cduluk

i replied to your other post about the issue <_<

I'm actually not wrong, I've been driving luxury cars and been a luxury car enthusiast for a LONG time, I have watched very closely how these styling trends go, and the "sportier" the model is supposed to be, the less chrome the designer puts into the design. Been this way for years. I'm not saying whether its a good or bad thing, which is why its not a matter of taste, but it IS the way manufacturers style vehicles. All you have to do is look at the cars within a manufacturer's lineup to see that the "sportier" models have less chrome. Look at the DTS Cadillac vs the CTS. Look at the 7 series vs the 3 series BMW, look at the M5 vs a 535i. Look at a CLK Mercedes vs a S class. Look at a Rolls Royce vs a Bentley. Even more downmarket, look at the Ford Edge, the "Sport" model replaces all the chrome with matte black trim. In general styling trends have been moving away from chrome, but you do see it making a little bit of a comeback. Aftermarket is meaningless, I'm talking about how MANUFACTURERS style their models. Personally I like chrome on a car, THAT is a matter of taste but the statement that sportier cars in general have less chrome than more luxury minded cars isn't a "matter of taste", just look at the cars a carmaker puts on the market... I conceded in sentence one of my post that that might be the current trend with car makers my point was that chrome, whether on a luxury, or sport car, is JUST a matter of taste, and I cite the large chrome after market parts business for sports cars, as proof that chrome is popular on sports cars regardless the manufacturers design trends perhaps we are in agreement, eh? Actually, i don't think aftermarket chrome parts are as popular as they used to be. Take chrome rims... are they really a big deal anymore?

did the problem start occurring right after you replaced the burned out needle? Or was the problem there before that? If you installed a different cluster that hadn't been tampered with, and if the needle still didn't go all the way up, then it's not an issue with the cluster. It's just odd that this started happening after you replaced the burned out needle, but the problem persists with a different cluster...

Yeah, claying a smooth surface won't do a damn thing unfortunately. All it does is lift caked on particles such as dirt, overspray, etc... If you can't "feel" it, it won't be removed. Claying in no way shape or form will add luster or depth to paint. Just use a good glaze and wax, as these products add shine and depth to the paint. <_< And i wouldn't use a mechanical orbital or a such like machine to glaze and wax the paint. If you can't "feel" any roughness on the paint, or unless you're using a compound, it'll be of no use. Machine polishing is good if you have a non-clearcoated paint or if you're using a compound to smooth the finish out. Neither glaze or wax require ANY aggressive movement by the applicator. They simply leave thin coatings of the stuff on the paint to fill in any swirls and add depth to the paint. The more the applicator is rubbed, the less amount of glaze and wax will remain on the paint. <_< If you do one panel at a time by hand it'll work OK.

ehh... if it doesn't have that tinted lens, the dials just look old fashioned! I love the crisp look of the white on black gauges with the tinted cover. <_<

You need THIS: http://www.radarbusters.com/laser-jammers/laser-jammers/blinderm45xtreme.cfm I have it installed on my RX, and it's legal in most states, and it works! I even bought a laser gun off of ebay to test it with, and it worked flawlessly. <_< And the only real problems with my RX have been caused by me by tampering with it... so i don't think that counts.

Hey congrats! I was just in Chicago last Tuesday, during a layover on a flight to Seattle. The airport seemed nice from what i could tell anyways...

At least he wasn't in some of the other states that have an even more harsh penalty for more than doubling the speed limit. The guy needs a radar detector!

No easy way to program the car to do it, but you can set up a few relays to make it happen. Wire your own circuit directly from the battery to the headlights, with a switch in the cabin. Then install a relay so when you turn the foglights on via the stalk on the steering column, it will disable your new circuit, avoiding a short.

Actually, it's not illegal but you do have to document the change. To swap and not document it, that would be illegal.. Then i'm guilty! No one will know, just you. Go for it and just hope you don't need to get a new inspection sticker, as they'll notice the decrease in mileage.

There's no easy way to program the car to do this, but you can do some complicated wiring to get it to do it. Hook up a few relays that will manually sent voltage to the headlights when the directionals flash (which happens when you press the unlock button) while the car is OFF (aka when voltage "isn't" being sent to the cigarette lighter. When those two things happen simultaneously, both relays will complete the circuit and the headlights will turn on. Then run another relay so when you rotate the stalk on the steering column to turn the headlights ON, your new circuit will be disabled and the car will illuminate them normally. <_<

Oh come on, seriously?? Toyota what is wrong with you? This Camry looks so "cheap"! It looks like they just added some sharp edges to the current model and removed the optitron gauges (what else is new for Toyota/Lexus)?

Are you using the very thin (like aluminum foil thin) chrome tape? If so, are you having dust problems? I've used this stuff before on various applications and if ever a piece of dust got under the tape, you'd see a little spec as the chrome would raise over the dust like a little mountain. I'd say the thicker the chrome tape the better as it'll better hide these imperfections. However as the thickness of the tape increases, its sticking ability decreases. i really like the chrome look. I love how Lexus added chrome handles to the RX for the 08 and 09 model years; looks much better IMO.

Do you need the larger trim highlighted in red? Or the smaller piece not highlighted? I'd try ebay or car-part.com for a used headlight and transfer the trim to yours... Or just order a new one via the link steviej posted above. <_< Although parts.com will have it cheaper.

What exactly is the problem? Does the dimmer knob have NO control over the brightness during both night and day? Are the gauges illuminating and dimming OK but not the nav screen? Are you trying to toggle between day/night mode for the nav screen (black screen with white streets or white screen with black streets)? During the day you shouldn't notice ANY difference in brightness between the position just shy of the "click" and the position after the "click". However at night, you should; just shy of the "click" the gauges should illuminate at about 50% potential, and after the "click" they should go to full daytime brightness.

The paint protection offered by the dealer is a total joke, it's simply wax which wears away in a few months after it's applied. Are you referring to the 3M clear bra? If you rub your hand over the paint, does the surface feel like sandpaper? Or is it smooth? A clay-bar is only used if it feels like sandpaper, as it's used to remove baked on dirt etc. It doesn't polish the paint in any way. I'd simply use a good glaze and wax, such as 3M's hand glaze and Collinite's insulator wax. <_<

The AWD Rx300 is excellent in the snow, much better than my Rx400h AWD. I had an 03 Rx300 with AWD and loved it. Just make to check the transmission fluid of the one you're panning to buy and make sure it's not browned or burned.

speaking of which, what is this new GS's price range going to be?

ebay or car-part.com

Look at the back of the headlight... Remove any access panels that are in the way.

Yepp, both the ES and GS are new for "2013". I'd assume they'll treat the new ES like the new GS which is advertised as the 2013. It doesn't look like Lexus' new "designs" are going to improve any... :cries:

Is this the piece you're talking about?

Well, they're advertising the "all-new" model as a 2013... so i'm gonna guess the 2012 will remain the same as it is now. You've gotta figure the next year models usually come out the fall prior, and since the new GS isn't coming out until next year i think it's safe to assume it'll be 2013. <_< THANK GOD! The new one is... well... :cries:

UGH... is this really the new GS? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/08/2013-lexus-gs-unveiled-pebble-beach/1 The back of it looks like what you get when an ES mates with the new Hyundai Sonata. I didn't know Lexus was emulating Hyundai and BMW... And it states here that the new GS350 does 0-60 in 5.7 seconds; seriously? The 08-11 GS350 does it in 5.4 seconds. They're going backwards. :cries:

Nice! Post pics when you get them installed. <_<