pauljcl

I think this is super-neat, and also so easily reversible. How do you slip the acetate in front of the gauge'windows? Do you start in the middle or is the side gauge large enough (since the acetate sheet must be larger than the gauges). Yes, you can start with the larger center gauge and then decide, as I did, to do the two flanking gauges. As LEMON stated and I have since redone mine...you need only to cut them like arches, bigger than each gauge and carefully and with perhaps gloves, slide them on top of the plastic gauge window and under the gauge rings. It looks really nice, night or day. They just sit there, no tape needed as LEMON found out. Rey Bustos in rainy L.A. I guess that by the time you get this it will be Rey in stormy LA..... and this is from Paul in sunny Miami (tomorrow we hope).... Can you pull out the black plastic 'gauge cover and sunshield'. I looked for some screws holding it, but could not find any, was afraid to pull too hard.... of maybe CDuluk could know since he dismantled the entire cluster???? ( tried different colours with transparent folders, and it is really really cool + I am amazed at how much space there is between the black 'cover' and the transparent window...

I think this is super-neat, and also so easily reversible. How do you slip the acetate in front of the gauge'windows? Do you start in the middle or is the side gauge large enough (since the acetate sheet must be larger than the gauges).

I had the same effect in my 99RX300 since I bought it in 2002. Dealer said it was normal, but if it is anything it is motor mounts which cannot absorb the engine vibration. Coming from a MB, I was astonished that a Lexus would have such an unbalanced idle. Of course, even a slight increase in revs. reduces the felt vibration. I have this issue as well and I believe its the motor mounts. I remember this discussion previously and IIRC the RX had some sort of fluid filled MM's that were great initially but tended to fail prematurely and ended up with the low RPM idle (under 1000 rpm) that we all know and don't really love. Usually it disappears when you put the car in N. Indeed, it does disappear in N, as well as further to any elevation in RPM. I guess the dealer who told me it was normal did not feel like honouring the CPO warranty they said was applicable to the car... or deemed the deterioration of the motor mounts such a 'normal' occurrence that it was not worthy of repair.

I believe you have until the end of your original warranty to buy the extended warranty - no rush on making a decision.

Fantastic! Renews faith in the brand - very happy for you!

On my 09RX, the speedometer indicates +3 mph vs. actual, consistently over the range of 50 to 100 mph. This is with new tires pressured to 32-33psi (instead of the 30 psi recommended). I know it, so I live with it. I did not know the dealers could tune the speedometer, I always thought it was 'a big deal' involving changing some computer or ECU. You may be interested in the following site: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html which allows you to easily calculate the effect of a different tire size. Speedometer error - when speedometer overstates - obviously increases with tire wear (though I haven't calculated by how much - tread depth when new is often 10/32") and decreases with higher psi. It is unlikely that you would consistently get a correct speedometer reading for an extended period of time.... Let me know....

I had the same effect in my 99RX300 since I bought it in 2002. Dealer said it was normal, but if it is anything it is motor mounts which cannot absorb the engine vibration. Coming from a MB, I was astonished that a Lexus would have such an unbalanced idle. Of course, even a slight increase in revs. reduces the felt vibration.

That's what polarization is adn why it is used in sunglasses: it cuts down reflection in one plane, leaving it in the other. If you rotate sunglasses, you get the same effect, not only with your acetate sheet but on anything (e.g. windshield, painted surface etc...) on which there is a reflection. In particular, one pair of polarized sunglasses rotated over another pair of such glasses will really show the darkening effect when the polarization is at 90*. My polarized sunglasses cause the radio dial transparent faceplate on the RX350 to show distortion (from manufacture). I checked a couple of other RXs, anbd they had the same 'problem' in the same place.

Actually, this brings on another question.... If all tires are at, say, 32 psi, but the spare is at , say 25 psi, and the TPMS is re-set, does it really reset for all tires based on the lowest?

I am not sure this will be of much help, but here goes: When I got my 'new' 09RX, the first evening the tire press. warning light went off, as it got cooler. Tires were at 25-26psi. The car had been at the dealer for a while before he sold it, and had been 'prepared' a few months before. I would assume that the 'preparation' includes correct (i.e. 30)psi setting and re-set of the TPMS. Thus, I would guess that the warning light comes on about 4-5psi below where set. [i am sure the dealer would know]. I use 32-33psi, but have left the TPMS un=reset, because a) I'm pretty good at checking tire ressures regularly, and B) I don't want to be bothered by a possible TPMS warning (if the weather has a cold snap).I am really only using it as warning in case of a puncture or other similar problem occurring, thus a 'margin' of 7-8 psi is fine with me. Of course, the 'simple' way to verify is to progressively deflate a tire (say, the spare) and see where/when the warning light goes on..... Simpler yet, as mentioned, is a tel. call to the dealer. Good luck!

Did you lose the heating capability?

do you think i should just leave it to a glass shop? I do have some buffing experience, but for some reason i don't feel right about this :( If the scratch(es) are very light, they can be polished out with toothpaste. Otherwise, there are companies which polish windscreens (same companies that polish the tempered glass in home windows). It works if the scratches are quite superficial. Otherwise, it leaves distorted areas where it has been applied. I don't know what Lexus puts on its windscreens. I did not think they put anything because it will surelywear out with time and leave marks where the windshield wipers wiped. I use Rain-X which I apply myself.

So this is my first post on here since I recently purchased my first Lexus. I noticed the white dust on the dash after the first weekend we had the car. I would clean it and as you know it comes back. I called Rallye Lexus today and I am bringing the car in for service on Thursday. The receptionist told me she has only heard of this issue once and I will have to speak to a service rep to go over the issue. I will keep you posted to my experience with this issue and hope it gets resolved. I bought this car to keep my son and pregnant wife safe and I have to say I was pretty upset when I came across this posting over the weekend. Well, i can tell you EVERY 07-09 Rx out there is experiencing this problem, and some other models as well. My guess is that not many owners are actually complaining about it... I have a 09RX350, and there was some white dust being produced after I took delivery. At the first service, the dealer changed the air cabin filter, and I have had no problem since (after a period where I assume the dust still in the system blew itself out). Reading through the various posts in this forum, I seem to understand that there are two kinds of 'dust': the 'usual' dust such as enters the car or comes from cloth, and a more uniform and larger-grained dust that could be from the evaporator. Thankfully, I have not had the latter. My recommendation would be to first change the air cabin filter, then see what happens...

I would second 'muffler tape' if it can be wound around the pipe satisfactorily. Cost is very low, and if it doesn't work, little lost..... Good luck!

Neither an HIR 9011 or HIR 9012 bulb can be modified to fit in a 94 LS400 headlight unit which uses a dual filament 9003/HB2/H4 bulb. cduluk, have other HIR bulb types been introduced? Here is a thread where I posted which bulb types are compatible with HIR bulbs and how to modify HIR bulbs to replace 9005 and 9006 bulbs: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=55274 I agree with 1990LS400. I had replaced 9005/6 with 9011/12, and they were great (on a RX300). But I do not believe other types of bulbs in HIR are available. The place I ordered my bulbs from was: http://www.finemotoring.com/ and they do not offer any additional types.

It will indicate 'off' or 'on' depending on the weight in the passenger seat. (Check Manual). Good luck!

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue. I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;) What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car. Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid. I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well. The cooler you say that is installed in the fender well is aftermarket, (PICTURES of the aftermarket cooler PLEASE ) Just like the cooler I am refering to. Although the fender well is not the best place for the install. B) The fender well cooler is standard, at least in the AWD RX300. It is, as Lenore stated, on the starboard side, aft of the wheel. The fender skirt has small slits to allow better air access.

Interesting reviews. Thanks. I too am in the market for new shoes on the wife's 04 RX330. Her original equipment Goodyear Integritys have 85k miles and are getting thin on the tread. Are the Alenzas as quiet as the original Goodyears? From the feedback posted here, I believe I can count on the Alenzas for good handling/traction performance. Tire rack is showing $139 each. Chris www.onlinetires.com seems to be less expensive than tirerack. Good luck!

Usually, there is a faint green light (visible at night) confirming it is 'on'. It can be turned 'off', but typically works very well: without drawing attention to itself. I have had no problem with any of the Lexus mirrors, though I have twice with the BMW rearview mirror.

Did you check whether the spare tire had a TMPS sensor, and its pressure?

On the RXs, I usually run the tires at 8-10% above what the manufacturer recommends. For me, this has given a combination of ride and responsiveness that I feel is the best I can get. A higher tire pressure made the cars harsh, in my opinion. I also put back-up sensors on my latest RX. They cost $190.- installed (if you can accept black), but I had mine painted body/bumper colour for an extra $100. They were sold/installed in Miami by an outfit called "Auto-tech" - a car alarm place - and they work extremely well, indicating proximity not only by beeping but also by posting the remaining inches to touching, accurately. If I had had the camnera, I would not have installed them, though, since I would have thought the view would be sufficient. All this to say that your inquiry should probably begin at car alarm shops. Good luck!

Pending success in locating the plug (which is probably in the same place as the Camry's plug, and any Toyota dealer could tell you), I am sure you know that you can leave a (lit) 100W bulb in the engine compartment to mitigate some fo the effects of the cold? [This what we used to do in Ottawa and it worked!].

Tks. to a member of this forum (blk_on_blk), I found rear hatch struts that were great quality, low price (for my RX) at: http://www.autopartsbylou.com/lift-support...p;x=12&y=14 I remember looking through the 'autopartsbylou' site and they had a huge list of struts they sold. Maybe you can find those you need there? - I've been very pleased with the one I got and installed..

Oh yeah, i do notice it fogs up the inside when running inside air, but for the most part i've been OK. So what do you guys think my next step should be to test if there's indeed an issue with my unit? Isn't there a time limit on the fully 'closed' circuit of re-circulation? There was on my MB about 20 years ago, so as to prevent the air from becoming so stale (CO2) that driver might nod off. Maybe the circuit does let in a little outside air on purpose. Why not call a dealer and find out what it is supposed to do?

Why not check the rotors and 'turn' them if necessary, without new pads?