Rhody401

..or try hitting that option again, hoping that it cycles back and forth between (or among) languages.

Can anyone post a picture of the label of the generation 2 and 3, version 5.1 Nav update?

hi, i need some help. i went in the secret menu, and press the eng_tab. now i have my nav say "insert correct disc". do u have any way to fix this problem? plz let me know

thanks

Im just guessing here, but maybe you changed the default language and its looking for another country's DVD. perhaps try doing it again until it comes back to accept the CD you own :)

Mike

I have this annoying little rattle in my 2004 rx330 that i was wondering if anybody else had. I can hear it every second im on the freeway and when i go over bumps in the road. It seems to be coming from the light/sunroof panel on top of the dash. Its really bugging me, and i hipe that lexus can resolve it the next time i go in. Warrantly expires in less than 900 miles. not even 3 years and already at 50K. So does anybody else hear or have heard of this rattle?

I dont have this particular rattle, but the 2004 sure did have its rattles! ha I have pretty much given up asking them to fix the rattles, which often get worse when they pull the dash (which usually causes other damage to the interior). My loudest and most annoying rattle is over the passenger air vent, and its almost continuous. I've never bought a new car before with so many quality control flaws and recalls/service safety campaignsm, and i'm just about ready to sell it and try a different brand. :(

I have tried 3 different dealers for service. Two of them use Enterprise (I received a Dodge NEON when she went in for a week to fix the sunroof, and a Chevy from the other dealer). The third and better dealer gave me an RX one year newer than mine, sans NAV.

All three dealers get $129+ for 5k service routine (oil change, inspection, tire rotation). From what I have heard this is up to 300% higher than what Lexus dealers in some other markets charge?

Hi,

I think you should stick with the Lexus dealers because they provide good service, especially since they're knowledgeable about Lexus in general, or supposed to be. Of course, variations exist.

Here in Alaska, I'm charged $39.00 and back home in Florida, it was about $30 or so for a full change and everything, so it isn't that cheaper and they usually check everything out.

Are you saying the Lexus dealer only charges $39 for the "5k" service routine? (change oil, rotate tires). Wow :) They charge $129.99 here for that same service, while the local toyota dealers do it for about $25 (and theyre factory trained to work on the same engine, with the same tolerances) I haven't tried the Toyota dealer yet, because of so many warrantee issues/flaws, but it sure sounds appealing. ONe thing you can't do with the regular Toyota dealers is the warrantee service.

Mike

I hate to bring back old threads, but i went to my service today, and brought up this ECU reflash. THis is what my service rep said. ITs non reversible, which i knew, and that many people said they dont like it after, and that the jolt actually gets worse in some cases. He also said that the shifts are much quicker, and yes it brings benefits, but he eventually convinced me to not get it yet until i get some good news from you guys. So, let me here it lol so i can bring it up at my next service.

Do it, the (May 2005) bug fix/correction makes a huge difference. There are no negative results that I have heard or experienced. It drives more like a Lexus now :)

You'll be very happy with the results.

Lewjeff

I have a 04 RX330 with 42000 miles that had the transmission hesitates; but have not said or asked my dealer to make any repairs to it. I had been happy reading this board for the last year waiting and hoping for a good and final repair. But, what I have noticed is every time I had the car in for service the transmission shifted differently when I would bring it home. Over the last year I feel the transmission has been flashed at least twice, and the two things I have noticed is. One the gas mileage has dropped about 2 or more miles per gallon on the road, and the transmission will down shift while going down a hill. I’m not real fond of either; but on the other hand I don’t feel I need to worry about getting hit when I pull out.

Cheerdad

I have an 04 also. I had mine flashed last summer, and it made an INCREDIBLE difference. The 2 second acceleration response delay (when trying to pull out into traffic - after coasting on an onramp) is gone. The strong jolt is also gone. The ride is much more comfortable. I highly recommend having it done. There have been no negative side effects here, and I feel safer now.

Mike

anyone else having this problem? and is there a fix out there for this?  its getting really annoying.

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Yea thats a known issue. They'll add insulation around the vent if you ask.

filter box?

Thanks

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Ah :)

I replaced my engine air filter with a high performance one and didnt have any problems. I believe 2 screws come off, and the other side is on a hinged assembly that releases once you raise the (unscrewed side) of the cover. I disconnected the hose from the cover, but looking back that may not have been necessary. I figured - better safe than sorry.

Mike

filter box?

Thanks

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Are you asking how to change the cabin air filter?

That's in the manual, I think. It's very easy though.

Open the glove box. Align and move the two plastic posts securing the glove box, so it can fully open. You'll see the filter just behind it with release clips on the sides. Once you pop it out, the media comes out and can be replaced.

Hope this is helpful

Mike

Rhody401, are you talking about the RX330 or RX300? 

I have a 99 RX300 that also seems to be sluggish.  I didn't know there was any firmware update for the RX300.

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I apologize. I thought he had a 330. Misread the profile!

Mike

I used to love my RX, now I just hate it except for when I am parked with the engine off in my driveway.

I test drove an IS and now my RX tranny feels so DOGGGGGGGY. I never realized how much other vehicles roll so nice and accelerate quickly without much effort. I cant stand the RX now.  The tranny feels like its braking all the time. I have maintained it  very well. (Especially the tranny).

I think I will diconnect the neg. batt. terminal every nite so I can get a reset after my wife drives it. What a pain.

Any suggestions or fixes?:chairshot:    :(  :cries:

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Have you had them put the May 2005 firmware update in for the ECU?

It makes a HUGE difference.

Inskip got grease all over my ceiling when trying to fix the moonroof. (several places) I bet the same person worked on it. (It's still broken too!)

They forgot to do car washes the last 2 visits, forgot to reset the oil change monitor or nav - so the light came on ~2500 miles later, wanted over $500 for the recent 15k oil change/inspection, etc. (adjusted to ~$200 when questioned)

I initially went there to buy the vehicle, with cash in hand, and was sitting in the showroom demo vehicle. A salesman got up from his desk, told us it was near the end of the day and that we should come back some other day, and went back to his desk. We went to Massachusetts and were treated well by another dealer.

This is my second Lexus (service) dealer, because the first was even worse. Are there ANY good ones in the RI or MA area? Why can't they be as good as regular Toyota service centers? We have a Camry and a Rav4 and the service at ANY Toyota dealer locally has been stellar in comparison. The intitial quality flaws and recall issues for the Lexus have been worse than any vehicle I have ever owned, including American brands.

PS A relative has a BMW 650i and has had the same experience with Inskip, which services multiple brands from the same facility.

Thanks for all the information.  We are going to stick with the oil change for now, and i'm going to check the fluids.

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There seems to be a lot of flexibility and markup from the Lexus dealers.

I recently brought my 330 in for the 15k service. On the phone they said "in the mid 500's". That didn't sound right, so I checked the book. When I went in for my appoinmtnet, I brought the manufacturer's book with me and asked what it would cost to do what is recommended. They wrote it up at $299. When i picked up the car it was only $202.

They gave me a nice 2005 as a loaner, but forgot to wash my vehicle. (both times I have been to this dealership) While it was in, I asked them to check out the sunroof because of a loud noise when it opens. It was to be lubricated. When I picked it up there were about 15 drops of oil hanging off the sunroof itself (the part that slides) and greasy fingerprints in 5 places on the ceiling.

This is the second dealer I have tried for service and have been less than satisfied. Is this the norm for Lexus service departments? (playing games with prices, poor service, lies, mistakes) It's getting to the point now where i'll have to go 50+ miles to try the next available Lexus service department, and it's likely to mean my next vehicle won't be a Lexus.

Lexus service could learn a lot from their regular (non luxury) division. I have several Toyotas, have used 3 dealerships, and have never had an ounce of trouble with regular Toyota.(or Honda or Nissan for that matter)

My NAV based trip computer (04 330) is always just about EXACTLY 1mpg better than reality. I check when I fill it up. Is this something I can calibrate?

speaking of the nav system this link may be usefull for some people wanting to back up their dvd:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.au...f3b736063fd0646

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The advice on that link is for dvd5 burners. The dvd9 burners are out now so it should be a straight backup, and should get all regions.

Mike

I will probably not buy another car without Navi.

I find it indispensible, but my friends also say I get lost coming out of the shower, so maybe I am biased.

ha ha

Tom

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I would never buy another car without it, either. What an incredible time saving tool. The car we bought had the Nav, which I initially didn't want. I made an offer right near invoice and they went for it on the first attempt, so the nav (and then some) was 'free'. (my weak justification for getting it) I later began to appreciate the nav. It'll get me around traffic jams, to client locations, etc. I really recommend it.

Mike

I'm thinking of buying a 2005 RX330.  Could someone tell me if they use

regular (87) or premium fuel ?

Thanks in advance,

Carl

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It's designed for 87 and works fine. All grades have the same cleaning agents so no need to burn money!

Mike

isn't there a release in the cockpit?

on the GS and IS it is by the fuel cap releases.

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Yea, its right to the left of the steering wheel, near the gas release button. (its the same size - big black button)

Mike

EDIT: OOPS SORRY. I thought you meant the button to open the rear hatch. I thought that feature was standard on all 330's and misunderstood the question.

This is one thing about my new rx330 that I miss... having a place to put drive through change.

Our solution was to get a small plastic cup for change and leave it in one of the cup holders.

What does it change? Anything different other than the map data?

The player is in the back, beside the spare tire.

Mike

Thanks for the link

I was a bit surprised that my new RX 2004's nav system had maps for Rhode Island that appeared to be 5 or more years old. There are newer exits missing on the major highways, etc.

I wonder if they fixed this or if this would be considered a warrantee issue (6k miles on the vehicle so far)

Does anyone know if buying the new DVD upgrades the software so it looks like the much improved s/w that comes with the '05 RX's? I love the changes they made to the new model year's nav. I realize it wouldn't have voice recognition, but I wonder about the other things that were changed.

Mike

I drove a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder and don't miss it :)

The transmissions are fine, the issue is because of the "Fly by wire" and the ~2 seconds it takes for the computer to calculate and move the throttle after you push the gas pedal. It IS very dangerous, but nevertheless a very nice car otherwise. I'm learning to adjust and know that I cant count on getting out of someones way fast (pulling out into traffic, etc), so I don't take any chances.

To demonstrate, go up to about 20mph... let go of the gas and coast for a few seconds... then try to accelerate. There will be a ~2 second delay before the car responds.

Other than this potentially dangerous issue and a poor service experience at a new dealer in the Worcester, MA area, I love everything else about the vehicle. Two friends have bought them after trying mine.

Mike L

I believe the car will run best on 87 octane

During the first 1000 miles or so the computer is "learning" your driving habits and will adjust shifting accordingly.