dchan865

Hmm, you do have a point, never thought about it much.

Well if I had a Cayenne, I'd debadge it too. I can't believe such an expensive vehicle has doors that sound so tinny when they are closed and has such a cheap looking interior. Mercedes reliability doesn't do much for the prestige image. I'll take my reliable, great looking and handling GX any day. You couldn't sell me a ML500 because the printing over the buttons and switches are so small I'd have to wear my Dr. Dean's while driving. Now there's some really odd engineering for you. I noticed this while riding in a 2004 ML AMG. So, what caused you to buy a Lexus??? ← I am with you GXJon. I take the GX any day. Debadging the logo on your rig sounds like someone is ashame of something. That's the only thing I see that would make someone do this. I don't want to sound like I am bashing someone. Its your freedom to do what you want with your rig. Prior to getting my GX, I thought about BMW and Mercedes too. After going over the JDPower quality survey and my own personal experience with the RX300, I am proud to choose the GX. I look forward to years of driving pleasure. GX rule :D

Excellent point, Jim. Thanks!

I haven't check to see if this is the first topic about oil filter. Now that this issue comes up, has anyone done a DIY oil change yet? I only have about 3K so I don't see myself changing it at about 10K after my complimentary oil change. When the time comes, I wonder if I should rely on the oil filter Quality Tuneup uses. I typically take my other cars to this franchise shop so I am wondering if I should be concern and bring my own filter. Now I am leaning toward not to bring it since I always change my oil about 4-5K miles(mainly freeway), so maybe a more superior filter may not be worth the money . What you folks think?

Welcome! For safety reason , if I recall correctly your GX has to be in park before you can enter the destination.

Thanks. Well I guess that's good enough for me. The hair dryer would only be need if my wife and kids would ever decide to use it. As for the fridge, it would be useful on long summer trips.

I also haven't notice any flickering on my NAV.

Hello folks, Anyone use the AC outlet on the GX? I would guess that it should support a clock, radio or anything that doesn't require alot of power. How about a hair dryer or a mini-refrigerator? thanks,

I am glad I found this tip. I have the RX for over 4 years and could never get it to work. Finally have some time to research this and after putting the pieces together, I got it to work with my 1/3 HP Lift Master Security+ (this model supports rolling code so additional programming steps have to be taken) garage opener in less than 2 minutes for both of my cars. Thanks RX300_Coach for being a guinea pig :D Someone might have mention this already but just in case. For tips on doing this with any garage opener that supports rolling code or non-rolling code, you can go to Homelink web site for tips or call their customer service for help if you are having trouble. Their voice mail also includes instructions on how to do it.

Thanks for all you guys feedback. :) The reasons are compelling. I think I'll get it done since I plan to keep my RX for years to come. But since this sounds a little complicated, I might just take it to a shop. I hate to lose my brakes when driving. I'll check on SKPerformance's detailed how to instructions and see if I am brave enough to accept this challenge.

I am thinking about this too since my RX has 72K miles on it so debating if I should do it or just throwing money away. My brake fluid looks cleaned and I am not detecting any problem braking. Can anyone give a good reason why we shouldn't or should change this fluid? I've noticed that some independent shops offer this type of service. I learned that we should change the, coolant, transmission and engine oil periodically to make the car last longer? So with this in mind, shouldn't changing the brake fluid make the brake system components last longer? Just curious. I would love to say that money on something else.

Magnussen's Lexus of Fremont (510) 657-6600 43690 Auto Mall Cir Fremont, CA 94538 ← Who wrote up the contract? Was it Ron the fast talking accountant? I got mine from Magnussen as well and having had any problem. I am about to suggest a friend to buy a RX from them in the next week or so. Maybe he should be careful. Not sure if the GM is the same as the owner. I recall this is a family run dealership so may be you can talk directly to Bo Mangussen so he know the mistake his employees make. I would think he cares more about his business.

I share most of the feeling expressed here. The RX was the first Lexus I bought 4 years ago and the only regret I have is not getting the 4WD. If it doesn't effect your wallet and you plan to keep it for a long time( I plan to keep it for 10+ years), I would say its worth it. In my experience, RX has been trouble free and maintenance is low. And don't forget the Lexus reliability rating is #1 in the business(sound like I am making a sales pitch but its true).

Thanks, Russ. Another owner reported that two of his RX is also about 1/16 over the 2 notches so I wouldn't sweat it. I'll just keep an eye out on it. Since this my first time ever doing "DIY" on this car, I get a little paranoid. Have a wonderful new year!

Both my 2000 and 2001 RXs read about 1/16 over the second notch and have not changed since they were new. ← Ok, since you are getting the same thing then I wouldn't worry about it. Sometimes its hard to figure what is normal or not when it comes to reading the temperature, especially the analog type. I hate to have my engine burnt up. Thanks, Mikey00 for checking it out.

I have close to 2K miles on it. While driving on the Sierra mountain several days during a very windy night, occassionally I hear some vibriation or rattle some where on the top of the roof. I thought it was the roof rack but after inspection, rack appears to be mounted tight. So I am somewhat puzzle to what it was. I was driving about 60-65miles. Now we are not hearing it anymore. Strange.

Russ, I had a chance to work on it today and something didn't seem right so wondering if you got the same result. I did the drained and filled with Toyota long life coolant with 50/50 solution. After testing driving it for 30 minute on street and freeway with heater on or off, the temp guage needle consistently stays at about 1/16 inch over the 2 notches, close to the middle. I sense its a bit high. I don't recall what it was normally before my coolant change. I think it was little under 2 notches above the "C" indicator. But not sure. What did you get? I am beginning to wonder that I didn't add enough coolant into the system or air may have got into the system during the process. If anyone else did this before, what are you guys seeing on the temp guage? Thanks, David

If I understand you correctly, I mixed the coolant myself, 50/50. Toyota does sell premixed coolant in the U.S. I am also wondering if air trapped in the system could be triggering this. If that's the case, I wonder how I can get it out.

Greetings fellow owners, I just did a drained and filled on my 2000 RX300 with Toyota long life coolant with 50/50 solution. After testing driving it for 30 minute on street and freeway with heater on, the temp guage needle consistently stays at about 1/16 inch over the 2 notches. I don't recall what it was normally before my coolant change. I sense that its a bit high. Back of my mind tells me that it should be below 2 notches. What's are you folks getting? If you guys are getting lower reading, any idea what could be the problem? Thanks for any input. David

You might try this. I got this tip from other owners. At PepBoys, filter sells for about $15 if you want a new one. Instead of changing mine, I took it out and cleaned it with soapy cold water then let it dry overnight. This did the trick. I was amazed how dirty it looked when I changed it for the first time after 65K miles. David

Hey everyone, good question about the expected price. Like GS400Jon, I also got it from Magnussen Lexus. At that time, there were enough inventories from various dealers in the bay area so most dealers I spoke to was very competitive. The GX I got this November was a 04 model, fully loaded(3rd row seat, DVD entertainment, tow hitch, rear spoiler etc.... MSRP was at about 52K. I got mine for about 46K, probably about 1K over invoice. This was my 2nd time I bought a car from them so they were willing to compromise. I also bought a car mask and all weather car mats at the price they paid for. So if you want any additional accessories, don't wait unit later, you might want to try to include this in the deal and have them sell it to you at their invoice. I saved about $160 to $200 for both items. I didn't get the sport bumper add on for about $450 since I didn't care for it too much. By the way, for the same car, I also got a quote from another dealer 20 miles away for about $600 over invoice. I didn't get it since I already negotiated my price. So yeah, in summary, its most likely to your advantage if you get the 04 at the end of the model year if you don't mind. Good luck with your buy. David

That's great! Share those pics with us and may be I'll inspire to off road one of these days.

Thanks, Russ. You answered one my question(location of the drain plug). I got a little confuse about the location of plug initially. I hope you won't mind if I ask you another question. You mentioned that for a complete flush and drain using the petcock on the engine block method. Where are the plugs on the engine block? Is that something that's visible once I removed the plasitc cover below? Are special tools required? I might just do the simple drain and fill method since my car is about 4 years old, and do the more extensive one later. However, the the flush and drain is not that complicated, I might take on that task. Thanks, David

What version of the software is your navigation? On my GX470, I have 4.1, so I am not sure if the RX use the same software. I haven't receive any notice from Lexus. David

After extensive search, I found some tips on how to do this from another owner. Here's the link in case anyone need it in the future. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...8508&hl=coolant You could tell this is not my full time job. Are there any special tools require? thanks, David