cduluk

Avoid the 99-01 rx's. People say 02-03 rx300's had the trannies fixed, but i think that's a bunch of crap... The tranny failure would be a $4000 repair and you'd still probably have it fail...

If your dealer refuses, try another dealer. It's a simple thing, they have a guy on site pretty much daily that does leather work for them. He gets paid by the day, not the job- so it isn't anything to Lexus... I can't imagine your dealer saying no to a 10 minute job... They basically do the same thing you'd do with magic mender except their materials are professional and will be covered by lexus.

The Rx330's aren't as prone to the tranny failure as the 99-03 Rx300's were. Your fluid doesn't look that bad at all, what's to be expected at 66k miles. If you wanted you could do a simple drain and fill, NOT a flush.

I know the Mazda Cx9 is a nice lookin vehicle with really nice materials. I always liked the 05 Lincoln Aviator's as well as far as materials and looks. Still would take a Toyota/Lexus over ford/lincoln/mercury/mazda however <_<

I'm using toshiba HIR 9011 bulbs in my rx300 high beams. They emit more light after they've been on for a few minutes. They have a special coating on the glass that reflects heat back towards the filament, making it burn hotter and therefore brighter. I think the chevy avalanche uses HIR bulbs as headlights standard. No 'trimming' needed (don't really know what you're talking about here...) they are a direct replacement to 9005/9006 bulbs. I think 9011 is 9006 and 9012 is 9005? The color is the same as regular halogen, just more lumens. Go on the candlepower website they're like $20 each i think. Well worth it however.

You need a solvent to remove the stain, not a solution. Have you tried mineral spirits? Be careful as it's highly flammable. I would have to advise against this on dyed leather... There isn't any solution, solvent, miracle water that will make that go away. The dye is worn away and needs to be added back.

the dealer can de-activate all of your present keys.

The stock bulbs are Sylvania. Why would you want Sylvania bulbs?? They are old technology. Go HIR <_<

Not the best looking vehicle but supposedly Ford is making them with better quality...

Excessive use of cleaners and conditioners can make things worse. They can degrade the stitches and also degrade the surface of the leather dye making the surface MORE susceptible. Once or twice a year is good for a cleaning and conditioning.

You cannot order these little "decals" from anywhere, not even from the dealer. Your best bet is to purchase the whole unit used on ebay, remove the decals, and re-sell it for a little less than you purchased it for. Most people buy the used units on ebay for things such as the radio or the screen- they won't care about missing decals.

Just experience... I'm meticulous about my car's interior and i've seen this before. When my car was given to me pre-owned it had a similar area of the lumbar part of the seat (same area you're showing me) a darker color. The dealer told me it was caused by the previous owner's belt. It acts like an abrasive, slowly rubbing the dyed layer of the leather off until the raw leather is shown beneath. How you can really tell: Make a mental note how dark the infected area is right now. Rub the area with water for a few minutes. If the infected area gets even DARKER, then the dye is worn off. If there is no difference in color, it's probably just fabric transfer. But i can already tell by looking at it, and based on your results using cleaners, it's not just a stain. If you have a small airbrush (used for painting delicate artwork such as flames on cars etc) you can get the magic mender stuff and spray a fine mist on that area, sort of blending it in with the surrounding areas- but it's probably not worth the cost of materials. Just take it to the dealer. They shouldn't give you a problem about something so simple. If they do, just ask if they can repair it under their "good will" warranty. But i doubt they'd even take it to that level...

The DRL's are the same bulbs that are used as your high beams. DRL's run at half voltage. If you replace your DRL/High bulbs with LED bulbs, during the day you won't even see them. Running at only 6V and being the same color as daylight, they will be hardly seen. At night LED's cannot emit enough light to suffice as High beams. Already went through this process with my Rx300- decided to go with Toshiba HIR bulbs.

I would use whatever you get from insurance and put it down on a newer model RX330/350. If the luxury theme doesn't mean much to you, look at the Toyota Highlander or Rav4's as well.

That's not transfer from clothing- the leather's gray layer has just worn away showing the darker leather underneath. Your only solution is to re-dye the whole area. I "would" suggest doing the magic mender stuff yourself, but it's such a large area, it probably wont come out right. Take it to your lexus dealer and ask them (very nicely) if they can have their upholsterer "look at it". Lexus hires their own guys to come in and recondition cars before they sell as CPO's. They'll have all the materials to make that look 100% brand new and last much longer than anything you could do with magicmender + they have experience with this car. My guess is they won't charge you, but if they do, well it wont be that much. This would be one of those simple, inexpensive things Lexus can do to keep a happy customer.

Yeah, i don't think so. I just posted pictures of our keys a few hours ago in the general forum that should keep your pants on. Stop trying to gang up on me it's ridiculous.

My father's RR Phantom keys: My mother's Bentley Flying Spur keys: My Rx300 keys:

It can be removed by gently rubbing the area with a cotton towel dampened with a dilution of 6 parts water for every 1 part woolite. As for preventing it from happening again, there isn't much you can do. The leather is coated with a dye that gives it that beautiful color. In time, UV rays, wear and friction, this layer of dye (like paint) begins to wear away and gets 'tacky'. Fibers from pants etc begin to stick to this exposed area. Leather conditioners won't do much, and leather cleaners will only make it worse. You can 'touch up' the area by using stuff from magicmender (google them) they have repair kits- you can apply a thin layer of dye to the affected area which will offer extra protection and ensure the factory die won't be totally removed. i've used the magicmender stuff on my Rx300 leather and it works great.

Jeesh guys, calm down :( My parent's aren't saying any of this is right, and they don't condone my tickets and accidents. They know this is not entirely truthful and so do I- but honestly, if they did everything by the book they wouldn't be where they are today. My father's one of the most respected and successful men i have ever known, and i guarantee he's had to make decisions that weren't always right to get there. You win some, and you lose some. My family has been with this company for over 20+ years with only one accident and 2 tickets by me. They have their life insurance policies, Rolls Royce, Bentley, plow truck, my Lexus, my sister's Infiniti, our house, and our house in Florida under this company's coverage. After all of the money they have collected from us over the years, $5k for a claim in 20 years isn't something they should b***h about. If you think for one second my family's actions in this ONE claim are the reason your rates (from a difference insurance provider may i add) are going up, think again. Yea, it's wrong- but give me a break... Small potatoes. We have the insurance, may as well use it whenever we can.

haha, i love it.

Damn, i've been looking for a similar bull bar for my rx300 as well. Rod millen made a nice looking one similar to this, but they stopped making them. If you end up finding a place where they sell them, let me know !

depends on what parts you're looking for. Ebay's great, just make sure it states OEM. I would never buy from the dealer unless it was like a bolt or something cheap... You can also try toyota dealers, often times the parts are used in both and have the same part numbers... They'll be a little cheaper at toyota than lexus even for the same part.

I think there's a tsb for the tranny jolt problem- have that taken care of and you'll be fine. I'm not aware of any "major problems" with the 04-06 Rx330 besides minor squeaks and a little wind noise...

Go with the bridgestone dueler alenza's, trust me. It's what i've been riding on for a year and a half or so. Excellent in the snow, rain, quiet on the highway... Never once had a problem with hydroplaning either, and i've pushed it's limits...

It detects slippage of the tires and does it's magic. It's mostly in front wheel drive; power is sometimes sent to the rear when it thinks it's necessary.