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NOT! The headlamp assembly will likely fit perfectly but the auto-leveling ECU and servomotor drive system is under the dash near the stearing column and the height sensor for leveling is mounted on the right rear axle. Additionally there is some sort of communication within the 01's onboard LAN/multiplex communications system that prevents auto-leveling operations above a certain speed, ~5MPH(??).

If you have a 95 and up Lexus and buy the shop manuals you might want to consider supplimenting them with a set from 90 to 92. Lexus stopped included a lot of important "theory of operation" type information in the later manuals but much of the basic theory still applies.

ALL RXes are really FWD when it comes to the need for real or true AWD performance. The RX300s had differing front and rear final drive ratios, ~3.28/2.92. The RX330 is 3.48 and 2.92. The object is to deliver torque predominantly to the front wheels under dynamic conditions. With static conditions, equal traction all around and no turns nor accelerating torque nor engine lagging torque, the RX will deliver equal torque front/rear and side to side. The differing final drive ratios act the same as different length halfshafts at the front during dynamic conditions, with accelerating torque applied, the shorter shaft will always lead the longer one delivering torque to the roadbed and therefore the vehicle will tend stear opposite to the side with the shorter shaft. Admittedly the use of brake torque apportioning on the RX330 likely makes the RX330 a lot more viable as an AWD vehicle. Still, I would NEVER drive it with front snowchains only as Lexus advises in the owners manual. Well, maybe in an absolute emergency but thyen very, VERY, slowly and NEVER downhill.

This, in a way, confirms some of my suspicions. Some of the driving "feel" of my 01 AWD RX300 has led me to suspect that the transmission is sometimes being shifted into neutral. I have most often noticed it just after lifting the throttle and at the beginning of "coastdown". It is also noticeable just before coming to a full, complete, stop. In both instances it feels as if the vehicle has been bumped ever so slightly by a following vehicle. I have seen posts wherein it was referred to as the "slingshot" effect. The only thing I can find in the shop manuals that seems to relate to this is the fact that when you step on the brakes the torque converter lockup is instantly released. That would reduce the "drag" from the wheels beginning to "drive" the engine. For what reason? I know that Cadilac had a lot of problems taming their FWD STS(??) with the high torque/hp Northstar engine. I have heard that the Stabilitrak system was initailly introduced to prevent FWD wheelspin with "jackrabbit", WOT, standing starts which would often result in loss of control of the vehicle. I am also aware that another aspect of the FWD caddy was the use of an over-running cluctch in the tranny so that the engine braking torque to the front wheels would not result in skiding and loss of control. Is this maybe what Lexus is trying to accomplish? Make the FWD RX series more beneign handling? Reduce the adverse effects of FWD? Least we forget, shifting the tranny into neutral during coastdown and/or during light braking would also result in better fuel economy.

Its all in the testing... If you test the systems in a nice quite garage with the engine off and the windows rolled up then it will be very clear that the Mak is the better system. If you do "real world" testing, wherein the ambient noise figure is typically ~70db (Lexus LS430) you will not be able to discern the differences, not even with fairly expensive and sophisticated audio analytical equipment. Absent the latter being used to filter out the ambient and analyze only the reproduced content.

Hmmmm.... On second thought. The effects of torque steer can get to be pretty serious on the RX so maybe it is a good idea for Lexus to reduce the available, instantaneous, torque to the front wheels with WOT from a standing start. "Only the shadow knows." Or maybe only the firmware performance vs VSC specification writers.

Even on my 01 RX it's pretty clear that Lexus was doing everything they could to alleviate or reduce engine lagging torque, decel, to the front, drive, wheels. With the advent of e-throttle on the newer models I wouldn't be at all surprised if Lexus is using this new firmware control capability to even further increase the safety aspects of a FWD vehicle. Rapid acceleration while turning tightly is one area seemingly addressed. From what I read on various forums the new RX simply will not downshift, nor accelerate quickly with sudden WOT and high steering angle. Probably considered a positive aspect of the VSC system. I think most would agree that this circumstance has a very high potential for loss of control in a FWD vehicle so the VSC firmware routine to address it is likely warranted. Did you know that Stabilitrak system in the FWD Caddy with the high HP/torque Northstar V8 engine will not allow the engine to deliver full power to the front drive wheels for a WOT standing start? The engineers knew that full torque would predominantly result in wheelspin in this circumstance and wheelspin on a FWD vehicle often results in loss of control so..... But I rather doubt if the RX engine is torquey enough to do that, at least not on a reasonably high traction surface.

Mine NEVER goes offroad, at least not by plan or intention, but I have done a mod which definitely helps during the wintertime NW mountain pass driving. 1.5" wheel spacers all around and 17X8 wheels with michelin cross-terrain tires, 235/65-17. The spacers provide enough additional space between the tire and strut at the rear allow me to use snowchains SAFELY when necessary. During the winter months two sets of snowchains go where the RX goes. Personally I would NEVER intentionally take an RX (or an HL) offroad.

I just read the C-best attachment and the wording seems to me to be so obtuse that I end up with no idea what its meaning really is. If I were you I would go sit down with a lexus service manager and have her explain each and every option. If anyone can explain the options in plain english I would be very interested.

There are two wires going to the sensor, strip them both back and twist then together for a good electrical connection, cover with electrical tape and you're done. But please don't blame me if the pads wear down and damage the rotor.

Hmmmm.... I wonder... Is everyone aware that one of the ways Lexus and Toyota overcame the loss of A/C cooling efficiency resulting from the refrigerant changeover from freon was to significantly reduce the cabin atmosphere OUTFLOW? The less unconditioned outside airflow entering the cabin the less A/C capability needed to maintain the cabin at your selected comfort level. I can't say if these are an unusually level of complaints about sleepiness in these vehicles but it certainly did get my attention. But other than a stale and humid cabin atmosphere there are otehr aspects of the low level of fresh airflow that contribute to becoming drowsy. The system blower speed, a MAJOR white noise source, can be much lower and quieter. The addition sealing and insulation needed to prevent extraneous outflow will also make the cabin significant quieter. The cabin airflow exhauster port's outflow is always located near the bottom rear of the car, an area of predominantly higher air pressure due to the vehicle's forward motion and that pressure would also result in lowering the cabin atmospheric outflow. Feeling drowsy? Lower a rear window slightly, in a Lexus it might help more than you would expect.

I wrote most of that between 5 and 7AM when I realized if I didn't hurry I would be late for work. But while standing in the shower and thinking over what I had written a rather strange thought came to mind. Remember those pictures of cars from the roaring twenties where the driver/ showfer sat out front in the weather while the passenger sat warm and cosy in the fully enclosed cabin? I always thought that to be the height of arrogance on the part of the owners but I just came to the realization that there may have been a really practical reason. The windshield would likely never fog over.

Check with a Lexus dealer to find out what maintainance has already been done on your car. Lexus dealers are very good at convincing naive owners that the 90k service should be done at 60K. K&N filters are not just useless as performance improvers they can cause real damage to your engine and/or emission control systems. Some of the oil in the K&N filter will wick off and then become attached to the downstream MAFS, mass airflow sensor. That will result in false air intake volume/flow indications to the engine ECU and you will end up driving with the wrong fuel mixture.

If you start to feel drowsy while driving the best thing to do is remember that your body will eventually take a very long sleep, just think a few seconds about what it will be like being six feet under and that should be more than enough motivation to get you to find a pillow somewhere and get some much needed rest long before the big sleep. One cup of "coffee" (whatever) is okay for driving long enough to find that pillow, but never, NEVER, have that second cup to keep you awake even longer.

Absent the changes the A/C will run automatically, maintain the cooling evaporator as close to 32F as possible, all year 'round, with only one exception and that is if the OAT declines below about 33F. Needlessly running the A/C can cost you about 10% highway fuel economy and as much as 30% (extreme) city. During the summer months the only benefit with OATs below 65F is the dehumidification capability. At those temperatures the human body "at rest" is not usually discomforted by high humidity levels. 40% RH, generally, is thought to be our "mean" at rest comfort level and we generally don't begin to notice/react to RH as high as 80% at these temperatures. By unlinking the A/C from automatic use you get to determine when it operates. Once you turn it on it will remain in use through restarts, etc, until you turn it off. On days that you do use the A/C you can radically increase your personal comfort level and the system cooling efficiency, thereby also helping fuel economy at an additional level, by setting the system to max cool and recirc and then using the manual blower speed control to maintain your own personal comfort level. If, over time (l_o__n___g trip), I start to feel too cool then I first switch the system to combined dash/footwell outflow, and then if that's still too cooling, to "fresh". On a hot and really BRIGHT sunny day I find that very cool, almost cold, low velocity airflow from the outlets increases my comfort level significantly over the reheated ~65 airflow the system would normally supply. If you want to get really extreme you can add an electrically controlled water control valve to prevent the otherwise constant how water flow through the heater core within the A/C plenum when in "cooling" mode. Although in "max cool" none of the system airflow is intentionally reheated via flow through the heater core you would be surprised at how many BTUs of cooling is required to overcome the radiant heating effects from a heater core elevated to the 190F engine operating temperatures. Without unlinking the A/C from operating automatically (with no indicator of same to the driver) in defog/defrost/demist, you may find yourself suddenly with absolutely NO FORWARD VISION some fairly cool morning or shortly after the oAT declines below 35F. The Toyota/Lexus/NipponDenso (Denso US) automatic climate control system relies EXCLUSIVELY on the dehumidification capability of the A/C to defog and/or prevent fogging of the windshield. First, neither you, as the driver/operator, nor any system component, can determine if the A/C can be functional for this capability in varying climatic conditions. As the ambient OAT declines the level of moisture the atmosphere can hold, in absolute terms also declines, and even beyond absolute values, the predominant RH also declines during the winter months in many areas of the US. What this means to you is that the functionality of the A/C to be of any help at all in defogging the windshield and/or preventing it from fogging over, is totally and completely unpredictable. The A/C evaporator cannot operate below freezing level without soon becoming clogged with frozen condensate. Most designs regulate the refrigerant flow in some manner such that the evaporator cooling vane surface temperature NEVER declines below ~35F. So the incoming airflow cannot be dehumidified at all unless cooling it to a low of 35F will bring it to dewpoint, the level at which the moisture contained in the airflow begins to precipate out of the airflow and condense on the COLD evaporator vanes. With the OAT below about 47F the RH must be unusually high, Seattle say, for dehumidification to occur. And please note that if you happen to be relying, hopefully inadvertently, on one of these systems for defogging your windshield, turning the blower speed up to accelerate the defogging effects has an adverse affect. The slower the airflow moves through the evaporator the cooler it will become, increasing the probability that it will be cooled to dewpoint and therefore some level of dehumidification will actually occur. The Toyota/Lexus/Denso theory is that "washing" the interior surface of the windshield with DRY airflow will defog it fairly quickly and this is absolutely true, the theory is absolutely correct, it's in the practice, as implemented by Denso, that the theory falls apart. We all know that windshield fogging is much more prevalent in cool and/or colder weather, really we can say its restricted to that enviroment. Back when we first started to enclose the passenger compartments of our vehicles we quickly discovered that this resulted in the creation of an environment in which the propensity of the interior surfaces of the windshield and windows increased dramatically. As a result we quickly, just as quickly, discovered that providing lots of fresh airflow through the cabin virtually eliminated the problem. But guess what? Driving around in the wintertime with all that now COLD fresh air flowing freely through the cabin tended to freeze our tails off. So we added in car heating. And guess what? We discovered that heating the cabin atmosphere to our personal comfort level also resulted in lowering the RH and thereby the probably of encountering windshield and window fogging. But the exceptions were dramatic to say the least. Stop and pick up some one who has walked a mile or so in the cold freezing rain, or a couple of sweaty snow skiiers, or just the kids at school after a few minutes of standing out in the rain all bundled up in winter coats and clothing. Bingo! The RH inside the cabin goes up dramatically within just a few minutes and now the atmospherically carried moisture begins to condense on the cool (that's really cold airflow impinging on the windshield exterior surface at roadway speeds) interior windshield surface. Okay, QUICK, lower those rear windows and get some fresh (COLD, Brrrrr...) air in here, flushing the moisture laden atmosphere from the passenegr cabin. OR.... Hmmmm..... Why not simply HEAT the windshield so that its interior surface temperature never declines to the dewpoint of the cabin atmosphere? DONE! And that's how things remained, pretty much, until the advent of A/C equipped vehicles. Once A/C was installed in the very first automobile I'm quite sure it wasn't very long before someone discovered that an ancillary function, and undesired one up until now

EBAY, search for "lexus climate". You might just find that the bulbs were intentionally "burned out".

1. Have the dealer unlink the A/C operation for defog/defrost/demist functions. 2. Have the dealer unlink the A/C from automatic climate control operation. 3. Make sure the default setting for the climate automatic switch from heating, footwell, into cooling mode, is OFF.

That's a ticket I would dearly LOVE to get.

Legalities..... It wasn't legal for Compaq to copy the original IBM, but IBM didn't care at the time (so what, it's not a "real" computer) so didn't pursue any legal action. The HID aftermarket installed base is now way too large for any hope of realistic enforcement action. Besides which, the action required would more likely be at the manufacturing and/or distribution channels. Can't say I like it that way but that's the way it is.

Search google for HID & hylow

If there is a leak this will be only a temporary fix but.... Remove the HB cover and bulb and attach a vacuum cleaner hose as tightly as possible then run the vacuum for about an hour in a WARM environment. The reduced atmospheric pressure along with the warmth will evaporate the moisture and it will end up elsewhere. Before reinstalling the fixture check it over throoughly for leaks.

The only way I have found is to open the door of the nav DVD what it's not in use. spent some time trying to figure out how to do that remotely from the driving position. Even rewired parts of the system so they would be permanently powered but apparently too much information is being passed around via the onboard LAN, vehicle speed for sure. I would think that some bright programmer at Lexus would figure out how to ask "I agree" only when one wishes to actually use the Nav aspects. But then on the other hand the system is so stupidly designed that there are way too many driver distractions even in its normal uses. I have always believed that the display should default into the non-nav (RX display without nav) type display when the nav map display is not being used. Even when I use the Nav I oftentimes turn the display off otherwise it is too instinctive to glance over at the display when the voice instructions are a bit confusing. The last thing one needs to do at a BUSY intersection coming out of the tunnel from the airport in Boston.

One failure was a Ford Pinto SW 2.3L I4/manual and the other was my 78 Porsche Targa. If not abused.... If I remember correctly abuse in this "instance" is restricted to running too lean a mixture. Other than a manufacturing flaw or accident damage I don't know of any other reason for one to fail. I bought the 78 in 83 with 37k miles so don't know much of the history before that. Bought the Pinto new but who knows with caburation.

In my experience the most common thing is for chunks of the catylist honeycomb structure to come off and then partially block the exhaust. In all cases of this I am aware of the exhaust upstream of the converter would glow cherry red after driving a relatively short distance. The Tundra might be a really poor comparison since trucks typically have a much lower first gear and final drive ratio combination. Also of note is the fact that even the new RX330 will feel more "torquey" with the new 5 speed which also has a lower 1st gear ratio and at least one of the AWd RX's final drive ratios is also lower, 3.48 vs ~3.12. Also remember that since the RX is predominantly FWD the VSC system will often step in and limit engine torque to prevent impending wheelspin at the primary drive wheels. With the Tundra being RWD the VSC is not ikely to intervene since with rear wheelspin you will have directional control.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/ls/jan12_02?full=1 Not new but best picture I have. Oh well, looks like you have to search for "picnic" in the LS gallery.