Your Secetet Safe With Me.

[grouch]

New old guy here. Got my first Lexus and it's an 04' RX330. I've had Ford's, Chevy's, Chrys. and a Lincoln LSC. This is one of the worst steering, riding and noisiest cars yet. The head lights (HID) are unsafe at any speed over 30 MPH.

In Montana, we don't have a Lexus dealer (no one makes enough money here for them.) But, I did find an independent Lexus Cert. mechanic that retired from Lexus and has a small shop (gold mine) here.

He took it for a drive and told me

1. The wind noise is from the large drain holes in the bottom of the doors. Which he fixed and cut the noise in 1/2.

2. The bad steering that wants to follow ruts is from a bad set of strut bearings that came from the Canadian Lexus plant and should be covered by a TSB. He's checking into that.

3. The HID light's have a modified reflector from Lexus to correct the short cut-off range. He's checking into that too.

Now if I could just keep the rear from "launching" over tar strips, I'll be happy.

I have other complaints, but I'm just an old grouch anyway.

Don't worry, I'll tell my friends that it's the greatest car ever. Your secret safe with me......

[wwest]

New old guy here. Got my first Lexus and it's an 04' RX330. I've had Ford's, Chevy's, Chrys. and a Lincoln LSC. This is one of the worst steering, riding and noisiest cars yet. The head lights (HID) are unsafe at any speed over 30 MPH.

In Montana, we don't have a Lexus dealer (no one makes enough money here for them.) But, I did find an independent Lexus Cert. mechanic that retired from Lexus and has a small shop (gold mine) here.

He took it for a drive and told me

1. The wind noise is from the large drain holes in the bottom of the doors. Which he fixed and cut the noise in 1/2.

2. The bad steering that wants to follow ruts is from a bad set of strut bearings that came from the Canadian Lexus plant and should be covered by a TSB. He's checking into that.

3. The HID light's have a modified reflector from Lexus to correct the short cut-off range. He's checking into that too.

Now if I could just keep the rear from "launching" over tar strips, I'll be happy.

I have other complaints, but I'm just an old grouch anyway.

Don't worry, I'll tell my friends that it's the greatest car ever. Your secret safe with me......

Just wait til the snow flies, if it hasn't already, and you discover that tire chains cannot be fitted to the rear wheels.....

And if you bought AWD just wait til you discover it isn't.

And there are a few things you need to know about the climate control system before...

I sometimes travel to MT in the winter, (Lewistown) but if I lived there still I would not own ANY FWD or F/AWD vehicle.

The FWD or F/AWD RX330 series is an absolutely EXCELLENT vehicle...if you live in Tucson.

[Booyah]

:snoooorrrtttt: What a hater

[Karl K]

I usually do my home work before I buy a car, not after.

[carguy07]

It sounds like most of your issues are fixable, but you can't get to a dealer to have them corrected. My Chevy's, Ford's and Chrysler's are not usually fixable for any cost? What car is so much better or are they all crap to you??

[carguy07]

"Just wait til the snow flies, if it hasn't already, and you discover that tire chains cannot be fitted to the rear wheels.....

And if you bought AWD just wait til you discover it isn't.

And there are a few things you need to know about the climate control system before...

I sometimes travel to MT in the winter, (Lewistown) but if I lived there still I would not own ANY FWD or F/AWD vehicle.

The FWD or F/AWD RX330 series is an absolutely EXCELLENT vehicle...if you live in Tucson."

Tire chains?? Are you serious? Do us all a favor, lose the over sized wheels with the wheel spacers that widen your stance. Lose the +1 size tires that physics and everyone else says will make the car squirmy in the snow. Get some real snow tires (Turanza's are NOT snow tires) that are the correct size or even -1, drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back.

Signed, a guy in NE Ohio that swears these cars are awesome in the snow.

[grouch]

Sorry if I offended anyone. I've seen very few people on a forum that are here because they have had NO trouble.

I bought the car because I wanted one.

When was the last time you saw anyone with chains in MT. Most don't use them unless you live in a rural access area.

This is the first foreign designed high end car I've owned and can only use prior owned cars as a comparison.

I've done a lot of searches and reading of other post and see that my complaints are similar to others, just described differently.

[wwest]

"Just wait til the snow flies, if it hasn't already, and you discover that tire chains cannot be fitted to the rear wheels.....

And if you bought AWD just wait til you discover it isn't.

And there are a few things you need to know about the climate control system before...

I sometimes travel to MT in the winter, (Lewistown) but if I lived there still I would not own ANY FWD or F/AWD vehicle.

The FWD or F/AWD RX330 series is an absolutely EXCELLENT vehicle...if you live in Tucson."

Tire chains?? Are you serious? Do us all a favor, lose the over sized wheels with the wheel spacers that widen your stance. Lose the +1 size tires that physics and everyone else says will make the car squirmy in the snow. Get some real snow tires (Turanza's are NOT snow tires) that are the correct size or even -1, drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back.

Signed, a guy in NE Ohio that swears these cars are awesome in the snow.

Here on the eastside of Seattle it is a rather RARE occassion that I have to deal with snow or ice on the roadbed, so winter tires of any ilk would be a waste.

And I suspect you have to spend a winter or two in MT, even in the Bitterroot valley ( the banana belt of MT) to understand the tire chain issue.

Strange...Hasn't Lexus been using 17", or even larger, wheels for quite a few years now...??

"Squimy in the snow..."

Let's see, wider wheels, more, wider tread on the road, less sidewall to flex...

"physics and everyone else..."

I can't speak for "everyone else" by as for physics, NOT in any of the classes I attended...!!

And finally.....

"..drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back..."

No need for a blizzard, my snow covered parking lot experience should suffice...

When I "punch it" the brakes "rattle", the engine get dethrottled, and the RX moves slowly forward at the speed, acceleration rate, that can be supported by the available surface traction.

But "punching it" otherwise is against my base nature and lifetime driving experience.

[grouch]

quote]

Here on the eastside of Seattle it is a rather RARE occassion that I have to deal with snow or ice on the roadbed, so winter tires of any ilk would be a waste.

And I suspect you have to spend a winter or two in MT, even in the Bitterroot valley ( the banana belt of MT) to understand the tire chain issue.

Strange...Hasn't Lexus been using 17", or even larger, wheels for quite a few years now...??

"Squimy in the snow..."

Let's see, wider wheels, more, wider tread on the road, less sidewall to flex...

"physics and everyone else..."

Yep, been here for 12 years and have various size chains in my garage that have never been opened.

You brought up a good point that I don't understand. Car mfg's. go to larger rims for larger disc clearance. Are the brakes on the RX that large that 17" rims are necessary and why go 1" larger for an option? Everyone here agrees that a taller side wall results in a better ride. Narrow side wall improve handling on a sports car, but will the average RX driver ever push it to it's limits?

[SW03ES]

Sounds to me like you bought a beat up abused used car. Should have had a mechanic look at it before you bought it. The Lexus is a good vehicle (I have driven MANY RX330s and have experienced none of the issues you've described) but any car can be abused like this car was.

The larger wheels have nothing to do with brake clearance, its for style thats all.

[grouch]

Sounds to me like you bought a beat up abused used car. Should have had a mechanic look at it before you bought it. The Lexus is a good vehicle (I have driven MANY RX330s and have experienced none of the issues you've described) but any car can be abused like this car was.

The larger wheels have nothing to do with brake clearance, its for style thats all.

No, it's a solid car with issues that should have been taken care of by the prior owner or Lexus.

Will 16" rims fit? There is a lot of aftermarket rims in the 16 & 17" size and more tire selections

[SW03ES]

Sounds to me like you bought a beat up abused used car. Should have had a mechanic look at it before you bought it. The Lexus is a good vehicle (I have driven MANY RX330s and have experienced none of the issues you've described) but any car can be abused like this car was.

The larger wheels have nothing to do with brake clearance, its for style thats all.

No, it's a solid car with issues that should have been taken care of by the prior owner or Lexus.

Well, its not Lexus' fault the vehicle has not been maintained. However good a vehicle is, it still has to be maintained.

[carguy07]

"Just wait til the snow flies, if it hasn't already, and you discover that tire chains cannot be fitted to the rear wheels.....

And if you bought AWD just wait til you discover it isn't.

And there are a few things you need to know about the climate control system before...

I sometimes travel to MT in the winter, (Lewistown) but if I lived there still I would not own ANY FWD or F/AWD vehicle.

The FWD or F/AWD RX330 series is an absolutely EXCELLENT vehicle...if you live in Tucson."

Tire chains?? Are you serious? Do us all a favor, lose the over sized wheels with the wheel spacers that widen your stance. Lose the +1 size tires that physics and everyone else says will make the car squirmy in the snow. Get some real snow tires (Turanza's are NOT snow tires) that are the correct size or even -1, drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back.

Signed, a guy in NE Ohio that swears these cars are awesome in the snow.

Here on the eastside of Seattle it is a rather RARE occassion that I have to deal with snow or ice on the roadbed, so winter tires of any ilk would be a waste.

And I suspect you have to spend a winter or two in MT, even in the Bitterroot valley ( the banana belt of MT) to understand the tire chain issue.

Strange...Hasn't Lexus been using 17", or even larger, wheels for quite a few years now...??

"Squimy in the snow..."

Let's see, wider wheels, more, wider tread on the road, less sidewall to flex...

"physics and everyone else..."

I can't speak for "everyone else" by as for physics, NOT in any of the classes I attended...!!

And finally.....

"..drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back..."

No need for a blizzard, my snow covered parking lot experience should suffice...

When I "punch it" the brakes "rattle", the engine get dethrottled, and the RX moves slowly forward at the speed, acceleration rate, that can be supported by the available surface traction.

But "punching it" otherwise is against my base nature and lifetime driving experience.

Here is a good place to start: http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AK1&ur...&techid=126 I know, I know, they are a retailer. They must be trying to sell you the cheaper -1 tires because there is more mark up.

You show me one thing that even hints that fat low profile tires are better in the snow than narrow high profile tires and you can win Gore's Nobel prize.

[Booyah]

I drove my 04 330 with the 18" rims and tires for 4 years in Alaska snow and never ONCE did I have any problem whats-so-ever! Went to the ski slopes mant times, on trips 4 hours away thru snow/blizzards whatever AK had to offer. The AWD-RX is a Solid car in the snow,

wwest has been negative towards the RX since day one--just skip his post and move on:) You have a great car and just throw on some nice tiresm you will be fine,

[wwest]

quote]

Here on the eastside of Seattle it is a rather RARE occassion that I have to deal with snow or ice on the roadbed, so winter tires of any ilk would be a waste.

And I suspect you have to spend a winter or two in MT, even in the Bitterroot valley ( the banana belt of MT) to understand the tire chain issue.

Strange...Hasn't Lexus been using 17", or even larger, wheels for quite a few years now...??

"Squimy in the snow..."

Let's see, wider wheels, more, wider tread on the road, less sidewall to flex...

"physics and everyone else..."

Yep, been here for 12 years and have various size chains in my garage that have never been opened.

You brought up a good point that I don't understand. Car mfg's. go to larger rims for larger disc clearance.

And for one more reason, looks and appearance.

Are the brakes on the RX that large that 17" rims are necessary and why go 1" larger for an option?

No, I didn't want to be restricted to the use of tire chains only on the front so the spacers were added to provide enough clearance between the tire and the suspension. Once commited to the spacers I had to decide on a wheel with the "correct" offset such that the tire remained inside the wheelwell. That turned out to be, by pure happenstance (seached the BBS catalog thoroughly), RH brand 17X8 wheels.

Everyone here agrees that a taller side wall results in a better ride.

And in that I don't disagree with "everyone", but coming from a '92 Jeep Cherokee Limited the RX seemed a bit too "soft" for my taste.

Narrow side wall improve handling on a sports car, but will the average RX driver ever push it to it's limits?

You don't need to go to the "limits" to appreciate a tab better handling. But yes, accident avoidance might very well require pushing the suspension to it's limits.

[wwest]

I drove my 04 330 with the 18" rims and tires for 4 years in Alaska snow and never ONCE did I have any problem whats-so-ever! Went to the ski slopes mant times, on trips 4 hours away thru snow/blizzards whatever AK had to offer. The AWD-RX is a Solid car in the snow,

wwest has been negative towards the RX since day one--just skip his post and move on:) You have a great car and just throw on some nice tiresm you will be fine,

So, which do you use, studs or chains to get about early in the morning of an overnight spring freeze after a yesterday thaw...??

I have never known snow in AK to be any hindrance to driving around, it was always that icy surface underneath the (DRY) snow covering or on top that gave me the most problem. And in Anchorage and Fairbanks in the wintertime of the 70's the rental cars (RWD ALL) often had chains installed when you drove off the lot.

[wwest]

"Just wait til the snow flies, if it hasn't already, and you discover that tire chains cannot be fitted to the rear wheels.....

And if you bought AWD just wait til you discover it isn't.

And there are a few things you need to know about the climate control system before...

I sometimes travel to MT in the winter, (Lewistown) but if I lived there still I would not own ANY FWD or F/AWD vehicle.

The FWD or F/AWD RX330 series is an absolutely EXCELLENT vehicle...if you live in Tucson."

Tire chains?? Are you serious? Do us all a favor, lose the over sized wheels with the wheel spacers that widen your stance. Lose the +1 size tires that physics and everyone else says will make the car squirmy in the snow. Get some real snow tires (Turanza's are NOT snow tires) that are the correct size or even -1, drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back.

Signed, a guy in NE Ohio that swears these cars are awesome in the snow.

Here on the eastside of Seattle it is a rather RARE occassion that I have to deal with snow or ice on the roadbed, so winter tires of any ilk would be a waste.

And I suspect you have to spend a winter or two in MT, even in the Bitterroot valley ( the banana belt of MT) to understand the tire chain issue.

Strange...Hasn't Lexus been using 17", or even larger, wheels for quite a few years now...??

"Squimy in the snow..."

Let's see, wider wheels, more, wider tread on the road, less sidewall to flex...

"physics and everyone else..."

I can't speak for "everyone else" by as for physics, NOT in any of the classes I attended...!!

And finally.....

"..drive into a blizzard and punch it and report back..."

No need for a blizzard, my snow covered parking lot experience should suffice...

When I "punch it" the brakes "rattle", the engine get dethrottled, and the RX moves slowly forward at the speed, acceleration rate, that can be supported by the available surface traction.

But "punching it" otherwise is against my base nature and lifetime driving experience.

Here is a good place to start: http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AK1&ur...&techid=126 I know, I know, they are a retailer. They must be trying to sell you the cheaper -1 tires because there is more mark up.

You show me one thing that even hints that fat low profile tires are better in the snow than narrow high profile tires and you can win Gore's Nobel prize.

The next time I see Al I'll ask for my prize.

"Fat", wider, tires spread the car's weight over a larger area and therefore tend to ride higher on the snowpack. Whereas narrow (tread) high profile (deep sidewall) will sink farther down into the snowpack.

If you made your argument against/about hydroplaning your statement would be correct. The "fat"/wide tire has a stronger tendancy to ride on top, hydroplane.

But really, that's all beside the point.

As long as it's only snow I have to deal with my summer tires work just fine. But once that snow gets packed down with an icy surface, an icy HARD surface, is when nothing other than studs or chains will be of any help.

[Booyah]

I had Zero problems driving around up here, even when its a bit icy. Never use studs or chains, dont need them.

As you see I bought me an 08 with the Better AWD system so they say but so far I have not noticed any differance? Not sure what Im looking or feeling for, it just goes:)

[wwest]

I had Zero problems driving around up here, even when its a bit icy. Never use studs or chains, dont need them.

As you see I bought me an 08 with the Better AWD system so they say but so far I have not noticed any differance? Not sure what Im looking or feeling for, it just goes:)

Define better, do you know what was "improved"...??

[tmastres]

Sorry if I offended anyone. I've seen very few people on a forum that are here because they have had NO trouble.

Not offended, just a bit confused. Is there a car in the world that gives No trouble ever?? True, people come here when they have problems, thats the point of the forum! Does anyone have so much free time they'd come to a forum just to say " hey my Lexus runs perfectly , just wanted y'all to know"

I bought the car because I wanted one.

OK well, now you've got one. :D

If you looked into them a bit (which I 'm sure you must have done) you'd have known that they weren't particularly good handling vehicles. In fact if you simply looked AT them you can tell, they're SUV/Crossovers, they're not meant to handle well. They're Luxury vehicles with soft cushy rides, thats what they're supposed to be like.

I guess a fairer and more enlightening question would be to ask, all kidding aside, What exactly did you expect from your RX when you got it? Just curious. It seems like you're a bit disappointed and I'm wondering what your expectations were.

[grouch]

If you looked into them a bit (which I 'm sure you must have done) you'd have known that they weren't particularly good handling vehicles. In fact if you simply looked AT them you can tell, they're SUV/Crossovers, they're not meant to handle well. They're Luxury vehicles with soft cushy rides, thats what they're supposed to be like.

Yes, I did a lot of research. I wanted a SUV that the wife and I could do some traveling in. The Lexus has a great dependability and holds it value much better than any thing else. I wanted a "point and go" SUV with comfort. Everything I read said that the RX330 was a quite and best riding car out there. I know that a sport coupe or sedan would "handle" better, but we don't like riding along and looking at the guard rail.

I guess a fairer and more enlightening question would be to ask, all kidding aside, What exactly did you expect from your RX when you got it? Just curious. It seems like you're a bit disappointed and I'm wondering what your expectations were.

I was disappointed in the fact that on anything short of smooth roads, I need to grip the steering wheel with both hands to keep it in my lane and going straight. The other issues are small and can be delt with.

There are no Lexus dealers in MT and we had to drive 120 miles to find this one at a reputable Toyota dealer. I was impressed with the looks of the car, the nav. sys. and DVD player (not factory I discovered later.)

[wwest]

If you looked into them a bit (which I 'm sure you must have done) you'd have known that they weren't particularly good handling vehicles. In fact if you simply looked AT them you can tell, they're SUV/Crossovers, they're not meant to handle well. They're Luxury vehicles with soft cushy rides, thats what they're supposed to be like.

Yes, I did a lot of research. I wanted a SUV that the wife and I could do some traveling in. The Lexus has a great dependability and holds it value much better than any thing else. I wanted a "point and go" SUV with comfort. Everything I read said that the RX330 was a quite and best riding car out there. I know that a sport coupe or sedan would "handle" better, but we don't like riding along and looking at the guard rail.

I guess a fairer and more enlightening question would be to ask, all kidding aside, What exactly did you expect from your RX when you got it? Just curious. It seems like you're a bit disappointed and I'm wondering what your expectations were.

I was disappointed in the fact that on anything short of smooth roads, I need to grip the steering wheel with both hands to keep it in my lane and going straight. The other issues are small and can be delt with.

There are no Lexus dealers in MT and we had to drive 120 miles to find this one at a reputable Toyota dealer. I was impressed with the looks of the car, the nav. sys. and DVD player (not factory I discovered later.)

I have driven my '01 AWD RX300 pretty much all around in MT, even Lewistown to Denton and on out to Everson. About 1/2 way of that is hill-n-dale gravel with lots of curves thrown in. Unless the stearing system was changed seriously by '04 I would suspect something be to be VERY wrong with your RX. Might be worth a drive over to the Lexus dealer in "nearby" (for Montanans) Spokane.

[wwest]

I was going to ask how many miles on your RX but in MT the "origin" of a used car might be more important, a LOT more important. Many MT farmers and ranchers could well afford a Lexus and many of them simply park/abandon a vehicle "outback" even for the smallest of problems. Additionally these folks often live in rugged terrain areas, VERY rugged terrain areas.

Recipe for abuse of any vehicle.

I don't think I'd buy a used MT vehicle absent being sure it was used primarily in one of your few "urban" areas and by someone with other than a MT farmer/rancher mindset.

[grouch]

I was going to ask how many miles on your RX but in MT the "origin" of a used car might be more important, a LOT more important. Many MT farmers and ranchers could well afford a Lexus and many of them simply park/abandon a vehicle "outback" even for the smallest of problems. Additionally these folks often live in rugged terrain areas, VERY rugged terrain areas.

IN YOUR DREAMS

Recipe for abuse of any vehicle.

I don't think I'd buy a used MT vehicle absent being sure it was used primarily in one of your few "urban" areas and by someone with other than a MT farmer/rancher mindset.

The RX came from Mich. and has 42K on it.

Maybe we should switch log on names.

[wwest]

I didn't say "all" MT farmers/ranchers, just many....!!