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It consistently amazes me lol Anyways, as for AWD my personal opinion is that a vehicle that is AWD will always be more valuable at trade-in time because it can be sold anywhere. It may be true that FWD is whats mainly sold down south, but up here I have never even seen a FWD RX. Your FWD RX would be unsellable here. Just my opinion. "..up here I have never even seen a FWD RX..." Is there really some visible difference that is that obvious..?? If so I sure haven't noticed.

Minivan-y... I've always figured that the reason the RX sets so inordinately "high" above the wheels is to prevent the "minivan-y" "view". Lower it to a reasonable heigth and it definitely takes on the look of a minivan. I think I'll buy a set of lowering springs for mine....

Do you really mean "downshifting" into a lower gear and thereby incurring a significant level of engine compression braking?? The majority of complaints, TONS OF THEM, going all the way back to the initial introduction of the RX series, and eventually involving the entire Toyota/Lexus fleet of FWD and F/AWD (Front engine torque biased AWD) involves a feeling of being bumped slightly from behind as you slow, throttle closed coastdown, to a stop 10-0 MPH, or a "slingshot effect" at 40-30 MPH with throttle closed. It would be nice to hear that you are correct and they have finally addressed the issue of the lack of engine compression braking. Or may they're just following Ford's lead for their FWD hybrids and only allow regenerative braking (engine compression braking) if the OAT is significant above freezing.

Why not just call your local Toyota dealer and ask the same question? Toyota mechanics/technicians, in general, will be more competent, experienced, and better paid than their Lexus service counterparts. There are a LOT more Toyotas sold, they are unquestionably less reliable (especially so of late) so there is simply more service work for any given Toyota dealer. Additionally many Toyota dealers also carry more than one marque. Lexus sales, on the other hand, are a fraction of Toyota sales, the cars are unquestionably substantially more reliable, so Lexus dealer service bays are often just plain empty. Very little service traffic equals lack of experience, no premium pay for Lexus mechanics/technicians and oftentimes subpar pay in comparison to a BUSY Toyota shop. Basically expect most routine work and "prep" and finish work at Lexus to be done by McD graduates. Lexus service writers, first and foremost, are taught the art of UPSELLING.... NEVER check a car in at Lexus for service absent being VERY definitive, in writing, about what you want done.... and more importantly, NOT done. Insofar as scheduled maintainance is concerned make sure the factory owners manual is used as a guide, not some schedule the dealer has cooked up on their own, and NOT the ROUGH service schedule unless you drive a taxi. Actually, regreatably, this last statement applies to ALL dealer service departments.

The HID lamp has a completely different base configuration but changing it out is almost as easy as a halogen. I would swap lamps L-R to see if the problem is the lamp or ballast. The ballast cannot be accessed absent removal of the headlight assembly and that is a real BEAR.

Lost weekend,...FRUSTRATING weekend...!! Problem turned out to be not only worn out slip ring brushes but also internal regulator, installed rebuilt alternator.

The Lexus shop/repair manual, indeed, indicates one should work from the top, removing the drive belt and then the PS pulley. Having approached this both ways I have found that reaching the PS mounting bolts and hose connections from the bottom makes it MUCH easier. Plus, how can you be sure the used PS pump doesn't have the same leakage point that is common to this LS series? And if you remove the alternator you will be able to easily check the slip ring and slip ring brushes at the same time. At ~100,071 miles my '92 LS400 had the slip rings themselves worn down to the alternator shaft.

It's easier to work from the bottom. Remove the alternator first and then the PS pump.

You can buy the exactly correct HID lamps for your RX on Ebay, and probably in normal channnels also, typically 2 for <$150. But you may not have a lamps failure, it may be the ballast. It takes ~20,000 volts to "fire" the initial HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE arc, and then only ~70 volts to maintian it, that takes a fairly complete solid state ballast which is mounted within the headlight assembly itself.

You could have bought a nice set of RX3x0 or ES3x0 seats, w/memory, off of Ebay for less than $400 w/shipping.

If the RXh goes the direction of the HH, longer, HEAVIER, 3rd row seat, etc, I expect we will see a Lexus hybrid version of the RAV4 at about the same time. IMMHO an AWD Lexus RV230h and a Toyota RAV4h with an Atkinson Cycle I4 engine would bring STELLAR value to the product series. Might even put an end to Ford's hybrid Escape and Mercury Mariner. "retained accessory power" Keep the accessory power (windows, etc.) on until the driver's door opens, even with the key removed from the ignition.

"SH-AWD" "system failed to function.." And that could have been a one in a million failure, the luck of the draw, as it were. I have yet to see a post concerning the SH-AWD system wherein someone is trying to figure out how to turn off the AWD "mode" in order to get UNSTUCK. On the other hand that request/complaint is a very common one for any of the Toyota or Lexus F/AWD (front torque biased, TC implemented AWD mode) vehicles. So common, in fact, that Lexus has responded ('08?) with an option to turn off TC and then sequentially, VSC. Given the seriousness of the problem owners seem to be having with TC implemented F/AWD systems I can understand the need to provide a method for easily turning TC off. But the seeming need to turn off VSC is beyond my capability to fathom.

Yes, and you can get them from a Toyota dealer. I can dig out the p/n if you need it but I know they use the same brushes as a 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser. -B- Lexus had them in stock, <$30.

Contact Lexus corporate, especially if she has good scheduled maintainance records.

And the answer is.... Slip ring brush... Positive side slip ring brush is worn down and tilted sideways. Anyone know why positive side would wear first? And being the Cheapskate that I am..... Can one still buy slip ring brushes (only) for a 92 LS400 alternator?

I got a tad braver than maybe I should be, fully charged the battery, drove it 11 miles to home, battery down to 10.11 volts but engine ran fine until shutdown. Now to see just what's failed......

Lenore ,I found a independent that will do it for 3200.00 and I will take your advice and have the rear main seal replaced. THANKS FOR THAT TIP! Do you have the number for Lexus America? I am already in the process of filing a complaint with NHTS , just want to make sure I dont leave anything out, want to have all my facts down and make it sound as pathetic as this is for everyone on this forum. What kind of business ethics does Toyota/Lexus have, I would could not have this kind of problem with an auto and let it go out to the public. Albeit Greed and profit is what makes the world what it is today. If the previous owner used a Lexus dealer to perform the scheduled maintainance items then there will be a complete record of same accessable at ANY Lexus dealer. If proper maintainance was carried out then you might have a very good argument for having Lexus offset some of the cost of the new transaxle as they seemingly have established a history of doing just that. Lexus is very well aware of a problem in the early RX300s that resulted in premature transaxle failures in exactly the mileage range of your failure. Actually, given the circumstances, I would ask, enquire, Lexus of an offset compensation regardless of proper maintainance records or not.

Disconnect the alternator's charge lead from the battery? I haven't looked at my LS430's alternator (I don't even think I can see it) but it's easily disconnected on my Jeep. I wish... There is a separate 40A fusible link from the battery to the alternator "field" but it branches and splits serveral times to "feed" other components on the way to the alternator. Thinking seriously about crawling under and cutting this wire as it goes into the alternator and then re-splicing it after repairing or replacing the alternator with a rebuilt one, $200.

"For two or three days it rode problem free..." I have long suspected that overfilling the transaxle with ATF, EVER SO SLIGHTLY, might solve this flare problem. Is it possible the service dept. "topped off" the ATF thinking doing so was really of no consequence??

My '92 Lexus' intrument panel lit up like a pinball machine which caused me great concern. But on researching via the shop manual it appears that Lexus wasn't satisfied just illuminating the battery "no charge" light with no alternator output, they have "OR" diodes to at least 4 other system failure lights. In any case its parked in a friends driveway and I would like to drive it home, ~5-7 miles, to repair it but it cannot find an easy or simple way to keep the (now recharged) battery from being discharged into the alternator rotor "field". Anyone have suggestions..??

Active ingredient(s) (anti-microbials) may not be available "over-the-counter" in the US... Keep in mind that you and your's will be breathing the fumes from this for a long time.

The worse thing, maybe the only bad thing, that can happen with old spark plug wiring is the spark energy jumping from one wire to another close by. But you can generally see that happening on a day night if you check.

Alternator/regulator OVER-charging the battery..??

Yes they do. This is a strange one. There are three resistive nichrome wire links inside the bulb failure detection module mounted inside the driver's side rear quarter panel, about a foot forward of the cigar lighter socket. My guess is you "blew" the street/parking/corner light link somehow. I cannot seem to locate these. Are they behind an inside panel? Yes, behind the same panel the rear 12 volt source/cigar lighter.

If the engine coolant temperture raises above "normal" the A/C compressor will be automatically disabled. Most commonly caused by a failed or intermittent radiator cooling fan.