cduluk

How much would it cost Lexus to develop and produce an AWD version of the ES? My guess, more than what Lexus would profit by, with any possible increase in sales... Not to mention the fact that an AWD version would cost the buyer more, a cost that "might" scare them away. The FWD system can't be THAT much worse than what an AWD system would do in an ES. Maybe if it were RWD there would be a concern? Lexus produced AWD versions of the GS, IS and LS probably because their counterparts were RWD models, which are notoriously poor performers in the snow. If the IS, GS and LS came as FWD models, i can't believe Lexus would have made AWD versions also... It just wouldn't be THAT much better. Also keep in mind that a large chunk of Lexus owners live in warmer climates, which might not have a big need for AWD... FWD is more than enough for the ES, and i don't believe the extra cost for an AWD setup (and loss of rear passenger leg room due to a center drive-shaft) would market well for the ES...

thanks for the help guys, lemon- I actually never use the "AUTO" feature of the A/C... I always adjust everything myself manually, with the dual climate control ON. The last time i hit the AUTO button was by accident a few months ago... And i keep the "A/C" button off during winter months and turn it back on once i need it for cooling (usually in April). I'm a reptile; i love heat. The lowest i ever set my A/C to in the winter is "maybe" 73 if the sun's out... Usually it's between 79 and MAX HEAT. I'm not even kidding! This stupid thing did the automatic switch to "outside air" again tonight when i had it set to "inside air". About 99.5% of the time the "inside air" light stays on ON; and when i turn the car off, it's still ON, and when i turn the car on the next day it's still in "inside air" mode how i like it. The ONLY time it switches to "outside air" is about 3 minutes after the car's started when it's cool out... OR if i manually switch it to get rid of fog on the window by turning the defrosters on for a second. Once i turn defrosters off, the "inside air" light comes back on how i like it. I've always disliked the A/C system on this vehicle. I LOVED the way the Rx300 worked; it did EXACTLY what i told it, even if it fogged up the entire car. Over the years i've gotten VERY good at adjusting the "inside" vs "outside" controls so the fog doesn't form while still giving me NO outside smells. And i'd like to do this with the 400h but it "thinks" it's smarter than me. HA. Bobbass- i'll have to ask my dealer about the personalized settings for this feature... i hope they don't charge me for turning off this stupid thing- i never asked for it! I honestly wish the 400h had mechanical valve controls on the dash instead of these stupid solid state "switches" that make changes on their own. First they made the gas and brake pedals "drive by wire" and now the A/C? I mean come on, talk about making things difficult... I don't like having to constantly say, "Did you see what the car just did?" every time i drive the thing and switches start going off on their own... FREAKY.

Hey guys, I've had just about all i can take of the "re-circulate" setting changing on it's own for the A/C; switching from "inside air" to "outside air" without any input. I need some help! Here in RI, winter mornings are frigid and everyone keeps their fireplaces on, stinking up the roadways with the smell of smoke. When i start driving when the car is cool, i like to keep the "re-circulate" button ON for the air conditioning so it warms up quicker (as it takes longer to warm up new cold outside air vs interior air) until the cabin temp is satisfactory. Well, at the SAME distance away from my house (and after about 3 minutes of driving) the "re-circulation" setting automatically changes to "outside air", with the green light going out automatically. It just so happens that this same "location" away from my house is ALWAYS smokey and the smell drives me NUTS. And by the time i catch the "setting change" it's usually too late, and i've gotta smell the smoke for a while. Here's the button which controls the setting. WHY DOES IT DO THIS? I "think" there's something called a "smog sensor" that's supposed to detect the outside air quality in order to adjust between inside and outside air; but apparently it's malfunctioning! If i set the A/C to "re-circulate", i expect it to remain on "re-circulate" FOREVER, until i tell it to do otherwise. I looked in the manual but of course there's no mention of this feature. Does anyone know how to turn this stupid feature off? It's always done this, for as long as i can remember- and it always changes at the same location whenever the outside temp is low. I don't think it does this as much when it's warmer out... Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Thanks for any input!

So you have a new bulb, new ballast and you're getting voltage at the connector? Is this only happening to one side and not the other? Try to trace the wires and make sure there aren't any breaks or anything like that. Also ensure that your cars battery is working normally. Who quoted you $1200? If you have a new bulb and ballast, replacing the headlight won't do anything. There's clearly a problem in either the wiring leading to the headlight, or in the cars computer. If you still can't fix it, and if the opposite side headlight is working fine, i'd splice the wires from that side and run both side ballasts off of the opposite side wiring. Either that, or use it to run a relay and tap off of the battery for power...

SW, maybe something like this? I agree that line is ugly. I don't like how it looks on the Camry and it looks just as bad here. I kind of like the new design!! I don't like the interior at all (for the same reasons i don't like the new GS interior) but i really like what they did with the exterior... maybe except for the front. They really added a lot of LS styling to the sides and especially the rear. I LOVE the rear end, especially the tail lights. I'm glad they didn't use the "orange reflector" design for the rear directionals that they used on the new GS- i like the clear housing with orange tinted bulb. I also like how Lexus is updating the headlights of the entire Lexus lineup to incorporate the LED daytime running lights. It's good they'll all be consistent. We'll have to see how much different the US version is; changing the front bumper, grill and hood is actually a simple thing for Lexus to do...

Denslex, try to get the part number for the front emblem for the silversport and look it up on parts.com. They'll have the same OEM part for a lot cheaper!

I can't believe i'm saying this but i like it; only for the RX450h though! ^_^ I would have liked to see an updated rear end too though... Here's the updated RX450h front end.

but at least it doesn't have condensation in both of the headlights...

Haha... i love it!

What was the issue they withheld? Jeesh, this sounds ridiculous to me...

It looks beautiful!! The Rx300 design was so way ahead of its time. You'd never guess it was designed 14 years ago (1998). Every time i see one on the road i forget what year it is, i just fall in love with it all over again! I loved mine. :)

I wouldn't replace the side parking lights (the ones that illuminates the orange reflectors) as it won't change the appearance. It might make the reflectors a "bit" more yellow than orange, but it's not an improvement. And quite honestly LED bulbs just aren't as reliable as standard bulbs, nor are they as bright. I would only suggest LED bulbs if you're looking for appearance, not for brightness and certainly not for reliability. LED's are only more reliable if the circuit they're on is designed to limit current and voltage. Resistors alone will NOT protect LED's. They need voltage regulators as well- and even then with a step down from 14.5V to 3V you'll also need heatsinking...

Actually i do think the RX300 looks empty at night without the fog lights on, but it looks much worse without the wedge lights on- they look broken. No one expects directionals to be on unless you're turning (so i have no idea what you meant in your post) however the empty wedge looks like it should be lit. I did a little photo editing, let's see what the differences are. Note that the "white" used in your white led in the wedge is actually pure white, without any tint of gray- it's the brightest it could ever be in real life. This is exactly what i was talking about earlier when i said how the factory yellow DRL contrasts better in daylight than a white LED.

The relay is energized ONLY in factory DRL mode so DRL LED extinguishes with headlight activation. So at night that side wedge light is off completely? Doesn't it look weird?

I still don't see how this is helpful as the RX400h doesn't have this light...

Ohhhh, ok...

i'd try ebay. The factory ballast is made by Denso. http://www.ebay.com/itm/FACTORY-OEM-98-99-LEXUS-GS300-GS400-430-XENON-HID-HEADLIGHT-BALLAST-85967-30030-/130633847147?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item1e6a62516b As for replacing it, you'll need to take a peak behind the headlight and trace the bulb to see where the ballast is. Most likely the bumper will have to come off, etc...

Then why did you say your "RX now has LEDs for DRL" in post #4 above?- what was the relevance of that comment (to the OP) if you're still using factory DRL bulbs?

Were these 97 addresses saved in your "Memory" folder or were they just left in your "Previous" folder? Disconnecting the cars battery will delete everything in your "previous" list but will not delete anything you've saved to "memory". Also if you registered a "home" address this shouldn't be deleted simply by disconnecting the battery. Hope this helps!

Of course the GS450h is faster than the Rx400h/450h, no one's making that comparison. I've driven the 07-11 GS450h and the power is extraordinary! The electric motors do an incredible job of increasing the pickup power.

Unfortunately there aren't any direct replacement bulbs that will give you the consistent look you're talking about. There isn't a single aftermarket halogen bulb that will give you the same color as the HID low beam. And there are white LED wedge bulbs that will replace the tiny parking light bulb, but the white will not match HID and there aren't many durable enough to last more than a month without burning out. I've tried to find a setup exactly what you've described both on my old RX300 and on my current RX400h, but it simply doesn't exist :(

So what you're trying to say is that you are using a white LED in the parking light as acting DRL? What do you have in the actual DRL reflector? I don't think this is what lemon was inquiring about when asking for direct replacement LED bulbs for DRL's...

... Where are the DRL Led's? All i see is an LED in the parking light.

Haha yes, i didn't see this post here but i replied to your PM; i believe you can reach behind and get to the sidemarker plugs by doing exactly what you said (removing the nozzle, fuse boxes) but i don't think the battery needs to be touched. I know the directionals can be reached this way and the sidemarkers are close by. Here's a quick photo i took of a headlight i had laying around to give you an idea as to what angle you've gotta pull it out. Are the bulbs burned out? What's your reasoning for removing them? If you can't reach them via the front, you might be able to via pulling away the wheel well liner. It would have to come out if you wanted to remove the headlights anyway; along with the front bumper!

Well, the ones i posted are definitely all the same type, and if i were doing what you're doing those would be the ones i'd get. I just wouldn't recommend waiting for a pair as it'll probably take a while. And even then, the price might not be this good. And trust me, they'll be completely identical- Lexus didn't change anything cosmetically from the front from 04-09, just fixed the seals. Personally, i'd get this (left side): http://www.ebay.com/...b346d98&afsrc=1 and this one (right side): http://www.ebay.com/...b142694&afsrc=1 and i'd also get this (the ballast and covers for the right side headlight above): http://www.ebay.com/...621889832466535 and i'd get a brand new pair of factory bulbs: http://www.ebay.com/...bd2681c&afsrc=1 I emailed many different sellers on ebay inquiring about the years they were removed from, and not a single one responded with one from the 07-09 range. However the ones above indicate being in the 07-09 range so personally i'd take them before someone else did. ^_^ This is exactly what i would do if i were in your shoes (and i have been)!