MatthewH

Yes I did. My local garage was useless and could not figure it out. I took the car to an auto electrician and they fixed it, it took a couple of hours' labour. The problem was the level and even seating of the ABS sensors. Corrosion had got in behind the area where the sensors mount, disturbed the mounting surfaces such that the sensors were not mounted flat and perfectly evenly. Unless they are absolutely flush, the sensors think that the wheels are rotating at different speeds like they were skidding (as in normal driving, where the wheels are all turning at the same speeds, the sensors are all giving precisely consistent wheel speed readings). So the ABS was activating when it shouldn't have been, and that is the noise and pulsation you are getting. The sensors are giving uneven readings and tricking the car into thinking that it's wheel spinning or skidding. The guys removed all the ABS sensors, gave their mounting areas and the bodies of the sensors a good clean and smooth-down, and remounted. That was it - it has been fine ever since, with no recurrence. If you are planning on doing this job yourself, be aware that when mucking about under there myself, I destroyed one perfectly good sensor as they are very tricky to get out without proper tools and access on a ramp. At over £100 a piece for even aftermarket ones, I gave up at that point and sought garage help. Hope this helps!

Hi all, I have a strange problem on my 2002 RX300. Occasionally, when moving off from stationary the car the car drifts forward as normal when I take my foot off the brake to apply the throttle, the car accelerates under throttle for maybe couple of metres but then an audible grinding / juddering noise comes from the front end, and the car hesitates as if being held back, the front end dips forward as if the brakes are being applied or traction is being held back. After about one second of this noise it stops and the car drives away as normal. This happens maybe once in a journey of 50 miles, and it's hard to "make" the car do it to order which is why I am stumped. When it does happen, it's 99% of the time in stop start traffic, so moving a short distance, stopping, moving off again, and so on. My first thought was the ABS sensors at the front being fouled, so I cleaned the front ones of debris. That appeared to work for a few hundred miles but the problem returned (if it ever went away). I thought perhaps binding brakes, or another part of the ABS system mistakenly restricting traction. The front discs and pads are not Lexus items, but are not worn excessively. On one occasion it made the noise for a particularly long and loud judder as I turned the very sharp uphill bends in a multi storey car park - that made me think of worn suspension strut mounts or bushes, or even wheel bearings - but it passed its MOT no problem only a few months back. Has anyone had a similar problem? Anyone know of a likely cause?

Hi all, I am after an OEM roof rack for a 2002 RX300 - I am not too fussed about condition cosmetically so long as it's all there and works. I am in the London area, but will consider travelling to collect something good! Thanks, Matthew

I just wanted to share a very positive experience I had in trying to get a problem with my AC magnetic clutch bearing replaced on a 2004 IS200 Sportcross. It's taken me a few months to get this sorted but the results are very satisfying. When I bought the car at the end of 2012 it had an oscillating, slight grating or scratching noise coming from the front of the engine, which I thought immediately was a bearing somewhere among the dozens of pulleys and tensioners lurking there. The noise was constant even when the aircon was switched off, not loud, but irritating enough at low speed and at idle to want to get it fixed pronto. So, to cut a long story short.... A local garage diagnosed it as the pulley bearing - £20 in labour/stethoscope time... Lexus dealer wanted to fit a whole new magnetic clutch assembly (£200 for parts alone), plus the same amount again in labour. Lexus do not supply only the pulley bearing for the Denso 10S15C A/C compressor, nor does Denso for that matter. The pulley bearing was all that needed replacing. It is a double row angular contact bearing sized 30 x 52 x 22 and I found them cheaply in various places. The UK stockists were the most expensive (they wanted £55-60). Some Chinese manufacturers will sell and ship a bearing like this for as little as £6, which I was very tempted by but ultimately went for a name-brand good quality Japanese one by NSK (the OEM one is made by Nachi) from ebay in the USA for around £23 including air postage. I considered fitting it myself - I think it could be done by removing the air cleaner assembly and draining off some of the coolant, then removing the pair of fans at the back of the radiator for better access to the front of the pump (or just remove the entire radiator). Ramps would be useful as access underneath is much better, having removed the undertray. After removing the pulley belt you need a 10mm socket to undo the nut at the front of the compressor and then some circlip pliers to free the pulley. Take care not to lose the spacer washer(s) on top of the pulley. A bearing press is ideal to swap the bearing, as the pulley itself is very bendy and easily damaged. Hammering is best avoided here. In the end, after a LOT of searching for an air conditioning specialist in south west London or nearby, I found Adrian Poile of Horley Service Centre in Surrey. A fantastic bloke who did a great job in just over two hours, swapped the bearing and regassed the aircon system all for just £100. Adrian is an air con specialist and works from Horley Service Centre, Unit 12C, Bridge Industrial Estate, Balcombe Road, Horley, RH6 9HU - tel 01293 822800 The car is reborn, it's so quiet it's blissful. Happy days! Hope this helps anyone with the same problem. With a bit of patience and searching you can cure problems like this and save hundreds on parts and labour, even if it take a few weeks to get everything sorted out. Matthew