ericg

Does anyone know how to change the personalized settings on a 2005 RX330? I would like to stop the auto retract of the steering wheel when the key is removed.

The dealer said that you need a hand held diagnostic tool from Lexus. Others have said that you can do it through the nav system.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Eric

I changed the oil and filter on my 05 RX330 today and I was cleaning the engine compartment. I noticed that the metal portion of the transmission cooler hoses closest to the bottom of the radiator have a coating on them which almost looks like corrosion. The pan under the front end of the car protects these hoses and the bottom of the radiator but they are still suseptable to get road salt and snow in there. Has anyone else noticed this? The film on the metal looks like the type of coating that you see on an aluminum chair when it is left outside.

That bump you would feel is the transmission shifting back into low gear as you stop. What happens is when you take your foot off the gas to stop the transmission will shift into a high gear and coast to save fuel. This is done to get better fuel economy. Then the transmission will get back into low gear as you stop, this is the bump, preparing to take off again. If you have ever let full off the throttle and had the transmission go into high gear then got back hard on the throttle you would notice a delay in the throttle response, that is the computer letting the transmission get back into the proper gear before hard acceleration to keep the transmission safe. This started with the drive by wire throttle.

Jeff

Jeff, thank so much for explaining the transmission issue in a way that is easy to understand. I have spoken to other RX owners who have said that they notice the same thing. This drive by wire transition is taking me a long time to get used to.

Eric

Transmission shift firmware has been "new and improved" several times for the RX330 over the past three or four years. If more than two years have passed since you last had your firmware reflashed, have your dealer ping yours again with the latest and greatest release. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't, but if they'll do it for free under warranty it is certainly worth the time and effort involved....

Keep in mind that the conventional RX series is a harsh-shifting vehicle, period. My wife had a 2000 RX300 AWD and now has a 2004 RX330 AWD and while the 2004 is consistently better than the 2000 was, neither one even comes close to shifting as smoothly and effortlessly as my 1999 Dodge Ram 5.9-litre V8 1500-series pickup does. Sad but true....

Thanks RX. I really love the vehicle. Other than this issue, there isn't one thing that I can complain about.

I have a 2005 RX330 with 15k miles. Ever since I purchased the car new, the transmission has had some issues. Initially, as the car was coming to a stop, I would feel a slight bump as if someone had tapped the rear of the car, just as it slowed to to under 5mph . I brought it back to the dealer and they reflashed the computer for the transmission. Now it almost seems like the lockup torque converter is releasing at under 10 mph and you can hear it. Has anyone else had any issues like this? Are there any TSB's that would apply to this situation or do I have to learn to live wih it? I love the car and this has been my only complaint. Thanks in advance

Eric

After I take my 2005 RX330 for a ride and park it in the garage, I smell a slight burning smell after the car sits in the garage for a few minutes. The best I can do is determine that it is strongest near the engine compartment but yet I cannot see anything. Has anyone experienced this?

Eric

Hello, I have noticed lately that every once in a while when I go to apply the brakes, it feels as if there is a "clunk" in the brake pedal. The brakes stop fine and there is no other noise. Has anyone else had anything like this? It is a 2005 RX330 with 10k miles.

I have a 2005 RX330 with five thousand miles on it. Recently, when I go over bumps, I hear a rattle coming from the rear drivers side of the moon roof. Has anyone had any issues with moonroof rattles?

Hello, I had my 2005 RX330 in to the dealer to have the Data Dots installed on my hid lights. My wife picked up the car and now I see that the daytime running lights no longer work. Before I call the dealership, is this right? Does the installation of the Data Dots change the drl's?

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Can you tell me what Data Dots are and what they do? Never heard of them before.

Im sure your DRl should be working

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Data Dots are installed by the dealer for cars in NY and NJ based on the amount of theft of the hid units. I received a notice from Lexus to bring my car in to have these units installed. They are like a micro chip installed on the inside of the light so that the police can trace them if they are found. In addition, the dealer places small stickers on the lights and the windows of the car so that potential thieves can see that the hid's have been indentified and can be traced.

Hello, I had my 2005 RX330 in to the dealer to have the Data Dots installed on my hid lights. My wife picked up the car and now I see that the daytime running lights no longer work. Before I call the dealership, is this right? Does the installation of the Data Dots change the drl's?

Unless you leave a car parked over a week it should not be getting any flat spots.

So far we know heat is a major factor in repairing the problem.

Means you have a gap out of tolerance somewhere.

If it is through the steering wheel it should be in the front suspension.

Wheels have been rebalanced so that throws them out.

It might be the brakes which change shape with a touch of heat.

I would drive slowly 1-5mph on a small street first thing in the morning and apply the brake lightly for about 1 minute .Then get the truck up to 65 and see if it is gone.

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Thank you for the suggestion. I am going to try it out. The car only gets used on the weekends and there have been times that I let the car sit for ten days before utilizing it.

Eric

The flat spot could be due to the tires.

My brother-in-law is an engineer for Honda.  He is in the quality group of new model and they had a major issue with the tires on the new Acura TL.  The manufacturer changed the formula slightly and the tires flat-spotted terribly.

Acura was even putting the cars on blocks at the dealerships and keeping one driving constantly so that the customers did not notice the problem.

My Toyo tires do it a little bit too.

I have gotten used to it.  It won't hurt anything.

Tom

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Tom, thank you for the response. At least I am not crazy thinking that I was the only one with this problem.

Eric

Does the shimmey get less or more if you hit the brakes lightly or heavily?

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Hello, thank you for responding to my post. I would have to say that the shimmy gets less when I hit the brakes but only because I am going less than 65mph. It is crazy because after about ten minutes of driving at highway speeds, the shimmy is gone completely. I had the car up to 85mph on the interstate today and the wheel was steady as a rock.

I have a 2005 Rx330 with 500 miles on it. I took the car back to the dealer the day after I picked it up to complain about the steering wheel having a slight shimmy at 65mph when the car was cold. The dealer told me that this was normal as the tires develop flat spots from sitting and would go away once the tire heated up. The dealer rebalanced the tires. I have the 18" rims with Michelin tires. The problem does go away after driving for about ten minutes. Is this normal?

Eric