sorcerer

Techstream is the diagnostic software that Toyota/Lexus technicians use in their workshops. You can legitimately download it free of charge from the Lexus website (or is it the Toyota website, can't remember) and pay to use it, but you will also need to buy a miniVCI cable to connect your laptop to the car. Although we can't be seen to condone the use of pirated software, most (if not all) miniVCI cables on eBay cost around £20 and will come with a copy of Techstream on the driver disc and I suppose it's a matter for your own conscience whether you use it or not. Like I said above though, you will need the cable to connect the computer to the car, irrespective of how you get the software. There are also lots of videos on Youtube of how to use it too.

Hi Dave, All I can say is that the seats in our RX450h are a bit firmer than the ones in our old RX300 used to be, but not overly so. I find the car to be extremely comfortable to sit in and drive. My longest journey without a stop was four hours and I got out without any aches or pains or a numb bum. Not sure what you can do about it but I hope you get it sorted to how you like it.

Your indie may be able to sort it but I feel that, much like autoelectricals and automatic gearboxes, air conditioning needs to be looked at by a specialist who has the intimate knowledge of the subject and the necessary specialist tools to do the job correctly, first time.

Yes, that's how aircon works - you can indeed get it very cold in the cabin if you want to.

I like having the camera, say, for when I'm actually in a parking bay and reversing up to a wall because I know that once I get to the red line I have about another 14 or 15 inches clearance to go. However, I'm sort of like you in that I was a telephone engineer on BT for about 20 years, so I quickly became very comfortable with reversing by using just the door mirrors on the van and that's how I still do it today, just by door mirrors.

You won't be able to check the hybrid system using only a generic OBD2 reader, you'll need Techstream for that.

I don't know what your engine layout is like but on a lot of cars (our old RX300 included) the water pump and the timing belt are in the same area. Given that labour charges make up the biggest cost of the job, it makes economic sense to have both done at the same time. For example, if the timing belt job is going to cost £350, doing the water pump at the same time may add another £40 to £50 on the bill. However, if you do them as two separate jobs at different times, because 95% of the work to get to the belt will have to be done again to get to the pump, you'll end up with another £300 bill.

I can't guarantee it because I've only had the 300, not a 400h. However, as I said above, the 400h is built on the same body as the 300, so I'd be extremely surprised if it isn't identical.

BT needs to be on.

Nothing is really explained at 7.16 in the video. The title of the video is "5 things you should never do in an automatic transmission vehicle" but putting it in neutral at traffic lights shouldn't be included in the 5 things. He says that there is no real need to take it out of drive, but nowhere does he ever state that something bad will happen if you do put it in neutral - because it won't. Leave it in drive or put it in neutral, it doesn't matter. It's down to personal preference and habits* but this video is not a justification for either method and I do wish people would stop presenting it as such. *Personally, I was taught to drive by a maniacal instructor back in 1975, who would rap your knuckles with a wooden ruler if you failed to observe the 'handbrake on, select neutral' routine and as such it became deeply ingrained in my psyche, and something I'm only just getting comfortable about breaking after almost three months of ownership of a hybrid, where it has to be left in drive for the traction battery to charge.

I'm sure there must be more available but it's a bit of a strange process to go through if you've not done it before. First, search eBay for anyone breaking RX300 or 400h (the 400h is built on the same body so parts should fit, especially parts like this). You then ring them to see if they have what you want. If they have one and you're happy with the price, they will then list that specific part and email you a link to the listing, where you then 'Buy It Now' as normal.

Nope. I keep my AC on all year round, always have and always will. Had a variety of cars and mileages, but not once have I ever needed to have an AC system regassed, apart from when I damaged a refrigerant pipe while doing some other work on a Smart Passion we had back in 2001.

Actually, it doesn't. Or at least it didn't, in my RX300. Maybe it was faulty, I don't know, but if I dropped it down to 2 to do a quick overtake but failed for some reason, to upshift to 3, the box did it for me anyway. And if I just kept my foot down it would also upshift to 4. So, even in S, the box was automatic anyway and changed when it thought best.

Yep, much better than the black wheels

I've had LEDs from eBay and they're still good, but I do agree that it's maybe 'luck of the draw' there. I tend to use these people.

I've never had an LS400 so can't be certain but, there's usually a sight glass on the refrigerant piping somewhere where you can actually see the refrigerant, or lack thereof, some info here There are loads of videos on Youtube illustrating what can be seen in the sight glass. If it does need regassing then yes, it's very likely that the rubber seals have dried out and started leaking. The gas contains a lubricant that keeps them supple but if you don't run the aircon often enough they go brittle. I always keep the aircon on all year round because of that.

Yes, very easy, but as the saying goes, "a picture paints a thousand words" so rather than try to explain it, this video from Vicki P shows the procedure to get at the lighter. All you have to do after that is to detach the lighter from the trim piece, install the USB socket and reverse the procedure. The rest of the video, from about 15.30, doesn't apply to you.

Good advice from Colin and Steve. I'll just add that there's no integral fuse in the lighters, and a suggestion - if you don't actually use it as a lighter, I found it much more useful to take it out and replace with a dual USB socket that I got from eBay:

I've not watched this video myself so I don't know if it'll be any good, but if not, there are plenty more on Youtube:

No, sorry Jeff, I'm afraid I don't know.

You should be able to find your part number here. As for where to buy, I would imagine that it'll be a dealer-only part or maybe get a secondhand one from eBay or a breakers yard.

If you have a laptop or have access to one, a miniVCI Cable from eBay will come with a copy of Techstream, which I would imagine should be more helpful at diagnosing this particular problem rather than just a generic OBD2 reader.

Cheers Ray, good points. This is in the description of the Bilt Hamber cleaner fluid on their website: and this is from the description of Black Hole from the Poorboys website: so the way I saw it was to give the car a deep clean first and then the "...best, deepest and wettest shine available" by using the Black Hole and then to protect all of that with the wax.

Well, I can't guarantee it so I can't be held responsible for encouraging you to spend money if it doesn't fit However, I would be surprised if it didn't as the 400h and the 300 are built on the same body and, as far as I know, only the hybrid system is different.

Cheers Lee I've got Meguiars Endurance Tyre Gel for that but I just couldn't manage it because of my back. It's getting almost back to normal now so maybe I'll manage to get them done tomorrow