We have owned a 2002 RX-300 for a little over 2 years - bought it new in Sept '02. It has a little over 18K miles on it as of this posting. A little while back, I noticed a low rumbling noise (almost like a small motorcycle) that begins when the car gets to about 40 mph and continues for higher speeds. The Lexus dealer told us that the tires were cupped and suggested that we contact Bridgestone, since the tires were under warranty (these were original equipment). He also indicated that the alignment may be off and this may have contributed to the cupping and suggested that we check the alignment. This was done, although I am at a loss to understand how a vehicle alignment could go out with less than 18K miles on it. Subsequently I took the car to a Bridegestone dealer and was told that they were basically not going to honor the warranty.
To cut a long story short, Lexus has now offered to replace 2 tires if we bear the cost of replacing the other 2 - which is about $300. Our feeling is that Lexus is not doing enough to stand behind its products and the warranties. I don't feel that we should have to pay anything to get the tires replaced, especially since the original issue may still be there even with the new tires (there has been an inference from the Lexus dealer that cupped tires are causing the noise, but no clear-cut diagnosis). We have already paid to have the alignment checked and corrected at the dealership.
Any suggestions on how to handle this issue will be welcome.
-Hemant
(Footnote: To add insult to injury, we were just offered a $500 certificate towards the purchase of a new Lexus. Given this experience, it is highly unlikely that we will purchase another Lexus. - H)
