RX in NC

Direct sunlight is your vehicle finish's worst enemy on a consistent year-over-year basis. Hot metal surfaces create too much instantaneous evaporation of the fluids in your chosen wax or polish, and those fluids are critical for allowing the bonding of the compounds in your wax or polish to your exterior paint surface with little to no scratching or marring. So regardless of whether you are lax or anal about washing, polishing, and waxing your paint surfaces, always do it in deep shade and always allow the metal surfaces to cool down thoroughly if your vehicle has been sitting in the sun. If you really want to maximize the preservation and "look" of your vehicle's finish with the minimum amount of effort, your best exterior color is always white. It fights sunlight and fading better than any other color due to its extremely high reflectivity, and it hides swirls and minor scratches better than any other color for the same reason. For the last 15 years, all of the vehicles that have resided in our garage have been white. As a result, the exterior maintenance that I have to do is quite minimal compared to the folks who own the dark side of the color spectrum. I have many other things I'd rather do with my time than wax cars and if you're the same way then white is your color of choice.

For most owners of any production vehicle, regular dino oil performs just fine as long as you change your oil and filter every 5,000 miles. Enthusiasts who aim for getting 300,000 miles or more out of their engines may be slightly better off with synthetic, but I think that the vast majority of folks who get talked into switching to synthetic are just wasting their money unless they also increase the interval of time between oil and filter changes to 10,000 miles or more.

Yep, those Grand Cherokees are set up beautifully for self-maintenance. I enjoy working on my daughter's current 2000, and how I miss my wife's 1996 that I reluctantly sold when she caught Lexus fever (of which she's now been cured). Those two Grand Cherokees together gave me an insignificant amount of trouble compared to my wife's current 2000 RX300. I have a feeling that there will be another Grand Cherokee in our garage by late 2006 when her RX runs its depreciation course and gets booted out of our household....

I agree that it's a lousy filter placement but you'll get used to it. I've worked on worse. My long arms (I'm 6'7") help but my huge hands don't have much room to work once I get them there. Ensuring that your engine compartment (and oil) is cool is a definite requirement for this vehicle. You'll get better at it every time you change your oil.

The short answer is "better safe than sorry". Why take a chance? Do what I do and change your Type T-IV fluid every 30,000 miles. Purchase it from a Toyota parts department and save yourself some money. Keep us posted on how your Tuesday appointment turns out....

When I did my wife's drain-and-fill back in November, I made sure I had five quarts of clean T-IV fluid on hand just to be sure (the job wound up requiring exactly four quarts). For safety's sake it makes sense to buy five quarts prior to a drain-and-fill and I would probably get six quarts if I was going to drop my pan as you did. Always better to be safe than sorry, and the extra bottle or two can certainly sit on my shelf in the garage waiting for the next time.

How many quarts of T-IV were required to refill your pan to the proper level?

In 35 years of owning vehicles I've never purchased an extended warranty. If you are inclined to take proper care of your automobile, the statistics generally show that extended warranties are a waste of money - those funds would be better allocated towards establishing a maintenance account for said vehicle. But our RX300 AWD may be one vehicle for which an extended warranty could have proven beneficial. If I was not the aggressive, research-oriented, refuse-to-take-no-for-an-answer owner that I am, and Lexus had therefore not provided the $9,000+ in repairs to my wife's RX that it has to this point, then I would have been seriously up the creek with this vehicle from a financial perspective (and would have already dumped it and reluctantly accepted a significant depreciation hit). Still, taking my total years of ownership experience into consideration, I won't purchase an extended warranty with a conventional vehicle. But your hybrid RX will be a very different animal, and there is really no track record or history to navigate by. It's a very tough call for you if you do indeed decide to go through with buying the vehicle. Personally, I would never buy the first version of ANY vehicle to use as my primary means of transportation. There's still far too much undetermined troubleshooting ahead to even know what to expect at this point, and the depreciation of a first-issue vehicle usually spells financial disaster unless you're lucky enough that it becomes a collectors' item. I think the 400h is going to turn out to be too pedestrian for that to have much of a chance of happening. For those of you who decide to roll the dice and risk it, I hope that you won't be too badly burned when the dust settles a few years from now....

wwest, Did you drop your transmission pan over the weekend? How much "gunk" had accumulated on the magnetic tip of your "front differential" drain plug? And finally, how many fresh quarts of T-IV fluid did you have to add once you drained and cleaned as much as possible?

My wife's 2000 RX300 AWD has always run just fine on regular 87 octane, usually Citgo or whatever brand BJ's sells here. She's approaching 85,500 miles and the vehicle has never pinged at all. I keep it tuned up with the fluids and filters fresh - that can be the difference between an engine that runs fine on 87 octane and one that doesn't. However, I'm not sure what great "kick" you're talking about. The only "kick" an RX300 is ever going to have is if you get out of the vehicle and haul off and kick it yourself....

Hybrid gas/electric is not the automobile's powerplant future. Donald Fagen got it right with his 1993 song entitled "Kamakiriad": "I was born yesterday when they brought my Kamakiriad When they handed me the keys It's a steam-powered 10, the frame is out of Glasgow The tech is Balinese It's not a freeway bullet, or a bug with monster wheels It's a total biosphere The farm in the back is hydroponic Good, fresh things every day of the year...."

Glad you're happy, but you really overpaid for what you received in my opinion. There are better tires for far better prices out there, particularly at tirerack.com.

Not for all the tea in China. Read some of my transmission problem posts and the fact that Lexus has had to provide us with over $9,000 in repairs to keep my wife's 2000 RX300 roadworthy, and you'll clearly understand why....

The only way for you to know for sure whether or not your own transmission pan is contaminated with 90-weight gear oil is to find a lab that can accurately test a sample of fluid that you drain from your pan. If you decide to go this route, I would provide that lab with a sample of brand-new T-IV fluid as well as a sample of brand-new 90-weight gear oil. Given all the information we've discussed in this thread today, what course of action are you planning to take?

For thirty years I've wanted an Aston Martin DB5 (007 James Bond's car in the mid-1960s) but I was unwilling to spend the mid-six figures generally required to obtain a decent one. I now have the opportunity to enter into a three-way partnership to buy a beautiful, completely-restored DB5 with two other trusted colleagues that I've known for more than twenty years. This would primarily be a business decision that would likely result in a profit for the partnership when we decide to sell the vehicle at some point in the future. Most vehicles are expense items that begin depreciating as soon as you drive them home. A DB5 is an investment that will only appreciate in value as long as it is meticulously maintained and driven lightly. I would never drive such a car to any destination where I would have to leave it parked without me being right there by its side. The same is true of my two colleagues. Because I have the most storage space (as well as the most time to care for such an investment), I would be the principal caretaker and the vehicle would reside in my garage 85% of the time. Of course, whenever you take such a vehicle out on the public roads, you run the risk of some moron running into you and destroying the value of your asset. This vehicle would have to be heavily and privately insured because no regular auto insurance company would touch it. Do any of you enthusiasts out there have any Aston Martin ownership experience, driving experience, or maintenance experience? I'll check the Aston Martin websites of course, but those folks are generally too in love with their vehicles to open up to a stranger.

Again, thanks for your follow-up. I'm glad to have you confirm that my wife hasn't been driving around with an empty 'front differential' case. If I were you, I wouldn't drop your transmission pan just yet. Try draining both plugs, cleaning them thoroughly, and refilling with fresh fluid. You'll probably need between 4 and 5 quarts. I'll bet you'll find that your new fluid will stay cleaner for longer. If you're still dissatisfied after doing the above, at that point I would go ahead and drop the pan so hang onto your new gasket just in case you decide to do so. You could elect to try a flush machine. Some enthusiasts swear by them, but some also believe they lead to further problems because they dredge up particles and filings that have settled in and been captured by the magnet inside your 'front differential' drain plug. After doing quite a bit of research on this topic, I've decided that performing the flush process on a transmission system that is so shaky to begin with (i.e. the RX300 AWD) is a risk that I'm not willing to take. However, no one has answered my question so I'll pose it once again: What color is 90-weight oil?

Yes, very troubling - keep me posted on your further research. Maybe this is indeed the magic answer to the well-known RX transmission troubles. But remember - when I pulled the drain plug out of my so-called 'front differential' (located directly behind the transmission pan), the quart or so of fluid that flowed out of it was PINK. It sure looked like T-IV fluid to me. And if it is in fact T-IV fluid, where else could it be coming from other than what I poured down the transmission dipstick tube into the pan? This certainly indicates a shared fluid system to me. My Lexus transmission tech just returned my call from earlier this morning. He again confirmed that we are in fact dealing with a shared fluid system here. He said that both components pull the T-IV fluid from the transmission pan. What color is your typical 90-weight oil? If the answer is AMBER, I believe my wife's RX is just fine because I never opened a drain plug anywhere underneath her vehicle that led to the draining of an amber-colored fluid....

wwest, I just had an extended phone conversation with the transmission specialist from one of the more prominent (and costly) Lexus/Infiniti independent repair shops in our area. He confirmed that the procedure I've described above is EXACTLY how a transmission drain-and-fill should be performed on a 2000 RX300 AWD vehicle. The two systems do indeed share the same T-IV fluid, and unless you pull that 'front differential' drain plug and clean the accumulated 'gunk' from its magnetic tip thoroughly, the fresh fluid that you pour into your dipstick tube is going to get dirty again relatively quickly. As I mentioned in my post above, perhaps the confusion here is solely due to the terminology that we're using. Maybe the correct term for what I'm calling the 'front differential' is actually the 'transaxle'. If your shop manual can clear up any terminology issues, please chime in here. But the bottom line is that if you desire to have the cleanest possible drain-and-fill, you absolutely MUST pull both drain plugs, allow as much fluid as possible to drain from both drain holes, and clean both plugs thoroughly before !Removed! them back into place. And by the way, this particular shop's preferred RX300 transmission fluid drain-and-fill interval is 15,000 miles although they also admit that 30,000 miles is acceptable under 'normal driving conditions'. Being quite familiar with the known transmission problems inherent within the RX series, they laugh at the Lexus owners manual's claim that the factory-filled fluid is sufficient for the life of the vehicle. I plan to stick with 30,000 miles - given my wife's current driving pattern, that means that she'll need a drain-and-fill every November. That has certainly worked for us thus far since the replacement transmission was installed in November 2003.

wwest, Thanks for your concern as well as doing the research on this issue. I'll fill you in on what I learned from talking fairly extensively with several Lexus transmission techs last October. I don't have a shop manual, but you apparently do, and that could prove to be very important for both of us. Keep in mind that our particular vehicle is a 2000 RX300 AWD. The following paragraph is essentially what the Lexus transmission techs told me to do, step by step, in order to ensure the cleanest possible drain-and-fill: "Your 'front differential' runs Toyota Type T-IV transmission fluid and in fact shares its fluid supply with the transmission pan. The 'front differential' has a capacity of approximately one quart. In order to obtain the most effective drain-and-fill, pull the transmission pan drain plug, allow it to drain as much fluid as possible (usually between three and four quarts), clean the plug, and replace it. Then find the 'front differential' drain plug located behind your transmission pan, pull it, allow it to drain its contents (about a quart), clean the magnetic tip of the plug thoroughly, and replace it. At that point you're ready to pour your fresh T-IV fluid into your transmission dipstick tube using a small clean funnel. Four quarts into the procedure, begin checking your transmission dipstick to see if you need to add any more fluid. When the engine is started and you move the gearshift lever through its positions, your fresh fluid will begin mixing between the transmission assembly and the 'front differential' since they share the same supply and are both filled from the transmission dipstick tube." So at 75,000 miles early last November, that's exactly what I did. She's now at about 85,300 miles, the fluid is clean and has remained at proper cold and hot levels according to the dipstick, and the transmission performance has been acceptable (other than the typical harsh shift points that seem to be inherent in these vehicles). However, your shop manual seems to indicate that the AWD version's 'front differential' DOES NOT run Type T-IV fluid and therefore DOES NOT share its fluid supply with the transmission pan. If this is true, then it is probable that my wife has been driving around for more than 10,000 miles with a 'front differential' that may be nearly empty of fluid. But here's the real head-scratcher: When I drained the 'front differential', the fluid that poured out of the casing was definitely pink, it looked to be the general consistency of Type T-IV, and it certainly had me believing that it was T-IV (but I had no reason at that time to believe it was anything else based upon the advice I had been given from what I assumed to be the ultimate source - experienced Lexus transmission techs). I've never held a capful of 90-weight oil in my hand, but I assume it would be more towards the lightweight motor oil color spectrum (amber) and not colored so it could be confused with transmission fluid (pink or red). Is my assumption correct? We really do need to get to the bottom of this dilemma. I know I'm not the only AWD owner on this board who has performed this drain-and-fill procedure exactly as described above. If the AWD versions truly do not share fluid between the transmission pan and the 'front differential', there may be a boatload of owners who are driving around with nearly-empty 'front differentials' thinking that they are in fine shape. Part of the problem may stem from the names we use to describe our various components - I remember a big argument last autumn centered around this subject. Some say that the 'transmission' and the 'front differential' together are appropriately called the 'transaxle'. If the 'transaxle' indeed shares its common T-IV fluid among all of its components, and the 'front differential' is one of those components, then I was instructed correctly and my wife's vehicle is just fine. But your shop manual seems to indicate that FWD and AWD are completely different animals - I had no way of knowing that, and would never have expected that to be the case. If I remember correctly, your vehicle is a 2001 AWD. Ours is a 2000 AWD. I suppose there could be some transmission design differences between them as well but I do not know. I'm certainly going to attempt to get ahold of those same Lexus transmission techs today. In the meantime, I'd appreciate any additional research or clarification that you can offer from your shop manual, and I know there are others on this forum who would as well. Thanks for your response.

You'll never know unless you ask. And it costs you nothing but time to do so. Pick up the phone and call.

Lexus service managers acknowledge that their original RX300 rear main seals were poorly designed and significantly inferior. Many of us have had them replaced by Lexus with the new-and-improved design through their owner goodwill policy at no charge to us (our vehicle had more than 72,000 miles on the odometer at the time our leak developed). Some dealerships are much more customer-friendly than others in this regard. You have nothing to lose by approaching your local Lexus general manager or service manager and asking for this repair under the goodwill gesture. I strongly recommend that you do so - just be polite and professional and let it be known that you're well-aware that this is a very common fault within the RX300. Good luck to you.

wwest, When you drained your fluid, did you also remove the differential plug (located vertically just behind the transmission pan) and thoroughly clean the "gunk" accumulated on and around its inside threads and magnetic tip? If you'll routinely treat this step as part of your standard drain-and-fill, I believe you'll find that your fresh fluid will stay much cleaner for far longer. That has certainly done the trick for my wife's RX. I changed her fluid at 75,000 miles (at that time the replacement transmission had about 28,000 miles on it) and now at about 85,200 miles her fluid is still clean and pink. I think we'll be okay with 30,000-mile fluid change intervals, which means I'll have to do two more of them before we jettison this albatross....

Booyah, You've been among the loudest of the RX-series cheerleaders on this forum since obtaining your vehicle last year. From your post above, it sounds as if you've done a complete 180-degree turnaround and decided to raise the white flag. When do you plan to dispose of your RX and obtain the BMW?

The TSB is your silver bullet and free pass combined. Use it as your platform and don't accept no for an answer.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that all transmission complaints in the RX series are drive-by-wire issues - my wife's 2000 RX300 AWD was living proof that the original transmission itself was failing at only 48,000 miles and Lexus technicians finally agreed after experiencing the symptoms for themselves. The replacement transmission fixed the intermittent and unpredictable freeze-up problem she was having, but it still shifts more like a $12,000 vehicle than a $35,000 one. We appreciate the replacement transmission gesture but hate the inherent shifting harshness. Several adjustment attempts have not improved the situation nor are any further attempts likely to. You can only put so much lipstick on a pig....