bowtie3

2000 RX300, FWD, 56,000 mile. The knob that selects/directs the air to the windshield, floor, and dash vents doesn't seem to have any control. All the air comes out at the base of the windshield regardless of the knob-setting. Anyone ever experience this condition? Thanks.

My wife's 2000 RX300 FWD needed a rear engine mount a few months ago. The service rep at the ONLY Lexus dealer here said that an engine mount is " a wear-item " and wasn't covered under the Certified Warranty. Rather than pay the dealer the $400.00 for replacing the rear engine mount I ordered one from Park Place Lexus [ about $47.00 incl. shipping ] and replaced it myself in about 2 hours. It's good for a vehicle owner to get under their cars once in a while. I've owned many vehicles in my life and never had to replace an engine mount because it broke! When her car had the " front strut-mount clunk " it took three times for the dealer to fix the problem. On the last trip they told me that the " fix " performed at that time WAS NOT covered under the Certified Warranty and charged me an hour's labor [ $90.00 ]. A few months ago the car began idling too high and would really jerk when put into gear . After two trips to the dealer for this problem [ No Problem Found ] the check-engine light finally came on. It seems as though if the technician can't get a computer to diagnose a problem, then there IS NO PROBLEM. Turns out that the throttle position sensor was bad. Why didn't they suspect the throttle position sensor in the beginning? I hope the warranty on their dopey technicians is better than the one they have on their Certified Used Cars. Her cars' " meaningless " Certified Warranty expires in April '06. The chances of them ever seeing me again are pretty slim!

300gone330, you lost ALL credibility with me when you brought RACE into the forum! If you brought it up to the dealer rep it's no wonder they put you out the door! I would too.

My wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [ 55,000 miles ] has a periodic gas knock. We've always used 87 octane in it. When the gas knock shows up I pull the ECM fuse for a minute or so and that solves the problem until the next time. I guess the question I have concerns the 2 knock-sensors located on the intake manifold. Does the RX300 have a history of this problem? I have a tech manual for the same year of Camry [ same engine, trans, etc. ] and it says to check the 2 knock-sensors with an ohm-meter. The sensors aren't that difficult to replace once the intake manifold is removed. [ Toyota tech said it's about a 1-hour job ] Park Place Lexus in Plano, Texas has the sensors for about $130.00 each incl. shipping. [ I order from them often ] The dealer says that knock-sensors aren't covered under the Certified Warranty [ NO surprise ] and the total cost to the customer is about $400.00 to replace 1 sensor. Has anyone else had to replace the knock-sensors on their RX300? Thanks.

This is an update on a post from this afternoon. I originally suspected a bad engine mount on my wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [ 55,000 miles ]. Now I'm beginning to think it's the transmission. It does it about 80% of the time. When moving the gearshift selector into reverse, then neutral, then into drive the transmission jerks really bad. At first I thought that the engine was idling too fast, but now even after warm-up and the idle is about 750 RPM the transmission gives a jolt when put into gear. I'm wondering if this is " the time " I've been reading about in this and other forums. The dealer has jerked us around concerning other issues supposedly covered under the Certified Warranty. I'm apprehensive about this deal!

My wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [ 55,000 miles ] jerks when it's put into gear, either drive or reverse. I've replaced the upper mount [ dogbone ] because it appeared to be loose and worn-out. The front and rear engine mounts seem to be in good condition. There is what appears to be a damper / shock absorber on the front of the engine under the exhaust manifold. Could this part be worn-out and is causing the engine to move for and aft? Do RX300's have a history of this problem? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

My wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [ 55,000 miles ] idles at about 1500-1700 RPM when it's first started when cold. The idle-speed slowly comes down to about 500-600 RPM after about 5 minutes but that seems to be a longer period of time than in the past. It's kept in the garage overnight so the temperature remains pretty constant [ about 60-70 degrees ]. I don't remember it idling that high in the past and it seems real hard on the engine-mounts, transmission, etc. Maybe that's why it needed a new " dogbone " recently. Any ideas? Thanks.

I ordered 2 cabin air filters yesterday from TRADEMOTION.COM. They are $16.60 each INCLUDING shipping. They'll be here Friday! I now order all the needed parts from trademotion.com now. They are Park Place Lexus in Plano, Texas. In the past 2 weeks I've ordered 3 " dogbone " engine mounts for my neighbors and I from trademotion.com. The dogbones were about $80.00 including tax at the Lexus dealer; $51.35 including shipping from trademotion.com.

The appearance of the " dogbone " won't always reflect the condition of the worn-out rubber inside. To really check it out have someone get in the car, put the brake on, and move the gear selector from reverse-to-neutral-to-drive, several times, to see if the engine " rolls over " from front to back. I just ordered a dogbone this morning for the man across the street. Also his '01 RX300 FWD [ 78,000 miles ] cabin air filter had never been replaced; it was ugly.

CLUBLEXUS.COM

Replacement of the " dogbone " is relatively simple. Requires a 3/8" rachet, 14mm socket, a 1/4" rachet, and a 10mm socket. Unplug harness/wires from cruise-control. Remove 3 10mm nuts that secure the cruise-control and move it to the front of the engine. Lift the power-steering reservoir from its place on the inner fender. [ It's held in by a plastic tab, don't break it! ] Remove the upper and lower bolts. Put some " anti-seize " on the bolt threads. Reverse procedure. I swear it didn't take me more than 20 minutes and I was doing the laundry at the same time. Remember that the dealer wanted $135.00 [ 1 1/2 hours labor ] and $80.00 for the part. I really think that this top engine-mount " dogbone " is an often overlooked problem and anyone who changes their own oil/filter can do this job. I checked my neighbor's 2000 FWD RX300 and found the same condition. I ordered her the same part on Thursday; should be here Monday.

The other day when I drove my wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [54,000 miles ] I noticed a clunk / jerk when put it into Drive or Reverse. Being the retired GM tech that I am, I had my wife put the car into gear, both drive and reverse while I observed with the hood open. The engine wanted to " roll over " in the engine bay. This is a trait of FWD vehicles when the top engine strut / mount [ dogbone ] is broken or worn-out. When told by the Lexus service rep that this is NOT covered by the Certified Warranty [ she referred to it as a " wear item " ] I contacted several of the websites mentioned on this forum. I ordered the part form Park Place Lexus in Plano, Texas. [ $52.00 including shipping ] Replacing this part took about 20 minutes. When observing the old part I noticed that the rubber wasn't ripped or torn but just worn-out. This part keeps the engine from moving forward and rearward when changing directions, thus PREVENTING transmission and axle damage due to misalignment. I'd like this post to enlighten other RX300 owners who have also noticed a " movement " of the engine while putting the car into gear. P. S. The Lexus dealer wanted about $215.00 to replace the part. [ 1 1/2 hours labor----$135.00 and $80.00 for the part ]

My wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [ 54,000 miles ] also has a periodic noise coming from the either the A/C compressor or the alternator. When I had it in for a oil/filter change recently I asked them to tell me what the noise is. The tech told me he couldn't hear anything. The service rep said it would be covered under the Certified Warranty if either the A/C compressor or the alternator failed to operate or " fell apart ", but " noises aren't covered under the warranty ". I think this goes into the " fix after the warranty expires " file! I just replaced the top engine mount [ dogbone ] myself; 20 minute job and $51.00 part from Park Place Lexus in Plano, Texas. The dealer wanted about $220.00; $135.00 [ 1 1/2 hr. labor ] and $80.00 parts. Service rep said it's not covered under the Certified Warranty; it's a " wear item "! I'm wondering if the A/C compressor and alternator are going to be " wear items "!

The car is covered under the Certified Warranty til May 1, 2006. Why would I take the car to an independent repair shop for issues considered to to be covered under the warranty? The ONLY reason I take it to the dealer for customer-pay service is oil / filter changes. This is done to prevent any future problems concerning required maint. to keep the warranty in force. By the way, IT'S HER CAR! I'll support her on this until May 1, 2006!

These are the issues that I can recall immediately: Shoulder harnesses won't roll back up, rear main oil seal, front strut mounts [ twice ], gas knock [ 3 times ], A/C compressor noise [ considered normal ], instrument panel bulbs. My wife has been adamant about the dealer doing the oil / filter changes while the car is covered by the Certified Warranty. The dealer has charged us for 6 quarts of oil every time I've taken the car in for service, plus $8.00 for a can of BG oil conditioner. Yes, I know it's a rip-off [ it only holds 5 quarts ] and the oil conditioner is an extra-profit item, but I've given them a lot of leeway because I wanted to be " no-problem customer ". The last time I had the car in for the front strut-mount clunk problem they charged me $90.00 labor because the " fix " wasn't covered under the Certified Warranty. Funny how the non-warranted " fix " solved the problem! The Certified Warranty ends next April, so they will be doing an oil / filter change in October and February. Then I'll do them myself using Mobil 1 like I use in my '01 Silverado. I guess the dealer tallys up the service/repairs under warranty and then at some point puts the customer on the " orphan list ". Really makes you want to come back and buy another one. Let's see: Give them the wife's 2000 RX300 [ 53,000 miles ] AND $25,000 and drive home another " problem child ". Yeh, that's a good investment! Like I've said in a previous post, the perceived high resale / trade-in value of a Lexus is EXTORTED from the owner by Lexus service / repairs during the time of ownership. When the time comes to change vehicles the perceived residual value is the amount you sell the car for, LESS a pile of documented $crew-jobs courtesy of dealer service.

The dealer is Charles Barker Lexus in Va. Beach. He owns one of the three Toyota dealers in this area also and the only two Lexus dealers for 100 miles. Guess which Toyota dealer refuses to perform ANY service work on ANY Lexus? I'm going to order the dogbone from one of the websites that carries Lexus parts. The Lexus dealer didn't have the part so this morning I called the other two Toyota dealers to get a price quote for a Highlander dogbone. The price for the Highlander dogbone is the same as the Lexus part, BUT none of the Toyota dealers had one either. Must be special-ordered. You're right. After examining the job again I don't even think it's a 1/2 hour operation. Just swing the cruise control module out of the way and remove 2 bolts! How do they justify $150.00 labor for this job? I don't think we'll be buying another Lexus. This car has been in the shop more times in the past two years than my 2001 Silverado has been in five years! With a GM product I knew I was getting a piece of junk, but I expected more from the Lexus! Maybe I was a GM tech too long.

My wife's 2000 RX300 FWD [ 53,000 miles ] has a worn/ torn top-engine mount [ Dogbone ] The engine rocks fore and aft when changing directions. The dealer says this is a " wear item " and is not covered by the Lexus Certified Warranty and will cost about $250.00 [ $150.00 labor / $85.00 parts ] PS, they don't have one; 2-3 days special-order. As a retired GM technician I would estimate this as a simple job, maybe 1/2 hour at the most. Where would be a good place to get one? I can't believe that an engine mount is not covered under warranty!

I'd make an appointment for the problem just to have a record of it for future reference. If it isn't documented, it never happened!

It's either the starter or the flywheel or both! Expensive if not covered by a warranty. Will probably get worse.

You didn't say how many miles are on this RX but it sounds like a torque converter problem. A " shudder " can also be caused by a loose wheel or a CV joint if it is All Wheel Drive. If it were mine I'd have it checked before I drove it again.

SW03ES--------All of the specs I've used in this discussion are right out of Consumer Reports. You're correct about the market that Lexus is courting with the '06 GS. I haven't driven an '06 GS, just sat in one. I'm afraid to drive one for the reasons you've given above. The GS430 is the car of choice as far as I'm concerned. Except for the MB CLS500 it's probably one of the best looking cars to come along in years!

Who told you the Avalon is basically the same car as the GS300?!? It is a totally different car. If the Avalon is similar to any Lexus its the ES330 as its built on a stretched FWD Camry platform. The GS300 is on the Aristo RWD platform. The HP advantage of the Avalon is lost in the FWD. The GS300 is a much nicer car than the Avalon. As for the HID lights, they are tilted down slightly from the factory. Like I said they can be adjusted back up. Whether you need to have the dealer do it or not depends on your handiness and your model. The dealer did mine. ← i think he is refering to da latest toyota avalon that is awd, 3.5L vvti 280hp and HID that can out run any es330, and probably gs300 for much lower cost. ← According to Consumer Report [ Sept. '05 ] the differences between the '06 GS300 and the '06 Avalon are as follows: the Avalon is 7" longer, 3" wider, 2" taller, GS--3.0 engine, 245 HP, Avalon--3.5 engine, 280 HP, Avalon is over half a second quicker to 60 MPH, quicker in the 1/4 mile, has MORE front shoulder room, MORE front leg room, MORE front head room, MORE rear shoulder room, MORE rear leg room, MORE rear head room, better headlights, has a FULL-SIZED spare tire, gets BETTER fuel economy and uses REGULAR fuel, and costs about $20,000 LESS. You tell me which vehicle comes CLOSER to being a CAMRY ! Oh, I forgot about the great Lexus service at a fair price AND the free loaner cars ! ← SW03ES-----------Is the GS300/Avalon discussion over already?

Who told you the Avalon is basically the same car as the GS300?!? It is a totally different car. If the Avalon is similar to any Lexus its the ES330 as its built on a stretched FWD Camry platform. The GS300 is on the Aristo RWD platform. The HP advantage of the Avalon is lost in the FWD. The GS300 is a much nicer car than the Avalon. As for the HID lights, they are tilted down slightly from the factory. Like I said they can be adjusted back up. Whether you need to have the dealer do it or not depends on your handiness and your model. The dealer did mine. ← i think he is refering to da latest toyota avalon that is awd, 3.5L vvti 280hp and HID that can out run any es330, and probably gs300 for much lower cost. ← According to Consumer Report [ Sept. '05 ] the differences between the '06 GS300 and the '06 Avalon are as follows: the Avalon is 7" longer, 3" wider, 2" taller, GS--3.0 engine, 245 HP, Avalon--3.5 engine, 280 HP, Avalon is over half a second quicker to 60 MPH, quicker in the 1/4 mile, has MORE front shoulder room, MORE front leg room, MORE front head room, MORE rear shoulder room, MORE rear leg room, MORE rear head room, better headlights, has a FULL-SIZED spare tire, gets BETTER fuel economy and uses REGULAR fuel, and costs about $20,000 LESS. You tell me which vehicle comes CLOSER to being a CAMRY ! Oh, I forgot about the great Lexus service at a fair price AND the free loaner cars !

You should ALWAYS use anti-seize on wheel-studs, or anytime steel is used with ALUMINUM ! [ such as spark plugs ] I realize that the wheel-nuts and wheel-studs are not aluminum but you'll probably never experience what you just went through [ when torqued correctly ] after using anti-seize.

There are 3 Toyota dealers in this area. One is owned by the person who ALSO owns the ONLY Lexus dealer. Guess which Toyota dealer refuses to do ANY service work on a Lexus, ANY service work. It's no wonder there aren't any service manuals available for owners to do their own maint. work. These vehicles are a " gold mine " for Lexus service departments.