Hello all. I'm new to the forum here as I just purchased my first RX yesterday. I've gotten some great information from the threads here, thanks to all for making this a great resource.

I'm curious how people handle spare change, cell phones, garage door openers (I haven't connected mine yet), etc. since the dash is constructed without any cubby holes or similar that would be good for these items.

Right now I'm placing my iPhone in the center console cup holder, which means I have to have the cup holder open all the time. I can't just leave the iPhone in the console and control it from the Lexus audio controls because I'm listening to podcasts through a separate app than the iPod app.

I can put some change in the little tray in the center console, but I can't very well put everything there, and it is a little inconvenient to get into the center console if you have the arm rest slid forward.

My RX came with the Safety Connect feature (Lexus' version of onStar, I think) so it doesn't have the little sunglass pocket in the ceiling either.

The things I want to have readily available:

- sunglasses
- coins for parking/occasional drive-thru (though I should really just stop eating that crap)
- bluetooth headset (for times when other people are in the car)
- iPhone (to control audio playback)
- gum/cough drops, etc.
- garage door opener (I still plan to carry one, just in case)
- EZ pass (toll road transponder)

I'm curious how you folks with more experience have chosen to handle these things. Do you get an organizer or something that breaks up the center console in a more manageable way? Are there some features of the RX that I should be using that I'm missing?

Thanks in advance!

 

you can pull the cup holder bracket out of cup holder tray then you can put your stuff in there

 

Be creative... there aren't instructions in the owners manual on where to put your stuff.

 

I hadn't realized that was removable, that's definitely an option. It's definitely easier to get into that than the center console.

Thanks for your time, that's *very* helpful.

 

you're not missing out on much w/o the sunglasses compartment

i have a small set of glasses

but i can never close the compartment w/o holding the glasses in the back of the compartment

buy 1 of those sunvisor clip-ons for your glasses, it'll work better than the compartment

as for coins, i'm an occasional woodworker, thought of replacing top tray in center console w/ a deeper tray that had slots for the various coin sizes

if i ever get around to it, i'll post results

 

I am also new with the RX and the lack of storage to put 'stuff' is something I noticed too. Well the glove compartment is huge and compartmentalized so you can put a lot of stuff in there. But the center console storage remains to be seen. I can not even put a wallet or checkbook or glasses on top of it. I have to put it way down there where its hard to pull out.

You program your garage door opener on one of the links above; therefore you dont need your garage door opener.
Be careful in putting a cell phone or iPhone in the center console. In one of the thread I started, I lost my cell phone in the thin space by the edge of the console cover. I have to take it to service where they asked me to pay $50 to take it out. If you insists on using the center console, I suggest to remove the cup holder first.
Same observation here. The little tray is your best bet.


I pasted my EZ pass transponder on the windshield by the upper center.
There are three links to program your garage door opener. Use all three and you dont have to carry yours.
As for the other stuff you got the center console, the glove compartment and the worse storage space of all the space under the center console. There is also a cup holder on your left side. That can hold coins or a cell phone.

BTW DO NOT EVER put a soda can in that space under the center console. It may roll out and cause a disaster. A fatal accident (not a Lexus) several years ago is caused by a soda can that got lodged under the brake pedal. Bad news.

 

My garage door opener seems to be incompatible with the built-in buttons. They don't work with my wife's car either, so I'm not blaming the RX. I'm going to try putting the opener under the center console.

I can't reach the glove box easily enough to put anything I need to potentially access while driving so I'm not counting that as driver accessible storage.

The storage on the door is interesting, but is so large that I think small things will be hard to locate easily in there.

Hmm, doesn't seem very coing compatible to me - and the manual recommends against this pretty strongly.

I'm curious to see what I settle on.

 

I Agree with you. There is alot of dead space right in the middle. In Venza (it has similar design they use that space to keep laptop and other stuff but in RX it just open space).I use the bottle/cup holder in the left side of the wheel to keep my sunglasses. I am a righty anyways so I dont use it!

 

- I have my iPod Touch in the console tray.

- I have my phone recharger cord fed up through the closed console lid, and rest the charging phone on the indentation to the left of the cupholders.

- My bottle of water is in the door.

- Don't carry change. If I did, it would probably be in a change holder in one of the cupholders.

- There's an indentation on the dash in front of the Nav screen - fairly flat. You could certainly keep your other items there.

- If your garage remote isn't accepted by the RX350's setup, I'd clip it to the visor, or rest it in the cupholder to the left of the steering wheel.

We have pens, sunglass cases and flashlights in the center console. Works well thus far.

Sandi

 

Velcro and/or 3M command strips are your friends.

I used a couple of the 3M command strips to attach a couple of hooks on the dash underneath the steering wheel for my keys and also an iPhone sleeve case. The iPhone sleeve case is to the right of my knee attached to the column area underneath the stereo. Very convenient and it doesn't touch my knees as well.

I also cut out a small square of a sticky/nonslide pad and put it on the wood trim in front of the beverage holders. I put my cell phone on there and it won't budge at all while driving. I put just enough so that whatever I put on top of it won't budge, but there is still enough wood trim so that it doesn't look out of place.

You could potentially replicate my sleeve to hold your iPhone and use Velcro to attach the garage door opener underneath the steering wheel as well.

I'd try and use 3M command strip more than velcro since the 3M command strip will remove very easily without leaving any marks or sticky residue.

The center console should have a tray you can put coins and little items into, not too bad to reach back when you need them.

 

very good advice so far.

I dont like to stick my toll transponder on the windshield so i keep it on the glove box and reach for it everytime I cross the bridge, and hold up the transponder while im going through the toll.

As for coins for the meters, I have an easy solution for that. Im not sure if your city has it, but in SF, you can buy prepaid meter cards in $20 dollar value, and i just keep the card in my wallet (size of a credit card). That way, I dont have the coins which are heavy and loud.

I wish they would redesign the safety connect button so that the sunglass holder comes back on future models. this seems like a huge oversight. I dont think any other model experiences this.

I dump everything else in the center storage bin

and im not sure if the 3gen RX has this, but I keep my cell phone either in my pocket, or in the hole on the door handle.

 

some revolving code doors require a 2-stage learning process

i know overhead-door & genie require this

you have to use a training remote 1st on your vehicle, then you use the regular door opener remote

 

This doesn't address the issue of what to do with small stuff, but I did free up my glove compartment by storing the huge owners manual in the center console. If you remove the little tray, and then pull out the bin, underneath is a cavernous area which easily handles the manual.

One small alteration that I did make was to provide a space for pens and pencils to stand up, rather than having to fish around in the bin for them. I cut a piece of 1/4" plywood, covered it with a piece of black velvet(using spray adhesive), and fit it into the bin(friction fit) about 1" away from the front. This provides a space in that bin about 1"x5"x5"deep.

 

yes the manual teaches you on rolling code garage door openers too. Its quite simple. you just need to find the button on your garage door motor, and when you push it, you have like 30 seconds to jump in your car and do the whole homelink stuff. after that, it should work.

 

i have an overhead-door & genie door opener (1 owns the other)

neither allow you to train using the door motor alone

after a half hour of frustration & failure, i read the door opener manual

i had to 1st use the red training remote, not to be confused w/ the door opener remote

then use the button on the door motor