Jaystar77

Really good guidance there but Paddy's right, they did offer both Lexus and Toyota versions in Japan.  Here's an example for sale at the minute:

Lexus RX 300, 1999, used for sale (japan-partner.com)

I think Steve's covered pretty much everything else so that'll keep you safe at any rate!

Fairly sure that 58405c is the mechanism underneath the button.  As I said, the buttons could come as part of the panel they sit in.

Hopefully someone can confirm.

Just asking in case anyone has experience with them..

Are these replacement panels as suspect as they look:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FRONT-FENDER-WING-LEFT-N-S-NOT-GENUINE-FOR-LEXUS-RX330-RX350-2004-2008/152868537255?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item2397acc3a7:g:OK0AAOSwY0BfjT8R&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACYBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkxGz2ccqatkEnoeekHqhLkcDUu3sbWaswwpTElr9Xw04%2FLHg22ISmpoAZz%2F3qnIGEmXMaGBVj0SEiYnDvllDRrFcvSDhpp%2B81xVFkBQN0nbHF8JIMEH3i%2Br6jN6JFtg8WCCYm0EQb9l9fotASIBEA5uv8kNowA4lq68o4axDrppA4Etzp4wuLtMuhmN5UAPy3AoeDCEZu5WB3SNhPCJNu1xJnL3r1iIlzYc%2B8BfmRbd5myp0E1ap%2Fa%2BkPnUY4tTt2ME7PlNk1IRDzCHrO6MJSN%2FWJ5pL6Rv0Vtdxo7NCVQGQaSOGBMmzonQImq7mAFHmw2ipxtGIhks%2F1IWt1ZSzOFOlvftIha2P332pNM81KgGuz4aCqgXtzAtaztjEQH%2BgK5MezBBiMkYKg1A3o9RhNqbzDGX%2F8929YYlB%2F5eT8v0EUeD02BHpPZCFmQDHxqnBP%2FJuCWFJcEDPiSle7iQHZfnHRihIyKd%2FRHyjz1Rb37Z%2FmYbF%2FNwlinJD2v00mIAQ7yN563w2E9lhdiynumSUM755eHRPT4j6upPqMDKEvycKx9XCEbkTl1DKQCg37NcE9GouWP3VZY2OvrfqiZ5P0L2rW3B8aH2E9aZI3fKXzF19dBdm1smaY76DismoxzEsCi8DU8moHGa7lUvFTdAYOPBAN28jNYyE7EIakMWcfCviFMfAaDM0Q8XFl7S%2Bvk4SnkkkkP5UJnr9yte9rygedRw4%2B%2FNtIDAHtvWg%2FmSBMbh%2Bts%2BbAfPAIoBVMOI4r9Yrs|cksum%3A15286853725559568627c83e40b0a27e1c699cd45446|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

Or are they close enough to the genuine items to warrant a purchase?

Looks like those buttons may come as part of the trim.  I had mine out tracking a waterleak but can't quite remember.  Maybe someone else can confirm with the parts diagram:

http://www.japan-parts.eu/lexus/eu/2007/rx400h/mhu38r-awxgkw/3_524210_002_309W/body/6404_deck-board-deck-trim-cover#58387B

All I can see is the sub-assembly that they operate underneath them.

Long story short, my RX350 was smashed into and has lay up whilst the insurance companies have battled it out.

17(!) months later I'm planning on starting the engine.  First worry is the top-end having little to no oil left in it so how would you folks prime the engine?

On the lesser complicated stuff I have it would be a case of removing the EFI fuse and turning over till the oil pressure light goes out.  Hopefully it's the same deal with the 2GR?

So long as I can get it started oil change is next on the list after..

Thank you for any advice!

Because I've a few cars and time is a factor I'd only do the clay bar, polish and wax thing once or twice a year (furlough helped immensely this year).  The Bilt Hamber range is great for this, used their auto balm a few months back and it sped up the process greatly although I still keep a tub of Autoglym HD handy for the final coat.

In my regular cleaning technique I use products from a local company which are really difficult to beat:

Apply Anachem Articulate to dry paintwork and allow to dwell

Snowfoam the vehicle with Anachem Ultrafoam

Wash mitt, two buckets and Anachem Gleam (the Cherry Cola smells great)

Rinse then use Anachem Ultragloss as a drying aid

For the wheels I'd use the Anachem purge to loosen any stubborn brake dust then wheel cleaning brush and rinse.

If time permits a coat of Anachem Hybrid adds extra shine

I know that's a lot of mentions of Anachem but they offer bundles and once I tried the stuff I couldn't find anything that gave the same results so just topped up the collection every time I ran low.  Been using it for years now so would recommend giving them a go.

Just looking through old pics for cleaning shots and I miss my poor smashed RX, can only hope I get it back to this condition :

It's really hard to give an opinion as exhaust tone is a personal preference but I'd take a HKS Silent Hi-Power over the other options.

Purely based on my experiences with my low cc 4-pot turbo cars (Starlets).  

For the money the Japspeed are pretty decent but the fit and finish of the JDM brands are a lot better IMO.  I've no experience of the Cobra and haven't even heard of Megan Racing till now.  Have used both brands (and the Blitz) in the past and actually prefer the Hi-Power system as it takes you to be up the rev range before it gets loud.  Just on that - the Japspeed usually come with a silencer bung that might help yours more liveable?

That looks like a proper job you have done there Rich, the Bilt Hamber range is great to work with.

The metal fuel filler pipes are a weak point on most Toyota models, I've dealt with similar issues across the home fleet in the past.  If left unchecked that sort of corrosion can progress to what I've found on the older cars here:

(This 1995 Toyota Starlet for example)

I get that metal rusts, in fact there's a whole industry geared towards the repair and preservation of older cars, it is still frustrating that people aren't made aware of such issues until they become a proper problem.  In this instance if someone had flagged up your corrosion a few years ago the pipework could have been treated rather than replaced.   

I also thought that plastic filler necks were a 'thing' but obviously not used everywhere!

This reminded me of this thread and tickled me slightly..

I would avoid using radweld like the plague (a phrase this pandemic has shown to be poor at best 😄).

Under the wrong circumstances it can cause all sorts of trouble in a cooling system.

Bit of bad news - After checking the main showroom brochures, the vehicle spec pages, the pricelists, and even the optional extra brochures I can find zero mention of a towing capacity.

In fact even the optional extra book should have had some reference to a tow bar but nothing, zilch, zip, hee-haw in fact.

I used Google translate via the camera phone over all the pages but no joy.  Have attached the main pages showing the vehicle specifications in case I've missed them, should be able to run the images through a translator hopefully.

Just wondering about the VIN plate - all my imports have one, shows the vehicle paint code, transmission codes, etc.  You sure they haven't riveted it on somewhere?

In other news, after reading through the later gen3 brochure I now want a fully specced Harrier G-Sport instead of a RX450h.. 😄 

I should have a pile of factory brochures here somewhere.  Will see what info they hold and report back.

She's the 2.4 isn't she?

First thought was Japan possibly.  

I'm not familiar with the model but if you find one (or the equivalent Toyota model) you could import it in. 

Tell then you are willing to give it the bed in period (around 50-100 miles with light braking) then reassess.  Hopefully the new surfaces just need to get used to each other.  

Might find it's the same issue as mine in which case I just kept the noisy pads as emergency spares in the boot.  

Pretty much, you'll still hear the disc and pad contact if you have the windows down but the (really irritating) squeak was gone.  They served me well, car is written off now but they performed well when the worse came to the worse.

Also fitted a set of EBC Greenstuff pads to the gen1 RX before lockdown and have no noise issues at all. Bit of a tight fit and pricey but would recommend.

I fitted a set of cheapo discs and pads (Mintex pads and mtec discs) to my RX350 at the start which gave a great squeak noise in that last moment of travel before stopping.  Removed, regreased the back of the pads, made sure everything was secure, etc. but ended up fitting the genuine pads from Lexus after about a month (the noise was irking me way too much).  This took about 99% of the noise away, only got it when cold then so figured it was something to do with the friction material of the pads more than anything else.

Might be worth a set of genuine pads from Toyota to see if yours is similar?  Also means you can doublecheck the sliders are moving as intended while you are fitting them.

BTW I really do not rate the Mintex pads at all - had three sets now that the pad material had rusted off the back plate and separated.  

That Dynax is good stuff - used it on my car recently.  Nice coverage and seems to give a good barrier on the underside 🙂

I'm totally onboard with the gun metal on a black gen2.  Only reason I didn't go with it on mine was I happened upon a set of F sport rims which had already been freshly refurbished in silver.  Would have been a waste to spray them:

The original rims ended up on our old blue gen2 after getting done.  Don't think they work as well against the blue:

Glanza

Looks a great buy, health to enjoy 😎

Would highly recommend getting the underside protected asap before the UK weather takes a grip.  It's something I should have done on my Starlet turbos years ago, would have saved me a great deal of time, money and hassle at this point.  Currently doing this to my 18 year old Caldina to futureproof it a bit.

For example I'm used to seeing this on a 25 year old Starlet and having a battle to sort it:

And I'd prefer to keep my lines looking as well as they are now:

Also gives you a chance to clear out any mud traps which can become problems later:

Bit of a pig of a job to DIY (messy and time consuming) so if you find someone offering the service locally I'd say it's worth doing asap.

Dammit Steve - now I'm browsing Japanese motors again 🤣

That link will keep me entertained for hours!

I've driven imports for a long time, as Ganesh states the parts supply is quite good from Toyota and there are a few other sources you can use too.  The underpinnings are usually shared with other models but body panels and trim can be tricky to source.  Make sure you have a good look round it as anything that's broken could take a while to obtain.  I faced the same predicament with my Caldina but so far everything (bar a tensioner) has been 100% fine. 

I'm not familiar with the Mark X unfortunately, there's not many on these shores.  Seen a few of the earlier Chasers and they are a very comfortable cruiser.  

Besides, it's nice to drive something a bit left-field, life is too short for boring cars!

Sounds like valve stem oil seals but everything will be a guess online.

A cylinder compression test would be a good shout followed by a cylinder leakdown test to see where any air is going.  These only give good indications on what is happening though, still worth doing IMO.

No idea on the video hosting but I hope you get it sorted.

Have been watching this thread for a long time now and it's great to hear that it's moving under it's own steam at last 😎

Great work!

Thanks chaps, that puts my mind at ease.