'01 Rx300 Stolen! Buy Used '01 Or Another Model?

[gal]

:( My locked '01 RX300 was stolen/driven out of my locked carport w/no shattered glass left on floor. Insurance will pay [measly] $$$ in 15days if car not found. Where can I find a good baseline value for my car? I think the payout will be between $10-15K, if I'm lucky. I want another SUV. Is it worth it to look for another '01 RX or is there a better used RX [or other SUV] that I can get with the insurance payout [plus $5K max]? I am on a fixed income; took a huge hit financially this year; live in must-have-a-car LA; and refuse to have a car note. Opinions needed and welcomed!

[eugene.s]

www.carfax.com -- normally it's a website for checking the vehicle history via a VIN (for this you have to pay) but they also have references to used cars for sale in many regions of the U.S. (not sure if you have to pay for that one)...

[mccldwll]

:( My locked '01 RX300 was stolen/driven out of my locked carport w/no shattered glass left on floor. Insurance will pay [measly] $$$ in 15days if car not found. Where can I find a good baseline value for my car? I think the payout will be between $10-15K, if I'm lucky. I want another SUV. Is it worth it to look for another '01 RX or is there a better used RX [or other SUV] that I can get with the insurance payout [plus $5K max]? I am on a fixed income; took a huge hit financially this year; live in must-have-a-car LA; and refuse to have a car note. Opinions needed and welcomed!

cars.com

[mikey00]

Check Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) for trade in value, retail value, etc. You can also research cars to buy and find listings for all cars. If you get 10 to 15K consider yourself lucky. I have a 2001 RX Silver Sport I have owned since new in excellent condition with all maintenance records and it looks like it is worth about 8K on trade in.

The RX is an excellent SUV and mine has served me well but I don't think I would buy a used one. You have the RX trans failure problems and the engine sludge potential. If you are not familiar with either of these just do a search anywhere. Also add to that the very high price for any other Lexus specific parts that may fail which can't be sourced aftermarket. As long as you understand the potential failure of these very expensive items and you still want an RX go for it.

For the amount of money you are talking take a look at a new Suzuki SX4 or a Toyota Matrix.

[tmastres]

:( My locked '01 RX300 was stolen/driven out of my locked carport w/no shattered glass left on floor. Insurance will pay [measly] $$$ in 15days if car not found. Where can I find a good baseline value for my car? I think the payout will be between $10-15K, if I'm lucky. I want another SUV. Is it worth it to look for another '01 RX or is there a better used RX [or other SUV] that I can get with the insurance payout [plus $5K max]? I am on a fixed income; took a huge hit financially this year; live in must-have-a-car LA; and refuse to have a car note. Opinions needed and welcomed!

Wow sorry to hear that, did someone get your spare key by chance? You don't hear about many of these getting jacked.

Anyhow, You may be able to get into another RX for that money , I'd stay with 02-03 RX300 or possibly an 04-05 330. The 99-00 seem to have more trans problems as well as the sludging issue. It's not clear whether the 01's were fully cured of the sludge issue but I believe by 02-03 the sludge issue was gone, and there seem to be far fewer trans issues in those models as well.

As for different SUV's you can look into Acura MDX's of the same vintage, I know a couple of folks who have those and they've not had any issues with them. They're a bit larger but not enormously.

[gal]

Thanks so much for your responses! [sorry, if I messed up this reply posting format.]

tmastres: I believe the lock was "picked or slim-jimmed" because two other cars in my carport were ransacked w/o broken glass--very unusual for Redondo Beach, CA! However, the thief may have found my valet key--I'm not sure if it was in a side pocket or not. Thief may have exited carport using programmed code in sun visor.

Although I enjoyed owning my RX, I would like a better turning radius and a backup alarm system; also Mikey00 you make excellent points about used RX parts--I already had dealt w/sludge issue @50K miles!

I'll check out the Suzuki SX4, Toyota Matrix, and Acura MDX.

I'll let you know if my car is found and/or what I do about another car. Thanks again for all your help!

[lenore]

Dont bet on the sludge issue as being fixed in 2002, my neighbor is experiencing the pain right now with his 2003 highlander with the 3liter engine (imze) that is in the RX....The reason it is not covered is probably because the lawsuit was started in 2002 and didnt cover the 2003 engine. Toyota fixed nothing from what I have seen....Keep that in mind or make sure you are using full class 4 synthetic oil....

[cduluk]

I would use whatever you get from insurance and put it down on a newer model RX330/350.

If the luxury theme doesn't mean much to you, look at the Toyota Highlander or Rav4's as well.

[gal]

Good News but issue not over! I found my car parked 4 blocks from my house--3 blocks from police station. I had walked to the police station to get a copy of the police report. While walking back home, I saw my car. The battery was dead, my tennis racquet, clothing items, phone charger, etc. were still in car along with about 15 CDs--not mine--in the glove box. Police could not determine how they got inside, but valet key which was inside a hidden pouch is still missing. Hopefully the police can get prints off the CDs.

Problem? Heard a humming noise that sounds like an old radio vacuum tube or a radio tuned to an AM dial--interference or static. Turned the radio off and noise was still there. Only happened a couple of times and stopped ...what could that be?? Thieves used the CD player..they left one of their CDs in it. Could the CD player be damaged?? I'll ask the dealer, but causes of sporadic noises are hard to ID.

I'm using TheClub until I ???get car rekeyed, add LoJack or other GPS??? I'll call Lexus regarding my keying options and talk to other auto shops and locksmiths tomorrow. At least I don't have to buy a new car, yet!

Thanks to all who made comments and especially thanks for not telling me how stupid it is to leave a valet key in the car--lesson learned! Ironically, I keep my insurance card, an extra key, and registration docs in my wallet....

[cduluk]

the dealer can de-activate all of your present keys.

[mikey00]

Be careful! The thief now has a key that will unlock your car and start it. I would hide it in a friend’s garage until you can come up with a solution. Even if the dealer de-activates all present keys, that only means that the present keys won't start your car. It will still unlock the doors and then make the thief angry when he finds he can no longer start the car.

I don't think there is an inexpensive solution for this. Most dealers would want to change all the locks, cut new keys, program the keys to start the car, and then program the remotes in the keys to operate the locks. My guess is about $1500. A good locksmith that understands Lexus could save a little by re-keying the locks instead of changing them. I don't know how many keys you have left, but the electronics could be moved over into new keys saving the cost of new electronics and some programming. But if they do this make double sure they do the necessary programming to remove the stolen key from both starting the car and the remote from opening the doors.

[gal]

mikey00: Thanks for the advice! I removed the battery, and I'll use the info you provided to ask questions about the keys/locks.

[code58]

Be careful! The thief now has a key that will unlock your car and start it. I would hide it in a friend’s garage until you can come up with a solution. Even if the dealer de-activates all present keys, that only means that the present keys won't start your car. It will still unlock the doors and then make the thief angry when he finds he can no longer start the car.

I don't think there is an inexpensive solution for this. Most dealers would want to change all the locks, cut new keys, program the keys to start the car, and then program the remotes in the keys to operate the locks. My guess is about $1500. A good locksmith that understands Lexus could save a little by re-keying the locks instead of changing them. I don't know how many keys you have left, but the electronics could be moved over into new keys saving the cost of new electronics and some programming. But if they do this make double sure they do the necessary programming to remove the stolen key from both starting the car and the remote from opening the doors.

Mikey- A cleverly concealed (and I mean CLEVERLY) cut-off switch for the fuel pump is the surest way to make sure your car is where you left it when you come back. If it is done right they will not spend the time to find out what the problem is and trace down how to defeat it. That's what I use and I have not yet found anyone who could tell me where it is. Too many others out there that they can get away with in a hurry. And concerning the "Club". I'm no thief and I can tell you how to have that off the wheel in 10-12 seconds. I have read that police dept's don't recommend that for any serious protection.

[mikey00]

Mikey- A cleverly concealed (and I mean CLEVERLY) cut-off switch for the fuel pump is the surest way to make sure your car is where you left it when you come back. If it is done right they will not spend the time to find out what the problem is and trace down how to defeat it. That's what I use and I have not yet found anyone who could tell me where it is. Too many others out there that they can get away with in a hurry. And concerning the "Club". I'm no thief and I can tell you how to have that off the wheel in 10-12 seconds. I have read that police dept's don't recommend that for any serious protection.

code58:

I agree with you on the club. I have always heard it was easily defeated. Some thevies have even resorted to just cutting a small piece out of the steering wheel to remove. The fuel pump switch sounds like a really good idea. I don't know if it is really necessary with the engine imobilizer in the RX, unless you run into a situation like this where someone has the key. I am sure someone somewhere has stolen an RX but I have never heard of one being stolen without having the key.

gal:

The more I think about your situation it sounds like kids or really low level thief. But it doesn't take much for someone like this to sell the key for $100 to someone who really does want to steal you car. Do you know anyone who may have contact with these type of people in your neighborhood? If so, have them put out the word they want to buy a Lexus key for $100. You may get lucky and your problem will be solved for just $100.

If this doesn't work, you could try code58s suggestion of having a switch put in to cut off the fuel pump. This will ensure that you car can't be moved even though they can still get in unless you have locks re-keyed. I don't think the dealer would get involved with the switch type of thing so you would have to use a repair shop for this. But dealer could accomplish the same thing by programming your ECU to accept just your existing keys.

What I think is going to be the most expensive part here is getting locks changed or re-keyed so thief can't get in. Maybe the most cost effective way out is to have ECU programmed so your car can't be started with the stolen key and just add a very basic alarm system in case the thief returns and opens the door.

As far as the static type noise goes, I bet it is just something to do with a dead battery and wouldn't worry about it unless it persists after everything is straightened out.

Good luck and whatever you do be sure and post back with the results.

[pauljcl]

Mikey- A cleverly concealed (and I mean CLEVERLY) cut-off switch for the fuel pump is the surest way to make sure your car is where you left it when you come back. If it is done right they will not spend the time to find out what the problem is and trace down how to defeat it. That's what I use and I have not yet found anyone who could tell me where it is. Too many others out there that they can get away with in a hurry. And concerning the "Club". I'm no thief and I can tell you how to have that off the wheel in 10-12 seconds. I have read that police dept's don't recommend that for any serious protection.

code58:

I agree with you on the club. I have always heard it was easily defeated. Some thevies have even resorted to just cutting a small piece out of the steering wheel to remove. The fuel pump switch sounds like a really good idea. I don't know if it is really necessary with the engine imobilizer in the RX, unless you run into a situation like this where someone has the key. I am sure someone somewhere has stolen an RX but I have never heard of one being stolen without having the key.

gal:

The more I think about your situation it sounds like kids or really low level thief. But it doesn't take much for someone like this to sell the key for $100 to someone who really does want to steal you car. Do you know anyone who may have contact with these type of people in your neighborhood? If so, have them put out the word they want to buy a Lexus key for $100. You may get lucky and your problem will be solved for just $100.

If this doesn't work, you could try code58s suggestion of having a switch put in to cut off the fuel pump. This will ensure that you car can't be moved even though they can still get in unless you have locks re-keyed. I don't think the dealer would get involved with the switch type of thing so you would have to use a repair shop for this. But dealer could accomplish the same thing by programming your ECU to accept just your existing keys.

What I think is going to be the most expensive part here is getting locks changed or re-keyed so thief can't get in. Maybe the most cost effective way out is to have ECU programmed so your car can't be started with the stolen key and just add a very basic alarm system in case the thief returns and opens the door.

As far as the static type noise goes, I bet it is just something to do with a dead battery and wouldn't worry about it unless it persists after everything is straightened out.

Good luck and whatever you do be sure and post back with the results.

I had a somewhat similar issue in that my significant 'other' got her handbag stolen with ID and key of the RX300. I was concerned the thieves would one day come and try to drive the RX away. Explained this to the insurance co., and they suggested and paid for a change of locks. It cost north of $1500 from Lexus: new (or rekeyed/but not told to me) locks on ignition, hatch, both front dorrs, two new electronic keys + a valet key. Worth it (specially since I was covered except for deductible) for the peace of mind. If you have claimed from your insurance for the original theft, you probably would not have to pay the deductible again, and I would assume that no additional 'negative' would go against your policy.

[gal]

Re Car Theft: I decided to rekey/reprogram all ignition/door locks and keys. The dealer wanted $2500; I paid Lexology--an independent repair shop--$1577. My insurance company would not pay for the locks, because they had not been damaged. I asked my agent about paulcls' insurance reimbursement situation and was told that she knew of no insurance company in California that would pay for such [a necessary] preventive measure. I haven't decided if I'm getting LoJack or a GPS tracker, yet.

The noise I heard is from the A/C servo motor/blend door--$350! I haven't heard it lately, but it'll have to be louder than my radio before I replace that part!

Thanks so much for all your input!!!

P.S. I intend to use the old ignition/door lock and key parts for a new lucite-encased art piece entitled "Valet." <_<