cduluk

I doubt that's why it blew. My guess is that the wires must have shorted while attaching the new cig plug. If the + and - wires touch even for a second, it will short the circuit and blow the fuse. I dealt with this issue a lot in my Rx300. I used the voltage going to the cig plug to wire many things on my Rx300- my radar detector, laser jammer system, custom nav lights, custom gauge cluster lights... There's plenty of current going to the cig plug to run many things at once.

I was gonna, but i like the white "ready" over the green one. Since it's on all the time, i thought the green would look out of place <_<

It's most likely the fuse. Check the fuses behind the coin holder drawer (to the left of the steering column) you can just pull the drawer out. Check the manual for which fuse controls the mirrors and cig lighter.

$$$ <_<

I'm gonna guess that you can. All the changes are cosmetic. As long as you have the new bumper, new headlights, new grille and new taillights i'm sure you can do the swap.

Type of replacement bulb won't be a problem unless you replaced them with LED bulbs, as these use less current and will trigger the light to come on still. Any brand regular halogen bulb should fix the problem. The fact that the dash warning light only triggers when you flip the parking light switch bothers me. Normally, it should be on even if your lights are OFF (if one of them was blown out i mean). Is this how the warning light operated before you replaced all the bulbs? Would it only come on when you put the parking lights on? Or was the warning light on even if everything was off? Stupid question, but did you check the 3rd brake light bulb(s) ? The one in the rear window i mean... Because that could trigger the warning light too. If not though, i would try to reset the light. Unplug the cars battery, and turn on the ignition (well, pretend to). This will drain any and all memory from the car and "reset" everything. And as for the ECT switch, i think it's supposed to be illuminated. Those switches have a tiny little bulb built into the switch box. If you can take the panels out and access the switch you can try to replace it. But it's not the type of bulb you can get at autozone- it's got a little green cap, you'd need to get that from Lexus as matching the green is very impossible (tried it...).

Just pull equally on both sides. They'll break if you pull one side more than the other. But honestly, its not a big deal if a clip breaks. I'm a profectionist myself and it doesn't phase me one bit that mine are broken. What you don't see can't hurt you.

Oh trust me i've thought of that :( But i'd rather do something i love for a little less than something that annoyed me every day.

i need help with this too I still haven't tried removing my headlights yet (was planning a headlight retro but it's been on hold until warmer weather) I'm almost 100% sure the bumper needs to be removed though. I'll find out in probably April or May <_<

I used the lexol cleaner and conditioner for a few years on my Rx300 leather. I have no proof, but i swear it made it worse I didn't have any cracks when i got the car, but as soon as i started using the lexol, i would get these little random cracks all over the place. The leather got really shiny too... Then i switched my seats with a used set from an '02 coach ed, and started using the leatherique stuff. I noticed a dramatic increase in appearance and feel. No cracking, no shine. I have no proof (since i didn't do a controlled test) i just didn't like the Lexol. I only used it maybe every 3 months or so, but i could tell it was making the leather worse. Since then i've used the leatherique and love the results. It looks and FEELS a lot better after you use it. Having used the two products, i've found the leatherique to be worth the difference in price by a landslide.

Thanks SW :) I've actually since left engineering, i'm now studying in math/technology education. I couldn't imagine myself working all day and all night every day a year on projects someone demands i work on :( I do my best when i have a little control, when i'm in the drivers seat. I have several teachers and educators in my family who love their jobs- love the kids, love the hours, love the summers. I think i'd be best working with and teaching others and doing projects on my own time <_<

I didn't need any tape or velcro... it fits pretty snug on its own

The headlight condensation problem was VERY common in the 04-06 RX330's, but i thought they fixed it for the 07 RX350. Maybe they used the prev. gen parts in your 350 since it was an ordered vehicle. I can't believe they'd argue with you about this since your car still has the extended warranty. All they need to do is file some paperwork and corporate will pay for the replacement. Usually the dealer doesn't care since they're not the ones paying for the replacement or labor. I'd just open the back of the headlight and fill the darn thing with a water hose. That would burn out the bulb and possibly do more damage. Then, the dealer would have to get you a new $200 bulb as well has a new housing. If that doesn't get their attention i don't know what will

The wood trim panels in the Escalade are 100% fake <_< you can even see the pixels in the pattern...

Well i just came back from the auto show. I sat in the Lincoln MKS, and wasn't very impressed. I played with the electronics which were pretty cool, but it didn't feel too luxurious. The plastics were quite hard (compared to the Lexus interior materials which are more "squishy") and the leather was very "pleather-like". The gauges and displays were also quite boring. I did however like the Lincoln MKS. It's a bit smaller than the MKZ, but inside it felt more luxurious. The gauge cluster is one of the NICEST, most MESMERIZING displays i've seen- i couldn't keep my eyes off of it... It looks boring in pictures, but in real life it has a wonderful 3-D effect which is very cool. I also found the interior styling to be more pleasing to the eyes than that of the MKS... Both lincoln's did have REAL wood trim though, which i thought was nice. And i played with the Hyundai Genesis a bit. I found the interior quality to be better than the lincoln, and of course loved the optitron gauges, also found on most Lexus'. But like SW03ES said, the Genesis uses FAKE wood trim!! Definitely a turn off... And the leather was quite "soft", but it felt more "rubbery" than i prefer. I sat in most of the Subaru's, and found them to be boring. Nothing special there. Sat in the Audi's too- same boring feeling... I wasn't impressed with any of the Honda lineup AT ALL. There was one brand that i was unusually impressed with, and that's with GMC (specifically the Acadia). I found the leather to be one of the softest, and interior materials to be a major step-up from previous GM's. Same for the Buick LaCrosse and whatever SUV they have (can't remember the name). Definitely wouldn't buy one, but i was impressed with the new GM feel. The GMC and Buick also used REAL wood trim, which is pretty nice. Cadillac was a major disappointment as far as quality of materials. STILL using fake wood trim and pleather. Wasn't impressed with Chevy and DEFINITELY not impressed with Ford. The quality of the Fords' interior materials is the same as of the Lincoln's- random spots of squishy dash material adjacent to hard plastics, it just didn't make sense, and definitely didn't give me a good feeling. Out of all the cars i sat in today, if you gave me $100k i would come out with the Acura RL. Revamped for 2010 with new taillights and a WONDERFUL interior. The technology in the new Acura's FAR surpasses any other car i saw today. The cockpit of the Acura is like... a space shuttle! The various white and blue accent lights just make you feel like you're in a luxurious heaven. The RL i looked at today had an MSRP of $51k, but i think for the tech you get, it's totally worth it. Just wish it had a touchscreen nav... But yeah, i wasn't very pleased with the Lincoln. Maybe it's because i'm coming from two Lexus', but i really notice the quality of materials. The first thing i do when i get in a car is knock on the dashboard. If it hurts, it's out!

It's OK if the clips broke on the bezel- mine are all broken too. It still fits in place just fine.

Paint can settle differently on plastic than it does on metal if not done properly. It requires careful planning for the right primer and right temperatures to get it right. A lot of time you'll see a new car with a bumper that seems to be of a different shade than the adjacent areas. It's probably because the fenders and bumper were painted by two different companies... but usually it's because the body and bumpers are painted in different ways. A lot of times shops will heat up a surface before they paint (to prevent running and quicken dry time). Remember metal heats up quicker than plastic does. So put a car in a heat booth for 30 mins- by the end, the metal will be HOT while the plastic might only be warm. Paint them both and the paint will settle less on the metal than it does on the plastic. This will yield a different finish. If the same primers are used on both surfaces and if the temperatures of both surfaces are the same, the paint should match perfectly though. What i think your mechanic is talking about is what's called "blending". If your shop is using different paint than what the manufacturer used, it might be a little different- most often in the size of particles (whether it be more fine or course) or color in general. When a body shop guy plugs in the cars paint code into their paint manufacturers computer, it will spit out 3 different versions (combinations of different paints they have) of that color. A Lexus built in Japan might use different paint than a Lexus built in Canada. It's up to the body shop people to decide which combination matches the one used on your car- based on how fine the particles are or what shade it is. It's very possible a body shop guy won't be able to match it 100%. So they completely paint the bumper, and "blend" or "mist" the surrounding areas of the adjacent quarter panels so you won't be able to see the difference (where one panel meets the newly painted bumper). But if they play with the combinations a little they should be able to find a color that's spot on.

Actually it's water based, you're right <_< Still haven't had good luck with it in the past. And KEEP AWAY from Vinylex.

I couldn't agree more about much of what you said. I still question Lincoln's quality of interior materials though... I'm actually going to the northeast auto show tomorrow. I'm gonna make a note to inspect the Lincoln for materials. I remember seeing it last year and being very dissatisfied by the interior quality :o But i'll update tomorrow. But i do agree about the Hyundai. I love the interior, exterior... everything about it- except the name. :(

Yeah, replacing the SMT's isn't an easy process. You'd have to mark the polarity of each, destroy each, and re-solder on new ones. Totally possible but it would take a while. But you'd have no limits as to what color you convert to, since the white SMT's used run on the highest voltage and current of any colored SMT's. So you'd know there's always enough voltage- they would be direct replacements. If i didn't like the color of the factory gauges, i would be all over it! But i LOVE the white, it's so pure... <_<

You're going to have a lot of glare (since the HID bulbs' focal point is different than the focal point of your halogen bulbs) but it might be OK... 6000k isn't that blue so it won't gain too-too much attention from the cops.

Oh yeah, the factory plastic cover is tinted. That's what gives Lexus gauges that totally "black" look when they're off. And when the gauges come on, it gives it that pure black/white effect. Makes the numbers and gauges crystal clear and look very futuristic! It's Lexus' trademark gauges... If you used one layer of red film, the output will be pink. The gauges light is white- and when mixed with red, yields pink. You'd need SEVERAL layers of red film to get a pure red color on these gauges- but then you'd lose a lot of brightness. That's why it's best to replace the white SMT's with red ones. Filtering the red light out of white (remember white light contains all the colors) won't give you as much brightness as just starting with red in the first place. It's just not practical to do it this way... With light filters it might be OK, but you're never gonna get a deep red, blue, green etc without sacrificing considerable brightness.

I notice the same EXACT thing in my 08... No idea why though. I know half of the braking power is controlled by the computer and brake regenerator, i guess when it senses an obstruction it relieves that energy...

There are two clips at the top around the speedometer hole, then the two bottom ones are at the opposite corners. Just yank and it will come out.

The lighting issues for your SC are a little different from the ones in the LS. Your cluster is illuminated with 8 or so regular light bulbs (which have probably burned out). The LS clusters are illuminated by CCFL's (miniature fluorescent bulbs) which are a little more complicated. If your SC needles are burned out in places (or all together) it's also a different issue than the LS needles burning out. Your SC needles are illuminated by 15 or so miniature LED's (SMD's) lined up in a row. The engineers screwed up with voltage and resistance and over time they heat up and some of the SMD's burn out. The LS needles are CCFL's themselves and burn out just like those long fluorescent bulbs in the ceilings do. You can fix your SC backlighting by removing the cluster and replacing the 8 or so bulbs. You can buy them from Autozone etc, you'll just need to replace the blue caps with the ones from the bulbs in your cluster (careful they break easily). But if your needles are burned out, you're outta luck as far as repairing them. You can sometimes find used needles on ebay (but they're most likely burned out as well as yours are, it's a common prob) or you can contact lextech.org as they sell replacements. I used to do SC and ES needle/backlighting fixes on ebay a while back but lextech.org threatened to sue me for patent issues... So they're your only hope as far as fixing the SC and ES needles :(