"new" 2001 Rx - Need Recommendations On Things To Look For.

chococat · December 7, 2012

Just bought off eBay, a "new" to me 2001 RX300 with 87K miles. Records look clean, 2 full owners.

I have owned an ES300 since 2005, which I also bought on eBay with 99K miles & it has 212K miles on it now. I bought the RX because the engines are similiar if not the same. ES, the main known issue is engine sludge, which I have avoided. My engine is in really good shape. Most of the maintenance I have done myself....sensors, gaskets, etc...

After doing some reading, I hear about the dreaded tranmission fail on the AWD RX. I am going to take it to get it flushed ASAP, however, I am 2 hours from any Lexus dealership, and an hour away from a Toyota dealership. Is there another oil besides the Toyota brand oil that is ok?

Is there anything else that is exclusive to the RX that often fails & could be proactively maintenenced?

I know it will need a timing belt soon. I bought this knowing it has one window issue and probably a servos issue.

I am kinda scared...I have wanted an RX for a long time. I LOVE my ES, but with these Texas country roads an SUV will be much better. But after reading about the transmissions, I now wonder if I did a bad thing.

Picking up car tomorrow in Houston (4 hours away).

Any help would be appreciated. Looking forward to switching forums & learning all over.

ricco750 · December 8, 2012

You will have members screaming at you to NOT have the tranny "flushed", as it is believed that is harmful to the tranny. A simple drain and refill is recommended, and it is probably a good idea to change the filter as well if you can get the pan off. As far as fluid, Toyota T-IV is the favorite and recommended by most folks on the forum.

As you can see I have a "99RX...I too am the third owner. It has 133,000 miles, I got it at 106,000.

I have as yet had no problems with the tranny. It's a great vehicle. Enjoy!

chococat · December 9, 2012

It's a great vehicle. Enjoy!

Turns out the tranny & radiator were flushed a year or two ago, so I am going to drop the pan, change the gasket & filter on this, as well as the ES my 17 y/o daughter just bought from me. Picked up the RX today. A friend of mine drove it the 4+ hours home and though he usually pokes at me for my taste in "little foreign cars",he said it handled well & he was very positive about the drive. For a 12 year old car, it is in pretty good shape. A few more scratches then I expected, but overall, I was impressed. 2 actual Lexus chipped keys, one Lexus valet key, and then the original spare key blade, in case you lose all the keys & need one cut. The original books, tool kit, keychains, etc. Looking forward to getting to know my new baby.