RX in NC

Man, am I glad to know that this problem isn't just me. I've been dealing with these EXACT symptoms since last Friday. I've talked to customer support for my DSL connection, my firewall provider, and my hardware provider and everybody was stumped. I've reloaded software packages multiple times and wasted countless hours trying to fix this. Nothing worked. I was able to log in just a couple of minutes ago, saw this post, and decided I better type a response quickly before the blank page with the letter H returned as has almost always been the case since last Friday. This site is the ONLY one that has thrown the problem at me over the past week. All of the other sites I need or want to get to have been normal and just fine. So because multiple people have complained, you definitely have a problem on your end. I would have spoken up the other day when I was able to get in, but I thought the problem was on my end. Let us know if you determine the issue and are able to fix it. In the meantime, I can very rarely get into the site and usually can't stay connected long enough to post much of anything. I'll stop typing now so I can go ahead and post before I'm cut off as usual....

My wife's 2000 RX300 AWD vehicle's transmission failure under warranty at about 48,000 miles is well-documented here on this site, and I've also heard nothing from Toyota/Lexus about any additive to go along with using Type T-IV fluid. Assuming that it doesn't void your warranty (for those of you who are still under warranty), it may be worth trying although I remain quite skeptical that it would make much difference. I continue to believe that there are design flaws and/or material quality flaws inside these transmissions. Climate may or may not be an issue, and stop-and-go driving may or may not be an issue in accelerating these flaws and failures. It gets pretty hot here in central North Carolina during the summer months, but my wife does a lot of steady highway driving and is one of the most conservative drivers you'll ever meet. I would guess that her transmission has been as babied as any other RX300 driver you could find. And YES, monarch, our transmission fluid has been drained-and-filled every 30,000 miles since the vehicle rolled off the assembly line, using the proper quantity of T-IV fluid each time (just under 5 quarts). I will say that our rebuilt transmission has performed adequately since it was installed at 48,000 miles (the vehicle is now approaching 110,000 miles). I've continued to change the fluid every 30,000 miles, and the condition of the fluid being drained has remained fairly clean with minimal metallic debris on the tip of the front differential drain plug. But neither of our two transmissions has ever shifted as smoothly as a vehicle that originally stickered for close to $40,000 should. The current transmission shifts better than the original one did, but my 1999 Dodge Ram pick-up (about 43,500 miles), still with its original factory fill of Chrysler ATF+3 fluid looking, smelling, and tasting absolutely pristine, shifts far smoother than the RX does or ever did. Sad, but oh so very true.... Lenore, please keep us posted on what you find out about the T-IV additive from Toyota. At nearly 110,000 miles I have very little to lose by giving it a try. My goal is to keep this albatross running for another 20,000 to 30,000 miles before I'm finally willing to cave into my wife's pressure to swallow the depreciation and break out the checkbook so she can get her next vehicle and I can get some peace and quiet around here....

Thanks for the feedback, Tom. I didn't realize that your wife's vehicle was over 120,000 miles. Hope it keeps holding on for you and that you've put your final transmission into it....

Thanks for the input alsalih, and your assumptions concerning various components that are subject to begin breaking down given our current mileage are fairly typical for just about any vehicle from any manufacturer (other than potential crankshaft/camshaft leaks). If our replaced transmission begins to fail, the vehicle is out of here in a heartbeat. But I can tolerate typical components needing to be replaced as long as I can handle the repairs myself. What I will NOT do is hang onto a vehicle that begins to suffer serious failures which require frequent service by a repair shop (no dealership for me unless it's warranty work, thank you). There don't seem to be any high-mileage owners who frequent this board. I've seen a couple who've stated that they're running at 120,000 to 130,000 miles or so, but when they receive the answer to the problem which caused them to post here, they disappear until their next problem crops up. I'm trying to build a trend line of what to expect, and it appears that I'm not going to be able to get enough data at this point to do so. This is all being driven by my wife hinting that she wants a new vehicle ahead of my predetermined depreciation schedule, and I really don't want to cave in to an early replacement and therefore violate my financial model for her current vehicle. She could possibly convince me to do so, but I want some empirical data in my hands first. Sadly, I don't believe that I'm going to get that information here.

At some point in time over the next year we'll come to a crossroads with my wife's 2000 RX300 AWD where a decision will have to be made about replacing it or driving it into the ground. Since my brain is ruled by financial calculations and when it becomes acceptible to swallow the depreciation and get a replacement vehicle, that decision point arrives for me at around 130,000 miles as long as the vehicle continues to hold up with no additional major failures. We've had no serious problems with the vehicle since December 2004, which translates to about the last 32,000 miles or so (it's currently showing about 108,500 miles on the odometer). The well-known RX failures that we've experienced and had Lexus fix on their dime include the transmission, the exhaust manifold, multiple oxygen sensors, the rear main oil seal, the front strut mount bushings, and probably a couple of other repairs that don't come to mind right now. My guess is that the next known failure on her vehicle may be the dogbone engine mount, but this is relatively minor and easy to replace if and when it becomes apparent that the engine is shaking a bit when idling or the transmission is shifted from drive to reverse and back. Being the cost-oriented and ROI-driven consumer that I am (my wife would laugh and say "cost-oriented is just a businesslike term admitting he's a damn tightwad"), my preference would be for her to keep driving the thing beyond the 130,000 mile threshhold as long as my routine maintenance costs don't increase dramatically and she is still reasonably comfortable with the vehicle and doesn't lose trust in it again (as she did when the transmission failed). That's preferable to forking out $35,000 or so for her next vehicle. Preferable to me, anyway. Probably not to her. But that's another story for another day. All of this background information builds up to my real question: Is there anybody out there with 150,000 to 200,000 miles rolled up on your RX300 AWD? If so, what have you had to do to it beyond my list of repairs checked off above to keep it roadworthy? New timing belts and water pumps would probably be expected, as would a new set of iridium spark plugs. All of those items can really be considered routine maintenance, though. So if you're out there cruising along with a high-mileage, all-wheel-drive RX300, please jump in here with the problems you've had to resolve. I'm looking for trends that will help me decide whether or not it would be better to go ahead and get rid of this thing at around 130,000 miles or try to stretch it for another year or two assuming my wife won't kill me in my sleep for refusing to let her go ahead and obtain her next primary vehicle as originally planned. Thanks for any input offered. P.S. - Stay out of this thread, Monarch. You have no dog in this fight, nor any credibility with me....

If you've read through some of my posts, you'll see a basic commonality when handling the dealer: 1. Understand your issue and do the necessary research on it. 2. Document your position and the evidence supporting it. 3. Be calm, firm, and professional in all conversations with dealer management. 4. Always state your preferred resolution that you expect from the dealer. 5. The more out of warranty you are, the more negotiating you'll have to do. Good luck to you.

White is actually the easiest exterior color to keep clean. White surfaces reflect almost all of the light striking them and as a result, your eyes are "blinded" enough so that you don't see much of the surface dirt and dust that would stand out like a sore thumb on a dark exterior. Once you own a white exterior, you'll quickly realize that the amount of time you spend on attempting to keep the vehicle looking relatively clean can be drastically reduced. Unless you really enjoy washing and drying your vehicles every few days, a white exterior can be your best friend as far as car care is concerned....

White exteriors resist paint fading better than any other color. All of our vehicles over the past ten years or so have been white. And it's usually easier to sell a white vehicle because white has remained at or near the top of the preferred color list for many, many years....

Your sunroof drain channels may be clogged with pine straw and other various debris. When that happens, rainwater often leaks into the vehicle and confuses people. Open your sunroof, pop your head up through it, and inspect your drain channels closely. Look for debris clogging the various drain holes, which are quite small by the way. The best way to clear these drains is to wipe the openings with a paper towel and then use compressed air to ensure clear pipes all the way down to the underside of the vehicle.

The requirement for frequent alignments typically has nothing to do with mileage on the vehicle other than the more you drive, the more likely you're going to hit something that will knock your alignment off. If you cruise through potholes and speedbumps without drastically slowing down, drive on rough roads on a regular basis, go offroad at all, or bump curbs when parking, you're going to need more frequent alignments regardless of what vehicle you happen to drive. All it takes is one good knock or bounce to throw quite a number of different vehicles out of alignment. That said, my experience has proven that some vehicles are better able to hold their alignments than others. Our pick-up trucks have always held their alignments longer than our cars or SUVs, and I've always driven our pick-ups hardest of all of our vehicles. That may very well be due to the more rugged chassis, suspension, and hardware components holding alignments in place. As you know, some tire shops sell lifetime alignments on most passenger vehicles. If you're experiencing the need for frequent alignments, you may want to consider purchasing one. Just be sure to get your money's worth by ensuring that you take your vehicle in on a regular basis to have its alignment checked and corrected if necessary. Check the fine print of the deal very carefully - that particular shop's "lifetime alignment package" may limit you to only one a year. Be sure that you can get your alignment checked out anytime you suspect that something may have occured to throw it off before you purchase one of those lifetime alignment deals, though. There are many stories about drivers getting an alignment and then hitting a pothole or bumping a curb the next day and their brand-new alignment is already ruined....

This situation has now been resolved in my favor. Without any further prodding from me, she cleaned up her mess in the garage last night after dinner. She knew full well that I would have hauled it all away come Sunday and didn't want to lose her garden tools and supplies. There's an old saying that married couples need to pick their battles wisely. I'm glad to have won this particular battle since I have to admit to losing my share of them over the years....

Rfeldes, Nope, I won't be doing any planting this weekend - her garden is her domain and she knows I never set foot in there other than to carry heavy plants in or out when asked or to feed the fish in the koi pond while she's away visiting her parents in Florida. Piling tools and plant materials in an area in the garage that she knows is my domain and then leaving them there for me to have to step over and around to get where I need to go is just plain laziness on her part - she's not dropping any hints about me helping her plant anything, believe me. Bottom line - if that junk is still in my way come Sunday morning, I'm hauling every bit of it to the nearest dumpster. I asked her politely a full week in advance to move her tools and supplies prior to my need to do routine maintenance on our daughter's Jeep. If she ignores my request, that junk is outta here and she knows me well enough to realize that I mean it. Whether she chooses to ignore me on this little matter and turn it into a battle remains to be seen. I guess I'll know the answer to that by Sunday morning....

We'll see how this goes come football season.... Here's hoping that she won't be hanging pantyhose up to dry around your space heater and playing Clay Aiken CDs in there while you're not around.... My wife kept piling a bunch of her garden tools and planting materials around my workbench and tool storage bins in the garage over the winter. I'm a neat freak and she just leaves the compost dirt wherever it falls. I told her this past Sunday that if she doesn't move it outta my way by this coming weekend, it's all going in the trash when I oil-and-filter-change our daughter's Jeep this coming Sunday. If she calls my bluff and kills me in my sleep come Sunday night, you guys be sure to turn her into the authorities on Monday morning....

SW03ES, Why bother arguing your platform-sharing point with dcfish? It's apparent that his understanding of the industry is considerably less than comprehensive. Other than custom-built one-off prototypes that cost millions, no vehicle comes close to being "unique", especially production vehicles available from any mainstream manufacturer you could name (including Lexus). He doesn't seem to grasp this, and it's just not worth being offended by it.

Monarch, As usual, you're full of it. "All" Toyota automatic transmissions are NOT going to last 300,000 miles as has been so evident with the RX series even when fluid changes and screen cleanings are done at insanely frequent intervals. Your credibility regarding this subject is long since shot, buddy....

Normal behavior. These transmissions must warm up to operating temperatures before they will shift properly. That usually means a couple of minutes, depending upon the outdoor temperature and your driving style. For best results, baby your transmission as much as possible. No hard starts or stops. These RX300s are not sports cars - far from it. They are overweight and underpowered. Drive carefully.

As long as the local Lexus dealer will keep repairing the various known problems that have surfaced on this vehicle at their expense through their "goodwill" warranty program, we'll keep it. But once any major repairs become my own checkbook's responsibility, or at the 130,000-mile plateau when depreciation and write-off becomes prudent from a financial planning perspective, my wife's RX300 is gone. Whichever comes first....

This debate can go on forever (or at least until the very last RX300 left on the planet is broken down and scrapped). But whether or not you've experienced transmission failure in your particular RX, one thing is certain: from both an engineering and a consumer satisfaction standpoint, it is absolutely inexcuseable for ANY major automobile manufacturer to build and sell a supposedly high-end all-wheel-drive SUV in this day and age that requires a transmission fluid change every 15,000 miles in order to possibly increase the chances of keeping it from failing, especially when the factory-issued owners manual instructs the consumer not to change the fluid unless the vehicle is routinely operated under very severe conditions. That has all the justifications for a recall, but we're not going to see Lexus step up to the plate here unless a consumer is killed as a result of his/her transmission failing while pulling out to pass on a freeway somewhere and is unfortunately run over by an eighteen-wheeler barrelling along in the passing lane behind them. I've adapted to what I need to do to keep my wife's RX300 roadworthy as much as possible and I've forced Lexus over the years to fix the damn thing on their dime every time a known problem component has broken down. That's why we've kept it. But I still look forward to shoving this albatross off a cliff in the Blue Ridge Mountains when its time finally comes....

I don't believe that driving style is a major factor in some of these RX300 transmission failures. My wife is among the most conservative drivers you'll ever encounter out there on the roads, yet her transmission failed at only 48,000 miles. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I'm an aggressive, fast driver and tend to select primary vehicles that match my style in terms of horsepower and suspension capability, yet I've never had a transmission fail me in more than 36 years of driving. I kept one of my vehicles for over 16 years and 250,000 miles. The transmission never even burped and I changed the fluid perhaps three times, total, in that vehicle. There are definitely design flaws buried in these RX transmissions. Some attribute it to excessive clutch and band wear, some attribute it to poor fluid cooling capability, some attribute it to a combination of the two. Lexus Corporate continues to bury their heads in the sand regarding this issue and pretend that all is rosy.

One of my brothers-in-law has a 2003 PT Cruiser in the Orlando area. He bought it new and says it has been relatively trouble-free and inexpensive to maintain. I believe he has about 70,000 miles on the vehicle currently. I find the PT Cruiser way too small (I'm 6'7" and 250 pounds) but I think that if you and your future wife are both 5'10" or under, you'll both be okay. I agree with you - very inexpensive transportation. Gotta like it when a woman will settle for a car like that. For your sake let's hope she's as economical with her jewelry and wardrobe requirements as she is with her transportation requirements....

There are many reports on this forum of RX300 transmission failures, but this is the first one I recall for just a transmission fluid leak. I'd have it examined at a well-respected transmission specialist shop to find out exactly where the leak is and what is probably causing it before I went any further. As long as you're adding the proper amount of fluid to keep the level where it needs to be, you'll be okay for quite some time. But you neither want to overfill nor underfill your fluid in order to avoid making your problem worse than it already is. First things first, though - ensure that your transmission pan drain plug and front differential drain plug are both screwed in tightly. You'll need a 10 mm Allen wrench to tighten those plugs. Both of them should have aluminum crush rings (washers) keeping the bottom of the heads of the drain plugs from contacting the transmission pan and the differential casing. If your fluid has been changed before and those crush rings were removed by the guy who did your fluid change, that could explain your leak. The crush rings need to be in place on both drain plugs. If tightening your drain plugs doesn't stop your leak, have it checked out and report back to us on what you discover. Good luck to you. Oh, one more thing - clean up your garage floor and put down a catch tray that you can always position the vehicle over when you pull into the garage. Depending on how much is leaking and how quickly, this could be as simple as several layers of cardboard from broken-down cardboard boxes, covered by multiple sheets of newspaper. You'll need to keep refreshing the newspaper fairly frequently, though. But your garage floor will remain a whole lot cleaner, especially if you lay down some spread-out plastic trash bags on top of the concrete before you lay the cardboard and newspaper down....

tmhtmh, My guess is that a bottle of Auto-RX will taste very similar to ground-beef-and-pinto-bean-based homemade chili with a tomato puree base simmered in a 3-gallon cast-iron pot for approximately 4 hours with just a touch too much cumen and paprika for my palate. But again, that's just a guess. Once your additive arrives in the mail, be sure to taste-test it for yourself and report the results back here....

I fully agree, Tom. We certainly share some common interests. I haven't been skiing at Lake Tahoe in more than 20 years now, but every autumn we talk about what a great time we had and that we should do another ski trip out there again and we just never get around to it. If we manage to finally pull it off, I'll let you know in advance. If memory serves me correctly, Sacramento can't be too far away. I'd enjoy getting together for dinner with you. I'll never forget that while we were at Heavenly Valley in February 1986, the Lake Tahoe area received NINE FEET of fresh snowfall during the five days we were there. Best powder skiing of my life, and the town did a great job of keeping the roads relatively plowed so we could get around for dinner, clubs, and the casinos at night. We had a K-5 full-size Chevy Blazer 4x4 as our rental vehicle and that sucker never missed a beat in all that snow. We skiied our fannies off and had a blast. My only regret is that my camera pretty much stayed in the room the whole time because I didn't want to tote it around on the slopes, so we have almost no pictures of that great time in Tahoe. But I still have the brochure from the resort where we stayed, and if it's still around, we'll book it again if we ever make it back to that gorgeous area....

Where were these teachers back when I was in the 8th grade ?!!

Tmhtmh mentioned in another post that he was "cheap". If cost is indeed a factor, you'll be better off to stay with your 16-inch rims not only for a better overall ride, but also for the fact that your future replacement tires will be considerably less expensive than those for larger rims with a lower profile.