RX in NC

Hey guys.... Never been in this section of the forum before today. In fact, didn't even intend to be here, but I fat-fingered the wrong link, wound up here, noticed this particular thread, and BAM! I'm glad to see that this site still has some highly entertaining political discussion going on between many different personalities and persuasions. We had similar discussions going on in the off-topic section during the run-up to the 2008 election, and I assumed all that talk had simply dried up and blown away. Turns out I simply didn't know where to look for it. Now I do.... I don't have time to compose a novel to get my skin in the game, but I will offer a paragraph or two just to plant my own flag here as most of you have already done.... Yes, I'm still a registered Republican but as nc211 can tell you, I despise what Bush/Cheney did to our country/economy/standard of living between 2000 and 2008 and still long for the opportunity to have a five-minute man-to-man "talk" with Bush in a locked room, just the two of us. I know it won't solve our country's problems, but it surely would bring me some of that famous "closure" that everyone is always talking about.... I voted for Obama in 2008 based upon his obvious intelligence and energy. I had great reservations when pulling the lever due to his inexperience and my fear that the DC lions' den would eat him alive, but there was no way I was willing to allow Sarah Palin to get within screaming distance of the White House. Like many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum, I have been extremely disappointed by Obama's ineffectiveness and naivete. But here comes 2012 and what do we have to choose from on the other side of the aisle? Possibly the most cartoonish line-up of wanna-be candidates in recent memory. Without going into detail, and in no particular order, I believe that Perry, Bachmann, Cain, and Gingrich are completely unelectible for valid, compelling reasons. None of them are fit for duty as President and they all scare the hell out of me for very different reasons. All of the other candidates with the exception of Romney and Paul are less than marginal and therefore not worth even having their names mentioned. Paul may bring some of the best fiscal-policy ideas to the table, but his quirky personality and less-than-appealing stage presence put him at a severe disadvantage. Romney has the closest thing to a political machine, he is generally stage-savvy and experienced in the public eye, and the nomination is his to lose. The Mormon factor becomes less of an issue as each week passes, particularly as the other candidates take their turns bumbling and stumbling around in the spotlight and falling out of consideration in the minds of the general public.... So November 2012 essentially boils down to Obama vs. Romney. But Romney can still blow it big-time as McCain did when he still-inexplicably picked the airheaded Palin to join him on the ticket. If Romney can find a valid and complementary running mate, he stands a decent chance of pulling it off. Of course, this is assuming that things stay status-quo on the economic front as they are now (i.e. still a lousy economy but not technically a recession even though it still feels like one to most folks). A confirmed double-dip recession next year would add more chips to Romney's poker pile, as would a worsening of the unemployment rate. But naming Bachmann or Perry as his VP sidekick would quickly shift the balance of power back to Obama, all other factors remaining the same.... There's still plenty of time left for anyone involved to make a fatal mistake (Bachmann did that months ago with her infamous proclamation of "We'll have $2.00-a-gallon gasoline under President Bachmann"), so we'll see how this soap opera plays out once the campaigns get going in earnest after the first of the year.... Gotta get back to the options markets now. If I have time, I'll check back later. Enjoy....

Supposedly, owners will receive recall notices in the mail beginning in January. My experience with previous Lexus recalls tells me not to hold my breath. They are notoriously slow, even after all the tremendously negative press over the past couple of years. My guess is that we'll receive our recall notice in February or March....

Keep in mind that regardless of all the bad press in recent years involving various recalls up and down the product line, Toyota/Lexus remains among the slowest of all manufacturers to publicly admit potential problems and then to issue actual recalls concerning them. Sad but true....

Our Grand Cherokees were all great performers, and they were also Chrysler products. Our 1996 Grand Cherokee V8 AWD was especially beloved. Sure wish we had it back in like-new condition. It blows away any RX in terms of comfort, performance, smoothness, and capability. Granted, it was a bit thirsty on gas, but that's a trade-off I'll easily take again....

My wife had a 2000 RX300 AWD from August 2003 until January 2007. Worst vehicle I've ever had in more than 41 years of driving. Required more than $9,000 of warranty work from the local Lexus dealership, including entire transmission replacement at less than 48,000 miles. I sold it at just under 130,000 miles with full disclosure of its service history in late January 2007 and was delighted to kick it out of our stable. Overpriced, underpowered, "pretend" AWD, and many other factors will always cause me to view the early RX300s as crapmobiles. I wouldn't have one now if you gave it to me.... The RX330 and RX350 are better vehicles. Lexus learned from their early mistakes (without admitting that they made many mistakes, which they indeed did). My wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD is pushing 118,000 miles right now, and has been a relatively trouble-free vehicle needing essentially nothing but routine maintenance and a handful of minor recalls. I still change the transmission fluid in this vehicle every 30,000 miles myself, however, due to the stigma created by her 2000 RX300. But it's an easy 20-minute job that costs me about $20 for Toyota Type T-IV fluid, so I won't complain. Her RX330 has recently developed a sporadic transmission upshift stutter between 20 and 30 mph. Doesn't occur often, but when it does, it is annoying and she feels threatened if it happens when she is attempting to merge into traffic. Can't blame her for that. I may have fixed this issue by detaching the battery cables for a couple of hours last weekend and allowing the vehicle's computers to reset. She has not reported any transmission stutter since then. Time will tell.... If you're looking for the best small AWD SUV bang-for-the-buck, get a Subaru Outback. If you want the best all-around AWD SUV for a bit more money, get a Jeep Grand Cherokee. As a former Grand Cherokee owner, I truly miss the indestructable, low-maintenance requirements that our Jeeps always had. I would trade my wife's RX330 for a well-cared-for Grand Cherokee in a heartbeat....

The filter is on my list of things I may have to do to the vehicle. But I'm not willing to drop the pan to change it now. Perhaps at the next ATF drain-and-fill interval. Of course, if the situation gets worse I may have to bite the bullet and do it (especially if she keeps complaining about the shift quality and becomes afraid to pull out into ongoing traffic)....

Update: I removed the negative battery cable with the headlights turned on this past Saturday. Let the vehicle sit for a couple of hours like that, then reattached the battery cable. This action may indeed have reset the vehicle's computers. According to my wife, the transmission performed without a hitch on Monday and Tuesday. Time will tell if the improvement is temporary. Thanks for the suggestion, Tom.... And yes, in checking back through my records, TSB TC005-03 was performed by our local Lexus dealership in February 2007 not more than two weeks after we purchased the vehicle. I took it in at that time for several warranty items, one of them being a complaint from my wife about shifting harshness. I'm sure she was still gun-shy about transmission shifts then from her years of driving her previous 2000 RX300 crapmobile....

Thanks Tom. I'll do a battery disconnect and reconnect - perhaps a computer reset will indeed fix it.... I'll also look into that TSB you mentioned.... No, I've never changed the transmission filter. How difficult is it to access? I really don't want to drop the pan except as a last resort....

Ditto for PIAA blade inserts (some call them refills). The most cost-effective way to go if you want long life at a decent price....

2004 RX330 AWD approaching 118,000 well-cared-for miles.... My wife has been complaining recently about her transmission stuttering briefly upon acceleration. She says that it happens sporadically, usually between 20 and 30 mph. The stutter lasts less than one second, but concerns her when she is pulling into traffic or merging lanes. I've not experienced the issue myself while driving the vehicle until last night when it occurred two separate times while I was behind the wheel on the way back from dinner. The situation occurred exactly as she has been describing it to me.... Because of the chronic faulty original transmission we experienced in her previous 2000 RX300 AWD, I've been changing the Type T-IV ATF every 30,000 miles via the drain-and-fill method since we purchased this RX330 in January 2007 at just over 30,000 miles. The current ATF in the transmission pan is clean bright red just as it should be, and is at the correct level.... Have any other RX330 owners out there experienced this issue? If so, what was your fix (if you found one)?

I concur with code58's assessment of these vehicles "using", not "leaking" a very small amount of coolant as part of their normal operating procedure. We've owned my wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD since late January 2007. She's put approximately 75,000 miles on the vehicle during that timespan. No coolant leaks have ever been evident. But at the end of every summer with its 95 to 100-degree daily highs here, I have to top off the coolant expansion tank with perhaps 3 ounces of fresh coolant. I've always believed that it is due to evaporation since this system is not truly sealed. But as code58 surmised, it may be very slight seepage which then evaporates quickly due to the heat in the engine compartment.... So top off your coolant expansion tank, and simply keep an eye on it. No need to spend any money on a new water pump at this point....

An inexpensive option is to go to any glass & mirror shop and get them to cut a new one for you using your old mirror as a template. If you choose regular ol' mirror glass, nothing fancy, the cost should be no more than $50 or so (depending on where you live). The passenger side mirror in my wife's 2004 RX330 is gradually discoloring now (turning gold), but is still viable. When it finally turns too dark to use, I'll have it replaced by a local shop whom I've already spoken with. Their quote was $45 to cut the new mirror glass to size, remove the faded factory mirror glass, and install the new mirror glass on the frame. Not a bad deal at all.... Our local Lexus dealership charges nearly $300 for a new mirror glass but offered to sell it to me for $200. I declined, and I'll have it fixed by the local glass & mirror company when my wife starts raising hell about not being able to see out of it....

I have not replaced the gear-oil fluids yet. I probably should, but you rarely read about failures caused by these fluids vs. the transmission. I'll probably replace the gear-oil fluids when I do the next "major" service at 120,000 miles, probably in the November/December timeframe based on my wife's current driving patterns with this vehicle....

I don't trust transmission flushes. Too much risk of dragging old debris that has settled in the transmission pan up through the valve bodies and creating problems that you didn't have before. But that's just me. Some folks swear by flushes, but again, I am not willing to take the risk. If I drain-and-fill every 30,000 miles like I've been doing for years, I know that I am keeping my ATF clean enough to minimize transmission failure down the road. Much of what drains immediately after you remove the ATF drain plug is indeed any debris that has gradually settled at the bottom of the transmission pan. I let the vehicle sit overnight and do the ATF drain-and-fill first thing the next morning.... These RX transmissions are quirky. The first couple of years in the RX300 AWD model (1999 and 2000) were flat-out dogs due to weak planetary gear housings as member "lenore" (Tom) has proved here on the forum. By the time the RX330 came out for the 2004 model year, the transmission design and components seem to have improved. Are they as robust as the transmissions in my 1999 Dodge Ram and 2005 Jaguar S-Type that have never given me a moment's trouble? I doubt it, and that's why I continue my 30,000-mile drain-and-fill interval on my wife's RX330. Thus far it has worked for me. Your mileage may vary....

Yep, do it yourself. It is just as simple as changing the engine oil. After the transmission failed on my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD under warranty at about 48,000 miles, I've been doing simple drain-and-fills of the ATF in these RX vehicles every 30,000 miles just as some added protection. No transmission problems since, and her current 2004 RX330 AWD is pushing 115,000 miles now. I stick with the Toyota Type T-IV ATF and always purchase it from a Toyota dealership not far from me at less than five bucks a quart. Each drain-and-fill always nets right at four quarts of old fluid, so it is a relatively inexpensive procedure if you do it yourself. All you need is the new fluid, a catch pan, a plastic funnel, and the correct Allen wrench to remove the ATF drain plug (10 mm if I remember correctly). Cut a 3-inch by 3-inch hole in the vehicle's plastic belly pan directly underneath where the ATF drain plug is located and you save even more time by not having to unbolt and drop the belly pan every time you do a drain-and-fill. Takes me 30 minutes to do the job with 20 of those minutes consisting of just sitting around waiting for the final drops of old ATF to finally quit dripping....

klonny, My wife has had two RX models, first a 2000 RX300 AWD and now a 2004 RX330 AWD. The RX300 was hands down the worst vehicle I've owned in more than 40 years of driving. It required more than $9,000 worth of warranty work from Lexus in the first two years we owned it, unbelievable and completely unacceptable given Lexus' reputation for quality and durability. I was glad to sell it off to the first couple who rang our doorbell in January 2007, and did not want another Lexus product in our garage. But my wife still had Lexus Fever, it was her vehicle and her money, and she opted to replace it with her current 2004 RX330. No question that the RX330 is a better vehicle in build quality and durability, granted that isn't saying much compared to her first Lexus with its myriad of well-known problems that have been frequently discussed on this site. I'm meticulous with self-maintenance on all of our vehicles. The RX300 didn't care - its design flaws and shoddy materials failed anyway. The RX330 has responded favorably, however. It's pushing 114,500 miles now and has held up well with just a few relatively minor warranty issues, a couple of recalls, and mostly just good routine maintenance from me.... My view of the RX series after owning and maintaining two of them is that if you need a relatively trouble-free, mid-size AWD or 4WD SUV, there are a number of better choices on the market for significantly less cost than the RX (and have been for years). But I have to say that the RX330 is a much better vehicle than the RX300. Lexus will never admit it, but they indeed learned their lesson from the many flaws and failures that haunted the first few model years of the RX series....

Update: The factory battery began to die a quick death yesterday afternoon, barely capable of starting the vehicle this morning. Just finished replacing it with a new one from Johnson Controls. We'll see if that resolves the intermittent transmission shift quality issues....

Thanks for the suggestion to clean and burnish the battery terminals. I'll do this as an initial (and cost-free) step, but at nearly eight years old I'm thinking the battery may be heading off into the sunset. If it is, I surely hope that a new battery rectifies my wife's transmission complaints....

2004 RX330 AWD, 114,000 miles. Wife has recently begun complaining about harsher shifts than usual. Some days are normal, some days are not. Due to transmission failure under warranty by her previous 2000 RX300 AWD, I do a drain-and-fill every 30,000 miles using Toyota Type T-IV ATF just to be sure the fluid stays fresh. It looks great and sits right at the proper level for both hot and cold checks using the dipstick.... Our 2005 Jaguar S-Type sedan has a known issue that when the factory battery begins to die, it plays havoc with the many onboard computers and begins to cause operational issues. The issue most commonly reported by other S-Type owners is that the normally smooth-as-butter ZF transmission begins to lurch and jolt on occasion. Sometimes, even transmission fault codes are thrown. In 95% of these cases reported on the Jaguar forum I frequent most, a new battery fixes the issue completely.... Anyone heard of a similar issue and fix for the first-generation RX330 or ES330? As complex and interconnected as the electronic modules in all vehicles are these days, I'm hoping that a new battery could very well be my fix. The vehicle still has its factory battery (now pushing 8 years old) in which I've kept all six cells properly filled with water over the years. Never had a starting issue, just this intermittent transmission complaint from my wife....

Tom, How has your experience with your 2008 RX400h been compared to your old RX300? When did you make the switch, and how many miles were on the 400h when you acquired it? My wife's 2004 RX330 AWD has been relatively trouble-free so I'm rarely on this forum anymore. Just did the 112,500-mile service last Saturday morning. She is still splitting her driving requirements between her RX330 and our 2005 Jaguar S-Type sedan acquired in December 2008. The S-Type had its quirks but it has been a fantastic car once I worked out those quirks, mostly when the car was still under the original factory warranty. The S-Type is approaching 60,000 miles now and has been trouble-free for the past 18 months or so. It's still the best bang-for-the-buck vehicle I've ever owned in more than 41 years of driving....

There are many brake pad options to choose from, some better (and far lest costly) than OEM. I really like the Wagner ThermoQuiet brake pad series. I have them on all three of our vehicles (1999 Dodge Ram pickup, 2004 Lexus RX330 SUV, 2005 Jaguar S-Type sedan) and can testify to their tomb-like quietness, their stopping power, their minimal brake dust, and their long lifespan (they come with a lifetime warranty). You can find them online at vendors like rockauto.com for less than a third of the price for what you would pay a dealer for OEM pads if you catch one of the frequent online specials. And if you install them yourself (an easy job for most vehicles), you'll save another $150 or more in labor costs....

You may have another option that is far less expensive.... There's a franchise called "Colors On Parade" that specializes in plastic bumper repair. Essentially they remove the damaged bumper, use special resins and heat to repair it to like-new condition, paint it to match, and then re-install the now brand-new-looking bumper. Usually less than half the cost of conventional body shop repairs. We have a franchise here in Raleigh, and I decided to give them a try when my wife ran her previous 2000 RX300 into a trailer hitch and punched a two-inch hole in her bumper along with some cracks. The repair was flawless, and the front bumper looked brand new. Total cost (in 2006 if I remember correctly) was just over $400. These guys were perfectionists, very anal about any work leaving their shop. I remember they kept the vehicle an extra day because they were not satisfied with the initial paint match. I saw the first coat and it looked like a perfect match to me. But not to them, so I allowed them to repaint it at no cost to me.... Google "Colors On Parade" and find out if there is a franchise in your area. I guarantee you any time we need additional plastic bumper repairs on any of our vehicles, I'll head straight back to them without even consulting a conventional body shop....

Good job. Hope the cleaned filter screen and fresh ATF solves your problem. An inexpensive fix, indeed. Keep us posted....

Exactly as Tom has pointed out. And that's what I meant by "sealed"....

The primary reason for dealerships to offer brake fluid exchange is called "big profit margin". I think you already realize that....