tmastres

Another opinion based on cold, hard facts I see :D The transmission changes made between the 00 and 01 model year are WELL documented here in this forum and those who've been here for a while know this. Anyone who cares to mine the site for this info won't have to work very hard to find it. You're entitled to your opinion but it'd be more useful if you'd cite some evidence when going against the established facts.

If you search this board I'd say you'd be a little crazy to buy a 99 and maybe even a 00 RX due to the sludge and transmission woes. I'd look at 01-03's and search for the best price you can get for an 01 or later RX.

Essentially correct although its the 99/00's that were the main culprits tranny-wise and a few 01's that may have not received the re-designed transmissions. I'm not as afraid of transmission flushes as some others on the board but I do agree that the drain/fill is simple and a heck of alot cheaper. Not knowing the history of the trans fluid in your vehicle, if it were me, I'd change it so I could be sure of the history of the fluid.

IACV is easy to clean and possibly rule out as a problem, but generally doesn't cause an extreme rough idle. Also, when mine was dirty it never threw any codes. If the rough idle comes and goes its not likely a coil, if it stays consistently bad, it may be. Once one of the coils goes bad, it causes a flood of other codes to be thrown, including misfires on other cylinders. If you reset the codes and start the car, then stop it quickly once the CEL appears you can see the true code that indicates the problem.

Wow sorry to hear that, did someone get your spare key by chance? You don't hear about many of these getting jacked. Anyhow, You may be able to get into another RX for that money , I'd stay with 02-03 RX300 or possibly an 04-05 330. The 99-00 seem to have more trans problems as well as the sludging issue. It's not clear whether the 01's were fully cured of the sludge issue but I believe by 02-03 the sludge issue was gone, and there seem to be far fewer trans issues in those models as well. As for different SUV's you can look into Acura MDX's of the same vintage, I know a couple of folks who have those and they've not had any issues with them. They're a bit larger but not enormously.

What Year? How Many Miles??

Wow, that IS a steal. A colleague of mine has this same Jag and I agree that its a fine car, I think you'll find it to be pretty well made as well.

Well, if this is the same Triplecore who advocates leaving the car running while filling with gas, just keep that up and you won't have any more stigmas to worry about. Don't forget about the stigma of posting in the wrong forum:-)

Well, now that you mention the 400h I can see why you're questioning the logic of keeping the 300. Seems like its just duplicating the capabilities having two similar vehicles. Realizing that I live in a much different climate, I keep the RX because its a really comfortable commuter and has a small modicum of utility (at least compared to our other cars), if I had a 400h I'd probably lose the 300 myself. I'm actually considering a newer RX but I'm liking the Audi Q7 and the new MDX so we'll have to see. Oh, also, you may want to invest in a code reader, you can get them for less that $100 and even if you don't DIY its always good to know what the problem is before you take a car in, even under warranty.

Jailor, what year is your RX? 99,00? If the part number on the coil you just replaced is 90019-02234, its quite possible (likely) you'll experience the rest of the coils going bad in the near future. I went through this same thing, I lost three coils over an 18 month period and after the third failure I bit the bullet and replaced the remaining three. There's a new part number 90080-19016 and my understanding is that there aren't prone to the same failure as the earlier ones.

Most of the things you're talking about are wear related, and to be expected on a 10 year old car. I'm going through the same thought process with my 00 RX and I think I've decided to keep it for another year or two. The question I'm asking myself and what I'd ask you is, what will you get to replace it?

Thanks for the update but I think you may be missing something. You've deleted all your original posts but they live on in the quotes sections of other posters. I'm not trying to be your conscience here but have you told your mother that you've posted this whole story on a public forum? Not that I think you deserve a spanking or anything :-) but rather does she know that there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of people who are aware of your plan? I'm certainly not going to interfere with you in any way but the point is you have no idea who is on or who monitors this forum and you're letting your Mother take a helluva risk just so save a few bucks. Just my opinion...

These are both common misconceptions. Many Lexus parts have unique part numbers and are not shared with their Toyota counterparts (even if its the exact same part). It is sometimes possible to cross-reference parts between the two however. Also its a fallacy that parts are always cheaper at the Toyota dealer than at the Lexus dealer. I live 4 miles from Toyota dealer and I've twice gone there for parts for my RX. Both times I found that the parts I was looking for we're cheaper at the Lexus dealer 30 miles away. The first was a new antenna mast. The parts guy at the Toyota dealer was very cool and helped me cross reference the Lexus part with a very similar Toyota part but he couldn't guarantee that the mast/cable length was identical to the Lexus part and the cost was $6 more than the exact replacement from Lexus. On the second occasion I needed to replace the ignition coils on my RX, Toyota quoted me $107 ea. and on top of that they claimed they wouldn't warrant the parts if I put them in a Lexus! I found them for $91 at the Lexus dealer. I actually found them for even less at Park Place Lexus, in Plano TX (whom I've dealt with before) but I didn't want to wait for delivery since my RX was out of commission without them. When I look for parts these days I check Iron Toad and I e-mail Park Place and others like Sewell to see what their prices are. Then I call or e-mail the closest Lexus dealer to me and see what they're charging. E-bay is great for accessories and smaller parts but I don't generally go there for major components.

Here's another element to the "lesson". If you want a post to die, stop replying to it. LET IT GO.

Actually , you seem like a good kid overall. At least to me. I think some of the folks here on the forum came down a bit hard on you but if you look back and detach yourself from the emotions you'll probably see you've learned quite a bit from the exchange.

Yes, it is normal for RX 300's. Whether you think its smart or good is wholly irrelevant, as are any comparisons to completely different vehicles. These vehicles do this, its NORMAL for them and no indication of any problem.

Welcome! You'll find all the info you seek by doing a few searches in this forum but I'll be happy to summarize my opinions on the subjects you mention. The spark plugs don't need changing very often, but if they're original in the 00 you're working on then they might. As you've probably assessed yourself, the front three are fairly easy while the back three are best accessed by hiring a contortionist. Seriously though, they can be done but it takes patience and several socket extensions and universal joints (for the extensions). As for oil, there are a number of choices but whatever you do definitely go full synthetic. The 00 has a sludge prone engine and the best way to avoid it is to use full-syn and do regular changes. I change mine every 4k miles and use Mobil 1 with a Mobil 1 filter. Amsoil is probably the best oil but its hard (for me) to find other than online and is more expensive. Some folks Like Pennzoil platinum as well as or the european made Castrol Syntec (also hard to find). I find mine takes about 4.25-4.5 qts.

This sounds like it could be a coil issue (amongst other things). Have you taken it to have the codes read (or done it yourself) . I'm sure by now you've figured it out but it'd be interesting hear what it was.

When I find it, I'll invite you on as my first guest, maybe we can have a "Jerry Springer " moment. My Neilsen numbers will go through the roof! Seriously here, I have no doubt that you and your wife must have a great relationship, anyone who's together that long must get along just fine. Originally I felt your comments seemed insulting but if that's the way you guys do things then that's all your business, lets return this thread to its original programming.

If you like the style, feel etc.. of the RX 300 then you could probably get into a 01-03 for not a whole heck of a lot more. Depending of course what constitutes "alot" for you. I've seen some pretty good deals on those RX vintages recently, especially when gas was at $5.00. You should be spared the sludge worries and have a better shot at having the tranny last with those model years.

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.

Oh I understand your point, mired in hyperbole as it usually is, I just wasn't clear on why insulting your wife was necessary to make it. Nonetheless its a free country and you're free to talk about your wife as you wish. As you say, people don't always agree and we usually don't so there you go. Movin' on.

To answer the original question, stay away form 99-00 models, those are the ones with the vast majority of the tranny problems, the 01-03 and the 330/350 models don't suffer near the maladies of those first two years. Of course the first model years of a new design are always ones to avoid and this just drives that point home. Personally I don't care for the early MDX's they're boat-like and they drive like busses, the newer ones (07-09) are much more nimble and are very nice vehicles. If your want a big vehicle the Grand Cherokees are pretty decent as well. Early on they were pretty crappily built (from what some owners tell me) but quality has come good in recent years and I'd trust one today if I were in the market for a mid-large SUV. IMHO the RX300/330/350 isn't in the same category as the MDX, or the Jeep GC. The RX is a small SUV, it really can only hold 4.5 people and even then not with luggage for all. If you have more than 1 , maybe 2 (small) kids forget it, its not a people mover. Nor is it a boat hauler, off-roader or construction site utilitarian, its just a quiet, comfortable way to get around. This is , of course, is well beyond some peoples comprehension of what a vehicle is all about so what you really need to do is ask yourself : What do I want this vehicle for? If you need a big V8 for hauling logs or driving up sand dunes perhaps you should look elsewhere, if you want a quiet, comfortable and quite reliable everyday vehicle try an 01-on RX. PS Who calls their wives shallow and foolish in a public forum?? Reality check here! :o

Kinda funny, a bunch of replies and everyone's using different combos of oils and filters. Guess its more important that you Do change the oil and filter regularly than what you use to do it. FWIW I currently use Mobil 1 5w-30 and Mobil 1 filters. The primary reasons are that I know they are both excellent quality products and all the cars (3) we have use them so I can buy in bulk when they're on sale. There may be better oils but I doubt they're significantly better to make it worthwhile to search out, obtain and pay and even higher premium for (IMHO). I don't believe there are better filters.

Can't remember if it was this forum or the "other" one but I do recall some folks replacing the D light lamp with an LED instead of the bulb. Obviously the bulbs aren't meant for longevity (since most of ours are out) and if you replace with a standard bulb you may be back in the same boat in the near future. Personally I don't mind it being out, I don't even think about it but I can understand that some folks like to have everything working perfectly and I respect that.