ChrisKaye

Merry Chrimbo all! Wishing you all health and happiness! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Only worth doing (or at least paying to have it done) if it's a requirement of any existing hybrid powertrain warranty you may have left! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click Online Subscriptions and choose the option you want; it says up the top that electrical wiring diagrams are included but if in doubt, send them and email (address in FAQs section)... Can I ask what spec machine you are using as I cannot find one that works with the website and allows me to click 'submit' to login! I may have to break out a really old laptop I have to see if that works :S Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it's an official Lexus accessory, you can download a guide free at www.lexus-tech.eu You can also log in and for a massive 3 euros access any Lexus tech docs for 1 hr and download wiring schematics as PDFs. BUT I've been trying to do this recently and haven't been able to get the website to work as it is really finicky and presumably wants a Windows XP machine with Internet Explorer 8....!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Replacement part has arrived in good condition, I'll post some updates soon. Looks like a lot of bits will need to be unbolted to remove it (possibly the rear diff will need to be dropped a few inches). Having a devil of a time locating any owner write ups for this sort of thing especially torque settings for putting things back together -eek- I may have to subscribe to Toyota/Lexus online repair manuals for a day or two to retrieve the info I need, so will keep you posted! On a plus point, according to my 8 yr old, the car will float without any rear wheels and he reckons the job is easy enough with a couple of big screwdrivers and an electric drill, so happy days!! :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My bonnet strut is very weak at the moment - any one know how much for a replacement? Ta! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If your sensible there won't be any lasting damage. Without air in the struts, when a wheel bottom outs on a pothole or bump, the top of the strut hits a heavy duty plasticy/rubbery bung designed for taking knocks. The longest journey I did was from Windsor to Dorset with mine playing up, all you can do is avoid as many bumps as you can! The worst bit with a bad strut is that it feels like the tracking is off and the car pulls to the left or right, increased tyre wear and the car feels less sure footed when braking or going around tight turns, so leave plenty of space between you and other cars. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Found supplier on eBay; £150 plus £25 delivery. Part looks good with very light surface rust in places so should clean up nicely with little effort. Should be delivered today but no sign or word from the courier yet.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm sorry but I don't know! Do you know what might have caused it to stick shut? I.e.: soft drink dribbled into the catch or a loose tissue causing it to bind? Only thing I can suggest is something smooth and flat like a butter knife to prise up right by the catch after you push down to release the lock... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Rayaans, Always a font of knowledge, I'll keep my eyes open for some FK1000P as I think this will be a useful addition to my car detailing stuff! :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi John, Wow, that's some mileage there :) Those error codes can easily be triggered if one or more air struts are leaking air. Not something you will find out using a non-Toyota/Lexus code scanner tho (Techstream). Whereabouts are you located in the country? If you could call around and find a mobile techie that can read all the codes then they can tell you which (if any) struts are not holding air; I saw on eBay a seller is currently selling new air struts for about 33% cheaper than Lexus, if that helps... I had exactly the same symptoms as you and turned out to be a moderate leak in the near side rear strut and a smaller leak on the offside front strut, I was able to change both using a socket set, vice grips and the RX jack (and £3 fuel line release tool set from eBay) on my driveway. The reason the compressor codes are thrown is if the compressor runs continually for more than 30secs without the height of the car stabilising within preset parameters - the car computer disables the compressor to protect it from over-heating and throws the codes. Erasing the codes (or disconnecting the battery for 15-30mins) is a quick way to clear the codes and enables the compressor to run again until the computer shuts it off to protect it - this is the easiest test you can perform to see if the compressor is still good. When I did as nursing mine along, I'd reset the codes, start the car and count to 15, then using the hidden button under the steering wheel, disable the air suspension for 3 seconds and then re-enable it (trying to avoid going beyond the 30 second limit) this allowed me to get some ride quality back for short trips until I got all the parts to do the strut change. Fortunately I had access to Techstream to help diagnose which struts were to blame; but once you have air back in the system you can usually tell which corners are sagging... Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use the same method as glover did above but skip 4000 grit and use Meguiars ultimate compound with a microfibre cloth, then super resin polish and then a good synthetic wax that gives you the UV protection. Each head light takes about 30 mins, make sure you put a cloth over any paintwork when sanding and sand a strip at a time with 4 passes, left to right as you work down the lense, then 4 passes up and down starting from the left. When compounding, polishing or waxing, use circular motion with the microfibre. The easiest step is waxing, no real pressure or elbow grease required! I tend to do this by hand as you can get carried away with power sanders and electric polishers tend to fling stuff everywhere!

It would be worse if the old key had a tag with the vehicle reg number on it (such as mechanics tend to do when faced with many keys for the vehicles in the workshop)... If this is the case, then I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask them to change the locks! Might be worth speaking to your insurance company for advice, they may want to get involved to tell the garage what they should do! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Or Rayaans as he is a bit of a guru!!

Yeah, this one slipped past me as it wasn't picked up as an advisory last MoT and like the rest of us, I don't often slide underneath the car unless I have to! Today's update for this issue is that quotes for a used part are coming back in, I've contacted 3 breakers via eBay and they have all replied that the cost is coming in at between £150-250, which is much more palatable! Just waiting for photos to be sent over of each part so I can get the least corroded one sent. I'd love to do a write up of this repair as when it comes to the RX there is not much info on the net regarding suspension issues. Most owners aren't petrol heads like me and a few others on the forum and have better ways to spend their time than tinkering with cars! It's nice to have info you can read up on and see parts and how they fit together - even if a mechanic or the dealer does all the work for you - this way you can visualise any problems you may have and corroborate any quotes you may get to see if you are being taken for a ride or not.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, Happens on mine, most noticeable when approaching a roundabout at 40mph, so you slow down and if it's clear and you back on the accelerator peddle a little harder than 'feathering it', you'll get a slight jerk. If you pop the box into Sport mode, it doesn't happen, so I just put it down to a quirk of the transmission programming! As for the leak, most likely rusty ATF oil cooler pipes located in the engine bay roughly behind where the number plate is. I did a write up on this and would take 30mins to change at home with basic tools and a £50 Lexus part... Search the forum and hopefully you'll find it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It seems US owners had more issues than UK drivers with the transmission. Oddly the UK cars came with beefier ATF cooling installed (what the yanks got if they bought the 'towing pack' upgrade from dealers). I've been on this forum for 2+ years and can't remember the last post from anyone reporting a catastrophic autobox failure on the RX300/RX350. Now same vintage BMW X5 owners with ZF autoboxes, THAT'S a whole different story! Guaranteed to fail. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, so first welding quote back in.... £450+VAT.....!!! And just for the side with the hole and not the other side that almost has a hole. For those rates, it's cheaper to by a brand new cross member from Lexus!! Off to the breakers/eBay I go! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply, car booked in at a local welder who was recommended to us for a quote tomorrow, so we'll see! I always spray and clean up parts before refitting when I have to take them off for repairs or servicing; for example I had to change the ATF cooler pipes recently as the factory fit one was lightly coated with a thin black paint and which after 10 years just disintegrated and the rust set in until pinholes formed and very slowly leaked ATF fluid making a mess of everything. I've also stripped the front brakes and used electrolysis to great effect to de-rust them, then cleaned and sprayed them before refitting - certainly helped a treat on the corroded slide calliper pins which caused the break pads to wear into cheese shaped wedges! Lastly when replacing 2 failed/leaky air struts (offside front & nearside rear), I thoroughly cleaned and respected the struts with hammerite as I suspect failure wasn't the rubber air bags themselves but the rusty failing apart metal they were suaged/crimped to... So regardless how this is repaired, the part will be cleaned, de-rusted and painted as well as the underside of the car and any accessible areas I can get to while the part is off! Maybe a bit OCD but I like to leave things In a better condition than I find them, especially considering the only real cost is my time. PS - check out the air strut pics I posted and the nasty corrosion I found on my air strut thread - it'll scare the life out of you and almost have you questioning if it was deliberate to engineer the part to fail....! Thanks, Chris Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have you tried undoing the plastic around the steering wheel? I think the shell splits in two when unbolted and you might be able to see if anything is loose? Failing that, the next time it's rattling, use the control to move the steering wheel up or down and see if the rattle changes...? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Reading the list posted above, the item labelled ENERGY ABSORBER is actually just expanded polystyrene (the horrible white stuff used a lot to package white goods) - I'd be very surprised if you couldn't cut & shape your existing 'energy absorber' to fit the newer shape bumper... Of course any parts you buy for the project will have the costs offset as you can sell your old units (if in good condition)... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To add to the original point of the post, I finally found the part number to shop for from the parts catalogues (not as easy as I thought it would be!) The bit that's rusty n' crusty for me is 51206a - I have ascertained there has been two revisions of this part since 2003; a lot of places are saying you cannot order it new anymore and if you could, it's over 700 euros!!! I found one or two used parts on eBay that look OK (I'd clean it up and spray any used part before fitting); I'd expect a used part to cost £200, give or take £50. The other option is to have it patched by welding but the opposite side on the 'rear suspension crossmember' (the proper Toyota parts name) is also looking sorry for itself and only 6/12 months away from looking equally grotty. I think a patch would only be a very short term fix as the tin worm has truly set in on the rest of the part. Also, I've not had great experience with welders around here, the blue MR2 is soon to be on it's 3rd welded sill repair - it just rots away in a couple of years over the weld job (although I'm sure this is more to do with the workmanship rather than the welding process). As for cost, I'll ring around and see, but gut feeling is £150ish. The only other consideration is how much work it would require to remove the crossmember from the car (need to get my head under & have a look!) - it may not be possible or safe to attempt this on the drive with limited vehicle support should hubs, axles, exhaust and diff have to be moved out of the way to gain clearance to remove the part and swap with a replacement. Also thought needs to be given to bushes and rubber mounts that may get damaged by welding or swapping to a used part... Oh well, in for a penny....! Dread to think how much Mr Lexus might charge for this if everything was replaced with new bits and then labour...! Oooof...

I saw F-sport bumpers (I think) on eBay (around £150 not including the grilles!) but according to the list above, it's only the start of this adventure! Silver: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=112137203900&globalID=EBAY-GB Black: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=131488147439&globalID=EBAY-GB White: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=222308839694&globalID=EBAY-GB And... http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=282252321693&globalID=EBAY-GB

Hi all, thanks for the kind comments, I am in no way an expert but have learned through experience (trial and error), experiment and research. I'd always intended to provide more write ups but having a family and a bit of an all consuming job put paid to a lot of good intentions! This lot certainly keeps me busy tho!! As you can tell, I'm a bit of a Toyota fan, seems to make sense to stick to one brand (warts and all) as tools, parts and procedures all fairly interchangeable - for example, the Celica shares a couple of parts in common with the Lex (oil filter, air filter and cabin filter, for example), plus all fluids and the same (coolant, oil, brake fluid etc) so makes things somewhat simpler... Looking forward to getting a hybrid one day to further expand my knowledge as if I ever did change career from IT, I can see a gap in the local market for Hybrid technicians/electronics engineers - might even start my own business one day! If anyone is local to Dorset and would like to pick someone else's brains on a problem or plug in to Techstream to read and set info on their vehicle, then always happy to oblige - just send me a message! Very grateful for the forum too, as it's nice to share views, knowledge, comments and experiences, so thank you all for being a good bunch! Thanks, Chris Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't worry Piers, it'll be fixable one way or t'other! ;) No advisories regarding this issue on last MoT (although other items picked up last time, not mentioned this time!!) same tester as well! The ironies are thricefold: 1) Winter is coming, which is why I got an RX in the first place to get me into work in rural Dorset - an RX with no MoT means rally crossing to work in my much older and tenfold less rusty MR2! 2) I'd finally finished refurbing the last 2 alloys which I had tyres in the garage ready to go on (still got it done today tho!) 3) Original exhaust and cat 13 years on and zero emissions problems! (Although rear exhaust hanger fell off last year due to rust and was 'fixed' with a heavy duty stainless steel style 'cable tie' to original mounting point!) With air suspension spares tucked away in the garage, clean alloys, clean body work & interior and the knowledge the engine is still sweet as a nut with zero electronic issues (possible conversion to LPG as a new year project on the cards), there's still loads of life in the old girl yet! Bearing in mind I paid £4K for this car 2 years ago and have covered 20k miles, I think I can stretch to get this sorted and still have miles and miles of luxury cheap reliable motoring to come... Compared to X5's, tourag's, cayenne's and ML Mercs etc, where I'd have no doubt oil leaks, failing gearboxes, dodgy electrics/electronics, higher insurance etc etc etc, the RX truly has not disappointed. Rust is somewhat inevitable in the U.K. and I can't blame the car for the environment taking it's toll on it after 13 years. As other members have suggested it is worth undersealing the car to avoid this situation, no doubt I'll be doing that too if I end up sorting this out myself.