GrahamG

I agree completely. You can spend hours reading about this on the the USA club forum but will come to the same conclusion.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

If the noise is worse turning left doesn't that suggest the offside front bearing is suspect? When turning left the load on the offside is increased, not the nearside.

I would appreciate any clarification on this question of replacing air struts in pairs ie both on the same axle. I know of individual struts being replaced singly by Lexus main agents so I am confused to hear that Lexus recommend renewal of pairs.

With these air struts you cannot assume when one fails that the others are also about to. Their service life seems to be any where from 60,000 miles to the lifetime of the car and their only good quality is that they can be renewed singly. After reading the very mixed results on the USA club site of departing from Lexus suspension I would never take the risk with such a major component.

At risk of sounding like a school prefect, the carrier bolts should be renewed with the discs and all bolts need tightening with a torque wrench. If you do not need a torque wrench you would not be asking advice. Noises from brakes may be associated with shims and that is one reason I recommended watching Youtube videos to establish if they are all present and in correct order. Please be careful, if my brakes were making any noise after servicing I would be terrified.

Have you checked on Youtube? I replaced my rear discs and pads but only after studying the available videos. Good luck

The reason I intend to keep my RX350SE long term is that I consider it virtually bullet proof. This is just an opinion of course and is based on a number of factors including the lack of rust on my particular car and lack of air suspension. From my extensive research on the USA club site where there are many more of these cars the only common sources of terminal failure are rubber pipes to an engine oil cooler which my car does not have and another rubber oil pipe up to the VVTI on each bank of the V6 which I have had renewed as a precaution. Their cars also suffer from steering rack failure which is unknown to Lexus Guildford and does not seem to occur with our RHD cars. The other preventative maintenance item I have had done was a new water pump fitted when other work was carried out under guarantee. If it blows up in my face tomorrow I promise to let you know.

I would be tempted to leave the rear seat in place and Dremel an opening under the cover to allow access..

My 06 RX350SE has now 60k miles and no rust whatsoever. Each summer I put it up on a lift and inspect underneath and it resembles a two year old car. The history of the car looks like southern England although not always far from the coast. Strangely the underside is only partly covered with a thick goop and much of the metal appears to have minimal surface protection but it is simply pristine. Also water had been entering inside the cabin at the very back and was only apparent when the plastic storage bins were removed but there again the metal had no rust. I would inspect any RX for rainwater ingress caused by a variety of reasons documented on this site. Have heard of RXs suffering from rust but do not know if salt on the roads up north is the culprit. This is a big subject but I have come to the conclusion rust can affect two identical cars with similar usage to very differing degrees. I had a very low mileage '95 LS 400 and no Lexus enthusiast could believe the excessive rust under that car. I believe you need to crawl underneath with a strong torch and inspect each car on its merits.

Looks like full marks to me. Thanks for taking the trouble to provide all this information. Have you considered renewing the ATF?

Dave, what was the colour of the fluid, how black was it? Any burnt smell? How many miles on the car? Does your car have an ATF dip stick? The face lift model does not. Bet you wish you had not boasted about your work on the car now you have all these nuisance questions.

Dave, could we have some details of your trans oil cooler please, any photos or components used? I will not be the only one interested in how you have dealt with this thorny problem. Well done grasping a nettle I have shied away from.

I envy you not having the air suspension and agree about the silly bells and whistles.

Is it not the on/off switch for the smart key locking system? On my facelift LS430 there is such a switch and switching off reduces battery drain.

Could I suggest you take it to any battery retailer and have it tested under load free of charge. I have such a tester and have used it only a couple of times over many years so would not advise buying one. Have just realised my CTEK intelligent analyser/charger although not applying a load does analyse and gives a verdict on the condition of a battery. Have two of these and definitely recommend having one especially as they are designed to be left connected long term and the battery does not have to be disconnected from the car's circuit.

By handle I mean that which you grab hold of to raise the boot. It runs horizontally above the number plate and consists of the release switch to open the boot a key lock and perhaps a light to illuminate the number plate and perhaps the rear view camera.

Paul Frost might know for sure if the doors are identical. Rustbusters of Spalding have an enormous amount of information on rust on their website. Phosphoric acid is the most common rust converter but the rust will need to be mechanically removed and then the acid treated surface primed and painted, not a simple task. The doors rust where the plastic studs holding on both the upper and lower decorative horizontal strips pass through the steel skin of the door. To see how bad remove the inner door card which is not difficult if you watch videos on Youtube referring to door lock failure. You will want to inspect the rear doors as well. From your photos the rusting is bad. The lower door strip comes away attached to the plastic panel which is secured by plastic studs and double sided foam tape and is not difficult to remove. The common boot rust site is around the handle where the handle component 'rubs' against the boot panel.

Rob, excellent diagnosis and perfect cure. We salute you.

Nick, does your 6 month check involve undoing the union to the radiator or is it just an external eye ball?

For a simple answer to your question look on the RAC shop website. They used to offer two quality grades of battery and come to your home and fit it with a guarantee that is worth something. Otherwise they will deliver to a garage of your choice. At least learn from them the makes they are selling and the size for your car. They used to sell two different qualities of Exide but were changing over to Varta a good German make.

On the USA owners club site you would be advised to apply Honda Shin-Etsu silicone to all your seals. It is expensive, about £20 a tube, but can now be bought here. Silicone is good for all rubber/plastic seals and there are numerous reports of old cars becoming much quieter when seals become softer, more subtle and simply fit better.

Shirish, you will be welcome back. Let us know how you get on with the Jag.

Youe car has passed its MOT just as my '95 Mk 3 passed with advisories, 'severe rust affecting rear sub frame'. Took it to another MOT inspector and he hit the frame hard with a solid billet of steel. 'Forget the rust raining down, listen to the metal ringing', this is not a failure. I made a mistake by getting rid of that car which could have served me for a couple more years, it was just the sight of the rust at the back that spooked me.

My '06 RX350 eats ignition coils like Smarties. Have ordered Denso coils [OEM] from Rock Auto USA at half UK price, about £57 total each. There is a You Tube video showing easier access to the rear coils by removing the windscreen wiper assembly which my mechanic tried and agreed was worth while.