dchan865

My rig was involved in an unfortunate accident so body work was needed recently. The body shop did a sloppy job of doing QC. Now I have to take it back and have them do some rework(5 things need to be fix). The large side moulding on driver side door is too far back(pic attached) from the fender flare, so the gap is wider than normal. Can the piece be easily move forward without a lot of cutting, slicing, bending, or whatever they have to do to make it like it was before the accident? I'd hate to have them causing more damage and the rig never feels the same again. My confidence in this shop is at a low point. Thanks for any insight.

Hi folks, Looks like my front brakes are warped. Does anyone have any suggestions on which brand to use beside the OEM for my GX470? I hear of Raybestos and Brembo and learned to stay away from some cheaply "no name" brand rotors. Or if you are currently using a quality branded rotors with no problem, I'd be glad to know which one you are using on your rig. Thanks.

Owned my 2000 RX300 since it was brand new. I have about 157K miles on it. Over the years, here's what was done and what's not working. Things done: 1) 1st Timing belt replaced at about 109K 2) Replace CV Axle on passenger side and wheel bearings. Oil leaked from CV boot which caused the short life. Replaced at about 140K 3) Replace front and rear brake pads once. Yes, you hear it right. 4) Replaced about 2 set of tires 5) And other minor maintenance. Issues having now 1) Antenna doesn't go up or down 2) The "D"(drive) LED light went out So far there's still no need to do tune up or replace the spark plugs. Wish me luck for another 50K miles or longer.

I had my belt, water pump, and an idler bearing changed at around 120K miles and it has beening great since. I am still on my original spark plugs and haven't done any tune up what so ever. I only had 1 brake job done to the front and the rear will be needed in several months. I've done the usual mainteance(oil, tranny fluid change, clearn the MAF, buy new tires). Hopefully this baby can give me another 100K miles or more. And yes, I am getting about 21 to 22 miles per gallon on average. You're probably wonder why only 1 brake job so far. I drive a lot on freeway, so less stoppage of course. Good luck folks, hope to hear from you again in another 50K or 100K miles.

I had my belt, water pump, and an idler bearing changed at around 120K miles and it has beening great since. I am still on my original spark plugs and haven't done any tune up what so ever. I only had 1 brake job done to the front and the rear will be needed in several months. I've done the usual mainteance(oil, tranny fluid change, clearn the MAF, buy new tires). Hopefully this baby can give me another 100K miles or more. You're probably wonder why only 1 brake job so far. I drive a lot on freeway, so less stoppage of course. Good luck folks, hope to hear from you again in another 50K or 100K miles.

Mine is a 2000 model, with 149,600 miles, no major issues and still fun to drive. Anyone else got more or similar milage?

Thanks for the great tip, Mann777. I've learned a lot from you folks. By the way, its recommended that a new rain sensor tape should be put on after the windshield is replaced. Be sure to ask the glass installer if they will replace a new one. If not, you may want to spend $20-$30 for one. The part number is: 89944-50010 I've attached a copy of the rain sensor tape instructions with illustration and instructions as well. Its directly from a Lexus dealer. Hope that helps. GX470_Rain_Sensor_Install_Tips.pdf

I was afraid of this. Just my luck, after installing a non-OEM windshield. The rain sensor isn't working correctly. The wiper continues to work even after there's no more moisture/water hitting the windshield. :( I've noticed bubble on the sensor so will have Safelite come out and see if they can fix this without removing the windshield. It'd be nice to hear from someone that this issue got fixed without replacing the windsheild again. I've come across this article that may help if someone wants to know if you can remove the rain sensor yourself. http://www.glassmagazine.com/files/2004_lexus_gx470.pdf Instruction from this article: The rain sensor assembly is removed by removing the cover surrounding the base of the sensor. Remove the rain sensor by releasing the clips and sliding the sensor off the lens.

How's the new windshield working out for you? Aftermarket or OEM? thanks.

Hello NicLX470, Just curious, do you notice more windnoise before the replacement or about the same? Thanks!

Hey there folks, I've already read both side of the arguement about using OEM or OEE glass. Anyone having problem with their replacement glass from Safelite or any other windshield manufacturer? As you guessed, I got a 3 inch crack from the cold california climate today. Thanks for any insights! :)

Mityvac's come in several sizes and the hoses are usually plenty long, up to 5' if I remember. I've not used one for an oil-change although I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to do so if you can't get under your vehicle for some reason. I read reviews about this product and its been favorable. But some folks have issues getting it to work on some cars. Some have problems with the hose not long enough and some were caused because a screen prevented the hose from getting to the oil pan. I think I'll try it and see. My Lexus dealership use a product like this when they came to my home and service my other rig several years ago.

Well, I have a 2000, 2WD model with 128K miles on it. Engine and tranny is still running nicely. Only major work done is the typical timing belt replacement. Hopefully it'll go to 200K with no hassle.

Hi folks, Anyone use a device like Mitvac to pump out the oil in your oil change on your 2000 RX? Just wondering if such a device has a hose that's long enough to extract the oil. Thanks!

Thanks, Karl. After some research I'll try the Kumho KR21, looks like a good tire with a resonable price. Many RX owners have no problem with it. Its likely better than the Intergrity I have on my car now. Hope for the best.

I have about 124K miles on my 2000 RX300 and happy with it. No major problems, just usual expected maintanance to deal with on occassion. Only minor problem is the antenna doesn't come up and the LED light that indicate you car is in "drive" doesn't come on.

Hey Karl, How you like the Comfotread tires so far? Anyone have any experience how well it handles the rain? I've have the Intergrity tires and its not all that good in handling on wet surface. Sometimes it spins out when starting from stand still, its most noticeable when the tires are on white paint(like a cross walk).

2004 metallic blue. Runs great!

Jiffylube should be okay. But I would becareful. Several years ago, I caught one guy at a tire store cheated and didn't replace my oil filter. And at another oil change place, they had a hard time figure out how to replace the oil filter(understandably they lack the familiarity in our kind of card). I had to show tell them its best to take the bottom engine cover off to access the filter.... I'd stay away form JiffyLube...Check out this video. 5 out of 9 shops cheated their customer!!! Wow! Shame on them. This is the kind of business ethics that give company a bad name. And one reason that I watch them like a hawk if I can. Always get several opinions before major repairs. Thanks for shariing.

It sounds about right. I've been getting about 21.6 MPG on my RX300, has about 118K miles on it.

For some reason couple Autozone near my home doesn't do it. Don't know why. But during my researching, I did come across many articles on this CEL subject. So hopefully these tips other owners posted will help. I am going to do the trivial stuff first like clean the MAF, gas caps etc... and see if that works. Here's a link that may help someone in the future: www.asashop.org/autoinc/jan2004/techtips.html You have a typo in your link. Drop the last "l" Thanks! Its corrected.

Jiffylube should be okay. But I would becareful. Several years ago, I caught one guy at a tire store cheated and didn't replace my oil filter. And at another oil change place, they had a hard time figure out how to replace the oil filter(understandably they lack the familiarity in our kind of card). I had to show tell them its best to take the bottom engine cover off to access the filter. The oil filter for the 2000 RX300 is hard to access from the top. You have to do it from the bottom of the car but I am not sure about your RX330. Anyway, just keep an eye on them to keep them honest. Good luck!

Hi! Wow, you also have over 100K miles, glad to see that we have some "over 100K" lexus owners here(can't believe our car reach this milestone). $700 for a brake job sounds a bit too much. Sounds like you have a good deal on the timing belt and brake work. The $700 price seems like lexus dealer pricing. Thanks.

Thanks guys or gals. It sounds like its best to get another opinion at a different shop when I rotate my tires next time around. I am sure aftermarket parts are good but I am more comfortable in getting the parts from Toyota dealer and just bring the parts into the shop and have them replace it. I am just amaze with the longetivity of my brakes(118K miles and counting). But I am sure my driving style and commute has something to do with it as well. I wish I am as good as you guy mechanically but I think I'll leave it up to the expert to work on the brakes.

I can't say enough about all the advice from all you folks, really great. Thanks a bunch for everyone's contribution. Here's an update; I cleaned the MAF sensor(too easy of a job not to do yourself) and no more error code(P0171, Bank 1 running lean) after 70 miles. The first 10 miles, it was idling a bit rough. But soon after, it's running very smoothly. Oh yeah, I threw in a bottle of the fuel system cleaner in there too. Since I never cleaned the sensor before, I was amazed how dirty it was. One wire was brown and the other was black. I am going to make it a habit of cleaning every time when changing filter.