ColinBarber

I wouldn't expect the need to turn it on every time. The A/C system should be in Auto mode, then enable concierge. Does the system still work even though the icon isn't highlighted - i.e. do the seat heaters come on? I wonder if part of the system is disabled, e.g. because a passenger not sitting in the seat, so the icon goes out but the remaining systems are still working.

Can't you do USB or via Internet? You certainly can on the IS300h Premium Nav.

Can't say I've made an effort to find one but I understand it is a very rare combination.

To my knowledge warranty dates have not been extended, only breakdown cover. I'd ignore anything your dealer says, Lexus GB or the warranty administrators are the only people who can give you the official status of your warranty.

Do you have a Lexus extended warranty? That forces you to have a service at a Lexus dealer to maintain the warranty.

You will struggle to find info related to 1999 RX300 in Europe as it didn't launch until late 2000. The Harrier was available from 1997 in Japan. It seems the 2.2 and 3.0 Harriers shared the same shocks in Japan from 1997 to 2000. The European ones use a different part - probably because the suspension stiffness is different rather than being physically different but is difficult to say for sure.

Obviously the RC F is based on the RC chassis which itself is a GS series IV front end, series II IS Convertible mid and series III IS rear. Using different sections doesn't inherently make it heavy, they aren't cutting up three chassis and welding them together with extra plates of steel, however they purposely designed the chassis and body to be stiff which has made it somewhat heavy. I assume the IS convertible mid chassis was used because that would have a lot of strength in it to compensate for no roof, but would also be heavy. The GS front rather than the series III IS was used to make it easy to fit large wheels and the series III IS rear was the natural chassis choice for the RC and has wheels far back and low overhangs to help make the wheelbase as long as possible. Lexus claim most of the weight of the RC is due to the passive and active safety design - wanting to get the 5* NCAP rating.

I'm all for people doing things themselves, part of the reason LOC exists, and would encourage people to have a go, and if it was to replace a pollen filter then everybody should try, but replacing a battery does come with some risks as it is a store of a lot of energy and contains dangerous chemicals. Therefore I don't advise pressuring people to try it as their first DIY job. Disconnect the +ve terminal first and touch the spanner against some metal work could result in the spanner welding itself to the vehicle, burning a hole right through the bodywork, burning yourself or the battery actually exploding with the resultant acid going everywhere Putting the new battery in the wrong way around and connecting it up will hopefully just blow fuses but could damage the vehicle electronics - either way added expense and inconvenience Car batteries are heavy, easy to slip when removing it from the vehicle and dropping it causing damage to the vehicle, battery or yourself But there certainly isn't a need to pay a Lexus dealer to do the work. Any garage/mechanic can do that for a fraction of the cost, or find someone to help such as a neighbour or local LOC member etc.

What audio system does your car have, 6 or 8 speaker?

Between 2012 and 2018 the CT grades in the UK were: S, SE, Advance, Luxury, F Sport, Premier. Lexus Europe, and most of the individual countries, use different naming and specifications. I assume partly due to language translation issues and in-country marketing preference.

Lexus GB use the term LED Ambient lighting in all their press material, hence the term is used in all the reviews. Same for Lexus in the US. For some reason they aren't in sync with the manual.

Sorry just noticed you are going wider as well, so it will stick out another 1/4 inch. This site will help you visualise it: https://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=255&aspect=35&diameter=19&wheelwidth=9&offset=55&width2=255&aspect2=35&wheel_size=19&wheel_width=9-5&offset2=35

Stock rears have an offset of 55 mm. The new wheels at 35 would be 20 mm further out, putting a spacer on would push it out even more.

👍 Yes that should work, just make sure quantities stay roughly together so you don't over/under fill. Remember to go through all the gears so all the fluid in the valve body gets refreshed. Yes 😞

In a word, no. The car wants to ideally be in one of two modes - either low revs, in conventional terms the highest gear possible, or at high revs to allow the engine to be at peak power. Outside of one of those two options is less efficient. The virtual gears on the IS300h isn't a great experience, better than nothing which previous hybrids had but really only useful to prepare for overtaking rather than manually driving the vehicle. With each hybrid generation this improves, but the IS300h is now two generations behind that latest designs.

The LED ornamental/ambient lighting is standard on the Takumi grade and part of the Premium Pack you can add to the base grade ES. I don't believe there is an option to change intensity or colour, you can just disable/enable the function via dealer/techstream/carista settings.

Flushing can be bad if you connect a power flusher to the cooling pipes. If you just let the transmission pump out the fluid itself if you start the vehicle for a few seconds, then stop, top up and repeat you shouldn't have an issue. Only use the correct Toyota fluid. Others may be able to advise on the locking issue, but your last point about unlocking with a key is correct - if the alarm has been set then the alarm needs to be unarmed with the fob otherwise opening the door will set it off. Regarding the starter - make sure you don't just have a weak battery before considering the starter. In theory the checking/cleaning the solenoid/plunger should be enough however changing the starter is a major, major job which you only want to do once so best just to swap the thing out so you don't need to go near it again - you will need many gaskets and many hours to do the change so it is both expensive and time consuming.

Yes I think that is it, the flat surface reflects the light differently especially as the paint is metallic.

From a parts point of view your vehicle is a 2003. That is when it would have been manufactured, and even if it was manufactured in early 2004 it would still be to the 2003 specification. By outer do you mean the part attached to the rear wing rather than the tailgate - if so I believe the part codes are: 81561-48060 Left 81551-48060 Right The part didn't change from 03 through end 05. I don't think it changed in the 06 facelift either so potentially the same part was used until the end of 08. Don't get one for the 400h, they are different to the RX300/350. Full part codes here: https://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_E_2004_LEXUS_RX300~330~350_MCU35R-AWAGKW_8111.html

Not much you can do other than to put a silencer in place where the cat was, or put larger silencers on the rear to replace to original ones. The cat plays a part in keeping the noise down. If you were to put a silencer in where the old cat was, you run the risk of someone cutting it out thinking it is a cat 😞

Sounds like it has lost some of its capacity. If you weren't going to leave it longer than 5 days and would use the vehicle for at least a couple of hours a week then you could probably make do with the one you have for a while, probably until the end of the summer - not ideal really. If you replace it then you still need to charge the battery for an hour at least once a week (either by running the vehicle or via a charger) otherwise you will quickly reduce the life of your new battery. Get the battery from Lexus Swindon via courier to save a few £££s, not in stock at the moment though. https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/parts/lexus-is/lexus-is-phase-iii-2013-present/lexus-is-3-engine-service-kits/lexus-is-phase-3-12v-starter-battery/?utm_source=LexusOwnersClubUK&utm_medium=ForumLinks If you have a pulse charger (CTEK, Noco etc) then you could try a repair cycle on the battery. It's all a bit unproven if these repair cycles actually do anything most of the time but can't hurt to try if you have one, or can borrow one.

? They are all the same on the GS F - all hand polished smooth and painted the same colour.

There is a slight disappointment when you have premium nav, set it all up and discover it wasn't really worth the effort as there isn't much you can do. Connected Services however is a feature of the Premium Nav that the standard system doesn't have. Given that you need a phone to provide the Internet connectivity, just use that. There are many different apps and services, all with much more functionality and easy of use, compared to the Lexus system.

Toyota and some dealers have a presence on ebay - it's who you are purchasing from that is important, not the platform you use. Amazon is the same - look who the seller is.

Denso supply the original rad, but they also make replacement products that aren't always of the same quality. Maybe that is the issue found in the US, or there was some old rusting stock somewhere or people didn't use the correct pre-mixed Toyota coolant. In Europe, given the number of RXs sold, I wouldn't be surprised if all the replacement options come from the same factory, possible Denso in Japan. Not sure it would warrant the time to design and manufacture a radiator that would sell in very small numbers, especially as most owners would go to Lexus for an original part.