Lance Ross

Hello everyone
Great site full of info
Need some help
Purchased a 2004 RX330 Luxury sports in August.End of August Lexus Australia had a upgrade in features. They added adaptive HID's system & Bluetooth & 18inch alloy rims on luxury sports model only and upgraded NavSat. I know in the USA these are options in Australia they donot have options just Sports or luxury sports models.Well I just missed out on these upgrades and the bloody Lexus dealer did not mention these at all but then again I did not ask.
My Question is can I get Lexus to to fit the adaptive hid's (mine do have self levelling system) and can they fit the upgrade nat sav and bluetooth.I know this will cost but can this be done. Please help.
Lance Ross

winsalem

in my humble opinion, if you are absolutely determined to acquire the latest RX features, it would be cheaper for you to go ahead and trade up to the newer model. your August-purchased RX must still be low mileage, so it can't have depreciated an enormous amount at this point. but more important, the cost of the new parts alone (headlights, new nav system, the new steering wheel with bluetooth controls, the new 18" wheels) would almost certainly equal the difference you would pay for a new RX...and we haven't even discussed the labor costs. and could you re-sell the old nav system you remove? haven't seen one of those on eBay lately...

another point: by the time you got thru doing all the upgrades (assuming you can even do the nav/bluetooth and headlights upgrade), you'd still have an older model RX.

i can tell you from owning an '05 RX for 3 weeks, the swiveling headlights and bluetooth system are merely gadgets, and although fun, not earth-shatteringly significant. i do notice the headlights turning with me, but i can't say that they really enhance my field of vision or afford me any more safety when driving at night...more like an oddity. remember, they don't think ahead, they don't turn until you turn the steering wheel...so you only gain a few seconds of light during the turn.

as for the bluetooth phone, it is a new feature of which i am taking full advantage, but aside from the wireless ability, the phone system in the RX nav touchpad is rather primitive as other vehicles go [can't edit a number once it's stored, can only change it in your bluetooth cell phone and then upload it again from that phone, can't use voice commands to call or answer, etc]. the Acura system i have used is far superior, so i would imagine Lexus will fix the deficits in their system with newer models. you might be wise to postpone your longing for the bluetooth until those improvements are made.

finally, if you Aussies are experiencing pain at the gas pumps as we Yanks are, you may indeed be smart to delay your upgrades until the hybrid model arrives. the first test drive by a journalist [mentioned in another thread on this forum] definitely makes that model seem worth the wait. maybe you could go ahead and buy the 18" rims and tires -- to perk up what you already have -- and consider waiting for the hybrid.

Lance Ross

Thanks
Johnnym
I love the rx330 I have. Just not happy with dealer not telling me about these upgrades that were coming in later model.
But your right just extra gimmicks.
Plus in 4 years when I trade in for next lexus will go for the hybrid as Fuel will be even higher in price. (1 litre here premium unleaded $1.10 aus).
Again great advice
Lance Ross