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I'll try again next time I'm in. I agree with you, Bowtie, about the Certified Warrnany program. So far, it's reaped me a new engine, and most recently, a new air-flow sensor when the Check Engine light came on.

I'd rather THEM do --- for FREE!

My wife's Certified '00 RX's Drive Indicator Light on the dashboard has stopped working as is common, apparently, with other RXs of her year and the surrounding years. She took it in for service today for a Check Engine Light issue and while she had it there she asked them to fix the dashboard light also. They told her that bulb replacement is not covered under the certification program and it would cost $89 to fix it. I can understand why headlights, taillights, turn signals, brake lights and side indicator lights aren't covered, but these lights shouldn't fail after 5 years, should they? I never owned a car that had one of these bulbs burn out, except for maybe a 1970 AMC Javelin I owned as a kid. Think it's worth my while to write to Lexus about this???

My 2000 RX 300's security light (the red one to the left of the steering wheel) stays on constantly whether the system is set (with the doors locked) or not. It did this when I bought it last summer, so I removed the negative battery cable for about 15 minutes and it seemed to work normally after that. Now it's doing it again. Obviously, I know what to do to get it to work normally again but I'm curious if anyone has ever had this diagnosed at a dealer as to what is causing it to happen. ???

I had a 2001 Honda CR-V. I only had it for about 9 months before I traded it in on our 2000 RX300. The CR-V was so "tin-canny" and underpowered that I couldn't stand it any longer. I always wanted one but then after having it a little while, I began to like it less and less. It was a terrible road car; noisy and too light to withstand the wake of passing trucks or high crosswinds. The worse thing was that it was terrible on gas, which was probably the biggest disappointment of all. The RX is everything I had hoped the Honda would be -- and MUCH MUCH MORE!

Oh...and CONGRATS, jgr7, and your purchase!!!

It's not time yet for my first oil change since the 'de-sludging'. I've still got a couple of thousand miles yet before I go back for my FREE oil change. When I do, I plan on packing 5 gallons of 5W30 Mobil 1 with me and have them use that. From that point on, I'll do my own changes with syn oil.

I've had that problem with my Acura Legend. It's an older car (1992) and I've always suspected that it was mold and/or mildew somewhere between the air intake and the inside vents. Like wwest talked about, I've also done the "Lysol thing". Seems to work for a few days and then the smell's back. Kinda unusual to see or hear about this problem on such a new vehicle as yours. I read somewhere that another "fix" for this problem (if it persists) is to shut your A/C off a couple of miles from home, especially when parking it for the night. This gives the ventilation system a little headstart in evaporating the moisture on the inside of the system. That seems to have helped me a little. Keep us all posted as to what the dealer finds.

William: It wasn't difficult at all because mine was a Certified vehicle. Is yours? If so, they shouldn't give you any crap about it. I've also read that even without the complete service history and proof of oil changes, Toyota (Lexus) will usually still replace/clean the engine. I wasn't able to see the history of my vehicle and I really didn't care that much since it was Certified. And I didn't actually get a BRAND NEW engine, just a new head, new oil pump, new seals and gaskets and a couple of other new items that I can't remember since I don't have the service bill nearby. They completely and thoroughly cleaned the other parts. In fact, the oil looks like real light-colored honey on the stick; much lighter than if it had gone into a dirty engine. The tech told me that the engine is as good as new because it's actually already broken in. The problem would only return, he said, if I failed to maintain it as recommended. Toyota supposedly redesigned the engine in 2001; I've got to believe that the new head I've got is of THAT design, which lets the oil drain back down faster. Good luck with yours.

Just curious...what possessed you to do this?

jgr7: Follow this link: http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=38921 and read about engine oil jelling (or sludging) before going back to the dealer to negotiate. If they can't produce a complete service history for the RX, then you've definately got a huge negotiating tool in your pocket. While 17K doesn't seem like very many miles for a problem to rear its ugly head, time and neglect certainly could play a factor. I'm a "sludge victim" and when I bought my 2000 RX, the oil looked like fresh honey on my dipstick, too. 5 weeks later my RX was getting a new engine installed. Be careful.

Tetons: Are you sure your head is clean in your cassette deck? Or it could be that the adapter isn't lining up correctly with the head in the deck. If you really think it's the Sony cassette (also very possible), get on Ebay and buy a cheapie there. I bought one on Ebay that I use to plug my portable DVD player into and it works great.

I figured it would work there. I modified mine by lining it with foam-type insulation and it holds my cell phone perfectly.

Oil jelling/sludging and rear oil seal leaks...I'll bet the poor guy that designed this 3.0 liter engine committed hari-kari recently. :D

This is one contest that I don't want to win! :(