Tighe's LX570 - general thread (2 Viewers)

[Tighe]

I took my 3 year old son to Anza Borrego a few weeks back while the evenings were in the 40s. He likes to sleep outside of the....

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to bring some extra blankets just for that reason - in case anyone wakes up out of their sleeping bag. I also have some extra cheap kids sleeping bags that I may use to double wrap them.

Haha I predict some trial and error ahead...

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm heading out to Anza Borrego this coming weekend with two of my kids, ages 2 and 4 years old. It's supposed to be pretty chilly at night, like high 30's, which I've camped in solo but never with kids. Any tips for desert camping in chilly weather with young kids? I think I've prepared sufficiently but I still have some trepidation.

We'll be in my GFC Superlite. I have proper sleeping bags for them from REI, rated down to 25°F. I also have heated sleeping bag liners which warm up through a USB port/battery bank. I've never used these...they're actually still in the mail so I can't vouch for them. I'll bring extra blankets, and probably add a layer of foam underneath the mattress to provide some additional insulation.

Any other major things to consider?

Thanks,
Tighe

Was out in Temecula camping last weekend and it's chilly! Touched into low 30s with some frozen water around in the morning.

You already know but the Superlite is cozy and sleeps warm, at least with 3 larger bodies. I think you've got the right idea. I found a 40W heated mattress pad below 3 of us helped take the edge off so the heated liners could do the trick. My youngest is in the middle and usually finds his way out of the sleeping bag and he didn't complain with the coziness of the Superlite.

The 3 of us grew out of the Superlite last year when my kids hit 8 and 12.

With a larger iKamper Skycamp now, I'm playing around with a diesel heater. Works well for this size tent on the lowest setting. Overkill and too warm for anything smaller. No concern with CO2 as it's a heat exchanger that has a separate exhaust path for combustion gasses. A warm and dry heat with no condensation, compared to a propane Buddy Heater that leaves moisture.

Have fun out there! Gotta get you into the YMCA father/son camping group!

 

[Tighe]

Was out in Temecula camping last weekend and it's chilly! Touched into low 30s with some frozen water around in the morning.

Thanks Paul! Always makes me feel better knowing I’m standing on the shoulders of giants like yourself. Appreciate the input. I’ll check out a heated pad.

Yes to YMCA. It’s on my list. I think mine are still too young at the moment though.

 

[Tighe]

Another awesome desert weekend concluded. The low night temps were not a big issue. I bought some heated sleeping bag liners for my kids but they were pretty low quality and did not work well (not a lot of heat, used far more battery than advertised, etc.) We would’ve been fine without them.

I started with a thick Mexican blanket under our inflatable mattress, and another one over the mattress. Then a soft sheet over that.
The kids slept in REI Kindercone 25 bags. I put these inside of their lightweight summer bags which worked well enough. The outer bag was half zippered- half blanket half sleeping bag. Then on top of all that I had a big double sized Alps Mountaineering Wavelength Blanket. The nice things about this setup was that everything was very lightweight. Despite having lots of material it was not oppressive to be under.

Everything was toasty inside, while it was down to the 30’s outside as forecasted. My only complaint was condensation inside the tent. I learned my lesson by the second night and opened the shell more, and added a small fan for some ventilation. I think this system will work for us for the foreseeable future.

 

[Tighe]

More pics.

 

[Tighe]

And then finally this morning we noticed a front on the horizon moving our direction. We had checked yesterday and it looked like we were to be in the clear all day today, but decided not to risk it. Didn’t want to be exploring Sandstone Canyon with the threat of rain looming over us. We packed up and headed out instead, and sure enough an hour later we were driving through pouring rain outside Julian. Not sure if it actually made it to the desert, but not in a situation to risk it at the moment.

 

[Tighe]

Last night I installed a HID bulb and ballast kit from DDM Tuning. I've been running their HID kits in my Volvo for a decade now with pretty good results. The lighting itself is much better that stock, and the kits are not very expensive. They also come with a lifetime warranty which they've honored for me in the past. The LX570 kit was $100, and install was straightforward. Kit info listed below for reference.

Item​ Qty​ Brief Description​ Rate​ Amount​ APXBULBH7.6000K 1 Apexcone HID Bulb, H7, 6000K, Pair $20.00 $0.00 DDMPlusCanbusKit35W.H11B.5500K 1 DDM Plus CanBus HID Kit, 35W, H11-B, 5500K $101.96 $101.96 Tax $0.00 Total $101.96

Start by disconnecting the battery- you have to do this anyway to access the DS low beam. Remove the dust cap on the low beams, disconnect the harness, and remove the bulb. Don't touch the blub itself.

The only modification required is to cut a hole in the dust cap. I used a 1" spade bit, which was just large enough to get the harness through. I taped the o-ring just to keep dust and debris out.

The ballast and the error code eliminator were packaged and attached to the side of the air box, and the dust cap fit over the new bulb with no issue.

Here is the old bulb.

Here is the new HID bulb.

I'll try to get a good image of the beam pattern/throw, and will also update once I've driven around with them for a while.

 

[Tighe]

After driving for a while the AFS OFF warning light comes on. I’ve reached out to DDM about it, we’ll see what they say.

 

[grinchy]

I had to get extended caps. Same issue with afs warning coming on. My wires needed more space to allow afs to sweep.

 

[Tighe]

I had to get extended caps. Same issue with afs warning coming on. My wires needed more space to allow afs to sweep.

Oh interesting, I just assumed it was an electrical issue, not a physical issue. Do you have a link to the dust caps by chance? Are they OEM?

 

[grinchy]

Lasfit

Toyota Highlander Lexus LX570LED Headlight Bulb Dust Cover Seal Cap Waterproof OEM Design × 1

 

[Tighe]

Lasfit

Toyota Highlander Lexus LX570LED Headlight Bulb Dust Cover Seal Cap Waterproof OEM Design × 1

Amazing. Thank you!!

 

[Tighe]

Random question. I lost one of the key fobs for my LX and it hasn’t turned up in a few months. I have read about how small items can get lost in the carpeting under the front seats, so I moved the seat all the way up and there are certainly some cavities down there capable of swallowing a key fob.

Before I go about removing the drivers seat to investigate further i wanted to run a question by this group. Wouldn’t the presence of a fob under the seat prevent me from locking the vehicle with the other fob? Or, alternatively if the vehicle is locked, wouldn’t a key under the seat enable me to open a locked door from the outside, similar to when there’s a key in my pocket I can still open a locked door?

Tks

 

[grinchy]

Random question. I lost one of the key fobs for my LX and it hasn’t turned up in a few months. I have read about how small items can get lost in the carpeting under the front seats, so I moved the seat all the way up and there are certainly some cavities down there capable of swallowing a key fob.

Before I go about removing the drivers seat to investigate further i wanted to run a question by this group. Wouldn’t the presence of a fob under the seat prevent me from locking the vehicle with the other fob? Or, alternatively if the vehicle is locked, wouldn’t a key under the seat enable me to open a locked door from the outside, similar to when there’s a key in my pocket I can still open a locked door?

Tks

Not if the battery in the fob is dead.

 

[Tighe]

Not if the battery in the fob is dead.

Thanks @grinchy yeah I was wondering about that, just seems coincidental/unlikely as it was working fine previously. Is there a low key fob battery warning that would’ve appeared on the dash?

 

[tbisaacs]

Random question. I lost one of the key fobs for my LX and it hasn’t turned up in a few months. I have read about how small items can get lost in the carpeting under the front seats, so I moved the seat all the way up and there are certainly some cavities down there capable of swallowing a key fob.

Before I go about removing the drivers seat to investigate further i wanted to run a question by this group. Wouldn’t the presence of a fob under the seat prevent me from locking the vehicle with the other fob? Or, alternatively if the vehicle is locked, wouldn’t a key under the seat enable me to open a locked door from the outside, similar to when there’s a key in my pocket I can still open a locked door?

Tks

Four bolts to loosen the seat enough to get under it. You should consider changing the filter for your ventilated seat while in there. Mine was disgusting

 

[Tighe]

Four bolts to loosen the seat enough to get under it. You should consider changing the filter for your ventilated seat while in there. Mine was disgusting

Excellent, thanks @tbisaacs!

 

[Tighe]

Another successful weekend at Sheep Canyon Campground in Anza Borrego. For anyone keeping track, the rock garden has been filled in/graded so it was very easy to navigate. MUCH different from the last time I was there. The recent rains really transformed the area, it was bursting with colors and greenery, and the stream was the largest I've ever seen it. A very fun and rewarding weekend.

We went for a sound cruise around the canyon on Saturday and came upon a Jeep club that told us about a place called Bailey's Cabin. Sounded cool, but the terrain got a little too rough for us and we ended up turning around. May consider approaching from the north (33.499033, -116.600503) sometime in the future.

 

[Tighe]

A few weeks ago I took two of my kiddos car camping to Fry Creek Campground, in Palomar Mountain State Park. I loved the climate and the elevation and the scenery, and I'm looking forward to heading back. I have another reservation at Fry Creek coming up in a few weeks, and was wondering whether anyone had recommendations for things to do in the area.

This past time we checked out the Boucher Hill Fire Lookout Tower which was cool, and went for a few beautiful hikes near the Palomar Observatory (which is closed for the time being). We drove down the Nate Harrison Grade from the Fire Lookout for a while but eventually turned around because it didn't look like we were going to find much to explore, except more road. Next time I'd love to check out Doane Pond and do some hiking around there. I'm also interested in checking out the Palomar Divide Truck Trail, or other off-roadish opportunities in the area. Any recommendations for fun camping/exploring opportunities in this area, or anywhere nearby? Tks!

33.34015779307025, -116.90538271487364

 

[Tighe]

More fun this weekend. Sheep Canyon Campground outside of Borrego Springs made for a great weekend. It may be time for a RTT as ground tenting is getting a little old. Grass is always greener I suppose.

Was passed by an awesome RHD turbodiesel 70 along the way.

Also my kid found a little little compartment in the dash that I never knew existed. Score!

@Loober good to meet you this past weekend! I knew I'd seen your truck before!


Nice weekend at Fry Creek Campground this past weekend. Perfect weather but a little buggy. There was a very cool vintage Porsche rally event that we coincided with while visiting the Boucher Fire Lookout - glad to see those machines actually getting used.