EMDG

Success! Managed to get a used set of rear wheels from Nippon Auto spares of Derby. Cost including courier charges £124.00. Way cheaper than the £700 plus vat new from Lexus. Fitting charge was £187, which I would have had to pay whichever route I went.

My 2001 RX300 recently passed the MOT, but started a noise sounding like the rear brake shoes or pads were dragging. My local garage found that the backplates were degrading to such an extent that bits were rubbing on the drum. Has anyone come across this problem? The garage priced Lexus replacements at about £350.00 each plus vat and fitting costs,which would make the total cost more than the cars worth. I am trying to source through dismantlers but am having difficulty.

I read about the 750kg limit in the Parkers and Autotraders ads for RX450's where it says that is the towing limit. However on reading Parkers facts & figures section, it says Towing weight ( unbreaked) 750kg, (breaked) 2000kg, which is more like it! Simples !!

I have had a 2001 RX300 for two years now, and it tows my 1400kg caravan with ease. I have been thinking of going for a 2010 RX450h but have noticed that the towing capacity has dropped to 750kg. Can anyone confirm this and tell me how come?

Thanks very much, that was it. I must have brushed the pedal with my left foot.

I have a 2001 RX300. I was overtaking a car at about 60 mph when a warning bell went off. No dashboard indications of fault that I could see and it continued while I slowed down and parked. Switched of the ignition for a minute or so, started up and not had the bell since. Any ideas?

My 2001 RX300 recently started showing the VSC and EBD lights together. I purchased an OBD reader which showed the code reading of P0420.Tis indicated 'Cat below threshold Bank 1'. I found that a sensor in front of the cat had detached from its mounting and was hanging loose, a simple job to bolt it back again. I canceled the code to extinguish the warning lights. A month later they are back again. Two questions, why does the VSC light come on and what faults could bring the EBD light on again?

From your question about sockets you obviously are not up to doing the job yourself as connecting the towbar wiring to the wrong car wiring could blow circuits within the cars electronics. If you're only ever going to tow a simple trailer or horse box a 7 pin black coloured socket is sufficient for supplying the tail and brake lights. If a caravan is being towed you need the additional white socket to suply the caravan fridge/battery while towing, this wiring has relays fitted within the car to prevent reverse current being drawn from the caravan battery to the car battery. The 13 pin socket is a new (German) idea which amalgamates all the connections into one socket. All caravans since about 2010 will have them, older ones wont. Fitting a towbar needs to be done by a qualified fitter nowadays, its not the mechanical side of the job, its the electronics. At least, if a fitter gets it wrong, his firm has to fix it at their cost

Had my 2001 RX300 wheels refurbished 9 months ago by The Wheel Specialist in Manchester, £260 for all 5 wheels, tyres off and rebalanced and in a colour of my choice. I chose to have them in Gunmetal. I was a returning customer as I had my previous LS400 wheels done five years previosly. Took the car in for 9am and looked around the city before picking it up at 4pm. Why get replacements from Lexus which will probably go the same way as the originals?

I traded in my 1997 LS400 for a 2001 RX300 last november. I ensured that it was not more than a two owner car with a full lexus history. the car was in excellent condition, I fitted new Michelin tyres all round to see it through the winter snow(which never came!) I have just had it converted to LPG by the same firm who did my LS. Change the oil to fully synthetic and thats it. I expect to get around 22 to the gallon on LPG, though conventional wisdom is that the 350 (2005 0n) is more economical. Of course the 350 will cost more. My 300 was £3500 and I think 350's were twice the price. So look around, 'The truth is out there!'

Before letting your garage loose on the auto box, look up the local automatic gearbox specialist in Yellow Pages. Get a quote from them (not an estimate) then if the price is more in line with your bank account, give the job to them. Its what your garage would do, plus adding their percentage on! .

I heard somewhere that the rear sensors in the bumper can be damaged by pressure washers forcing water in to them. This could be the original problem. The sensors would have to be replaced (if under warranty) or removed, stripped down and cleaned with WD40. Thoroghly seal when putting back on.

I dont mind the white on black layout, Ijust cant find where to log off!!

Can someone tell mee at what chassis number the Mk1 becomes a Mk 2? emdg.

I have a 2001 RX300 which had three broken or taped up keys when I bought it six weeks ago. I got one of the folding type key cases from Hong Kong and cut down the blade to length. Preston Locks (in Tulketh Brow , Preston) was recommended to me by my local car shop and they used their computerised cutter to cut the blade, using the old key blade as a pattern. They also told me what the key number was so that any other keys can be cut without needing the old key. The bulk of the folding key was a problem I came across but I have got around that (sort of) by glueing a thickish rubber ring, cut to a C shape around the blade so the blade can be folded back, to the case. When removing the key, this lets me push the key into the lock to enable it to be turned past the detent. I since bought two more cases (two button ordinary ones) from Cambridge via e bay. In both cases delivery has been very quick. EMDG

I've never had it go off outside the garage, so I am prepared to either 1; leave window open slightly or 2; de-activate the alarm before opening the garage door. :P

My recently purchased RX300 (51) seems to have a very sensitive warning device. Sequence goes; garage car, rear end in first, set alarm/lock doors with remote, shut garage door. In the morning (or later) start to open garage door (up and over type0. when the door gets to about 1/4 open the alarm goes off. this has happened three or four times and I have made sure it is not the door touching the car. Yesterday a friend suggested that a possible cause could be the varying pressure in the garage caused by the door opening was setting off a sensor. His advice was to leave a side window on the car slightly open to equilize pressures. This seems to have worked, as did my own idea of cancelling the alarm by using the remote before opening the door. No problem then, just wanted to know if others had come across this in the past. EMDG

Thanks Paola137, The info screen does start up with a Lexus logo, but the menu button just brings up a Not connected sign. As you say, its getting to the connector that is the problem. I shall sit down in a darkened room and think about it.

Is it possible to connect one of the Ebay cameras to the Information screen on my 2001 RX300? I have no Sat Nav fitted, just a portable Garmin.

Just three thoughts here. Ein. He's a German. Zwei. It's a german car. Drei. Is it his or his frau's lover?

Thanks m1put, Got the spare wheel out & the side panels off last weekend, but all I found was the towing electrics stuff in the n/s and the 'breaking glass sensor' in the o/s. I will get the car over the pit sometime and try to follow the wiring from the sensors.

I have just changed my LS400 for an RX300SE. There are only two things not working, one is the indicator light for when Drive is selected and the other is that the parking aid is not working. The indicator light I know how too get to, but the parking aid must be an after market fit as it doesn't appear in the spec or the Haynes manual. Anyone got any ideas as to where the control unit might be?

I have a 1997 LS400 which I have had for 9 years, 7 of which have been on LPG ( about 50,000m). The only service the car gets is an oil change every year (fully synthetic), belts changed every 60,000 and the plugs were changed at 74,000. The mileage is now 148500 and the only trouble so far has been all the injectors going within one month last year. The installation (a Sequent multipoint injection system) with an valve lubricant injected automatically, was installed by an experienced fitter in Blackpool and cost £2200. The workshop was clean as an operating room and the workmanship gave me complete confidence in the installation. I had a previous car (1976 Volvo 244) fitted with LPG during the petrol crisis of the early 80's, but that was a totally different system, with the LPG injected through a pipe fitted under the carb. That car was with me for 113,000 miles with no trouble. The moral here is, you get what you pay for. Buy the best and it will pay for itself in the long run. EMDG.

I have just had the rear springs and shock absorbers on my 1996 LS400 replaced by my friendly local garage. To aid the fitter I copied the (American) instructions found at www.lextreme.com/ascon.htm. We found the instructions had some shortcomings so here is the easier way that worked for me. Back seat removal. 1. Seat squab. Where squab fits into the base, at a distance of about 9" inwards from the corners, push the front side towards the rear to release catches from the retaining hooks. Lift out seat base. 2. Raise both rear headrests, open flaps in seat back and undo both bolts. Drop down centre arm rest, open flap at rear and undo bolt. Undo the bolts at the bottom of the backrest. Lift backrest upward and remove from car. 3. Lift parcel shelf just high enough to reach the S/A cap. Shock absorber removal. 4. At parcel shelf slacken off the large centre nut from the S/A but DO NOT REMOVE IT. this is just to make it easier to take off when the S/A is off. 5. Slacken off wheel nuts and jack the rear of the car as high as possible off the ground, supporting the car on axle stands. Remove the wheels. 6. Fit a set (2 min) of wheel compressors around the spring and compress as much as possible. This will shorten the distance between the top and bottom of the S/A making it easier to remove. Undo the large bolt securing the bottom of the S/A to the axle carrier. Undo the three nuts under the parcel shelf. You should now be able to remove the unit from the car. 7. Undo the central nut from the S/A and remove mounting plate, insulator and spring bumper. Carefully slacken off spring compressors and release spring. 8. Fitting the new items is a reversal of this procedure. Torque figures; S/A to axle carrier 101 ft. lbs S/A centre rod nut 20 ft. lbs Wheel nuts 76 ft. lbs Part Nos. Springs Lexus ZL48231-50100 S/A Lexus ZL48530-59126 (very dear) S/A Boge 30-B37-A (around £55 ea) emdg