tmastres

Actually it was by 2001 and you blow any and all credibility by making blanket statement without a shred of supporting evidence. So you think that from 2001-2003 all of a sudden everyone miraculously learned how to maintain their trannys, and thats why there are so few failures in those years compared with 99,00 ?????

I don't really think just removing the nut will work. If the nylon cable is NOT broken you probably wont be able to pull it out of the motor assembly due to the configuration of the worm-gear drive mechanism. If the the nylon cable is broken, you 'll likely need to disassemble the motor housing anyhow to get the broken piece out. in any case you might try just removing the nut first and see what you find as you'll need to do that anyway to get the new antenna in. Dont worry about the plasitc fasteners, they pop out when you pry them enough and once you see how they work you wont worry about them any longer. Its a bit of a tedious process and it does require removing a few panels so keep track of where everything went. Nothing is really super complicated it just requires a bit of time to take everyhting apart, oh and yes you'll definitely need to remove the big side panel to get at the antenna <_<

Its certainly possible there are still problems after 01-03 but the number of reported failures is almost nil after 01 (talking about on this board and a few others), while there were quite a few failures in the 99/00 models. 01-03 models should have more than enough time/miles on them by now to hit that failure point but we don't see it happening. I know wwest has explained the technical elements of the changes in the trannys and my own suspicion is that Lexus had some parts/materials problem that they solved internally (and silently) to affect the stop in failures. Of course, on ANY vehicle there will be a small percentage of failures even in well built and engineered components, the level of 01-03 failures I've seen hasnt risen to a level that would elevate it past that stage yet.

So you're kidding me in this post too eh? Oil sludging and trans problem solved by 01, both are non-sequiturs here, talking about an 02.

Holy Smokes Batman where'd the hell did you get that!! I've Always used 87 gas and never had a problem as have many others here and NOWHERE in my Lexus owners manual does it say use premium fuel of any sort (other than stating 91 Research octane) which is esentially 87 as we measue it here in the US. Sorry man, just don't buy that! Ther MAY be some truth to there being other junk inthe gas from cheapo gas sources, who knows you certainly can't state it as so unequivocally, but the use of premium has been debated here so often it isnt worth doing again. You simply cannot state this as fact. In case you dont believe me "select octane rating of 87 or higher" direct quote form the owners manual It does go on to say that you MAY get better performance form higher octane fuel but it is not required. I've found there's no difference in my driving experience with either 91 or 92 octane fuels.

If I were in your position, I'd consider getting a 02-03 with as low miles as you can to replace your 00. You'll be out of the range of the trans problems and other than some drivetrain differences and some interior peices the 99/00 and the 01-03''s are essentially the same vehicle. The 01-03's are pretty affordable as compared to a new model so that shouldn't be an issue and you can probably still get a few bucks for your 00 since its been well kept.

Definitely, it was the 99/00 RX's that seemed to have a much higher incidence of trans failure and then more so the 99 than the 2000, models. Form 01-03 I've seen very few (none that I can remember actually) comments regarding prematurely failed trans.

I can see thats true in the vast qualntities of older full-sized trucks still out there, but in an urban and semi-urban environment space is at a premium and full-sizers simply take too much of it. If I lived "out in the country" as we like to say I'd love to have a Silverado or and F150, they seem to have brought the PU truck back into style and the look like nice rides, seen some nice Rams too but I don't know if I could do that. Its unfortunate that the big 3 will sour so many buyers with poor quality smaller trucks. Its certainly hard to imagine anyone that has a bad experience with a smaller unit wanting to buy more form that mfg. It just doesnt follow logically. Before the Dak I had a small Nissan truck and that thing was bulletproof, bought it new off the lot, so bare bones it didnt even have a radio. I got 186,000 out of it before I sold it to a friend who put another 65,000 before he sold it, who knows after that. Point is thats the kind of quality that builds brand loyalty, I wanted desperately to get another Nissan at that stage but it was back in the days when you couldnt even get a V6 in a Japanese 4x4 pick-up.

I guess its really a matter of perspective, I had a 97 Dodge Dakota truck that was the worst heap I've ever owned. I had the truck for 5 years and couldnt wait to sell it. I had over 30 trips to the dealer for problems including recalls, warranty work and stuff they should have covered but didnt. I got so sick of taking it in that near the end I would just fix it myself at my expense because the dealer was so booked up with service I'd have to wait a week or longer to get it in there. Meanwhile my RX, while not completely trouble free, certainly makes my old Dodge look like it was designed and assembled by drunken chimps.

I agree with you on the should be better for the money aspect, but as a secondary owner gearhead, you're not the target market for Lexus. Don't get me wrong, I'm not excusing them in any way but since i've been on this forum, 4 or so years now, I can see that Lexus doesnt really make cars for the people that are here. They make cars for ( OK no surprise) upscale people over 40, who primarily DONT do their own maintenance. I'd even go as far as saying they market to those who primarily lease and return cars as well. Sure they make bank off the resale but after that you're kinda on your own.

Both the vibration and the lamp-out are quite common. The D lamp is irrelevant but the idle viration is a bit annoying. I , like many, have gotten into the habit of shifting into N at stoplights but this should'nt happen on this level of vehicle. I do realize my 300 is getting a bit old so I dont expect so much from it anymore and just overlook the vibration. I recently cleaned the IACV and it really didn't diminsh the idle viration much ( but it definitely did solve the super-low-idle-when-restarting-a-warm-engine problem:-) Heres a link to the previous discussion on this topic and although there are some interesting insights, no real solutions other than possibly (likely?) the fluid filled engine mount as a culprit. Theres a link in here that references the (then) new active engine mounts as being " the first time ever technology ." That usually means disaster. Wait for the next version when they get it figured out :-o http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...20stop&st=0

If your antenna has stopped extending and retracting, its possible the nylon cable that drives it has broken. Take a listen when you turn the radio on/off and see if you hear the antenna motor running. If you hear the motor but the antenna doesnt move its likely the cable has broken. If you dont hear the motor it may be that the motor has died. My experiene has been that its usually the cable that fails. Unfortunately , the replacement diagram from the manual doesnt mention that IF the cable has broken there will be a broken off piece of cable still left in the antenna motor assembly. This will need to be removed before you insert the new shaft/cable. I've had the fortune to do this a few years ago and I posted my notes here: Post #7 on the Second link is my account of replacing the antenna http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=28874&hl= http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=29014&hl=

Just out of curiosity , what would cause the rings to fuse to the pistons? I'm not entirely sure this wasn't somehow sludge or oil related.

I don't know about the whirring, I'd say most likely nothing to worry about if it goes away when warm. On the stalling issue, if it happens when the car is warm, and just after a short stop maybe, then it might be the IACV. Do a search for that term and/or look here http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=11748 Its a very simple fix which I just did recently, there have been a couple very comprehensive threads on it recently in this forum, can be cured in 15-min with a little care a screwdriver and some carb-cleaner.

Definitely trust the people with black cars, they know all about keeping the finish looking good :D Just FYI I know Nu Finish was mentioned, and I remember that its actually a polish not a wax. I honestly dont know if it makes any difference but I remember being cautioned to stay away from polishes because they contain abrasives and you may trade a nice shine in the short run for paint problems in the long run. Could have it wrong,a nd I'm sure someone else can expound and clarify this but I just wanted to throw it out there. Personally, I'm not a real "finish freak" (and theres absolutely nothing wrong with being one) but I use Meguires Gold class paste about every 3-4 months and that seems to keep things looking fine. Then again, our RX is a color that hides virtually anything ( sandy gold color)

I've got about 27k miles on A set of Dayton Timberline HT's. These are great tires at a really great price. CR rated them 3rd out of about 20 they tested in (05 when I bought them) and they were only $75 a piece installed at Tire Pro's. I've had them in light snow and rain and they work well and seem to be holding up very well. Also, they dont look too "chunky" on the RX as some AT tires tend too look and even better they not ridiculously loud, like many suv (truck) tires tend to be. For me dry traction was most important (since its dry 95% of the time here) but these had good wet performance as well (in the tests). I didnt pay too much attention to ice or snow traction review ratings (which were average/just above average), but these seemed to do fine the couple times I had them in those conditions. If you do a lot of highway driving the noise factor will be more important then you might imagine, it was for me and the Timberlines we're "reasonably" quiet. Not like true car tires but definitely not like truck tires.

I liked the colors of the single color 300's the dark blue, green and red metallics, they had a certain richness to them but on the whole I think the two-tone ones look a bit better. For some reason having the 300 in only one color makes them blend in with all the other vehicles out there whereas having the two-tone makes them stand apart a bit.

Great news, look forward to doing the last four of mine (not). Glad it went well!

MDX's have always been good vehicles, I never liked the old styling and I didn't want the extra size or the stiffer ride so I went with the RX. I personally like the new MDX styling and might consider one todayif I were in the market. I hope they did away with the plastic wood, at least with the Lexus you got real wood. Thats gotta be worth something, right?!! :D

Awesome, man, Hope things go smoothly, let us know.

Also, you may want to check the connections to the battery, they may have lost their capacity to conduct due to build-up betweet the batt. post and the terminal cable connector, or possibly the cable has gone bad. Although I've never experienced it with the RX I've encountered it a few times on other vehicles. In any case a quick inspection of the cables and few strokes with a wire brush will clear it up if thats the problem.

Actually , you may be in luck, well sort of. If I remember correctly the firing/cylinder order is 1 3 5 2 4 6 Front So it may be an easier job than you thought. As I mentioned I've never done the coil replacement myself but I'd be intersted in knowing how difficult it is. On the surface , it seems like it should be pretty straightforward , but I found that things that we're a breeze on other vehicles become quite a chore on these rigs. I'm also curious as to why these things go bad, and seemingly so randomly. I don't remember any warning signs either time I had a coil go out. One time I drove to work and all was fine and when I came out in the evening and started the car, it just ran , well like a car running on 5 cylinders. The second time I was sitting at a stoplight and it was idling fine, then, the old "5 cylinder" treatment. I really didn't notice a thing beforehand.

Yes, Unfortunately I don't remember the code but after looking it up I was able to determine that I had a mis-fire in cyl. #5. In the back, of course! Originally I suspected the spark plug and knowing what a nightmare they are to get out of the back I chugged the car over to my mechanic. He figured out right away that it was the coil and got a new one sent over and that cleared the whole thing up. I had another one go bad about 6 mos. later, this one in#2 cyl. I was planning on replacing it myself but when I called my mech. to get the part number info he insisted on me bringing the car in and did it for me for the cost of the part, geuss he wasn't impressed by my DIY capabilities :D ( I do send him a lot of referrals though ) Anyhow , hope this helps. Are you currently experiencing a dead coil? If yo fix it let me/us know how it goes.

You know, you may have hit on a common denomenator here. I also live in an urban environment and I really can't imagine having anything bigger than the RX ,it just isnt practical or practicable due to narrow streets and tiny parking spaces. Now I'm not saying I live in a big city but the problems are similar enough. If I lived out in the open spaces, without traffic, and lots of open road, I may very well have a slightly different opinion.

Thats a bit of an ironic statement from you , dont you think? I mean in all honesty the ES series pretty sedate and rather boringly styled. And while the RX definitely has a very familar look now, it was pretty different back in 99 when the wheeled boxes called Explorers, Cherokees, and Troopers were everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I like ES's and its because I was driven around in one for a week that I realized what great cars Lexus made and prompted me to get my RX. I looked at a lot of X5's before getting my RX and I'd agree with your points except the "supple" ride, I found it too harsh as was the MDX at the time. Also while the interior was well produced, I've never been a fan of any BMW interiors , too much black and too "cold" looking for me, but hey, thats just me. I really like the looks of the new MDX's ( the old ones looked like RX's theat someone worked over with a bat) I'd consider one today if I were in the market. I'm sure you can see the contradiction in the same paragraph here. The RX is definitely NOT appealing to Mommies, Grandmas yes, but nobody in their right mind would let kids on their leather seats for more than a moment and, as you mentioned the lack of seating and cargo space make it really useless unless you have an only child. You are right on in that the RX is more of a compromise in a lot of areas, but thats it appeal, it does a lot of different things pretty well. Sure there are better all-weather vehicles and there are vehicles with more room and ones with, nicer rides etcc. but the RX incorporates all these things into a tidy package.