Extended Warranty?

[mazz520]

I purchased a 99 RX 300 with 39,000 miles a few months ago. Is an extended warranty suggested? Can anyone refer a company? Thanks in advance.

[jeremyp]

Read the thread below about the 99 RX300 and the transmission problems some are having. Here's the link to the thread.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=ST&f=5&t=1291&

I'd be getting one if I were you. I had an aftermarket warranty through Platinum Warranty Corp for a 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee I used to own and they were excellent to deal with. I paid $1100 for 2yrs/24,000 miles on the Jeep and it had 115,000 miles on it when I bought it.

[jlcpo]

dear mazz,

any reputable financial advisor will tell you - do not buy extended warranties on anything. i know, it may sound funny - why financial advisors? - but ones that i trust talk about ANY expense, including purchasing car. we just bought 99 rx300, 40723 miles, and were offered extended warranty for $5000. that would bring the cost of the purchase to almost $30000, which is about the cost of a NEW venicle. so we declined.

you still have 30000 miles to go on drivetrain. pull carfax report on your car, it will tell you exactly what you have left.

but my suggestion will be like this: replace oil with RoyalPurple 5w30; replace transmission fluid (drain, refill with 3 quartes of fresh fluid, drive for 15 miles, drain, replace, drive, drain, replace, drive, drain, replace. it will take you about an hour and a half, will cost about 60 bucks, but you will have perfectly clean fluid inside. if lexus was dumb enough not to put drain plug into the pan, do it over 3 weekends as you'll have to lower the pan. stick new filter in there on the same occasionbut before the final refill); replace spark plugs; replace air filter, i have mine replaced with K&N on all my vehicles (4); buy a can of electrical greese and electrical connector cleaner in autosupply for some $10 total, locate any electrical hookup you can find on the engine and transmission, unhook, clean, greese, re-hook; change oil in rear transfer case if you have all wheel drive; possibly, replace spark plug wires; replace coolant; if you are into home mechanics, fork for repair manual for this car, some $80 i believe, and clean EGR valve and PCV valve. PCVs are so cheap it pays just to buy a new one. open moonroof and lubricate the outside rubber seal with the same electrical greese, thick layer, and run moonroof few times open/close. or vasiline, works as well, just that greese is much more durable. if you can not do it yourself, find a friend that can and buy him a nice dinner. you will total $200, will have car good to go for the next 50K miles easy, just do not drive it roughly, it's not Honda. will work as well as that $5000 extended warrenty. take half of the money you saved on warrenty and put it into your retirement fund. or all of it for the same cause.

have fun and happy holidays. :D

jlcpo@msn.com

[jeremyp]

$5000 for an extended warranty! Are you nuts! I wouldn't pay $5k for one either! You were going to get ripped off on that one. The F&I Mgr was going to take a nice trip on the commission from that one! Straight to the Bahamas!

No, seriously. Most of the time I'd agree with you about extended warranties. EXCEPT, in cases like this where the 99 RX300 has a known history of tranny problems that are VERY EXPENSIVE to fix. I'd definitely shop around for one. If you can get a good warranty for say $1500-$1700 and the cost of a new tranny is somewhere around $5000+ I'd say it's a good deal.

I'm not saying it's a definite, but I would strongly urge you to check into one.

J

[Jon in Raleigh, NC]

As long as you care for your vehicle per your owner's manual, an extended warranty is always a waste of money. However, you SHOULD document your vehicle's problems thoroughly and always be prepared to do battle with your Lexus service manager when the time comes. Jeremy is correct about the known transmission problems in the 1999 and 2000 RX300s. I just won my battle with Lexus and had a new (remanufactured) transmission installed in my wife's 2000 RX300 at about 48,500 miles. Lexus did this under the original warranty at no cost to us.

Again, document your problems carefully and don't allow Lexus to convince you that lousy transmission performance is normal for your vehicle. Good luck.

[Shkspier]

In response to JLCOP's recommendation on new oil . . . I also am a new "used" Lexus owner. Just bought a 2000 RX300 with ~44,500 miles for about $26K. I did not go with the extended warranty relying instead on the remainder of my factory powertrain warranty (and considering that it's a Lexus).

That being said, I've been told that synthetic oil is the way to go. However, how do I know if my engine has been using conventional or synthetic to date? Does it matter? If it's been using conventional and I replace with synthetic, can I damage the engine? Is it true that you can go longer between oil changes with synthetic?

Thanks for the advice. It's good to know that this forum is here to help out!

[Jon in Raleigh, NC]

You can switch to synthetic motor oil at any time during the life of a vehicle without causing damage to your engine. Obviously, the sooner you switch, the more likely it will be that you will receive the full benefit of a longer engine life through less wear-and-tear on your engine components. You should maintain your oil change interval at 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Don't push it beyond 7,500 - it's not worth the risk.

Be aware of the potential weaknesses in your vehicle's transmission. Use only the Toyota Type T-IV transmission fluid that your owners manual emphasizes. Many owners of 1999 and 2000 RX300s experience transmission problems that range from minor to major. Spend some time researching this issue and documenting any transmission problems you may experience, particularly first thing in the morning in cool or cold weather.

It is far more likely that you will experience transmission problems than engine problems, even if you don't switch to synthetic motor oil.

[Shkspier]

Thanks for the reponse Jon. I will research the transmission problems (though mine currently seems to be smooth). What type of synthetic oil do you use/recommend? What filter? I usually change my own oil -- is it pretty straight-forward in the RX300?

[Jon in Raleigh, NC]

I also do my own routine maintenance on all of my vehicles. It is a huge cost-saver and ensures that only the correct parts and fluids go into my vehicles. Jiffy Lubes and Quick-10s have ruined a ton of transmissions and probably a few engines out there by assuming that all vehicles can use their standard lubricants when we know better.

I've used Valvoline motor oil products for more than 25 years now. Valvoline makes great fluids and I've never had a fluid-related problem in any of my engines in the more than 20 vehicles I've owned over the years. Some folks like Castrol products, particularly for Japanese vehicles. Some folks like Mobil One products. You won't go wrong with any of these choices. And it really isn't absolutely necessary for you to switch to synthetic oil unless you really want to. As long as you change your regular oil every 5,000 miles and stick with good quality oils, your engine will be fine.

The only complaint I have with changing the oil in my wife's 2000 RX300 is the location of the oil filter. You'll find it on the front of the engine block directly beneath the exhaust manifold. As a result, this placement provides you with very limited working room (and makes it almost impossible to pull a filter off a hot engine). Several months ago I received a tip on this forum for the best oil filter wrench / socket attachment to use in order to go after the RX300's difficult placement. I'm assuming that you have a standard three-eighths inch socket drive. If so, go to your local Pep Boys and buy a Lisle Import Car Filter Wrench, Part No. 63600. This is a well-designed heavy-metal spring-loaded wrench cap that you'll attach to your socket handle with a short extension and then go in from the front of your open hood (not underneath the vehicle) to pull your old filter out with. This tool will cost you about ten bucks, and it will make changing your oil filter a piece of cake compared to trying to use a conventional spanner wrench where you have no room to turn the spanner wrench once you get it onto the filter. If Pep Boys doesn't have this Lisle wrench in stock, get them to order it for you. Once you have it and use it, you"ll understand why this is the only way to go with this particular vehicle. It's the best-engineered and best-made oil filter wrench I own (and I think I have about six different wrenches now). Life is a lot easier for RX300 owners who want to change their own oil once they have this Lisle wrench in their toolbox.