Farqui

Sure, I used a piggy back fuse in my GS (drivers footwell) My previous Honda had a neat 'Option Connector' on the fuse board that provided various, independently switched feeds, which made adding additional circuits a breeze. I just wish more vehicles had them...

Rather than keep updating my New Members thread I figured a build thread would be a more appropriate place to keep track of my changes. Especially as Robb/Mod's went to the trouble of opening up this new section for us. January 24th'17 - GS 450H purchased This is my first Lexus, my first hybrid and it's such a joy to drive with plenty of power and it's very slick CVT gearbox. For a big car it goes/stops and handles surprisingly well. The rear boot space was the only concern but with just me and mrsF it's worked out just fine and 6 months down the line we've made a couple of trips over to Belgium without any issues. So lets have a brief recap of the initial 6 months of ownership. The car came with a spare key but it wasn't working, thankfully a new CR 1632 brought it back to life #phew January 31st - Lexus Full+100 service @Lincoln, including a Hybrid health check - was successful and warrantied for another 12 months The Lexus health check listed these items... both front tyre valves leaking - the OSF definitely is, around the base of the TPMS sensor. I can't see any leaks on the NSF rear brake pipe corroded - all I can see is a small rub on each side, looks like the inner arch has rubbed the pipes slightly front shocks leaking from body - all four dampers are bone dry tho! - I look forward to hearing what Lexus have to say about this exhaust blowing at 'Y' section - agreed, discussing this with the dealer that sold the vehicle exhaust also has a slight leak from the mid section - I couldn't get underneath sufficiently today to check this Not the best of starts but I was prepared for some work to get an older car 'straight'. February 7th new wiper blades Feb 11th, lowered bonnet bump stops that were preventing the bonnet from closing without a really good slam. Updated the OEM satnag, using http://www.latestsatnav.co.uk/ - now the local roads appear. This supplier has the UK/Belgium/etc countries all on a single disk unlike other providers or OEM (over several disks) I needed to disconnect the 12v battery to get the replacement DVD to load. Feb 14th, Dashcam fitted, a Thinkware F770 dual channel that I'd been using in my previous steed. Hardwired into the AUX circuit via a piggy back fuse on the drivers fuse board. Earthed to the forward fuse board bolt. As the fuse board is well recessed, I've left the cover off for the moment but I may cut a slot in later and then refit the cover. Routing the cable was quite easy and only needed the drivers side end of the dash un-clipping. The cable was then tucked in the drivers A pillar and roof lining, up and over to the camera. Excess cable was looped up, cabled tied and tucked under the carpet well out of the way. As the rear sun shade doesn't run parallel to the rear screen (it starts further forward in front of the 3rd brake light) I managed to fit the camera just above the 3rd brake light, higher would have given a better image but that would have interfered with the sun shade. The rear camera cable was run around the parcel shelf, up and over the rear door but I couldn't get a neat run around the top of the b-pillar. So I dipped the cable halfway down the passenger b-pillar, popped off the lower section to loop up the excess cable (out of the way of the seat belt). The cable then went up and over the passenger door and around the top of the screen to the camera. All neat and tidy (ignore the mirror that was just pushed out of the way to show the camera install). Test views, front rear Feb 15th, gave the headlights a quick polish to see how they'd come up. Quite pleased how they came our after just a few mins work. Cargo net fitted, under the parcel shelf so I still have easy access to the boot (like this sample pic) Feb 17th, the car has been up on the ramps today with my trusted local mechanic who gave it the once over with me. All of the shocks are bone dry with no signs of any leaks or misting ANYWHERE. So for now I'm going to ignore the Lexus recommendation LOL The exhaust is definitely blowing at the rear Y (see earlier pic). We also saw that the OSR box has a few issues... Pretty obvious huh. Neither Lexus nor the last MOT flagged it. It can't just have appeared in the last 3 weeks since I've owned it. I despair. The rear section is beyond repair so I bunged my indi some beer money for using him ramps. Looks like I'll be getting a new rear section made up in the not to distant future Feb 19th, new mats fitted, this Luxury version fits a treat http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252033676404 Gave her a good scrub Including the engine bay, no treatment applied yet Turns out the passenger footwell has only been blowing cold, giving mrsF cold feet and making her unhappy. Before you ask...yes, we tried all options of Dual/modes/temps/etc. So after surfing for solutions I dived in to check the servos; Drastic eh. I eventually tracked down the passenger temp control (passenger side) but with the fixing screws out, I couldn't get the servo out :( With fading light I decided to button it all back up and went for a quick test drive. What'd'ya know, the passenger footwell is now working! The only difference is that I taped up the ducting, both sides, to get a good seal from the heater core. Result. The sceptic in me reckons it can't be that easy and that I'll be back under the dash before too long. Which is just as well as I have a few screws left over Never finish up a job in the dark! I didn't get anywhere with the heater on Saturday afternoon, so buttoned it all back up and thought the mode control was roughly working. Nah, on a 5am commute the other morning clear screen setting kicked in (I didn't test that earlier) and the heater did zip all except vent to the rear seats! For the entire 4hr round trip At lunchtime I went back to basics and figured out what lever on the heater does what. I also removed the 2 servo's/mounting plate and let them do their thing. Once I had a grasp of ALL the settings (temp, modes) I set all levers in roughly the right setting, lined the mounting plate to the heater arms (no easy feat), restarted the vehicle and the first test failed I have noticed that when you turn off the ignition, the servo's sit for a while and then revert to some standby setting. I think this has been throwing me off so I removed the servo plate, set all levers in roughly the right setting again, fired up the ignition and let the servo plate settle. With the ignition still ON, I aligned the mounting plate to the arms for the umpteenth time and gingerly pressed a different mode button... The first test worked and the servo's didn't bind. So I tried another mode setting and that worked. Trying not to freak out, I carefully went through all the possible combinations and to my delight they all work The passenger side footwell output is still hopeless tho I think I may know which control needs a slight tweak but then it may just be the way the airflows. So rather than dismantle it all again I reckon I'll buy the mrs a heated blanket/mat or fan to keep her feet warm. To help align the 7? heater control arms to the servo plate I found one of these cheap endoscope camera's quite helpful to help see around corners http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122076843254 Oh and this time there are NO spare fixings left over March 9th Yesterday I had the...pleasure? of exploring Leeds city center whilst my car was left at Tony Banks for a new exhaust. To recap the rear section had the usual split and a gaping hole in the OS muffler, so we definitely needed a new rear section. I knew the middle section had a slight blow and when Tony removed the rear...the middle section decided to snap in two! He spent around 6 hours (elapsed) crafting both sections from stainless. The cost of a new center section (with cats) was so tempting that I was already half tempted to get the whole lot done and then I'd never need consider the exhaust again. I didn't want any fancy or annoying noise so chose a standard set-up and driving around town you'd struggle to tell this system from OEM. Under hard acceleration or at dual carriageway/motorway speeds there is a slight increase in noise, which is no bad thing at OEM is really quiet. The system should quieten down a notch once it's coked up a bit. I didn't get back to the work shop before the car came off the ramps so I haven't had a close look at the system but from what I can see it looks dandy. The chaps were helpful and have plenty of varied work coming through the workshop, including a steady number of Lexus. Overall I'm impressed and wouldn't hesitate to recommend http://www.tonybanks.co.uk March 17th OSR tyre flat - punctured, replaced with an Avon ZZ5, managed saved the TPMS and fitted a new valve. OSF leaking needed which on investigation then a new TPMS sensor. April 2nd, cleaned/lubed rear calipers. OSR stone guard is badly corroded April 21st, paint correction/protection; July 6th, fitted 3M tape and a roof rack before the heavens opened. It'll allow me to get back on the bike and hit some nice trails, once I source a carrier. Found a great heavy duty bag to store the rack, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263068408736 If you want any more details about anything above, then check out my opening thread;

I changed my 'tips'... Ref;

Isn't the article chopped up into FWD, RWD and AWD 'attributes'?

Sure but be very careful as it's only nipped up to 5Nm(ish). Go ahead and see if it's loose by all means. You might find it is and a slight rotation of the spanner nips up the leak (if you're lucky).

You can easily check for a leak yourself, spray some foamy washing up liquid around the valve and see if it bubbles.

Good point, it could be the TPMS valve. They are only nipped up to a small torque... Unless you can see a nail/etc, hopefully not near the shoulder.

The general consensus is to fit tyres with more tread to the rear as loosing the rear is worse than an under steering front end. It is a complex subject though, especially when you consider the differences between front, rear and all wheel drive. Here's an interesting article that explains it well; https://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/better-tyres-in-the-front-or-rear-test-results I've recently heard that many modern 4x4's NEED all four tyres replaced together (a good money spinner this) or you risk damage to the vehicles drive train and/or electronics. But surely tyres wear at different rates and I can't believe systems are so accurate that they don't allow for different wear rates. I wouldn't be surprise if your query lights up many a keyboard warrior...

"CF-50, Anti-Corrosion Formula, is a state of the art, anti-corrosion/lubricant compound, that has been specifically designed for the Aero Space Industry. Itcan be described as an ultra thin fluid film compound which must be applied on an annual basis. ACF-50 actively penetrates through the corrosion deposits to the base of the cell where it emulsifies and encapsulates the electrolyte, lifting it away from the metal surface. ACF-50 then dispels this moisture and provides an atmospheric barrier which prevents any further moisture contact, thereby keeping the cell inactive. This compound continues to actively penetrate and "creep" into the tightest of seams, lap joints, micro cracks and around rivet heads, dissipating the moisture, even salt water, in these corrosion prone areas. These unique abilities of ACF-50 remain effective for 12 months, gradually disappearing as it is chemically consumed." Extract lifted from; http://www.acf-50.co.uk/acf-50.htm

Bling, bling! They look great, well done. Not so sure about the locking wheel nuts tho. Mine are in the same state and need sorting out #sigh

Lincoln's arrived yesterday

Welcome to the forum Ez, how are you enjoying the RX? What's the issue with the radiator? - can it be repaired. Hunt around online, eBay Lexus often have some good savings. A quick scan found this; http://www.adrad.co.uk/car-radiator/catalogue.php?manu=LEXUS&model=RX Have you tried your local auto factors? I don't find the Lexus satnav very intuitive either (I don't think we are alone in this either) but hopefully you'll soon 'click' with it. I can pretty much get by with it now but it still frustrates me and mrsF sometimes. Let us know how you get on with the aftermarket DVD install.

Doesn't say much on the website; https://www.gen-3glasscoat.com/shop?product_id=53

Excellent news Stuart, well done

Hehe, I looked at that GS 460 earlier Mike...is SOLD Quite a high price for the age.

6 on AT at the moment under £20k, starting from £13.5k for an '09 with FSH in Silver tho. Alas none in your preferred colour choice - they are mostly Black or Silver. Under £25k I see a couple of Blue's. As @ronaldo mentioned, a compromise may be needed but keep looking and hopefully you'll find one. Good luck.

Hi Chris, how are you getting on with the car? For point 4) take a peek at this;

Ah now, that's interesting if the vehicle has just started doing this. On previous cars a temperature sender failure was a fairly common cause, or the connecting plug was corroded - due to it's low down position at the bottom of the radiator. Maybe worth a quick inspection of your temperature senders (often more than one - engine & radiator) and their connections? I've just done a quick search here and saw this for an IS200 but no solution, the OP hasn't been on the forum for a while either...

I completely agree and appreciate your approach John. Your attitude is commendable. Good luck and keep us posted.

Aren't the cooling fans there to keep the car err...cool. It's good that your car isn't overheating, according to the gauge. An extra fan will kick in more frequently if you have the AC on. Perhaps this is what you are experiencing? Have you popped the bonnet to check if one or both fans are causing you this 'disturbance'?

Ever creative eh John [emoji106]

That's a great feature and subtly highlights excess speed. I've not seen it in my built-in nav's but they're all old. However on my phone, Sygic does the same thing.

Crumbs John, you don't need that on a day out. As already mentioned, thankfully it didn't jam underneath the car. Do you recall that my zoorst was recently blowing at the rear of the Y AND it had a couple of big holes in the OS muffler. These sailed through the MOT and my pet indi said he wasn't surprised it passed, provided it wasn't noisy #facepalm Your quote for a new rear section is high. For near that price I also got the middle/cats renewed/fitted. Good luck getting it sorted buddy.

Interesting, did the dealer make the offer? How can they say that the dampers have no history of failure? That's simply not right.

Well spotted, we have some eagle eye'd folks around here...