cduluk

smooth1, i tried the griots; i've tried everything. I don't think any of them come CLOSE to the new car smell, or anything else i would regularly spray in my car. They aren't even "pleasant'- they're all displeasing, at least to me they are. Personally, unless it's a new car smell, a car shouldn't have any odor at all. Some of my friends that have older cars, they hang stupid air fresheners, so their cars either smell like coconuts, vanilla or some other "artificial" smell. The best suggestion i can give is to just clean the carpets regularly, and condition the leather with the leatherique products so the natural smells of the leather are released. All of the manufacturers of the crap i tried get a big F :(

the toshiba HIR bulbs are indeed very bright! I'm too running them as my high's on my rx300.

that picture you posted above, is that from the gauge cluster or the manual? The pic shows black icon against white background- in the gauge cluster, it should be yellow icon with black background. Yeah, most likely though, your sensor is corroded for the auto-leveling system... Just pop out the bulb in the gauge cluster. If your headlights are aimed too low, manually adjust the height via the adjustment screws behind the headlights.

It really reminds me of the BMW 7 and 5, with the center display "dash". I like how they kept it modern instead of futuristic. I want real stat numbers now :)

icky... not a fan =/ I really don't know how even the IS sedan is even doing as well as it is. Wouldn't be surprised if this IS-C does well too...

Found this article on the new 2010 Mercedes E-Class sedan. http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/01/2010-...!Removed!-leaked.html I think i like it! :) I like their idea of bringing back their 80's "looks". Personally, i think the 80's Mercedes' were their best built. I also like how this new E class doesn't look too "futuristic" like the way the new Lexus' are going... Just thought i would share the article (:

You can get read-outs, but the touch screen is totally disabled unless the "I agree" button is pressed.

haha :) Yeahhh, either try the resistor thing, or just adjust the darn screws. i gave more details on CL...

My dealer doesn't ask you to pay a dime for a loaner. Just asks that you fill the tank before bringing it back.

Absolutely nothing smells even remotely like a new car. I've tried everything... Not gonna bother listing the rest of the crap i've tested, just know there isn't anything out there that works. So if you see something that states, "NEW CAR SMELL"- just know it didn't pass the chris duluk test and that it's crap. If i could only get my money back!! :o

Definitely go with a vanity plate, try to get your name in there. That's what i did. I like people knowing who drives my car when they see it!

Experiment with the 3 leads and see which ones when connected angle the headlights UP and which ones angle them DOWN. Find the two that angle them all the way up, and use different resistors between them to control the exact height in which you want them angled. I'd still just use the leveling screws to raise them... It should take you a minute a headlight to raise them manually.

You shouldn't have to pay a dime as long as you're under warranty. Maybe this a new Lexus rule?

I somewhat know how you must feel. The biggest part for me would be their attitude. I've seen an accident occur at my local lexus dealer. My dealer's service area has automatic doors that lift and lower as cars in for service approach them. One of the techs was leaving the service station with a customers Rx330 (this was a couple years ago...). As he was driving the car out, the door abruptly shut right on the tailgate! The spoiler and rear glass was shattered, it was a mess! The owners car screamed out, "My car!!!!!!". A few weeks later, i asked my service manager about the incident, and he told me they bought him a new RX. I've also had minor damage occur to me once. I was having my door speaker replaced because it went dead under warranty. When i got the car back, there was a large gouge in the center console! (no idea how they managed that one...). I showed the rep, and they purchased me a new console and had it replaced within a week. They were very sincere in their apology, i couldn't have asked for more. I think the only thing anyone can expect from situations like this is respect. That's how you keep happy customers in my book. In your situation with a 10yr old RX, it would be a little excessive for them to buy you a new car just because of that dent. That seems more like a $3000 repair to me (they'd need to weld on a new 1/4 panel, repaint it and blend into the rear door...) but as long as they pay you to have it repaired until YOU ARE 100% SATISFIED, i think it's fair. I used to think having "body work" was something i could never live with- as if something would be tainted about the car. But after i had a few accidents and realized a good auto body shop can make it look as good as OEM (with also removing whatever scratches are there or what not) i didn't mind the idea at all. Now, my car doesn't have a single panel that hasn't had work done to it, but you'd never know and it looks totally brand new :) Only thing i fault your dealership on is the way they handled it. That attitude is absolutely unacceptable, whether it's Lexus, Rolls Royce or even Hyundai. You don't treat customers like that, you just don't...

Can you post a picture? There's no way to repair a crack in plastic without it still being seen. You could use methylene chloride to seal it back up, but you'd see the line still...

I purchased some parking sensors for my rx300 from ebay, spent under $50. 3 years later and they still work perfectly. They use beeps to let you know how close you are. The beeps get closer the closer you get to a wall. Then the beeping turns into a solid beep when you're within a foot or so from an object. It's very easy to read the beeps. It's been very useful in paralell parking, or in situations where you cant tell how close you are to a car etc when you want to get as close as you can. Here's the type i have. I got the ones that you drill holes into the bumper and place them in. I painted them the color of my bumper to match. They look VERY oem and work great. Also very easy to use. I wired them so they'd only "work" when i had it in Reverse. http://cgi.ebay.com/Lexus-RX300-V8-Parking...p3286.m63.l1177 Here are some pics on my rx300, took these last summer.

lexus doesnt sell the emblem separately, they make you buy the whole airbag. I ended up buying a used airbag off of ebay for $50 (REALLY cheap for an airbag, but i got lucky) and switching badges...

Meguiars is a silicone based conditioner. A killer for coated leather in the lexus. You'll begin to notice tiny-tiny cracks develop in the finished dye if you continue use. Lexus is one of the very few car manufactures that use REAL leather. The leather is incredibly soft and delicate due to the manufacturing process and dyes used. Soft and beautiful yes, but it easily gets dirty, ages and is very sensitive to what it comes in contact with. Take a look at 5 year old Lexus leather and 5 year old BMW leather with the same care. The BMW leather will look the same while the Lexus leather will be very wrinkly and "old" looking. This is actually how you can determine "fine" leather from "pleather" like what's used in BMW's and Audi's... Believe it or not, some of the newer Fords are beginning to use finer grade leathers like Lexus. The hides are beautiful, but need to be taken care of well if you want them too look good down the road. Go with leatherique, it's natural and won't do more harm than good. I also found out that Lexol is a silicone based conditioner as well, and should be avoided if possible...

I tell you, whenever i touch the lexus fuses, something always goes wrong. They're so darn sensitive!

I have an update. Tried a few more products with no positive results yet. Still looking!

the one to the top left of the speedometer? It just lets you know your headlights are on. It's supposed to be there.

If anyone plans on buying new keys off of ebay etc, BEWARE of after-market keys. They looks "similar" but are made of cheaper plastic.

Yepp, if you've got the "AFS" button then your car has the AFS system.

You CAN remove the blade from your present key and glue it into the shell of a new key. Here's the post on the how-to, post #7: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;hl=superglue

Well i had to purchase the whole set of carxent, not just the leather one. That's why it costed me $68 bucks lol. He also sent the V7 to me. It's crap, smells just like the little trees air freshener...