Mysterious button on the dash.

[DJ Les]

I have a mysterious button on the lower drivers side of the dash. It's not documented in the manual and there's no indication on the dash of what it is/does, I haven't a clue.

It lights up with the other dash lights. It is spring loaded and seems to be a toggle for something. Holding it in there is two audio bleeps and, if lit, the light goes out. Hold it in again then there is a single bleep and it lights up again. I've watched the dash while switching it on and off and there's nothing visible happening. Anybody have a clue? Afterburner power switch perhaps. 🤣

 

[Texas]

Gotta say that looks very aftermarket and not Lexus factory fitted. So what kit is on your car that is aftermarket as such ie Towbar etc?

Do you have the Multimedia player in your car ie you can play DVD movie discs onto multimedia ( Sat-Nav,Audio,Climate,Phone interface) dash-screen? 

If yes then previous owner ( and I'm assuming there was a previous owner because this switch is not OEM and you would know about it if you had car from new!) may have performed the DVD hack whereby disabling the speed sensor feed and shorting the handbrake connection to the ICE head unit allows DVD movies to be viewed while the car is in motion, and this switch may control that hack!

Paul m.

[Herbie]

It may be a switch to toggle on/off the parking sensors. I seem to remember previous posts on here saying that they were a dealer option, not a factory fit.

[Texas]

2 minutes ago, Herbie said:

It may be a switch to toggle on/off the parking sensors. I seem to remember previous posts on here saying that they were a dealer option, not a factory fit.

If that's the case then it should be quite easy to test it and find out in a nice safe place!

paul m.

[DJ Les]

20 minutes ago, Herbie said:

It may be a switch to toggle on/off the parking sensors. I seem to remember previous posts on here saying that they were a dealer option, not a factory fit.

Hang on, two minutes..........

........... yep, enable/disable the front parking sensors. That solves that problem, I noticed the front parking sensors on the Autotrader picture before I bought it. Didn't realise that it was a dealer fitted option. 

[Connoisseur]

Got this on my RX350 also. I was helped by the separate Lexus parking system user manual being included in my book pack. I like that I can turn the front system off by pressing and holding the button, and it automatically resets to on next time ignition is turned on....

[Connoisseur]

This is the user manual I have........

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Lexus-Rx300-350-400h-LPA-800-Parking-Aid-Genuine-Pz464-k0425-00-Pz464-00421-ab/1515839625

 

 

[DJ Les]

Yes, I have that manual along with the RX400H Owners Manual, Navigation System Owners Manual and a Lexus CD. Also a Lexus Pre-Owned Vehicle File from Lexus Swindon Centre.

There's also an In-Car Entertainment Manual specific to the rear DVD player and screens on the rear of the headrests (Still haven't tried a DVD in it).

 

[Connoisseur]

Ah, ok. Was confused as I read it as not being found in the manuals you have.......

Front sensors most useful for me; rear camera is sufficient when reversing, though a little frustrating at how far it can sometimes leave you away from the object😅

[Herbie]

20 minutes ago, Connoisseur said:

rear camera is sufficient when reversing, though a little frustrating at how far it can sometimes leave you away from the object

Put a cardboard box/traffic cone/empty bucket (or something else that won't damage the car) on the driveway, and reverse up to it to the point where the red line on the display appears to be touching said object then get out and measure how far the car still has to travel before actually touching it.

Alternatively, if you find it difficult to judge inches, get someone to tell you the moment you actually make contact and look at the screen to see how far beyond the red line you've gone.

Either way, you'll soon get used to judging the point where you need to stop.

[DJ Les]

3 hours ago, Connoisseur said:

Ah, ok. Was confused as I read it as not being found in the manuals you have.......

Front sensors most useful for me; rear camera is sufficient when reversing, though a little frustrating at how far it can sometimes leave you away from the object😅

Although I read it in the manual a couple of weeks ago I had not recognised this button as what the manual meant. Mine does not have a green light as mentioned in the manual, mine is a white light the same as all the other dash lights. Also its low position, almost out of sight. No problem, sorted now.

[welland]

11 hours ago, DJ Les said:

Yes, I have that manual along with the RX400H Owners Manual, Navigation System Owners Manual and a Lexus CD. Also a Lexus Pre-Owned Vehicle File from Lexus Swindon Centre.

 

Although I knew that parking sensors were not factory fitted to the rx400h, and I knew they were dealer fitted, I didn't anticipate that they were a Lexus kit.  This makes it very strange that they were not available as a factory fit option.  

So, has anybody tried fitting this kit?  Does it just plug in, without cutting any wires? I wonder how much work is involved.

[DJ Les]

When I bought the car last month I assumed (wrongly) that the rear parking sensors were factory fitted and the front parking sensors were an add-on. I also have the reversing camera and thought the rear parking sensors were just an added safety feature.

After re-reading the manual (written in 17 languages) it seems to be a complete kit, LPA 800. I remember being surprised when I bought the car that there was such a thick manual dedicated to the parking sensors. The English part is 11 pages, the full manual is 155 pages. It mentions, Quote 'Please contact your installer(*) for more details about the detection zone of your vehicle. (*) "Installer" means Lexus authorised dealer or repair agent or other appropriately qualified and equipped expert'. I would assume the same kit would be available for all the different models in the Lexus range.

Glad I have the kit fitted, I've got into some very tight parking spaces with the aid of the sensors (it's a big car). My partner almost has a heart attack when the sensors go off when parking in said tight spaces lol.

[Connoisseur]

4 hours ago, welland said:

Although I knew that parking sensors were not factory fitted to the rx400h, and I knew they were dealer fitted, I didn't anticipate that they were a Lexus kit.  This makes it very strange that they were not available as a factory fit option.  

So, has anybody tried fitting this kit?  Does it just plug in, without cutting any wires? I wonder how much work is involved.

The cars I was looking at prior to purchase did not have this kit so I researched buying it off eBay and getting it fitted. Difficulty wise I’d put the job as medium, the real issues just being time required and the bits of the car requiring dismantling. The cables are mostly plug and play, with little splicing, and the instructions are clear and comprehensive. The biggest job is using the supplied templates to hole cut the bumpers. If you want to know more pm me an email address and I’ll send you a pdf copy of the manual so you can see the nature of the job. Of course if you buy the kit then you could always get it installed professionally.

If you decide to buy off eBay make sure you get the full kit including all 8 sensors. Have seen some that are sans sensors, which on their own are circa £70 each to buy. Buyer beware

 

hth

 

Michael

 

[Rx400hse-l08]

It is exactly that the parking sensor switch it is either placed by dealer near the mirror switch or near headlamp washer in middle if purchased as am option or if aftermarket anywhere like yours