Andre2000

Thanks for the part numbers.

Hi I had a front offside wheel bearing replaced and apparently the sensor broke during the process of taking the old bearing out.

All of my warning lights are now flashing inc. Awd/red triangle abs ect. Where do I buy an aftermarket sensor for this?

Thanks 

Andrew

Hi 

Thanks for all your replies, It does take Xenons Hid D2S as per the handbook.. Although it seems fitting them involves taking out the light unit so I will get my Machanic to do this as you have to drop the bumper slightly. ( Unless someone knows of an easier way ) I’ll replace both especially since I cannot remove the existing bulb to check brand. It was a lot easier in the RX300 I used to have.

Cheers guys!! 

Hi can anyone advise on which bulb I need for the headlight on a 400H and If I need to change both (left and right)  or just the single blown one? I am not sure if I need a HID or not. Also are these easy to fit?

Thanks

Andre

47 minutes ago, Barry14UK said:

Lexus and I assume other brands presumably use these expensively filled cats to get maximum reduction in emmisions.  I wonder how much difference it makes to emmisions, noise and fuel ecomomy if the genuine article is replaced with a generic lacking the expensive innards or replacing with a straight pipe and just relying on the cats up front?

You could have a point. But also take into account replacing it via Lexus (I was quoted in the region of 2k with a wait of 2 months) Then the thieves come back for round 2 then round 3.

Just as a note The garage at the time I had mine done had Prius come in that had the straight through pipe fitted after have the initial one stolen. They came back and before realising it had no CAT and cut the straight through pipe.   

No doubt they are operating in SE London at this time. Am sure you and me are not the only ones. I hope that the generic metal CAT stays on the car, It may be that they realised it was worthless to them. Somewhere in this thread I posted where I purchased from (EBay) and a fitter in East London whom specialises in exhausts so any additional bits for pipes he needs will not be an issue. There was a ceramic and a metal Cat, I opted for the metal which supposed to be the better performing unit.
 

Fingers crossed they don’t come back! 

I am the original poster and unfortunately these thieves were back outside my house last night. My neighbour noticed these guys and went outside, this was 3:30am in the morning. They were under the car. What I don’t know is if the fact that I have a generic replacement had stopped them from taking my cat or the neighbour disturbed them. I am located SE London in Bromley. Beware!! 

Flowtech Exhausts in Chadwell Heath did the work for me and put on the extra 55mm Pipe as I bought the metal Magnaflow from eBay Germany as above.

On 11/21/2019 at 1:28 PM, Andre2000 said:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-200-Zeller-Metal-Sport-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-M4a/303279328247?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

I should point out this is a universal fit. So will need a little modification on the pipe end ( not exact fit) not really an issue for a exhaust fitter as they will have many pipes of different dimensions. Also I ordered the metal not the ceramic which is also available.

 

Andrew

1 hour ago, GerryC said:

Evening all. I had my Cat stolen in a NHS carpark in Epping. So disgusted!!! 

Can anyone advise if fitting s temporary piece of pipe will cause the engine management light to come on or damage the engine in any way?

RX 400H 

Thanks

Gerry

 

sorry if this has been covered elsewhere in the post...

 

 

 

Better to get after market Cat and have it fitted as per my previous post. There is no point in paying twice for a job or for that matter paying over the odds. Unless Lexus do the work of course.

If you look through the thread you can see there are some options of where to buy. Also get a specialist exhaust fitter to do the work so if it does not fit exactly it will not be an issue.

I had my new cat fitted from an exhaust specialist in East London. Flowtech Exhausts In Chadwell Heath. Google them, there are many happy customers for a reason.

7 minutes ago, LatinUnit said:

can someone point to which aftermarket catalytic converter fits rx400h?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-200-Zeller-Metal-Sport-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-M4a/303279328247?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I should point out this is a universal fit. So will need a little modification on the pipe end ( not exact fit) not really an issue for a exhaust fitter as they will have many pipes of different dimensions. Also I ordered the metal not the ceramic which is also available.

Andrew

8 hours ago, LatinUnit said:

Just had my catalytic converter stolen from my RX400h around Paddington, what are the specifications of an aftermarket replacement? so that I can purchase it and ask a welder friend to weld it? mechanics are charging £500 and from what I read on this thread the aftermarket costs less than £100.

Update: Looking at videos on youtube, there is no need for welding if clamps are used? can someone please advise whats the process.

 

I used Flowtech Exhausts ( East London ) to do my fitting of an aftermarket Universal Catalytic Convertor. Old school exhaust welders, am not sure about clamps.  Around £100 & take a couple of hours, also being exhaust specialist they have all the required bespoke pipes and other necassary bits bearing in mind the thieves just cut each side of the Cat. 
 

If your car is under Lexus Warranty I think you would have to have Lexus do the work with genuine Lexus parts.
 

27 minutes ago, RobinGBrown said:

Insurance question for the crowd mind/any experts out there:

If I don't claim on the insurance as the excess is really high and get the exhaust pipe fixed with a 'universal' replacement are there any downsides?

i.e. would I have to count the vehicle as 'modified' for any future insurance?

Any other drawbacks?

I think undoubtably the quality of after market universal Catalytic Converters will not be on par with Lexus OEM parts. I think I am correct in saying the original CAT should last the life time of the RX400h. The universal part is unknown cheaper part, be it from a non Toyota known manufacturer.

Two things to note:

Even if you had to replace the universal part in the future, It would mitigate paying between 1.5k and 2.5k then having it stolen again. The garage where mine was fitted had three RX400s in that morning. He also mentioned that a Prius owner had his CAT stolen 3 times. 

The original CAT I believe only does 15/20% of the work. My preferred option initially was to go through the Insurance I would have paid £300 excess which is not bad compared to many however the time wait was very long ( 2 months).

Due to the above I doubt that the non OEM part would constitute as modified.

If my car was still under a Lexus warranty. I believe I would have waited the 2 months to be fixed through Lexus as I was offered a hire car by my Insurance.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-200-Zeller-Metal-Sport-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-M4a/303279328247?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908103841%26meid%3D2c19cc41c37440b8870516f02f591827%26pid%3D100227%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D14%26sd%3D303279328247%26itm%3D303279328247%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2054502&_trksid=p2054502.c100227.m3827

https://www.google.com/search?q=flowtech+exhaust&rlz=1C9BKJA_enGB829GB830&oq=flowtech+exh&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i60j69i57j0l2.21274j0j4&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#lkt=LocalPoiReviews&trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:nav,rc_ludocids:13805034799557262920,rc_q:Flowtech%20Exhausts,ru_q:Flowtech%20Exhausts

Correspondence with the German company is advised as I am sure the dimensions of the pipe were altered ( or slightly different product) 

 You can purchase the ceramic version or the metal. I went for the metal.

I feel like my car is a sitting duck, spending 2.5k with Lexus IS not recommended.

Andrew

29 minutes ago, RobinGBrown said:

Well here's another theft, my RX400's cat was stolen in Croydon this Wednesday from the office car park no less!

I am wondering wether it's worth informing the insurers at all? £800 excess and I can get a universal cat from Mr Exhaust in Reigate for £400 fitted - who apparently has had four other Lexus' call today with the same problem.

and thanks to police cuts from the tories there's no one to stop this crimewave!

 

 

I thin k the only real solution would be to have a panel(s) covering the entire underside of the car

Never a good Idea to bring politics into a car forum especially since Boris is on a recruitment drive with 20k officers to save us all from the traitors/ criminals and will not surrender to the Europeans/Germans/ French, after all we are at war 😶 😂What a superhero. He needs to be promoted to Captain America.

On another note it seems the the Catalytic Converter under the drivers seat does only 15/20% of the work,  going the Lexus route could take months and could be stolen within a few minutes again.  Your suggestion of covering the entire panels would work but cost/ drilling into car. Not sure about that.

18 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Not really practical and certainly not a problem of Toy/Lex making.

All petrol cars have cats, no matter who manufactures them, be that Toy/Lex, Vauxhall, Ford, Kia, Audi etc., etc., most of which are accessible from under the car. The only reason the RXs are being targeted more is because the higher ground clearance of an SUV allows better access for the n'er-do-wells.

I think there is a reason other than the higher ground clearance the RX is being targeted,  The Prius previously suffered heavily form this practice from what I understand, If the issue was on very recent RX models it would present more of an issue for Lexus, having said that on reflection maybe I was a little harsh on Lexus. It’s fair enough for them to charge for the parts/labour as any other manufacturers would. I’m not sure even if people know what is going on what they could really do to mitigate other than Larger Shandy’s last post..

Just a quick update,

I had my car repaired and when I got to the garage ( Independent) an RX400h was on the ramp having the CAT replaced plus the one before me was also having the catalytic Converter replaced again an RX400 so including mine 3 Rx400h back to back all stolen CAT.  In one morning. The machanic/welder said they are selling for big bucks..

What a disgrace. Lexus should be informing every RX400 owner about these thefts as to make owners aware, as I receive marketing material through the post. but you have to say Lexus/Toyota are making a lot of money from these criminal acts.

Well Toyota states it will not stop a determined thief. 

https://blog.toyota.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft-how-to-protect-your-car 

“catlock determined thieves will still steal catalytic converter” google this and 1st listing as above. Without the quotes.

I do understand though that if the car is under Lexus warranty this presents a real issue that they need to address. You cannot put a 3rd party part as it will invalidate your warranty.

Andrew

16 hours ago, Romasato said:

Yeah, guess what - started my car today to the sound of a tractor! And the first thought instantly was that my cat converter is gone...

I am based in W4 (Chiswick).

Now have to figure out what's the best approach to getting a replacement one - and how to ensure it is not stolen again... 

And apparently there is an article on Guardian from 20th Sep about the widespread thefts of cat converters: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/20/theft-of-catalytic-converters-from-hybrid-cars-surges

Sorry to hear about your Catalytic Converter. Opinion is divided on how to best protect yourself from theft. I initially was going through the Insurance and getting Lexus to do the work, after 24 hours I changed my mind and cancelled the claim for a couple of reasons.

1, The length of time it takes to repair with Lexus as no parts/stock in the UK. Car hire I know Insurance will pay for but to rack up 1000s on top just does not seem that right way forward for me.

2, Installing a new Lexus part back on may well be an invitation to steal it again. 

I’ll use a universal Convertor in the hope they decide to move on.

There has been 3000 Convertors stolen already in the first 6 months of this year In London. Mainly Toyota/Lexus Hybrid models.

Herbie has a very strong point Imo. It will take a determined thieves a couple of minutes longer at most according to many sources. Please use google. 

I would have thought the Lexus alarm would have activated with the vibration underneath h the car, It would be nice if you could adjust to max sensitivity. Besides garaged/on drive am not too sure what would be 99%. Also a major factor is Lexus/Toyota have a 5/6 week backlog.

See this threads.

https://blog.toyota.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft-how-to-protect-your-car

On 9/19/2019 at 2:55 PM, Andre2000 said:

Hi

Where can I get a Cat as mine was cut and stolen yesterday. I know Lexus would be very expensive.

Check the image. They will just cut around cut locks. I was going to go through Insurance and get Lexus to do the job. What changed my mind is I have read they just target the car again. So decided to fit universal which will arrive in a few days. Lucky I have Mrs car to drive.

Am not saying whom offered this or weather or not there is something odd about the quote.

Just replying to the above and obviously the thought went through my head as to the margins for 2nd hand Lexus CATS 

57 minutes ago, phb10186 said:

all my used quotes were for the entire exhaust section (as specified by me)... mirroring your thoughts. they tend to be 500-800 used. Anyone quoting for just the cat section should probably be reported.

We could possibly be looking at supplier-induced demand!

Catalytic Converter £508.00

VAT £101.60

Delivery 2-3 Days

Total price £609.60

18 minutes ago, phb10186 said:

Ring Lexus Hatfield and ask to speak to Dale - I had the discussion with him yesterday about the cat cost when booking my car in for the timing belt today... once you have his quote, go to your nearest dealer and present them with it. All the dealers are ordering the same part off the same system from Lexus, and they are on back order from Japan due the sheer numbers... worth a call i'd say.

Tell him you just spoke to Ben with the Silver 400h that's in there now.

I think I would still go for an Universal part primarily because they will just come back and steal it again. Also I have already embarked upon another supplier so it’s on the way. I wonder where they sell these stolen catalytic converters and what they get for them. I presume the after market ones have no value for the thieves.

8 minutes ago, phb10186 said:

Update: I took the car to Lexus today for the timing belt at 10 years, and upon questionning (and i've had a few discussions with them), Lexus have lowered the price of the replacement cat exhaust section (the entire piece of the exhaust, not just the cat.... I was quoted 1200 + vat (and probably fitting), and now it has been reduced to about £700 - not sure about the VAT and fitting.

However, that still poses a better option - 40-50% reduction. Had that have been the case, my choice may have been to go back to Lexus for an original part. Still poses risk of repeat theft, but just fit a Cat guard.

Also makes the used market supply from breakers pointless, as those were the quotes I got for used...

 

Oh, and they still don't have any available for a few weeks, they are on back order. 

I rang Lexus sidcup and she told me to factor in around 2.5k. I thanked her and promptly put the phone down and went to plan B. She also stated a month waiting for stock..

 I also got in touch with some breakers..£700 inc VAT I was quoted for something that is 10+ years old. No thanks.

Interesting that they have now reduced the price. But no stock.