Newbie Recommended Maint

[tgaugh]

Hi all,

We just picked up our first Lexus, an '02 RX300. It has 39k on it and we got it for $24,800. It's in great mechanical shape and looks great as well. Single owner, no smoking.

Just looking for general maintenance advice. I am learning there are some scary things with these transmissions and things to look out for. Also the oil filter was next to impossible to remove, is this normal?

Please provide me with your seasoned-Lexus owner hit list. Exactly what maintenance you would do from a mechanical perspective after just picking this car up. i.e. Oil, trans, tires, anything.

Thanks so much!!

tgaugh

[LexKid630]

Is your rx300 all wheel drive or front wheel drive?

[tgaugh]

It is AWD.

So far we have found out that it needs all new rotors and brakes. An oil change and filter, and air filter. Also a note that the rear diff plug is seized.

So far, 1078.05 in maintenance. The dealer is going to resolve the rotors + brakes, that is 1019.20 of that, includes the flush/pads/rotors.

I am terrified of the transmission issues I am reading. Thanks for your input LexKid.

[RX in NC]

Keep your transmission fluid clean and use only Toyota Type T-IV fluid to protect your warranty. I change ours every 30,000 miles, but some on this forum do so every 15,000 miles. The AWD transmission is the biggest flaw in this vehicle (ours failed at about 48,000 miles), so check your fluid often, drive the vehicle intelligently, and don't tow anything with it. Good luck to you.

[dchan865]

It is AWD.

So far we have found out that it needs all new rotors and brakes. An oil change and filter, and air filter. Also a note that the rear diff plug is seized.

So far, 1078.05 in maintenance. The dealer is going to resolve the rotors + brakes, that is 1019.20 of that, includes the flush/pads/rotors.

I am terrified of the transmission issues I am reading. Thanks for your input LexKid.

←

With 39K on it,it already need new rotors and brakes? Is it too early for that?

Mine has 80K and still don't need new brakes yet. Just curious as to why it worn so quickly. Only thing I could think of is that the previous owner drive the car pretty hard.