milleplod

I forgot to update this! My screen's definitely a replacement, no visible element....gets very hot at the bottom when its switched on! Pete

Indeed. Hence my criticism of 'pardon' and 'no comprendo'. The OP could be any number of things that add up to his first post. Surely it behoves us to extend some sort of welcome to him beyond that which was offered. It feels like bad form to pull people up on grammar and punctuation - I don't see it happening on here (it could, a lot, but its not) or on the many other Forums I use (Pistonheads is probably an exception, but its usually done on there as a ****-take between posters who have a basic knowledge of one another). Why pick on a first time poster? He could be someone, for example, in his later years - would you be happy if your grandad was pulled up on his punctuation, would you want someone better educated to do that? Would you feel comfortable knowing that someone was, in effect, criticising how he wrote something? What if English isn't his first language? Anyway, I've said my bit. I understood exactly what the OP was asking, and I do think the first two replies were a rather obvious and unnecessary dig at his style of asking. Pete

Hi Albert. Welcome to the Forum. Sorry to hear you have a satnav problem. I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you some advice. Regards, Edward.

Not everyone is very good with grammar and stuff, or very good with Forum etiquette. Those 2 replies were just the sort that would discourage me from revisiting any Forum. Pete

Why is it rude to say you don't understand the question? Again, its not difficult to work out, is it? The first-time poster asks about a problem, and he's met not with 'welcome' but with 'pardon' and 'no comprendo' as replies. Of course its not rude to say you don't understand the question, but I'd say there's a better and friendlier way of doing it than the two of you did, that's all. Pete

His car is an '06 IS250, he has 'external system is not connected' showing, presumably, on his screen. Not difficult to work out is it, and no need for rudeness, eh? Welcome to the Forum Albert, sorry I can't help with your satnav problem, but I'm sure there'll be someone along soon who can give you a pointer or two. Pete

Many thanks. Mine's 'Pilkington', so I assume a replacement....no element visible. When the Mrs. gets back, I'll check to see if it gets warm! Pete

Can anyone tell me if cars that have the bottom part of the front screen heated have a visible element in the glass please? Pete

On this photo, the red lines on the sensor unit will mate to the green lines in the housing - does that explain better how it fits? The 'slot' between the blue lines is where the plastic retaining clip fits to hold the sensor unit into the housing. Ignore the metal spring clip! I've not done anything with it other than fit the new gel pad. Pete

The sensor sits inside the car adjacent to the rear view mirror. The silicone/gel pad is sandwiched between the sensor and the inside of the screen - its flexible and its transparent, and its the exact size of what I assume is the 'lens' - on the photo below, you can see the rain sensor without the gel pad fitted. The pad fits onto the area within the red lines. Pete

Well, I seem to have sorted it! If you look at the photo that shows the gel on the sensor, you'll see its a misshapen blob - it wasn't touching the screen at all. The new pad I bought is the perfect size for the sensor, ie rectangular, its a bit fiddly to fit (you do get more than one go at it fortunatey, by putting a bit of water on both sides!), but once in place the rain sensor appears to be working perfectly! Yaayyy....as younger folk might say! :D Here's the gel pad listing on eBay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAIN-LIGHT-SENSOR-SILICONE-PAD-FOR-LEXUS-GS-IS-LS-RX-MODELS-/181817453470?hash=item2a552a2b9e Well worth a go if yours is playing up - I don't know why my gel looked like it did, but suspect it was something to do with the replacement screen fitted in the past. Pete

Its the assembly that sits to the left of the rear-view mirror, as you're sitting in the car. I would have thought that the auto-dimming gadget would be inside the miror assembly itself, behind the glass? There's a light sensor slightly to the right of where this auto-wiper assembly is mounted - presumably that's for the auto-headlights. I don't fancy removing the large processor for fear of damaging something. I've ordered a new gel pad, should land today, so it'll be interesting to see if that sorts it. Pete

Better pic of the pcb attached - hope it'll do the job for you! Pete

I'll post up some pics for you tomorrow - just back after a couple of days away on the bike.....and the Mrs has put petrol in her Doblo van....yes, its a diesel!! Pete

I'm pretty sure my car's had a replacement screen at some point - its the only glass with 'Pilkington' on it, rather than Lexus. I've done some digging online - it would appear that the replacement one would come with the metal mounting bracket already bonded to it, ready to take the sensor and housing. What I think has happened is that the sensor has been refitted without new gel having been used - its available as a seperate item for around £20. Having said that, I still can't see how new gel, used after the old stuff has been removed, would come into contact with the screen! It'll be interesting to see if the used sensor and housing I've bought is any different. Thanks for the reply btw....much appreciated! Pete

More fiddling done! Here's some photos of the sensor removed. First one shows the gel stuff, the area in red being the only bit that touches the glass - that's explained by the fact that that corner sits slightly prouder of the housing when the sensor's clipped into it. Second one shows where the sensor fits into the housing - as you can see, there's no room for adjustment. Third one is what the reverse side of the gel looks like - complicated! Just as an experiment, I put a piece of thin card into the bottom of the housing, then put the sensor on top of that to see if it made it 'reach' the windscreen when refitted in the car....it didn't, still only the corner touched the glass! I'm going to have to find an IS to look at to see if I can tell if the gel makes full contact with the glass.....or if anyone can help by checking there own, I'd be very grateful. Pete

Thanks for the replies. I've just been fiddling some more. The gel pad definitely doesn't touch the screen. The sensor assembly clips into the black plastic housing mounted on the screen - there's no adjustment available to make the gel pad touch the screen (well, there's a tiny bit of movement of the assembly when its clipped into the housing, but not enough to enable the sensor to make contact with the glass). As Normski says, I'd have expected the gel to have to touch the screen, but would it need actual contact for refraction to work - I suspect not....but then why have gel, rather than, for example, a lens of some sort?? Confusion rains.....sorry, reigns! EDIT - I've just picked up a guaranteed used one from a breaker in Dublin for £20 - if it doesn't sort the problem, they'll take it back for a full refund too, which is nice! Pete

Well, I've had a fiddle. I took off the sensor's cover - should the sticky (that was a surprise!) pad under the cover be in contact with the glass, or just off it? Mine only seems to have the pad's top corner touching the glass, an area about 5mm square. I disconnected the sensor....the wiper's don't work at all when switched to rain-sensing - I wonder if the wires to the sensor need to be shorted out to make the circuit? I don't fancy doing that though! When I reconnected the sensor and replaced the cover, its just the same as before - when the stalk's switched to rain-sensing ('auto'), it doesn't work unless I slightly move the sensor cover with my hand! Pete

The windscreen's clean, and the rear view mirror (is that connected to the sensor for some reason?). I can switch off the rain-sensing setting on the stalk easily enough....but I'd like it to work properly when its switched on! When its switched off, I then have a choice of 'normal' speed, or 'fast'.....but I'd like some sort of intermittent operation. Pete

The rain sensing wipers in my IS have never really worked properly - when I select them on the stalk, they only work in that mode if I give the black box near the rear-view mirror a little tweak, and then only for a minute or so till I re-tweak the box! Annoying in the extreme. I'm sure I've read on here that if I remove the black cover and take the wire off the sensor, the wipers revert to 'intermittent' via the column stalk when its switched to 'rain sensing'. I can't find that post now. Can anyone confirm that's what happens if I disconnect the windscreen sensor please. Does the cover come off easily? Pete

Thanks for the reply. Yes, that makes sense. Tbh though, I'm not going to bother with it unless it becomes absolutely necessary......such as when the rear screen's that mucky inside I can't see through it! Funnily enough, it did suddenly go down a while ago, when I engaged reverse gear, and it went back up again when I pressed the switch....but its now stuck 'up' again. There was someone in the rear seats when it fired up....tried recreating that, in case the weight was pressing on something, but no-go. Pete

OK Yamavira, just for you...... I've recently picked up a full set of 17" alloys for my IS250 to use as 'winters' to save keep swapping tyres over. The front pair came with decent 225 Michelins, so I've been running around for the past few days with them on fitted the rear - ie 225s all round! I've driven in the dry, and in the wet. I've driven on various roads....fast A roads, motorways, back roads, the lot. I've driven at 'everyday' speeds, and I've had the odd 'play', where road conditions have dictated that it was safe to do so! I can report that I felt no difference whatsoever in how the car handled....it went round corners in the same way, it felt the same, it braked the same as it did on 245 rears.....in the wet and in the dry. I have no doubt that a professional driver, on a track, going hell for leather, could pick up nuances in the way one felt over the other. But on the road in everyday driving? Nope. :) (I should add that I used to drive, and ride, very fast every now and then for a living! I used to teach it too. :winky: ) Pete

There's no requirement to have a reversing light fitted - they fall into the 'optional lamp' list. Neither is it an offence, if you have one or more fitted, for them to be inoperative. I always thought they were to light any unlit space to the rear, to the benefit of the driver going backwards! Generally, the fact that you're moving backwards lets people behind you know you're reversing! :D Pete

I bet that's probably because no one (on here) is doing it.....! Does it worry you? If so, Goodyear do the Eagle LS2 which is rated M+S, and Maxxis do the AP2, similarly rated, both in 245. The Maxxis one is much cheaper, as expected - don't let the name put you off, btw, they get some good, real-world reviews. Pete Pete

Not seen that.....