Maintenance/repair To Expect On 2000 Rx300

[Pierreraju]

Hi!

We have a 2000 RX300 with approx 75K miles. We've owned it since new. Have done routine maintenance per the lexus schedule although all repairs were done by independent mechanics. Recently, I'm starting to see some electrical problems (driver's side door actuator failure), one of the 2 electronic keys broke, night time auto adjust on rear view mirror seems to reset itself into night mode, belts are whining for attention and will need to be replaced soon etc. While we can live with these problems for a while, they are starting to take away from the "lexus experience" and have us thinking of replacing the vehicle rather than spending time/money on something that will continue to have other problem yet to manifest. Which leads me to my qauestion.... Based on your real life experience with this car with similar mileage and age - what else should I expect to go wrong with this car in the next few years that may or may not be covered in the Lexus maintenance schedule?

If this whole topic is discussed elsewere, please direct me there.

I did notice the many posts on the topic of door actuators and have a quote of $300-$400 to fix from an independent mechanic. IF we end up fixing that problem, we will just go that route.

[sigtauenus]

We bought our 2000 RX300 with 126,000 miles on it less than a year ago and have probably put 15,000 miles on it since then. Here is what we have done other than regular oil and filter changes:

Replace two coil packs (was causing engine to miss)

Replace dash cigarette lighter socket (broken)

Replace passenger side bumper light socket (rusted)

Replace quarter and hatch brake light bulbs

Replace A/C belt (squeal)

Annoying but not yet fixed:

shift lever indicator light (on the shifter not in the instrument cluster) is intermittent. I thought it was the bulb but it comes on occasionally.

shift lever indicator light (in the instrument cluster) does not light up when shifter is in Drive, but does light for other shifter positions.

Headlights housings have a funky look to the surface of them, kind of like cracking or peeling. They still pass inspection in VA but will likely need replaced in the next year or two.

The leather on the driver seat is cracked in a couple places down by the adjustment switches and the leather is worn on the arm rest.

We also had some issues with a leak in the back, but while we have found and fixed the cause, we are not sure if it was our fault or not.

[Pierreraju]

We bought our 2000 RX300 with 126,000 miles on it less than a year ago and have probably put 15,000 miles on it since then. Here is what we have done other than regular oil and filter changes:

Replace two coil packs (was causing engine to miss)

Replace dash cigarette lighter socket (broken)

Replace passenger side bumper light socket (rusted)

Replace quarter and hatch brake light bulbs

Replace A/C belt (squeal)

Annoying but not yet fixed:

shift lever indicator light (on the shifter not in the instrument cluster) is intermittent. I thought it was the bulb but it comes on occasionally.

shift lever indicator light (in the instrument cluster) does not light up when shifter is in Drive, but does light for other shifter positions.

Headlights housings have a funky look to the surface of them, kind of like cracking or peeling. They still pass inspection in VA but will likely need replaced in the next year or two.

The leather on the driver seat is cracked in a couple places down by the adjustment switches and the leather is worn on the arm rest.

We also had some issues with a leak in the back, but while we have found and fixed the cause, we are not sure if it was our fault or not.

Thank you sigtauenus for taking the time to respond. Given that winter is coming and I'm not ready to replace this car with another one, I decided to go forward with the repairs. Interestingsly, I also have a rear transmission fluid leak that is being caused by a failed gasket back there.

Here is a quick update on what else the mechanic found and/or we're having him fix:

- Driver front tire had a slow leak (repaired with new "bead" along the rim)

- 3rd brake light blew out (bulb being replaced)

- Driver door actuator failed (replacing with new Lexus part). My independent mechanic's opinion is that the drivers door actuator plays a more central role in the system than the other doors. leaving it in a failed mode can harm other systems downstream (e.g. other doors).

- Fan belt squeeling (belt replaced)

- Rear view mirror always resets to night mode and does not provide compass reading any more (we decided to leave this problem un addressed as Lexus wants $700 + for replacement mirror)

- transmission fluid leak in the rear housing due to gasket lead. fluid is landing on transaxle and being "sprayed" under the car - so we never noticed any tell tale signs of leakage on the ground (repaired gasket)

The total for above (not including mirror) came to about $850. (Lesser of two evils when comparing costs on a replacement car)