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This is a Land Rover dealer so I wouldn't expect them to know all the details. Technically the Pioneer bit is correct, just not the 10 speaker part. Pioneer head units are used on ML systems - ML don't manufacture or alter those, ML just provide consultancy around speaker placement, and spec the amps and speakers.

Red does look good with the carbon...

2004 face lift with 253k miles. Drives like new 🙂

Now if any one on here should find themselves on this particular piece of driving and riding apparently joyous place 🤗 Keep a look out for this particular Rcf I'm guessing you'll hear it before you see it as it's fitted with an armytrix exhaust........🙉 Big Rat

Yes the 'F' range are a difficult sell, to the uninitiated, personally I love that element of exclusivity, exiting a roundabout only the day before yesterday into a section of road with 4 lanes to join the M5 in seconds I noticed a C63 a pair of C43 an Rs6, all fine cars in their own right but....... well you get my point. So anyway as regards these two Carbons I've checked my photo Archive and found this picture and some information regarding the red car, with that mileage I personally would consider it I have no information it was used other than press staging stills work and dealer demo. Cant find a picture of the Grey car but I know the private reg on it is RD07 TES and it was part exed for a New LC. The mieage is appropriate for the year which it many ways is a good thing, all cars need regular exercise........😏 And maybe the dealer has just reflected this in the price........ nothing strange in that........ other than it must be a world first for a dealer to do that 😂 Big Rat

Hi all, I've been investigating alternatives to purchasing air shocks/struts/bags individually from Lexus at between £700-800 each! Now I've found many suppliers of components but no-one that makes an aftermarket unit or it's constituent components specifically for the RX. Ideally, I'd like to get a failed sacrificial unit to strip down, measure the air bag and shock damper to see if I can contact good suppliers directly (Dunlop, Bridgestone, KYB etc.) and hopefully make a DIY refurb guide. Unfortunately I'm not made of money but would be willing to buy a failed rear unit if anyone has one in their garage? From what I can ascertain, the front units are different air bag "types" to the so there would have to be 2 guides. On a positive note, many people state the system is scary and complicated - before my research started I would have been inclined to agree but the more I learn, the more I see how simple the setups are! The big problems are lack of decent RX information and suppliers. Full aftermarket air strut kits (ie: 2 x Front, 2 x Rear units) for the RX are available at £1200 BUT before leaping into the unknown, I'd like to see if a refurb of the Lexus/Toyota parts are possible to keep things as stock as is possible. If anyone can provide further info, ie: front and rear air bag dimensions, types and if at all possible the original manufacturer (as Toyota/Lexus don't make air bags!) then that would be really useful. Thanks all, Chris

Hello everyone my name is John and I live in south Devon. Last month I acquired my first Japanese car in the form of a 2007 IS220d. I was forced to buy a car because I lost my job and company vehicle due to ill health. I have been a ford and vw man all of my life but have decided to go for something completely new to me. Enter the lexus...the kids love it, my partner loves it and so do I. I know it's not the best engine in the world but I do enjoy a challenge. I will be slowly making it perfect over my recovery time so will be looking for some advice in the near future. John

ok, @Big Rat! It will be a surprise for everybody 🤓🙊🐭

@Cezar B All will be revealed soon...... mind you ive said that before.......anyway not long to wait now. Cant wait to hear that exhaust...... don’t tell this lot what it is your secret is safe with me 🤡 🐀

You can say that again... @Big Rat! All good things come to those who wait... 😇 Hopefully my new exhaust will be fitted by the time the date will be set 😜😁😉

Make sure it doesn't clash with WB4 please!

I’ve never driven a carbon-braked car. My old 996 911 turbo was the last year they still all had steel brakes - my model was the run-out ‘turbo X50’ which the year after became the ‘turbo S’. Maybe I should add a car with carbon brakes to my ‘must drive’ list!

Have you driven a car with carbon brakes though? They aren't exactly great at low speed, feel unusual. TBF Porsche ones are pretty good but the ones coming out of nearly other manufacturer seem to be crap in town.

Thing is, high performance brakes do tend to occasionally squeak/squeal, it’s down to the pad compound and there’s not very much you can do about it apart from changing that compound, or using ever-increasing amounts of copper grease on the backs of the pads. I know Lexus don’t really go for them, but many other manufacturers with 500bhp, 170+mph cars weighing nearly 2 tons, (possibly more with passengers) are offering carbon brakes, probably with good reason. A good stamp on the brakes tends to stop the noise coming from mine, but it’ll return within a few days. Thing is, the brakes are so big, they never really get properly used!

8. Put up with me................... before someone else mentions it

In addition, could I also suggest 1. Attending a course on sheep herding. This will help you get all attendees in the right place at the right time 2. Spending hours on Google maps / YouTube 3. Preparing yourself for some stress 4. Preparimg for the fact that even after days of route planning, and providing implicit navigational instructions (that could be followed by an Albanian goat herder in the dark), some attendees will insist on being sheep like and getting lost 5. Have a great sense of humour 😂 I’ve now organised at least 6 Lexus F driving events and numerous meets. It’s nothing but fun - I promise.......... 🤪

The passenger side bank on mine (2005 3GS), has a slight leak. Want to get it sorted before it becomes a severe leak. The car is 13 years old and has done 145k miles so will get both banks and all spark plug tube seals done at the same time. Lexus Leeds quoted £295. My indy, £136.

Many thanks, Phil, that is very helpful.

In the US Lexus provide full connectivity to most/all of their models, including the Fs. Unfortunately they don't in Europe, maybe due to demand, cost, difficultly of a single carrier agreement - who knows. There is a Wifi hotspot accessory you can have fitted, which the vehicle's infotainment system can attach to. Much easier to just use a phone IMO, and you don't need a second SIM/contract. http://blog.lexus.co.uk/hotspot-brings-wifi-to-your-lexus/

Personally I would bite the bullet, claim and then both vehicles are repaired without there being any hassle in the future. It is amazing how expensive a small amount of damage can be in the wrong area. A scuff on the front bumper and broken fixing clip on my wife's Fiat 500 was almost 2 grand because it was 3 coat pearlescent white paint. The cost of the paint was£400 alone. They did replace the front panel because he said that once it has flexed and stressed the micro crazing might cause problems a couple of years later if repainted. That was claimed on insurance and her premium has remained the same.

I saw the Lexus again going down the hill into Sennen Cove as I was staggering up after a few pints in the Old Success. It was a Thule rack.

I have a few times, but more on my bike. Sit on on one the two benches with a coffee from the little cafe. This week I met a bus going as I was driving to Treen. Bin lorry behind me and with the build up of cars it took quite a while for everyone to reverse.......

Wow, thank you for such a warm welcome. Iam so new to lexus I couldn't tell you what trim level mine would be but it has sat nav, mark Levinson audio, A/C, cruise control, 16' wheels and power folding mirrors also has cream interior with manual seats. This car has nearly 180000miles on it but after an Italian tune up to blow the cobwebs away it runs very well, unfortunately no service book or history so I am starting from scratch. Faults with the car currently is fuel gauge only reading half a tank when full and the handbrake is weak. Fuel economy does seem a little low but I am hoping to raise that with a full service and perhaps a remap aimed towards economy rather than power. The stereo didn't work when I got the car so after opening up the amp and finding a fried mess I bought a replacement from ebay. It sounds amazing now and definitely worth the money. Replaced rear tyres and rear brake pads only to find the handbrake is inside the disc so to help the handbrake out I will need a set of rear discs. I have ordered a genuine lexus full service kit for £60 on eBay Along with some custom fit carshades, the technicians manual for the car and a Bluetooth receiver for the Aux side of the stereo. I do enjoy finding out about a new car and the lexus is full of tricks to keep me occupied for a long time. My aim for this car is to keep it looking stock....except for some hub centric spacers perhaps.

doh, feel like a proper T*T. Should have checked Wikipedia first. Still nice car though.

Flytvr, thanks for quick reply. Just saved me £££££. What was the giveaway? Thought I'd found a rare is-f damn.

My IS 220d is on 177,000. Drives very well and my newest car. Daily a Volvo 940 2.3 LPT auto petrol on 196,000 and a 240GLT auto on 234,000. All run well. James.

Think they just struggle to sell them much like they do with all f cars. Folk are just VERY bought in to the m4 and c63 cars and the rcf doesn’t get a look in. Looked just now and the rcf is only 340lbs heavier than the dct m4. That’s nothing in cars these sizes. Also the m4 and c63 are more tunable so while they can’t lay down the power at all its bragging rights with hp stats.

Renamed Simply Crapanese due to weather 😞 some nice metal out in the elements. Good to meet @SCB albeit briefly

Non carbon with low miles are in budget. Just need the carbon cars to come down a touch now and in white or blue please car gods!

Glad you all enjoyed it. Quick snap on the mobile.

As I exepected. There are subtle differences in shoes' shape for models years and models, as far as I remember. Aftermarket manufactures care not much (Brembo should be ok, but who knows), aftermarket suppliers advert any [censored] care even less. I suggest to find shoes precisely for you car, for example in https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/lexusofficialstore or with any Lexus dealer maybe, this is not very expensive item. Or try to compare old and new shoes for every detail and shape, and adapt new ones if it will be possible.

A week from September 15, we stay just outside St Just.

There is no correct thickness the criteria is the parking brake holds the car on a hill or incline . There are several generic aftermarket suppliers of the shoes and they fit other cars of different makes, so the shoes themselves are not really a priority fit as they are not designed to brake the car as normal shoes would they are simply an holding contact. A new pair have a thickness of approx 5mm

New shoes have about 1/8 inch or 4 mm. John.

Final job recently, one that I didn't have time for at the 60K service was the diff oil change. The hardest part here was getting the car high enough that I can get underneath and also level so I get the right amount of oil in the diff. You will need a 10mm Allen key for both the fill and drain plugs. 2 litres of diff oil and two metal o ring washers for the plugs I also have a hand pump to put the oil in the diff, its a lot easier than messing with bottles and filling spouts. I always undo the filling plug first, no point in draining the diff if I can't get the filler open. both the filler and the drain and on the right hand side of the diff (viewing from the back of the car) the one circled in black is the drain, in yellow is the filler don't forget to clean the magnetic trap at the end of the drain plug put the drain plug back in, fill the diff up until the oil is flowing out of the fill hole and then reinsert the fill plug. its not a hard job to do, just awkward because you are working upside down and dealing with slightly smelly oils. the next big job will be the transmission oil change or the EGR cooler......be back soon

the basic idea behind the front and rear pad change is exactly the same, as is the disc change, the only thing to remember on the rear discs is that you have handbrake shoes, ill come on to that later. i'll start with the pad change as its the more common of the two. Jack the car up and support with axle stands first job is to push back the piston and ensure the sliders move smoothly, I have a set of water pump pliers and a large flat bladed screwdriver. The caliper carrier is held onto the hub with 2x17mm bolts and then there are 2x14mm bolts that connect the caliper carrier to the main caliper body once you have undone the two 14mm bolts you only need to remove the top one, leave the bottom one loose and it will act as a pivot Prise the old pads out, clean up the stainless steel pad springs make sure they are clean to the point of being shiny again, I smear a small amount of copper grease on the flat surface, other people use more specific things like 'padgoo' On the end of each of the old pads is a little curved piece of metal that slides onto the end of the brake pad backing, remember to remove them from the old pads and swap them to the new ones, if you don't you will certainly get pad rattle. Slide the pad into the caliper and put a small amount on copper grease on the backs of the brake pads to stop brake squeal. If you have aftermarket pads you may find them very tight to fit, sometimes the shoulders that sit in the caliper carrier need a little filing down, do it a little at a time until they fit with a small mouth of resistance, don't overdo it. refit the caliper body and do up the 14mm bolts to the required torque, I also use thread lock, again thats a personal preference. Repeat for the other side. Rear pad changes are the same as the fronts except the pads are slight smaller. Disc changes. If you are doing discs then you are also changing pads at the same time, I remove the pads in the same way as doing a pad change, and also push back the caliper, but in order to remove the disc the caliper carrier needs to be removed, this is held on the hub with 2x17mm bolts. once the carrier is removed the disc will not just pop off, it needs to be remove using two 13mm bolts that are screwed into the holes on the disc face it will let go.....eventually and sometimes with a Big Bang!, just be aware of that. I used a couple of old manifold studs to remove mine Clean up the hub assembly where the disc sits, it will allow the new disc to sit squarely on the hub. The rear discs are the same principle except for the rubber grommet needs to be removed in order to gain access to the adjuster mechanism. pop the grommet out and then place the hole at about the 10 to position, shine a light in the hole and there will be the adjuster, in order to back the adjuster off you will need a flat ended screwdriver and you will need to spin the adjuster anticlockwise until the handbrake shoes back off enough to allow the disc to slide over them. readjusting the shoes is the reverse of this, its a bit of trial and error, I try to set them up so theres a bit of drag but not too much, it took me a few attempts to get the right. whilst I had all my brakes apart I decided to repaint them all, first job was cleaning them all, I use trolls breath to get rid of the worse of the brake dust etc leave it to soak in for 5-10 mins and then agitate it with a small brush, then wash off with warm water, it works very well. I stripped the caliper carriers off the car and painted them on the bench the caliper was don't on the car, I didn't want to get into the joys of having to rebleed the brakes, I also took the time to really clean the pad springs a couple were damage so had to be bent back into place. then reassembly, caliper carrier all fitted up and ready to go at the same time I had cleaned the inside of the wheels, getting rid of 60K miles worth of crud and brake dust, sadly I didn't get any pictures of that I am really pleased with how they came out, the callipers now stand out a little and don't look all rusty and crappy

So blue is the new silver?

All good no leaks thanks

Mine is a 07 plate auto, with 73k on the clock. I do short journeys alot and live in London. I still have the original oem exhaust with no issues to date.

Thanks. Your wife may prefer a wide beam. More space. I have a residential mooring which costs £585 a quarter based on 50ft length which isn't bad. Boat licence £795 a year if paid in full. Boat insurance £150 and Boat safety every 4 years £150. Water included in mooring fees and electric by card. Max power available on bollard is around 3.5kw. I have all mod cons like washer/ dryer, dishwasher, and central heating from stove or webasto. Every 2 years have the boat taken out of the water and the hull painted. £9 per foot length. James.

80k miles and just over the border into Scotland after a great run from London

“At last”😁 got SatNav on my NX300h Lux (purchased Dec 17 – latest spec) more or less fully functional as it should be, especally phone / internet coupling etc – following another software update last week. Well done to Lexus Exeter, they had sent one of their engineers on a two-day + course, who was brilliant. Sat in car for 75mins to work it all out. Wow, what a job, both of us learnt a lot. Getting the phone and car settings correct was fun!! The road traffic and other info downloads very fast. Some of the things you can do with the SatNav are mind blowing, but you’ll need a training course, a good memory and patience Lexus you make great cars (on my 5th) Please would you make this SatNav “user friendly” Lexus Exeter service team has been excellent.

I love this post, I know I'll be doing this sometime in the future, and info on where to buy all the parts for the refurb?

Hi bben offered a complete air strut for my 2003 rx his came of rx350 2006 does anybody know if they fit ok look slightly different on pic but seem basically the same also anybody breaking a rx need front air tube to strut or at least connector to strut and a foot or so tube many thanks Richard

Hi, thank you for the info Bilmac! I have actually seen some videos for compressor repairs Mr Bagpipes has on YouTube so am aware of him and his Audi. The little project I have to retrofit a common type of airbag/spring to used lexus air struts is on hold until we are out of winter, then I intend to do a proper write-up for the site. I consider myself lucky I managed to get a full set of air struts in pretty good condition from an RX owner who's compressor went and he changed his car to coils. The ones I pulled off my RX were pretty shocking (pardon the pun!) but will make great Guinea pigs for my Franken-strut approach. :) I will also look at writing up changing out the top-mount bearings on air struts as the parts are less than £50 but Lexus won't let you do that and want almost £1200 for a whole strut with mount! Tanks again!

Just had a thought, I wonder if replacing the Lexus connector on the strut with a universal £2.19 "push to connect" fitting could work? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BSP-Female-Thread-Metric-Push-Fit-Pneumatic-Water-etc-/121183198969?var=&hash=item1c3714def9 That way you can chop off the standard fitting at the brass tube and just push he existing hose in to the new fitting...

More pics, after painting & siliconing... Bear in mind that these struts were only half as bad as the ones from my car and if yours are as bad as the ones I removed a few posts back in this thread, then I would recommend they are beyond refurbishing due to the sheer amount of metal you will have lost due to the infernal rust... However, this whole project for me was just to tide me over until I concoct a way of rebuilding the strut using some of the original OEM strut and aftermarket "bag over strut" air bags, so stay tuned!

Right so an update for those interested! Everything bolt wise and chassis wise on the Lexus RX is made from cheese (and not the good kind). My conclusions from refurbing a not so bad second hand air strut is that the struts don't fail easily and the design (if expensive) is actually very sound. The element that lets it down, is not the actual air bellow/Spring/bag but the metal or lack of treatment that causes the strut to disintegrate over time. First, let me scare you a little if you have a 10+ yr old RX SE-L (see pics) this can only be attributable to a part designed deliberately to fail once it hits a certain age. Decent treatment or paint could have avoided this! My original strut (offside rear)...

So, after many hours over a few weeks, I've found the following pics on a Russian website (2drive(blocked word), I believe). The following are the only pictures of air struts I have been able to find to show the anatomy of the components. Toyota will sell (as separate items) the two rubber components that fail/perish over time and miles, a rubber "cover" and a "rolling sleeve diaphragm" both parts sourced together are approx £150 per corner. There was a lot of debate about how to affix the replace the rubbers as it appears the lower (and possibly upper) ends of the rubber sleeve are crimped and/or bonded onto the strut itself. Unfortunately comrades, my Russian sucks!! Here are the pics (most likely for the first time on an English/US website!):

I think all air setups will wear over time (just like normal shocks & springs) but have more components and most bits are very expensive to replace. I think trouble is most mechanics, including the Lex dealers, are a bit clueless when it comes to fault finding air suspension issues and like to replace multiple bits hoping to eventually stumble across the failed part at some point (or until customer can't afford the "fault finding" process any more!) I know mine is currently giving message c1751 in an error code which means something like "compressor circuit continuous current". So, let's swap out the air compressor for £1300, eh? Simple fix or so it would seem? When I reset the code, the compressor and solenoids work fine! Odd that! So, what could the cause be then? When looking at each air strut, I had one that loses air almost as quick as it is put in by the compressor (most likely a split/tear in the air bag on the strut now it's 12yrs old and 108k miles use). This causes the air compressor to be run longer than it's programmed "safe" value of 99seconds (to protect it from overheating and breaking, good job when they are that expensive!) and log the c1751 error. The suspension computer then disables the air system for 10 mins or 3 engine starts, warm ups and then shut downs, before re-enabling the system to see if the fault remains (weird terrain and other issues may have caused the error rather than something breaking/wearing out). If the fault persists, the air system is then disabled for 70mins of continuous driving or another 3 start/warm up/shutdown cycles. As all of my struts are not currently holding the air pumped into them, the compressor doesn't get a signal from each wheel height controller to the compressor saying "I have enough air thanks, I don't need any more, you can turn off now", the poor compressor stays on until the computer freaks out at the 99 second count and shuts it off. My current frustration is sourcing replacement air bags for the struts. A £100 repair for almost all air suspension cars except my RX as Lex will only sell the whole strut (which includes strut tower, shock absorber and air bag) for £600-800 depending whether front or rear (fronts cost more)... I haven't found out who makes the bag component for Lexus struts so can't source a replacement that way (yet, maybe!) but a lot of household name companies (Bridgestone, Dunlop, Firestone etc) make air bags... The above also holds true if your air bags are fine and a shock absorber has failed (leading to ride problems) - the shock absorber cartridge or whatever you call it on a normal car setup would just be replaced for a few quid, but on the air suspension the KYB shock part/model is not listed, so you've guessed it, gotta replace the whole air strut! (Hey, at least I know KYB make it, so there is some hope!!) Sorry if I have bored you all! Chris.