cduluk

Are the ones you have now OEM? If so, why not look for another OEM set? Ebay usually has some OEM's that have been tripple chromed. Key is to remove them before winter. No chrome wheel can survive the sand and the salt without peeling. I personally have 2 sets of wheels, one chrome set for the summer and a regular silver set for winter.

I don't believe there's a "miles to empty" feature on the RX unfortunately... But when the orange indicator comes on, that's how you know you've got about 2.5 gallons left, enough to get you from Lincoln to Warwick without a problem. <_<

...what's wrong with it?

I'm not sure if new Lexus prices have gone up, but i've noticed that used Lexus prices has been! Every once and a while i search on Autotrader for use Rx400h's, and in the past month i've seen some 2008's in the $40,000 range! I haven't seen that in a VERY long time...

Not sure if the knobs come off easily... When i did this i removed the slits when they were attacked to the vents, i don't remember taking the knobs off of the vent. Either that, or i just ripped the knobs off of the vent... If i remember correctly, the "slits" are made from plastic. There are 2 plastic pegs coming from the back of the slits that go through 2 holes in the vent knob, so the pegs stick out the back of the vent knob. The peg ends are then melted flat, securing the slits to the vent knob... The only way to remove the slits without damaging them is to gain access to the area behind the vent knobs, and dremel away the melted peg ends. Then, the slits can be pulled off of the vent knobs. Here's a rough sketch of what i'm talking about. <_< Are you even sure the chrome slits from the knobs of the Corolla are the same size as those from the the RX's? I just google'd a pic from a new Corolla, and they seem a bit longer...

Hi CD, I see your still up too! You mentioned the lights still going off after the 30 second delay even if the ambient sensor is removed. I wonder if this issue might be due to a malfunction of that timer routine, in that it may have some sort of glitch that is letting the lights continue to run past the 30 second window. That's my best guess, not sure what other computers control the lights...

When i got the donor chrome strip vents, i had to gain access to the back of the knobs to push the chrome strips out. The strips don't come out willingly. I couldn't pry the strips out from the front without damaging them. You'll see when you get the donor chrome vents...

So the headlights don't go off even after time has passed after the car's been turned off?? Don't think it's the ambient light sensor... That sensor can literally be removed from the car, and the headlights will still go off after the 30 seconds or whatever passes after ignition is turned off (i've had the sensor removed in my Rx400h after doing a project involving that trim piece on the dash). If you turn the ignition off, and hit the lock button not once, but twice- do the lights go off? My guess is a more serious computer problem...

Yupp, just the chrome strips pop out. If you look closely on the newer RX black knobs, that "slit" comes out. Same size 100% as the chrome one from the older RX300 chrome slits. <_< I don't remember how much force it took to get out, i'm pretty sure i had to destroy the black ones to get them out, and i had to gain access to the back of the chrome ones from the donor vehicle...

Hmm... can't say I notice any "squish" noises coming from the tires on my Rx400h, can you elaborate more on what you mean by "squish"? Does this noise (as you described with the scraping noise) happen only once every revolution or is it consistent the whole time? And did it start right after you fixed the scraping noise or was it present before that too? You could try playing with the tire pressure. I had some issues with my tires squealing every time I turned or accelerated quickly, but after raising the PSI to around 34-35 the noise mysteriously terminated... I do know for a fact that Lexus has had issues with the emergency brakes getting rusty and stuck, it happened on my Rx300. Mechanic suggested using the emergency brake every so often to ensure it didn't get stuck for good...

Check the fuses, maybe all those things are together. It'll be in the owners manual...

Yepp. <_< It was bothering me on my Rx400h, so i decided to upgrade them to chrome to match the two center ones. My first idea was just painting them with silver paint, but it wouldn't suffice... I remembered i had a pair of 01-03 Rx300 center vents (from my old rx300) and would you know it, the little chrome slits pop out, and so do the ones on the new Rx's, and they're the same size! A little super glue, and they fit right in. And here's what it looks like now :) The slits can be removed carefully with a really tiny flat-head screwdriver or a razorblade.

That's pretty interesting- i had no idea the parts shortages affected the ES as well. Aren't the nav systems for the 2011 the same as 2010? You'd think they'd already bave a lifetime supply of those parts made already... I do know however know parts for the CT are on short supply. Last week i ordered parts for the CT200h at my dealer, a pair of the passenger door hybrid badges (i'm gonna put them on my Rx400h) and i was told they were on "back order". They're supposed to come in on Friday, that's about 9 days after i ordered them. Never had that happen before!

Woah! The world is a scary place...

Looks nice! Army, how did you settle for that brand of clay bar? I tried one once (don't remember the name) and it didn't work for me. :cries:

How do you know you need to actually replace the tailgate? What type of damage is present? Where is it located on the tailgate? Even if you were to find a used tailgate in the proper color from another vehicle, most likely you'll still need color blending into the rear 1/4 panels. Bamboo pearl is without a doubt the hardest paint color to match, and not every RX painted in that color will have the same shade or metallic effect. And depending on the damage, the most cost effective mehod of repair might not require a new tailgate at all. Either way, it's probably best to file an insurance claim. The cost to just paint the tailgate and blend into the sides of the car will run at least $500... Can you post pictures of the damage? You might get lucky on a used tailgate in bamboo pear either on ebay or car-part.com.

Check the navigation screen quality of both the 06 and 07. I know on other Lexus models, the nav screens were upgraded for 07 with better pixel quality. not sure if the same is true for the IS though.

Every year (i've had Lexus' with navigation since 2005) i've told myself i was going to get the updated nav disc (new one usually comes out the end of every year) but i've never gotten one! I'd probably wait until December when the next ones comes out... But i say this every year and never do it! :whistles:

If you can get the OEM part number, type it in on parts.com You can get pretty much every OEM part with significant savings from them.

So it's directly under the seat? The only other entrance is from the center console or from the back seat area. Can you lift the carpet in the rear door? If that doesn't work, you might need to remove the center console (the one that slides between the two front seats). Can you take and post a picture of what you can see? If i know exactly where it is i'll know exactly how to get to it. I've been down there running wires before. <_<

Remove the door sill (the piece with the "LEXUS" illuminated logo) and you'll see how the carpet's held down with several clips/staples. The sill comes off with just your hands, it's only held down with clips. <_<

It'll beep if the key is still inside the car, if you have the moonroof open, etc, etc...

I feel your pain, but i'm not aware of any way to turn that beep off... You might want to try and locate the speaker and cut the wires going to it. I believe the speaker only goes off when the door's opened, your seatbelt isn't buckled while in D, or your maintenance light comes on. Might be better to yank it!

That's definitely not normal. And did you say this happened before and you forgot how you fixed it? And what happens if you hit the "MAP VOICE" button? It "should" bring the map back for good. If not, you've definitely got some type of computer glitch issue. You might want to try unplugging the cars battery for an hour (or even better, overnight) then installing it and starting the car. This should "reset" everything.

Congrats! Be sure to post more pictures when you've got her cleaned up nice!