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I have a few TSIBS for the 2004 RX330 that I DL'd from TIS. It's about 3.5MB compressed or 4.32MB uncompressed. Anyone willing to host this for the board?

If you're mechanically inclined, you can pull out a service manual ($10 download @ http://techinfo.toyota.com) and buy a scan tool ($200 Auterra plus a PDA) if you want to fix this yourself. Pull the Diagnostic Trouble Codes with the scan tool and find which O2 sensor is bad, and after testing it and finding it to be at fault, you could buy an O2 sensor from the stealership for $180 retail and change it out youself. Then you'd have a scan tool, service manual, and $200 in your pocket for more tools to work on your car if it has problems ever again. I won't let a dealership touch my cars. They reduce the life of a car by 50,000 mi every time they service a vehicle.

From how I understand it, you can order cars. Most people just preference cars and that's just selecting a car that's being shipped in your region to have sent to your dealership. Ordering takes at least 3 months. When I went to purchase an RX330 about a year ago, they said the performace package was on hold from factory and I wouldn't be able to preference one since none were coming in. I went to another Lexus, and I got the SUV in 2 months. Anyway, call 1-800-GO-TOYOTA and ask them if there are any restrictions on the thundercloud model. They will know if you cannot package those things together. I had to do that when ordering an MR2 in Phantom Gray Pearl with SMT and LSD because the Toyota dealership said they were not able to order a car with those packages in that color. I now own that exact car.

The NY times has a something related to the Brake Booster TSB...

We purchased the first year. Even if Toyota doesn't say anything has changed throughout the year, they constantly refine thier vehicles. The lesson is try to buy the last production year of the car you want. That and stick to J-vins :P I for one will probably just live with the rattles rather than have lexus screw up a perfectly good car. I believe there is a TSB out for this already. I'm just going to create a new thread for all the 2004 RX330 TSBs so look out for it.

Some people actually use the search function. Unfortunately, I think the owner's set his album as a private instead of public.

I could get all the TSBs and post it up here if that's legal.

Filter Comparision. Another one.

I have no issues with upshifting on my transmission. My RX shifts at redline when I need to, but I know my ES had issues on upshifting once the computer was reset. It eventually shifted at redline again after it learned my driving habits. Anyway, the RX transmission is the dumbest transmission I've owned. You need to adapt to the car. I don't have issues with the bogging as long as I use smooth throttle inputs. If I need to downshift, I move the throttle quickly and a significant amount and it downshifts fine. There are a few threads on the transmission issue if you try searching. link, link As far as the seats go, I doubt there's a straightforward approach to resolving this issue but guys on another forum I frequent swap seats all the time. Find out what cars have similar mounting points and hopefully one has more adjustability. If not, get a seat with more adjustability and separate it from the seatrail and then figure out a way to mount it to the old hardware.

I found this thread on is300.net. They have a few more threads in their industry news section. Go and get your bimmer before they put i-drive on it.

Keep WD-40 away from rubber.

Do you have air suspension?

The new wheels are hot.

I'm starting to hear a grinding sound on startup when my 2004 RX330 (AWD) has been sitting for a long time. The sound lasts about a second and occurs right after startup. I started noticing this when I started parking my car outside on the driveway, but I don't know if it's related. I'm going to take it to my local dealership this week since the car only has 6000 miles, but it's going to be difficult for them to diagnose since it only occurs once every day and it's very brief. Any ideas what this might be?

The Canadian VIN for the RX330 (with the performace package) I saw started with 2T2. Also, the tires were Michelins with a UTQG rating of 440 A A.

Climate control buttons are integrated into the head unit, right? If so, it'll be a PITA to get an aftermarket head unit working. There are a few other options like a tape deck adapter unit, or an RF unit. I dunno if the stock HU has an aux-input, but that may be an option as well.

The ones I'm referring to are very reusale. A picture's worth a thousand words, so view the attachment for a simple howto. BTW, if anyone has a service manual, please post the torque spec for all the bolts that secure the panels.

It's right under the exhaust manifold. If you know where the engine oil drain plug is located (passenger side, panel under car secured by 4 bolts), it's about a foot in front of that, and under the exhaust manifold. I'm sure if you stuck your hand down under the exhaust manifold from the hood, you'll feel it, but you can't see it. I removed the filter from underneath the car after removing something like 10 bolts/screws and 4 plastic push clips to remove a plastic panel. Wear gloves when handling a few of the panels. I think some are fiberglass. Below (also attached for archival purposes), is a picture of the oil filter. Note the yellow object at the top left corner of the picture is the engine oil dipstick.

The Prius is on it's 3rd generation. Toyota has the best hybrid technology out right now. I'm sure there are plenty of problems with the hybrid technology, but it's kept relatively quiet. I know my friend's Prius (1st gen) had problems. It was not a recall (but it was probably on the TSB), the problem was intermittent, the car's computers never logged the problem, and since the dealership wanted to physically see the car see the failure light on, it wasn't very fun getting them to fix it. Anyway, the newest Prius drives like a plain jane internal combustion vehicle. I'm pretty sure the new RX400h will be similar. I see that the prius has a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty on the batteries (source). I don't like the idea of replacing the battery. That sounds expensive. Don't expect to deal on hybrids. I know the price is fixed on the Prius, and I don't think it will be any different for the RX400h. I'm impressed with the RX330. There's a bunch of techie things I can geek out on. I love how the HID lights do their little test when you start the vehicle. I like how the RX lowers when you take the key out. I love the dimples on the underbody (yeah, I know it's not aerodynamic, but every bit helps). I like the navigation. Once I get the car broken in, I'll take it on the twisties to test out the AFS. Maybe I'll avoid a deer or two.

I can't seem to view your album. It says: