RX in NC

Early RX models had a known issue with the exhaust manifolds cracking. Our previous 2000 RX300's exhaust manifold cracked at about 47,000 miles and was replaced by our local Lexus dealership under warranty back in November 2003. I wouldn't be surprised if yours is cracked and probably has been for quite some time.... Why not go to your nearest Midas location and have them inspect your entire exhaust system? It's free....

Yep, everyone needs to keep in mind WHY gas prices are dropping like a rock. When the global economy goes in the dumper and demand for everything heads downhill, so do prices. We're in a world of hurt, folks, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Watch the unemployment statistics break 70-year-old records over the next six months and I hope that none of you become one of those statistics yourself....

If you know my posting history here, you know that I favor the Jeep Grand Cherokee for many reasons. I'll list a few below: 1. We've had three of them between the 1994 and 2000 model years and all of them have been strong as tanks with very few problems and no real "design flaw" issues (unlike the RX transmission, rear main oil seal, sludge, exhaust manifold, or front strut mount bushing known flaws). The most expensive part I've ever had to replace in any of our Grand Cherokees, all driven more than 100,000 miles, was an alternator at about 125,000 miles in my wife's 1996 model. 2. They are far more durable, roomier, more powerful, smoother shifting, and far more comfortable from an interior standpoint than either of the RXs we've owned. I can drive a Grand Cherokee all day and into the night. I can drive an RX a maximum of two hours before I have to unfold myself from the cabin or else risk cramping up (I'm 6'7"). 3. They are far easier to work on and replacement parts usually cost less and are obtainable from many more sources. 4. They are much less expensive from a cradle-to-grave cost-of-ownership perspective. 5. Jeep and Subaru have the best 4-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive systems on the market. The RX essentially has a pretend all-wheel-drive system. There is no comparison as to what a Grand Cherokee and an RX can do in the snow. Not important for you Floridians I know, but it is very important to us. 6. They demand less maintenance than either of our RXs have. No changing the transmission fluid every 15,000 or 30,000 miles in an attempt to protect a weak transmission design. I changed our Grand Cherokees' transmission fluids at 90,000 miles in each case even though the fluid in all three of them continued to be pristine at that mileage. There are some members here who will reply to this post by ragging on Jeep simply because it is American-made or owned by Chrysler. That is their prerogative. But you know what? I've owned three Grand Cherokees and two RXs - I know the maintenance history of all of these vehicles because I did 90% of the non-warranty work myself. I kept all the records. I ran all of the cost-of-ownership numbers myself. My experience since 1994 clearly tells me that the Grand Cherokee is a much better SUV, for our purposes, than the RX is. I will continue to attempt to get my wife back in a Grand Cherokee in the years ahead, but even with all the struggles she went through with her 2000 RX300 AWD (by far the worst vehicle we've ever owned), she has stayed with an RX simply because it fits her perception of "image". A terrible reason to select ANY vehicle. But our thought processes are very different. I analyze cost-of-ownership and desire to maximize the utility factor. She thinks mostly about "how am I perceived". A shallow, foolish way to select your vehicle in my opinion. But hey, she spends her own money to buy what she wants to drive and as long as it is indeed her dime, she has the ultimate right to make the decision as long as she can easily afford to do so....

The entire General tire line is typically considered no better than mediocre by long-time tire industry employees. I doubt if I would purchase a set of General tires for any of our vehicles, regardless of the deal.... We have a set of Alenzas on my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD and they have indeed lived up to their reputation (now approaching 43,000 miles). I went with Alenzas because in her 18-inch wheel requirement, the tire choices were narrowed significantly at the time (February 2007). But if you have 16-inch or 17-inch wheels on your RX300, go with a set of Firestone Destination LE tires. I ran that tire for nearly 53,000 miles on her previous 2000 RX300 AWD and they performed flawlessly. The guy who bought that vehicle from us liked the Destinations so much that he put a new set on the vehicle when he hit 60,000 miles on my original set. I also put a set on my daughter's 2000 Grand Cherokee in November 2005 and they have done very well given the fact that my daughter does not check her tire pressure nearly as often as she should. The Destination LE is essentially the first cousin of the Alenza at a little more than HALF the price assuming you negotiate as you should (I recently negotiated that I would buy 3 and get 1 free). I believe that it is the best SUV/truck tire for the money on the market today. It uses most of the same technology and compounds as the Alenza and carries a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty as opposed to the Alenza's 65,000-mile treadwear warranty. Do the research at tirerack.com and on the Bridgestone and Firestone websites and I think you'll draw the same conclusions as I have. Plus, I have experience with this tire on two different SUVs as well as experience with the Alenzas on my wife's current RX. Trust me, the Destination LE will be at least 95% as good a tire for you as the Alenza is, and it will save you at least $250 if not more.... Check it out and let us know what you decide to do....

Perhaps the Lexus factory in Canada began using non-defective radiators at a certain VIN number during the 2004 model year production run. But that is only speculation on my part. If I were you, I wouldn't trust just that one dealer. I would call other dealers separately to find out if they all give you the same information. If they do, then you probably stand a better chance of indeed having a non-defective radiator....

Be aware that one of the BEST quality parts on the RX series is the timing belt (along with the iridium spark plugs). Yes, your owners manual tells you to change your timing belt at 90,000 miles because Lexus wants to gouge you for unnecessary maintenance, but those who do so always report that their original timing belt still looks brand new. I plan to change my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD timing belt at 150,000 miles (assuming she keeps the vehicle that long) and when I do, I'll replace the water pump at the same time.... Notice that on this website and others like it, there are never any reports of timing belt or water pump failure on the RX series prior to 160,000 to 180,000 miles. Given the higher rate of transmission failures, we deserve for SOMETHING on these vehicles to be extremely long-lasting and the timing belt appears to be the component that fits this category....

I didn't buy either our previous 2000 RX300 or our current 2004 RX330. My wife did, against my advice both times. Once her mind was made up, my only role was to negotiate the best possible purchase price. It's her car and her money. Unfortunately, I'm stuck doing the excessive maintenance on them over the years. Fortunately, the 2004 RX330 is a much better vehicle than the 2000 RX300 was, but keep in mind that the bar was set extremely low.... My posting history on this site consistently points out that the RX line is overpriced, underpowered, undersized, and way down the list of best all-around SUV choices. I wouldn't have one as my own personal daily driver if it was given to me....

Fewer transmission failures are reported with front-wheel-drive as opposed to all-wheel-drive. My wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD had its transmission fail at 48,000 miles even after meticulous care. Inexcusable. Her current 2004 RX330 AWD is plugging away at about 84,000 miles with no evident transmission problems, but these RX transmissions are quirky and not at all smooth as you would expect them to be. My 1999 Dodge Ram pickup has a much better and smoother transmission than any RX we've ever owned or ridden in. Sad but true. Also, change the transmission fluid at least every 30,000 miles. Some owners will say do it every 15,000 miles. Use Toyota Type IV fluid to protect yourself in the event that you do experience a transmission problem. I don't believe Type IV fluid is any better than any other transmission fluid on the market , but it will become a legal issue with Lexus/Toyota if you don't "stay with the fluid we designed for your vehicle". Finally, never ever think that you can tow ANYTHING with an RX. Why risk an already-weak transmission design by making it chug along pulling something behind it? Good luck to you....

nc211, My sympathies on the loss of your family friend. I really feel for those three little girls left behind with no dad.... On another subject, when do you have to move to Chicago?

Outstanding assessment that covers the vast majority of the bases, amf1932.... Your last paragraph sums up the truth in a nutshell. No Republican candidate could have won this election - they all would have to wear the Bush disaster like a cheap suit. That reality even trickled down to our state and contributed mightily in getting the once-untouchable Senator Elizabeth Dole dumped out of office (but she absolutely deserved what she got). Toss in the fact that the Obama campaign was a masterpiece that will be studied in political science classes for decades to come and not even the second coming of Abraham Lincoln would have been able to hold back the floodgates that we all could sense were opening for Obama over the course of the last two months of the campaign.... McCain indeed shot himself in the head by going negative as well as by making a world-class bonehead decision when he picked Palin. I'm sure he deeply regrets both of those moves now. But he also knows that he was up against a building groundswell of national yearning for complete regime change and he was powerless to stop it.... Now the real work begins. I don't envy what Team Obama will be faced with come January 20th. This country is in trouble in so many ways and we'd all be better off if we could go ahead and evict Bush/Cheney now so the next wave of folks could get an early start. The Republican Party is in shambles, they full well know it, and it will be interesting to see what they decide to do in an effort to begin the restoration process....

A great choice and a seemingly nice one you got there. Enjoy it....

If you get caught participating in illegal street races in the U.S., your car will be taken away from you by the authorities and sold at auction. And that is a very good rule. Punks who participate in illegal street races sometimes get other people killed. They are too stupid to have cars and have no business driving on public roads.

Be aware that this recall is only for the radiators in Canadian-built 2004 RX330 models. The Japanese-built models apparently used better-quality radiators and don't suffer the leak problems.... That dealership in Illinois is either misinformed or lying....

Found the leaky culprit this morning. Filled up the washer tank with water and waited for the leak to begin on the driveway - took only about 3 minutes this time. It was a hard plastic hose connector about 2 inches long, tucked up underneath the vehicle's grill. The plastic had deteriorated and cracked and had obviously grown worse just since last weekend when I last topped off the washer fluid tank. This connector serves the purpose of joining two 3/8" washer hoses. Had to get to it by removing the bolts that hold the front underside plastic molding panels in place and then pulling two of the panels down and out of the way. Went to NAPA and bought a much better-quality 3/8" hose connector, then put it in place using screw-tight clamps instead of the original lousy crimp-type clamps, and the problem appears to be fixed. Hasn't leaked on the driveway since I finished up about 4 hours ago. I tested the washer system and everything works normally. I'll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days, but I believe the problem is indeed solved.... Total cost of repair: $2.67. Total time to repair, including the trip to and from NAPA: about 2 hours. A better-quality 3/8" hose connector is the solution. I wonder how many more of these original hard-plastic hose connectors are placed elsewhere in the washer system of this vehicle....

There's no question in my mind that we stand a far better chance of pulling the country out of this mess with Obama at the helm as opposed to McCain. Obama is smarter, far more likely to listen to experienced advice that he surrounds himself with, far more diplomatic, and far less likely to blow his temper and do something incredibly stupid that would have massively negative global consequences. There's no way I would ever vote for McCain/Palin. That being said, I'm still not an Obama supporter. It has nothing to do with his race (I couldn't care less what color he is), his religion (the more we separate church and state from EVERY flavor of religion, the better off our country is as a whole), his background (all of us have skeletons in our closet that we wish we could go back and change), or his origin (we all come from somewhere and we have no control over our heritage).... No, the only concern about Obama that remains fairly strong in my mind is his lack of main stage experience. He's obviously a brilliant man, he's extremely articulate, he's an incredibly powerful public speaker, and he certainly has a leadership presence about him, no question about any of that. But he lacks world-class spotlight experience. Can he overcome that obstacle? Absolutely - he's smart enough to build a presidential team by turning to some of the best minds in the country. Who would have thought six months ago that Warren Buffett could be talked into taking the role as Secretary of the Treasury? Only Obama could make that happen. And folks, that's mighty impressive. It could very well happen. One thing is for sure - if Obama does indeed win this election, on 1/20/09 the U.S. presidential IQ probably comes pretty close to doubling. And that's a mighty good thing for all of us after what we've been through with WPE.... nc211, my heart goes out to you. I know exactly what you're going through. Faced with a similar set of circumstances in 1992, I walked away from 14 years of climbing the ladder towards an executive corporate role rather than move from Raleigh to Ohio. You already know that you're living in one of the top three or four places to be in the U.S. from a business, educational, and quality-of-life aspect. I certainly hope that you don't have to pull up stakes and move to Chicago. I know you'll make the adjustment if you have to, but your small-town N.C. gal wife will freakin' hate it and may come to resent you for it. I certainly hope that you're able to resolve the issue with your new chain-of-command and convince them that you would be more valuable to them in a field position here in Raleigh. Keep us posted - those of us who have come to know you will certainly be pulling for you....

I check all fluid levels weekly and over the past month or so, my wife's 2004 RX330 has suffered from windshield washer fluid loss beyond normal fluid usage. The plastic holding tank can be down anywhere from a couple of ounces to perhaps six ounces in just a week. She rarely uses her washer system intentionally so I'm sure there's a small leak somewhere. When I top off the tank each weekend I've watched and waited for as long as 10 or 15 minutes and the fluid level remains steady at the top of the tank for that period of time. No visible puddles of any fluid under the vehicle, even after it sits overnight. Possibilities include pinhole leaks in the hoses, at the connections, in the washer fluid motor, or perhaps the plastic holding tank itself. The plastic tank lid stays closed so I don't believe that I have an evaporation problem.... Has anyone else experienced this and managed to find the source of the leak? I don't want to start pulling hose connections apart until I have a good idea on where the leak is mostly likely to occur.... Thanks in advance for any assistance if you've already dealt with this problem before....

Regardless of how you vote next Tuesday or how the election turns out, the absolute best course of action you can take for yourself and your family is to make a commitment to ALWAYS LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS.... If you do that, you'll eventually build up a measure of financial protection that will minimize your pain during times like these. None of us is untouched by the current financial system collapse, but some of us are far less prone to any type of personal financial crisis as a result of our long-term plans and actions. I'm not thrilled about inflation levels for everything from food to healthcare or the declining value of our eventual retirement funds, but because we have no debt, we have far more disposable income to cover the costs of the necessities of life than most folks do.... Take the time to study and analyze what living within your means actually requires for you and your family, and then work on developing the backbone and commitment to actually do it. That's the best financial strategy you'll ever deploy for yourself and your loved ones....

My wife lost her original 1979 engagement ring diamond back in the summer of 2006. She was sitting in a seminar at work, bored, happened to look at her ring, and noticed the diamond was gone from the setting. In a panic, she and several of her colleagues searched the room, retraced her steps that morning, and did everything else they could think of to find that stone. It never turned up. Hell, it could have been washed down our kitchen sink drain days before she discovered that the stone was gone.... As you might imagine she was sick about it and dreaded telling me. When she finally did, I viewed it as nothing more than an asset loss and assured her that, unfortunately, things like that happen when you wear expensive jewelry everywhere you go (I wear NO jewelry, not even my wedding ring, because I can't stand the feel of rings or bracelets or necklaces on my body). I told her that we would look into replacing the stone at some point after I worked out the insurance situation. That took about 30 days but I did not replace the stone at that point simply because I hate wasting money on things as superfluous and stupid (to me, anyway) as jewelry. So her now-empty engagement ring sat in her jewelry box for months after that.... About a month before Christmas I paid a visit to my wife's favorite jeweler and explained the situation to her. She knows that I won't buy unless I can get a deal so she showed me four or five good-sized, excellent-quality diamonds that had either been traded in for larger ones or were available on consignment sale from the original owner. I picked the one that I thought would best fit and stay in the mounting on my wife's engagement ring because I do not want to go through this again. That diamond is a slightly different cut than my wife's original, but it is also slightly larger and more prominent. I knew that would appeal to my wife.... On Christmas morning I gave the re-set diamond, now in my wife's original engagement ring, to her. She was thrilled. I told her that I had made a deal on a stone that was essentially "used". She didn't care one bit. She loved the stone and its setting in her ring. She's happy with it to this day. I saved approximately $5,000 by going this route instead of purchasing a similar brand-new stone at retail prices. My wife would rather have the "used" stone than hear me grumble for years about getting ripped off for a new one. All is well, and my wife has learned to have the integrity of her setting checked by her jeweler at least once a year. She knows that if she loses this stone, I will not be buying her another one.... I think that your girlfriend should be happy with her stone regardless of its origin. You're the one paying for it, right? New or "used", you've coughed up a significant chunk of change for it. I told my wife about her "used" stone because I wanted her to know that I cut a good deal on it. I also wanted to set the stage for this being the LAST diamond I would buy, and she certainly understands that.... Your circumstance is a bit different. Personally, I see no need for you to tell your girlfriend the origin of her stone. Just learn from what my wife went through and make certain that she gets her ring setting checked by a reputable jeweler on at least a yearly basis....

I'm truly sorry about you losing your medical coverage, Tom. This seems to be the norm these days as companies do everything they can to lessen the cost burden of providing what they promised to their retirees. Again, I'm sorry. But I couldn't disagree with you more about Sarah Palin. She simply is not qualified to be handed the keys to the country. No one can make a reasonable argument that she is. Have you taken the time to watch her interviews with Gibson and Couric? She's clueless. Yes, she's been kept under wraps in an intense Political Science 501 training course over the past six weeks, but that doesn't come close to getting her ready for the White House. The McCain campaign has acknowledged that she isn't even ready to hold press conferences. I really believe that McCain sold out big-time when he chose her as his running mate. If you truly believe in your mantra of "Country First", you don't stoop to that level by picking a virtual neophyte as your successor if you happen to keel over and die while slurping down your morning gruel....

I also believe that Ron Paul would have been the best Republican candidate for the 2008 election, especially from the mounting economic crisis standpoint.... But you have to keep in mind that ANY Republican candidate would have stood little chance to win this election. Regardless of their background, qualifications, or public perception, every single one of them would have had to bear the Bush legacy anchor dragging them down to the bottom. That's unfair to some of the Republican candidates who tried and failed to win the nomination, but such is life in the Republican Party now after the Bush disaster....

Randy & Bonnie, Neither Obama nor McCain could come close to delivering the worst presidential performance in history. That dubious honor has been won, bronzed, and retired by the current Bush, hopefully never to be repeated by anyone who manages to hold that office again.... Regardless of who wins (and if you're betting on the outcome and don't select Obama, you're probably going to lose your money), we're in for the toughest economic times probably since World War II thanks to Bush/Cheney and their cronies. But Obama stands a better chance of leading this country out of those tough times than McCain does. Obama is smarter, more pensive, more willing to listen to experienced advisers that he will undoubtedly surround himself with, and perhaps most importantly he does not possess the hairtrigger temper that will eventually cause McCain to make a major, earthshattering blunder along with the fact that he is just too old for the job. There's been a lot of talk about "who would you want in place to have to take that 3:00 am phone call to the White House?" If McCain somehow wins the election (not very likely now), he's going to need several certified clairvoyants on call 24/7 because they're going to need at least 24 to 48 hours of advance warning so they'll have enough time to work with McCain to get him to the point where he can finally understand the crisis when that 3:00 am phone call shows up.... I'm still not an Obama supporter but I firmly believe that this country would be putting itself in far more serious jeopardy with the mentally and physically-fading McCain and the very scary, deer-in-the-headlights Palin in charge. That's not a risk I'm willing to take, but one that my elderly mother will. We had a civil but spirited argument about it over the telephone just yesterday. Unfortunately, she buys into the Republican smear campaign like so many people (including yourself) have done in the past. Although these tactics will be ramped up as never before in the two weeks to go, a combination of overwhelming Bush-disgust and our freefalling economy will not allow these tactics to work this time. At this point I think it's going to take a massive and unforgiveable gaffe from Obama himself (a la John Edwards), and he's already proven that he's too smart for that. Obama's biggest threat to the presidency remains assassination, not John McCain....

.... he came home early and caught his !Removed! daughter in bed with John Edwards....

What heart?? No way in hell is Cheney even remotely human....

I agree with you - strong asset management/project management types will always be in demand, just not nearly as much right now. But when things begin to noticeably turn around perhaps in Q1/Q2 2009, more of those jobs should open up.... Thanks for the tip about outlet shopping in Smithfield. For more than 25 years we've hit the outlets in Burlington right off I-40 (Exit 145) as we've traveled back and forth from my mother's house in High Point. But when all you wear (meaning me) is t-shirts and gym shorts and trail-hiking shoes, I really haven't had a need to stop there for at least five years. And they never carry anything in my required size 15 shoe anyway - they just stare down at my feet and laugh when I leave the store. Our 29th wedding anniversary is next Tuesday and we traditionally have dinner at the Angus Barn. Next Tuesday night will be the first time that I will wear real slacks, a real, collared shirt with buttons, and real leather shoes that don't tie up with laces thus far in 2008. I could probably negotiate my way in wearing a t-shirt and shorts but I know my wife would finally see that as the last straw in our marriage and kill me in my sleep with a fireplace poker later that night while I'm snoozing with a belly full of the Angus Barn's fantastic pork ribs....

I have audiophile experience dating back to the early 1970s, much more so in the home audio application rather than the vehicle audio application. My experience is that Altec makes the best speakers, followed closely by JBL. Bose has always spent far more money on advertising their quality, but many long-time technicians in the audio business have little respect for Bose since they believe that Bose excels in marketing itself but unfortunately builds merely average audio equipment....