Newbie - First Lexus Questions

[trout]

Greetings! we just bought our first Lexus, a 2000 RX300. We looked at just about every new car out there and just happened to drive the RX that a local dealer had on the lot. After looking at new 4runners and pathfinders, my wife decided that this was the car for her. So we bought a 2000 rx300 with 38000 miles on it. It was amazing that the only pre-owned car we looked at was much smoother that the brand new cars we had driven. It fit her perfectly and she loves it.

I do have a few questions as I do not know much about Lexus at all.

Is there anything in particuliar that I should be checking on the car or any common concerns with this model?

I do have to take it back to have something fixed, while filling it with gas, I noticed gasoline dripping underneath onto the groud. It is only does it as you're pumping the gas so I assume that its somewhere in the feeder line between where you put the nozzle in and the gas tank. It doesnt do it unless you're pumping the gas.

Other than that everything seems great on the car. It runs great and is the smoothest car we have ever had.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[jeremyp]

First of all, Welcome to Lexus Owners' Club!

Secondly, go back to the dealer to get that gas leak fixed ASAP! Other than that I'd recommend keeping up to date with your oil changes and transmission fluid changes. The 3.0l V6 engine has an issue with sludge forming if you don't change your oil regularly. The transmission is known to have had some issues. Just be sure to use ONLY Toyota T-IV transmission fluid and change the fluid at the recommended intervals or when it looks to be turning brownish. It should be red when clean.

Good luck with the RX.

Jeremy

[trout]

Thanks.

As far as the fuel leakage, it is being fixed under warranty. They said that there was a tiny pin-hole in the feeder line that goes into the fuel tank. They are fixing that and adding the 6-disc cd changer. I should get it back tomorrow.

[trout]

Come on guys...Any tips? Comments? Praise? I'd like to feel better about my purchase!

[ChicagoRX300]

Trout:

Congrats on your purchase of the 2000 RX300! You will love it as I love mine!

May I ask what kind of deal you got for the gem?

I know you will love the RX300 - it definitely was not a mistake!

Chicago

[SKperformance]

I have yet to find a common problem with the RX other than an owner neglect. So relax you have a long happy future to look forward to forgetting your mechanics name and location.

[beachbum]

I also just bought a 2000 RX300 with ~40K miles. Evidently, it had been a leased vehicle. It's a certified car that I got from a local dealer for $26K.

Just sold my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was a decent SUV for me for 8 years, but I'm glad to have made the change. It's amazing how smooth the Lexus' ride is!

[rfcbuf]

Just bought my 2nd Lexus, a RX 330. My other car is a '98 Gs 400 with 50k mi and it has been a great car with no problems. I am confident that the RX will be just as reliable. Good luck with your car. :)

[trout]

Thanks guys...

We just got back from TX. We put about 3000 miles on the car right off the bat. No complaints, felt great on the highway. I was surprised how comfortable we were...two adults, a teenager, and two dogs...one of the dogs is a golden retriever. we had it packed but we were all very comfortable. I ran between 80 to 90 most of the time on the highway and it was very smooth. (got a damn speeding ticket in AL)

Only troubles were that it runs out of gas without much warning. The first time the light came on and then not too long after that the engine cut out but I made it to the station.

The next time I was going to see how low on the gauge it would go before the light came on. Well, guess what...no light ever came on this time and I ran out of gas somewhere in LA and had to walk down I20 and get a gas can.

Other than being terrified that at any minute the lexus would just run out of gas without warning, the trip was nice and its the best car we have owned so far.

What do you guys think about the gas thing? Pretty odd

[SW03ES]

I gas up at 1/4 tank ;) Never run out of gas, ever.

[wolfie212003]

I generally fill up at or before 1/4 tank since I heard that sometimes there can be residue at the bottom of the tank which can clog your fuel injectors. Even though my Lexus is a 2002 and there probably isn't any residue, I have a fear of running out of gas.

I'm a new LOC member as well and after hearing what other people have to say, I feel better and better about my purchase.

You'll enjoy your new car.

:D

[tmastres]

Hey there,

It looks lke many of us have 00/01 RX's that were previously leases. I got mine back in May, its a 00 AWD and I paid $25k for it with 42k on the odo, certified from a Lexus dealer. I found that here on the south central California coast there were literally hundreds of RX's of this vintage to choose from. In fact, if I hadn't been as particular about the color of the vehicle I could have had a black one for about 2k less!

I absolutely love the vehicle and I've put about 8k miles on it so far and have had no problems (knock wood). Aside from a small rattle somewhere near the glove box that has eluded me so far the only thing I really dont like about the RX is its absolutely abysmal (sp?) turning radius! My old Dodge 4x4 had a much better one and I really have to carefully consider any u-turns for fear of not being able to make the turn and havig to back up. Seriously though, other than that the things a dream.

Regarding the gas situation, I find that I can get between 310-320 miles (hwy only) from a "tank" of gas. A "tank" being defined as the amount of gas I put in from when the light first comes on (when I usually gas up) to when it comes on again. On highway only trips the readout tells me I'm acheiving 23.5-24.5 mpg, this calculates roughly to 13.2 or so gallons used. I checked the manual and it calims the tank holds 17.2 gallons. From that I would figue there are 4 gallons give or take left in the tank. Now here where I live the distance between gas staions is measured in feet not miles so you've got to be pretty inattentive to run out of gas. However, I sometimes travel to places where stations are few-and far-between and I've been known to fill up with still half a tank just because I absolutely hate running out of gas.Anyhow if anyone knows anything about the true tank capacity or how much is really left when the light comes on please chime in.

Lastly, I have a question of my own; my Lexus came with chrome wheels rather than the satin-finished metal, and the "L" logo on them is not the standard Lexus "L". I've seen these wheels on other Lexus' but I'm not sure if they were standard gear or aftermarket add ons. Anyone have any info on this or the quality of the wheels? Thanks

[harrison]

We just bought our first one also. A 99. We put 2000 miles on it driving down south. 80-90 the whole way but no speeding tickets. When the vehicle is cold it takes the transmission exactly 2 minutes to warm up before it shifts into 4th gear. Until the 2 minutes it takes to warm up it drives in 3rd gear at high rpms. Any thoughts?

[SW03ES]

That may be normal...

[tmastres]

Regarding the cold shifting of the tranny, there was quite a bit of discussion regarding tranmissions and shifting issues a month or so back and my conclusion was that the shifting irregularities(or anomalies) are most likely related to the transmission being cold (just MHO). I notice that most of the people with trans. concerns live in pretty cold weather climates and this being winter I can imagine it would take a while to get up to temp. Now here in southern Calif. we think of winter as maybe having to wear long pants, maybe; but recently its gotten down into the mid/low 30's in the evenings. Until now I had never noticed anything strange with my transmission, in fact I nerver really thought about it at all , it worked perfectly. Recently though I notice if I dont let it warm up (30-60 sec), the trans will appear to shift a little rougher or perhaps its just staying in a lower gear longer but I do notice that it does something different. In any case the symptoms disappear withing a few minutes. Remember though, were just flirting with a frost, most of you are probably well into the freeze zone this time of year so those symptoms would certainly be more pronounced. I guess this is just a long way of saying its probably normal.

[jim harrison]

I am also a new LOC member, but have been reading the LOC site

for the RX300 for a couple months. I purchased a like new 2000, and

like many others here it was a lease vehicle, 30,200 miles , and one

I had looked for a long while. After reading the problems posted on

here regarding transmission problems and sludge I was getting a little

worried about my purchase, but the recent remarks to the posting of

"trout" picked my spirits up a bit. I fully intend to properly maintain,

with the dealership, my RX300, as I have all cars I have owned, so I

look forward to many happy miles. Jim

[300gone330]

I too bought my 2000 RX 300 used (apx 40,000 miles) for $23,100 (via my credit union lease turn in lot). It was the best car (post 1990*) that I ever owned. It was one owner corporate owned, thus never saw a car seat and the lighter had NEVER been used, so super clean. Very SMOOTH ride too (I actually liked it better than the new 330 I just test drove and ordered.)

You will love the car as did I (just got totalled a couple of weeks ago...so, I can say it does what needs to be done l in a 60mph crash with an Impala.)

Enjoy it!

Regards.

300gone330

*Have to give props to my 1990 Nissan Maxima, my other best car buy. Got 240,000 miles out of her before yet another idiot :chairshot: ran into on coming traffic.

[PharmGuy]

Greetings! we just bought our first Lexus, a 2000 RX300. We looked at just about every new car out there and just happened to drive the RX that a local dealer had on the lot. After looking at new 4runners and pathfinders, my wife decided that this was the car for her. So we bought a 2000 rx300 with 38000 miles on it. It was amazing that the only pre-owned car we looked at was much smoother that the brand new cars we had driven. It fit her perfectly and she loves it.

I do have a few questions as I do not know much about Lexus at all.

Is there anything in particuliar that I should be checking on the car or any common concerns with this model?

I do have to take it back to have something fixed, while filling it with gas, I noticed gasoline dripping underneath onto the groud. It is only does it as you're pumping the gas so I assume that its somewhere in the feeder line between where you put the nozzle in and the gas tank. It doesnt do it unless you're pumping the gas.

Other than that everything seems great on the car. It runs great and is the smoothest car we have ever had.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ok----I've been reading the message board here recently and decided I needed

to join the LOC. I recently purchased a Certified 2001 RX-300 from an out-of-my-

area dealer (didn't get much satisfaction locally). I absolutely love the vehicle,

big change from a Pontiac Bonneville. I'm 6'5" so I need some space and

driving year-round with the sunroof open just isn't practical,oh--I'm bald too.

My wife can't believe how quiet it rides.

My biggest concern is I need to leave my Rx 300 outside. I do wash it about

once a week, but I'm concern about the cold weather causing problems with

fluids, start up, etc. I live in Massachusetts, mountain country so I've got my

share of ice/sleet/snow. Any ideas to help protect the life of my vehicle would

be appreciated.

Oh--the only one that doesn't like my Rx-300 is the dog. She now has to ride

in the back. It's ok-----I used to have to wash my inside windshield after every

ride.

PharmGuy

P.S.----made my money through legal drugs!

[jfluhr]

I also recently purchases a used 2001 RX 300 with about 39K miles. I love it so far, but I have a couple of questions. This is my first SUV so I'm not familiar with the differences in gearing from a sedan, which I've always driven. I've noticed that at highway speeds (65-75 mph), it runs at around 3000 rpm. Is this normal? I'm used to my sedan running around 2000 rpm at that speed.

Secondly, I just drove it about 600 miles this past weekend, the first time I've driven significant highway miles. It got about 19-20 mpg with premium gasoline. I've been reading about some people getting 22-24 mpg. Mine is an AWD, so I'm wondering if these people who are getting 22-24 mpg have a FWD? Is 19-20 mpg about right for an AWD, or could I possibly be due for some maintenance? I replaced the oil, tranny fluid, brake fluid, engine air filter shortly after I purchased it. Thanks a lot!!!

[ColinBarber]

I cannot remember what rpm the engine is at 75mph but it sounds about right, the RX doesn't have a high top speed so is geared down a little compared to a sedan. Check the gearbox is going into overdrive by switching it off and back on again.

20mpg seems a little low for 70mph driving (assuming you were keeping to the speed limits ;) ). I would expect about 23mpg. What are your tire pressures? Have you always used premium gas? Switching to a higher grade will take a few tanks before the engine ECU advances the ignition timing to take full advantage of the extra power available.

[jfluhr]

I cannot remember what rpm the engine is at 75mph but it sounds about right, the RX doesn't have a high top speed so is geared down a little compared to a sedan. Check the gearbox is going into overdrive by switching it off and back on again.

20mpg seems a little low for 70mph driving (assuming you were keeping to the speed limits ;) ). I would expect about 23mpg. What are your tire pressures? Have you always used premium gas? Switching to a higher grade will take a few tanks before the engine ECU advances the ignition timing to take full advantage of the extra power available.

←

Thanks for your help. I have switched off the overdrive while driving to make sure it works, and it does indeed increase the rpm when switched off, so I know the overdrive is working.

As for the gas mileage, I've only run about 1.5 tanks with the premium fuel because I didn't know any better before then and I used 87 octane for my first 2 or 3 tanks (not quite sure what the previous owner used obviously). So hopefully, I'll continue to see my gas mileage increase. If not, I suppose I should take it to the dealer and have the O2 sensor looked at. Tire pressure is at around 30 psi.

One last question I forgot to ask last time. My transmission causes quite a jolt at times when I switch from reverse to drive. Could this be a warning that it needs to be looked at? Thanks again!!!

[ColinBarber]

See how the mpg is after a couple more tanks. I run my tires at 33psi which helps fuel economy and I find it rides better.