Jennifer

A couple of days ago I noticed that my car (03 Lexus IS300) was taking longer than normal to crank. The starter is fine and the engine turns over it just seems like it doesn't fire to get the engine started up. Usually it takes a couple of seconds to start but now it seems like its taking 3 or 4 seconds longer than normal. Also when this first started I would smell a gasoline smell after the car cranked. Now it has gotten worse to the point where sometimes the car won't crank on the first try and usually I am successful on the second crank. Any ideas on what might be causing this? As of recently I feel like my car is starting to fall apart at 100k miles.

LOL! The guy I was talking to just apparently had started working there. It just happens to be his "daddys" dealership.

Thanks so much for the pdf and information. It just amazes me how so many people seem to have this problem.

No, they didn't fix the door issue. The service advisor wanted $40 for them just to look the door. I walked out side and a mechanic told me it was the door actuator on the driver side. So I am just going to order one online and have the Toyota dealership here fix it for me. Apparently since my warranty has run out on my car I am no longer an important customer. $200 to fix the sensor (that there is TSB about) and probably $200 for the door lock. I am just going to call the Lexus Dealership in Mobile and get a second opinion about the O2 sensor. I will post how that conversation turns out. I guess it depends on who you talk to.

Well I drove two hours today for the Lexus Dealership for them to inform me that my car is out of warranty so the TSB doesn't apply for this situation....even though I said there was a problem last year. So now they want $200 for the sensor and installation. I was so pi**d. Then after that I was told they didn't have the part in stock. I told them that I would just have the Toyota delearship fix it in my hometown. What I am upset about is that when I brought up this problem before nothing was ever mentioned about a censor problem. The only positive thing I can think of is that my car is not messed up but that the sensor is bad. I believe that if a TSB goes out then there is a potential problem. It may not necessitate a recall but I think if it happens on a car then they should fix it ....warranty or not. The guy argued with me and said that is wasn't a problem with every car and that is why it is on a TSB and not a recall. I told him that apparently it 'COULD' happen and it has happened. Just not in their time frame. A known problem is a known problem and should be fixed if the problem ever arrises. If I had known you had to fix TSB issues before the end of the warranty I would have been all over it. Well maybe someone can learn from my dumb mistake and save some money. :(

Thanks for the tips on getting the door panel off. I am going to Montgomery tomorrow to have them fix my O2 sensor. I researched it and found the TSB for my car and it was listed. So while I am there I am going to get them to check out the door issue too. They said they would look at it with no charge since I was already in for a known issue. I'll post back with their findings.

***Update*** I went online last night and really started researching this problem. Well I found out there was a TSB released that addressed this particular problem. I guess they don't tell you about any problems unless you bring it up. Several annoyances I have had with the car were listed in the TSB. I called Lexus and they told me that they would check the code and fix the Heated Oxygen Sensor for free. I don't know if it mattered that I told him I found the service bulletin about it. If I hadn't of found this I just wonder how much I would have had to spend out of pocket to fix this. I suggest that everyone get a TSB for their particular Lexus.

:) Okay. I had this happen on my Lexus too and my husband is a mechanic so maybe this solved the problem when the dealer couldn't figure it out. Here is what solved my problem and I hope it helps you too. The Lexus Brakes have floating calipers. Most times (especially if the technician isn't careful) the caliper pins might not be put in correctly. If these pins come out you will hear a clanking sound whenever you hit a speed bump or any other bump for that matter. It sounds like a loud clanking sound...it is annoying and honestly embarrasing. Go have the brakes in the back checked out. My guess is that they are missing the caliper pins. There are two on each brake. I had mine fixed and I have never heard that noise again. Now I'm not saying this is the reason in every case but I went crazy trying to figure out what was lose in the back of my car. I totally pulled everything out the back and it still made that noise. The dealership acted like I was making it up. Hope this helps.

Okay, I hate to sound so negative because honestly i love my car. It is a blue 03 Lexus IS300. The only problem is that it has reached 60,000 miles and has decided to check out. About 6 months ago I kept telling the techs at the Lexus Dealership that I smelled something funny whenever I would "get on" my car. Now I don't drive my car like speed racer but you have to admit there are days when you throw your car over into manual and ride out. Well I noticed that when I would park it would smell like rotten eggs. I am no mechanic but that smell says to me - catalytic converter. I was told repeatedly that this was not the problem. Well now my engline light has come on...along with the TRAC light flashing. We ran a diagnostic and we got the code P0037 HO2Bank 1 Sen 2 Heater Circuit Low. I was told this was a 02 sensor and that my catalytic converter was probably stopped up. Now I don't know if this is true because I have not drove two hours to get to my nearest Lexus dealer. Have any of you had this problem? Or does anyone have any diagrams that show where sensors are located? Thanks!@ Jen

I saw this question in a different post but mine is a little different. The other night when I locked my car I noticed that the flashers did not go off and I did not hear one beep. I thought that was odd and I pressed unlock. When I did this I heard the doors unlock, two beeps and the lights flashed. Okay....so my car unlocks but will not lock. When I pressed Lock I would hear the door lock so I assumed it was something with the remote programming. Today I pressed Unlock and my drivers door would not open. I had to get my husband to unlock my door from the inside. Well, I sat in my car shut the doors and used the remote to see if it would lock the doors. I did not hear a beep or see lights but I watched as the locks moved to the lock position....all but one. The drivers door. It looks like it is hung. My question is if an actuator is bad how do I take off the door panel and find out. I honestly do not want to go to the Lexus Dealership as they have messed up my car before and when I have tried to tell them something was not right they chose to ignore it (until my warranty expired of course). I am basically trying to figure out why my car does not beep or flash lights when I press Lock (I am guessing because the drivers door is not locking) and how to remove the door panel to check the actuator. Has anyone had this problem before? Any comments are appreciated.