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In my 92 it was located in the center just behind the front bumper re-enforcement ironwork where is was often influenced by radiant heat form the radiator and/or A/C condensor. Moved it into the right front.

I would look for one with HID for sure, after 98 I think. And if you think the MB climate control is whacko you ain't seen nuthin yet. In the "south" the Lexus is highly subject to mould and mildew odours. In the north, sudden windshield fogging. Switches to cooling mode automatically on the coldest night in the dead of winter. NOTE: If you're not discomforted by the cool and dry airflow into your face in this mode you very soon might be by the lack of no forward visibility. In cooling mode no airflow, NONE, is "leaked" to the interior surface of the windshield to keep it above dewpoint. Uses the A/C's dehumidifcation capability EXCLUSIVELY, NO HEATED AIRFLOW (chilled actually) for defogging/demisting the windows and windshield, even below the outside air temperatures at which the system itself disables the A/C completely. Keep a dry towell nearby during cool and humid weather for clearing the windshield. Lexus ships the product with the A/C evaporator "stuffed" with an anti-microbial chemical (do you have allergies?) which leaches out by 20,000 to 30,000 miles and some dealers will willingly replace it at that point and some will pretend ignorance. Once the chemical leaches out the car will be even more subject to sudden windshield fogging due to the ability of the chemical holding medium, porus nylon coating, to retain and even greater level of moisture.

Anytime the engine diagnostic indicates an engine related failure Lexus automatically disables Trac. In this case the Trac failure light is meaningless except to say its disabled. I'm amazed that no one told you the engine diagnostic codes. The codes are quite detailed and generally point directly to the failed component.

I have now owned two cars wherein the catelytic converter element starting coming apart and pieces blocked the exhaust flow. Converter would glow cheery red.

All (four) tires were bald?? Rotating won't help.

Who was applying the brakes while you checked those??

$500 camera system to replace a $5 light bulb. Don't raise the bridge, lower the river!

I bought 50W 12 volt halogen landscape bulbs and "manufactured" them into RX compatible "plugs".

I proved to myself during this previous snowstorm that the Trac system in my 01 AWD RX300 works. It works quite well, both applying brakes to slipping wheels/tires AND dethrottling the engine. But now my question is that if Trac prevents the wheels/tires from slipping how is it that the VC will ever see enough disparate driveline rotation front to rear to "stiffen" up? Or is that maybe why the VC was dropped from the RX design? As of 01 the availability of Trac just made it extra useless "baggage".

I had the dealer "unlink" my A/C so it does not automatically operate in normal or defrost/defog/demist mode unless I do so manually.

A/C heater cycling back and forth..... You can solve some of this by relocating the OAT, Outside Air Temperature, sensor away from the A/C condensor and engine radiator where it is often influenced, biased, via radiant heat from those devices while stopped or driving slowly. I moved mine, 01 RX300, to just behind the bumper opening beneath the driver's side head lamp. This problem goes all the way back to at least 92. In about 93 I moved the 92 LS' OAT into the passenger side front fender well.

When our 95 LS did that I took the exhaust end off, bent it over for full blockage and reinstalled. no exhaust leak here.

The one in my 01 C4 looked like that at about 8k miles. A really good filter doesn't last very long. I build my own replacement with 3M filtrete furnance filter material purchased at Home Depot. One $15 filter can be used to make three Lexus filters or six C4 filters.

For the first few days of the current snowstorm here in the Seattle I drove our 94 AWD Aerostar but then my daughter's AWD T&C failed. So I got stuck with the 01 AWD RX300. But, slipped the snowchains on the rear wheels and went to work yesterday. Today was much worse than yesterday but the snowchains got me into Bellevue. I found a virtually empty Sears parking lot and decided to see just how good the AWD with VSC/Trac really is. So I popped the chains off. The snow was about 3 to 4 inches deep, 27F as it fell, not quite good skiing powder but unpacked. But obviously a layer of ice underneath. Accelerating moderately and straight ahead it was clear from the sound that the brakes were being applied by the Trac system. No audiable alarm but if I looked down during the event the "skid" icon would be illuminated. If I applied "excessive" gas during the Trac activity the engine would very definitely get dethrottled and over-ride my input. I can't say for sure, but I came away with the sense that Trac was acting differetially in the rear to provide a "virtual" LSD. Regardless of what I did, causing oversteer, serious oversteer in several cases, the VSC did nothing discernable. Creating understeer was a bit more difficult but again the VSC did nothing. In the past few days I have, I'm sure, experienced VSC activation, even with the audiible alarm, but try as I might it would not activate in the Sears parking lot. Oh, that instruction to apply the brakes firmly and let ABS do its bit needs to be amended. If you know the roadbed is slippery and the brake pedal stops pulsing before you come to a full stop the ABS has just been "fooled" into thinking the vehicle is stopped. In that case lift your foot from the brakes long enough for the wheels to begin rolling again and then reapply firmly. Repeat as needed.

May I first ask why?? Are you saying there is no drive to the rear BECAUSE you have disconnected the driveline but the transaxle PTO still turns? If you are saying the PTO doesn't turn than something is VERY wrong. In any case I can't imagine that you can obtain anything close to correct torque/HP ratings in this manner.

Now you've gone and wasted my time and yours. The only upgrade I would recommend would be to AW, all weather bulbs, amber tint. To begin with, Lexus will only allow fog lamps on with low beams. That configuration will actually be a detriment to your night vision. Fog lights are designed to provide lots of close in light and low to the ground as if you were driving in actual foggy conditions. Modern european manufacturers and earlier US car models allowed use of fog lights alone which IMMHO is the proper thing to do. The next time you have a chance on some dark night on a lonely road check your distance night vision and then turn on the fogs and check it again. You will undoubtedly find that your distance vision has declined due to your eyes' reaction to the now brighter close in illumination. Since your DRLs as supplied will result in premature failure of the HB bulbs my suggestion would be to use a relay in series with the DRL circuit to energize the Fogs as DRLs and now you can use the fogs independent of the LBs. If you're looking for "looks" of the vehicle then knock out the frosted lens in the corner of your headlamp assemply and replace the small incandecent bulb with a good bright white LED replacement. Search for "super bright led bulbs".

Dealers aren't all that expensive if you FORCE them to abide by the "book". Only perform those maintainence items specifically called out for by the factory on the NON-ROUGH USE schedule.

Remove the front wheel behind the headlight in question. Remove the two or three screws holding the fender liner in place just behind and around the parking light. Pull, force, the fender liner out of the way. You will now see two 10mm nuts that hold the outside of the headlamp assembly in place, remove those and the one at the front grille and you're basically home free. It's a tad easiler if you also remove the small grille piece just under the engine hood lip when it's closed.

Tell me.... With such radically different final drive ratios for the new RX330 in the front versus the rear how can the front/rear engine torque distribution be 50/50 F/R??

SOP.... HIDs are a lot brighter and wider light spectrum and therefore need a really sharp cut-off and auto-leveling to maintain them at the correct height for varying loads which keeps them from blinding oncoming drivers.

AWD RX300 a marketing scam.... Let's let Lexus vote on that one. Lexus: "for 2004 the viscous clutch used in previous versions of the RX has been completely discarded in favor of just the open center differential and the use of Trac, brake modulation, to apportion engine torque only when required." Paraphrased but literal.

Tire chains.... I can't even begin to recount the number of times I have seen the many kinds and types of AWD & 4WD vehicles stuck on slight inclines in hard packed and icy ski area parking lots. Around here you see lots of vehicles going to the ski slopes without chains but a lot more coming back down with chains. I always carry chains in ALL my vehicles during the winter months. Don't often have to use them, probably 4 or 5 times since Dec 90, but they're worth their weight in gold at times.

"rx300s with rear tire chains......" Four of them yet! Are you really sure those were RX300s?? Both the 00 and the 01 RX300 owners manual designate that tire chains should be used ONLY on the FRONT. According to Lexus that is also true of the new RX330. There is not enough space in the rear between the strut and the tire to fit ANY tire chain safely. Knowing how hazardous FWD is in these conditions anyway, and especially so with extraordinary traction on the front vs the rear (front tire chains ONLY) I added 1.2" wheel spacers all around to fit 17X8 wheels/tires so I can use tire chains ONLY on the rear. The only truly safe configuration.

If the RX300 or 330 had equal final drive ratios front and rear then I would have no basis for arguing against a 50/50 F/R rear torque split. But the fact of the matter is that both have differing F/R final drive ratios, the RX330 more disparate than the RX300. Does that mean the RX330 starts out at something closer 98/2 F/R? Maybe. Can't say for sure except something causes the RX300 to be 95/5 and it is NOT its open center diff'l nor the VC, viscous coupling across that diff'l. Obviously it is the VC in the RX300 that stiffens up, partially locks the center diff'l, and routes the 25% level to the rear but only after several minutes of front slippage vs the rear.

Open the rear hatch and spare tire cover, remove the "tool" holder just to the right of the spare tire and the DVD player is just to the right under the ledge. In my 01 anyway.