Delphius1

If the car is in the sun, then one of the solar chargers that plugs into the OBD port would keep the battery topped up. I used one to keep my RX300 topped up when it wasn't being used for a couple of weeks.

I did it successfully on my RX, but on the video above at 4:30 when he takes the key out of the ignition, my RX took a few seconds to register. It took about 15 seconds for the locks to cycle after taking the key out of the ignition. I was jumping the gun and pressing buttons on the key before the locks cycled, hence messing things up. About the seventh time of trying, I realised the locks weren't cycling, so a waited and eventually after 15 seconds they cycled and then I pressed the lock/unlock buttons together for a couple of seconds on the key and then straight after releasing those, pressed a different button. That then seemed to work.

It's a <drum roll please> Vauxhall Astra 1.6 (Petrol-very important at the moment thanks to the lack of Diesel) Elite. Hang on, please bear with me, I've not gone mad! With the Elite spec I still get the leather and some of the toys of the Rx300, but in a smaller, more economical package. I've been pleasantly surprised by the Astra, as I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is. The seats are very comfy, almost Volvo-esque. Electrically adjustable lumbar support including height adjustment is a bonus. The rear seats have a folding armrest in the centre with cubby and two cupholders just like the RX. It's almost as if they nicked the idea off Lexus. No reversing camera and no electric tailgate, but it's small and short, so not essential. On the positive side it's got electric folding mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror and auto lights and wipers. Interior quality is good. Not Lexus quality, but very good for a mass-produced hatch. The Astra J interior is a lot better than the previous Astra H with the sticky control knobs. The interior even has mood lighting at night, you get the red LED shining onto the centre console from the roof console a-la Lexus, the gear shift has a red lit surround and the door handles are bathed in red at night too. Not too shabby! The big loss is only a single cupholder at the front! The cheaper spec models have two up front, but the Elite spec gets a leather armrest and loses a cupholder. The horror! 30-ish mpg round town and 40-ish mpg on the motorway. Better than the RX, but not as frugal as a Mazda Skyactive engine of a similar size. I'm sure a decent service will allow it to do better.

From what I've heard from friends, the customer service isn't there either. It's a lot like Apple: Don't complain after they've deigned to supply you with one of their products. lol.

Lol. Thanks. But most online sites are unsurprisingly offering less than the local scrappie, especially if I drive the car there. I've been told the car is actually worth £500 for scrap weight and then the cats provide the cherry on top for the recyclers.

In the medium term, energy prices will remain high. That's because our government is like a number of other Western Governments wedded to "Net Zero" as a policy for the near future. They are as zealous in their push to wean us of fossil fuels as they were to stop people smoking. If they haven't reduced fuel duty by now in a bit to soften the blow, I don't think they are going to any time soon. I'm just glad unlike the poor Scots in the North, our Government hasn't started messing about with alcohol prices too much. I mean how would our teenagers cope without a ready supply of cheap cider? 😄

Nah, it won't be new enough to be Chinese-made. Although looking at the owner's forum, it won't be a diesel. Not sure I like the sound of having to use diagnostic equipment to top up the DPF fluid. I may go for extreme fuel efficiency and go for a small hatchback. Not sure how I'll fit my 6ft long oars in there though. My first purchase may be roof bars. lol.

Thanks guys. It's a 2004 RX and I've had the car for 4 years mileage is just over 170,000, 50k of which is mine. Considering it cost me two grand when I bought it and had it stayed together it would be worth over three now, it's sad it's let me down. Shame really as I'd changed all the fluids when I bought the car, but I think it had a life with limited mileage, then I come along and start piling on the miles, it didn't like it. Everything was fine until the end of last year when I went up and down the country a few times. Those last few thousand miles were the tipping point. The last journey back, the water pump let go in spectacular fashion around Birmingham. So I got the coolant system including new rad sorted along with the timing belt and water pump when I got back. But by then the rear diff had started leaking. Got that sorted and now the front diff or transfer box has started to drone. Then last week's MOT stating the rear subframe was on it's final warning... You know when a car has done enough miles... lol. I've been offered £500 scrap value for the car, so that takes the sting off a bit and equates to less than £400 a year to own it. But now it's on to looking for something a bit more economical. The Missus wants leather and heated seats, so the best bet for economy, quality and comfort requirements looks like a Volvo V40/V50.

Well, it looks like my ownership of my Rx300 is coming to an end. The leaking rear diff was just a prelude to more expense. There is now a significant droning noise from a bearing somewhere in either the transfer box or the front differential. Unfortunately my mechanic couldn't pinpoint where the noise is coming from. Even running it up on a ramp suggests the noise is from somewhere up front. That and my MOT tester telling me that the rear subframe is now a year or so away from a fail, it's sadly time to part with the beast. It's been one of the best car's I've ever owned, probably the best. But considering the current fuel prices, the problems indicate it's probably time to look for something more economical. Can I just say thanks to all the people that have helped here on the forum with advice and information. Special mention to Herbie for his wisdom and library of documents. Thanks for everything.

Well, glad to say that the differential side seals fitted, so for anyone wanting cheap rear diff seals, the Corteco 82035132 seals work fine. Sadly fixing the rear diff has exposed noises coming from the front. Hopefully the transfer box and not the transmission. So the transfer box saga begins. So far all I can see are used boxes on ebay in Latvia. Is that where old RXs go to die? Although I am a bit miffed the transmission has started to show wear at less than 200,000 miles. 😄 Still not dear enough to scrap they car yet. It was worth a grand more than I paid for it thanks to the Scotty Kilmer effect and I'll still almost get my money back as I've seen spares cars go for nearly two grand. So far it's cost me just over £300 to sort the diff and the cooling system. By the time I'm finished it'll be ready to do another 200K with a new-ish transmission. lol.

I refer to my comment above "Unless there is a known problem with the timing chain..." So far there's nothing to suggest that a Lexus timing chain will fail prematurely. Toyota/Lexus timing chain engines seem to be engineered well enough that the chain lasts the life of the engine. There are no reports of premature failure on any of their timing chain engines. Toyota seem to get their engineering right, which is why most people are owners and are on this forum! Belts are different because they are rubber items and have a mileage and age based lifespan. Usually 100,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first. 100,000 miles because that's the maximum mileage that Lexus recommend from a wear point of view and 6 years because that's how long the rubber can last before it starts to break down chemically. The same reason why tyres are date coded and have a lifespan of around 5 years.

Have you fitted LED bulbs anywhere on the car? Some of the cheaper aftermarket LED bulbs can cause radio interference and kill your FM reception.

Timing chains are regarded as non-serviceable items. There's nothing I can see that would indicate that would make it necessary to change a timing chain on a Lexus unless it's making a noise and you know something is wrong with it. If there's a known fault with the timing chain like there are with some BMW and Land Rover/Jaguar engines, then yes, it's prudent to change the chain and tensioner before they become an issue. On a Lexus the timing chain can theoretically run for the life of the car and engine without needing replacement. Just make sure you change the engine oil and filter at the recommended intervals.

Well, the nearly four years of reliability I've had with my 2004 had to end eventually. I had leaky seals on the rear diff and although it never really seemed to lose any oil) I kept checking it) the bearings started making a noise. Bearing noise in a Lexus? Unacceptable. 😉 And on the way back from Manchester earlier this month it started to lose coolant. Looks like a leaky water pump (coolant dripping from near the crank pulley) and the radiator looks like is sweating coolant but not actually leaking yet. It's strange it never overheated on the gauge, the first thing I knew was the heater going cold. As an aside, why is it motorway service stations don't sell coolant any more? At a motorway service station with an M&S food hall and the usual food outlets I can also get the weekly shop in the petrol station kiosk, but they're a bit thin on actual car stuff. Madness. Thankfully it should be relatively cheap to sort it. £100 for a used diff, £85 for a rad but the cam belt & water pump kit was £210. I suppose it's still not bad for 4 years and 40,000 miles of motoring with 170,000 miles on the clock because all I've done before is oil and filter changes and pads and discs all round. So I really can't complain I suppose. Fingers crossed that's it for now, but I suspect once the water pump and the rad are renewed, the heater matrix won't be far behind, because experience tells me that's how things work: sort out one part of the coolant system, the older weaker bits will fail. And the heater matrix is a major job that I'm not looking forward to.

Well, here's an update. Not sure why, because the diff hasn't lost any oil, but it's started with noisy bearings. So I've had to shell out for a replacement diff. Not too bad, £110 shipped. I've put the new side seals on the replacement diff. It's now waiting for me to get time to do the swap. The aftermarket side seals are Corteco 82035132 Obviously wait for me to fit the things and report back a full successful transplant with oil tight seals before you go ahead and buy some. But they fit onto the diff fine. 😉 A socket of the correct (huge) size is required to tap or push the seal into place.

I just wonder if the relay it's complaining about is on the ECU board. Maybe if an electronics guru can replace the relay it would all be hunky-dory again, saving over 2 grand. Reminds me of when I repaired the ABS unit on my old Volvo. The wires to the pump had dry joints ( a know fault with them) so I cracked the case open and resoldered the wires and was back to normal within hours. The quote from Volvo for the ABS unit was about the same too.

Mark, you're probably spot on. It started with the lean mixture as per the temperature readings. But as the Oxygen sensor reports the Lambda readings back to the ECU, it will trim fuel levels to compensate. If the short term fuel trim goes over a certain threshold the engine management light is lit reporting a problem. It's one of those issues that is a bit of a black art to diagnose, especially if the ECU temperature sensor is separate from the gauge sensor. You don't see what the temp sensor is reading, so you have to dive a bit deeper. Fuel trims can tell you part of the story, then looking at live data from the sensors against measurements with (in this case) a contactless temperature gun should show the sensor isn't reading correctly.

Thanks, but I'm not convinced that's the part I'm after. After looking at various parts catalogues, I can see that the part number I quoted is a dust cover that is fitted to the drive shaft, but the oil seal I need is inside the differential and is protected by the dust cover. I'm having trouble reading Lexus' parts catalogues to get the part number of the oil seal. So far I've come up with part number 9031138068 for "a" seal, but so far can't confirm it's the correct part for my RX. Too many options on the various parts websites. Edited. I've just found https://lexus-europe.epc-data.com/ and put my VIN in. The side oil seals finally come up properly. The part number is 90311-35032 for reference. Further edited to add: Got a pair ordered from My local motor factor. Gave them the OEM part number and they came up with an aftermarket part for £11 plus VAT each. I'm well happy. Will post the Aftermarket part number if they fit and work.

Hi Everyone. My normally reliable RX300 has decide the week before Christmas to puke the contents of the rear diff out onto the ground. One of the side oil seals looks to have failed given the very wet oil slick now coating the side and bottom of the diff. Does anyone have a Lexus part number for the rear diff side oil seal? I've tried to look online and all I get from the supposed Lexus parts suppliers in the UK is a list of various oils. I do have a part number 4133614010 but that's from a US site and by no means accurate. Also if anyone knows if it transfers to Toyotas so I can (at a pinch) order a pair of seals from my local Toyota dealer rather than the Lexus dealer 30 miles away that would be great. Guess what I'm doing over Xmas then? Pity it couldn't do it in summer....

Basically chock the front wheels wheels so the car can't roll, release the parking brake and then back off the adjuster on the pedal (not a lot of space, so expect to spend a bit of time doing it and a chiropractor after contorting to get under the dash. You may have to partially engage the pedal to get a decent angle on the adjuster nut. But once it's backed off, release the pedal. You'll need to jack up the back of the car so the wheels move so you can check when the handbrake locks the wheels. Use axle stands for safety. You may need to put the car in neutral using the shift lock release so the wheels turn, which is why the front wheels need to be securely chocked so the car can't roll forwards or backwards because there will be nothing else to stop it. Once that's done, you can move to the back of the rear brake and pull the bungs out for the star adjuster. Move the star adjuster until the parking brake locks the wheel. Then back off until the wheel moves. From experience it can be anywhere between 5-8 turns. Repeat for the other side. Try the parking brake in the car. If the pedal moves too much then repeat the adjustment at the back of the drum but with fewer turns to back it off until you're happy. It may take a few goes to get the sweet sport where the pedal applies the parking brake when the pedal is depressed, but the wheel turns freely when the parking brake is released. Once done, replace the bungs in the back of the drum. If the disc brakes are binding and interfering with setting the parking brake, undoing one slider pin and flipping the caliper up out of the way so it's off the pads should allow you to turn the wheel freely. I forgot to mention if you flip the caliper out of the way you'll need to remove the wheels to accomplish that. If the wheels are removed, you'll need to use the wheel nuts to secure the disc rotor in place while you adjust the parking brake.

This is a video that shows how something as simple as a worn out battery cooling fan can throw up hybrid and VSC errors. Skip the Diesel DPF diversion half way through. Although it also shows having a resource that points you in the right direction is pretty useful too.

It depends a lot on what spec your audio is. The Marc Levinson audio is a minefield to replace due to it being a closed system and having different levels to a normal amplifier. The "Standard" audio is easier, but you do need to get power to the amplifier. If power isn't sent to it, it'll stay dead and the audio won't get through the amp to the speakers. You need to find out which wire on the Lexus loom is the one that switches the amp on.

Problems like this really need techstream to diagnose the issue. That way you can get the fault code out of the various modules and have a chance of finding out what's going on. Something as simple as the brushes on the battery cooling fans wearing can cause enough intereference on the power supply lines that it interrupts the CANBUS communications between the Battery management or hybrid module and others around the car, causing a cascade of faults. That's because various modules can rely on information from a single module being on the CANBUS network. If it's not there, then all the modules that rely on that information throw errors. The same goes for a corroded earth causing a faulty power supply to a module, or a single sensor failing. The cars are so complex that they really need that extra level of diagnostic effort and experience to solve problems.

I do like the centre console treatment. Real buttons for the HVAC controls rather than touch-screen buttons. The only downside is the gloss black fingerprint fest. They need a special cubby for the polishing cloth... The exterior is typical Japanese styling at the moment. Too many angles and way too fussy. But you can't see it while you're driving...

I've done pads and discs all round on mine. Actually pads, discs, slider pins and pad clips. Just bought decent quality aftermarket parts from the local motor factor. For parts like this there's really no need to spend almost the value of the car on Dealer supplied parts.