OzAristoV300

I had exactly the same problem on an Audi fitted with after market wheels. As Andy says, the centre hole in the wheel - the Boss - centres the wheel in line with the axle, not the studs. Many after market wheel manufacturers make the Boss big enough for the largest car the wheels might go on. They then supply different spacer rings with an outside diameter equal to the Boss size and the inside diameter to suit various cars. If the installer forgets to fit the spacer, or uses the wrong spacer, the wheel rotates in a elliptical orbit that manifests itself as a nasty vibration at certain speeds.

Even if you were able to achieve factory bluetooth (like my 2006 SC430), you would still be wishing for a better bluetooth solution. Hence my post on the Parrot MKi and Aquanuke's comment. Cheers

Hi I've just returned to the Lexus fold with a 2006 SC430 after a few years living in sin (BMW E39 M5, Mazda MX5, Audi A3 2.0T). Nice to be home with Lexus number 5 by the way. I'm planning to fit a Parrot MKi9100 with the HFVT harness (http://www.hfvt.com/content/page/catalog_product/id/339/faction/42/cartadd/1284/HF_TOY_JBL2_AMP.html) to achieve a better iPhone experience than the rudimentary standard bluetooth system and add iPod playback. I am leaning towards the MKi9100 over the MKi9200 so I can hide the screen component in the ashtray compartment. There is no logical place I can see to fit the 9200 screen without obstruction/glare/theft issues. Do any members have this combo and if so, what are the traps for young players or gotchas. Alternative product recommendations also welcome. Regards Wayne

The LSD is the IS200 is called a Torson LSD. My (limited) understanding of this technology is that the test performed above (turning one wheel and expecting the other to bind), is only valid for traditional clutch operated LSDs. Toyota also uses this technology in FWD cars. Where are our technical gurus hiding?

My JZS161 V300 had the same symptom but the fault turned out to be the sensor on the throttle body, not the pedal sensor. Exchanged hard-earned AUS$600 for a new $10 part from the Lexus "how much you got?" dealer and the problem went away. I've had the dud one gold plated and mounted to symbolise the experience.

Have you checked the real wheel alignment recently? My experience (over 5 years and 80,000 km) is that rear toe angle needs to be regularly adjusted. The toe should be set at 0 (not +1mm like the GS300) but I have had it move as far as 9mm of toe out, causing the the car to "tramline" on uneven roads and bump steer at higher speeds. This is a lot cheaper fix than the TOMS device.

It took some doing but I finally tracked down a reasonably priced windscreen replacement for the RX300. Apologies to the 99.99% of club members who don't reside in Australia to whom this info is useless, but: 1. O'Brien Glass: AUD$1,260, comes with lifetime replacement warranty. Gee. 2. Lexus Parts: AUD$1,630 + tax + install 3. Protector Glass Industries: $128 + $75 freight from Sydney + $100 install. 4. Moorabbin Windscreens: $250, supplied and fitted. So why did I chose option 3? Option 4 called backed just after I hung up from ordering and paying for Option 3!

The TOMS ARS Cancellor isn't electronic. It is a steel bar that replaces the rear steer rack and a jumper for the wiring harness plug to make it think the old rack is still there. Unfortunately the local distributor thinks a 100% mark up on the Japanese price is fair, making it a AUS$800 proposition. (He also wants AUS$140 for the low temp thermostat that apparently fixes the power loss problem in warm weather. JY7000 on the http://www.tomsracing.co.jp web site) As for alignment specs, I can confirm from a contact at Toyota Australia that the correct toe setting for the rear of the V300 is 0mm, not -1mm as applies to the GS300. Given the +/- 2mm tolerance, this makes the difference a moot point. The problem is, I don't know the correct procedure to either disable the rear steering computer while the manual adjustment is done, or reset the computer after the manual adjustment. If I can find this out, I can save myself $800.

Is the windscreen in the RX330 the same as in the RX300/Harrier? The RX330 is commercially available through Lexus in Australia. The Harrier WAS only available as a grey import so parts are a bitch. The windscreen folk only carry a listing for the RX330. Some months ago a member asked if the windscreen design on the RX was faulty as he had 2 broken screens in a short period. I'm tipping the sheer size of the damn thing increases your chances of debris impact by 400%!

4 out of 5 times the clock on my Harrier resets to 1:00 when I start the engine. Other than only starting the engine at 1:00, does anybody have any suggestions

If the light continually slow flashes, then you probably have the same fault as mine. The Toyota Intelli Tester says there is a fault in the air bag in the passenger seat (LHS). You will find a plug under the seat that connects the air bag to the wiring loom. Try disconnecting it (with the keys removed from the ignition) then reconnecting it. This worked temporarily for me for a while before the problem came hard on.

This sounds like the ultimate solution. Do you have a web site, phone number or address to obtain the TOMS ARS canceller? I am in Australia but most places will freight to here.

I am in Australia but the places I went to (Bob Jane and Bridgestone Tyres) are both reputable places with high end aligners. A friend of mine who works for Toyota is attempting to get hold of a translation of the Japanese workshop manual for the alignment procedure. He said on other vehicles with this system you normally have to reset the steering wheel positioning sensor once you adjust the front alignment, which could also be causing the rear problem. Hopefully the manual will advise how to do this!

Three times now I have tried to have the wheel alignment done on the '99 Aristo V300 (at two different places) with interesting results. Each time the alignment machine says all is within specification for front and rear but when re-testing (due to abnormal rear tyre wear) a few months later the same machine shows the rear toe and camber are completely out of whack. Has anyone attempted this procedure or had similar problems? I am suspicious of the active rear steering. Either it is faulty or possibly needs to be disabled during the alignment process to stop it "correcting" the adjustments made. cheers

I have three friends in various technical roles with Toyota and Lexus. One is the head diagnostic technician supporting all Australian dealerships. They all strongly recommend turning off the overdrive when towing anything except a small box trailer (on all Toyota/Lexus, not just the RX300). Each has been involved with expensive repairs caused by overheated transmissions when towing at highway speeds in fourth gear. As mentioned in my previous despatch, I also run an after market transmission cooler that bolts in front of the radiator in sequence with the standard cooler in the bottom of the radiator. What I forgot to mention is I bought this cooler after cooking the transmission in my Soarer towing a van across a mountain range. Cooler=<BP100. Tranny Repair=>BP1000 (BP = British Pounds.)