Jaystar77

That's good to know, I think NI stock is tied to the Irish market rather than the mainland UK stock. Might have to grab some from an English dealer if these used ones aren't up to scratch. With both edges of the A-pillars going like that I can't help but think it's related to the screen replacement. Probably wrong but definitely sounds probable. I have nearly the same spots of rust in the same place on my bonnet. Definitely impact related - stonechips in my case! The edge of the wing looks like the bumper has been rubbing against it. I'll have a look at mine tomorrow just for reference but if the bumper has been moved by anything it would damage that edge and lead to corrosion like that. Is the other side okay? Not sure on how Lexus will look on it from a warranty point of view, rust caused by external factors generally isn't covered. Which is perfectly understandable TBH. Would do no harm to bounce it off them though.

I think it's a case of Lexus just wanting to make things interesting for us - the seam welding around the rear panels is a bit substandard to be totally honest. You really wouldn't expect it to happen, I run a gen1 RX and it's built like a tank in comparison! As you will need to remove the roof bar for access you could grab a fresh set of seals from Lexus (I did this, think they were around a tenner) to fit. Mine were fine but I would rather be looking at them than for them. The end caps pry off and the bars are held on by 2x 12mm bolts at each end. The seals are handy to replace once the bar is out of the way.

Just noticed you mentioned a slight knocking noise too - would you believe I was investigating this as well at the same time as sorting this leak? There's quite a few rubber bushes on the rear hubs, four or five on each side. My noise was caused by excessive movement on two of the DSR hub bushes. Had one replaced with a cheap ebay which quietened it down a bit but there was still movement in another bush. Could probably have just replaced the rest of them with ebay sourced stuff but I threw the head up - ended up replacing the whole assembly with a new genuine Lexus one. Pricey but at least I knew it was sorted once and for all! If you crawl under the car with a pry bar and test all the rubber bushes you can see for movement it will hopefully help track the culprit down.

I had a leak in exactly the same place as that on my 350: 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. It really doesn't look like much but the amount of water that this tiny crack in the seam was letting in was shocking. I applied some seam sealer all along the welded seams that I could find on both sides. A good heavy instant gasket would probably do the same job just make sure everything is dry before application. After sorting this I still have a slight weep from the rear lamp gaskets but that's a side effect of looking for leaks - you always find more! You should strip the boot floor storage out and clear it of water before it starts to smell too much too. Leave it stripped until you are happy the leak is fixed.

Would probably need a few pics of the rust to advise but from your description could the bumper have been bumped and rubbed against the wing? Panel gaps are fairly tight on these wagons so it wouldn't take much to break the paint. Worth confirming if the front screen is genuine too as I've seen windscreen fitters damage paintwork in the past which leads to corrosion around the edges of the screen. If the screen has been removed in the past this might explain it. The rear lamp gaskets are definitely a 'thing'. Mine are letting a little water past and require replacement. Lexus told me they were discontinued so I've managed to source a fresh secondhand set in Japan (and the lights to go with them) but let us know how you get on please.

Same here, have the service book and the Haynes-like manual so if you need any random factoids just shout. When I got mine I pretty much just did everything (fluids and filters) so as I knew where I stood.

I've used these guys for refurbishment before, they have a very good explanation of the proper process for anyone interested: https://www.nulukwheels.co.uk/the-process-2/

I deal with spider corrosion on diamond cut alloys through work. For anyone that doesn't know the effect is created by painting the rim black then putting it on a lathe and milling the outer surface with a diamond bit which gives you that cool grooved silver finish. To save us all the maintenance required (imagine how much work is involved in polishing every week) the whole rim is then given a clear coat of lacquer to protect it. This layer allows a more lenient cleaning process. If for any reason the clear coat is compromised moisture can creep in below the lacquer and it gives a white, milky spidering effect which generally only gets worse the longer you leave it. Whilst external influences (impacts/environment/handling/lack of maintenance) can cause this, a poorly applied clear coat can also be at work (hence all the warranty claims). Remember that the wheels of a car get possibly the roughest time when you consider what they are subjected to. In my own opinion I don't think these finishes are worth it. A regular silver or gun metal painted coating will weather the same punishment for longer. Anyway, to remedy this sort of corrosion properly the alloy must first be stripped of it's lacquer layer and paint then the wheel surface machined again. As this milling removes material it's worth noting that alloys should only be milled a certain amount before you weaken the overall structure of the rim. It's not surprising the manufacturer has put the onus on the retailer, vehicles should be put right before being sold, they should have allowed for the costs as part of the resale process. I'd certainly expect the seller to have them refurbished for you. Locally I'd be working with around £130 plus vat a wheel so your quote looks in the right ballpark for a proper job. Good luck with getting it sorted 👍

Okay found a pic to show what I mean, due to fitting a bigger turbo I had to upgrade from the stock rad (black) to a smaller rad (silver) and so added a separate ATF cooler (funky thing in the bottom right). TBH it was a little big for the application but the autobox seemed to be quite happy all the same. Also gave me a slightly bigger oil circuit to play with. You could slap a similar core onto the RX whilst you are playing with pipes.

I installed an aftermarket oil cooler for the transmission on my Starlet a few years back (I know what you're thinking but same basic principle as these big buses 😁) think it cost around £40 and bypassed using the engine radiator. Bought the bits off American eBay and it worked fine. You pretty much just mount the cooler to the radiator core so as it sees airflow. Probably a bit overkill but thought I'd throw in the option!

That's pretty handy, I've only added gauges to pre-OBD2 vehicles so I'd still be looking for the RPM wire to splice into and where to get a vacuum feed through the bulkhead! Isn't technology wonderful 😎

I wasn't even aware they had omitted the tacho from the third gen, TBH it would annoy me too. I know it's not in keeping with the general feel of the cabin but I'm no stranger to aftermarket gauges peppered over the dashboard in my other cars so that gauge looks quite sedate all things considered. Never seen an OBD2 version of these, I'd imagine it can read a lot more than just RPM Vladimir?

Yeah, I did the same reading and used Mobil ATF 3309 on my RX350 last year to freshen the box fluid up. No hassles at all to report. Saved a bit of cash in the process too.

Haven't experienced any on my own Grant but on previous Toyotas I've had plenty of coolant being splashed everywhere. Thoughtfully the genuine coolant is a bright pink colour which leaves a visible stain on things in the engine bay so you can grab a torch and have a quick root round by yourself initially. Start at the top of the engine and work down paying attention to the pipework and radiator area. Hopefully it's easy spotted. If you don't find anything obvious a workshop can perform a pressure test of the cooling system that will force any weakspots to leak. Hope that helps, Jay

Just on the topic, I've been looking at a remap for my 06 RX350 (more for power than mpg) and there seems to be a few options available. For reference I'm getting around 28mpg on the daily commute which is spot on for the size of it. http://www.quantumtuning.co.uk/car-remap-tuning-remapping.aspx?Make=Lexus&Range=RX350 https://www.racechip.com/chip-tuning/lexus.html http://www.dcptuning.com/car-ecu-remap-engine-mapping-chip-tuning-lexus.html They all seem to be mainland UK so a few emails might net you some answers. After a few 'brown' moments I've decided that the chassis needs some work before I go adding any more horses!

TBH the spring rates don't look too harsh, certainly experienced far worse in the past. Will stick them on the list of possible purchases. Cheers for the info!

I've been looking at a set of coilovers for ages now. Just waiting on the right excuse to order them! Good to know they doesn't upset the ride too much. One thing I'd advise is to clabber the adjustment collars and threads in marine grease or something similar. It won't look pretty but it will protect them from the salt and water they will see over winter. I don't see a make in the pics, how do they stack up to BC and D2 brands?

I bought one of these off eBay which seemed to keep me right when working on the wagon: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Highlander-Lexus-RX-300-330-1999-2014-New-Haynes-Manual-Workshop-Service/253788786205?hash=item3b16fd8e1d:g:jDcAAOSwhCBbYLoS Seemed pretty decent to me but probably not a touch on the genuine workshop manuals.

Hi Geoff, there was a factory fit spoiler which I took a fancy for a while back. I actually got two spoilers at the time as the first landed with some scuffing. Planning on fitting the good one to mine this month but there is a spare one here that might be of use? I can grab some proper pics but it's similar to the one here:

Probably not what you want to hear but I struggled to find anything for my RX when I was looking to upgrade the stock wheels. Everything was either over-priced or in need of serious refurbishment (or both!) After about 4 months watching ebay I got lucky on a set of L-tuned rims at random. My advice is if you see something move on it quickly, I dwelled on a few sets too long.

My life is full of drunken ebay purchases. I approve immensely. Spares are always a good thing, I'd rather be looking at it than looking for it!

The 2006 one I have is 3.5 (2GR-FE). Pretty sure they retained the engine for the third gen RX after that. Yeah it's expensive although I don't expect anything less from our illustrious tax system 😉

What have I just read.. Mind. Blown.

I'm no expert but I've owned a 350 for almost a year now and love it. Normal suspension, 25-30mpg and I don't even mind the tax bracket. Seems to go quite well for a big armchair too!

I've a 350 and noticed a knock from the DSR over rough ground at low speeds last year. My advice is to get a pry bar and check all the bushes on the rear hubs before going too far into it. It actually took me to take the wheel off as the knock only happened when the wheel moved in a certain direction. Had to replicate it to make sure I could pinpoint the culprit, ended up being two of the three main bushes. Worth doing as I wasted time at the start with replacing the easy stuff!