stefc

Hello all - just a quick update. The tooth wheel that steve2006 kindly pointed me to above is the reluctor ring (no, I had not heard of it before either ;) ) After spending almost £500 at Lexus Swindon on trying to diagnose the fault (and that was after they removed and replaced almost new brake discs and pads (which were less than one year and 600 miles old) to correct the fault for a further cost of £279 "as these were not genuine Lexus parts"), they gave up with their advice being a conclusion that I should book the car in to have the ABS system replace (estimate given: parts £870 ex VAT plus about £750 labour) I baulked and looked further for advice. For anyone in the Aylesbury area, I want to put in a good word for DS Automotives. I took the car in and at reception I described the symptoms and Vicky said "mmmm, sounds like it might be a reluctor ring". Dave took the car around the block. Within a couple of minutes he was back and said that he thought the reluctor ring was faulty, as just the passenger side rear wheel ABS was kicking in. On removing the wheel and closer inspection Dave confirmed that their suspicion was correct and we ordered the parts. This diagnosis cost me nothing - just good professional reception and diagnosis. Compare that to £732 out of pocket at teh LExus dealer to not correct the fault! In case anyone is interested in tackling this themselves, I found this excellent link on our sister forum in the USA.This company in the UK looks like they supply reluctor rings. I hope this helps anyone looking to fix a similar problem Cheers Stef

Hi Steve How easy is it to check if the tooth wheel is chipped? My dealer should have spotted it, but my faith in them is a tad shaken since I spent £500 on their 'diagnosis' and they came up with no solution to the problem. The car is a dream - just that ABS kicking in when I brake. Interestingly, if I pump the brakes gently at times the ABS effect seems less (and yes, the dealer did drain the replace the brake fluid : ). Any thoughts on what I could do to remedy it would be welcomed. Cheers Stef

Sounds like it may be good news - and that maybe the old wallet will not get stressed as much as I feared, Grant :) (Here is hoping) Many thanks for taking time to share your experience Cheers Stef Feedback as promised - and it is an 'ouch' moment. I had my disks and pads replaced a year ago, together with the 60,000 mile service at an independent garage in Abingdon (having been assured they would use genuine Lexus parts) The dealer yesterday confirms that the pads were not Lexus pads. Also, the shims and anti-rattle clips were missing. The brake fluid also had not been drained. They cleaned the sensor airgap - ABS problems still there. Doing all of this, and analysing why the ABS looks as if it comes on ended up with a bill of around £480 - and the problem has not been fixed. I have been told I need a new ABS actuator unit - £870 ex VAT plus about £750 to fit it. Spending arond £2,000 on an '02 RX300 with 65,000 miles on it - hmmmm Off to drown my sorrows Cheers Stef

Sounds like it may be good news - and that maybe the old wallet will not get stressed as much as I feared, Grant :) (Here is hoping) Many thanks fro taking time to share your experience Cheers Stef

Many thanks Steve - I will keep my fingers crossed it is not chipped teeth! Will have a go at cleaning Thursday when I get back and see how it goes Cheers Stef

I have just started having the same on an '02 RX300 Series 1 (66,500 miles). A couple of weeks ago I had to do an emergency stop - maybe something gave way I am off to the dealer later this week (serious wallet stress panic here :) ) I will let you know how I get on Has anyone else had this? Cheers Stef