Jaystar77

Good thread, great to see such a variety of cars. Sadly I sort of stuck with the one model for a long long time. In fact I'll probably stick with them a while longer as a few are still lying about the garage as side projects now! First Starlet Turbo back in 2000 : Then had a long run of rinse and repeat: My first automatic GT: Still have this one: This is my current project car: This auto served me for 8/9 years as a daily driver, it's currently rusting away in the yard till I get back near it: Still have the first one thankfully. Perfect garage ornament:

One word of warning - check the doors, bonnet and bootlid for signs of oxidisation under the paintwork. Known issue with them for a long time. Could lead to a serious repair bill for the unsuspecting buyer.

Just on this topic, has anyone replaced their factory suspension (air or standard) with aftermarket coilovers? I see both PB and BC coilovers offer similar versions and whilst I don't want to ruin the smooth ride I'm enjoying at the minute it could be an option once the suspension wears out. Also means I can drop the ride height slightly and tighten up the handling. Haven't noticed anyone running them on here?

Just bumping this up. Now looking a decent set of 19" wheels for my 2006 RX350. Let me know what is out there. Ebay hasn't had much over the last few months unfortunately. Thanks, Jay

Speak for yourself Ian - I've been waiting a long time to put all this practice to good use!

Have a good one lads and lasses

Nothing to worry about, in fact that's a sign someone has taken their time to do the last service properly. Many techs don't bother lubricating the hinges and catches which is a recommendation at each service. Keep taking it back to whoever serviced it last!

This winter I've used Quantam de-icer for the most part, seems to do the trick so long as you leave it for a few minutes to soak in. I bought a blank number plate from work and cut it in two. Makes an excellent, cheap scraper! Also, anyone else wonder how they survived before heated seats?

I'm in a 350 Peter, with old mismatched tyres on it the sensation was predominantly RWD. Very interesting in a big heavy jeep with no traction. I made it to work and immediately had a new set of tyres fitted (Hankook Durapro) which has given me the confidence that the gentlemen above have enjoyed. Totally put any scares I had down to the old tyres and my lack of driving ability. Snow mode seems to adjust the throttle response and gear shift in relation to RPM. When pressed it gives a reassuring feel of additional traction and stability, I believe that most Toyota models have this feature built into their electronic transmission control. Even my automatic Starlet has it. Hope that helps.

Oh apologies, got my terminology wrong - meant one touch closing function. I found the reset sequence here: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/58458-one-touch-open-or-close-for-moonroof/ Haven't tried looking for the convenience closing feature from the remote. Doesn't seem to do it from the house atm (just tried) but I'll have a look through the manual. Volkswagens have this feature (caused all sorts of problems lol) but don't know if it's used by Lexus or not.

My first time driving a gen2 RX in the snow. Anyone else nearly bin theirs into a hedge too?

There's a reset you can do - back when I bought mine my sunroof opened and closed with both slide & tilt buttons doing exactly the same thing (which made no sense to me but I accepted it anyway). Read a post on this forum that described it and the auto-close started working and it now operates the way it should. Might be worth a try if the sunroof doesn't know what position it's in.

Hopefully just a bit of water in a connection - check the fault codes and that should give you an idea of which to attack with electrical cleaner.

Looks much better - been tempted to go for 19" rims on mine but it seems like slim pickings lately. Are there any other Lexus models that use the same rim size, offset, etc? Cheers, Jay

Noticed that myself when I removed the tail lamps of my own (investigating water ingress at the time). Removing the units might give you more access than attacking them in place. I used the very edge of a microfiber cloth as there wasn't much room Think I had some Demonshine interior cleaner just to dampen the cloth. Algae usually forms on the window slot seals too depending on climate. For prevention I'd imagine something anti-bacterial would be a better product to use instead.

Have to say that is lovely looking, great plate too! I'm no fan of cream interiors but the exterior matches it nicely. Health to enjoy.

Okay so maybe it took a few weekends before I could dig into it.. Anyhow I think I'm onto the culprit. Checked the rear sunroof drains and they seemed to be clear and still attached. I loosened off the side trims in the boot for access then stuck some heavy gauge solder wire up the tubes to make sure they made it to the roof. That sort of cleared them from the enquiry. So I parked it in the garage for a few nights to dry off and started watertesting using a spray bottle of water. Didn't take to long to figure the leak was coming from further back than the sunroof. Had to take the passenger side roof rail off and find the rear most seam on the roof has the slightest of nicks in it. Whenever the rainwater was rolling off the roof into the 'gutter' it was running right over the pinhole creating my issue. I've attached a few pics in case anyone else encounters the same. I checked the driverside and the same thing has happened there although the leak was nowhere near as bad. Applied some sealer to both areas but it didn't appear to cure properly. Will give it another go with some proper stuff. Jay

Excellent suggestions folks, much appreciated! I'll get a chance to dig into it at the weekend hopefully, have plenty of things to check now! Jay

Private sale Piers, all on my own as per usual! Just had a thought - the rear sunroof drains just empty into the sill don't they? If so I could just redirect the drip with some bodgery..

Thanks chaps, still can't seem to find any manuals online that cover the removal procedure but I'm mentally prepared for what's in those pictures Michael. I rebuilt the engine on my track car last year so it can't be too much more stressful than that. Or can it? Yes Graham, I've just reset the sunroof in case it's that simple (doubtful) and will be messing about with strimmer wire to clear the drains before removing anything.

Okay so it seems water appears to be a running theme.. it even ****** down on me while I was giving it a service last week! Right, reference the rear water leak, it would seem Michael is correct. I replaced the rail seal and it's made no difference. The rear passenger side drain tube must be disconnected/broken above the headcloth somewhere and giving me a nice trickle of water down into the boot. No big deal but given we are heading into the winter soon I'm all for getting it sorted. Anyone got a link to some directions on removing the headliner perchance? May as well give it a go if this sunroof reset doesn't sort it. Cheers in advance for any guidance, Jay

And yes I am very aware that I somehow managed to miss a waterleak during a thunderstorm..

Thank for the replies chaps, I'll be digging into it next week. Any water seems to be limited to the PSR D-pillar area right below the roof rail mounting point. As it's loose I'm going to sort it first and go from there. Whilst the trims are off I can do a little modding of the rear drain like Michael suggests. As I'm going to tackle this one myself has anyone seen an online workshop manual for the 2006 model? It would probably help me when it comes round to doing all the filters and fluids I'm about to order. Cheers, Jay

Well, it's now sitting on the driveway! Only real worry I can see is a trace of water on the PSR C-pillar trim accompanied by a damp smell in the boot. I'm guessing it's due to the roof rail being loose right above it so any links for how to get the trim off without breaking it so as I can investigate please? The 3.5 is a lovely driving thing by the way..

Thanks Michael, sounds like a safe bet then. I went and saw it this evening and was quite impressed. Felt a bit bigger than the gen1 I'm driving but the extra power was very noticeable. Ended up viewing it in a thunder storm which could be an omen but sure, nothing ventured eh?