Ok, I'm Officially Spoked.....

[00 rx300]

First of all..."hi" as I am new to the forum. I've had an LS 400 and a GS 300, both excellent cars with relitively low maintenance that I sold with 175K plus miles on both., I just bought a 2000 RX 300 with 130K miles. Clean, two owners (the one I purchased from had it for the last 7 years), good service records (timing belt, fuel pump, new brakes, new tires and recent tune up). I bought it for what I would consider a good deal at $7900. But after reading these forums, I sounds all but certain I'll be needing to replace the transmission. Am I being unreasonable to think this may not be an issue? The car does not have a tow package and seems to drive out great. My plan was to drive it a year or two and then pass on to my son who will then be of driving age. Can anyone ease my concerns?

Thanks in advance.

[code58]

RX300- What kind of records do you have on transmission servicing? What does the fluid look like? Is it an AWD or FWD? Makes a difference. My DIL's '99 RX has over 130k mi. on it with NO transmission problems so far, and it is an AWD, the one that gives the most problem. I changed the fluid at 97k mi and it was really muddy, but I changed ALL the fluid so there are definitely plenty of them that don't give problems. You have to realize that a LOT OF OTHER BRANDS don't go near 130k mi without having to be overhauled. Do you have a REALLY GOOD honest INDEPENDENT trans shop in you area? They do exist! Treat it as though it were a Toyota Camry (which the trans essentially is) and figure that if it does go out it will cost you about $1700.- $2000. to have it overhauled and it may not go out for another 50-75,000 mi. None of us know when our trans will go out no matter what we drive, so sleep well and remember, most of the things we worry about are wasted time, because they never happen! :) Good Luck!

[Filehorse]

If you're concerned about the transmission, the first order of business is to replace the transmission fluid and clean the screen. The 2000 RX300 transmission does not have a "filter" as such but has a metal screen which my Lexus parts guy recommended flushing and drying with a solvent which I did. There are no paper components to the "filter" - at least on my AWD version. I've got just over 147,000 on my 2000 RX300 AWD. I had to replace a failed ignition coil two years ago and a 2nd coil last year. I replaced the remaining 4 ignition coils preemptively since I was seeing a pattern. I have always changed the oil at 5,000 mile intervals. These engines were particularly susceptible to the "sludge" problem but the anecdotal evidence suggests those failures were also associated with much longer oil change intervals. I've been using Mobil 1 full synthetic for the last 75,000 miles or so and everything seems good with the engine. Hopefully your previous owner also changed the water pump when they replaced the timing belt since they were in there anyway. If not, that's something to think about when the opportunity arises. Also, at that age/mileage, the brake fluid should be flushed completely through each wheel cylinder. Brake fluid does absorb water over time and the stuff occupying the brake cylinders is pretty nasty by now if it's the original fluid. Additionally, if the coolant hasn't been flushed within the past couple of years or if you don't know whether it has or not, that would also be money well-spent. Generally, if the coolant looks clean and transparent with good color, it's probably OK but coolant costs a lot less than the system it occupies so don't go cheap there. You don't want any corrosion failures that could have been easily prevented by maintaining fresh coolant in the system.

Those are the most immediate things I can suggest in the interest of longevity. Also, at this age, you might want your mechanic (or yourself if you feel comfortable doing it) to check the suspension shocks/struts/bushings to see if any of those components are candidates for replacement. 10 years is a long time for much of that stuff we never look at under the vehicle

Those are my suggestions but your mileage may vary.

[tmastres]

I had to replace a failed ignition coil two years ago and a 2nd coil last year. I replaced the remaining 4 ignition coils preemptively since I was seeing a pattern.

Yeah , it took me until the third coil failure until I finally changed them all. :(

[farmerfelts]

I had to replace a failed ignition coil two years ago and a 2nd coil last year. I replaced the remaining 4 ignition coils preemptively since I was seeing a pattern.

Yeah , it took me until the third coil failure until I finally changed them all. :(

Just curious but what are the symptoms of a coil in need of replacement?

[tmastres]

Just curious but what are the symptoms of a coil in need of replacement?

Basically a dead cylinder/misfire. Really, really rough idle ( but doesn't stall) lots of exhaust odor, and after a few minutes a CEL. You can actually drive the car a ways with only five cylinders but you're really down on power and the car struggles to sort out the misfire.