GrahamG

Some have had the devil of a time correctly diagnosing water ingress in the RX. May I suggest some water is directly fed into that sunroof drain to establish that is the source before attacking the roof trim. Good luck.

The disc is clearly version 1 from 2001 and presumably came with the car, so it should work. Might be worth cleaning it and trying a few repeated inserts.

Qamar, what is the date and version of the disc? Has someone inserted a disc that is too recent for the software to process? I might have a disc you could try.

Jay, sorry to rain on your parade but water ingress can be a serious problem with these cars. Search 'water ingress' on here and be pro active to completely solve the problem soonest. At least one owner here had to renew all carpets. Possible suspects include sunroof drains, roof rail attachments, rear tail lights and in my case an ill fitting vent for equalising pressure in the cabin when doors are closed. Have had my '06 RX350SE for four years now from 30K to 55K and would not have anything else.

Thanks Peter, Yours has for me been one of the most fascinating and informative posts of all.

You only need to use a film of this product. I know bikers who just wipe over with a rag and a little spray. It will bleed out from behind rubber seals and cover strips but it does not harm paintwork and just needs to be wiped off. I also use the grease version to coat any vulnerable electrical components eg the ride height regulators on my air suspension.

I had a number of MOT advisories on my '05 LS400 for rusty springs. It would have been much more useful to have been warned of rust to rear sub frame and sills occurring at same time. Springs can be replaced but not main structure. Worth having a look see and throwing any rust treatment at the problem rather than scraping an otherwise good car as happened to me.

For the future you might want to consider a spray of ACF-50 around the rubber strip each summer. It will wick in under the seal and kill any existing rust and prevent further rust which may be important if the rust source is from under the trim. I do this around all windows/doors and deco trims each year. Please do not use WD40 which will promote rust after 40 days.

Vasilis, make sure you actually receive the membership cards, I had to chase them for mine and then make a separate application for my wife. At first when I contacted the AA they had never heard of me so do not rely on a promise from Lexus.

Hello Nick, my '04 came with the same combination of tyres although I cannot remember which way round they were. Although only two thirds worn there was tram lining/nibbling coming through the steering at low speeds [5-15mph] on poor surfaces. Have so far replaced only the fronts with Avon ZZ5s and the steering is now totally smooth. And they are quiet. Others on here have recommended them. Hope your LS430 will give you as much pleasure as mine has given me.

Very well done Dale and thanks for the write up. Are these the BC coilovers or are they Lexus parts? So you removed the ride height sensors and do not have the warning light on?

If anyone knows the minimum thickness for the brake disc/rotors on a 2006 RX350SE it would be appreciated, especially the rear discs. When I google this question get plenty of information but none of it is definitely labelled for my specific model.

The most common failure of the radiator is the seem between plastic and metal which appears to be a weakness on a number of radiators not just Lexus. This of course has nothing to do with the ATF cooler within the radiator. Certainly any lumpiness of the transmission and avoid but then you would do that anyway. What is interesting is the coincidence that the A/C condenser has also been changed. If at the same time as the radiator behind it then why. Buying a car of this age, cost and complexity without a bundle of money to spend on it is always a gamble and for me the anxiety would spoil my enjoyment even when it is running well.

This is the first company I know of to offer rebuilt air struts for the LS430. They are in Florida and sending your exchange part may be uneconomic but by it may still be possible to cut a deal with them, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-LS430-XF40-2004-2006-Front-OEM-REBUILD-Suspension-Air-Spring-Bag-Strut/201916746619?

If the fuel tank had not been left full of fuel I believe there is a danger of condensation and corrosion in the void space above the petrol. Tanks on light air craft are best left topped off for this reason. Petrol over 2 years old will need to be drained and replaced. Perhaps the tyres are flat spotted but if now say 7 years old should be renewed anyway. Before turning the key on that engine I would want some expert advice especially about internal corrosion and lubrication after the oil has had so long to drain down to the sump.

From 'Address' select 'Town' and that gives a number of alternatives including 'Post Code'. It certainly is clunky and has long been criticised for not allowing the full post code.

David, With my '06 RX350 I tried your address and was successful by starting with the postcode [first 6 characters only] then chose List which included Milton Cambs. As soon as I pressed H in Street Name it gave me High Street and finally I selected 22. I always start with post code. Hope that helps.

Please be aware this is not an official Toyota/Lexus bit of kit. There have been reports of similar interfaces being infected and doing nasty things to the car and laptop. I bought similar and had an expert connect up an old laptop for me. His parting words were, 'you are not really going to plug that into your lovely Lexus, are you?' Mine remains unused on a shelf. People do use them but I am completely out of my IT depth. I have been hoping to meet such a person and pick their brains.

I second an examination of the spare wheel well because failure of the boot lid seal is a known problem. Also the drains from the sun roof might be blocked. The RX range has suffered from a number of water ingress problems and if you read their stories of very expensive and frustrating woe it would encourage you to be determined to solve this issue as soon as possible. In all cases the first indication of trouble is unusual misting up of the windows.

To get the full benefit it is much better to have Techstream rather than a simple OBD reader. I would certainly use my Lexus main agent and not expect them to charge too much for a diagnostic check. I would also prefer them to interpret data especially that from the engine running and warming up as opposed to just reading out stored codes.

Have the full techstream codes checked. Perhaps a sensor feeding the main ecu is flakey. Hopefully an expert will be along soon with possible culprits but an oxygen sensor especially if you have an exhaust leak or an engine temp sensor [different from that which feeds the dash gauge] could be playing up. My suggestions may be way off target but it must be worthwhile reading the codes and seeing the readings live as the engine warms up.

Good result. Appreciate the photos.

I wonder how many of these mechanisms fail because the driver assists his exit from the car by pulling up on the wheel while it is moving. Even find myself doing it until I remember how small the motors are, so difficult to blame others who know nothing of the potential failure. Lexus Hull replaced the telescopic motor before I bought my LS430 with 82,000 miles.

There are stainless steel cable ties available in various sizes. I have not used them for this application but should be better than the more familiar plastic version.

About a year ago I was told by Lexus Guildford that there is no central Lexus UK record of services carried out on individual cars. The only commonly held records are amongst Lexus agents who belong to the same ownership group. You would have to know which main agent serviced the car and approach them. In the USA anyone can check official service history for any Lexus from a web site.