RX300 2004 Sunroof Drive cable

The drive cable on the RX300 (and similar) is made of hard plastic with a wire insert.

Should you need to replace one that has been damaged, be prepared for a long and fiddly job.

First this you will need to do is remove the glass, held by 4 screws. (This can be delayed until you are ready to drop the frame)

Next the switch cluster (2 obvious screws and 2 hidden behind flaps), sun visors (2screws each), electric connections and the rear passenger light.

Next remove the seatbelt covers. This is done by pulling, with some force, the lower panel away from the car B pillar. These are held by very strong clips.

Next remove the upper belt cover by removing two 10mm bolts at the bottom. The upper covers can now be pulled away from the B pillar.

Now carefully pull the roof liner away from the A pillars. This should then allow the roof liner, from the C pillar forward, to lower enough to give you access to the 4 drain hoses, which are help in place with clips.

Now remove the drive motor electric clip and bracket. 2X 10mm bolts.

You can now remove the 10mm nuts that hold the frame in place. 2 of which have a metal clamps at the rear doors.

At this point lower both front seat backs as far as possible. Moving the seats as far forward as you can will help.

I then removed the wind deflector and the water catcher. Both have very flimsy hinges.

With great difficulty the frame can be taken out of a rear door. (I believe Lexus advocate you remove the whole roof liner and extract the frame out of the boot).

The drive cables can be purchased direct from Lexus at £600 a pair. Or as I did, you can get them from an Internet bidding site for £42 plus VAT. The part number can vary per vehicle so be sure to order the one for your reg. Mine was 63205-48010 but the second part does vary. Be warned.

When you take delivery of your replacement cables, you will get new guides that the glass fits onto. I strongly advise that you use your old ones and only swap the cables. The replacement ones have VERY small differences. You won't see these unless you use a Mic to measure it, but they will cause you issues.

Before installing anything do a good clean and lubricate with light grease, including inside the cable runners.

Now before you reinstall the frame, run the guides all the way to the rear of the frame. This will ensure both sides match after install.

Confirm this before reinstalling the drive motor.

The reinstall is just the above in reverse.

Do a sunroof reset before you fit the glass. This ensures the glass is at the correct position when closed.