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If you have what we call (in the US) the All-Weather Package, then I think what you're referring to is the windshield de-icer, which is a set of electrically heated wires at the base of the windshield - to melt ice and snow. I have this feature and I can see the wires embedded in the glass. You can try it on a cold day and the base of the windshield should get hot. I believe I read in the manual to be careful - it can get very hot!
We don't have any packages in the UK as nearly everything is standard.
I do have the heated steering wheel and so I probably have got the heated screen as well. I have been scraping the ice off in the mornings so the next frosty morning we get I will turn it on and see what happens.
I will have another look and see if I can see the wires.
Our All-Weather Package includes a heated steering wheel and the windshield de-icer - so I suspect you have this. It's described on page 246 of the US Owners Manual...
Thanks again. We don't get manuals here just a short user guide. I have downloaded the full manual.
I have had a look this morning and I can see a small circle at the base of the windscreen by the wiper blade on the drivers side. Half of it is red. I have noticed it before when washing the car and wondered what it was. Is that what you have?
If you have a de-icer, the embedded heater wires are difficult to see, They are only at the bottom of the windshield, in the blacked-out area. They are only for melting ice at the bottom section of the windshield. I took a couple of pics...
We don't have any packages in the UK as nearly everything is standard.
I do have the heated steering wheel and so I probably have got the heated screen as well. I have been scraping the ice off in the mornings so the next frosty morning we get I will turn it on and see what happens.
I will have another look and see if I can see the wires.
When I bought my LC - I laughed about the "all-weather package". I was thinking - "who's gonna drive a RWD car with wide, low-profile, summer-only tires in cold weather?" Unless you have all-season, or even better - mud & snow tires, you probably don't want to be driving this car when the temperatures get into the lower 40's (about 6C). Do your own research, but here's a pretty good overview...
I am still not sure if I have it or not. I haven't seen any wires like the ones in your photos but I do definitely have the option on the climate setting screen. It is forecast to be -2c (28f) tomorrow night and so I will try it on Monday morning.
Winters here are unpredictable. It can be mild, about 50f or it can be cold and snowy and down to the low 20s. We are due a cold one this winter and so I may not get to use the LC much.
As predicted my car had a good layer of ice on it this morning but I still can't tell if the windscreen is heated or not. I turned it on when I started the car but the whole screen cleared really quickly. My car is a hybrid and I am sure I read somewhere that the LC500h has an electric heater rather than having to wait for the engine to warm up. If so that might have been why the frost cleared so fast from the normal heating being on.
When I get a chance I will turn the windscreen heater on and touch the screen to see if it is hot. I will make sure to be careful not to get burnt!
I'm curious to know what you find, but if you don't see the wires embedded in the glass, I'm pretty sure you don't have the de-icer. I have a hybrid RX that has this feature - with similar wires in the glass. They are difficult to see. You may need direct sunlight or a flashlight.
I am pleased to say that I have got it I used the light on my phone as you suggested and I can see the same wires as in your photo. They are also up the side of the windscreen in the black section.
What is strange is that Lexus in the UK don't list this as part of the standard specification. I only found it by accident.
Correct. I think you'll find the wires only go up one side - the driver's side - which is where snow accumulates when the wiper is at vertical. That's how mine is configured.
So now I'm wondering how or why you are driving your LC in freezing temperatures... My question for you is - Are LC vehicles in the UK equipped with summer-only tires like our US vehicles? I understand performance varies quite a bit between tire models. I spent a lot of time reading about summer tires on Corvette and Camaro forums, before buying my LC. Some people had no issues. Some people lost complete traction on dry pavement - like driving on ice, and some people experienced tires cracking and chunks of rubber breaking off. I don't want to chance it, so I follow this guidance: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=273
I have Michelin tyres on my car. I believe that they are summer tyres. I would not attempt to drive it in snowy conditions. It is only in the last few years that winter tyres have been available in the UK. As the LC tyres are unique to that model I am not even sure if winter ones are available. Our winters are not as cold or snowy as you get in the US. I went to Vermont in January a few years ago and it was really,really cold. We don't get those sort of temperatures here and any severe cold snaps tend to not last that long.
I had a BMW 640 before the LC and I ran that on summer tyres all year round without any problems. They were runflats like the LC. Most people in the UK drive on summer tyres all year round.
The downside is that when it does snow, it generally causes chaos as no one is properly equipped to deal with it.
11-10-17, 12:34 PM
Heated Windscreen
I used the light on my phone as you suggested and I can see the same wires as in your photo. They are also up the side of the windscreen in the black section. 