gerbil

Buy the proper Lexus wiring kit, buy a cheap car trim removal kit off ebay to make life easier, set aside a morning and follow the destructions : http://www.toyota-tech.eu/aimuploads/%7B792E8204-B20E-434E-AB7C-0FB195D08A09%7D/Towbar%20wiring%20kit%20PZ417-K2561-00%2013PTOWBWH.pdf It's not difficult but you just need to be patient and prepared to remove most of the boot trim and floor panel etc - get some tape and stick the bolts to each part they came from as you dismantle everything so you don't get confused when putting it all back. Took me about 2hrs going slowly but that was 7 pin not 13 but the time is all in the removal of the trim rather than an extra couple of wires.

....and start saving for the fuel for the 17mpg I get when towing my 2 ton rig with my 400h :-( Does tow it well though pulls it away from the lights on battery alone which suprised me. Make plenty of use of the 'B' gear to save your pads though !

I have an RX400h Sep 08 and bought a genuine Brink detachable (exact same that Lexus dealer said they would fit) from Towequipe : Towequipe - UK's best value towbar store Item #72501158 Lexus Westfalia Detach Towbar RX300 RX400 03>> Price: £297.13 Quantity: 1 Inventory SKU: 335305 plus £15 delivery next day. I did buy the genuine Lexus trailer light board electric kit even though a cheapo kit came with the Brink just to avoid any splicing into looms etc as the car has to be returned in original condition etc: It is the Rx400h 12N wiring kit - the part number should be: PZ457-K2563-00 Towing hitch wiring kit 12N for RX 400h - U38 - MMC 03/2005 which was about £90. Trickiest part was routing the 12v power supply wire for the 'relay computer' from behind the glovebox all the to the back of the boot. With hindsight would be tempted to just pick up off the boot cigar lighter (with appropriate rated in line fuse) but maybe that would mean so parking lights to the trailer if the ignition wasn't on although I did just that with my earlier Landcruiser and similar kit with no issues. The brink fitting instructions are an exact match for the ones from the Lexus dealer. You should remove a very small arc of the bumper trim for a perfect fit but I didn't and it is fine - if you really look hard you can see a slight bulge but you'd really have to look !. Spare wheel is not affected. You will have to cut away sections of the left and right plastic underbody trays at the rear to allow the side support bars to clear but that is up underneath the car either side of the spare wheel and you won't see the cuts. Also you will trim a hidden section of metal valance plate that sits behind the plastic bumper - again out of sight - plus trim down the polystyrene pad behind the plastic bumper. I splashed out and bought the 'Rolls Royce' of 4 cycle carrier racks and it is perfect on a detachable towbar but they are expensive but amazing lightweight feat of engineering - especially the single handed 'slide away' action to slide the bikes away from the tailgate to allow opening etc : Altera Strada 3 (AR2603) £245 plus 4th bike adapter (AR2611) £45 from www.roofbox.co.uk but equally use a cheap and cheerful (£30) foldaway carrier for just 2 bikes from ebay which works fine on the detachable bar : seller was sjs_cycles but just search on ebay for "BIKE RACK 11412" and you should see them listed. Great to leave in the boot if you need to pick up someone and their bike from the train station etc ! Regards Dave

Thanks again. I think I'll get the Wesfalia towbar off the web for £297 ( lexus dealers quote £659.33 for the exactly the same) and with the money saved buy the official lexus wiring kit (I've sourced it for £82) so there's no comeback from the lease company re scotchlocks etc. The local lexus mechanics advised they have managed to fit this westfalia without a bumper cut and just a small bit of rubber pad to prevent vibration albeit not a 'perfect' look but you have to be look for it to know. Cheers. I face a similar challenge of fitting a towbar - your comments are reassuring as it seemed a huge undertaking on the face of it when I looked at the fitting instructions available from some towbar sites ! Which towbar was it you fitted and did you HAVE to make a bumper cut or could you have bent / coerced the rear bumper edge to fit ? I see the official Lexus one on the Lexus Tech doc website is actually the Westfalia 335305 detachable (£297 + del off the web for exactly the same model number). Did you use the official Lexus wiring kit which seems to have a cable going all the way back to under the dash (although I suspect this may only be for a 12v feed which can be picked up from the 12v boot socket - may be an issue with leaving sidelights on and the ignition off though ?) or did you use a kit / scotchlocks type solution ? Regards, Dave

I face a similar challenge of fitting a towbar - your comments are reassuring as it seemed a huge undertaking on the face of it when I looked at the fitting instructions available from some towbar sites ! Which towbar was it you fitted and did you HAVE to make a bumper cut or could you have bent / coerced the rear bumper edge to fit ? I see the official Lexus one on the Lexus Tech doc website is actually the Westfalia 335305 detachable (£297 + del off the web for exactly the same model number). Did you use the official Lexus wiring kit which seems to have a cable going all the way back to under the dash (although I suspect this may only be for a 12v feed which can be picked up from the 12v boot socket - may be an issue with leaving sidelights on and the ignition off though ?) or did you use a kit / scotchlocks type solution ? Regards, Dave

hi just fitted witter towbar with detachable ball to my SEL it does not ostruct camera or sensors cheers dave I need to fit a towbar on an RX but need to avoid cutting the bumper - does the Witter allow the bumper to be squeezed or bent over the top of the towbar to avoid cutting (even if it looks a little untidy !) or is a cut absolutely the only way to make the bumper go back on ? Thanks Dave