dmcquade

Good advice ... I think I do have a small leak in my front left tire ... it's been loosing air ... I just didn't think that would have caused something like this. I'll check it out. Thanks! :) rlin78, Thanks for the update. I'll see about cleaning up my sensors and checking my tire pressure. I've turned the traction control off, so hopefully it will keep the warning from going off. We had a good Lexus dealership, but there is also an independent place here that specializes in Lexuses, so I'll give them a try. Thanks everyone! :)

Hey everyone, I have a 2001 RX 300 that has been giving me some problems. About 5 months ago the "slip ligth" started coming on a random times. It would usually beep for about 5 - 7 seconds and turn off. Over time it started coming on more and more often until one day last week it came on four times in one day. Then today I was driving down the interstate coming around a corner at a normal rate of speed and conditions. The slip light came on and the ABS started to activate even though I wasn't anywhere near the brake pedal. Anyone ever hear of this? If I hadn't seen it first hand I wouldn't have thought it would have been possible. If you have seen / heard of / experienced this, can you write back how you were able to fix it or how much Lexus is going to take me for? THanks! DJ

I checked into this a while back. I found one site that claimed a 1% - 2% MPG improvement by removing the roof rack. I ended up leaving them in place as I do mostly city driving and the savings was minimal. If you fill up every week at a cost of $45 a week, you're spending about $2160 a year on fuel. With a 1% - 2% deduction you're only saving about $21 - $42 per year by removing the rack. My wife and I started started riding together 3 days a week (17 miles each way) and that will add up to $530 per year in savings. My take on the whole thing is that if you're looking so save money or the environment, cut back on your driving and make sure those tires are properly inflated. Just my humble opinion. :D DJ

LOL - I know exactly what you mean! :) I'm a technical consultant so I spend about 50% of the time programming Oracle (PL/SQL) and 50% on business processes. Unfortunately, my job is in telecom and it's VERY specialized, so I started learning ASP and VB.NET in the event I find myself without a paycheck. Someday I'm actually planning to start some kind of business with this knowledge, but it's hard to make money in software these days. What do you do? DJ

You can specify how much gasoline currently costs. I think right now it defaults to $2.35. Also, after you submit the form it will create a table that shows a 10 year forecast with a 10% increase in fuel prices every year. You might need to scroll down after you submit the form. DJ

Hey guys, I was tired of doing the math on hybrid savings so I created a little web application to do it for me. If you guys want to take a look and see how long it takes to make up the difference between a standard "gas" car and a hybrid, you can just plug it in and it will give you all the goods. Enjoy and ignore my spelling / grammar errors! :) http://www.mcquade.ws/hybridcalc/index.asp DJ 2001 RX-300

Hey everyone, I just purchased a used 2001 RX-300 and I have noticed a whine in the steering, usually when it's first started. It's usually short-lived so I haven't been too worried about it, but I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this. My guess is it's just that the power steering isn't "charged" yet. Thanks! DJ

If you're not in a position to plug in the Battery Tender, another option would be a solar powered charger. I used to park my car at DFW for 3 weeks at a time and would usually come back to a dead or close-to-dead battery. I bought a Solar Powered charger (plugs into the cigarette lighter) and that seemed to help a little. It's just a trickle charge, but it might be enough to run the components that suck battery when the car is turned off. I think I paid like $29.99.

I'm getting around 18 / 21 right now on my 2001 RX300. I think this will improve quite a bit once it cools off a bit and I'm not using the AC as much. I always use 93 octane fuel ... but that's mostly force of habit. My other cars required 93 and I'm used to the price. Does anyone have any statistics on how much removing the roof rack helps MPG? There doesn't seem to be enough forward-facing surface area to have an impact, but it seems to be a big topic here. Has anyone done a "before and after" to see how much this helped? I feel you on the premium charges on the RX400h. I went in to look at one just the other day and just couldn't bring myself to pay that much more when the break-even point is so far away. I'm guessing that as gas prices continue to rise, we're going to see a lot more hybrids. So, I'm waiting for the supply to catch up. But thanks to all those who have already purchased one, you're telling manufacturers what we want. DJ

When I bought my car they also offered me the LoJack for a one-time fee of around $650. I decided to pass for several reasons of my own. First, I've see those Scariest Police Chase videos, and they're almost always stolen cars. You might get your car back okay since some theives leave the cars in a parking lot for a few days to see if it has a LoJack, but the kids probably won't think that far ahead. Anyhow, personally I would rather I get reumbursed from the insurance company over getting my car back after it's been in a 100+ MPH pursuit. Second, many deals already put tracking devices in cars, but they're usually for "credit risk" customers. My feeling is that in this day all cars should be equipped with some kind of tracking device by the manufacturer. All they have to do is give people the option of disabling the tracking device (for those who don't want people to know where they are). I have a problem with paying money for something that should be standard equipment. My advice would be to get a club for times when you're parking in "questionable" areas. Even The Club isn't 100%, but it's enough to deter the novice criminals. DJ

I formerly owned a black Mitsubishi Eclipse before I purchased my white RX 300. When I sold my Eclipse, the paint was still as sharp as the day I purchased it. One thing that would help is to try to keep it out of the sun. Depending on where you live, the elements can really cause a lot of paint fade. I use car covers on my cars when I need to park them outside. They're a pain in the butt, but they really help keep the cars looking good. Like everyone else, I would also keep up on your polishing and waxing. I usually use Mother's or McGuire's wax, but my only authority is what others have told me. Additionally, you may want to use a sun screen to help keep the dash / car cooler. For giggles I put a thermometer in my car to see if it made a difference, and it was about 30 degrees cooler (120 degrees). As for time dedicated to cleaning a car, I don't think there is an excessive threshold. My wife like to spend hours watching re-runs of Friends and Buffy ... so what's the problem with spending some time on your car? Every year I spend about two days cleaning my cars including washing, waxing, polishing, and detailing the engine. If possible I even remove the seats and carpet clean the entire vehicle. This may be excessive to some, but I enjoy it. I just put on some good music and go to it. My uncle is a doctor with several successful offices around the Dallas area, and he still changes his own oil and details his own cars. If he can do it, I certainly can find the time. :) Congrats on your car! Lexus makes an awesome product and I'm always proud to be in mine. D.J.