steviej

Linda C, Here is a responce that I copied from member 1990LS400 to your duplicate thread on the same subject. (The duplicate thread was removed). My advice is to go to the Lexus dealer as soon as possible and ask for replacement leather. If you do not get satisfaction, then call Lexus customer service very quickly. Since the leather failed during the warranty period, the dealer made a repair attempt, and your RX is only about four years old, I would be very surprised if Lexus did not take care of this problem. Be firm and please let us know what happens. I purchased my current 2000 LS shortly after it came off a 3 yr/36K lease and I was a little surprised that the leather on the left side of the driver's seat had some visible crease marks. I have had two Mercedes with leather (another had "MB-Tex") and yes, Mercedes leather seems thicker (but harder) than Lexus leather. However, I have not had one of the more recent Mercedes with softer leather. I have never been a fan of leather and I have read a lot about leather not lasting as long as cloth. The cloth interior in the LS that I bought in early 90 looked like new after 14 years. I sure can't say the same for the leather in my next door neighbor's LS that he bought new in 1989 and lavished attention on - the leather looked quite worn and creased when he sold the car last year. steviej

Go back to the dealer and show them their poor workmanship. Ask that they recover the seat properly or have them reimburse you if you take it to a professional upholsterer. If that don't fly, then call 1-800-25-LEXUS, explain the situation to a customer service rep. Since you reported it before the warrany expiration and the dealer made a feeble attempt to fix it, I think you may get your seat reupholstered. it is worth a try at the dealer and no luck, make the call, nothing will happen if you don't. steviej

actually lexusk8, the TSB does virtually nothing for the hesitation. The TSB is a flashover for the ECT that changes the shiftpoints. This TSB removes the slight shuttering that occurs when the tranny hunts for OD or 4th gear when cruising at about 40 mph with no load on the engine. The hesitations are less aparent but are still present nonetheless. The hesitations are more a factor or the electronic throttle system and not so much a tranny problem. antique37, give it some time. Learn the throttle system and feel the car. It will take some time but you will soon love the smoothness of this car. Don't expect Corvette accelerations, it ain't gonna happen. If it is the first "fly by wire" car you have driven, you have to learn it as it learns you. be patient, it will come to you. steviej

refer to this thread. It is in the same location for the RX330 as it is for the RX300. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...xhaust+manifold steviej

BADIS300, Toyota Type-IV tranny fluid. on a side note: please don't type in ALL CAPS, as many feel that is a form of yelling and this is a civilized web site. ;) steviej

I still think the wheel bearing is suspect. Even though the mechanic listened to it on the lift, you said yourself the sound is most prevelant at 40-60 mph. You won't acheive this on the lift. Does you mechanic have access to a device called a "Chassis Ear". Very similar to the stethescope method. It is a battery operated headphone set with 6 alligator clips that attach to the areas in question. The operator gets up to speed at which the noise is heard and the technician can listen to each clip separately to determine the source of the noise. just a thought. steviej

take it back to the dealer and ask for a printout of what the actual code is. Some codes are probably nothing to worry about, some mean big problems. You won't know until you have the actual trouble code stored in memory. Either way, a code is being triggered, which means something is not functioning right. Have them fix it!!! and don't take no for an answer. Speak with the service manager and the general manager if possible. Something tells me they knew the code was there and erased it from memory to sell the car. Most likely it may be a faulty O2 sensor. Whatever it may be, you should have at least gotten a 30 day warranty on the purchase from the dealership. steviej

The posts are not actually being deleted. They are being moved to a closed section. When you post duplicate or triplicate copies of the same post in multiple forums, it gets very confusing for members to follow. It is much more advantageous if there is only one thread running on the subject. As for you post, is it just surface rust or is it actually corroding away?

WSiebert, I know the pain you feel. The first scratch or scuff hurts the most.....especially when it is self inflicted. I remember when I found my first rock chip. :( Oh well, it is only paint and plastic. That is why there are body shops. Don't use one of those touch up brushes, it won't look right and you will know it is there and your eyes will be drawn to it each time. Those are good for tiny chips and scratches. If you are sure the paint is down to the black plastic (and it is not just scuff) then the best thing is to have a body shop remove the cover and paint the whole thing. It is plastic and flexes so an additive has to be added to the paint to make the paint "flexible". This way it won't crack and flake when the bumper is put back on the car. Runs a couple of bills. My has been repainted twice. It is a hard fact, but new cars are that until they roll off the lot. good luck. steviej

you remove the headlight assembly from the car, bake it in a 200° oven for about 10 minutes and then separate the housing from the headlight cover. If you search on "clearing corners" you will find a ton of threads with details of the exact procedure. For the outside, in addition to what HoeBag said, there are several plastic cleaner/polisher sets on the market. I use on from Mequiar's call "Mirror Glaze" steviej

go to Autozone and have the codes pulled for free. The 96 is OBDII compliant. steviej

the plastic coverings have 10mm bolts along the front edge. The rest of the coverings are held up with push pins. They can be had at the dealer for about a buck a piece. Find the holes in the coverings that match up with holes in the frame or undercarriage and pop a new pin in. I think I counted 8 total last time I was under there. A cheaper alternative is the "bag of 10 for $3" christmas tree like push pin. These have lots of angled bristles that hold the pin in and make it a bear to pull back out. I think they are called upholstery pushpins. steviej

pictures feen78, picutres........got any? I am sure words won't do the written description justice. sj

paint codes should be on a placard on the frame around the drivers door. look for an alpha numberic code. ie. millenium silver is 1CO. steviej

the cost of a bottle of Chevron w/Techron is far less than a speeding ticket. steviej

I just filled up yesturday and had to bite my lip. I have always used premium but am stepping down to 89. I can't get myself to pay over $2 USD for a gallon. I know it adds up to only a couple bucks on a tankful, but over time, who knows. we will see what the mileage does and if any knocking comes up. steviej

the only difference would be the location of the shifter. I think the RX is easier to take the covering off the console. sj

you know, after I posted I was curious and clicked on that supposed link. no luck either. one of two on that site that appear to be but aren't. SW03ES, BananaGS is a freqeunt poster on CL. I could contact him via CL if you wish. But his website should have a way to contact him. let me know. steviej

check out a club sponsor: www.lextasy.com just click on the advertisment above.

I would/did have the coolant flushed at 30k miles (at the advice of Lexus, as they said they are not trusting their "Long Life Coolant" to 60k miles). I did have the tranny and diff done at the 30k. Brake fluid flush at 30k is a coin toss, I had it done but it probabaly could have waited until the 60k. If Toyota finds any warranty repair, don't have it done and then take it to the Lexus dealer to be done under warranty. Toyota is going to use the same fluids and filters as Lexus and the 30k is just fluid replacements. Instead of just comparing prices, get a list of what is to be done and compare actual line items of service. Different dealers include or exclude different services on the 15, 30, 45, 60k, etc. services. For example, on the Camry is the tranny flushed? It is on the Lexus. I assume oil and filter is included with both. What about air filter, cabin filter, and wiper blades. They are on the Lexus 30k, are they on the Toyota 30k. Tires are rotated on the Lex, are they on the Toyota? If you are good with a wrench, most of the serives can be DIY, thus leaving you with even a smaller bill at the dealership. I prefer to leave the tranny flushes, brake fluid flushes, and power steeering flushes to the dealer as disposal of these fluids is not as easy as motor oil and coolant. The local transfer stations (aka dumps) will only receive used motor oil and old coolant. steviej

sounds like a sensible and economical plan. steviej

try here my friend. http://lexusmodz.netfirms.com/ scroll down to Exterior, look into mod #9 #09 DIY Disable Day Time Running light (3 min mod) (11/1/02) steviej

Heyyyyyy....what's wrong with Acura? :o Well, the newer ones are not built as well as the older ones for sure, but I used to have a 1989 Legend Coupe. That car had many features not available on my 1997 ES300. absolutely nothing. Now go back and read that entire post....not just the first line! Pay particular attention to the second line. It's called sarcasm. :whistles: steviej

Acura?! :chairshot: no, just kidding. It was down to that model or my current ES when I was buying a car two years ago. Enjoy the ride Kevin. steviej

do a google search on "bananaGS". this guy has a lot of DIY stuff for the GS on his website. One of which is rewiring the fog lights so they come on with the parking lights instead of the headlights. The GS is the same stalk setup as the ES, and I have heard it will work. steviej