firsttimelexyowner

just received my recall notice....question is -do we get a free tank of gas as mentioned before in prior recall issues from the dealer because of this inconvenience?

I had the servicing done by a Toyota mechanic,apparently the only one there that works on the few Lexus's in town. Would have thought he knew what he was doing.. I just drove it a couple of blocks again to try and better identify the smell nuances and I would have to say it almost smells more like burning rubber then gas.. The VSC light that was on prior to this servicing isnt showing up anymore so I assume that they DID attempt to replace the A/F sensor. Maybe as u say Could have been done improperly .. I will take it back up in the morning... What would excess battery acid smell like if that is the issue? It definately has a acrid smell,and I noted that it somewhat burned the eyes too...Does that sound more plausible then to be excess battery acid? I forgot to mention that the rear differential fluid along with the transfer case fluid were also replaced at this time.. Dont know if that could be at all related to the smell as I am totally ignorant of the mechanical workings of a vehicle.. Am Female so I have to be educated on these matters... Hate to say it but maybe the mechanic does too. Thanks for any and all tips that may help me understand possible sources of the smell. Sure is appreciated.. By the way do you know if a dealer who has performed these services listed above is obligated to report ""ALL of the services they've done on your car"" back to Lexus...I see lexus tracks them on-line so they can remind you of what needs to be done in the future but I am confused now as to why the a/f sensor replacement and the battery replacement werent mentioned on my Lexus maintence service on-line record (just checked it)BUT the rear differential and transfer case fluid replacements were... Any thoughts or help u can give me based on your own experience as to what all gets reported back to Lexus after a servicing is done.? It just seemed weird to me that half of the things they purported to do werent itemized on the Lexus Maintenence site though the Dealer gave me a invoice indicating they were done. How do they actually then know what you should be getting done in the future if ALL of the services done arent all posted.? Confused to say the least..Would it have anything to do with the mechanic maybe using ""after market"" parts on the two jobs ie; battery and a/f sensor that the dealer then decides not to record them with Lexus? I wouldn't think after market parts would make any difference. If he changed a bunch of fluids, there is a chance that he spilled a bit and it could have gotten on the exhaust and obviously burned a bit which could have caused the smells. I would think that he placed enough fluid back into the differential. Anytime I smell something I first think is it: oil burning, gas leaking, exhaust leaking, power steering or brake fluid leaking and burning, transmission fluid burning....if those check out, i look for things like belts that may have malfunctioned and burned due to friction (as if something locked up), or tires rubbing on something. I would certainly look into the engine compartment and look to see if you can spot smoke coming from and area while the engine is hot / warmed up fully. If you see smoke, you may have found your issue location. There is also a chance you could have a slow but steady freon leak from your coil which could come through the vents, but you wold know soon as your a/c would stop working eventually. If the smell persists and you don't have a check engine light on or a difference in vehicle performance, then go have it checked out. If the smell was not present before the service and then after wards, I would take it immediately to them and have them re check their work. Thanks for your troubleshooting advice.. I had it looked at by two others,let the mechanic who did it know also, but they all thought it was just the coating on the oxygen sensor burning off as the smell in that area of replacement, was the same smell that I had coming in to the cabin.''New part smell" The smell was dissipating each time I drove it and getting weaker so I trust that this was the issue and they were all convinced it would totally go away in a couple of days. If I have a chance to actually drive it more then a few blocks over the weekend and it is still there I will take the mechanic who did the replacement, up on his offer and let him have a look at things.Thanks so much for your info though... :)

Just had my RX330 A/F sensor done last week. Says B1152 and B1423--- BANK 2 SENSOR 1. FP- NUMBER on invoice is 89467-48050.. I assume if they are the same on both models, that this may then be the the part number u need. Hope it helps..

I had the servicing done by a Toyota mechanic,apparently the only one there that works on the few Lexus's in town. Would have thought he knew what he was doing.. I just drove it a couple of blocks again to try and better identify the smell nuances and I would have to say it almost smells more like burning rubber then gas.. The VSC light that was on prior to this servicing isnt showing up anymore so I assume that they DID attempt to replace the A/F sensor. Maybe as u say Could have been done improperly .. I will take it back up in the morning... What would excess battery acid smell like if that is the issue? It definately has a acrid smell,and I noted that it somewhat burned the eyes too...Does that sound more plausible then to be excess battery acid? I forgot to mention that the rear differential fluid along with the transfer case fluid were also replaced at this time.. Dont know if that could be at all related to the smell as I am totally ignorant of the mechanical workings of a vehicle.. Am Female so I have to be educated on these matters... Hate to say it but maybe the mechanic does too. Thanks for any and all tips that may help me understand possible sources of the smell. Sure is appreciated.. By the way do you know if a dealer who has performed these services listed above is obligated to report ""ALL of the services they've done on your car"" back to Lexus...I see lexus tracks them on-line so they can remind you of what needs to be done in the future but I am confused now as to why the a/f sensor replacement and the battery replacement werent mentioned on my Lexus maintence service on-line record (just checked it)BUT the rear differential and transfer case fluid replacements were... Any thoughts or help u can give me based on your own experience as to what all gets reported back to Lexus after a servicing is done.? It just seemed weird to me that half of the things they purported to do werent itemized on the Lexus Maintenence site though the Dealer gave me a invoice indicating they were done. How do they actually then know what you should be getting done in the future if ALL of the services done arent all posted.? Confused to say the least..Would it have anything to do with the mechanic maybe using ""after market"" parts on the two jobs ie; battery and a/f sensor that the dealer then decides not to record them with Lexus?

Hi ElizabethH, I just went thru the same issues on my rx330 that I just purchased.. Apparently it happens to a few but not all owners. This leads me to believe that yes it may be a bit of a design flaw Lexus needs to address but I am questioning now if it ISNT happening to all owners, is it then a poor servicing issue whereby the cylinder that accepts the key isnt being lubricated appropriately during prior services..??? Im inclined to think that improper servicing or a overlooking by SOME mechanics during lubrication servicing is more the cause of this ''stuck key '' issue rather then the actual design of the cylinder. Its just a gut feeling I have.....Simple enough a service to have been forgotten if a mechanic gets distracted. I know from the servicing protocol that I was sent by Lexus that lubrication of locks latches and hinges is required by them to be done by the mechanic. Maybe its time we who have had the problem all send a letter to Lexus to let them know that they may have to be clearer in this protocol to their service people to say the igntion cylinder must also be lubricated... The thread titled 'KEY STUCK IN IGNITION" is on Pg 5 I believe on the rx 330 Forum.. I saved myself 660.00 of tow and cylinder replacement charges by giving my mechanic this tip FOUND ON THIS THREAD. Go figure that he wouldnt have known of the simple quick fix available...... Maybe the Lexus techs should be required to read these forums in order to troubleshoot these problems. Solution was as you will read; simply tap the key with a hammer in the direction it is locked (which I am assuming in your case it was in the off position as was mine)..the cylinder should receive a spray of dry graphite powder also asap.. Some who have had this happen with their 330's have not had a recurrance 8 months later after doing this simple fix...Unfortunately others had the cost of the cylinder being replaced w/o having had a chance to do this simple fix. Okay if you are under warranty, not so okay if u arent as I was'nt when it happened to me. I park my vehicle with the wheels straight all the time and yes sometimes steering columns will lock if wheels werent straight but this ''stuck key issue' is purely a issue in the cylinder itself..not with the wheel placement or steering column...The cylinder Could have gotten a tad dirty from the key itself and these auto parts are so finely tuned now that this small speck of debris could make a huge difference in functionality of the part. Pretty sad and scary to know this is happening to a lot of Lexus owners but my gut tells me that had these cylinders been being lubricated properly during servicing, the issue may have been avoided...Good Luck on finding the thread. It was sure a $$$$$$$ saver in my case. I am still upset that my Toyota/Lexus mechanic didnt know the quick fix solution for it. As far as I am concerned we should all be writing letters to Lexus about it.

Hi others, Just had a replacemnt of a new battery and a oxygen sensor done.. By the time I got home I could smell a fairly acrid smell coming into the cabin via the vebts.. Burned the eyes. Today used the RX 330 for the first time since the pick up of it on Friday and the smell is pretty obvious.Am afraid it is toxic.. Any ideas what this could be or where it may be coming from.. Noted on a posting back on Pg 9 a suggestion that the battery tray may not have been cleaned prior to the install. Could that be the source?Or do any of you more experienced owners have other ideas on what needs to be troubleshooted? Thankyou for a response asap.

Would this apply to Canada also.? Already had mine done late Dec and certainly didnt get a free tank of gas.... In fact had to bring it in ""twice"' as they were missing a essential part on the first time they attempted to do it and had to reorder kit.. After seeing this yesterday I thought I'D ask them why I hadnt gotten the free tank of gas. Mechanic and dealer said they had NEVER EVER heard of that being done before...I dont remember anything on the ""letter from Lexus per the recall" either saying anything about this gas freebie e so was it up to the Toyota Service Dept in my case / dealer to tell us it was part of the deal.? Sure am interested in your reply.Would like some accountability from them if u are certain this was to be done. Are we to let Lexus head office know if the dealer wasnt doing this? Could they maybe not have received those instructions themselves from Lexus?.. I believe mine was the first one to be done in town and the service guys seemed surprised by the notification at the time I presented it. They hadnt even been informed yet though I was aware of the recall via research done in Oct before my purchase of a rx 330 in Nov of the impending recall. That rather surprised me that they themselves werent even aware of it yet..

I am a New Member with a used 2005 RX330. First Lexus....I am a female and sorry I dont know a whole lot about the mechanical side of autos so trust you members are the ones to turn to for some answers . I would sure appreciate help from you more experienced owners as to what problems are identified as the"" most common"" to expect between years 5-10 on these Lexus RX's.. I only have 67,000 kms on it at present and dont do a lot of driving but can anyone """shortlist""" what repairs I should expect to run into over the next 3-5 years.... I dont have a lot of time to do the necessary research and I need to PURCHASE a warranty pkg ASAP. I thought someone out there may have a lot of this info in their memory bank and readily available to someone who needs mentoring h....Please Help as I have a pending Oxygen sensor replacement to do and need to know if this would be something that is typically covered on a warranty these days..Are most sensors even covered on a five year or older vehicle? I tried to get ahold of a finance person at a Lexus dealer (there isnt one in town)in hopes of finding out what insurer they use for their own Pre-Owned Certified Autos Sales but he was out of office and no call back yet.. Anyone out there know WHO they use or know if all dealers use the same insures in N.A. for their extended warranties.? I am Cdn so dont know if that makes a difference but I assume most of these insurers are multi-national corp's... IF not is there Any Cdn owners out there that can advise where they got their pkg and its price tag? What essential coverage do I need to be sure is included, based on your own experiences.? Any other tips or warnings on what to look out for when shopping for a warranty pkg?.... Has anyone dealt with the Cdn company FCPP(First Canadian Protection Plan)... the dealer offered this plan to me but it doesnt seem to cover some obvious things I expect could go wrong between yr's 5-8? Cost is $2393.00 plus tax and there is NO coverage on Power Accessories ie, window motors, door lock actuators, power seat motor, antennae motor sun roof motor ,no coverage either on electrical ie; heated seats, window regulators theft deterrant sys , radio, dvd,, daytime running lights module, complete vehicle wiring harness, any manual switches . Also no external sensors per engine, no ABS sensors No ABS hydraulic modulator. Seems like a lot that ISNT covered to me but I am no pro at this vehicle stuff and dont have a clue as to what really is critical to have covered!!!! Does this coverage seem to be the industry standard for 5yr old vehicles OR are better plans out there that u can direct me to. HELP PLEASE Prior experience on my other vehicle showed the power windows became a recurring issue between years 7-10. Have any of u had problems that were NOT covered by warranty that I need to be on the look out for.... Any big dollar ones to be wary of? Hopefully doing due diligence, maintence- wise will avoid major issues but I would like to be prepared in advance. I am assuming now by the cost of the sensor replacement(if they are even covered typically), that even the small things that could go wrong could make NOT having a extended warranty way too risky.. YET Previous experience taught me that anything that could go wrong with what was ""covered"" on the warranty only started going wrong 9 days after coverage lapsed..Indusry had it timed perfectly in those days that they didnt get too burned but I can see cars have become a lot more complex in a short period of time so maybe things have changed and a warraNty is more necessary now... Some clients said they would prefer to put that money the warranty costs aside, pay for things as they came up, and figured they saved money in the long run when the repair costs totalled less then the cost of the warranty... I was warned lexus parts could be 2+xs higher then domestic parts so does that blow their argument ?......Having had no experience with Lexus owners before who still werent under warranty, I just dont know how to make this call on what to predict will happen and the costs involved if I am NOT covered. I just know the research done before purchase said that there was only 1% of these vehicles with major issues between year 5-10 , way lower then N.A. made products..That they calculated just under 11,000.00 to repair or replace if every system failed on it. I know that is highly unlikely to happen.... thamks in advance for any guidance

Hope you get some answers soon. I am a new member w/o a lot of time to do the appropriate research needed myself and am hoping for some ""quick advice" from you more experienced owners per mechanical ot electrical issues to expect..... Have a pending Oxygen sensor job to do on my new purchase. It is pricey and making me realize I need some warranty protection as I am also one of the unlucky ones that has the ""key stuck in ignition syndrome"" .This terrifies me now being that I am a female, usually travelling solo and one of those dinasours that hates cell phones and doesnt even have one to use if I was to have another emergency situation with the key... I have the same questions as you but aimed more at the expected issues for a 5 year old RX330 over the next 3-5 years period...Do you know what the obvious ones would be outside of the brakes etc? I have to shop around for a good warranty pkg that will be likely to cover the majority of issues other owners may have had between years 5-10 of ownership.. Any tips for me while I am asking for help on a ""'good warranty pkg""" that I may be able to purchase. I am Cdn though I dont know if that will limit me to dealing only with a Cdn company. They have offered me for $2393.00 plus taxes, a pkg from First Canadian Protection Plans but there is NO coverage for power accessories per windows,door actuaters,seat motor, mirror motor, and sun roof motor or steering wheel componets etc, window regulatorss, heated seats, theft system, complete vehicle wiring harness, daytime running lights etc....Any ideas as to whether this sounds typical or not for the services and parts NOT to be covered.Im a little nervous about not having the power windoww stuff covered in this offer as those were issues with my last vehicle between years 7-10. Any idea on the cost of these window repairs from your own experience in the past with other lexus' Any tips or guidance, maybe names of insures you have been happy with would sure be appreciated..Good Luck on getting some responses....I'm assuming now after what I have just been thru that it would be too risky NOT to have any warranty ,right? What are your thoughts? Please and Thankyou in advance if you have any answers to relay back to me asap...

The time tested fix; "Don't force it, get a bigger hammer!!" Congratulations, Paul Gotta Love this...Hopefully the Lexus engineers overview this forum and recognize they need to deal with this issue. How many complaints do they have to get before they get that there is a design problem and modifications are needed.? I certainly intend to write a letter. The Toyota mat problem certainly got addressed when enough people complained didnt it?..If it happens to me again I wont be too happy.. Sure took away the excitement I had upon purchasing what I thought was a top notch, well- engineered vehicle...Now I'll HAVE TO not only carry a hammer at all times but a screwdriver too for the override switch!!!!!...If I wasnt so embarrassed to tell the people who have admired this vehicle that yes its pretty and the most expensive vehicle I have ever bought but PLEASE ignore the hammer and the screwdriver you see I need to get it started... Pretty sad isnt it? NOT the best advertising for them for sure is it? Now I'll have to say a prayer everytime I go to get into it that I dont need my hammer.....My kids are cracking up at the situation and I dont think they will be buying a Lexus any time soon after this schmozzle. Wish I could laugh about too. I am counting on having the same luck of the last fellow who said it was a one time screw-up for him....I even made a deal with God that I wouldnt curse out the car ever again if She would just let the key turn for me....P.S. I think I'll probably have the same look on my face as this emoticon when I finally try to start it next time. Wish me luck...I need it :cries:

I am having same issues. Just found some pointers about the merits of tapping the key while in cylinder with a hammer, screwdriver and WD40 on postings on PAGE 2 of this RX330 Forum. Didnt go back far enough last nite when I was trying to find help with this problem. Worth checking out..... Whoever would have thought????.... Hopefully one of these suggestions posted earlier will solve your problem. Could just be jammed up but it does appear unfortunately to be a bit of a design error... Good Luck and sure hope it works for u. Keep me posted. <_< Thanks Pauljcl per the graphite tip. Hopefully one can buy this at Canadian Tire or get from a mechanic... Count your blessings this hasnt happened to you. OMG... the bill for that and the a/c sensor replacement would have put me back almost 1200.00.. Didnt want to have to pay out that kind of money so I am thrilled these tips were out there. BLESS THE INTERET and thank you all for sharing your tips... :)

Ooops had the page wrong that would direct you to some help. It is on Pg 4- Post Title is Key Does Not Turn by TRYENDA Go to Pg 2 of those postings... Called my mechanic, he tried their suggestion and Voila IT WORKS....Said he himself would replace the cylinder in event it could happen again but I am going to try and save the $600.00+cost to replace it and keep fingers crossed that it wont happen again or at least if it does I may be able to correct it myself with the hammer method... Unbelievable!!!!!!My trusty old van is looking better all the time to me but she sure isnt as pretty inside as Lexy is..Well good news is that even the mechanic learned something today. Go figure...

I am having same issues. Just found some pointers about the merits of tapping the key while in cylinder with a hammer, screwdriver and WD40 on postings on PAGE 2 of this RX330 Forum. Didnt go back far enough last nite when I was trying to find help with this problem. Worth checking out..... Whoever would have thought????.... Hopefully one of these suggestions posted earlier will solve your problem. Could just be jammed up but it does appear unfortunately to be a bit of a design error... Good Luck and sure hope it works for u. Keep me posted. <_<

I have the same issue going on. W/O 2005 RX330 vehicle now 5 days.....I had the Toyota mechanic try the tip from the person of pressing the unlock button 3 x's, waiting 5 sec, then repeating 3 times before trying the key.. Unfortunately he tried that and it didnt work... In fact created another issue. He couldnt get the right passenger window up afterwards and as it is about -30 out he wasnt impressed. Hopefully he can now figure out now how to get the window shut... Yikes.. He is ordering a new ignition cylinder for it and as we are quite a distance from the nearest Lexus dealer I am w/o ""Lexy"" for quite a few more days. Am told that the key will THEN have to be sent out by the Lexus people to a locksmith to be recoded before they can ship part back here...Thank God they gave me a a loaner car.. Also talked to a service tech at a Toronto Lexus and he said he hadnt seen this happen before in 10 years of working there.. My dealer assured me he knew the service records of my vehicle and it was maintained diligently and he has never seen it either on the other Lexus' he has sold... Arent we lucky to be one of the few it happened to,IF the truth was told? Not!!!!!I am not under warranty , cost of part, shipping and the towing of vehicle is mid $600.00...I have ONLY driven the vehicle about 30 times, put on max 400 kms and this vehicle only had 67000kms on it when I bought it a couple of months ago... Frustrated to say the least!!!! Love a lot about it but I compare it to a beautiful women who is heartless.....You may have to bite the bullet and have a new cylinder put in... Good Luck