bowtie3

I hadn't driven my wife's 2000 RX300 for a few weeks until yesterday. When I pulled into the shopping center parking lot I heard this " crunching/creaking " sound coming from the front-end, just like the popping sound talked about on this forum. The car is a FWD with 52,000 miles, Certified Lexus Warranty, and driven like a baby during the 2 years she has owned it. Is there going to be a problem covering this defect under the Certified Warranty when I take it in to the dealer for repairs? Should I mention the TSB # when I bring up the problem?

What is the fuse # and location to pull, and therefore rest the PCM? Will this affect a gas knock problem or a transmission-shift personality change?

My wife has a 2000 RX 300 [ 50,000 miles ]. I noticed after she bought it 2 years ago that the interior lights " pulsated " when I would start it up in the garage. When I brought it to the attention of the dealer service department I was told that the technician " could not duplicate problem " [ still covered under Certified Warranty ]. It's easily noticable, especially in the evening. Since then I've just accepted it as one of the " quirks " of RX 300 ownership. I've been a GM technician for many years and I can remember when this very problem could be traced to a battery connection or a starter/alternator ground.

I keep reading about brake pad shims when replacing the pads on my wife's 2000 RX 300. When replacing the ORIGINAL pads a few months ago [ 48,000 miles ] I noticed that there were NO shims with the original pads. Where can I get the CORRECT shims for this car so I can eliminate this very annoying pad rattle when changing directions or turning into the driveway? Why are they necessary on the RX and not most other vehicles?

What can I do to eliminate the brake pads from rattling [ when changing direction ] on my 2000 RX 300? I replaced them with some premium pads a few months ago and used a " pad adhesive ", but now they're starting to do it again. Before replacing the original pads [ which did the same thing ] I asked the sevice advisor about it and was told that it was a common problem, even when the dealer replaced pads. Is there a cure for this annoyance?

I use NAPA Exact Fit replacement blades on my wife's 2000 RX 300. They come one in a package [ different lengths ] and cost about $6.00-$8.00 each. They last for several years and don't make that annoying " click-clack " when changing direction on the windshield. [ Absolutely QUIET! ] Also used on the rear window.

When I went to the dealer for a " Genuine Lexus " service manual for my wife's 2000 RX 300 the parts person said there are 2 volumes, each costing $100.00. I purchased 2 Toyota Highlander service manuals from a parts store [ from 2 different publishers ] for a TOTAL of about $50.00. Being about the SAME vehicle, they're very complete when servicing our RX 300.

We've had my wife's 2000 RX 300 about a year and a half now. [ 49,000 miles ] She bought it from the dealer, and with it came the Certified Warranty. I take it in every 4 months for the oil/filter change. Early on I asked the service advisor to have the 1st-2nd shift checked as it seemed slow to me. They told me it was fine. About a month ago I asked them about it again and after a road test I was told everything was OK. The technician told me that these vehicles shift " slow and smooth " because the customers would complain if they shifted " quick and harsh ". I've driven the neighbors' 2000 RX 300 and it was worse than ours. Is this the design of the transmission or is this a sign of future problems? I'm a retired GM tech and have owned many trucks with " shift kits " and " reprogrammers " and it seems to me that a transmission that shifts this slow is cause for concern. A transmission that shifts quicker usually lasts longer. Do any of you other owners share this concern or am I just a " worrier "?

Take it to a Toyota dealer or an Independent import shop for an estimate. The RX is basically a Toyota Highlander. I called a Toyota dealer for an estimate after I had the rear main seal replaced under the Certified Warranty [ 2000 RX 300 ] and found that the SAME repair using the SAME parts was about HALF the cost of the quote from the Lexus service director. [ Customer-pay was about $1000.00 ] Just ask around for a recommendation on an Independent repair shop!

One of the Toyota dealers in our area is owned by the same person who owns the Lexus dealer. That particular Toyota dealer refuses to do ANY service work to a Lexus. I purchased a shop service manual for a Toyota Highlander because they are basically the same vehicle as the RX300. The " OFFICIAL " Lexus manuals are only available from the Lexus dealer; 2 volumes at a cost of $100.00 each. I recently had the rear main oil seal replaced on my wife's 2000 RX300. It was replaced under the Certified Warranty but the service director said it usually costs about $800.00-$1000.00 for a customer-pay repair. [ Quote---- Very rarely happens ] I called a Toyota dealer and got an estimate for the same job on a Highlander and the cost was about HALF as much. It seems a rip-off to charge twice as much for the SAME job using the SAME parts. The Lexus dealer wanted $450.00 to replace all of the brake pads on the 2000 RX300, not including machining the rotors. I purchased a premium set of pads from an import parts house [ $60.00 ] and did the job in about 2 hours. As for the dealer costs for 30,000, 60,000, and 90,000 mile services, they're either crazy or they think the owners are stupid! OK, you caught me, I'm a retired GM technician. BUT I've worked on too much GM crap to own one!

My wife's 2000 RX300 [ 49,000 miles ] has a slight gas gas knock under acceleration. Dealer says it's no problem, maybe bad gas. We always use 93 octane, as recommended by dealer. Since taking it to the dealer for a rear main oil seal fix about a month ago we've tried BP, Citgo, and Shell. It still has a periodic gas knock. Is this a problem with the RX300 or is it something that the dealer can solve? Also, is 93 octane really necessary for the RX300? Any advise on this would really be appreciated. Thanks.