Rx450h gen4 tow bar

[ron1953]

Hi there everyone

I've just upgraded from a NX 300H to a RX 450h f sport so I can tow a caravan , I done a deal with the dealer and paid £1000 extra for the tow bar .

Like many of you I looked about for something cheaper but there's nothing out there , and the electrics has to go right back to the front of the car one hell of a job

so I left it to the professionals ( so I thought ) has anyone else had one fitted ,and how neat did they cut out the belly pan.

was it like this, see attached.

I personally think they have over done it , leavening massive hole around the fitting leaving it open to the elements.

WHAT DO YOU THINK

Can anyone show me picture of there's so when I complain to the dealer I can show him how it's done properly

[Herbie]

Not quite sure what I'm looking at but it seems to me that they've cut the plastic (or whatever) undertray?

If that's correct then I'm not sure that you really have anything to complain about as the undertrays are there more for soundproofing and reducing wind noise rather than protecting any metalwork or components from the elements.

I suppose it will be noisier when driving now though, and I have to say that they don't seem to have even tried to smooth off the edges, so that's bad.

[ron1953]

The point is that I asked them to be careful and make it so that only the tow hitch point and Electrical plug showed through the rear underbody tray,

most of the things you see in the picture other than the tow hitch connector and 13 pin plug lay below the tray , so there should have been no need to cut them out ,

or such a big holes around the main points

 

[Richard Fixter]

Generally with anything Toyota/Lexus there would be a template for dealer fit parts, so I am guessing they just followed the template? There may well be a reason the hole needs to be so big but it does look sizeable to me .

[2ddesign]

Hi here is a picture of my tow bar assembly fitted by Westfalia Bristol, tow bar is on.

 

[Herbie]

4 hours ago, ron1953 said:

most of the things you see in the picture other than the tow hitch connector and 13 pin plug lay below the tray , so there should have been no need to cut them out ,

or such a big holes around the main points

Maybe the holes had to be so big to allow working in there, I don't know.

[luckyduck]

Hi Ron - I also have a Lexus approved and fitted towbar on my 450h gen4. The tow bar and 13  pin have pre-defined boxes they fit in, and the cutouts should be as close to the edges of the boxes as possible. Mine are very close, they could be even more accurate, but they are close enough for me. Mine was fitted by Lexus Cardiff who were very caring about how things were done.

[PeterI]

3 hours ago, Richard Fixter said:

Generally with anything Toyota/Lexus there would be a template for dealer fit parts, so I am guessing they just followed the template? There may well be a reason the hole needs to be so big but it does look sizeable to me .

As Richard says the installation manuals are on https://www.lexus-tech.eu  in the free owners accessory installation section (although there are two part numbers for the manuals) so you could check what the official docs say, my quick glance suggests there is a decent amount of surgery done.

[ron1953]

Thanks everyone I've looked at the Lexus Tec Diagrams ,  and yes they have gone well over the top and even one there was no need to do at all?

[2ddesign]

The problem is now a lot of road debris/spray will collect under the rear area of extreme large gaps😮!

Hope they sort it out for you!

[luckyduck]

Pictures from my 2016 450h tow bar fitting - quite neat

[ron1953]

Thanks Rob for your pictures , That is what I was expecting ,looks good to me  I just hope this makes them see its been done wrong

So far its got to go back Tuesday for them to look at 

Does anyone know what amount of tyre tread depth you should expect on a £31000 pre owned RX 450h f sport from a main dealer ,they tell me as 

long as it's got 3mm that that's good enough .

What would you expect the 2 front tyre are dated the 17 wks. of 2019  and good ,the 2 rears are date 7 wks. of 2016 and have done 34000+ miles with 3mm of tread

the car wasn't registered till 30 Nov 2016 ? The dealer said that good enough

[2ddesign]

Hi Ron

The sidewalls show a lot of cracking of rubber, that comes with age and sun damage, they look quite dangerous🤔

I think you have a case for replacement tyres with that and only 3mm of tread!

[RgrWynne]

I would not be happy with 3mm tyre tread on a vehicle purchased from a dealer, it might be legal , just , but right on the limit and I would never run my own vehicle below that. The cracking , as already said does not look safe to me, good luck, Roger

[ColinBarber]

cracking on its own isn't dangerous - that is why it isn't cause for an MOT failure, but it shows signs of old brittle rubber which is going to give a harsher ride and more noise than when new, and the cracking could get worth to the point where the carcass is visible which is a safety issue.

I remember when a Lexus used vehicle had to have 5 or 6 mm thread depth to be sold - unfortunately that was 20 years ago and standard have slipped to maintain competitiveness.

[Barry14UK]

I changed my tyres due to cracking and they were not as bad as those and had about 5mm depth but they were the Dunlop ones Lexus usually come with and sounded like a rear wheel bearing needed replacement.  The replacement Cross Climates obviated this noise and gave a much better ride.  Maybe I should have argued for replacements at the time of purchase but the Lexus dealer did reduce the price after negotiation so I did not push it.

Certainly, the sun causes a lot of cracking and I have it in mind to make some hardboard protectors to minimize deterioration as tyres on one side catch a load of sun in the normal parked position.  Interestingly, I have a spare wheel with unused tyre that has been shut away in the boot of another car for over 11 years but there is no sign of any cracking.  This goes to show how well tyres survive when not subjected to sun and light.   

[ron1953]

Hi all

It's nice to know you all agree with me 

As you can see it's not just cracking there is split in the tyre as well.

All i wanted to do was to go and pick up my new car see it looking nice and shiny, valeted inside and smelling nice with good tyres (which surely is one of the most important things on a car ).

But no all I have had is "stress" .if this matter is not resolved I will be contacting Lexus customer services and if they don't resolve the matter I will then go to trading standards.

Someone has to stand up to the dealerships and stop them getting away with poor standards.

Rant over ?  ron

[Britprius]

I have a detachable tow bar fitted to my GS450H ok not an RX I know.
When the bar is not attached the fitting is invisible from the rear of the car. Looking up under the rear of the car there is a square hole in the under tray of 2.5" X 2.5" cut neatly around the cast iron receiver. A hinged flap hides the pull down 13 pin supply socket.
The fitting looks like someone cared about the job they were doing. I cannot say the same for the destruction of the under tray in the pictures provided by Ron. I would ask they supply a new tray cut carefully to the minimum amount required.

John.

[ron1953]

Thanks again everyone for responding to my post

Tomorrow is the big day !

Every time I have brought a car in the past  , I have always been given a 1 years MOT  which indicates to you that the car is in good condition "BUT, NO" the Lexus dealership say as long as it's got 6 months MOT that's they policy .

Even today whether people spend £500 or £31000 they are given a years MOT as part of the sale ?, is this just my Lexus dealerships saving money or not letting buyers see that the car might have some faults with it like faulty tyres etc.

[steve2006]

You can check the MOT history but with a 2016 car there will only be one, maybe 2 tests carried out or take the car for an MOT at your own expense once purchased.

Things like tyres I would expect at least 4mm minimum tread across the width.

What’s the mileage?

[ron1953]

Hi Steve

The mileage is 34500 mls  and I'm sure they are the original tyres on the rear and as I said before the date stamp is 9 months + before the car was registered 30th November 2016

so what does that tell you .

Personally I would be ecstatic if the car had done 28000 mile on a pair for tyres let alone 34500 .

[ron1953]

Hi All

Here is the update on my Lexus RX 450H F Sport, tow bar fitting of the under tray/tyres.

The dealership now have after me standing firm about the tyres decided to fit new tyres, that's after their so called care consultant came out and said ,WHAT' WRONG WITH THEM THEN ,I'D DRIVE ON THEM ALL DAY LONG ON MY CAR !.

It was only after he walked off looking smug with himself ,that I asked my salesman for his name and position that's when the salesman said wait ill talk to the dealership principal , within minutes they changed their minds to fit new tyres and under tray and wash and valet the car properly.

"sounds good" is it me or what , yes they have done a really better job but still  look at the gap behind the toe bar socket box

their said it has been done to specifications , but surely any good fitter would check and see that it's still leaving a big gap

and just not cut so much out  ????  see pic's

I asked for the off cut's minutes after them sending me the pic's so I could fill in the gap , but their seem to have gone with the rubbish already !

Yes I will except it now , but as someone said earlier £1200 is a lot of money for a tow bar you would a least expect a perfect job from a main dealer.