lenore

Well out of the blue, got a call from Lexus of AMerica today, Carlos called, but when I returned I talked to some one else. Anyway long and short of it is that LEXUS refuses to give build date of upgraded tranny parts. They said it was propriority info. Yea, so that they dont have to admit they had a problem...Same old Lexus of America, crappy answers when the getting gets tough....So I have no info as to when the strong Planetary gear assembly was incorporated....Sorry guys.

If it came out of his mouth, than it was in his mind. A more compassionate man would not have had those thoughts in the first place.

I would buy the parts from RockAuto.com Try Akebono pads (very good pads) and Brembo Disk rotors. I also suggest picking up a Haynes auto manual for the Do it yourself instructions. Then learn. You will save lots of money, and any questions of uncertainty ask here for tips...by the way the RX300 goes an easy 75 k miles on a set of pads...

You Know, my neighbor had all of his done at Roseville Toyota, and at 50k miles the engine was sludged. I believe there are a lot of variables, such as climate, commute distance, and frequency as well as type of oil used. In my neigbors case the commute was extremely short, and the oil was regular dino oil at the toyota recommended change of 5k miles.

When exactly was your car manufactured? If it was late 2002 than the warranty may still be in effect. I would lean on them also. I bet with a court appearance you might win...if necessary....

Oh man styrofoam, makes me think of the squeeking noise when it is loose in the car and rubbing on something.ech......and you cant reach it when you are driving.... Maybe that is LEXUS problem with noises....

If you are not driving under severe conditions (stop and go in manhattan) than you do not need to replace the timing belt. Only inspection should be done. This is because this car is a non interference engine thus it will do no damage to your engine should the belt break. I have been able to get at least another 30 miles on a timing belt on my mostly highway driven car. Sorry it is an interference engine.....This is debated over and over.....

Yea that is weird, I have a 99RX with the original radiator..... I wonder if the hoses are too tight and pulling on the tank....

Hate to tell you I dont know, always done it myself.....

Man, welcome, read on and save some money. Your pads should not have been at 40% after 20k miles. That means Midas used some crappy pads. Mine have consistantly gone over 80k miles between replacements. I am on my second set at 161k miles. AS for the mushey brakes, Yes get them bled. Midas should have done this..... The Lexus or AKebono pads last a long time. As for the rotors you could have replaced them along with all pads for well under $250 in parts....

You could try AUTO RX also, if your car is not under the 8 year 120day warranty.... The Auto RX may loosen stuff up but follow the instructions carefully. Folks on the CL site have used it with great results....

You probably have a bad door lock actuator motor. It is starting to either get slow or not move all the way. That prevents the sensors from giving the locked position so that the alarm can actuate. When you did the key it moved the lock actuator into position...and allowed the alarm to engage.

I feel He is scrambling, and between his allies Pelosi and Reid, is fullfilling the dream of all agenda items that were never done under the guise of fixing the economy. It is a huge smokescreen, and the money cant be printed fast enough. Government does not create jobs to an extent that will sustain. If the real issue of Jobs, taxes, and control on spending isnt met we are doomed. Republicans and Democrats have become one, and we are headed in no direction. I still cant understand how they feel the wealthy are supposed to distribute their income to people that have not earned it. Yes I know there is a lot of corruption, (CEO's etc) but the fix for that should have been the stockholders. Let the darn companies fail, go into bankruptcy and re organize....All I have seen so far is major corruption (AIG, Bank of AMerica, etc) and when they get caught, the blame is impossible to find....No body wants to admit they made a mistake and move on to fix the original problem....THe Treasurey Secretary is a fine example of the biggest idiot we have.

I agree Code58, the oil is diffinetely better, However the conventional oils used may not hold up as well on this imze engine if the changes are done at 5k and their commute is only 3 or 4 miles. That is what happened to my poor neighbor....Had all changes done at Toyota, at 5k miles and he he massive sludge at 50k miles. We figured the poor engine passage flows and the failure of the engine to really bake out the moisture caused the sludge. It was terrible....My wife commutes everyday, however I have always used synthetic blend till 100k miles than switched to full synthetic...we are at 161k and knock on wood still running great. This 1mze engine seems to have some hot spots, particularily the firewall bank of cylinders, the passages on the cylinder head looked oK, but there were lots of ridges to stop oil from flowing back into the crankcase. I think commute, type of oil, and temperatures have a lot of effect on this engine. As always, I respect your opinion, and wish you the best of days....

in your case I would use synthetic and never go past 4000 miles.....It just is not worth the savings in money....

Here is how to do the D light: http://home.comcast.net/~rx300how2/index.html As for the timing belt, It will probably go an easy 125k miles, but changing it at 100k is probably good insurance. Your mechanic is right about doing the waterpump at the same time as it is driven by the timing belt. I took mine to a Toyota dealership and got both changed for around $500 . Make sure your mechanic uses a Toyota OEM timing belt....it is the best quality...then enjoy the next 100k miles.

I take a scribe (pointed tip) and pry the center cap up enough to grab with needle nose plyers. However these clips are plastic and get brittle with age. so they do break, especially when cold...

I too have used GTX in the past, That is why I mentioned the 0-30 weight European blend, It is a true Class IV synthetic....Says European blend on the bottle and is made in Germany....Autozone and Pep boys. LEX MEX on the other site and I use it and are very happy with it...Yea, change to the synthetic at 5k miles..I am still old school in many ways and want the rings to seat properly....

A torque wrench 0-150lbs for tightening tire lugs properly...Harbor Freight tools a good buy.....Found this eliminates those warped disks from the tire folks...

I am using Castroloil 0-30 European blend which seems to clean things up...On a sludged engine, probably not....I noticed the crust on the filler area going away with this oil. Autozone sells it and right now is having a sell, 5 qts and K&N filter for $29. I usually stock up when it is on sale. I run for 3500 to 4500 miles on changes... by the way I have 160k miles now and no signs of sludge. Been using synthetic since 100k miles, before was using a synthetic blend.....

SK I dont believe the 10k interval was the cause for failure, I do agree with your the engine is very hot running...and poor head design, the Passage ways dont allow oil flow completely. Another cause is when the engine fails to warm completely as in short run times and then setting. My neighbors Highlander sludged at 50k miles with all changes done on time at Toyota dealership...his wifes commute is very short and water and condensation build up is very evident in the opened engine....Toyota was nice, well they did have a lot of failures and still do...A full synthetic is probably the best insurance. I have lots of pictures of what it looks like(sludge) in my neighbors 50k 2003 engine...

the missfires could have been the cam position was bad....The VVTI engine has variable cam timing, and with sludge these can fail to operate, generating a code....I have read that most reputable dealerships will take care of the problem at their cost, not yours... I would pursue this and possible try another dealership. Maybe even ask a Toyota dealership if they can handle it. If you have records of your oil changes than you should not be taking the cost of this....Push hard, but politely and get someone that will treat you as a customer that deserves service....The lawsuit which was settled in court said any damage caused by sludge would be covered by Toyota.... Read this: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007...settlement.html You can even go to a third party arbitrator if necessary....

I dont want to discourage you, but I dont wont to see you throw money away.... The shift solenoids may be contaminated with debris....Dont do a flush however. I guess the solenoid could go bad, but I havent read of anybody with that happening...

first, what year is your RX? The warranty is 8 years, 120days.... Have an independent pull the front valve cover and see if you have sludge. The other tell tale would be to pull the oil pan and see if the Oil pump pickup screen is clogged. I hope you are in the warranty period....the 2003 was not covered, but should have been. I suspect the lawsuit was initiated in 2002 and Toyota covered just those years and before. My neighbor has a 2003 highlander and it was not covered and he had the dreaded sludge. He is going to pursue it though with toyota. Another thought is to go to another dealership and ask them to check for sludge. Your dealer may indeed be cheating you... One last note did you get the engine codes when the check engine light came on? If so please post as my neighbor has his codes when he had his Problem... this is what it looked like after he had scraped a coffee can worth of sludge out of it...His engine was toast, ended up rebuilding it. by the way welcome to this site...Lots of money saving tips here always...

I have an 99RX and have never changed the fuel filter (161k miles) Why are you changing it? It is highly not needed.....Unless somebody put something in your tank... By the way the fuel filter on mine is inside the fuel tank, accessable under the rear seat.....