smaislin

Mine are going to be refinished. Replacing doesn't guarantee that this won't happen again. They assure me that they would be done right. So do you think they shouldn't be refinished but replaced? The one's that have been repainted did they look good? They looked fine for a couple of years and now they look bubbled. So, good luck. I don't think replacements would be any better. My guess is the only thing that would work is a rim that does not have a painted or chrome finish. I am no expert and I don't feel like investing in new rims, so they will stay the way they are and that is that. The Lexus is a 2004 and other than the rims, it is perfect. After 5 years, I am not so picky. More important things to worry about...

Mine were repainted by the dealer when the vehicle was under warranty. Two years later, they are back to being bubbled. So, they will remain that way and eventually, I will buy new wheels. Such is life. MA winters are rough on wheels and I am not one to keep them cleaned and waxed. :-)

Yes, the piece at the bottom that covers the nut that connects the arm to the motor comes off and on without a problem. The full wiper or refills are available from Lexus. I have not found any source for the full wiper or for refills from any other source other than Lexus. I ordered refills from Sewell on-line for about $3.20 / each.

To drive the car normally the transfer case is in H and the transmission is in D. Neutral is alway neutral, which mean it is not in gear.

Dynamic Stability Control, it is normal.

I use 87. When I use 91 or 93 there is little if any difference in performance and no improvement in gas mileage. Save you money.

Not considering the service experience, VW Toureg, V-10 Diesel.

I have had a GX470 for 4.5 years and have had service that is beyond perfect from Lexus of Northboro here in Massachusetts. It is unfortunate that you are having difficulties.

In your transfer case: high is for normal driving. You use it just about all of the time. Low is not used very often and for some, maybe never. Low is for difficult situations where traction is exceptionally difficult such as off-road in sand, seriously difficult mud, or in loads of snow. Low provides you with more control over your wheel (tire) speed. Also, you would use low if you are on a steep decent that is iced or very slippery and you wish to use downhill hill decent control. The downhill assist function only works in low gear. The nice thing about downhill assist is that you can keep your car in its normal drive gear "D" and the downhill assist will keep the car at a safe speed without you needing to use the brakes or accelerator. All you do is steer. In nasty situations it is amazing (I use it to head down my 15% 800 foot driveway when we have icing conditions). Neutral is just like in your transmission, the gears are NOT engaged and you will not go anywhere. Neutral is just the spot between high and low so the gears can disengage before they engage in the new gear. Your transmission has the same. I suggest reading the manual that came with the car. You should also try out everything so you have first hand experience on what all of the features do. There are many driveline features and all kinds of combinations. By the way, you can only switch the transfer case from high to low or back when the transmission is in Park or Neutral. I find it hard to believe an auto dealer would think you put the transfer case in neutral to drive the car. That's very sad! Enjoy.

A year ago it failed and ended up bottomed out. This time it failed and ended up at its highest point. With 5000 miles left of warranty on the 2004, I hope this is the last time this rear suspension acts up. It's a wonderful feature and I hope this sensor situation ends up just being some really bad luck. The dealer fixed it as they did before and all is well now. Service is always perfect.

Seat belt buzzers been in cars since 35 years ago. I don't have a problem with anyone deciding to NOT take advantage of any safety improvements. What I do have a problem with is that we all end up paying for the supidity of these reckless and selfish decisions. When insurance companies have to pay the huge hospital bills for those who scramble their brains (and live) or end up numb from the neck down because they are thrown from the safety of a vehicle, we all end up paying higher rates. It is society that bails out the irresponsible few. Don't you find it unfortunate that people don't care enough about their loved ones to take reasonable, sensible, and very simple safety precautions when getting behind the wheel of a two ton machine. Taking precautions (safety belts, hands-free cell phones, tire pressure checks, clean windshields) most likely translate into a high probability that we don't become a life-long burden on their families in the unfortunate event of even a marginal automobile accident. We tax smokers and we limit life insurance coverage to those who practice highly dangerous sports, but we don't seem to reduce payouts to those who refuse to use seatbelts or keep their automobiles in reasonable working order. So, at least when you get in the car let's make sure everyone buckles up. At least we won't end up with human missiles in the event of a collision. Nobody really likes missiles.

Yes, there is a way to stop that annoying light. You reach left and pull the belt across your chest and insert it into the well placed latch. People wonder why insurance is expensive. Unfortunately, we have to pay for those not killed, but crippled for life ($$$) when lauched from vehicles in collisions. CLICK IT and you stay put in the nice safety cage for which Lexus has spent millions to design and build. Give us a break.

Put a level on the running board and you will find that it is riding level.

If your vehicle has been running and you stop for a bit, the temperature might be much higher resulting from engine heat. Once you drive off, it will slowly drop to the actual temperature. It is the same as when you park it in the garage, the ambient temperature around the vehicle goes up quite a bit.

I use the thule with the fairing. I have the square bars. I think they are 50 inch bars. I use ski racks and canoe holders. I have no problems and no noise. I even go through the automatic car wash with it. They say not to do it, but I have no problems.

Mine has the same. Looks like some sort of venting. It does not exist on the driver's side.

I have lowered and raised the backend to test it a couple of times since this happened and I have had no additional problems. Moisture, unseated beads, who knows? The next time it is really cold I am going to park it outside and run another test. For now, the mystery continues. Yes, it was quite a ride driving on a bottomed out suspension. It makes you appreciate the concept of not bolting the body to the axles. :)

there is a bluetooth conversion kit ← How does one find out about this conversion kit? Is this a third party solution or will the dealer have this capability?

The GX is amazing in deep snow. Nothing will stop you from moving forward. It is a ton of fun. However, when you are on the road and the plows and trucks have turned everything to sloppy slush, watch out. It still will get you going when you've got to get up a hill or are starting off, but in the turns you still are dealing with the laws of physics. This SUV has got plenty of weight that always wants to go straight, thus, mitigating the value of much of the technology (skid control, etc.). However, this is where a really good set of winter tires will add significant value to how well you remain connected with the road. A combination of winter treads and all of the anti-everything can give you the edge and keep you out of trouble, to a point. :)

The other day, I lowered the rear end to load some stuff. Nothing was all that heavy, just bulky so having the back end a bit lower was helpful. Normally, when you start off, it goes back to normal. However, it actually bottomed out and I had one hell of a nasty drive home. One the way home, I pulled over and tried to get it to raise the rear end by putting the switch to high, but no luck. So, I drove home with the headlights pointing high and really learned about every single bump in the road. When I got home I called the dealer and they said that it might be OK in the morning after warming up in the garage. It was in the twenties so there was chance that temperature was causing the electronics to malfunction. The next morning I started the GX and it stayed bottomed out. I put the switch on high and the pump pushed the rear all the way up. I put in back to normal and it dropped to the right stop. I even put a level on the running board to see if it was level, and it was. So, it seems fine now as far as the ride goes. I have not tried LOW again as I don't want to deal with it. The dealer said that driving with it bottomed out won't hurt anything expect the ride and, of course, if using the headlights I will get lots of people who will give me the middle finger salute (I did get quite a few people on my way home the other night who kept slamming on their brakes). The dealer said that when I have the time, park it outside on a cold night and try it in the morning. If it fails, drive it on down and they can determine exactly what is going wrong. When it did fail, the normal light kept on blinking for a long time. So, the system probably did register some sort of fault. Anyway, I thought that I would write about this in case anyone else has experienced the same. One of the problems with all of these electronic systems that adds convenience is that they can get fussy when the temperatures go to extremes.

:cries: That is quite unfortunate. I wondered about this feature, but never thought to ask about it. Now, I know. Good intentions, poor execution. Hopefully, its software and they can update it one day.

Well, there was a thump and it was significant though not particuarily annoying. I told Lexus that it would be hard to replicate. I also told the service manager not to worry about it unless they knew of a fix that would address it. I did not want them to have to spend time diagnosing something that may not show up. At the time I did not know that others were experience similar symptoms. You would find, based on a post I put in a couple of months ago, that I find this to be one of the finest automobiles that I have ever had the pleasure to drive. It is simply superb. I plan to also acquire the SC430 while keeping the GX for many, many years as my utilitarian, but luxuious transportation: cycling, canoeing, etc. After driving quite a few European luxury brands over the past 15 years, I find this Lexus as well as Lexus service as second to none. As long as the vehicles are built to the standards that I experience today, I cannot imagine that I will ever purchase another brand. It is good that Lexus tries extra hard to make me happy. I am very happy and have never been so satisfied with an automobile experience. I tell anyone that asked me for automobile advice to buy a Lexus. As I also wrote in a previous post, these are very complex machines and to expect perfection is asking too much. However, I do believe that Lexus appears to get closer to perfection than any other brand. :D

My thump is gone. TSIB DL001-04 has been applied providing me with a new driveshaft. All seems fine. Overall, it was a minor issue for me and now it is no longer an issue. I am happy. :)

I paid $464 for the 15k. They checked out many things and changed quite a few fluids, while topping off others. I figure that for $40/month I have a vehicle that is properly maintained. It is worth it from my perspective to know that my ~$50k investment is receiving proper care. I do believe that it pays off in the long run to be thorough as I plan to keep this vehicle for many years as my utility transportation. Oil Filter, Rotate and Balance Tires, Brakes Checked showing 20% wear, replace transaxle fluid and differentials, new cabin filter and air filter, many new gaskets. They replaced the rear wiper blade, but could not do the same in the front as I had already put aftermarket blades on.