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mike5im5

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Everything posted by mike5im5

  1. Hi, yes I can enter directions when on the move now. I can only use speed dial numbers on the phone however, and not enter manually (not a problem as I can dial from the phone). Also just to confirm, it still doesn't allow full postcode search just 4 characters. Like I said though, these were genuine disks not copied ones. you have to make sure of that. From what I understand, copied disks may have updated maps but old firmware. Mike
  2. It was a genuine disk so not cheap. The seller was oneshopnavi.
  3. Hello everyone. I've recently bought an old (2006) RX400h and thought I'd share my first impressions (and a few solutions). Things I love: Very easy to drive and park - My wife doesn't feel she's driving a bigger car which was one of the selling points for us. Our family is getting bigger and we needed something more practical Efficiency - We live on the outskirts of London and most of our journeys are short (distance wise) stop start journeys. Over the first 10 days I've averaged 31mpg, with lots of short journeys, a quick blast on the motorway and hauling paving blocks from the garden centre. I think that's great for a car of this size and weight. I'm using shell V-Power btw. Not sure on people opinions on fuel types (I'm sure there's a topic on it somewhere) Gearbox/hybrid combo - I wasn't sure what I was going to make of the CVT. On the one hand I've always liked manual cars and finding the best/optimum gear to give me the torque. However, for a hybrid of this nature.. I think the smoothness of the CVT really suit it. It makes absolute sense to me For a 10 year old car it still looks relatively modern Things that annoyed me/us: The tailgate didn't stay up and the auto tailgate didn't work either. I ordered and changed the gas struts and this sorted this out. I've written the guide here: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/245-replacing-tailgate-gas-struts-lexus-rx300350400h/ Sat Nav is old. OK I never expected a 10 year old car to have upto date in car technology but the lack of full postcode and being able to operate it moving was really bad. I purchased a new (2016) updated disc from eBay which works perfectly. however the routing is still not a patch on googlemaps No AUX port - I was really surprised by this! I find it shocking that something that should be standard on all cars was missing from this premium SUV. I've rectified it with an iphone/AUX kit. I wrote a guide here: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/244-iphone-lightning-ipod-and-aux-connector-for-rx400h/ iPhone integration - Although I can connect the iphone for voice calls via bluetooth. I couldn't sync the contacts. I found a way around this however. I exported my icloud contacts to a file and uploaded the to my google contacts list. I was then able to pair my android tablet and upload my entire address book. However, I had to remove all spaces from all my phone numbers for them to import correctly which was annoying. The other annoyance is having to manually switch paired phones.. when my wife and I use the car. Reverse Camera - I've actually got used to this but my wife didn't really like it. So I retro fitted some reverse sensors at the cost of £12!!! It was well worth it and I've written a guide here: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/246-installing-reverse-sensors-rx400h/ However even despite the small annoyances (many of which have been rectified), I think it's a great vehicle. The feeling of pulling away silently yet still being able to put your foot down to boot it is great.
  4. Parts: • 2 X Tailgate gas struts from SGS Engineering (2 X £44.10 inc next day delivery) http://www.sgs-engineering.com/car-boot-tailgate/lexus/rx/gsc2619-lexus-rx400-tailgate-strut Tools: • 12mm spanner/ratchet/torque wrench • Dremel • Needle nose pliers Time: ~30 minutes Steps: First off the replacement gas struts don’t come with the ball joint bracket for attaching to the car/tail gate. So you will have to reuse your old ones. This is probably a two man job as you will need someone holding the tailgate open while you work. I did it by myself using a 6ft step ladder held firmly in place with supports. Do this at your own peril though! I turned off the auto tailgate motors from the little button in the glove box. With the tailgate open, remove the original gas struts from the car first, then the tailgate by removing the nuts. The next challenge here is the old struts are kept very firmly on the old ball joint with an o-ring and there doesn’t seem to be any obvious way to remove. I had to grind enough of the outer ball joint away until I could see the o-ring.. then prise this out with some needle nose pliers. It got easier as I did the other joints and I got more efficient with how much I had to remove. Once you’ve freed all 4 ball joints. Re-attach them to the car and tail gate. Tighten to 8Nm if you have a torque wrench. You can use some locktight on these if you’re worried about them coming loose. Remove the retaining pins from the new struts and pop them in to place starting with the tailgate end first. Re-insert the retaining pins when done. I put a small bit of grease inside each one. Try opening and closing the tailgate a few times to ensure everything works and it’s well supported. Then turn the auto tailgate back on again from the glovebox.
  5. I can now confirm the eBay 6+6 pin Y cable suited my needs. However, it was a bit overkill as only two wires on the orginal loom was required. So a splice and solder job would have done the trick. Will post a guide shortly. The iphone/AUX adapter works great by the way!
  6. Hi Guys, I just traded my IS250 for a 2005 RX400h SE with Sat Nav. Since the RX hasn't got an AUX port I bought one of these from Amazon. Looked good and good price and will charge my iphone too. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lightning-APPS2CAR-Integrated-Interface-Highlander/dp/B01AJMU6R0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469807351&sr=8-3&keywords=rx400h+iphone Taking the Radio out was straightforward. However once out, I assumed the CD changer port was the 6+6 connection situation in the middle (to the right of the bigger cables). If I remove the existing cable and plug the new adapter in that socket. The radio has no power and the Sat Nav doesn't appear to work either. On close inspection of the product pictures above (the last pic), it would appear I need a Y splitter which isn't supplied or even sold by that vendor. Before I purchase a 6+6 splitter from else where, can anyone confirm that this 6+6 connector is the correct one for the CD changer? Or is it actually one of the other ports. I'm assuming this could be specific to model/year so anyone with the same vehicle that has done a similar mod would be appreciated. Thanks All!
  7. Thanks for the quick reply! Yes it's an auto with FLSH. So that's good news. It's the SE, without the navigation pack unfortunately. However I find the iphone navigation options as good as most OEM units these days. No need to update maps either. There's also a parrot car kit for the iphone, so just looking at a way to put music through the OEM stereo. Assume there's a AUX port? My other reservation with the IS was the lack of folding rear seats. Seems very strange they decided not to have this on a saloon.
  8. Hi all, Having sold my beloved S2000 for sensible reasons (expanding family), I've just put a deposit down on a 2006 IS250 SE with reasonably high miles (91k). Reason for choosing the Lexus was the reliability reputation compared to other cars I could afford. I see there are a lot of owners on here with engine problems (mainly IS220 owners). Are the issues with the early cars (circa 2006) only to do with the diesel enginer or should I have some concerns with my is250 petrol? Any recommendations/checks I should have carried out straight away? I'm a believer that money is well spend on keeping a car in tip top condition so have no qualms with regular services with a main dealer. We've got a nipper on the way in the coming months so having a dependable motor is my main aim here. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice. Happy to have joined your community! Mike
  9. Hi all, I've just out the deposit down for an early is250. Like many people I made the plunge given the reliability reputation of Lexus. However a quick skim read of these forums suggest there could be engine problems with the early is250s. Should I be at all worried. It has 91k on the clock. Anything I should be checking for piece of mind? We've got a baby on the way so anything I can do to avoid unexpected problems/costs would be great. It was a private sale by the way so no warranty. Mike
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