Davey Blueeyes

I'm guessing it's cheaper to replace the rad than a dedicated oil cooler?

Hi all, I'm looking for a facelift SC430 and I'm going to look at one tomorrow. To go with my RX400h (and the gazillion other Lexus's I've had in the past!) I have had the 430 engine before, in a GS430 and had no problems with it. However I remember a distant bell of of something to do with coolant and ATF fluid mixing, head gaskets going and gearboxes going bang in that engine! So, what do I check because that is the main cause of concern that is rattling around in my head with it. Is there anything that can be done preventatively if all is good? Plus what else to look out for?! It's a 55 plate facelift with about 76k. Cambelt and waterpump done at an indie, I've already confirmed that with the garage that did it. Thanks! David

Thank you all, I really appreciate your responses for my weird fault! I didn't realise there were separate pumps, makes it easier in some ways. The front wash wipe does its thing perfectly. Well to be fair the rear one does too! But it also does this! Great knowledge right there. It's (luckily) a relatively simple part of the electrics so possibly worse case scenario swop out the rear motor washer/wiper control stalk? Or maybe try cleaning it all up and checking the insulation? How hard is it to access the two motors?? Again, thank you all, much love

I've attached a very dodgy video of it do it. Only started this week while I'm away. I last used the wash wipe about 4/5 days ago and first done it about an hour after that and emptied the screen wash. I topped it up three days ago to the top and I haven't used the wash since (i have just wiped a few times to clear the rain off) but today on the motorway it just randomly started doing it again until it fully emptied the screen wash. If the video loads properly you'll see it doesn't come out as strong as the wash does but it's more than a trickle Any and all ideas are helpful! VID-20200828-WA0001.mp4

Okay, rear wash wipe works just as it should. Let's get that out of the way! However, completely randomly, the rear wash 'leaks' screen wash. It's a bit more than a leak, a steady trickle but not as powerful as the actual wash? It does this totally randomly and only stops when I either turn the car off or run out of screen wash! Bit of a pain in all honesty but no idea how to start solving it??

So what is the way forward? Would it be to rip out the entire air con system and replace everything? This must have happened before, I'd love to know how others have dealt with this, I can't be the first! The garage are good eggs and it was a genuine (and expensive!) error on their part and they are happy to rectify to my satisfaction. I'm away, which complicates matters a tad but are meeting with a specialist air con chap early next week and the cars already booked back in on the 1st Sept for whatever is advised to be done. I know it's my car but I kinda feel for them! But mostly thank you all for taking the time to reply, I'm really appreciative of it

Being stranded in the next two weeks is the biggest worry! Hopefully I'll make it back okay!

Thanks Herbie, that's brilliant. I'm actually on the Isle of Wight but I'm currently away with the car and back 30th Aug. Hopefully I can take it in and they can send it off. I'm hoping that if the worst comes to the worst a new compressor and flushing the rest will do the job. As said, condenser is new. So far the cheapest compressor I've found is just under a grand but I'm not paying for it! The biggest worry is being stranded in deepest darkest Cornwall while I'm away! I'm just looking for a pragmatic and decent solution

My car is a RX400h, 2008. I had the condenser replaced a month of so ago and it obviously needed to be regassed, which was done and all has been well since, good news given the weather! However it seems they used the PAG oil, rather than the ND-11 oil. I'm now familiar with this issue and I understand the consequences (I'm hoping the whole car won't become live!) but realistically what's the best way to deal with this? Does the whole cooling system need replacing?? It has been mentioned! Or can just the compressor be replaced and the system flushed? Plus no need to speculate on the garages culpability, they are long standing family friends and the young fella just got it wrong with the wrong machine and they will do whatever is needed to put it right. Right now, the air cons lovely! But I know we are a month or so from it failing.

Once I'd cleaned up and reattached the gel pad as best I could it was golden! One think I noticed was that the cover was slightly loose, maybe it had been off before? But I clicked it back on and all is good

I'm talking about all the hybrid stuff and the gearbox. I know the engine is good forever! My car has done nearly 155k and it's immense. I'm thinking about getting some paint and the wheels done but it will cost a few quid but the car will then look as good as it drives. I'm just nervous dropping 800 quid for it all to be done well if something irreparable is likely to drop soonish. And it's because I want to keep the car. It continues to amaze me how good the hybrid system is after such mileage. However most of the first 120k was motorway. In this I'm assuming that batteries/inverter/gearbox etc aren't economic to fix, let alone finding someone to do work like that. Honestly if something like the inverter gave out i'd happily get it fixed, if I could get it fixed somewhere other than Lexus!

Is there a coilover conversion that could be done? Or a simple spring arrangement. Can't honestly say the springs on my 400 are uncomfortable. Will be a lot cheaper!

Okay, just in case anyone else has this problem, I detached the sensor from the windscreen, it just slides downwards to come off and the 'gel' pad had moved slightly. So I relocated back onto the sensor correctly, picked a few bits of grime off it, clipped it back on and I have auto wiping wipers again! The gel isn't perfectly flush, there's a few air bubbles, but it still works perfectly so all's good!

Okay so I have auto wipers and they are not auto wiping? They aren't wiping at all in fact in 'Auto' mode. Now the obvious place to start is the sensor (don't fancy messing about with that much!) but the manual says if the sensor goes on the fritz then it reverts to normal intermittent wiping (which I'd much prefer anyway) but it doesn't do that, it doesn't wipe at all in that mode. 'High' and 'Low' settings work fine but it's a pain not having an intermittent wipe.

I had have Avon ZX7 on mine, I never bought them and they are not the sort of tyre I would buy but I have to say they are excellent on my 2008 RX400, especially in the wet

This is brilliant, I'm going to be tackling mine tomorrow on my 2008. Thank you! I'm assuming there's three servos in total?

Thank you, what a star!

Yes, I've heard of this. It's deffo the servo flaps so will try to find a reasonable replacement. I'm not sure how much work it is to change, hopefully not a dash out job!

Just for anyone down the line reading this with the same problem, the issue seems to be a climate servo. Having had a good play around with it it does it when you select an air option that involves your face (I'm not taking this personally!). When the air con automatically adjusts the flow to just face vents or foot and face vents it does it. Foot vents only are fine and do not do it. It's going in tomorrow for a thorough investigation although I'm not sure how much work it would be to replace.

At 12 years old and 153800 odd miles I'm not sure warranty comes into it! The car is great, everything still works and I don't mind fixing things, I'm sure she'll give another 50000 or even 100000 miles service without problem. The buzz is annoying, it's like an alarm more than a mechanical or electrical sound? It is as you hear it on the video and it's coming from the dash?? No lights illuminate, as you can see

Thanks Colin. It's definitely coming from behind the dashboard, not the engine bay. It's so peculiar. I'm hoping to get an OBD scanner on it in the next few days. Just seems a strange thing to be happening?? Always goes off after 20 seconds

It's the only way I can describe it! I've made a 20 sec video to show the issue! It stops after 20 seconds and it goes more higher pitched when you turn the key?? Most peculiar?? VID_20200606_161459(0).mp4

Thanks all. Yes I need to tackle it and get everything opening and closing like it should. Thank you!

My cup holders and bomb drop doors (as my son calls them!) are rather sticky. What's the best way to free them up without blowing the car up? Maybe overly dramatic but I have a knack of making things worse!