cduluk

Thanks that was super easy. I didn't even need to use a screwdriver. Now if I could just get the guts to paint/stain those panels. I hate the light wood. I was thinking of painting them black and putting on quite a few coats of clearcoat to get it real glossy. I'm a little worried it will look cheap though. Any ideas? Hmmm, i wouldn't paint them black, but it's just me. I assume your interior is the tan (as opposed to black or gray?). I feel the same way about the light birds eye maple wood that comes with the tan interior. I REALLY like the deep maroon wood, the same shade in the 02-04 ES's. If you tamper with those two pieces, it might look odd since the other wood panels would still be... well, wood. Would you rather the trim be silver? (like on the 06 hybrid rx's) ? You could mask off the center console pieces along with the door pieces, and just prime and paint them silver. I think silver would look better than black...

I've seen pictures of 06 rx400h's with tow hitch's...

HID bulbs should last about 3,000 hours before needing to be replaced. The ballasts however should last forever. Theoretically you should change your HID bulbs (whether dead or not) every few years, due to the fact that they lose a lot of light as they age.

Hey thanks for the compliments guys :) The pieces around the shifter knob are REALLY simple to remove. They're only held on by clips. Using a flat head screwdriver, pry up the bottom side of the shifter surround piece. It'll pop off. When this piece is removed, the vertical piece you can get your finger under and pull towards you, it's held on with clips too.

eh good points, good points... It's just not my style i guess :) nothing wrong with that

Agreed! That's a great idea. I thought it might be a nice thing :) When professors or teachers would bring donuts in for us kids when we had a big test or something, we'd always work better and be in a better mood :) I don't think there's anyone out there who wouldn't appreciate donuts! lol I'll drop by one day this week.

The factory denso ballasts probably woudn't burn out even if you had your headlights on 24/7... The bulbs however will live a sorter life. Not a big deal, you can get a new pair for $50 on ebay, they're so common nowadays... It's the bulbs in the console, parking lights and tail light bulbs that would be costly to have to be replaced...

Eh, the Silverstar's aren't that much whiter than standard halogen's. Especially because DRL's are regular halogen bulbs run on half the voltage. Silverstar's won't look any different than the standard DRL bulbs in DRL mode. In high beam mode however they will look brighter, but that's not what the OP is concerned about. If you were concerned about brightness in high beam mode, i would suggest toshiba HIR bulbs. They are MUCH brighter than the standard halogen bulb, but again, at half voltage they'd look the same. Philips xtreme vision bulbs have a whiter light, and i think t half voltage they'd be a little more white. It's the most 'white' halogen bulb you're ever gonna find without going HID. But that's impossible in a DRL/high beam unit.

they have the back-up camera without nav?

haha yeah, i feel the same way about the little BMW 3 series too, the same feeling i get when i see the IS, and i supposed the little mercedes C classes too (not the new ones though...) I just can't comprehend spending $30,000 for a tiny BMW or Mercedes when you could get a loaded Camry, Maxima or something a little bigger... I know it's all about the "name", i personally just think it's a bad move to spend it on something so small. It doesn't seem economical for a starting family or whatever. I know i haven't "personally" spent my own money to buy a car, but i just can't imagine spending so much for so little... If i was young (which i am) or would be starting a family in the next few years, i would look at size and versatility before....whatever the IS seems to provide for people. In some weird way, i just look down to the IS and little "nice" cars like that. I don't know why. I know it's ignorance and confusing, but i just feel that way :( Really can't explain it. I just think there are more economical ways to spend $30,000 than on a little Lexus. You could get so many more features and more room out of a new camry or something like that... And about the new Rx, yeah i played with one for a few hours when i had the 400h in for warranty work. It's "easy" to use, but it still requires you to look at the screen to see what you're doing. I just think it's easier to point to it with your finger! It's no more of a distraction to touch the screen on the 04-09 version than it is to have your hand on the center console. I just didn't like it- just my opinion after toying with it for a while... It is better than the BMW and Infiniti way of playing with the "arrow switch" on the dash to control the screen.. THAT is annoying...

That particular halogen tint DRL is a Lexus thing. You can identify a Lexus from a mile away based on the DRL's. I think it's sort of like a signature. There aren't any other cars out there with that DRL color. You'll get used to them. But if not, you can switch to a whiter bulb like philips xtreme. They're halogen, but produce a whiter light. But during the day, you won't even be able to see them since they're the same color as daylight.

Oh yeah, in a few months i'm gonna have the whole car cut, buffed, glazed and waxed. I like the Collinite Insulator wax, it'll give me good protection for the winter. The windshield previously on the car was some no-name after-market one. Had the word "united" in black lettering with what looked like the work "LEXUS" scratched and polished away right above it. It was sketchy... The body shop managed to get an OEM one this time though, no idea how but i am certainly glad! I didn't trust the no-name one... I'm thinking of getting a few boxes of donuts and some flowers for the receptionist or something, to bring down to the body shop this week. I just wanna let them know their hard work is appreciated. Think that's a good idea? And damn, the receptionist is HOT lol...

It's the half-circle silver dash in the new RX that just makes me feel... not happy. It reminds me of the late 90's ford taurus dash a little. And the lack of so many buttons is also odd, i can see why the OP complained about having to toggle the single radio button over and over to switch between modes. The center dash just seems... lacking. And the shifter location- reminds me of a minivan. And the center nav screen "cubby"- it's like a second gauge cluster. Reminds me of the BMW 7 and 5 series interiors, i just think it's awkward... I wouldn't be able to switch to that "mouse" control over the touch-screen. When i first saw the new interior pics, i said to myself "that thing is a pain in the bum", and the OP just confirmed it :) lol. I just don't understand the gain using that "mouse" over touch screen. I don't see the logic, i don't see how it's any easier or how it gives you more attention to the road. I do however like the fact that the gauge cluster uses the optitron tech; how it's black when off then lights up when on- i think that's Lexus' best interior feature. you can't get that same effect on a standard gauge... And as far as the exterior, the front nose is the only thing i find awkward. When i first saw one in person that's the first thing i noticed. I don't like the new grille styling or the 6" inch diameter lexus emblem, or the headlight styling, actually i don't like anything about the front. They look boring- no character. The back and sides however i think are ok, at least they look more 'up to date", more consistent with the rest of the 010 lexus lineup. But you're right, i remember when the 04 Rx came out, i thought it was a bit 'odd', but i never thought it was as bad as this new one is... Just doesn't spell class to me. It's like the 07+ ES. When inside one, you can just tell it's not as "tightly" made as the previous versions were. It's a 'feeling'. I get the same negative feeling in the new RX... And as far as the IS, i just will never like them. I don't know why, i just can't get myself to respect them. They seem too small to be a Lexus, they seem to 'cheep". I don't like the fact that a Lexus the size of a Corolla has the power of a GS. When i see people driving around IS's, i just get confused. Why spend $30k on one? I feel like $30k shouldn't get yourself a new Lexus... I really respect the ES and the rest of the lineup, but i can't get myself to respect the IS. I really don't know why... I just don't think a Lexus should be so small...

Honestly, if i were you, i'd have the hood re-painted, and maybe even have a clear bra installed. Body shops (unlike car manufacturers) can "theoretically" adjust their clear to any density you want. Car makers are required to make the paint that soft to follow certain guidelines, but body shops aren't really restricted. I had the hood on my old Rx300 painted by a body shop for $400, and the finish was EXTREMELY durable against chips and especially scratches and swirl marks. It's a small price to pay, especially considering after sand and re-paint, the front end will look brand new again.

I like the styling of both generation prius', especially the taillights. They're indeed cool looking; when you see one, you definitely think new-age hybrid. I can't believe how good the mileage is on them, it's rediculous. And their crash ratings are pretty good too- thought they'd have to sacrifice safety because of weight, but toyota pulled it off. You really can't go wrong with a toyota... :) Good luck with yours

Holy... Those are freaking huge! I like them! I didn't think we could fit anything that big on the rx400h...

If you live in a snowy climate (which i believe you do, states MA in your profile) then you'd want the best all season tire. According to tirerack, the best all season is the "Goodyear Fortera TripleTred" followed by the "Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza". http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult...icleSearch=true

thanks! :) I love the wheels too, for $1300 wheels+tires i couldn't say no... And yeah, this body shop knows how i am, how pick i am at least lol. I've been using them to do all my bodywork for about 3 years now. Sometimes i go visit them and what not, they know me by name lol. It's a "one hand feeds the other" kind of thing. I bring them a lot of business, and they do a good job. I'll definitely be going back to them if i ever need more body work, even though they took a long time, the results are freaking awesome.

Well i got the car back yesterday from the autobody shop. Came out perfect! I posted pics on the last page of another thread i had on here, see: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...59068&st=15

Yeah, there are two steps like you said. The two buttons do two different things apparently... pg 348 in the rx400h manual. I went to the dealer today to ask if they could help clear things up, and they did... You can have 5 sensors programmed at one single time (4 tires plus the spare). BUT, you can program into the car's computer an additional set, let's say if you had another set of tires used for summer use. The factory set is already programmed as set 1, called "main". But if you want to add another set of sensors (like for summer tires), you can program into the car another set of 5 sensors. This set would be called "set 2". The button under the glovebox toggles between set "1" and set "2" of sensors. If you have the factory set on the car, you can set it to "main". If you have your second set on the car, you can set it to "set 2". The button under the steering wheel column is just a "reset" button. I think this is for when/if you change the tire pressure for summer or winter use. So apparently, the only way to program another set of tires (this set 2) is to have the dealer do it, adding it to the car's computer using a scanner or something. They said there'd be a "charge" but i didn't even want to ask how much. I mad an appt for Wednesday at 1pm to have them do it. They said it would take about an hour. If anyone can figure out how to program these suckers before Wednesday, please let me know :) I'm not sure if they're just not telling me the truth.

And the wheels! J

Well i FINALLY got my car back from the body shop yesterday :) The paint job was absolutely PERFECT, and i literally mean PERFECT! I can't find one single imperfection, ANYWHERE. I can't even tell it was painted. The finish is spotless and smooth and shiny as ever. And best of all, NO LINES! They blended the clear so perfectly along the edges of the frame, the transition is seamless around the door jams. They said they "misted" the edges and wet-sanded and polished the door jams. This way i get to keep the stickers :) And they didn't do it the fast/cheap way either- they removed the door handles, all window trim along with the door bumper "strips" that are in the center of each door, painted those too then put them back on. The color is a perfect match to the rest of the car. I couldn't be happier! They also replaced the windshield with a factory Lexus one, and they put my chrome wheels on for me too. And on top of that, when i picked the car up, he gave me a personal check for $500. Maybe for being a repeat customer and for being so patient? :) They did get $6,000 from the insurance. $1800 of that just for the windshield... So here are some pics of the results :)

Hey guys. I installed new rims/tires on my Rx400h (same as 04-09 Rx330/350) and purchased lexus tire sensors for them as well. Well, i tried to figure out how to program them via the manual, but i don't understand it at all. Apparently there are two buttons, one under the steering column and one under the glove box. In the manual it states "have new sensors registered by the dealer" but then on the next page it states "how to register new sensors", so i am assuming i don't need to take it to the dealer. Every time i think i figured it out, the lights on the dash go out, then 20mins later, come right back on. Does anyone understand the directions? Has anyone registered new sensors before and know how to do it? Thanks

I guess new "styles" need time to grow on me. But i don't think the interior of the new Rx will EVER grown on me. The same reason the IS will never grow on me. It's just plain ugly.