cduluk

To answer the thread creator, there isn't much to complain about in terms of transmission noise for the 09 RX350, though some complain of engine noise during cold temperatures (some say it sounds like a diesel engine). I had an AWD 2003 Rx300 for several years and it performed wonderfully in the snow. My AWD 2008 RX400h is much worse, but heck it's a hybrid. I've heard that the 07-09 RX350 is better in the snow than the previous RX300, and i can tell you the RX300 was more than satisfactory for non-Alaskan winters... So you should be fine with the RX350 unless you plan on climbing all those snowy mountains in New Jersey... ^_^

I installed a set for the rear bumper of my old Rx300 a few years ago- like you, i purchased from eBay. I remember the sensors needed to be placed a certain distance apart from each other (the two center ones being placed a different length apart than the other ones). It came with a diagram and a way to calculate exactly where they needed to be placed. I had some paint that my body shop left me from a repair, so i painted the sensors myself. They came out perfect! One hint when drilling the holes: Cover the entire area which needs to be drilled with masking tape first. Then stencil where the hole needs to be, and then drill. The tape prevents any "slipping" from the drill when first getting the drill-bit to bite, and it also prevents the paint from chipping around the hole. As for placement of the holes, you MUST inspect the rear of the bumpers before drilling, as the bumper reinforcers lay right up against the bumper covers without any room to place a sensor.You can remove the liner beneath the bumpers to inspect possible locations to place them.

Did you purchase the car new? Is there a possibility it was ever involved in an accident?

No one else does either... Just check for accident history (bad paint work, etc.) And check the carfax report even though they're not always reliable.

You've got that right! ^_^

i wonder when Lexus is going to realize how ugly the yellow wood is... I LOVE the birds-eye maple in the 02-05 SC430, but it's different from the birds-eye maple they used in other Lexus models (which was more of a "yellow" color than the "milky yellow" in the SC430). I wonder if Lexus has ever surveyed owners about preferences?

Why do you mention "windshield/defog" mode? I don't have a problem with this... when i hit the defrosters it goes to outside air- that's what i want to happen. The vent position (head, feet, head+feet, feet+windshield) never changes on it's own. I leave it on head+feet all the time... The fact that my system switches from inside/outside air on it's own has nothing to do with defogging "mode". Maybe it does this to reduce the moisture in the vehicle, but i don't care what the car thinks; when i tell it to recirculate inside air, i want it to do it! If at any point i get fog on the windshield i'll hit the "defrost" button and turn it off after a minute...

I know, i know... I think the LS is attractive and without a doubt one of the "best" cars in it's price range, but i like the sharper curves/lines on the ES, and especially the rear end. The LS rear end is too "fat" IMO... I LOVE what Lexus is doing to the rear and of the 2013 ES... In the price range and class of the ES, it's without a doubt my favorite. I'd get one the same color as yours, just with the gray interior and of course i'd change things here and there... Personally i'm just not a fan of much else out there... I love the "feel" and "style" of the 2000-2010 Lexus lineup. I don't exactly like where the next decade is heading!

Before the winter, I turn the "A/C" button OFF, and in the spring I press it back ON. I haven't seen the "A/C" button light activated in months (except for a few minutes the other day when I was doing some testing). On my 400h, the inside/outside air system is completely independent of the "A/C" being ON or OFF.

I know, I've had two LS's and two ES's. I drove the car on a back country road in Annapolis, and out on a concrete-expansion jointed highway. I thought it rode well, and I remember wondering what people who said it rode poorly were talking about... cduluk, Oh yeah, I wouldn't spend $6k just for the wood finish. Thanks for the offer! I might just take you up on that if I get one ;) Awesome! I'd be delighted. ^_^ I hope you'd pick the maroon shade, like on your 03 ES! I wish Lexus would offer that color on more current models. I think they offer it on the LX and GX, but i think it'd look nice in the rest of them!

That's debatable... it's the best looking sedan in the current Lexus lineup LOL. And it's peppy!

Jeesh, i should really have my Rx400h's transmission fluid changed. If that's how brown your fluid was, i can only imagine how bad mine is considering the way i drive...

I think you made a good choice! I'd take an 06 RX over an 07 Subaru for sure!

Because, as a matter of safety, the operational mode of the A/C bears directly on the ability for the system to remain in recirc mode, or in some cases even switch into recirc mode. And be aware that should the system automatically switch the A/C off for one of the aforementioned reasons although it appears that you can over-ride the A/C and switch it back on the indicator will illuminate but the A/C compressor will remain disabled until the causative factor abates. The last time i hit the "A/C" button besides this week during "testing" was probably last October... I've never had to touch that switch unless switching between Summer and Winter months; so if it toggles ON and OFF it hasn't bothered me. The only thing that bothers me is the "inside" vs "outside" air thing. If i tell the car to recirculate inside air, the car should do whatever it has to, to make it work. If that means switching ON/OFF the A/C system, then that's what the car should do. It's the middle of the winter; i don't need any cold air! And i don't remember this issue occurring during summer months...

Well i think you'll be good then with just the clearcoat. ^_^ Do you know if the material you used is water or lacquer based? Is the surface rather "rubbery"- the type of surface you wouldn't trust Krylon to stick to? My only concern with the clearcoat is the fact that it might not stick to "rubbery" surfaces (anything you'd expect Krylon paint to flake off from) like silicone, or the fake leather surrounding the interior door handles and covering the door armrests, etc. But if you're using an airbrush to apply the clearcoat, i think you'll be OK as you can heat the area with a blowdryer, and lightly "mist" the dye to avoid "fish-eyes" or beading up of the clearcoat. If the repaired area is a bit too "slippery", misting the clear will make it stick better. And how big is the repaired area? Is there ANY way you can get a pic?

Why do you keep mentioning A/C? I don't have a problem with the A/C switching between ON and OFF.

Hmmm... it all depends on how good the color match is right now. What did you use to repair the area? Can you take a pic?

Damn... so the only reason mine seems to change between "inside" air and "outside" air is by a clock? Either that or it detects moisture... which i doubt! Oh yeah, this feature is getting the boot. i'm on vaca this week until the 19th but when i get back it's going to the dealer. I need a lot of things looked at. I still have that "farting" noise when i brake, my rear-view mirror compass keeps "blinking" (there's gotta be a lose wire up there) and there's a squeak in the back seats i can't get rid of! This thing is really showing it's age at almost 80k miles :( Warranty ends this June so i've gotta get these things fixed ASAP. I'll see about all these recalls too...

I flipped therough the owner's manual for the 2011 ES350 loaner I had and the AUTO position for the fresh/recirc button is for bad smell/exhaust. I suppose it switches automatically to recirc if it senses bad things(exhaust? carbon monxide? hydrocarbons? cow manure???) We don't have that feature/sensor in the 400h. So there's a separate "AUTO" button for the "inside/outside" air system on the new ES?? I thought we were talking about the "AUTO" button on the dash face that... well, is supposed to regulate fan speed and what not based on what temps we select (which i don't even think works). And i thought our 400h was supposed to be able to detect bad smells too? I know mine doesn't as it always seems to take outside air when the outside air smells! It could just be broken though...

It would be huge, and with the ES being a platform shared car with the Camry, it would require a lot of reworking of the platform and drivetrain to accommodate AWD. Definitely, and i'm sure that would affect reliability and fuel consumption as well; we all know AWD versions of cars tend to be less reliable (more moving parts), weigh more, and hence get worse MPG. Lexus must have done their research and determined that ES buyers care more about MPG, cost, and reliability, than demanding AWD when FWD works just fine in day to day driving.

SW, how much does the price differ between the standard package and one with the luxury package, 6k? If the presence and finish of the wood trim is the only issue, keep in mind that a wood steering wheel is around $200 on ebay, and it wouldn't be that hard to turn the matte finish into gloss! ;) Plus you could pick the wood color! I'd do it for you!! Lexus usually gets more profit with the "luxury" packages because they charge more for wood trim etc. than what it's really worth. The catch is that there's usually just "one thing" you're looking for in the package, and they throw in a lot of other stupid stuff you don't even want (which raises the cost).

OK, here's the website for the magic mender leather dyes: http://www.leatherrepairkits.com/ 1. At the left, scroll over "Repair Kit & Color Charts", scroll down to "Automotive Colors... K-M" and click "Lexus". 2. What you want to buy is the "Color Flex", not the complete kit (these extra items are useless). 3. Where it says, "Please select your color", scroll down to "#84 Charcoal Black". This is the interior leather/vinyl/dash color for 04-09 RX. 4. A quantity of 1 will cover at a miminum the ENTIRE dash and have a lot left over. You don't need to put this stuff on thick. 5. Once you have quantity 1, hit "back to shopping" to find the clearcoat. You will need the clearcoat as the color coat is a "bit" shiny. Plus the clearcoat adds a lot of durability. 6. At the next screen (the same page where you selected the color), scroll down a bit until you see "Other products you might be interested in", and click on "Clear Coat". 7. On the next page, scroll down and find the "Clear Coat" for $15.95 and where it says "Please Select", choose "Matte"- which is the dullest shade. Quantity 1 is again OK. 8. Then you're all done! Quantity for both the color coat and clear coat should be $40.90 and shipping will be around $10... It might sound like a lot, but you'll love the results, and it'll be nice to have touch-up available for little nicks and scratches! I always go around the entire interior with the bottle in one hand, and a toothpick in the other, touching up little areas; it makes a big difference! There used to be a "coupon code" option on the site but they got rid of it apparently... It used to be BMW a few years ago, it was for 10% off. You can see how often i've bought dye from them, i memorized it! I used their dye for all of my leather projects; from my steering wheel modifications, to the redye of the entire dash in my Rx400h after my body shop messed it up with Armorall... The stuff is absolutely AMAZING for the upper dash. For items like leather seats, it's a bit "iffy" how well it'll hold up as friction does a number on it. But for areas like the upper dash and those vinyl areas surrounding the shifters and on the glove compartment, it works perfectly! But like i said earlier, i'd recommend getting an airbrush that you can hook up to a compressor... Hand-brushing the dye or even "splotching" it with a cotton rag doesn't yield a nice and uniform result. Airbrushing allows you to "mist" the dye onto the surface so you get literally a pefect blend. I would never cover a dime sized area with the dye without blending at least 2" in every direction. It sounds like in your situation airbrushing would work best. All you'd need to do is lightly spray the "black" dye over the area, and follow it by a light coat of the "clearcoat" misting away from the area a little further. I promise it'll work! Can you post a picture of what the area looks like now? I might be able to suggest the best way to continue if i can see what you're looking at now. And i'll try to do some digging to see if i have any tutorials showing how to apply the dye... i think i have something showing how i applied it to a steering wheel! OK, here's a link to a page where i detail the process using the color and clear coat dyes: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=57087 Don't worry; i've got you covered! No pun intended of course...

That's the thing though, i don't care about the "A/C" being activated- the only problem i am having is with the "inside" vs "outside" air settings changing on their own without me hitting ANY buttons. As far as the "A/C" feature goes, if i press it ON it stays ON until i press it OFF. I'm not sure what it does when i turn on the defrosters, but whatever it's doing to the "A/C" is fine with me. The only thing i do notice when i turn on defrosters, is that it turns "outside air" ON until i turn the defrosters OFF- this i like however!' My issue is only with the fact that it toggles between "inside" and "outside" air at random times without me touching any buttons. I don't have the system set to "AUTO", i don't have the defrosters on; yet it still changes on its own...

Ah! You should definitelty get some leather dye from magicmender. Believe it or not, leather "dye" is not really a "dye", but more simply a rubbery paint. The dye doesn't actually stain leather, it just adds a nice coating on the surface like a paint. Its just rubbery so it doesn't crack as the leather moves. Magic menders dye works on leather, vinyl, anything that's not too "slippery" like the leather material surrounding the interior door handles and door armrests. Notice how shiny and rubbery this material is? The magicmender dye won't stick there. However it sticks VERY well on the dash area and on the panels surrounding the shifter. I've used the dyes from magic mender and I love it! I've actually used it on the entire upper dash and those vinyl areas on the glove compartment and areas you're describing around the shifter. The EXACT color of the black in the RX is called gray-black (or something like that) on the magic mender site. When I get home ill check the bottle and ill update back here. It works very well! Id also get the "matte" clearcoat as this will give you the dull shade you're looking for. Do you have an airbrush by any chance? One you can hook up to a compressor? It works very well for blending the dye, as brushing leaves lines and splotches. Ill check on the color when I get home and get back to you :)

Lemon, it worked! However it would require me to do this every time I start the car. If upon startup I hit AUTO, then turn it off (and of course re-adjust all settings) it doesn't switch to "outside" air as quickly. And I agree, I don't understand the purpose of the AUTO feature, as even with AUTO off, it still does what it wants! I'll give this another few days but this car is dealer bound! I'm hoping the dealer can get rid of this feature :( I'm wondering if your 06 isn't doing it because of your climate or if there's a difference between the computers between 06 and 08. Or it could be there is indeed a fault with mine, maybe a blown out sensor? I swear it switches to outside air the second smoke is around!