Herbie

Are you using Techstream or a generic code reader?

That sounds more like an electrical buzz to me so I would highly recommend you get the OBD codes read and see what's flagged up. Given that the aircon compressor is driven by a 500V 3-phase AC variable frequency motor you do not want to go poking around willy-nilly. There should be a pressure sensor that will stop the aircon from functioning if refrigerant leaks out and pressure drops too far, so I don't think it'll be that the system is empty, but without the OBD codes all we can do is guess really.

I don't know much about the IS300h specifically but Lexus reliability is excellent. If you pay for a service plan at the dealership it's a bit expensive as opposed to servicing at a local garage but two great advantages are that you lock in to todays prices, therefore avoiding any price rises and also each service qualifies the car for a 12-month warranty (called Relax) that is available until the car is 10 years old or 100k miles. You also get an annual Hybrid Health Check that covers warrants the high voltage traction battery for the next 12-months and that can go on until the car reaches 15 years old. If you want to service the car elswehere, a stand-alone Hybrid Health Check can be done at the dealers for about £60. The biggest "problem" with hybrids is that they do need to be used regularly or the 12V battery goes flat quite quickly if it's not used. Some people use a trickle charger if it's not going to be used for, say, about four weeks - they only have a small capacity. If you've never had a hybrid before, they're brilliant but a little quirky. For instance, they have no starter motor, no alternator, and anything that would normally be belt-driven from the engine is instead, electric, because the engine doesn't run all the time. The hybrid system 'starts' the car by booting the computers and getting it into READY mode. When it needs the petrol engine to run it energises MG1 (a 650V motor/generator) and uses that to spin the engine up to 1,000rpm, before applying petrol and a spark to ignite it. The aircon compressor is run by a 500V 3-phase AC variable frequency motor and I think the power steering is run by a 48V motor. I'd tell you more but my tea's ready

Might be worth a look here https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2001+lexus+ls+key+programming+

Difficult to read the numbers because it's blurred but a search for "90987-02006" (without the quotes) comes up with this, so I'd say it's not relevant to the central locking issue: Presumably you've tried a new battery in the fob? Maybe the key needs reprogramming (look for YouTube video)?

There's plenty available here on eBay and they're all very similar so I can't recommend one over the others. Almost all of them will come with a pirated copy of Techstream, which is the very same software diagnostic program used by Lexus techs in the dealer workshops. We can't be seen to condone software piracy (that's a matter for your own conscience) so the legal and legit way would be to download Techstream from here and pay for a block of time to use it, such as €5/day or €10/week etc. Whichever way you decide to proceed, you'll need that VCI cable from eBay anyway.

You are indeed correct Paul, I do use a Stoplock Pro Elite because in various tests and reviews it took more than five minutes to defeat it. https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-group-tests/95031/best-steering-wheel-locks-20212022 https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/maintenance-and-gear/reviewed-and-rated-steering-wheel-locks/ https://www.driving.co.uk/news/products/best-steering-wheel-lock/ https://thecarstuff.com/review-stoplock-professional-steering-wheel-lock/ https://smartsafehome.co.uk/stoplock-pro-elite-review-the-best-steering-wheel-lock/

I completely agree if we're talking about the electronics Phil, but all Robert got for his £132 was the key cut and blank cases with his own electronics inside.

Well Robert, I hate to say this my friend, but you've been right royally ripped off there mate. When I had my RX300 I had the very same problem because, as you say, it is a design fault and the key cases just can't withstand the stresses of being turned. I found this guy on eBay (just click on that link for details) who will either cut the key blade to code, or if you don't have the code then you send a couple of photos and he'll cut the blade from them. He then takes the electronics out of your old damaged case and transfers it into the new case. He does this, including a 100% money-back guarantee in the very unlikely event that something's wrong, for the princely sum of just £13.85 including delivery. I sent my keys on a Tuesday, he got them and did them on the Wed/Thur and I got them back on the Friday. I see that this is your first post in the forums and that you live in Lancashire. I live in Preston and will happily help you with anything if you're not too far away, but please ask in the forum first before doing something. I understand and accept that you're happy with what you got but I'm sure you'd have been even happier paying ten times less. EDIT 23/04/23 @ 14.23: Just for completeness, I was misremembering and thinking of a key for some other car, so I've struck out that text. I didn't actually send my key to him at all, just the photos (I had no code tag). He cut the key blade from my photo and then sent the assembly to me, and I just swapped over the electronics.

Wild guess: H/ctrl = Heating Control?

It's listed in the service book that you get stamped.

As Paul above says, you need to get the OBD codes read then come back and tell us what they are, if any are flagged. Don't just throw parts at it and hope something will work because that's a very expensive route to bankruptcy.

I highly recommend one of these trackers https://www.rewiresecurity.co.uk/db2-self-install-diy-gps-tracker £35 for the unit and £60/year for the SIM. OK, there's no central monitoring so Plod won't automatically be alerted that someone's nicked your pride and joy, but there is real-time tracking on phone/computer/tablet so that you can ring Plod yourself and say it's currently doing x-speed down y-road and heading in the direction of z. You can set up geofencing so that if the car goes out of a pre-determined zone (say 200m from your house) it will send an alert to your phone/computer/tablet. Alerts can also be set for movement, ignition on, and other parameters. It really is a great little unit and can be placed anywhere in the car that you can get a 12V supply to.

Yes, that's true. They told me they would send a reminder in plenty of time but no idea as to why Lexus would stop payment by DD.

I think most cars. All modern cars have a CAN bus so I suppose it boils down to how accessible the CAN wiring is.

Use kitchen foil for now until you get replacements, that works.

Simply put, they get easy access to the wiring to the left headlight where there's also some CAN bus wiring. The CAN bus is a network that allows all the ECUs to communicate with each other, so they can inject a signal that makes the car think that the owner wants to unlock the doors, switch on the engine and so on. Then off they go with your pride and joy.

I would be gutted if some scrote stole my RX but there's just no point in worrying about it. If the scrotes want it so much they'll get it one way or another. Since time immemorial as soon as one security method has been invented, 24 hours later some ne'er-do-well is working on a way of circumventing it.

So...if it drives well and starts reliably, that sounds like a good car to me. If you get problems when trying to do an OBD scan then your OBD reader could be faulty. If you have a laptop then buy one of these miniVCI cables from eBay They usually come with a pirated copy of Techstream, which is the exact very same diagnostic software used by Toy/Lex techs in the dealership workshops, so you won't get a better diagnostic tool than this, especially as it shows sub-codes as well. For instance, P0AA6 covers six different areas with only the sub-codes to differentiate between them. Of course, we can't be seen to condone software piracy (that's a matter for your own conscience) so the legit way would be to download Techstream from here and then pay for a block of time to use it (€5/day or €10/week etc). Whichever way you decide to do it you'll need that VCI cable anyway. If all else fails, I strongly suggest taking it to a specialist auto electrician. It's a skill and a trade in its own right and you wouldn't employ a painter to install a whole new central heating system in your house, or a carpenter to do some plumbing work, so why expect a general mechanic to be able to sort out auto electrical problems? I don't think Lexus dealerships will employ their own auto electricians because I just can't see them having enough work in that area to keep someone in a full-time job.

There's only three main places for fuse boxes, those being the engine bay, the driver's footwell and the passenger footwell. There may be a couple of other locations but they're only small ones (2 or 3 fuses) and are local to the devices they protect. You're not looking hard enough. Lie on your back with your head looking towards the top of the dashboard and ye shall see 'em. EDIT: It's possible that you may have to pull the carpet out and away to see it.

One of the drive belts?

As the saying goes, "Location, location, location." We live in an area of Preston called Fulwood and we're moving to a different part of Fulwood. Unfortunately, the bungalow we're buying had a burst pipe at Christmas, which the seller's insurance are dealing with, albeit slowly. Until the repairs are completed (no later than 9th June) we're temporarily living in my sister in law's second home in Carlisle. Moving from Fulwood, where the car was parked on a driveway in a quiet cul de sac, to Carlisle, where the car is just parked at the kerbside of a reasonably busy road, has seen me get a refund of £61.28 Of course, they'll probably get most of that back when we move back to Preston but how can it be cheaper to insure it where the risk of damage while parked has increased by a very substantial amount? I swear that insurance premiums are calculated on parameters such as the colour of underpants, direction of wind, yellow/black stripey socks cost more than blue/black, and the chances of finding a purple Unicorn in the Nebula Galaxy!

I renewed my 4RX insurance about 5 weeks ago. Last year was (I think) just about £500, this year was £746. I then did the comparison websites as instructed by https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/car-insurance/ and could have got it as low as £380 but, sadly, not like-for-like. However, I did get a like-for-like cover for £520, so I went back to my current insurer to see if they would match it, which they did, so I stayed with them.

Just sent you a PM that may help you Andrew.

Probably damp and corrosion got into the camera PCB. Check the connections first and clean them if they look iffy but if that doesn't work then you need to remove the camera and look how clean/dirty the printed circuit board is. It may need a good squirt of Isopropyl Alcohol or contact cleaner and a good brushing with an old toothbrush. If all else fails then you can get a replacement generic camera from Amazon or eBay for about £10 to £30 Linky