RX in NC

Never use an RX as a tow vehicle....

I know your profile says you're 46, but sometimes you really make me believe that you're no more than 17.... No, you are not going to duplicate the Infiniti FX exhaust notes on your RX. You'll be wasting your money and blowing your warranty if you attempt to jury-rig an Infiniti exhaust system onto your RX. Can't live without the Infiniti FX exhaust sound? Then sell your RX and get an FX. Nothing like deciding to take a financial bath on a vehicle because you just have to have the exhaust sound emitted by something else.... Next time you're in the office, pop a Valium and relax your way back to reality....

You won't be turning those Alenzas back in. You won't find a better all-around tire for your vehicle than that. Make certain you rotate them at every oil & filter change to preserve the 65,000-mile treadwear warranty. One recommendation on tire pressure - run them at 34 to 35 psi, minimum. Your gas mileage will increase and your treadwear will improve. If your daughter can stand an even firmer ride, gas mileage actually peaks at around 37 to 38 psi, but that was a little too firm for my wife so I backed them down to 35 psi and she's fine....

LexKid has the stock 16-inch rims. The Alenzas are indeed great, I have them on my wife's 18-inch rims, but the best bang for the buck on a 16-inch rim is the Firestone Destination LE. It is an "almost Alenza" for about half the cost. Had a set on my wife's former 2000 RX300 and currently have a set on my daughter's 2000 Grand Cherokee. The next time my 1999 Ram needs tires, it will get a set of Destinations as well. Best SUV/truck tire for the money on the market now....

Your problem was the product line you purchased. I wouldn't want a Dakota, either. I've owned various pick-ups for almost 20 years, and here's my advice if you want a dependable truck that is as trouble-free as possible - go with only the full-sized models. Makes no difference whether it is Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, or GMC Sierra. Just stay with the full-sized units. They serve the nation's workforce from corporate all the way down to mom-and-pop and they must deliver the goods each and every day. The Big Three derive significant revenue from and build their reputations on trucks in the workforce, so for decades the full-sized models have received most of the R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and heavy-duty component budgets compared to their smaller-sized brethren such as the S-10, Ranger, or Dakota. In fact, I consider the smaller trucks to be somewhat of an afterthought. They are not engineered nearly as well as the full-sized trucks and they certainly aren't built with equal component quality. Yes, you'll sacrifice gas mileage by going full-sized and some folks aren't comfortable when parking them. But if you need a truck and you want quality, durability, and the best cost-of-ownership experience while owning one, full-sized is the only way to go. The vast majority of guys who've owned both full-sized trucks and compact trucks over a number of years will echo that sentiment right on down the line....

Dogs, hiking, sports (especially football), investing, reading, music, do-it-yourself projects around the home. I enjoyed working on cars in my twenties and thirties but I don't enjoy it now - I do it because I feel I'll do a better job on my own vehicles than any hired mechanic would and I don't believe in paying for a service that I can do myself. I have many more interests that I wish I had time to get to (especially rock climbing and mountain climbing), but the list above takes up about 90% of my time....

My wife's 2004 RX330 AWD is back at the Lexus dealership today and I won't be surprised if it spends the rest of the week there. Since the TSB was done to replace the transmission oil cooler tube assembly in late May, the engine has run a bit rougher and gas mileage has dropped by 1.5 to 2 mpg. I suspect that the service techs may have left a vacuum hose only partially connected or perhaps an electrical connection undone somewhere. We'll see. And since the HVAC servo motor was replaced during the same service visit, her radio reception has been lousy. I suspect they may have disconnected the antenna cable when getting to the servo motor in the dashboard. Again, we'll see. Also, the rear seat console rattles have returned, so this will be their third attempt to quiet this problem. I don't hold out much hope for them ever resolving this one and it continues to annoy the hell out of my wife. I think she'll finally learn to turn up the CD player.... The one piece of good news is that the TSB that was applied to replace the front brake rotors has indeed silenced the intermittent groaning that would suddenly occur during a hard stop. So apparently the Lexus techs didn't screw that one up.... So we're batting one-for-four right now on the issues with her RX330 and the dealership's attempts to get them resolved. Any bets on whether that indeed happens during this particular stay in the shop?!! They carelessly left a couple of shop tools in the vehicle last time which my wife was kind enough to return before she drove away. If this keeps up, I won't be as apt to return them in the future....

wgwollet, Honda does a great overall job with their product line-up, but there are many other vehicles out there that are far better from a cost-of-ownership perspective than the Lexus RX series. I've said many times that my 1999 Dodge Ram pickup is a far better vehicle than my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD was. It does its duty each and every day and just doesn't break. I couldn't come close to saying that about her RX300 and now her 2004 RX330 (which replaced her RX300 in late January) is back in the shop for still more warranty work that Lexus didn't get right when they had the vehicle for a week back in late May. I'll always respect the LS series, but I sure wish that the RX series had never rolled into our garage. So overpriced, overrated, underpowered, and prone to multiple problems. In the meantime my trusty old Ram just keeps rolling right along....

Night and day. The OEM Bridgestone Duelers are lousy tires with poor wet traction and you're fortunate to get 40,000 miles out of them even with the best of tire care. Very few owners whose RX was shipped from the factory with these tires would buy them again. The Alenzas have a superior tread compound and design that delivers great wet traction, good snow traction, and much longer treadlife. They carry a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty. Compare them yourself at tirerack.com or bridgestonetire.com. The Alenzas are pricey, though. For 16-inch rims, I always recommend that you take a close look at the Firestone Destination LE tire. Much of that tire is based on Alenza technology, it is almost as good, and it costs about half of what a set of Alenzas do (at least it did the last time I purchased a set in November 2005). It carries a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty. If you have 18-inch rims, you're out of luck because Firestone doesn't build the Destination LE in 18-inch sizes yet. Hopefully they will in the future. Again, check out the Destination LE on tirerack.com. I believe that it is the best all-around SUV tire for the money right now....

If you would read posts more thoroughly you would already know why we still have a Lexus in the family. It is my wife's vehicle, not mine. She wanted it, not me. She bought it with her money, not mine. But I have to maintain it.... But as I've said before, the RX330 is a better all-around vehicle than the early-model RX300s. I don't have any serious complaints yet with the RX330 (other than there are many better SUV choices out there that my wife could have made!). But it's her choice and her money....

More and more SUV owners with 18-inch rims are discovering the Bridgestone Alenza. It is the only Bridgestone tire I would purchase. I swapped out brand-new Michelin MXV4 S8 tires for the Alenzas on my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD when we purchased it in late January (the swap cost me a grand total of $47 at Discount Tire since that's where the S8 tires had been purchased by the seller). The Alenzas are a bit pricey (what 18-inch tire isn't?) but my research convinced me that they are the best all-around choice for an SUV with 18-inch rims. Wet performance is outstanding, snow performance is very good, the Alenza has 25% more tread depth than the S8, and the 65,000 treadwear warranty was the icing on the cake. We've had these Alenzas for more than 8,000 miles now and I know I made the right decision. Check 'em out for yourself....

Sorry RX330Driver, but you're wrong about most RX300 owners with the known problems not servicing their vehicles properly and on schedule. I'll bet that I mechanically maintain all of our vehicles better than yours are maintained at your dealership, yet my wife's RX300 suffered from most if not all of the well-known major flaws. Based on my experiences with it, I have a right to blast the vehicle. Yet I'm glad that yours performed much better for you than hers did for us. Keep in mind that no routine maintenance will ever correct design flaws. And this vehicle had plenty of them even if you take the transmission issue and oil gelling issue out of the equation. Exhaust manifold tends to crack, oxygen sensors tend to fail, original rear main oil seal was poorly designed and of inferior material, original strut mount rubber bushings were improperly designed, etc. etc. etc. Very expensive fixes if you have to pay for them....

If my daughter was ungrateful enough to start whining for "new rims" on a vehicle that I was providing for her, I would yank that vehicle away from her so fast she would fall flat on her !Removed! before she could pull her key out of the ignition.... What the hell is up with these spoiled kids today? I was thankful just to have a hand-me-down car in college, and would never have even considered wasting my folks' money on new wheels when the originals were working just fine....

Early-model RX300. Read my old posts and you'll understand why. So many design flaws and major, expensive problems that are well-known and well-documented on this site and others like it. Worst excuse for a vehicle we've ever owned....

When my wife had her previous 2000 RX300, I found that using a small amount of the bathroom cleaner product called Soft Scrub on a wet washcloth did the trick quickly and inexpensively. It's actually made for cleaning countertops and sinks without scratching them and we use the product in all of our bathrooms as well as our kitchen, utility room, and garage. Dab a small portion of Soft Scrub on the wet cloth, scrub the lens vigorously, wipe with clean water, and repeat a couple of times and finally dry with an old towel. This system was never a permanent fix, but you simply won't find a permanent fix for this particular design flaw (lousy-quality lens cover plastic). The "headlight grunge" would eventually return, and I wound up using Soft Scrub on her lens covers every 45 days or so. Took me about two minutes total to clean both lens covers. This method is very inexpensive and easy, and I would try it first before you invest significant money in other attempts to restore your lens covers. Her current 2004 RX330 appears to have a much better-quality lens cover material so the "headlight grunge" issue has not been a problem with that particular vehicle thus far....

Never could stand coffee in any way shape or form. But I dislike all hot beverages, not just coffee. If I'm going to drink something, I want it to be ice cold. I like plenty of ice water, orange juice, or milk in the early mornings. It rehydrates me and gets me primed for my early morning hike on the trails in a nearby state park 4 to 5 days a week. I usually hike 6 miles in 74 to 78 minutes and I'm done by 8:30 to 8:40 am.

You definitely want to keep your exterior rubber or silicone seals intact and in good shape in order to lessen your chances of having water leak into the interior of the vehicle. Water leaks over a significant period of time can and will cause multiple problems from electrical issues to rust to headliner and carpet stains....

Yep, cracked exhaust manifolds are a very common defect in 1999 and 2000 RX300s. My wife's previous 2000 RX300 suffered a cracked exhaust manifold at approximately 45,000 miles. Often times when the manifold cracks, no codes are thrown so it can be difficult to diagnose unless you know about the issue with these vehicles. Have it checked out....

There's absolutely no way I would have sunk eight grand into a dying 1999 RX300 with all the known failures that this vehicle can suffer from. Sure hope you can drive it for many more years to come because as you know, your total cost of ownership is now off the freakin' charts and will never recover to any sense of normalcy.... Change that transmission fluid at least every 30,000 miles....

newtoncd, I would be furious if I had your vehicle. Something is seriously wrong. Either they're sticking the same defective rotors back on there while telling you that they gave you the new-and-improved version, or some goon is putting far too much torque on your lug nuts, or perhaps some idiot installed ceramic brake pads when your rotors are designed to handle only semi-metallic pads. I wish I had the answer for you because I couldn't stand to put up with a vehicle that goes through brakes every 25,000 miles....

My wife picked up her vehicle yesterday afternoon from our local Lexus service department. Both previously-mentioned TSBs were performed and the intermittent front brake "groans" and "clunks" generated upon quick, hard stops have disappeared. It's good to have a brand-new set of supposedly redesigned rotors up front. If you own a 2004 RX330 and you haven't yet had these two TSBs performed, do yourself a favor and schedule an appointment. The front brakes are quieter and stronger immediately afterwards. It's too soon to tell if the dealership's third attempt to quiet several annoying interior rattles have rectified those particular problems, but time will tell. I also had the HVAC servo motor behind the dashboard replaced because I've been hearing it pop and crackle as it would hunt back and forth between operations. This action stopped that problem as well. They also had to replace the drivers seat heater switch. Previously they had to replace both the drivers and passengers seat heater elements. Seat heating may turn out to be a persistent problem in this vehicle. I don't care because I never turn the damn things on, but my wife regards seat heaters as one of her "must-have" options in her primary vehicle. So this vehicle certainly has its quirks and tendencies, but nothing major thus far. It's still under warranty and our local service manager has approved everything I've asked them to do based upon my research of the individual problems that have popped up. Couldn't ask for better support from her at this point....

We've already told you that the firmware upgrade improves shift quality but does not perfect it. You should have figured out by now that these RX transmissions combined with drive-by-wire throttle systems are nowhere near world-class in shift quality and comfort. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. If you must have silky smoothness in your transmission shifts throughout the vehicle's entire range, then dump your RX and get a V8-powered Grand Cherokee. You'll love the power and shift performance but you may not be too thrilled with the increased fuel consumption....

The Alenzas are a great SUV tire (I have them on my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD with the stupid 18-inch wheels that really limit your tire choices and drive the tire prices sky high), but if she had normal 16-inch wheels like she did on her old 2000 RX300 AWD, I would have put a set of Firestone Destination LE tires on her RX330 when we bought it back in January. They are based on the much-more costly Alenzas, come with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, and she had over 53,000 miles on her Destination LE tires before I sold her RX300 back in January and those tires were still going strong. They will cost you half of what a set of the Alenzas will, but they come very close to being almost as good. TireRack sells a lot of Destination LE tires - call and ask about them. Best SUV tire for the money in my opinion. They really excel in wet weather and provide great traction in the snow as well. My wife never hydroplaned or had a snowstorm stop her during the two-plus years she had those Destinations on her RX300. By the way, I found that they did best at about 36 psi on her 225/70/R16 stock RX300 wheels. Sure wish I could get them in 235/55/R18 - would have bought them for her RX330 instead of the Alenzas....

Yep, I'm betting it is indeed your battery, especially if the battery is the factory original. That's an inexpensive and easy fix, so here's hoping that's exactly what it turns out to be....

If it were my vehicle and the shifting problems remained very infrequent and intermittent, I would not do anything to the vehicle at this point other than to drive it normally and pay very close attention to the shift patterns in an effort to determine if they were worsening. Of course, I wouldn't plan any long trips away from home in this particular vehicle, either. But I would start doing the research on the problem in an effort to better understand what is taking place. Talk with the tranny shop guys that you trust, and not just one shop - get multiple opinions. Let them drive the vehicle and if they offer free analysis with their diagnostic equipment, by all means do it. But I wouldn't blindly start swapping parts until I had a much better understanding of what was going on. You need to wait until your symptoms worsen and become predictably consistent before you start spending money on what may or may not turn out to be a potential fix. Without a consistently accurate diagnosis (probably from at least two different sources) you're just guessing, and for something as expensive as a potential transmission rebuild, I would want to have all questions answered before I opened my wallet. As far as how long an AWD RX300 transmission should last, your experience on this site over the years should tell you that the answers could be all over the map. Ours showed early signs of failure at 48,000 miles even though the fluid was changed at 30,000 miles even when the owners manual clearly states "no need to change it". Lexus replaced our transmission, and my wife drove the vehicle another 81,000 miles before we sold it to a third party back in January. I did drain-and-fills every 30,000 miles and advised our buyer to keep this process up without fail. Others on this site seem to forget all about transmission fluid maintenance and manage to obtain 100,000 miles or more with no problems. So who really knows what a typical RX300 AWD transmission lifespan is....