RX in NC

You gotta cruise Mulholland Drive out towards Topanga just so you can always say that you did.... If you're into beautiful high-desert scenery, drive out to Vasquez Rocks which I believe is about an hour northeast of LA proper. Very dramatic (and famous) cliffs and overhangs which you'll instantly recognize as a film site for many different TV shows and movies over the past fifty years. I believe that it is now a county park, but don't be surprised if a film crew is shooting there when you visit.... Enjoy your trip and don't worry about coming across as a hayseed - it's an astonishing place and you have every right to walk around pointing with your mouth hanging open on your first visit (I certainly did back in the mid-70s)....

Tom, I would let them fail. I've had to replace the air/fuel ratio sensor once and the bank 1 sensor once (both covered under warranty by Lexus). Why risk cracking the exhaust manifold until you have to? As you might suspect, sometimes these sensors are not easy to remove and you can crack the manifold if you're not careful and sometimes even when you ARE careful....

The magazine is usually a complete waste of time, although it does make a good coaster for your glass if you're eating dinner off the coffee table and trying to catch the news or a ballgame in the den....

John Chapman, Thanks for your common-sense response. Yes, replacing consumables can make a big difference in extending the life of any vehicle, no question about that. I expect to replace the dogbone engine mount when I do the 120,000 mile service just to be sure - it's inexpensive and easy to do, and it just may give the transmission assembly a bit more support during shifts. Anything to better support the transmission in this vehicle is probably a good idea given its history. But don't make the mistake of assuming that I'm "happy" with this vehicle (as you stated in your last line). Based upon its many known failures that we've experienced, it is by far the worst vehicle I've ever owned in more than 36 years of driving experience. We're at a point right now where it has performed fairly well for the past 17 months or so, but getting the vehicle to that point was a royal pain in the !Removed! with the high number of failures occuring between about 48,000 miles and about 80,000 miles. If I had not been able to force Lexus to stand up and take responsibility, I would have replaced the vehicle and initiated a lawsuit against them. Given our failure history, they knew I had a strong case and were unwilling to risk the negative publicity. Keeping or dumping this vehicle beyond the 130,000 mile mark is a purely economic decision for me (but not for my wife since she wants her next vehicle sooner rather than later). Even if we decide to keep it, that still doesn't change the fact that I think it's an overweight, underpowered, overrated, underengineered, overhyped albatross of a vehicle that Lexus full-well knows is a potential problem in its all-wheel-drive configuration....

I fully agree with you that Consumer Reports is just a shadow of what it was 30 years ago. I no longer bother wasting my time with it and prefer to do my own research via the Net when planning a major purchase or project....

In my 20s and early 30s I cared about keeping my vehicles in detailed condition and was willing to spend a day every few weeks washing and polishing and waxing and Q-Tipping to keep that detailed look year-round. Fast forward to present day and I have neither the time nor the desire to keep our vehicles truly detailed - my priorities have changed significantly and it's just not important to me in the grand scheme of things. But I do want to keep the paint moderately protected and the exteriors looking relatively clean most of the time. I've found that a good store-bought carnauba paste wax (I favor Meguire's) used two to three times a year, requiring me to spend from 60 to 75 minutes per vehicle (depending on the vehicle, of course), does the job for me. A big advantage that I start with is simply the fact that for the past fifteen years or so, the only exterior color I will allow in our garage is some variation of white. You can take detailing to the nth degree if that's how you want to spend your time, but most folks will be perfectly happy with the appearance they can get from basic carnauba wax if they start with a clean finish, apply the wax sparingly in the shade with an old, worn-out cotton washcloth, and then buff it out with old, worn-out cotton towels or better yet, old cotton diapers. Old cotton diapers have never let me down or visibly scratched my exteriors and I'll stay with them until I wear out my stash and can't find any more to replace them.

You're expecting monarch to spend his precious time reading something other than Toyota/Lexus corporate propaganda? What's the matter with you, SW? You're slipping, my friend....

Tom, I think that both Denso and NGK plugs would be fine in this application. Good luck with the pool tile project - I'm sure it will turn out well. I'm not tiling right now, but I am in the process of resurfacing a 1,600-square-foot concrete patio out back by pressure-washing it, cleaning and neutralizing it with muriatic acid and ammonia, pressure-washing it again, applying a thin polymer-based overlay to it to smooth it out and make it look like an indoor floor, pressure-washing it again, then color-staining it and cutting fake grout lines into the surface to make it LOOK like 2-foot-by-2-foot tiles laid on the diagonal. Then I'll finish up with two or three coats of UV-protectant acrylic sealant. I'm a week into the project now and what a load of work it's been. Hope to finish up tomorrow if the weather stays clear. As usual, my wife saw the idea somewhere (probably on HGTV) and talked to some concrete-refinishing contractors. They all wanted $4,000 to $6,000 for a turn-key job. I did some research on the various processes and chemicals required and decided that I could rent the equipment and buy the materials required for about $1,800. So far it's looking just like the portfolio photos on the websites of the companies who specialize in this process so I must be doing something right. We'll know for sure once the multiple sealant coats are down and cured whether I'm going to get that final "wet glossy tile floor" look that she's after....

Glad to learn that you managed to get to those rear plugs, Tom. I've been dreading that task for quite some time now. I may attempt to change the plugs at 120,000 miles (the vehicle currently shows about 110,500 miles). I've pulled the front three plugs several times over the past couple of years just to check their condition, and they've always been in great shape with just a touch of tan residue like yours. I assume that the three rear plugs look just as good but I don't know for sure. I have huge hands so I know that getting those rear plugs out and getting new ones in will be very, very difficult. I have a few socket wrench extensions and universals so maybe I'll be able to manage somehow. But I'd still like to strangle the engineer who decided the placement of those three rear plugs. If you have any further tips on this task, please let us know. If and when I decide to tackle this job I'll let you guys know as well so you can offer suggestions. Anyone in central North Carolina will probably be able to tell when I'm attempting this because they'll hear more than a few choice swear words coming from my driveway.... By the way, did you go with Denso or NGK?

LexRexBlue, Thanks for the suggestion but I'm 6-foot-7 and don't fit into the RX from either a headroom or legroom perspective. And the RX is just too much of a "girlie car" for me. Not to mention that I really despise its lousy failure history with us. I prefer pick-ups. But thanks for contributing anyway.

Bull (to monarch's last post). Most American and Japanese automatic transmissions can routinely go 60,000 to 80,000 miles or more with no problems on the original factory fluid fill of automatic transmission fluid, and most go far more miles than that. In more than 36 years of driving 20-some vehicles, I've never had a transmission failure until this RX300 came along. jgr7 may have a valid point by suspecting faulty components within some of these RX300 transmissions. This argument could go indefinitely, and probably will. In the meantime, change that Type IV fluid regularly if you own an RX300....

EdS, You misinterpreted my statement. You're correct about the financial reimbursement actually coming from corporate, but your local dealer will be more responsive to your issues than corporate will. Case in point - call corporate to complain about any issue of your choice. 95% of the time you'll be blown off and referred to your dealer. That's why your relationship needs to grow at the dealership level. If you're persistent, well-versed on your problem and what solution you expect, and can back it up with documented cases of similar issues happening to other owners, you have a much greater chance getting what you want at the dealership than you do with corporate. At last count I've dealt with seven different well-known failures with my wife's RX300, all at the local dealership level (I only discuss my issues with the Service Manager and the General Manager - I don't deal with folks who are not in positions of authority). I'm still batting 1.000 getting the dealership to fix the issues completely at their expense. About half of our issues occured under warranty and the remainder occured after our warranty had run its course. Our local dealership invoked the somewhat nefarious "goodwill warranty" for those. monarch, We know that some RX300s manage to get over 100,000 miles on their original transmissions. We also know that many of them DO NOT. Your stupid post adds nothing to the issue here, as usual. I'll repeat what for me is the defining criteria for the RX300 transmission issue: If your Lexus service advisor or mechanic is telling you that you should change your ATF at least every 15,000 miles, what do you think they know about the durability of their transmission system? They certainly know it's weak, and although they'll never admit it, they probably know that it's flawed....

Don't know why you believe that it is rare for the mass air flow sensor to fail. My experiences with our RX300 (as well as the numerous complaints about failures here on this board) tell me that mass air flow sensor failures on the RX300 series are common. Often, however, the sensor can be cleaned instead of replaced. Do a search using key words "mass air flow sensor cleaning" and you'll see what I mean....

I don't believe there's any secret, at least one that can be identified consistently. Hell, ours failed at around 48,000 miles and it's had nothing but fresh Type T-IV fluid changes every 30,000 miles since it rolled out of the factory. It's also driven by one of the most conservative drivers you'll ever encounter (my wife). I agree with previous posts that infer mostly highway driving, conservative driving habits, and regular drain-and-fills give you your best shot at getting decent mileage out of your transmission before it gives up the ghost. But my wife fits into all three of those categories, so go figure. But it's an undeniable fact that more and more owners are reporting transmission failures on all of these Lexus and other car care sites as their RX300s begin to reach 75,000 to 100,000 miles. Monarch would automatically lump them into the "you didn't take care of your vehicle so it's all your fault" category, but if you study some of the more detailed responses you'll find that many of these folks have changed their fluid and maintained their vehicles properly (assuming they're telling the truth, of course). But the killing blow continues to be the fact that most Lexus service advisors across the country tell their RX300 clients that they should change their transmission fluid every 15,000 miles. That, my friends, is all but an admission of general awareness of the problem. Unfortunately, it's also an irresponsible and chicken*BLEEP* tactic to pull in order to avoid the cost of a recall or retrofit. Those of you who've yet to have your RX300 transmissions fail can bellow and puff all you want on this board. But when you're driving along in the future and your transmission suddenly grinds and dies, you'll be jumping up and down and changing your tune so fast it will actually be a bit pathetic....

bluestu, My invitation to go a few rounds in the ring still stands if you ever make it down to the Raleigh/Durham area. Some of the Thursday night bouts over the past couple of months have really gotten intense and I've picked up a few tricks from a couple of the long-time pros and gotten into great fighting trim. I've had my bell rung a couple of times but haven't been knocked out yet. My sparring partner last night got in a couple of great kidney punches as part of a smooth combination he pulled off and I'm still a little sore from that but I'll be ready and rarin' to go again by next Thursday night. Care to come on down and join me?

monarch, Yes, I did see the one comment from the owner of the 1999 RX300 with 232,000 miles whose transmission just died. But I also saw the 50 or 60 comments from other owners whose transmissions failed between 60,000 and 120,000 miles. You can continue to spin information such as this in any way you care to, but the fact remains that the RX300 suffers from a significant premature transmission failure problem, particularly the 1999 and 2000 all-wheel-drive models. You constantly hash out incorrect and inappropriate advice in your continuous attempts to blame owners for their vehicles' inherent problems. I guess it's a good thing for you that you're on the West Coast while I'm on the East Coast. You need to be turned over someone's knee and given a good old-fashioned, behind-the-barn whuppin' to bring you back to reality and I would definitely be first in line to be the one who gets to deliver the message....

In more than 36 years of vehicle ownership spanning 20-some vehicles built in the U.S., Japan, and Italy, the only transmission that's ever failed on me is my wife's RX300. Some of those vehicles had well over 130,000 miles on their odometers when I traded or sold them, and one had well over 200,000 miles (I believe I changed the transmission fluid three times on that particular vehicle, but not because of problems - I just thought it might be the right thing to do at the time). All of the other vehicles had their transmission fluid changed no more than once, and some of them never had their fluid changed for as long as I owned them. I should point out here that the Italian vehicles were all 1980s-built sports cars with manual transmissions, so they don't factor into the question at hand. But I doubt if Italian automatic transmissions of that vintage would have lasted as long as either U.S. or Japanese-made ones would. One of those cars is still in the family - a 1986 Ferrari 308GT. My brother-in-law and sister have it, and although it's now 20 years old, it's still in good shape with about 30,000 original miles and it will still flat-out fly. But it is one expensive mother to maintain and insure, and I certainly don't miss that aspect of the "Fabulous '80s". I came to my senses and got rid of the expensive, impractical sports cars long ago. So, combining my experiences with the vast majority of comments about the durability of the typical automatic transmission in the typical vehicle that others have had, and taking into account that an automatic transmission in a typical full-time all-wheel-drive vehicle is probably not going to last as long as one in a typical two-wheel-drive vehicle, my answer to your question is this: at least 150,000 miles. That is based on drain-and-fills every 30,000 miles, which is much more frequent than most manufacturers recommend. For those that do recommend changing the transmission fluid, the average recommended interval of doing so seems to be around 60,000 miles. But my history with all of my other vehicles has taught me that the vast majority of vehicles are capable of going far beyond 60,000 miles without needing a transmission fluid change providing their drivetrain is well-engineered and suitable to the vehicle. As you know, those of us who've suffered premature transmission failure in our RX300s, even with frequent transmission fluid changes and proper maintenance performed on schedule, do NOT believe that these transmissions are properly engineered. Hope that answers your question, bluestu. It will be interesting to see how others respond.

Keep us posted on your experiences and your success in getting Lexus to assist you. Use the failures documented on this site to your advantage. Stay cool, calm, and professional, but stick to your guns. Sorry about your failure. You have a number of folks here who've been through the same experience with varying degrees of success in getting their particular dealership to step up to the plate. Bear in mind that you have a far greater chance of getting financial assistance from your dealership than you do from Lexus Corporate....

Here's an update on my status. My ability to use and stay up on this site appears to have finally returned to normal (or close to it). Thanks for taking care of the issue. Let's hope it's now resolved. If I experience further site connection problems I'll attempt to report them (assuming I'm still able to get to the site long enough to type a quick post)....

There's no question that hydrogen is the future of the automotive industry as well as the best plan to finally kill our addiction to oil. I believe that the wisest use of all R&D funds would be to step up the pursuit of hydrogen to full speed ahead. Let's cut that 15-year projection down to 5 years and get on with it....

ktranne, All of your vehicles mentioned above are sedans and I would say are all better engineered than the RX300. Especially the LS400. Knock on wood and keep rolling along. Best of luck to you....

Yep, comparing the maintenance history and requirements of an all-wheel-drive RX300 to a Toyota sedan is useless in this specific case. I strongly believe that part of the RX300's problem is that when it was concocted off the Camry platform, no significant engineering improvements and upgrades were added to the engine, transmission, or suspension. Whenever ANY manufacturer (not just Toyota) attempts to create a much heavier, higher-center-of-gravity SUV out of a sedan platform without investing the necessary engineering and funds into stronger engines and more durable transmissions and suspensions, they're asking for trouble. Those of us who've suffered from the well-known RX component failures seem to be living proof....

More importantly, who won the tire argument?

Yep, only here. Last week's connection frustrations caused me to join Club Lexus and while I think I'd rather participate at LOC, I don't have time to fool with the problems I've experienced here. If you manage to get it fixed and normal again, please let me know....

I was cut off again as recently as yesterday. I've been on the board about 90 seconds right now. I'll go ahead and send this now in case I'm cut off again....