Step Hen

Took in the 2006 GS300 for the second time now, as the creak has come back, worse than the first time. It showed up again with the arrival of the cold weather. There are a lot of people who have creaking dashes, so it's a surprise the dealer hasn't dealt with the situation before. It's so common I think that the dealership is still waiting on the replacement cowl (about a week now for the part to come in -- part shortage anyone?). I would find a location near the dealership with a stretch of road that produces the sound from the dash, and then ask to take a tech or someone for a ride for them to hear the sound. Good luck. You can find the TSB as well here, something about windshield shims I believe to fix the creak.

Winter tires + RWD/FWD > AWD with all season tires, though AWD may be enough for you, just don't expect the same grip as if you were riding on blizzaks.

The disc is located in the trunk of the vehicle, underneath the hidden storage compartment. You can actually just replace the loading.kwi file in the 7.1 disc with the one from the 5.1 disc. I think you may find some 5.1 discs on ebay. You would first clear the memory on the nav unit to get rid of the 7.1 software that resides in memory, and then insert the hybrid or 5.1 disc. I'll send you some more info.

The override screen was taken out after version 5.1, so you would need to create and load a hybrid disc if you wished to use the override.

If you're a member, Costco has nitrogen for tires.

You would need to downgrade the software on the nav system to 5.1. You can search for "hybrid disc" on the forum for more info. It lets you run the older software with the newest maps.

As this defect doesn't affect safety, it will never be a lemon issue. Glad to hear they got it fixed. No one likes a new car that rattles!

I asked the forum sponsors at clublexus, but haven't heard anything back from them. Strange that Lexus doesn't post the info more prominently. I did get a pdf file showing the updates contained on 7.1 over 6.1, and I would like to look over the updates on 8.1 before committing to upgrade. It might not even be worth it for me to update to 8.1 if it doesn't contain updates for my area.

The 2005 RX330 and the 2005 LS430 have the same generation navigation system, so I would imagine that it would have the same features (if they are running the same software version).

Sounds like your nav system is screwed up, if it couldn't read the disc that was present in the drive. Get the dealer to troubleshoot it. They will most likely opt to replace it.

2004 RX330 = Generation 3 2006 ES330 = Generation 4 You will need two posts before you can send/receive pm's.

You have a newer version software on your nav system, so those steps won't work for you unless you run a hybrid disc.

No dice. The better graphics is from the higher resolution screen found on the generation 5 systems. The screen in your gen4 system is incapable of produching those high resolution pictures.

Sewell Lexus is having a promo for the newest disc for $250, with the chance for an additional $50 rebate if you mail them back a 7.1 disc. You could also try and get a 7.1 disc for cheap if there are no updates on the 8.1 that apply to you. http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/parts_det...41&all=Y%20

Not true. But then how else would the dealership take your money?

Read closer: it CAN'T be done by hand. Only when the seal breaks can you compress the lift support by hand. Are you sure you got the correct part/size?

That's all you have to do.

I've only heard of replacing bolts as one-time use only when it requires a high torque application.

Unfortunately the warning button is still there on your gen4 system, that's found in 2005-2006 GX470's, even with the upgrade to 7.1. Hopefully 8.1 will fix that!

It could be in the driver's side footwell. Pop off the cover, and there will be a list on the cover with the names of the fuses present. That's where it was on the 2006 GS300. People with SUV's have said the nav fuse was found in the hood (another fuse panel location). It should be named TV1 or Entertainment.

I believe the official Lexus time-frame is 8 hours or overnight (exact wording is in the manual). So technically the service manager was correct about Lexus's policy, but most dealers give loaners for shorter repair periods.

Wow dcfish, I can't fathom how you actually believe and support what you posted.... that you really think all the problems that are occurring now is due to the slight Democratic majority in Congress. You don't mention or give any credit to the Clinton administration whom preceded Bush and led the country to that great standing. Then again I can't believe how Bush was able to get elected twice. I finally thought Bush's scare tactics, of forcing every American to believe we had to follow his lead or not doing so would be the end of America, was finally at an end because Americans could see what it truly was, scare tactics and not the truth, and then you post that garbage.

The two cars have different gen systems and so the discs are not interchangeable. Also, the gen4 system found in your 05SC will still display the I Agree message even though you upgrade to 7.1.

Send me a private message with your email address and I can email you a pdf file showing you the updates contained in the newer discs since your 5.1 release. The updates done specifically to Boston include: - The city of Boston was driven and updated to improve geometry and attributes - HOV lane coding was introduced in Boston - Extended Lane coding has been applied in Boston - Field verified and added a new HOV lane from Kneeland St to I-93 South - Field verified and added a ramp from I-93 to South Station/Chinatown - Field verified and added a new ramp from I-93 to Sudbury St Unfortunately in your generation 4 navigation system, a 7.1/5.1 disc does not work due to a file structure change.

Yes it is possible. In the terms and conditions found in the booklet with the disc also states that "... you may copy this Data only as necessary for your personal use to (i) view it, and (ii) save it ...." There are some threads here showing you how to backup the disc. You'll need to make another post before you can send or receive a private message.