paolo137

Hi there. Actually there's nothing more than that: on page 1 you get info about fuel consumption (instant, after refuelling, average), on page 2 you get average speed and distance after last refuelling). On both pages you get outside temp.

@ Euroboy: there's no way of knowing, unless you get a reading of the error codes reported by the ECU. If you get P0171 and/or P0174, that means lean mixture, and it MIGHT be related to a faulty oxygen sensor, but it might as well be something else. Check out this, hope it helps.

I remember reading in the forum that someone had lost the guidance voice on his satnav, and got it back by resetting the unit (i.e.: ejecting and inserting again the dvd). Sure enough it's worth trying ;) Got it! Check it out and good luck.

Been talking about this issue with a friend. He told me he'd had the same problem with a VW Passat, and he had investigated a bit further. Apparantly, the more the suspension scheme is complex (Multilink, for instance), the more it is prone to show this behavior. Furthermore, it seems that actually the roads in southern Europe have a higher degree of camber. Looks like VW even issued an official document requesting all its dealers in Italy NOT to change the settings of their cars under warranty, as there's really nothing wrong with them. Apparently, there was also a hint that driving with just one hand on the wheel (very common down here ) enhances the "problem".

Since the roads are not perfectly flat, but higher in the center and lower on the sides, when driving keepin your right, as in continental Europe, it's perfectly normal to have the car drifting to that side. It's the gravity pull. For the same reason, I would expect my car to coast to the left when driving in the UK. Could it be that you're just not accustomed to that feeling on the "wrong" side? Or maybe the roads you usually travel in France are subject to flooding and they're even more arched than the average? Don't think there's anything wrong with your car: problem must be somewhere else.

Hi! The engine+VSC warning is common to a broad range of malfunctions. To pin down the problem, you should connect a code reader ("OBD reader") to ther plug of your ECU. They're quite cheap (about 20/25 £), but if you don't have one and don't want to buy it, almost any mechanic will have one. When you have the correct code (it will be something like PXXX), you may search the forum or the web for possible causes. Just for reference, you might be interested in this. By the way, in my opinion the car is not supposed to stand still when in D and pointing uphill (with engine idling, of course): it just depends on how steep the climb is.

Depending on actually how steep the climb is, it is perfectly normal for the car to roll back, even in D, if you keep the engine just idling. You might check if there's a climb where you used to stand still with engine idling and now you roll back in the same conditions. As for the transmission service, the automatic transmission is subject to wearing and loosing micro-debris in its oil. Therefore, the oil gets somehow thicker and, with normal use, tends to work well even if it is "old" in terms of mileage and/or time. Because of this, my mechanic does not recommend to change the oil without major service to the gears and tranny: the combination of new oil and old gears might just not work properly. But this is just an opinion (though it makes sense to me); furthermore, you've already changed the oil so it is not something to worry about anymore.

You got mail, Chuck!

Sadly, I do. Unfortunately, that code may be triggered by a long list of causes. There's a number of quite simple checks you have to perform. If they don't work, you're out for big troubles. If you get the code on one of the banks only, though, it might be easier to pin down the problem. 1) Check the fuel cap: if it does not close tightly, you'll get lean mixture 2) Check all the hoses related to the engine air recycling for loose ends or punctures (same reason) 3) Clean the MAF sensor 4) Clean the PCV valve (over the head of the engine) 5) Clean the IACV valve 6) Check the spark plugs and their wiring (change the spark plugs if they're old) If none of the above works, you'll have to change the MAF and/or the O2 sensors (sure enough they're not ALL faulty, but it's unlikely your mechanic will try to change them one by one and put back the good ones). Other than that, you have only the fuel injectors, or the fuel pump. As I said, if you keep getting the alarm from one bank only, it might be one spark plug on that bank, or its wiring, or a fuel injector rather than a faulty sensor. Please notice that I'm no mechanic: I just spent the last weeks scanning the web for this problem! :winky:

Hello Axel! I suppose your lcd panel is the "graphic" type, the one you need to use nav-dvd. In this case, you probably have all the wires going to the trunk, where the nav unit should be located (right hand-side of the spare wheel). I honestly doubt that "any" navigator will do: I'm afraid you should go for the OEM one, but I might be wrong on that. As for playing dvd's, again, if you have the souped-up display, you can use its aux video input to play dvd's (with an external player, of course). That's NOT a stroll in the park, I must say: you'll have to tear half the dashboard apart. On this very forum you'll find many hints and maybe a tutorial on how to do it. I recall that someone even managed to plug a rear-view camera into the screen. Be aware that the video standard of the screen is NTSC (US-Japan) and not PAL. As for the loudspeakers, dunno ... Oh, one more thing: there's at least another member from Sweden. I remember him buying a 400h in the US to save some big money! :winky: (now that I mention him, his name sounds very Italian!)

Many thanks! Will pass the info to the mech.

I'm getting the same warning lights (engine+VSC), but the car seems to perform normally, both in fuel consumption and power available. Rx300 mark 1 has some 88000 kms on, petrol only. I've had the ECU read by my mechanic, who's not official Lexus but has a software which can interface with the rx300, and the result was "lean fuel mixture in bank 2". First time he just switched the alarms off. Now we've tried to have all the parameters of the engine to self-adapt thoroughly. Should the warnings appear again, the mechanic was planning to swap the two lambda sonds in order to see if we get the error on the other bank of the engine. That would obviously mean that one of the air/fuel sensors is getting wrong readings. I would appreciate any comment or suggestion on the issue. Many thanks! One more thing: which one is bank 1 and which is bank 2?

thanks! :winky:

I'm no expert neither, and I cut my teeth on cars with manual transmission and no ABS. To me, an emergency braking meant always shifting to a lower gear, too, in order to add some slowing down force from the engine and help avoiding wheel lock. A couple of years ago I attended to a safe driving workshop (highly recommended to anyone!). There, I was taught that with modern cars, the best way of stopping is to press the clutch pedal AND brake really, really, really HARD. The ABS will do the rest. This applies on dry surfaces, wet or snow/ice (of course, assuming you're driving a car with abs). As for my RX, the instructor simply told me to use the brake, and forget about anything else, though most of the times when braking hard my right hand runs to the stick... Anyway, the idea is that abs system will always brake better than the average driver, just remember to put all of your strength on the pedal, and don't raise the foot when you start feeling the pedal shaking (that's just the abs working). Of course, if your driving skills are above the average, or you're just accustomed to driving on snow (*), you might have a different opinion. (*) ever been to Scandinavia? Any granny with a wreck drives like Seb Loeb! :lol:

I fully agree. Rx is heavy. My mark I has always worked nicely on ice and snow both in plain and uphill, with its ordinary M+S "all year round" tyres. But going down used to be a nightmare: gear to L, an egg placed between the foot and the brake pedal, the odd "snow" button pressed (never undestood compeltely its function, apart from starting off in 2nd gear, maybe, but then, in if I'm in L, what's the use? ), and just hoping that nothing unexpected would happen, as the emergency stop would be hard to handle. That changed completely a month ago, when I decided to go for a set of Toyo winter tyres (600 €, and thank God I've the 16" wheels). They're unbelievable: handling and braking has improved dramatically on snow AND ice, and now I can get 100% out of the 4WD. For instance, if I'm going downhill and meet someone coming up at full throttle (because that's the only way for the guy to manage the steep climb without proper tyres), I can brake safely, put in reverse, and reach the nearest passing place. All of this smiling like an idiot while the other guy struggles with the steering wheel. For comparison, my Mom's Panda 4x4 and my wife's Daihatsu Sirion 4x4, have no problem at all even in the direst conditions and with conventional tyres: it's all in the weight! By the way, regarding the transmission of the (non-hybrid) RX, I've read some posts where the car is stated to have a part time 4WD, normally front WD and with the central diff kicking in only when needed. Others claim that the drive is always 50% front, 50% rear. I must say that the car handles like a full time 4WD, but I would like to get a definitive answer to that. Thanks :winky: P.S.: I know that a set of winter tyres is expensive, particularly if you have 17" or 18" wheels, but be sure that the lightest crash into a wall or another car will cost way more, and that's not considering possible personal injuries!

That's it. According to the manual, it should be used if you're having trouble moving the shift stick, for instance after leaving the car parked on a very steep road.

Hello and welcome! The sat/nav on the Lexus is pretty fine, in my opinion. Main issue is cost of updating: a new dvd will cost you at least what you'd pay for a tomtom WITH updated maps. Given your unit is non working, I'd consider going for the external navigator, which can be moved from car to car. Besides, by the time you'll have to update maps again, probably a sat/nav wil fit in you key-holder and cost 30 pounds... Of course, the OMD lcd screen is much neater compared to that gizmo attached to the windshield with all the wires and stufff (P.S: last mont a Lexus dealer dared to offer me 8900 € for my 2001 mark 1 fully loaded and with 85000 KM on the dash, to be traded with a 2005 RX... :tsktsk: )

Given the "size" of battery and engine involved, I'd suggest to use large cross-section leads, otherwise you'll just heat them red; furhermore, the "support" car should be idling, and possibly rev up its engine while attempting to start the Lexus.

maybe you should read this: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=52905

Maybe you can disconnect the battery, so to reset all the epus, including the alarm. Be aware, though, that the battery must be disconnected for at least 30 mins., otherwise the car alarm will consider it an attempted theft and lock everything. Furthermore, you'll loose all the settings in the radio, seats, and possibly you'll have to "tune" back the powered windows. Be careful and best luck! :winky:

:D The update disk suggested by and bought on the Toyota site works flawlessly! :D :D

That "a bit more expensive" translates into more than twice the price down here in Italy. I believe it's more or less all the same around Europe. I'll keep the Lexus Dealer option as last. :winky:

Sorry folks but it seems I just can't make it work. I have the very first generation of dvd nav. The disk (which is labelled TOYOTA) reads 08664-00921 and, below, 86271-70V221 Disk version is 1.01 (!), and the layout is pretty different from the one depicted on the lexus site. It seems it dates back to oct. 2000. Now, if I enter the Lexus map-updates site, and enter 00921 after selecting vers. 08664 I get an error message (version not recognized). Same if I enter 70V221 (as maybe someone suggested above). I tried the Toyota mapupdates site, and here I selected a "virtual" car (Landcruiser 100), then 08664 and entered 00921. Bingo, I was offered an update disk for 159 €. It is marked PZ485-T00EU-07. Before going on with this latter disk, I'd warmly welcome any advice form you. Thanks! :blush: (of course I'd rather avoid contacting my local dealer as I know the disk they sell is much more expensive)

Ciao! :)

Well, actually they said "at least 30 minutes": I guess the required time is even shorter but the just wanted to play it safe.