lenore

check the drain holes on top, and use a vacuum cleaner when you find them, The holes go to tubing that routes to the bottom of the car. I would not force the stuff down.

The drain lines for the sunroof may be clogged. there are usually 4 two to the rear and two to the front. Finding them is the trick. Usually there is plastic tubing going through the trunk from the pillars on the rear windows. They usually exit in the wheel well. Ask Lexus where they are located, sometimes running compressed air from the bottom up will clear them, or they may be pinched somewhere.

I wonder if the car was repainted? Maybe this is the culprit.

Oh man, what is with the carbon deposits?

lenore, I guess I will start off as advanced, I started working on British cars in the late sixties and early 70s. I have rebuilt two engines, Jaguar XKE and Mercedes 190E , and one automatic transmission Ford Ranger. I do all maintenance on my Lexus as well as on a Nissan, Ford F150, Ford Windstar and many of my friends cars.

By the way vinegar and newspaper does wonders, It leaves a very clean streak free window, both inside and out. The vinegar also breaks down hard water deposits. The newspaper however makes one heck of a mess on your hands, but it cleans off.

Ok, The car was new and has been seen three times for the same problem, You know with the advent of computer controlled ignition and timing, there should not be the buildup of carbon, something is definetly wrong, and driving habits should not cause it in the modern engines. Carbon build up is a thing of the past in the old carburated engines of yesteryear. I would definetly contact the bettter business bureau, the Bureau of Automotive repair, and lastly a lawyer with your best interests in this matter. Lexus is not standing behind there product, and maybe they need some real prodding.

At 120k miles I switched to Brembo disk on front, and Akebono ceramics pads. They seem to be working great. pads going out at 59k is really soon, my first pads went 80k and they still had some left. By the way I had to change rotors because they were warped. The Brembo/Akebono combination is great, the slotted is overkill. I just went with the standard Brembo disk.

I fully understand Lexus is in business for a profit, however, if toyota sells a oil filter for $4.99 and Lexus sells the same filter (part number) for $10.49 that is rediculous. I can take my RX300 to have the timing belt and waterpump to Lexus and get it for $1100 or to Toyota Dealership for $550. What is that? I respect business practices for profit, but not gouging. Yes you are right, LexKid should probably not be given a break at the dealership on the seats. It is like people who would fraud insurance companies, but given that Lexus makes such a huge markup, a break once in awhile would be nice. Dont get me wrong, I realize it is a Luxuary car, and appreciate the product (except the RX300 transmissions) I would love to buy a LS but my wife loves her SUV. (RX300) . But I really wonder if the Leather would come from OEM or a aftermarket when it comes to every dealership. They are just like all AMerican companies, looing for max profits.

I was just saying that Toyota offered to replace all of the seats (cloth) with leather for 1500 . That is cheap. Lexus just continues to gouge the public with high prices.

I just received another email today from another RX300 owner with tranny failure at 79k miles. Happened on the freeway with wife and kid, I get one of these every other week, I would never recommend this Car if they assume it is reliable, like most Toyota Products. I have a 1999 RX300 with my third transmission in it. Read the post and make your own decisions.

As I remember there is a flat spot area on the end of the strut rod. You hold that with one wrench while turning the nut.

It weird, toyota offered to put leather in my daughters Sequoia for $1500 on all the seats. Where the &*()_)+$$$ does LExus get off charging so much? I will tell you LEXKID, that is typical of LEXUS Service when the chips are down. But honestly, My wifes RX300 leather is showing some wear, (1999) but cleaning and conditioning with Amorall leather care over the years has kept them fairly nice. The Sponge eraser has taken out any bad dirt. Her car is parked in the sun everyday at work. But your experience is typical when compared with my service at the local dealerships. Good luck.

Once the gears let loose it is all over. Take to to an independent tranny shop, not Lexus. The Lexus dealership will charge around $4300 to replace it. Get a firm quote from a tranny shop and good luck. Did you file a complaint with the NHTS board online? There data base needs to grow. I am pushing this. And then contact LExus of America and tell them how unhappy you are with their product. Good Luck. By the way the dealership didnt give you a 90 day warranty? Check with a lawyer.

Make them give you a new car, Afterall, They should under no circumstances damage your car, especially a new car. What a typical Lexus experience, the Japanese can do a wonderful job producing the car, and then give it to a bunch of destruction derby people at the dealership. What a terrible break in the chain of perfection. I'm sorry to hear about your experience, I too have dealt with similar and worse at Lexus of Roseville California. Good luck.

The downside is that Lexus doesnt get your hard earned money. That is it pure and simple, As long as you have papers showing the maintenance, your warranty is valid.

Boy I would have a maintenance history ran on that car, and if it looks bad I would run, not walk away.

Could I too have a copy of the maintenance manual. I am at tskeen@surewest.net Thank you

must have been a bad week for everyone, I noticed the posts tonight are full of grumpy old men. Maybe tomorrow will be better for everyone. Everyone smile, tomorrow is Friday. :)

I have heard and experienced horror stories about walmart auto service, too save money though go to a Toyota or Toyota based service mechanic, You will get the same service a lot cheaper. I am sure the 30k is just Oil, filter, tire rotation, and check brakes. However since it is a 2004 you might consider a radiator drain and fill. check your owners book for the specific service required and keep all receipts, (very important for warranty work).

Aluminum bar makes me nervous, Does is have the flexibility of steel, and will it perform without breaking?

Good luck, keep us posted, Just another example of how Lexus of America cares............All talk and no action. I must say I have never heard of a car carboning up. Must be something really messed up on your car.

Those covers break all the time, especially if not put on correctly, If anything falls on the rail and the cover hits it, the cover will be knocked off. A Few times of this and it is permantly damaged. Check the Dealership and have them replaced under warranty, If you are still under warranty. Dont let them snap them on half assed. Lexus did that to my wifes car and sent her out the door. They came off the next day. Kind of a poor design and cant handle any abuse. Good luck.

Walmart and Costco brand batteries have given me very good service over the years. I dont know if they have the size.

Personally I would have the timing belt and waterpump replaced together, the rest can be done at your leasure. I would change the transmission fluid, but make sure it is the correct fluid. Of course the brakes etc should be checked for safety reasons. The toyota dealership is perfectly fine to use. Why pay Lexus the over inflated costs?