kh046

I dont have this particular rattle, but the 2004 sure did have its rattles! ha I have pretty much given up asking them to fix the rattles, which often get worse when they pull the dash (which usually causes other damage to the interior). My loudest and most annoying rattle is over the passenger air vent, and its almost continuous. I've never bought a new car before with so many quality control flaws and recalls/service safety campaignsm, and i'm just about ready to sell it and try a different brand. :( :( From my experience, there is a fix for this particular rattle problem. If you keep looking through the archives, you'll probably find it. My RX 330 had a similar rattle. I took it in and they took care of it for me. You might want to try another dealer if it's not too far.

I've posted this problem in another string. However, my RX330 was doing this as well at about 20K. I finally had it checkout out at my 30K. The dealership did realize that it was warped and replaced it under warranty. I can't believe that they didn't catch this earlier.

I finally took my RX330 to my dealership. They took a look the rotors and called me back regarding it. The advisor told me that I had warped rotors. They were able to replace both of the front rotors under warranty.

Our dealership in town does not do any body repairs. They send it to a local shop here in town. The first time I went and asked, the advisor told me to just take it to them myself. I've been using that local shop myself for 2 years now. Recently, someone just swiped my front driver's bumper area. It left a scrape on the bumper where I can see the black underneath the paint and some of that black rubber got scraped as well. I was debating whether I'll pay it for myself, or go through my insurance. I ended up taking my vehicle in to that local shop and have them do an estimate. It came out to be around $600. $600 is about $300 more than my deductible. In that case, I just called it in to my insurance. By the way, that shop is also one of the shops in my insurance's list of repairs. My insurance just told me that, this case was sort of like a hit and run. The Local shop here says that they use the number on the vehicle to order the paint from where Lexus buys the paints. The after look is flawless. It looks just like the original. Just like a couple of replies before me. Do your research around your area, and take it to a independent shop that does body work for a living.

I live here in the central valley, and basically had the wipers stop on me because the down pour was so heavy. It seemed to hesitate and didn't know what to sense. In that case, I just turned it back to manual operation.

Thanks for the detailed information and the visuals.

Well, it's been a month since I first posted this post. I haven't heard from the Lexus Rep regarding my problem yet. Wow. What kind of satisfaction center is Lexus providing here?

Make an appointment with the fleet manager or internet manager. They tend to be able to give you the discount without doing that running around back and forth time waister game. If you haven't already, you need to check Edmunds.com and kbb.com for true market values (TMV) for that area you want to shop in.

Just to be on the safe side, I fold it down all the time. Even though I tend to use the car washes where they hand wash your car on the way in there, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Regarding the TSIB, do you know the part number or number for that TSIB.

Have you guys ever had it done? If so, how much does it cost to replace or to resurface the rotors? Thanks for all the advice.

I am just wondering which part do I need to replace or fix on my RX 330 which has about 28K. When driving at or above 50mph +, while braking, my RX starts to vibrate hard from the steering wheel. I was wondering, if it is my brakes that needs to be replace OR is it my rotor that needs resurfacing. Any ideas before I take it in to my dealer? Thanks

I've heard that same sound in my 2004 RX330. However, I tried to make sure I can reproduce it all the time before I take it in. I haven't had much luck reproducing the same whining noise all the time. Keep me posted on your progress with the dealership.

Jetman, don't feel too bad about your experience. I've been through a couple of those as well. That happened to me when my hatch wasn't opening right with the key fob. The advisor made me look like a fool. However, always check with this site for TSB's on your particular problem. Then the next time you go in, arm yourself with the TSB and the dealer will sure fix it without a fight. Good luck. ;)

If you are going through the costco program, the dealer has to show you costco's discounted price. When I purchased my RX330 (04), I initially went in talking to the salesman that deals with costco customers. However, when he showed me the invoice and the discount, I still thought that I was going to be paying too much. Then the guy told me, "What price is comfortable for you?" I ended up paying 39K before taxes. Do your homework, research prices, and know your price limit. Again, set up an appointment or talk with the fleet manager or internet managers. They can give you the best deals or discounts. If they haven't ran your credit yet, don't give them that information yet until you've settled on a price that you like. In this case, they're not sure how much you can really afford. Don't let them play with your emotions. Meaning, don't get too attached to the vehicle. If the price doesn't fit, walk away. That's what I did. The salesperson had to come out to my vehicle while I was leaving, and tell me that they can work with my offer. Good luck! :)