dchan865

Just want to say thanks to all the tips you guys provided. This gave me the confidence to do this job. I changed the fluid(it was dirty) this weekend and it weny smoothly. I am planning to do this every 15K from now on. Next, I will try to change the differential and any fluid that exist.

I am surprise. The shop that did the work did not replace it? Don't they feel guilty that they broke it because of their neligence. Anyway, I would demand that they fix it. If not, like Sha4000 said, see if the dealer will replace at no charge.

Good year shop fixed it at their expense which was very good of them. The also throw in a complimentary oil change if I plan to go back. I was kind of surprise that they use a Torgue wrench. That was something I haven't seen in a long time. Lexus dealer is the only one that I know that would do this.

I only have 12K miles mine so it'll be a long time before I have to change the transmission fluid. I think I would change it every 15K or 20K miles. Any of you guys/gals have changed it yourself? If so, was it hard? I am trying to get a feel for it before I do it. I didn't find any specific instructions for doing this task on the GX forum. thanks!

I went to Sears today and got the 10mm hex($5.49 cost). Craftsman made it so I think I am ready to tackle this task this weekend.

Sorry I can't help you in the bay area, but Maita Toyota in Sacramento changed my timing belt and water pump per my request for $504.00 This was less than half the price at Lexus, and they did a great job. Some times you can work your way into the toyota dealerships by promissing future service when needed. Any good toyota shop won't turn away good business. After all they want to make a profit too. The timing belt and water pump only cost under $200 bucks so the remainder would be profit for the dealership. ← Thanks, Lenore. I called a Toyota dealer in Hayward and they said they could service my RX so I bet I am not the only one that take a Lexus to them for repair. $504 sounds very resonable for a belt and water pump change. I spent close this amount when I did it for my Honda Accord awhile back.

Really? You waited that long to change the belt. That sounds risky. I have this notion that one should replace the belt around 100K. If the belt breaks, severe problem can result but not sure if the RX has the same risk. I think tune up can wait. If the car doesn't miss a beat, it probably is not necessary to get it tune up. I bet that someone might think otherwise.

Weeks ago when I was rotating my tire at a Good Year shop, they broke 2 of the studs when they were tightening the wheels with a torgue wrench. I couldn't believe it. Their excuse was that the stud was much more fragile than other manufactured studs. I really think they screwed up. They probably didn't read the spec before setting the value too high during tightening. Anyone experience this before? They did admit their mistake and replace the studs and fix everything at no charge. It was handled with professionalism.

When I ordered mine, I had already read some comments about problems people were attributing to the Dunlops, so I was considering my options if mine came in with those tires mounted on it. I would have probably required that my dealer swap them out for the Michelins or Bridgestones. Looking at all of those tires on GX's at my dealership, I did note that the wear rating on the Michelins was longer then the Bridgestones or Dunlops. ← EXACTLY! ;) That's why I'm happy with the Cross Terrains because the thread life seems to be long, even though considering the GX is big and would require more thread than smaller cars. Especially the Bridgestones, they are really known for short er thread life. I don't know if the RX300 was a good comparison, but it had Goodyear Integritys on them and it was more than half done at 25k miles. My Gx, at 31k miles, is still ok with the Michelins. B) ← On the RX300 with the Good Year Intergrity tires, mine lasted about 65K miles. That's because I rotated them often and constantly check tire pressure, guess I got lucky. My GX came with the Mich tires. I really like the look and ride of the tire so I would replace it with the same kind.

Hello fellow RX owners, I have 80K miles on my RX and suspect that I will need a tune up and timing belt change in another 10k to 20K miles. Does anyone in the San Franciso bay area have good experience with the Toyota dealer that provided the service I just mentioned, perferably across the bay on the Fremont side. Any insight would be helpful. I feel kind of odd asking a Toyota dealer to service a Lexus even though the guts of he car is made by Toyota. Thanks, :) DC

I have 80K miles on my RX and suspect that I will need a tune up and timing belt change in another 10k to 20K miles. Does anyone in the San Franciso bay area know, perferably across the bay on the Fremont side, which Toyota dealer will perform this type of service? I am also open to some reputable shops that dedicate themselves to working on Lexus and Toyota autos. Thanks, :) DC

Thanks, TunedRX300 for the tip! I guess I'll go to Sears.

Greetings veryone! I hope someone can give me some tips on this. I am about to change my transmission oil and need to remove the 10mm hex nut. I read alot of tips on this subject so I have an idea what I am about to do. I've always use smaller hex tool to install and remove furnitues but not on cars. Is there one out there that's big enough to provide the torgue to remove the nut? Also, what brand(stanley, craftsman) should I get? or Where did you get yours from? Sears, Pepboys, Kragen?? Also, there's only one nut I have to remove, right? I only saw one but want to be be sure so nothing get screw up. Thanks in advance for the advice. -DC

That sounds like a problem I had with my Honda Accord. I don't recall exactly. I had my brakes checked out and was told that I still had brakes left. I sold the car before I find out the root cause. Could it be that your rotor needs resurfacing? or may be someone tighten the wheel too tight. I was told my a dealer that tighten it too much could cause the rotor to warp so not sure if it is valid.

For one reason, this car is not widely produced as some other models. Second, there's not alot of problems, which I am glad. Anyway, feel free to talk and I am sure folks on the forum is listening to you. ;)

I just don't have the patience to read thorough the entire thread from previous post. Can anyone tell me what the clunk feels like or sound like? Under what situation does it come up if any? As far as I know, I haven't detect anything unusual sound. thanks,

I like the saran wrap part. I think I might try that nex time. You might want to put on a GX car mask. It has help me eliminate the chip and nick off the paint, and bugs too.

If the tire is low on air, the GX will alert the driver. It uses some sensor to monitor this. When you rotate the tires, are there anything special you have to do to the tires or rims before or after you do it? My guess is that the sensor is embedded inside the tire or on the rim so one shouldn't have to do anything special and simply swap the tires just like any originally tires. 2nd question: The user manual has special tire rotation instructions dictating how the tires should be rotate. This involves the use of the spare tire. Has anyone did it without the use of the spare tire? Thanks!

One more question I forgot to ask. Is the oil filter hard to remove once the covers are removed? Any special tools needed beside an oil filter wrench? Thanks, folks!

Great tip, Bliksem! ;) Its been many years since I DIY on my own cars. I am getting ready to get to know my car better and doing it myself in the next few weeks. Does anyone know if its necessary to change the gasket on the drain nut? I imagine it will depend on the condition of the gasket. I sense I don't have to do it since my rig only has one oil change so far.

Agree, the side light and door handles are nice.

I know the feeling. My RX300 had 2 incidents when I got it a few years back. On the first couple of thousand miles, some idiot with nothing to do throw a rock on my windshield, causing a crack, wish I know who it was. In the 2nd incident, someone rear ended my RX and puntured 2 holes in the middle. Luckily both incidents were covered under insurance.

I was wondering about this same subject over the weekend. I've noticed that the suspension lowers itself intermittently when I parked so I found that odd. I have it also set to neutral. Ideas anyone?

Couple weeks ago, we had a closed call. A pebble nearly hit the middle of our windshield on the freeway. It missed it by about 3 inches and hit the top of our rig. The impact was enough to cause a minor indentation. Ouch! :cries:

Same here, I also use 87. Truck runs fine with no knock or ping.