Samui10

Cheers Herbie, This looks pretty helpful. You're right in that its sold as part of a larger complete unit rather than just a motor and gear interface. Quoted £300 ish Inc. import tax from Amayama who i've used before. I plan to clean and flush the screwed rod and bushings as best i can, just to be sure its not just really gunked up before i go to the dragging everything apart stages... As i mentioned, with a little outward pressure on the steering wheel i can draw it outwards, so i do have moment, and cant hear any plastic crunching from around the little gear chamber. Hopefully, If i manage to regain quiet and free movement after a good clean and degrease, i'll lub it with white lithium grease and keep an eye on it. Fingers crossed for a cheap fix..... hey ho !! Many thanks for your reply, much appreciated ... G

HI, Anyone ever changed the in/out drive motor on the telescopic steering on an RX350 06'. Seem lots of info/posts online about other models (LS mainly ) but no RX info. Can it be done on an RX. ? Tilt up/down working fine, retracting no problem but the outward extension is very laboured.... steering wheel needs a gentle pull while operating the outward motion. Ive stripped off the plastic steering housing and cleaned and lubed the screwed drive rod top and bottom ends. (I've did this regularly over the last 5 to 6 yrs as it grumbled at me every so often, this cured the grumble and returned normal operation). I read somewhere that the carbon brushes can need cleaning and this reportedly has cured similar probs on the LS set up. Is this do-able on the RX set up ? The motor seems to be lacking the torque to extend the steering but is adequate to withdraw the column. Any info welcomed. cheers G

I do 4-5k miles a year, service every two years now.... i was thinking of K Brown eng in hillington, very near the Infiniti retailer if its the one at Braehead, who has a has a few good reports on here previously for other Lexus work, front alignment comes to mind. Interestingly...just had aircon serviced/re-gased and the garage that did that it advised it wasn't worth having the wifes merc serviced as oil etc was still very clean... she does about 1k per year... as the new iiil wouldnt be any cleaner then whats coming out. (its convertible and we don't see too much sun in glasgow lol !!) so...if your mileage is really low... id go for bi annual. My rx350 has been fine over last four years with two services, lexus Glasgow didn't gripe when i told them what i was doing. I guess it depends whether anything particular is due..ie plugs at 60K etc..

I had a slight issue with the parking brake not fully releasing... effectively driving with the footbrake slightly engaged. After having my rear disc dust covers fitted and brakes serviced, new pins etc... and the parking brake all refitted and cables lubricated. Im about 3-5 mpg better off...on a long run, and maybe 2 mpg around town so. another option to look at. With the power of the RX's...a slight binding with the footbrake is quite tricky to spot unless your really trying, .....ie..select N on a hill ...see if it rolls freely backwards, or D in a slight uphill gradient and it doesnt pull slowly without any accelerator applied. Good luck !

Thats interesting about the pricing, in nov 2014 i was quoted over £400 each from lexus Glasgow and i paid £88 each from Amayama, plus postage and import tax. BTW... From experience, use the parking brake more regularly, seriously, Lexus and my subsequent MOT guy both told me ages ago that the parking brake shoes tend to "bind on" as a result of the lack of/occasional use. Most of us stick in P to park up don't we, no parking brake ! ! Then, when the MOT guy tests the parking brake by stamping it on...it sticks, and fails the MOT...and makes for a real shock when £50 or so doesn't cover the mot this time ... was told this was pretty common with RX's ..maybe with other pedal operated parking brakes too !!! The new cable and parts are pretty costly, if i remember its a kind of two piece Y arrangement.

If i understand you correctly..... The shims fit basically in beside the disc pads inside the calliper, stops vibrations and squeal, the disc shields, are like steel dinner plates that sit behind the rear discs, they also hold all the mechanics of the internal shoes for the parking brake. I have passed a few MOT's with one rotten dust shield. If you remove the rotten bit apparently they can't fail whats not there. If its rusty and flapping then it seems it can be deemed a fail. I got replacements thru amayama trading for a fraction of the price ( from memory around £200 or so the pair I can check back if it helps! ) well worth looking at IMHO... !

Gents....based on Toyota info (with auto trans) the "ECT" button is for the Electronically Controlled Transmission and all it does is adjust the 'normal' shift points to a different RPM range. For the 4Runners it means the shift points are of a higher RPM and thus each gear is held into a higher range of torque and horsepower. Basically it controls the shift points and the torque converter lockup point to a certain degree. This kinda makes sense based on my experience driving mine in prolonged snow, especially in the north of Scoland. For some reason its less noticeable in "non slippy" conditions, when i first got my rx350 i couldn't work out what diff it made, then when in snow...you do actually notice the feel and drive of the car changing. But..given the 25c here in glasgow today.... who cares...Hope everyone gets to enjoy a wee bit of sunshine wherever you are guys ! BTW,,,Chris,..are you still interested in the RX350 that started all of this debate... ! lol

NAh...def no bricks Robert... maybe not relevant.. but i was told a while ago that Range Rovers, Landcruisers (which the RX's share some 4x4 characteristics being basically a very posh Toyota) and the older Shoguns all had 60/40 drive ratio's front to back. This was by a mechanic in my old company who serviced a fleet of Land Rovers, so i believed him lol ! Something to do with reducing potential vibration (due to torque) of front wheel drive up the steering columns...making a smoother steering. Which if you've ever driven a front wheel drive car straight after a rear wheel you notice...especially thru acceleration.... How much truths in that i don't know but it kinda stuck in my head...

i have just done this on my RX350, not sure if the same process but in my experience the squeak becomes a very slow growling sticky movement on the steering wheel as it extends. Ive done this a few times over my 8 to 9 years owning. You should be able to drop the carpeting under the dash, and then ease away the plastic/leather part that butts against it. (if you have this) If its the same as the rx its a self tapper on the rhs behind a clip down cover on the lower edge of the plastic dash L/H/S, remove that. On the door pillar, pull gently away the vertical plastic cover on the upright , just beside the hinges, this should reveal a 10mm bolt which holds the r/h/s of plastic under cover. When this has been eased gently downwards, you can see the screwed rod mechanism that operates the retracting steering wheel. Basically a deep threaded rod that rotates and either extend or retracts depending the direction of rotation. If possible, split the steering column housing, on the rx you can't fully remove this but you can split it enough to get a WD40 Silicon spray straw through to the top of the mechanism. From further down... if you get a very narrow paintbrush 1/2" is ideal...cheap as poss, and dip it in grease, you should be able to reach the screwed rod and re grease it... using the adjuster on the side of the steering column...fully extend and then park the steering wheel while holding the tip of the paintbrush against the screwed rod while operating it a few times to make sure you grease as much as poss.. Not sure how this fits with the IS under dash layout but...hopefully gives you the gist of it ! Should run quicker and much quieter afterwards, worth doing as apparently a very expensive and B of a job to replace a burnt out motor !!

It def runs as permanent 4 wheel drive, not two wheel FWD, not ever. I had this confirmed by a friend (mechanic) who works in Lexus Glasgow. My car (350 SEL) feels more like a 60/40 split to the rear wheels, if you floor it, back end sinks a bit and you can spin the rears (ever so slightly) if you jab the throttle hard n quick. Not sure exactly how the snow button actually does it, but it feels like it electronically (?) locks the diffs. In snow it makes a difference, tho to be fair the general 4x4 system has never failed me in over 8yrs of good old Scottish snow, slush and ice. We had a really bad snow spell about eight years past, about 7 weeks of permanent snow/hard packed ice (especially on the small roads into and around my house) and even on Bridgestones, i never ever got stuck ! I was the only car that drove up its driveway every night, my neighbours X5 couldn't get up the first hill. If you "play" with it in snow without the "ECT snow" button selected, from memory I'm sure the rear tyres will slip first, again very slightly, ...before the other wheels starts gripping and the vehicle moves forward. Hence re-confirming my guess its more a 60/40 split in normal driving. I had a quick look thru my manual (for the 350 SE L) and can't find anything in print defining the rear/front ratio. If anyone has a SEL reading this...remember... ALWAYS to switch the Air Suspension off (little switch right under the dash below the steering wheel, right at the pedals almost) prior to jacking or towing. If you jack it with the air suspension still active the whole car ends up sitting too high as it tries to level itself.

Hi Chris, I got my 350 SEL eight years ago now, it was a year old and a private sale. Much cheaper than Lexus were selling at as the guy was basically looking for a bit more than he'd get trading in against a BMW. Think i got him down to 25k due to its higher mileage.. (16K at 13 months old) now approaching its tenth birthday its at 55k. I'm sure my digging around at that time found all SEL's had the air suspension and ICE entertainment pack, (reversing cam, headrest screens, wireless earphones etc and the Levenson HI FI. I too chose the 350 for the better fuel returns which i found improved again with the change of tyres and using Esso fuel against supermarket stuff. So far tbh the cars been pretty flawless mechanically, including the air suspension ironically till two days ago i welled it over a 3-4 yard stretch of broken road surface and pot holes and sheared the little Height sensor rod, £420 @ lexus, £200 at amayama..! You can't replace the little bar alone as its sold as a complete unit, sensor and all. The only issues I've had are in my eight years owning the 350 SEL the usual foot/parking cable sticking the lack of use ( usually just left in Park and didn't bother with parking brake), The dust covers behind the rear hubs needed replaced. Exhaust was blowing but a S/S sleeve inserted and welded saved a fortune on a very expensive exhaust due to it having two CAT's £25 i think for the repair locally. The Under dash rattles widely mentioned on here, Wearing on the outer edges of the front tyres, despite laser alignment etc, i switched to Good Years to try and get more miles out of them than the bridgestones, Need to keep the brake calliper pins well cleaned and lubed... tend to get sticky otherwise. And my rear o/s height sensor, which to be fair i was told a year past that i had a seized ball joint at the bottom of the rod which i didn't tend to and probably contributed to the shearing off when hitting the potholes. Not sure of this is what you were after but... id say if you have some history on the car and its been looked after well enough...my experience so far withe the 350 del... has been a good one. (fingers crossed and touching wood it stays that way !!) If theres anything else... i might be able to help with...ask away mate ! G PS, re the height sensors...Lexus Glasgow don't hold them as a stock item and are a special order, so that would maybe indicate this isn't as common on the RX as maybe the LS you mentioned... maybe worth a thought if its a big part of your final decision. I do know the Air suspension is a bit firmer on city driving than the coil spring RX's , but maybe better on longer runs... my bro-inlaw has a RX 300, so its a direct comparison... but just my opinion.

HI Guys, Just wondered if anyone can help with a part number for a Power Steering Pipe/tube, just discovered I'm leaking fluid on my RX350 SE-L. Looked on Japan-Parts and I'm looking for the long thin pipe (metal) thats attached to part number 44416, when i google this part it shows just the rubber (thicker) tube on the JP diagram. On the actual car its the pipe that runs from front to back, around 45cm long, just above the engine stone guard behind the O/S front wheel and then turns around 90 degrees towards the N/S wheel. Can i buy just the metal pipe or is it a best to replace the whole pipe system job ? The rest of the pipework looks ok other than just this length for some reason. Cheers G

hi... ok assuming noise levels are no worse than the bridgstones, which are actually ok...just not great wearing....ive seen a few reviews saying the michelins seem quieter (which appealed) and a bit softer ride without losing and feel or confidence. Anyone any experience of the Goodyears...or opinion on which might be the better choice ? Cheers again g

Michelin Latitude Tour HP (£110 plus fitting) Vs Goodyear Efficient Grip (£136 fully fitted) so prob similar costs when fitted.. Anyone experience of either of these on an Rx 350 with air suspension. Need a full set ... so opinions /advice welcome, currently running Bridgestone Potenza's but not getting great wear out of them, time for change ! Michelins rated at 69db and Goodyears at 68db so both considerably quieter than the B/stones. Seen a few favourable reviews of the Michelins but the GY's seem to be even quieter and tyre of the year award 2014.. cheers G

Think that may be it...cant remember it ever being soft opening but when i had a good look before putting it back...i noticed what looked like a spring mechanism within the tube /chamber, Im guessing if i pull like hell it will be long enough to attach to the screw on the back of the glove box and ...act as a damper. Many thanks....