katabrontes

I can't see why it would fail the MOT as reversing lights are not a RTA requirement (see comments form Lexus about this). Not sure how well it would work though. Mike

My problem now seems to have resolved itself. I saw on another post a suggestion from Colin Barber that moisture inside the headlamp might cause the problem so maybe it was that although I didn't notice any sign of this in the HID dipped module. Very odd.

Curiously after a few weeks when the AFS system seems to be behaving a bit erratically (does the dance on starting but then stays too high, about x1 in every 3-4 starts, usually corrects itself after restarting engine once or twice) it has not settled down and works Ok every time. Colin Barber suggested in another post that it might be caused by water in the headlights. I had it fault checked while it was misbehaving but neither the garage's system (not Lexus) or my one little one showed any fault even when the AFS light was flashing. Very odd but seems OK now so good news in the end.

Curious as I wouldn't have thought the colour temperature would affect the CANBUS system. It sounds as if that's the problem. I was not very happy with the headlights on my RX350 (HID dipped but conventional main) so I replaced them with a HID conversion kit (£85) which is brilliant and really lights up the road. It works with no problems and no warning lights or errors on auto as you have described.

I hate to spoil your day but if its closed I would leave it alone. It may not be just a replacement motor. The sunroof on my RX350 wasn't working when I bought it last year and it was fixed under warranty. The motor had burned out and they replaced it but it burnt out again immediately. The cause was that the tape which moves the sunroof had snapped because a small plastic part on the runner had broken and jammed the mechanism. To fix it they had to remove all the interior lining (roof and sides) the airbags, then the frame which held the sunroof and then replace the parts (about £4-500 in parts alone + 15-20 hours labour). I have attached photos which showed what they had done about halfway through the job. You can see the broken tape in the last photo. If its only the motor it may not be quite such a job but they still have to remove the roof lining and to do this they have to take pout all the side panels first. On my old Surf 4x4 the motor was under a small cover above the rear view mirror and could be changed in a few minutes! It also had a manual winder in case the sunroof failed open. Progress!

Is the AFS light flashing after you start the engine? Otherwise try restarting the engine a couple of times and see if they drop down after the start up dance. Mine has just started to be a bit hit and miss on this, sometimes the AFS light flashes and the they always settle too high, sometimes the light is off but they still settle too high. So far restarting once or twice will fix it. So far no diagnosis made. No error codes show up on the diagnostic reader ( either my little one or our garages big one). Suspect it is a control unit problem as if it was the sensor on the rear suspension it should not be intermittent as its only a resistor wth a wiper arm. Going to a "helpful" Toyata garage tomorrow to see if they have any ideas. I suspect Lexus will say it's the Central computer and it needs replacing (£xxxx!)

Is it the dipped or main beams? They are quite easy to adjust using the 8mm hex bolts on the back . The offside one needs to have the engine cover removed to access it. A few turns should do the trick. If it's the dipped beams then check they drop down after the initial "dance". Sometimes they don't even when the AFS light is out. Not sure why but restarting the engine usually works.

I think it must as I find that I cannot drive straight into our barn in France in my RX350 whereas I could easily do this in my old Toyota Surf.

Actually not all RX have a reversing camera fitted. It only comes with the GPS system. Leaves you a bit in the lurch if you don't have a camera!

Hi Crowtree. I have removed the shields which helped a bit but I can't find any suitable LEDs. I have tried two but they weren't bright enough. I tried to get some 21W filament bulbs but can't find any in the right size. Where did you get your LEDss?

Not what Lexus says. They claim its not intended to illuminate the road but simply to warn others that you are reversing. They also say its not a legal requirement to have them. I responded - Its not a legal requirement to have wheels or an engine either!

I had the same problem yesterday after driving in some heavy rain. When I checked the sensor today both it and the linkage seemed OK but I noticed that the multiplug has quite a gap around the joint. I removed it and put some Vaseline on the contacts which seems to have done the trick. I suppose some thick silicon tap grease might be better. On Colin Barber's advice some time ago I have greased the UJs on the link and this seems to have kept them free from seizing up.

Hi Phil I had the same decision to make when I bought my 350 last year. If you look at new ones then the cost difference between the petrol and hybrid isn't too great (or wasn't when you could buy both) but the second-hand values are very far apart. I reckoned it would have cost me about £8K more to buy a similar hybrid (low mileage 2006 RX350SE). OK it costs a bit more to run but you get a lot of petrol for £8K. Personally I would avoid the SEL as I have seen reports of expensive problems with the air suspension. I opted for a 350 rather than a 400H as we leave the car for a while when we are away and the battery problems with the 400H (which don't seem to happen with the 450) would have been inconvenient. Sadly the "business case" for most green technology is pretty weak in my opinion. I have pasted the spreadsheet on costs I did before I bought mine. Regards Mike CAR LEXUS LEXUS VW MERCEDES AUDI Annual Fuel/Road Tax Costs in France SURF RX400 RX300/350 TOUAREG ML270/280/320 Q7 Dimensions £14-16K £10-12K £8-14K £11-18K £18-20K Hybrid Petrol/litre Diesel/litre LPG/litre Exchange rate Road Tax £240.00 £475.00 £475.00 £465.00 €/£ Width at back loading door 1230 1150 1150 MPG € 1.47 € 1.47 € 1.35 € 0.85 1.2 Annual Mileage Width at wheel arches 940 1010 1010 ML270/280/320 29 6000 £1,627.18 £1,533.12 £1,248.79 Annual save on gas LPG conv. Payback Width at back of rear seat (folded down) 1300 1350 1350 RX350/Q7/Touareg 24 £1,867.21 £1,412.08 £455.13 £1,896.00 4.2 Save on hybrid Height at loading door 810 780 780 RX400H 29 £1,392.18 £710.04 Height above folded rear seat 830 690 690 RX450H 34 £1,222.74 £1,133.53 £879.47 Length at floor level to back of front seat 1700 1850 1850 Fuel cost ratio (Fr) Length at full height 1600 1160 1160 0.58 Max load weight (Kg) 800 505 505 415 645 795 Costs using fuel cost ratio £1,867.21 £1,199.65 £667.57 2.8 Load Volume (seats down) (litres) 1700 1500 1500 1570 2050 2035 Load Volume (seats up) (litres) 850 900 900 555 551 775 Ground clearance (mm) 210 MPG 24 31 27 27 29 27 Car Tax (£) 240 475 460 460 Pre March 2006 220 270 270 270

Could it just be loose gravel chips picked up from the nearside of the road (where they are likely to be looser) rattling in the wheel arch? If it was a fixed part of the car eg suspension etc) you would not expect it to be so specific to the road surface.

Why would you want to do this?

What a great idea. I hope you will let us know how you get on. I bet if you complained about the rather poor main beam headlights on the 350 Lexus would tell you that they were only only intended to show people coming towards you that there was another car approaching them!

Re TIMBEST4 I don't think this is correct. The lockout button is the one at the top right of the photo and the round one with the red LED (to which this post refers) is for the parking sensors. Tim must have the original Lexus sensors which are switched differently. The photo shows an after market set-up and it is clear form the wire coming out beside the round insert that this was fitted later and is not original equipment.

I am pretty sure it's to switch off the parking sensors. I have a very similar button on my RX350 (but not in the same place) and this is what it does. I find the sensors bleep in the rain and when a motorbike overtakes me. Also sometimes randomly on motor ways. Apart from the rain which is a recognized feature of these sensors I assume bikes must have some electronic devices that trigger the ultrasonic sensor. They will be an aftermarket set as the original Lexus sensors only work at slow speeds. Your reversing sensors are probably switched on only when you select reverse so are not affected.

Has anyone got a source for decent LEDs to fit in the reversing lights of RX350. I can't find as source for these and when I have enquired about ones that looked OK I was told they won't suit for reversing.

I don't know that car but if it has the same combination of separate HID low beams and either HID or halogen high beams I think it would be the same. I guess you could check by watching the beams against a wall when you dipped. If they don't kick to the left when dipped then they won't need any stickies on them.

Thanks for this source of parts. Very useful as they have both US and UK sites.

A friend of mine has a 450 and gets about 34mpg. He also has a Morgan so I guess he isn't too light footed!

Anyway the answer is yes its the same as the dipped beams are (as far as I know) HID on all models. Some of the later models also have HID as an option for the main beams but these are not relevant to the question.

You are quite right - that is all you have to do. See below for "official " answer from Lexus (in English and French translation in case you need it for a Gendarme. Our ref 637848 16 September 2013 Thank you for your further email. I can confirm that the HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps on the RX 350 do not need to be converted for travel on the continent. The set up of the headlamp is such that the light shines in a horizontal flat beam which has no kick up and as such is not dazzling to drivers of oncoming cars. As you have suggested, we would recommend that the Intelligent Adaptive Front-lighting System (I-AFS) is switched off when travelling on the continent. Yours sincerely Claire Newman Customer Relations Executive Translated by Google Translate Notre ref 637848 16 Septembre 2013 Merci pour votre plus email. Je peux confirmer que les HID (High Intensity Discharge) phares sur le RX 350 n'ont pas besoin d'être convertis pour les voyages sur le continent. La mise en place du projecteur est telle que la lumière brille dans un faisceau plat horizontal qui n'a pas de coup de pied et en tant que telle n'est pas éblouissant pour les conducteurs venant en sens inverse des voitures. Comme vous l'avez suggéré, nous recommandons que le système frontal de l'éclairage adaptatif intelligent (I-AFS) soit éteint lorsque vous voyagez sur le continent. Cordialement Claire Newman Relations exécutif à la clientèle

Have you tried switching the mirror adjustment switch to the "other side"? I assume the system is the same as on my RX350 so that the reverse dipping function only works when the mirror switch is in either left or right position and not (curiously) if it is central (or "Off")