cduluk

Thanks :) Currently re-finishing the wheel on my rx400h now, making the wood a dark cherry mahogany like in the 02-04 Es's

it's just ignorance... Only the people who who own Lexus' know the truth i guess. Different people are after different things in a car. People who like performance will like BMW's over Lexus', while people who like luxury will like Lexus' over BMW's. I have found that most people who favor power over luxury are the type of people who are never satisfied. They seem to never think their car is fast enough, and always want more. And when you already drive a car that can do 0-60 in 4 seconds, any "Lexus" just seems like a crappy car to them because it doesn't go that fast. Doesn't matter how comfortable or of high quality it might be, they're just two opposite qualities of a car. Performance is on the opposite spectrum of comfort. You really can't have both... I can't name one car that has the handling of a Porsche with the comfort of a Lexus... whenever you read a review on a high performing Lexus, they always complain about steering or body roll... Even on my mother's Bentley- it's fast, but honestly, the fit and finish really isn't up to par with even Lexus. It's just an audi to me... My friends all wanted me to get a porsche cayenne (because they care more about performance than i do) but i think the porsche's interior quality is VERY poor. I honestly can't downgrade my interior's for a few extra horses... For me the pros and cons are different than someone else's. The fastest car will never be the most luxurious... and the most luxurious will never be the fastest. When you have people who like performance over luxury, and people who like luxury over performance, there will always be opposing opinions on which car's are the best... Now, if Lexus came out with maybe the LS460 that could outperform and handle a porsche 911, maybe we could all agree on something...

Jeesh you guys are brutal, gotta give me some hope not be such debbie downers! lol. I doubt it has any of the wiring, but as soon as i open up the mirrors i'll be able to determine what type of circuit i'll need to run the motors. If they're anything like the headlight auto-leveling motors, i'll be in luck. I only screwed up the Rx300 because i wasn't as experienced as i am now. I started those mods at 16 with zero engineering experience whereas now i have had 80 credits of the crap. I think i should be able to develop a circuit for two motors with a 12v source... I just hope the 400h isn't to picky about its e- draw... The 400h does have the plug connected to the cigarette lighter harness for the green "ring" around the lighter, even though the 04-09 Rx's in the US have black plastic surrounding the lighter plug with no light, but in the UK they have the lighting ring. I just replaced the black ring with the lighted ring from my old rx300 console (exact fit) and used that plug on the harness... Even dims with the rest of the interior lights. So they DO have at least one wiring harness even though they're not used here in the US :P

Yeah, i changed the foglights to PIAA Ion Yellow h11 bulbs, the yellow REALLY helps in bad weather, and i think it looks nice, especially in combination with the HID low's. I also upgraded the HID low beam bulbs with 85122CM bulbs. The stock bulbs are the 85122+ bulbs which are a little more yellow than the stock 85122. The CM bulbs are the same color as the average 85122 with more lumens... Also today just swapped the 168 parking bulbs (in the DRL reflector) with white SMD LED's which look better than the halogen... and they really complete the "blue" theme of the 08-09 hybrid. You guys might think the 400h is a little "poserish" until you press the gas pedal... It's the fastest stock-engine Lexus RX ever created...even faster than the 010 450h. Nothing poser-ish about that. I don't think the grille tells "SUV". It tells sport. It's sleek. I think it fits the 400h VERY well...

you guys don't like it that bad?? It must be a young people thing to like this kinda stuff then :P Everyone i know loves it...

True SW, and i really don't want to mess with the electrical system of the hybrid... I had electrical issues on my Rx300, i can imagine how easily it could happen on the 400h... He also suggested that my car might already have the wiring for it, just not the mirrors and switch (meaning the harnesses etc are already there, just not connected to anything). I hope that's true...

Lately there's been this ford commercial on TV, with the guy from dirty jobs. He states ford beat both Toyota and Honda in reliability. Yes, i agree Ford's quality has increased in the past few years, but they absolutely do NOT surpass Honda and Toyota in quality.

We didn't talk about price yet, he's still working on locating a pair. I really don't want to spend a lot since the odds of it failing are pretty high =/

I contacted a seller of many lexus parts who's over in the UK. He told me he could get me a pair of used 03-09 Rx300 (that's what they're called out there...) power folding mirrors, but the hard part will be for me to develop a circuit to get them to work. I'll have to get my engineering books back out... lol I REALLY like the power folding mirrors.

Well i got it a few days ago and installed it myself in about an hour. I think it looks great! The front end of the RX really needed something and i think this does the trick. Here are a few pics. The car's filthy, but you guys get the idea.

Wait, the laser cruise was optional here in the US?? I want it! lol And i remember hearing about the panoramic roof coming out for the 07+ ES's, but i've yet to see one driving around here in the US...

There are REAR fog lights on some?? Jeesh And i just found an rx330 in the US with some sort of funky cruise control thing. Anyone know what this is? Looks like it might be easy to add? It's clear it had a poor steering wheel leather re-dye... If that cruise control thing was useful i'd spend a little extra for it... Also, apparently in the UK the Rx's have power FOLD mirrors like the LS's here have. Here are the buttons from the RHD Rx330, see the button for "fold"? That's a feature i wish i had as i parallel park often in tight roads when i'm at school...

haha, point made :) lol

Hey guys. I'm afraid to test this out, hoping someone has experienced this before lol. Let's just say you are driving along and the tank runs out of gas. Is the car DEAD or will it take you along on just the electric alone? Thanks for any insight!

Hey guys. I now have an 08 Rx400h, and i like it. I was looking for nice videos on youtube of the 400h, and got a few of 400h's overseas. Take a look at this video: and this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CujcEZwcLI...feature=related Is it just me, or does it have more technology?? It has some funky what seem to be "assisting lines" when you are in reverse (different than the standard back-up camera on the US version). Also, anyone who has nav on the 04-09 Rx's notice that the climate buttons illuminate more of a blueish white with the radio buttons having more of a pure white? It seems like the colors don't match on the console (my cousin's 07 rx350 is the same way). but in this video, you can clearly see the climate buttons are of a pure white along with the radio buttons. ALSO, the speedometer clusters in the overseas version have a fog light pilot so you can see when the fogs are on, whereas on the US versions the fog light pilot is missing.. I just feel like it's got more than the US versions! Anyone agree??

UGH... if i hear (or read...) one more person call a Lexus a glorified toyota i might scream. But I do think Mercedes' are just glorified Chrysler's, which i think are glorified dodge's... so i guess i'm ignorant too?

thanks SK :) i think so too. It should arrive later this week :D

have i inspired anyone to get the mat yet? Because honestly, it's the smell!!

It baffles me how many people say negative things about Lexus'. As a 20 yr old male who drives an Rx hybrid (previously rx300), i've heard it all, especially from my friends. I've heard that.. "it's just a toyota"... "they're old people cars"... "whenever i see someone driving a lexus i just assume they're rich (bad words)"... Comments bashing Lexus on their performance etc. My guess is that it really is just envy and jealousy, along with ignorance. I used to think Lexus was just a Toyota with a new badge, that until i drove one daily, starting out driving an '01 Camry for several months. I also thought they were old people cars, again, until i drove one daily and realized how quiet and superb lexus' really are. Most people think BMW's and Acura's are "better" because they have better performance and cheaper interior materials, whereas Lexus' are less performing and have real leather vs "pleather"... It's just ignorance... Personally, i wouldn't want to drive a BMW and Acura daily because i like fit and finish just a tad more than performance... and because in my head, i put the name "Lexus" a little higher on the pedestal than BMW, Jaguar and Acura etc... i just think they're nicer. But growing up with parents who've driven really, REALLY nice cars, i have higher standards than someone who maybe grew up around cars with different qualities.

Holy crap!!! I hope no one was injured or anything.. definitely pursue the company, that's awful...

well... i ended up getting an 08, so no need to upgrade the screen for me :D I do have to say, the picture quality is AWESOME compared to the older gens...

It's window dressing... same was found on the 99-03 Rx300's.

Yeah, the clearbra really does work as advertised, but i would notice the "line" going all around which would irk me... But since the car will travel so much, it's a better soln' than having it repainted annually which would only last a few months before it was chipped again... And as far as the windshield goes, have you considered replacing it every year with an aftermarket windshield? Yes the aftermarket windshields can be "wavy" and of less quality, but i've found they are honestly more chip resistant (the factory lexus and toyota windshields are so darn soft...). And an aftermarket windshield is less than $200 installed. I mean if you had a new one installed every year for 6 years it's cheaper than buying an OEM one... and it would look new every year! Just an idea... And as far as the leather goes, jeesh don't get one of those covers... You have a lexus, make it look like one :D There isn't an aftermarket cover out there that will look good and feel like real leather. And try to avoid the Lexol cleaner and conditioner. They're actually silicone based which is bad for Lexus leather which is coated. Try Leatherique's leather rejuvenator and prestine clean. They're the only natural cleaner and conditioner that's safe for Lexus leather. It's the best stuff out there (i've tried them all...) it makes the leather so darn soft!! It's expensive, but using it twice a year won't kill you... And it's best to keep the conditioning to twice, maybe three times a year due to the fact that over-conditioning can lead to the stitching from coming loose. You can make an exception for the left drivers seat thigh support which really takes a beating on SUV's... Maybe condition this part every 2 months or so. In lower sedans, the leather takes less abuse, but in an SUV since it's higher, the leather on the thigh supports is constantly bending.

Yeah i have to agree, that estimate is really good. To do the rear 1/4 they'll have to blend in at least the rear pass door, maybe the front pass door too depending on how hard the color is to match. That cost really is labor. These new vehicles are made so tight, it takes forever to take them apart. And make sure they do it right (meaning remove both front pass and rear pass doors, paint the inside door jams, everything) not just mask the doors off. Most body shops just mask it off hoping the customers won't notice. but then you'll see the "line" going all around the door line, it won't look right =/ That would save the shop maybe two days work and a couple hundred dollars in paint. It's a shame it was on a 4 week old car too :( But i'm sure it's happened to everyone :) And body work (if done correctly) really isn't a big deal. Some shops are REALLY talented, true artists- the way they get the color to match and finish coat so smooth. In most cases besides the occasional spec of dust in a hard-to-reach spot, you can't tell the difference

Just need the 01-03 airbag to match since they're different sizes. But indeed it fits pefectly, same rod and everything.