Herbie

Second post down from the top, just click on that picture headed 'Android Auto or Apple Carplay - Carlinkit Decoder 2.0' for the details.

I'm afraid that there's no such thing as a Carplay module. If your car is recent enough, a Lexus dealer will do a software update for £80 to give access to Apple Carplay/Android Auto. If it can't be updated then there are external units that can be bought for about £200 to £600 that can be integrated into your car multimedia system, but these are third-party devices and not available from Lexus dealers.

No, that's the 'aux' battery that starts the hybrid system and runs the 12V systems. In a hybrid the 'main' battery is the high voltage traction battery. That seems strange but there you go. Have you not got a laptop and Techstream yourself? I'd still get the 12V battery properly load tested first because that's obviously the cheapest option. If that's alright and the wiring harness and associated connectors are alright and it looks like time to replace expensive items, I think I'd be tempted to look on eBay/breakers for a cheaper, secondhand solution.

I think the Apple Carplay could be used wireless if you so wish. I do know that Android Auto doesn't have that facility yet but I also wonder just how useful it is because the phone will need to be kept charged up so you may as well have it plugged in anyway.

With that many lights up the first thing I'd do would be to have the 12V battery tested. When they start to go they can produce all kinds of weird and wonderful light displays.

Basically it allows you to almost* mirror your phone screen on the big car screen. *Almost, because there are only certain apps that will work in Apple Carplay/Android Auto to avoid breaking the law. For instance, it's illegal for a driver to see any sort of screen other than a satnav screen whilst the car is in motion, so you wouldn't be able to play YouTube videos or stream Netflix movies while the car is moving. Primarily, it's greatest use is in navigation. Factory-fitted navs tend to be inferior and don't get updated much. Using AC/AA means that you can use Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, Sygic or whatever your favourite mapping and navigation system is. These are all updated regularly and traffic info like accidents and traffic jams are almost updated minute by minute.

Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 2 are the best tyres I've ever had. Quiet, superb in all weathers, really makes the car feel very sure-footed.

I think it's the other way round. This person seems to have a fault with the media system because it powers up and he can adjust some parameters but not others. It's the OP 'River' who seems to want to reject the whole car based on the (working) multimedia system.

It certainly looks good and has a below average mileage, but again it's a Premier with air suspension which means you have to be prepared for the possibility of some expensive repair costs with that. If it was me and I could afford that risk then I think I'd go for it.

Last time I enquired, Bolton, Stockport and Preston were all around £140 + VAT.

You're correct, it is very much akin to 'how long is a piece of string' but purely for your information and interest, here's a theoretical example. My RX450h has a 51Ah battery, which means that it could supply 51A for 1 hour or 25.5A for 2 hours and so on. We'll assume for the purposes of this example, that it is brand new and fully charged. The battery will always be 'active' even in the middle of the night, as it has to supply things like the alarm, the clock, the radio presets and suchlike. This is called the quiescent current draw and although I haven't seen a figure quoted for Lexus cars, general rule-of-thumb wisdom says that around 50mA (0.05A) is considered to be 'normal.' 51Ah / 0.05A = 1,020 hours or 42.5 days or 6.07 weeks from fully charged to fully discharged. However, reality is somewhat different when you take into account the age of the battery, the state of charge, the diminished capacity that comes with age, and also the fact that the battery will no longer be able to start the car long before it becomes fully discharged. I think you'll agree that it's not an exact science?

I was going to say that I think it's funny how a big thing dangling from an air vent, with all it's 'not meant to be there-ness' and possible rattling and drooping, will somehow be preferable to you than a small and discreet digital readout

Take it to a scrap metal dealer - I got a tenner for the last one I took.

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There's only me and the wife and she doesn't drive, so our RX is indeed the one and only car in the household.

I don't think any 4RX variant has air suspension but may be wrong.

I've never had to replace it but if you have problems getting a replacement, have a look for a branch of https://pirtek.co.uk/ close to you where they can make up various types of pipes and hoses etc.

Hi Paul, just sent you some info by PM that may help you with this.

Sadly no more. The LED lights are in a sealed unit and you cannot replace an individual LED, which is why the whole unit has to be replaced at the cost of a grand or more!

I wouldn't think you would harm anything but how far you'd get would be impossible to calculate because it depends on the state of charge of the battery and how long it lasts. Very, very, much a 'how long is a piece of string'-type question. EDIT - probably better to tell us how far away the garage is and then we can say either 'should be ok' or 'not a cat in hell's chance' 😄

I've been using the Faraday pouches for a long time and yes, they do work well to begin with, but they do fail. My current Monojoy ones have failed after about 9 months use so two more are being delivered today. The metallic mesh has to be flexible but it appears that that flexibility also makes it delicate and eventually the movement of the keys will break the continuity.

It could be that hole. I know it comes out somewhere but whether or not it's that specific hole, I don't know. It just looks more like that than tranny fluid.

That's not tranny fluid, it's the wrong colour and I'd also say wrong viscocity. Looks like aircon condensate to me.

I'm not sure if Techstream can be used for that Colin. The video above shows the guy using it to program the immobiliser but the second half shows him doing the 'door dance' for the central locking. It just seems strange that if Techstream can do both, why didn't he use it for both? Unless, maybe he just wanted to demonstrate that it could be done without Techstream? I don't know?

You need Techstream to program the immobiliser side of it and the black magic ritual to program the remote central locking - this Youtube video will help: