RX in NC

I manage to catch the local news at least once an evening most of the time. I've preferred WRAL in Raleigh to WTVD in Durham for decades for a number of reasons - I think they do a better job with real "news" versus crap that should air on "Inside Edition" and similar fluff programs which I can't stand and won't waste my time with. But even WRAL has become more sensational and less real news over the past couple of years. I've e-mailed anchor Debra Morgan several times and voiced my opinion and she's always immediately responded with a surprising degree of empathy and seems to have a few issues herself with some of the stories they now have to cover. I've also e-mailed reporter Scott Mason and asked him to take his rhyming sappy story style and move out-of-state so Triangle-area viewers are no longer exposed to the garbage he comes up with.... But WTVD remains far more sensational in their approach and coverage than WRAL has ever been, and I watch WTVD news only as a last resort. They also go through anchors and reporters like water so it's hard to see much consistency there.... Back when local TV stations did their own nightly editorials in the early 1970s, the primary editorialist at WRAL in Raleigh was none other than the just-departed Mr. Jesse Helms (prior to his U.S. Senate days, of course). I was in college at N.C. State at the time and we used to gather in various dorm rooms for the nightly local news just to howl at some of the outlandish things that Helms would say during his on-air editorials. No one could get away with that stuff today, but it certainly made great fodder for those of us in college during those very liberal times. The WRAL studios are right across Western Boulevard from the N.C. State campus and there were many nights when we egged Jesse's car as he was leaving after the conclusion of the newscast. I'll never forget being called "communist facists" and having Jesse shoot us the finger from behind his steering wheel on several occasions where we had just plastered his car with at least two dozen eggs. Kind of brings a tear to my eye now - man, those were the days....

Anyone who purchases a Range Rover should reserve some cash to hire a 24-hour tow truck to follow you around at all times. We've had two in our extended family over the past five years and both of them were pushed out the garage bays inside of three years. One of them had a sticker price pushing $85 grand, but it didn't matter. The vehicle was still a dog....

nc211, Much as you wish they would, the November elections will not bring oil prices down. They will continue to spiral upwards into 2009 and perhaps even 2010. While I don't like the current $65 credit card fill-up receipts that my wife brings home a couple of times a week, I've been raking in some very serious profits since late April by playing oil options. As long as my charts continue to give me the green light, I'll keep some options money in play in oil and be sure to cash in before Options Expiration Friday rolls around every month. If the global speculators and greedheads can make millions and billions by sticking it to the rest of us, I should at least be allowed to clear a few hundred grand....

My wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD was the worst vehicle I've owned in nearly 39 years of driving. It rang up what would have been more than $9,000 in repair costs, all covered by the Lexus dealership both during and after the warranty period. They knew we had a dog so they took care of all the well-documented failures as they occured. They also learned very quickly that I would pound them with documentation and justification and that I wouldn't take no for an answer. I give them credit for taking care of our issues, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the vehicle was such a dog. I sold it in January 2007 as it approached 130,000 miles and gave full disclosure and all service history to my buyer. He bought it anyway even though I fully warned him.... Against my recommendation, my wife replaced it with her current 2004 RX330 AWD. It is a better vehicle than her 2000 RX300 AWD was (although the bar was set pitifully low), it has fewer common failures, and I believe it will hold up longer. But it is still too small, too underpowered, and at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds there's no way I can spend more than an hour or so driving it and must then unfold myself out of it before my legs (no legroom) and neck (no headroom) cramp up.... There's no way I would have ever bought either one of these vehicles. But it's her decision and her own money buying them so I had very little say in the matter. But I'm stuck having to maintain them. Her 2004 RX330 AWD just rolled over 75,000 miles and has needed several relatively minor TSBs and dealer fixes since we brought it home. But it is holding up much better than her old 2000 RX300 AWD did at similar mileage and has not suffered major failures in the transmission, exhaust manifold, rear main oil seal, rubber strut mount bushings, and multiple oxygen sensors. All of these well-documented inherent problems hit her 2000 RX300 AWD at less than 75,000 miles and some at less than 50,000 miles. I'm certainly glad that we dumped that albatross from our garage last year....

My car-nut brother-in-law has one of these on order. I think they plan to replace the golf cart they use to drive around their horse ranch with it. I'm looking forward to kicking the tires once it comes in, but at 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, I don't expect to be able to come close to fitting into it....

Back when my wife had her lousy 2000 RX300 AWD, three different Lexus service techs and two different Toyota service techs at two different dealerships and one Lexus service manager (who has always authorized and absorbed the cost of all required fixes for known problems and defects concerning our previous RX300 both during and after the warranty period) all confirmed to me that our engine was indeed non-interference. Yet different folks around the country continue to get different answers depending upon whom they ask.... Perhaps it is time to contact Corporate Lexus and nail this issue down once and for all. Of course, you then have to ask yourself, "does the person I'm speaking with at corporate really know what he or she is talking about, and what is the source of his/her answer?".... Obtaining correct information is extremely important in this case. You have very little risk at stake when you decide to run your original timing belt as long as you possibly can on a non-interference engine. But you roll the dice big-time if you make that same decision with an interference engine.... That being said, I know that the factory timing belts used in these RX vehicles are industrial-strength quality. Lexus techs, Toyota techs, and independent techs who specialize in Lexus and Toyota have all told me without a doubt that these timing belts can easily do 150,000 miles and more as long as the vehicle is not abused and is reasonably maintained. Therefore, I did not change the timing belt on our RX300 before I sold it with just under 130,000 miles on the odometer, and I don't plan to change the timing belt on my wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD until 150,000 miles assuming we keep it that long (she just turned 75,000 miles two days ago).... I propose that a number of us contact Lexus Corporate via phone and e-mail to see if we can gain a consensus on whether these engines are indeed non-interference. If I can reach someone who seems reasonably responsible and informed, I'll post it here. Hopefully some of you folks out there will do the same....

I changed the Denso iridium plugs myself in my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD in October 2006 at 120,000 miles primarily because I knew that I would be selling that lousy vehicle in early 2007, and spark plug change jobs on these damn RXs are a major pain in the !Removed! to do (not to mention expensive if you have to pay a shop to do it for you).... The original factory plugs still performed flawlessly and looked very good at 120,000 miles. They would have easily gone 150,000 miles and I wouldn't be surprised if some folks get close to 200,000 miles out of them.... Both Denso and NGK make superb iridium plugs. If you replace them prior to 120,000 miles you're just wasting your money. But that doesn't excuse you from pulling a couple of the front plugs (easy to get to) every 40,000 or 50,000 miles simply to take a look at them to ensure they're still in good shape....

Yes, the coolant appears more pinkish than it does reddish. These long-life coolants are indeed marketed to go 100,000 miles or more, but I pay no attention to that hype. I just glance at the fluid every weekend when I have the hood open. When the familiar cloudiness or murkiness appears in the overflow container, I'll change to fresh coolant. The existing coolant still looks rather pristine right now with the vehicle approaching 75,000 miles. I've never run a factory fill of coolant to 100,000 miles before, but maybe this one will indeed go the distance....

Quite a few folks on this forum have complained over the past couple of years about windshield visibility distortion in the newer RX models. For some owners, this distortion was so distracting that it forced them to get rid of the vehicle even after having the original windshield replaced but the distortion was still present in the replacement windshield. I would think that if a windshield arrives distorted from the factory, it may be more prone to crack just from heating up in the high summertime temperatures, especially if while hot it is doused by a cold rain or even a bucket of water as part of the washing process. Have either of you noticed any windshield distortion in this vehicle?

I don't analyze our vehicles' coolant chemical makeup to determine when to replace it. I simply glance at the color and consistency of the coolant in the radiator overflow container every weekend when I'm doing my standard 5-minute check of the fluids and tire pressures. When the coolant begins to look cloudy or murky, I'll make a mental note to drain-and-fill it during my next oil and filter change for that particular vehicle. My current 1999 Dodge Ram pickup with the 5.9-litre V8 has had its coolant changed twice in 9 years and 51,500 miles. My wife's current 2004 RX330 has never had its coolant changed in 4 years and almost 75,000 miles. Of course, whenever I have to top up the coolant level (probably a couple of times per year per vehicle) due to evaporation (yes, it still occurs even in a closed system), I add 100% fresh coolant, no water.... This has been standard operating procedure for me since the mid-1970s. I've had one radiator failure in 38 years of driving, but that was in my 1974 Datsun 260Z that tended to run hot as hell regardless of whether it was 100 degrees or 15 degrees outside. And that particular radiator didn't fail until I had more than 200,000 miles on the car so I can't exactly blame it anyway....

Your point about high failure rates in RX300 transmissions is duly noted and correct - simply perusing this board and others like it will provide even the novice RX owner with plenty of evidence that the early transmissions are flawed and require a ridiculous maintenance schedule of changing the fluid regardless of what Toyota proclaims.... But where is that same type of evidence concerning coolant hoses? It doesn't exist because coolant hoses (in general, not just in the RX series) have been improved dramatically over the past decade or so, as have the coolant compounds themselves.... If you naively perform all of the maintenance tips and suggestions that Pat Goss and others like him encourage you to do, you'd waste all of your disposable income and time working on your vehicles. You have to temper what the industry wants you to do (hand over as much of your hard-earned money to auto parts suppliers and service providers as they can pull out of you) with what common sense and component failure history empirically prove to you. In this particular case, coolant hoses rarely need to be replaced these days unless they are more than ten years old or showing signs of breakdown, usually at the clamp joints.... I'm glad that you obtained some peace of mind in performing this task on your wife's vehicle. But my original point remains that this is overwhelmingly an unnecessary and wasteful procedure unless signs of failure have been detected....

Man, nobody listens to common sense anymore....

The 2004 RX330 radiator TSB mentioned above applies only to Canadian-built vehicles, not Japanese-built vehicles. If your VIN starts with a 2, your vehicle was built in Canada. If your VIN starts with a J, your vehicle was built in Japan....

Either you've got a problem with your vehicle (alignment, perhaps) or you're simply not taking care of your tires. My wife's Alenzas have nearly 34,000 miles on them right now and still have more than 65% of their original tread depth left. Alignment is good and all four are wearing evenly with absolutely no increase in cabin noise since the day they were installed. I run them at 36 psi yearround, rotate them every time I do my own oil and filter change, and most importantly, I check the tire pressures every weekend without fail.... If wet-weather performance declines or tire noise increases once my wife's Alenzas reach 40,000 miles and beyond, you can bet that I'll post it here. Given the manner in which I take care of our tires, I do not expect this to become a problem. Time will tell....

A popping or clicking noise originating from under the front axles when turning the steering wheel usually indicates that one of your CV joint rubber boots has failed (cracked open) and allowed all of the lubricating grease to escape. After a while, the metal-on-metal friction causes the CV joint to fail. This is a common problem and the common fix is simply to replace the axle assembly with a rebuilt unit, good as new. The typical cost from an independent service facility will run around $200 to $250. If you let your dealership do the repairs, expect to pay twice that much....

Maybe I did get out of my June oil options a tad early, but who knew that oil would jump back up nearly $11 yesterday? Those things happen, they typically aren't predictable, and you have to learn that it's all part of the process. Never look back (except to figure out where you blew a trade that backfired on you so you live and learn and don't allow the same factors to bite you again with future trades) and celebrate the fact that your trade worked out as planned. Yes, oil jumped up $11 yesterday, but when I sold my position at $135 a barrel, I netted sixty-two grand!! Celebrate for a few minutes, treat myself to a Klondike Bar, and then move on by looking for the next deal. Again, it's a career, not living and dying with each and every trade or looking to milk the very last dollar and then winding up losing everything you put into the play and more.... Don't be jealous - quit making excuses, get off your !Removed!, and start practice-trading again. You've already proven that you can do this. You don't need to risk any money to practice-trade. So start polishing up your skills again because the sooner you get involved, the sooner you'll begin building your entire family's financial independence. And just like building a house, you do it one brick at a time. Yes, it takes years to get to where you want to be, but it is so worth it in the long run. We're completely debt-free, have been for many years, and we'll never need to take out a loan for anything we'll ever need or want to buy again. Doesn't matter if it's real estate, a vacation home, a Maserati (no, I'm far too economically conservative now to waste good money on an expensive depreciating "asset"), or whatever. We're free and clear of any economic worries with no long-term concerns about what happens to employers, gas prices, food prices, utility prices, or any of the other routine matters that we all must contend with each day.... When you finally get inspired, read the following books in the order I have listed them below. Then immediately go back and read them again. And then after three or four months have passed and you're well on your way with your practice-trading, go back and read them a third time: 1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki 2. The Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki 3. Introduction to Technical Analysis by Martin Pring 4. Rich Dad's Prophecy by Robert Kiyosaki 5. The Disciplined Trader by Mark Douglas 6. Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques by Steve Nison (the most important book I've ever read - it is my icon) 7. The Market Maker's Edge by Josh Lukeman 8. Getting Started in Options by Michael Thomsett 9. Success Is Not An Accident by Tommy Newberry 10. Boomernomics by Sterling & Waite Remember: Do what wealthy people do - READ....

nc211, I sold out of my June options play on oil when it hit $135 a barrel - my charts predicted this week's decline and I heeded their advice to sell, although I thought about it for several hours before deciding to do so. I knew that I wouldn't net as high of a profit percentage as I did for my May oil options but I also believed that I would be relatively safe as long as I sold out by Options Expiration Friday in June (which is still two weeks away). I netted nearly $71,000 for May and just over $62,000 for June. And that's on top of my usual technology plays every month (which have been consistent but not nearly as lucrative as oil has been for the past couple of months). It's too early to say if I think I can make it three-for-three with oil options for July, but I'm still studying my charts carefully and I'll make that decision by June 23rd or 24th. This has really been a blast, particularly since I've never bet on oil before due to the potential for huge losses if you're not an expert in that sector (and I certainly don't pretend to be - technology is my claim to fame).... Keep in mind that no matter what options I'm playing, I never plan to go out more than about six weeks in order to help minimize my risk. It doesn't always work, of course, but I plan my plays and have taught myself not to get greedy. Take what the market gives you, cash in, and look for the next play. You can always get back into the same (or similar) trade if you choose to do so.... You should study up on options, practice with play money for six months or so (many sites let you do this at no cost - I always liked OptionsXpress out of Chicago), and then jump in with perhaps $5,000 total and never risking more than half of that figure at one time. You'll win a few, lose a few, but more importantly you'll learn the game very quickly. I started in late 2003 by reading 20 or 30 books on the subject and then gradually putting my own money into play. The biggest challenge (for me, anyway), comes in learning to control both FEAR and GREED. But if you take a systematic, it's-just-my-job approach and you're disciplined enough to stick with it every day, win or lose, you can do it. I guarantee you that it is the best way to 1. financial independence and 2. building your son's college education fund. And it doesn't have to be your full-time job initially (or ever). But most people who get good at this quickly learn that they can earn more from the options markets than any employer will ever be willing to pay them.... If you're interested, let me know. I'll suggest about 15 books that you should read, and many of them will be available in a good-sized public library. Some of these books are purely technical, but some of them address your mindset and serve to get your head right so you can more easily and confidently do what needs to be done to gradually become successful at this. It certainly isn't for the masses, but if you have an economics and statistics background (as I do) or a commercial banking or real estate background (as you do), then you have a huge advantage over the average guy or gal who just wants to strike it rich and thinks that options is the way to do it. If you can't control your emotions and aren't able to simply treat this like a career, it isn't for you - the market will hand you your !Removed! before you ever see it coming. But if you're detail-oriented, good at keeping daily notes in a market journal format (history repeats itself, remember), and you have a basic understanding of how financial markets work, you can learn to do this....

Yep, I feel for the multi-kid families who have decided that they must trade in (the better term here is "give away") their SUV and replace it with a crackerbox because gas prices are killing their budgets.... I'm way, way too tall to fit into a crackerbox and I need my full-size Ram pickup for the various major projects that I do around the house and grounds from time to time. There's no way I'm getting rid of my perfect-condition 5.9-litre V8 Ram just because it averages 16 mpg, and I'm not going to buy some little Tonka toy truck or car that I can't fit into as a second vehicle - what a boneheaded economic decision that would be. I'll stick with my Ram, plan my trips and errands carefully, ride out the $4 gas prices, and be thankful that I can drive whatever I want when some families are having to park their SUVs and full-size trucks because they can't get anything for them....

Not only are today's hoses better made and more durable than the hoses were in the 1970s, so are the coolant fluids they conduct. I inspect our hoses periodically but haven't had to replace one in at least ten or fifteen years. If your hoses remain flexible, don't flake when you rub them, and aren't showing surface cracks in the areas where they are clamped to their fittings, I would simply leave them alone and keep driving. Today's vehicles have far fewer hoses than the vehicles did back in the '60s and '70s - my 1974 Datsun 260Z had more hoses than your local Wal-Mart Garden Center....

That's an easy one. "Overpriced"....

Indeed, my comments in this thread are intended to be humorous although some will take offense, and no worries about that at all. Wear whatever you want, but you won't catch me serving as a human billboard for ANY product or service unless the company pays me to wear it. My economic tendencies will always dominate. Why spend thirty bucks for a Lexus t-shirt when a ten-dollar 100% cotton t-shirt with no visible logos on it fits my shoulders and chest better, is probably better-made, and allows me to purchase three of them for what one Lexus t-shirt would cost? It's a no-brainer in my eyes since whatever I wear in normal everyday life is going to quickly get soiled and torn by romping with my dogs and doing chores around the property....

The RX series always has been and always will be a chick car.... It's one-third of what is known in the business as "The Girlie Trifecta", which consists of the Mazda Miata, the Lexus RX, and the sissiest car on the planet - the VW Cabriolet Convertible.... If you're a guy and you happen to own all three at the same time, rumor has it that you get two lifetime passes to "Cats" on Broadway, a week of cooking lessons in your home from Rachael Ray, and a 20-year free subscription to Oprah magazine....

Yes, we had the latest firmware flashed into my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD at no charge shortly after she purchased it in late January 2007. It did help smooth down the shift points to some degree. Be aware that the transmissions in these RX models leave much to be desired. Spend some time sifting through all the transmission failure posts on this board and you'll soon understand that. Prior to the RX330 she had a 2000 RX300 AWD. It snorted and bucked through its shift points even after warming up and didn't get much better even after a transmission replacement at about 48,000 miles on our local Lexus dealership's dime. Her current RX330 shifts better than her old RX300 did, but neither RX ever shifted better or smoother than my 1999 Dodge Ram 5.9-litre V8 pickup does. Sad but true....

Another shining example of how customer service differs so greatly from dealership to dealership. And not just with the Lexus brand. Sad but true, and very unfortunate for folks who live near the lousy ones and have to put up with being treated like crap because the local management and staff believe they can get away with it. Never stand for treatment like that and eventually these owners and general managers will learn that if the employees don't respect their customers all the way down through the chain-of-command, it won't be long before they don't have any customers....

Really? How about www.lookatmelookatmelookatme.com?