cduluk

Oh, that makes sense! So it's probably safe to say i did the procedure right? Even though the needle didn't get out of that 1cm "0" range? When i had the car ON and stationary, the needle was in the middle of this 1 cm range (resting place). When i held down the brake and accelerated, it moved up maybe 1/4cm, still in this "0" range. The battery did seemed to get charged. How can i find out if i did the procedure correctly? Should i have kept the gas pedal down longer until the battery was "fully" charged? Or is 7/8 good enough?

The homelink buttons illuminate green in my Rx400h. Maybe it was upgraded for 08? I'd try buying an upper console from an Rx400h and installing it in yours. My guess is that the plugs are the same. There's one on ebay for $65 right now from an 08 Rx400h... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...RK%3AMEWAX%3AIT But yeah, they definitely light up in my Rx400h.

So wait- your Rx330 doesn't have nav (just the info screen)? And you want to add the nav screen in place of the info screen? I'm not sure if you can do the conversion even if you have a nav unit to install. I know it's possible on the 99-03 Rx300, but i haven't heard of anyone doing this on the Rx330/350/400h...

The car's still under warranty i'd assume. Take it to Lexus, they'll probably know what's wrong and fix it for you... My guess, there's a setting through the navigation screen you've gotta check. I believe there's a setting to toggle ON or OFF the voice commands through the nav menu. Could the seat control be associated with it?

Yeah, anything from 87-93 is ok.

I think if you have both front or both rear tires worn, it's ok (as long as they're both worn the same amount). If the right is worn and left isn't, you will have problems. Theoretically the worn wheel (smaller wheel) will be rotating more than the new wheel (larger wheel) at the same time. If the left and right are rotating at different speeds, that will definitely mess with the drivetrain- unless it's a rear wheel drive car and we're talking about the front wheels, in this case it wouldn't matter (you might just feel pulling).

There's gotta be a short somewhere... Does it happen only while you're driving or when you're at a stand still too? Could be something "loose" which rattles when you drive and hit bumps? Does it happen when the lights are on or off, or both? Is the cig lighter on this circuit?

I didn't know that GM outsourced many of their parts They'd may as well outsource ALL of their parts, buy a cheap facility in Asia, build them there, and sell them as Foreign cars (vs American)- maybe American's would buy them then? lol. I think people associate "American built" as being of less quality than "foreign built". I think it comes down to costs vs profits. It's simply more expensive to build cars here in America because of laws, increased material cost, and greater wages. If you gave GM $20,000 and Toyota $20,000, Toyota can do more with it because they have less costs than GM would have to deal with. I keep hearing about how Ford and GM are building better quality cars that are in par with Toyota's- all for the same price. My question is, HOW? Unless they're cutting into their profits (which i doubt), i don't see how they can make a better car with the same amount of money... I don't doubt GM and Ford "could" build a superior car, it's just not economical for them to. They have the knowledge and materials to make a car of really good quality, but it would take them a lot of money to make. If they were to make a copy of the Lexus ES for example, they "could" do it, but they'd have to price it more because their costs would be greater... It's just not possible to compete with foreign car makers!

Well i tried it again assuming the needle shouldn't leave that "0" range. I drove the car for about a half hour so the car was warmed up. When i got home, i turned the car off. Then turned it back on. I switched the nav screen to the 'energy screen' showing the battery display. I noticed i had 6/8 bars (in blue as they normally look). I put the car in drive, but while keeping my foot on the brake i held down the gas pedal with my other foot for about 30 seconds. At this time, i noticed one bar was added (to make 7/8 bars) but they all turned light green!??!! I let go of the gas, put the car in park and turned the car off. I turned the car back on, and tapped the gas until the engine came on. Still 7/8 green bars. It sounded very ill, like there wasn't enough gas or something... But i let the engine die out, and turned the car off. Then i turned the car back on, and still green bars :( Why are the bars now green instead of blue?? Oh boy, did i do something wrong?

K, i tried the procedure but there's one problem. When i have the car in drive with my foot on the accelerator, i cannot get the needle out of the '0' range. The engine revs, but not very much. What's the prob?

I saw a commercial for GM today, something about a 60 day "buy-back" guarantee, and a 10yr 100mi warranty?? It sounds like they're trying at least...

thanks for the compliments SW :D You're right about the leather, it seems all the newer models have it :( I have checked GS steering wheel (that i used the buttons from) and felt the leather- it's indeed 'smoother' <_< I just wish it matched :( lol And yeah, the soft touch paint is AWESOME. I painted my key with it, and it's been maybe 2 months and there's not a single scratch or ding in it. It's extremely durable and resists getting shiny with friction. It's like magic :) And lemon, do you know how to reset this ISC thing? I looked at my avg mileage tonight, i'm averaging freaking 18mpg!! That's not right lol.

Everything's running great, i don't think it's affected by that. I've had the bat disconnected a few times working on the steering wheel project, everything's still A-OK <_<

thanks guys :D I think it was worth the effort too :) I was a little worried about the airbag switch, until i compared them. The metal 'body' and plugs are exactly the same. The only difference is that the GS black cover has wider 'wings' (to accompany the larger radio & phone controls). I'm pretty much 100% sure there won't be a problem. Hmm, taking the steering wheel off is a bit of a challenge at first, but after removing and installing them maybe 20 times, you learn to do it in your sleep lol. The hardest part is getting the tools needed. You need a puller, appropriate bolts, the appropriate torx bit, and ratchet set. You need to remove the neg terminal of the battery before starting, so the computer doesn't get confused. Then remove the plastic "covers" on the left and right side of the steering wheel to gain access to the torx screws (that hold the airbag on). After they're removed, you can remove the airbag and unplug it. At this point you need to remove a rather large nut holding the steering wheel onto the center rod. When this nut is off, you need to pull the wheel. It's hard to explain "how to" pull it, but the process is generally universal for all wheels, i'm sure there are pics online everywhere... Just pull until you hear the 'pop', then remove the puller and the wheel should pop off. Just remember where the steering wheel is centered, so when you're done working on it, you can install it centered. I have all the tools you'll need, if you want to borrow them for a few days that'd be ok with me :)

They make the HS look SO nice on the lexus commercials that are on TV... Yet you see one in other pictures or in person, and... :o Couldn't they have made it just a "tad" better looking? Even a little?

haha, i'm definitely obsessed, that's for sure lol :D After everything though, i'm not taking that much of a financial hit. I'm selling the factory Rx400h airbag and the spare parts from the other steering wheels i needed to make this one. I'm hoping to recover at least 3/4 what i payed. <_< The way i see it is- i don't spend a lot of time partying (like most other 20yr olds) so i'd may as well spend time doing engineering stuff :) I'm keeping up with school so all is good, i can continue to be Lexus insane

So here are the results on the Rx400h :) Enjoy and please comment!

Hey guys :D As some of you may already know, I’ve done a few “personalized” projects on my Rx400h, one of which being the staining of the interior wood trim and steering wheel. Although the added “red” tint to the wood finish looks a lot better than the factory brown stain, I thought the steering wheel design still needed some more upgrading. I’ve never really liked the style of the Rx400h steering wheel and radio & phone controls, so I started thinking of some ways to upgrade. Here’s the factory Rx400h steering wheel, wood, and radio & phone controls: My problems: 1. The “brown” stained wood is bland 2. The radio and phone controls are boring 3. There’s nothing separating the style of the controls from the Rx330/350. But one steering wheel style I’ve really admired is found on the 06-07 Lexus GS models. The wheel “itself” is of the same shape as the Rx wheel, but the radio & phone controls and the airbag were changed slightly. A similar style is also found on the 05-06 ES330 model as well, but the buttons are painted a “silvery/gold” color. Immediately I imagined the GS wheel and controls in the Rx400h cockpit- and I knew I had to find a way to make it happen. But I had a few concerns, one of which being the possibility that the wheel radio & phone controls from the GS might not be a direct plug & play into the Rx400h clockspring, and the obvious concern being the safety of using the GS airbag in the Rx400h. But I thought I’d give it a try- buy the materials and see if it could be done. <_< So the project began. The first job was finding the right steering wheel, radio & phone controls, and airbag-, which immediately became an instant challenge. I looked at pictures of the interiors from both the GS and ES models. The steering wheel, controls and airbag from the GS looked to be a perfect combination, until I looked closely at the grain of the wheel’s leather. The leather grain on the GS wheel is plain, with no pattern at all. It doesn’t match the airbag or the rest of the dash in the GS or RX. Someone at Lexus screwed up here… But the wheel’s leather grain on the 05-06 ES looked to be a perfect match. :) So I would have to buy the steering wheel itself from an 05-06 ES330, the radio & phone controls from the 06-07 GS, and the airbag from the GS or ES (since they’re the same). After about a month and a half of searching on eBay, I finally came across an 06-07 GS steering wheel in decent enough condition to act as the radio & phone control donor. I took the controls off of the GS wheel, and painted the units’ covers and buttons with a special “soft-touch” paint. Ever feel one of those flash drives, phones or presentation boxes with that “soft” finish? I found this special paint online that gives any surface that same soft feel! It’s called “soft feel paint” by Alsacorp. It’s a three-part clear, can be applied using an airbrush, and dries with a matte finish, with EXCELLENT durability. I’ve painted my window switch buttons and cruise control stalk with the stuff too- it’s very addicting! ;) Then I found an 06 ES330 steering wheel with the gray wood (which has the perfect burl grain I was looking for) with the black leather. And I bought an airbag for the 06-07 GS, brand new, on eBay. I first started on the ES wood wheel. I masked off the leather and stripped the clear and gray stain so I could see the bare wood. I then stained the wood with the same red “stained glass” paint I used on the rest of the wood trim in my Rx400h, and followed this with 8 coats of a two-part, hard, gloss clearcoat. Wet-sanded & polished the finish, and re-finished the leather as well. Then the moment of truth; would this combination of steering wheel, controls, and airbag work in the Rx400h? I removed the negative battery terminal on the Rx400h (so the car’s computer wouldn’t give me an airbag warning code) and removed the factory airbag. I removed the factory radio & phone controls, and compared the RX and GS plugs (that hook into the clockspring). I immediately noticed that the plugs were the same size! But then I looked closely… The square plugs have several “pin holes”, maybe 10 or so which the wires connect into- but the plug from the GS controls had one additional wire than the controls from the RX! Damn!! I thought… I really didn’t want to, but I knew I could take the controls apart and re-wire it- but I had to figure out which button was mismatched. So I plugged it in anyways, connected the new airbag (which has the same plugs and components), and turned the car on. Surprisingly, everything worked!!! EVERYHTING, even the lights. I have no idea why there’s an extra wire in the GS plug (the button circuits and locations are the same, so theoretically there shouldn’t be…) but apparently it doesn’t make a single difference So I installed the ES wheel, GS radio & phone controls, and the GS airbag. Presto, it was done!! Took the car for a little drive, tested everything out one more time, and everything works :D No warning light for the airbag, no problems at all. And here it is 3 days later, and everything still works A-OK. In the back of my mind I knew the controls from the GS would be a direct plug & play on the Rx400h since the buttons are in the same general locations. It wouldn’t have been economical for the Lexus steering wheel engineers to make two different circuitry and plugs. <_< So I really think the upgraded controls fit the Rx VERY well, much more than the factory set does IMO. The chrome “sliver” between the buttons on the radio & phone controls matches the chrome sliver under the navigation screen and the ones I added on the side AC vents. The GS radio & phone buttons are “flat” (vs the raised Rx400h factory ones) which match the buttons on the nav unit- I mean, why didn’t Lexus use these controls on the Rx??? It’s a PERFECT plug & play, and it looks much better, much more luxurious IMO… It really differentiates my steering wheel from the Rx330/350, which is what I was after. :) It might not be such a plug & play on the Rx330 and Rx350 however since these wheel controls lack the “display” button (it’s just blank). I’m not sure if the plugs’ wires would match up, but you could give it a try. :) There are different controls (combinations of buttons) available on the 06-07 GS models based on whether or not they have nav and bluetooth- so it might be very possible. But I can say for a fact the controls for the 06-07 GS’s (with nav, voice recognition and bluetooth) are a direct plug & play into the 06-08 Rx400h clocksprings B)

I found the piece on carson toyota/lexus/scion online, it's called the "stay". Stay - Cluster & components - Cluster & components 06-08 $15.35 $12.74 See: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...playCatalogid=0 I've bought a ton of parts from this site- all OEM. Their prices are lower than from lexus but you do have to pay shipping...

holy! Congrats! I'm averaging about 22mpg- i am a lead-foot driver though...

Awesome! :) You'll love the airbrush and that clear, it works so well! And the drill attachment should work fine for polishing- anything to mimic doing it by hand just a little faster will work. To remove the center console, on the bottom left and right there's a panel that can be removed using a flathead screwdriver (clips only). Then you'll see 3 10mm bolts holding the console to the bottom frame, on both sides. Then the console should be able to be lifted up. But there's a wire (with a ball on the end) that goes from the console to the frame of the car (controls something, forget what). Just unhook the wire from the frame. At this point you should be able to remove the console from the car. Then you can mask off and paint etc. Putting it back in the car's a bit of a challenge with the wire and all, but it's not that bad. And for the rear seat cup holder, if you open it, you'll see two screws on the bottom (i think?) just pop those out, and it should come right out (maybe with help from a flat-head, i don't remember exactly). As for the chrome sliver on the wood cupholder piece, i actually had to make my own and put it back on. Bought some chrome tape from autozone (comes in a roll, used for pinstripes etc) and cut out a piece the same size, and put it on the clear. It's not embossed under the clear, but it looks great :) Now that you've got the airbrush and hard clear, you can try painting the steering wheel too :) As soon as you've got it off the car, you're half-way there. I then tighten it in the vice (see it on my workshop), mask off the leather (which can take about a half hour, gotta get it perfect!) wetsand the clear and paint and clear. If you start in the morning, you can have it painted, baked and un-masked by the evening- might be best so you don't have to do without the car for long :)

ehh... i'll have to see it for myself <_<

That's really cool! I didn't know the Rx came with that feature.. I knew the LX or GX does, but didn't know it was an option for the Rx... I'd love to see that in action :D

I really like the styling of most of the new Cadillac models out. If i believed they'd be as reliable as Lexus' i'd be even more interested though... :(