cduluk

What kind of clear did you get? Is it the dupont stuff i use? That price is AWESOME if so. I just bought myself a new airbrush at Michael's yesterday with a 50% off coupon too!! It's the Badger 155, internal mix. It's the same one i've been using for the past year or so, i LOVE it. Michael's price was about $200 and i payed less than $100 for it I have NO idea how Michael's makes any money, they give out so many coupons... I did notice they're only giving out $20 off ones for next week though lol. As for the compressor, any will do just as long as you make sure to drain the moisture inside, otherwise you'll get a lot of orange peel in the finish. I use my airbrush at about 100psi when it's been used for a while (performs less and less as it ages) and bump the pressure down to 60 when it's brand new. There's nothing like a new airbrush :D And make sure to have enough acetone before your project, i end up going through SO much of it as i use it to clean out the airbrush and remove paint from unwanted areas etc... The acetone is really expensive, about $15 for a jug... but it's the best. And make sure not to let it touch any plastics as it'll melt it ;) For the machine polisher, there's quite a few ways to go about it. In the machine polish world, there are two general types- dual action and rotary. Dual action means the disc kind of oscillates- maybe 20 degrees left and 20 degrees right, never making a 360 degree rotation. Then there's the rotary which rotates in only one direction with adjustable speed. I like the rotary myself because it's much more powerful and gets the job done quicker, but it's a dangerous tool and can cause a lot of harm to you and the paint if you don't know what you're doing lol... I've had it "catch" a sharp corner, whip, and almost take my arm off (breaking the pad). And if the speed is set too high and you leave it in one spot for too long, you can mar the finish or burn right through the paint. The thing's got a LOT or torque as well as speed... But if you've got practice and be careful it can be the best tool in the world. :) If you've used one before, then it's the best choice. If not, i'd suggest practicing with it for a while. Soon you'll get the hang of it and feel confident to use it on your project. As for the pads, i use a 6" (could be 8", don't remember) foam pad on my rotary. I hate the cotton or fabric ones, they break apart so easily and always seem to fly off no matter how tight you have it... I've had my rotary for about 2 years, and still use the SAME pad i started with. It's never been removed, never been cleaned, it has broken once (caught it on an edge of something i was buffing!!) and it broke off at the base. I was in urgent need to finish the buffing, so i glued the damn thing back on with plastic welder so i could finish the project. Well, i never got around to buying a new pad so i've been using the repaired one since then lol... This happened maybe 6 months ago? lol. It's a complete mess but it works! Just used it a few hours today actually finishing my new steering wheel!! (pics coming soon). The thing works great, it's up there in my favorite tools category. I remember i got it on ebay for less than $100 and the pad i got separately also on ebay, but i don't remember the product names, and the labels on the rotary and pad are no longer existent lol. I'm sure any foam pad will do. The key is using the compound (scratch remover) to get the sandpaper scratches out. The compound does the work, not the pad. As soon as the pad gets dry, you've gotta add more compound on the pad or you'll mar the paint. Also make sure not to put it face-down on the ground as any sand or dirt on the pad will scratch the finish. At first i thought i'd be cleaning my pad all the time, but i haven't done it once and my finishes still come out perfect lol... It's also a messy project, the compound always gets splashed everywhere :( Make sure to wear clothes you don't care about! lol :P And yeah, it's gonna suck having to paint the center cup-holder piece lol. I'd suggest pushing the end with the chrome sliver down (revealing the 90 degree front part, and paint), then let go (quickly shutting it, as it'll want to open) and paint the rest of it. Here's some pics of my rotary. My repair lol... My workshop! Messy, but gets the job done... lol And oh yeah! Get a lot of rubber gloves. Powder free and make sure acetone doesn't melt them... you'll use a lotta gloves lol. Some steering wheel's i've worked on... My new airbrush :D you can see the old one in the back... My compressor from 1973. literally lol... Works like a charm though!

hey guys! I found this 04 rx330 on ebay with the "performance package", and looking at the pictures i noticed a few extra buttons all the other Rx330/350/400h's i've seen don't have. There's this button: which i know is for the ride height. But what's this one? And what about the red one below it? here's the rx330 on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-RX-AW...5fCarsQ5fTrucks

i bought them on ebay from LKQ they were from the 04-09 Rx330/350. With a little trimming and bending, they fit on the 99-03 rx300! :D

Well the etching primer is green, not clear. So you can't use the primer and then the vht stain paint- unless you're ditching it? You can wetsand before the primer, it'll help the adhesion. The two-part clear doesn't "need" to be heated to cure, it just accelerates the process. It's pretty cool to paint them and be able to use them less than an hour later <_<

Good idea about the body shop, but i've got the same program at home to look up parts. I even looked up the emblem by the sewell car's VIN and it gave me the same emblem as the one i've got, for $30... Def not the blue accented one. I'm stumped! lol

ah, it worked!! Thanks guys :D

My question there is, have you diluted the clearcoat before applying it with the airbrush pistol. Uhh....i'm not sure what you mean dilute the clear with the pistol. I mixed the clear to the manufacturers specs and sprayed it <_< In some airbrush examples they always told that the airbrush color should have a milky consistence. I guess it depends on the paint used? The hard clear i use is perfectly clear throughout the process. The clear leather dye i use however is milky when we but clear when dry. Which nozzle size have you used for the Airbrush. A 3mm Nozzle or has yours a bigger size. Honestly, not really sure. When i got the airbrush, there were three sizes avail- small, medium and large. I've got the medium. If you're gonna paint the wood pieces black, i'd prep with an etching primer, then use krylon'e flat black, followed by the hard two part clearcoat. It'll be shiny and protective.

Have the dealer hire their leather guy to try to dye it. If the results aren't 100% up to your standards, tell them to replace the dash. Like sw said, anything the dealer does is covered.

I don't think so, only because the 08 from swell was produced in japan in the same month/year mine was. We've both got the same color too. Only thing i can think of is that the one from sewell has the laser cruise control and mark levinson sound. But, they're both hybrids! Why would that effect the front emblems?

Here in RI the leather guy the lexus dealer uses is the same leather guy every other dealer uses and most of the auto body shops here too. They've got SO much experience...

Good point, depending on what the liquid is, it might have etched the plastic. When cleaning it, make sure to not use anything abrasive that might scratch-up the plastic. Damp microfiber towel's your best bet.

ah thanks guys! I'll try it tomorrow :)

The fact that you state you saw this identical mark in identical places tells me it's not a "random" scuff. Like SW said, it could be caused by someone doing the "same thing" to each car... Either way, you gotta figure out how to remove it. Can you tell if it's the type of scuff that removed/defected the material in that area? Or is it just the color that's removed along the line? You might be able to have the leather guys from lexus just spray some dye in that area and blend to get rid of it... But if material is removed, you'll still see it... The dealer should do something about it though, if you got it like that in the first place. I wouldn't live with that, especially if i didn't cause it. Ask if they can have their leather/vinyl guy take a look at it. They wouldn't refuse that... If at that point he can't fix it, then tell the dealer to replace it.

The wood piece surrounding the shifter panel pops out since it only has 4 clips (2 on each side) holding it to the body. Pry it up with a flathead screwdriver from the bottom. When you remove the center circuit board, you'll see the inside of the glass you see on the radio unit. The LCD is attached to the other side of the circuit board. It goes: circuit board LCD space (air) inside of clear glass (...well, plastic) outside of clear glass, where you can see and touch from the drivers seat. It's not that hard to do, just be careful and you'll be all set :)

D2R bulbs "most likely" won't work in the fog projector, as projectors work best with D2S bulbs... The D2R's have parts of the glass blocked off with paint to prevent light from going in wrong places in a reflector unit. D2S bulbs don't have the paint and are designed for projector units. But, without proper HID bulb spacing you're gonna get glare in the fog halogen projector no matter what, so i guess it won't matter...

I stumbled on a 2008 rx400h being sold at sewell lexus online and i noticed the front emblem is different than all the others for the rx400h. The 08 Rx400h rear lexus emblem is solid plastic with the chrome L and blue accents. But, the front emblem is just chrome, no blue. Well, this one from sewell has the same emblem on the front grille! I emailed sewell inquiring about the front emblem, but they are ignoring my emails. I want it! I searched lexus parts and can only find the standard chrome one.

Hey guys. I bought my 08 Rx400h end of May with around 43k miles on the odo. There was a lexus service sticker on the upper windshield stating the car was due for service at lexus at 45,xxx miles, but i removed it since my parents have the cars serviced somewhere else other than lexus. Well, here it is a few months later and i've hit 45k miles. The other day i noticed this warning on the dash: I figured the previous owner must have set something in the nav screen settings under maintenance. I went through the settings on the nav screen and set everything to off. I figured the warning on the gauge cluster would go off. Well, it's been a few days and the darn warning is still there. It states "Maint Reqd" and the red triangular indicator light is on. I was at a family function today, and brought it up with my cousin who has an 07 Rx350. She told me this is probably something programmed by the lexus service people to remind the owner they need to take it to them. Well, is this true? Do i need to go to the dealer to have them turn the darn warning off? Thanks guys!

Ah i see now. How do i burn a CD in WMA format? I can burn them the regular way (no idea what format, but the way everyone does it lol) and in mp3 (where you can fit like 100 songs on a single CD) but never heard of the WMA...

HID bulbs being run at 55W for 5 years? Oh boy, that's definitely one way to shorten your bulbs lifespan even more... Unless they're philips DL50 or "maybe" the philips 35W 85122, i wouldn't bank on a long lifespan under 55W. Aftermarket HID bulbs can hardly survive on 35W for more than a couple of years...

There are some occasions i'll admit i might send or read a text during driving, but only if it's in the middle of the night on slow roads, or at a light or stop sign. Sometimes i'll be typing out a long text, "somehow" driving, not even knowing how i got a mile down the road by the end of it <_< It's more of a concern when there are several people in the car with the driver texting. It's when the driver has the distraction of the phone along with other people in the car when things can get scary. I've been in situations like this especially being 20yrs old, and it's definitely worse with younger girls... Bluetooth definitely helps, but honestly, i don't think holding your phone to your ear talking is even halfway... no, not 1/4 as dangerous as texting. With texting, you lose a hand and your eyes aren't on the road. Talking on a phone while driving doesn't seem like one of those things that should be illegal, at least not as much as texting and driving. Sneezing and drinking coffee etc seem more dangerous IMO...

is the difference between units in the speakers or in the center radio console?

at 28 seconds they messed up the physics :P When the car hit them on the left, their heads shouldn't have moved right, they should have stayed in relation to the ground, their heads slamming into the left windows <_< just an observation...

that rubber top doesn't easily come off :( Gotta cut out with a razor blade, then put it back over and friction fit it...

flat head screwdriver between theclear plastic and surrounding bezel. Just pry...

it's totally possible, only takes about a half hour (just did it the other day). But you gotta remove it from behind. 1. Pull the shifter surround wood piece out, followed by the cig lighter wood piece (they're held in by clips). 2. There are 4 10mm bolts holding the radio unit to the car and temp unit above, and two philips screws. remove them. 3. pull the radio out (clips as well as the 4 bolts) and unplug the 5 or so plugs going to the radio. Pull the radio out. Now you need to pull the silver portion from the rectangular unit itself. You need to remove two screws on each side, then separate watching the clips also holding it on. When the part is separated, you'll see three green circuit boards. Remove the center large one by unscrewing the 5 or so philips screws. After the screws are out, the circuit board comes right off. Then you'll be able to see the back of the plastic cover over the lcd, and the lcd itself. Then put back following the steps in reverse. Shouldnt take you long :) I literally did this maybe 5 days ago or so...