-GSE into an SC430 chassis but I'm sure the mods will dismiss my plea for leniency on the grounds of it being another far-fetched fantasy story. As punishment, I'm probably going to be locked up for a long 'stretch' in the V8 forums where I belong, with the other tearaways. 

13 hours ago, Nickyt211 said:

Ok so does that mean In theory that I could buy a second hand Lexus key off eBay. Get someone to cut a new key blade for it. Then I could program it myself? To work the immobiliser and central locking etc? It would save me a lot of money if it would work.

@Nickyt211Yes it does in theory and in practice. Just follow John's procedure.

 

[sorcerer]

13 hours ago, Nickyt211 said:

Ok so does that mean In theory that I could buy a second hand Lexus key off eBay. Get someone to cut a new key blade for it. Then I could program it myself? To work the immobiliser and central locking etc? It would save me a lot of money if it would work.

Yes it probably does. This guy on Ebay will supply a new blank key and cut the blade to a photograph of your existing key. You then need to find a secondhand key complete with transponder (you may have to open your existing key to read any markings on the transponder to make sure it's compatable).

You may also need to buy a Mini-VCI cable from eBay too, so that you can run the software to program the immobiliser side of things - only about £20 and very handy to have for future needs.

 

[sorcerer]

On 29/05/2017 at 7:41 PM, Nickyt211 said:

I'll have a look at cars4you for the mats. The car already has the boot liner in it which is great. With the load cover and I'll definitely get these led lights are they w5w for the reverse lights then? What about the other rear lights which type are they? Are they simply a straight swap fitting. Thanks 

Sorry, I missed this earlier on. No - they are the same base as w5w but the LEDs I linked to are w16w and are indeed just a straight swap but you'll have to take that shroud off first. I don't know about the other exterior lights as I haven't replaced any of them (yet). Remember that LEDs are polarity-conscious, so if they don't work first time just turn them round and they will.

[sorcerer]

Seems to have gone quiet Nicky. Hope you got it alright and nothing's wrong with it - I thought we'd have had an excited post from you by now 

[Spacewagon52]

How are you finding your car?

[julian1969]

If you are looking for some decent cheap tyres I've just had a pair of Event Semita tyres fitted at ATS for the princely sum of £137, I bought the car with these fitted already and have to say they tick all the boxes for me - good grip wet or dry, decent wear characteristics, quiet and comfortable so I replaced with the same.

I have to say I've had pretty decent results from 'budget tyres' in the past and never been effected by their so called ditch finding tendencies so from experience I tend not to pay for 'name brands' any longer.

 

 

[Nickyt211]

Heya here's an update,  my car wasn't ready last Saturday, Apparently the garage couldn't get the abs sensor till yesterday as it needed to be ordered from Lexus, and now they are backed up with other cars. So after a few phone calls I'm hoping to be picking it up this Saturday, just feeling let down at the minute as it seems like a large reputable trader. But not been communicating very well. :(

[Spacewagon52]

Let us know how you get on please.

[sorcerer]

Good luck for tomorrow then Nicky

[Nickyt211]

Right they have changed the abs sensor and the light is still on so they said it probably a wiring fault, they need the auto electrician to look at it and he's away till Wednesday :( so no car. We are getting fed up now as we have waited 2 weeks already. I just really like that car. 

[rayaans]

51 minutes ago, Nickyt211 said:

Right they have changed the abs sensor and the light is still on so they said it probably a wiring fault, they need the auto electrician to look at it and he's away till Wednesday :( so no car. We are getting fed up now as we have waited 2 weeks already. I just really like that car. 

Sure the Fuse hasn't just blown?