sakaike

Here's another data point for you to consider, although the final decision is obviously up to you. My Acura 2.2CL maintenance schedule also recommends that the timing belt be changed out at 90,000 miles. There is virtually no way to predict when one might fail, but I rolled the dice and waited until 150,000 miles, and then yes, changed the water pump at the same time. For me it was all about cash flow. I didn't have the money at 90,000, but I did at 150,000. I know I'll get rid of the car before 200,000, so whoever gets it next will be good shape for awhile, assuming everything else holds together, which is currently the case.

I have LEDs for the same reason as the OP in the front and rear turn signals, as well as my parking lights, for my 2004 RX330. I use the inline resistors to get the turn signal timing correct. Overall, I have mixed feelings. They accomplish the goal of getting rid of that "egg yolk" look. In the evening, they work great. But in the daytime, they are not very bright (dimmer than stock). I am using the largest ones available (I believe) for that plug size (I can't remember the actual part size, but it's in your manual). The LED I'm using has 9 LEDs, I believe, and fits through the stock opening in the taillamp assembly, but barely. I would be interested in hearing about any experiences anyone out there may have with Sylvania or PIAA replacement bulbs that accomplish the same aesthetic, but provide a brighter light. Anyone?

I'm surprised no one else has replied to your post yet. Here is a link to a device that I believe meets your needs: http://vaistech.com/aic100.html However, I do not yet have the device myself, and can't speak to its quality. And it is indeed prety pricey. But until someone else suggests a better alternative, this is on my short list of solutions to the problem you describe.

Thanks for the quick reply, just a quick question though, if there is a reserve tank, is this mentioned in the manual?, and why does the cruise range not indicate correctly?. Does the fuel automatically change to reserve or is there a switch?. ← I wondered the same thing for a while, and have learned the following: The first warning sign you receive is when the low fuel lamp illuminates on your gas gauage, usually with about 4 or so gallons left in your tank. If you have your trip computer set to distance remaining, it is usually with about 20-30 miles left (depending on your driving history). Next, your distance remaining will drop to zero. This means you have about 3 gallons or so left in the tank. Finally, if you ignore all these warnings, you will eventually run out of gas. There is no separate reserve "tank." The previous post was referring to a reserve amount in your 19.2 gallon gas tank. I ran my tank til it was almost dry, and was indeed able to fill almost 19 gallons, after having driven a good distance past 0 miles cruising distance remaining according to the trip computer (about 50-60 miles). Obviously, you don't want to run your tank empty for a myriad of reasons, so I recommend you take my word for it. I strongly suspect the reason the system is set up the way it is is for risk management on the part of Lexus. They don't want owners running out of gas because they relied too heavily on the indicators in the car. Once you know and understand how things work, you can rely upon them to your own particular level of risk. And no, none of this is documented in the manual...

Actually, all of you are correct. This was discussed ad naueseum in either this forum or the CL Forum. The "primary" red tail light in the center of the cluster is a standard filament bulb (can't recall the exact size, but it's listed in the owner's manual). However, surrounding that bulb are several (~6) red LEDs. They are never mentioned in any documentation because they are not replaceable, nor are they easily accessible. But to prove this, all you need to do is access the lighting assemblies from the rear (as if you were going to replace a bulb). You will be able to pull out the incandescent bulb, proving one of you was right. But in addition, if you look carefully at the assembly, you will see a PCB board that controls the LEDs. If you look even more closely, the board will say exactly the type and number of LEDs and other information as well. Months ago, I argued strenuously on one of these boards that there were no LEDs, and then had to eat crow when someone disassembled their light assembly, took a detailed photo of the PCB, and posted it. If you search long enough, I'm sure you'll find it (here or on CL).

I've done a search and am surprised no one has asked this question before... I have an 04 RX330 and for the most part, I have none of the noise issues described in so many other threads on this forum. However, I do suffer from one noise problem apparently not encountered or at least discussed anywhere on this board. My tonneau cover in the back squeaks like crazy! It seems to squeak a lot more over bumpy roads, as you would expect. And it also seems to squeak more when it's retracted, although that may very well be my imagination. Any advice on how to make the squeaking go away? I haven't treated the cover with anything (like vinyl protectant, etc.). Would that help? The noise makes the car seem a lot less rigid than it actually is. And to the best of my knowledge, this appears to be the only significant source of unintended noise anywhere in my vehicle, so any advice anyone can offer would be truly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Either in this forum or the "other one", there was a discussion about RX330 gas mileage. In that thread, someone threw out the statement that the trip computer performs your trip mileage and miles remaining computation based on 16 of the 19.2 gallon capacity in our gas tank. And when the miles remaining hits zero, that's how you know you've got 3 gallons left in your tank (give or take). The thread continued, and everyone apparently took this statement to be absolutely true. I have never heard this or read this information anywhere (including the manual). Can someone either verify this statement, or let me know what the real deal is? Anecdotally, the statement seems about right (give or take a gallon) in my experience, but I would be surprised to have someone verify that I still have about 60 miles or so left in my tank after hitting zero (granted that one wouldn't want to run the tank dry). Thanks in advance!

It's very easy. You only need a regular "Gold Star" membership or above. Go to the Costco.com website. Click on the Services link at the top. Click on the Costco Auto Sales link. This will take you to the Costco Auto Sales website. Go from there.... The only point where I believe you are supposed to verify your Costco or AAA eligibility is when you close the deal, at which point you're supposed to provide your Costco or AAA card, so they can make a copy for their records. However, I was never asked to provide this proof of eligibility. I suspect that is because the deal I was offered was a standard "fleet sales" deal, since the contacts at both dealerships was the Fleet Sales Manager.

I purchased my 04 RX330 FWD with Premium Plus package for $500 under invoice (invoice was $35.5k) through the AAA service back in August '04. Both AAA and Costco offered the car for the same price, through different dealerships. I chose the dealership that could offer immediate delivery, which was South Bay Lexus in SoCal. Out the door price was about $37.9k. I actually only wanted the Premium package (without the wood steering wheel and other niceties - I prefer all leather), but was told that the Premium Plus package was Lexus' baseline configuration for this area. Thus, this was the most stripped down version I could buy. No regrets, and I got what I still think is a great deal, available to anyone with a Costco or AAA membership.

As I understand it, the short answer to your question it yes. My current set-up is unlock when shifting into park, and lock when shifting out of park. I intend to change the locking to wait until 12MPH. My interpretation of the manual (and my personal experience) seems to suggest that the unlock and lock modes are separate and distinct settings. And yes, it took me several tries to get the change to "take." The sensitivity to 5 and 10 seconds is quite high. I eventually used a digital countdown timer to get it right...

Sorry to hear your experience is sounding the same as mine. Unless you can somehow get Lexus to cover the repair/replacement under warranty, I would recommend Safelite as a cheaper, high quality alternative to the dealer's exorbitant price for replacement. I would also recommend opting for the more expensive PPG glass, as I did, unless you can get some recommendations from others on this forum that the cheaper Safelite brand is just as good. Best of luck to you.

My shortlist consisted of those same vehicles, as well as the Volvo and Mercedes, and the RX won hands down on the bang-for-the-buck scale.

Does this part fix apply to the standard halogen lamps, or the HIDs, or both? If it applies to non-AFS HIDs, I would be interested in knowing more about this as well. Thanks.

Well, the drive home was great - window-wise. Clarity is stunning. I have heard others (like in this thread) mention their lack of satisfaction with PPG glass, but this was like looking out an open window, if it wasn't for the small amount of tint to remind me that something was actually there. There was no (new) wind noise that I could discern. In fact, since I usually drive with the stereo pretty loud, I was really driving in silence for the first time in a long time. The only "interesting" noise was how I was noticing for the first time the different types of tire noise different cars were making as we were driving down the freeway. I never noticed that before. There was some slight noise from the side mirror, but that was no surprise. The last thing the tech told me was the same thing advised by SW03ES above - Hit the thing with a high pressure hose in a couple of days to check for leaks. The fact that the tech advised it was reassuring - Safelite has a lifetime guarantee on materials and workmanship for as long as I own the vehicle, so if there is a leak, they'll take care of it for free. But based on my experience thus far, I would be surprised if a leak showed up. Although this cost me a few hundred dollars, I guess this is a happy-ending sort of experience, and one that I hope some of you other folks can leverage. If anything pops up (like a leak), I'll be sure to post again.

Here's an update: - Safelite appointment was for 8AM-12PM. He showed at 9:30AM at my work. Very polite, courteous guy. Told me it would be about 45 minutes to an hour. About 15 minutes into it, he tells me that he has the wrong molding and has to get a different one. Returns in about a half hour (not bad, IMHO). Completes the job in about 45 minutes. - I told him I would be checking up on how things were going from my second floor office window, so he knew I would be watching. I thought his workmanship was exemplary. Took a lot of time scraping out the old adhesive. Removed the windshield wipers and used protective cloths all over the place. Used latex gloves throughout the process. All of this was just as described on Safelite's web site. - The glass itself appears to be fantastic. I've looked from all kinds of steep angles (and did the same with the old glass before it was removed). If possible, I think that this PPG replacement is clearer and smoother than the original. Although, I admit it may just be wishful thinking. I'll post once more once I drive home this evening, to let you know about any wind noise, or window clarity issues that might arise at that time. For the moment, however, I can heartily endorse Safelite's products and services.