Issues I Have Had With My 2005 Rx330

[Shredmonster]

Very suprised by these. Car rides very smoothly but figured since it was a Lexus I would not have issues.

1) Very back Window Strips - fell of on each side at separate times. Had to take the car in twice to get both windows replaced.

2) Moon Roof - had to be reprogrammed. Stopped working properly.

3) Headligh cover - condensation in one head light.

4) Trunk Lock Mechanisms - there are some plastic mechanisms back there that the say rattle a lot on these cars. They put felt on them and that worked.

5) Back Seat Rattling - very loud especially when cold and going over bumps. They had to install a new track on the bottom of the seat.

6) Dash is rattling now. I have read on this forum to maybe let that go since they cant get the dash as tight once they remove it.

7) CD Player - Error 3, Error 4 and lots of times where it will not eject a CD or play a CD. Seems to be only on certain CDs and I am talking commercial CD's - not computer burned ones. Very sporatic behavior.

Dealership is great and I get a replacement car for the day. But I had a Nisson Pulsar that was a $14,000 car that never had a single problem and ran for 200,000 miles.

By the way - TIRES - I live in MN where we get snow. The tires are not good snow tires. They are slippery.

What is it - factory workers, cheap parts or poor design ??

[RX in NC]

It might be a little bit of all of the above. Some RX330 owners believe that the units built in Japan are better than the units built in Canada. I believe that's a fair statement given that the Canadian plant didn't begin building RX330s until the 2004 model year. Plastic parts in the dash, rear seat areas, and hatch areas do tend to rub and squeak, especially during the colder winter months. Some owners have had success quieting these squeaks and rattles while others have not. Your success may depend upon the skill of the technicians in your dealership who attempt to chase these squeaks and rattles down for you. As far as design is concerned, believe it or not the RX330 is a better vehicle than the previous RX300. We've owned both and there's no question that the RX330 has a better transmission design and is a bit more roadworthy than the RX300.

As far as tires are concerned, living in Minnesota will really challenge your vehicle's capabilities in wintertime so dedicated snow tires during the winter months are probably best for your application. With these 18-inch wheels, your tire choices are quite limited. But for a good all-around true SUV tire, I recommend the Bridgestone Alenza. My wife has put about 6,000 miles on her set of Alenzas thus far and it is a great tire (although pricey, as all 18-inch tires are). The Alenzas are far more rain-and-snow capable than the Michelin MXV4 S8 tires that many RX330 owners are getting talked into buying at the tire stores these days. Check 'em out at tirerack.com.

My wife is the primary RX driver in our family. These crackerboxes are too small, underpowered, and annoying for me.

Good luck with yours.