Bagman

I'm also looking to replace the tires on my 2000 RX300, but not because of wear. Currently have Michelin LTX M&S tires (225/70R16). They were put on after I had ~8000 miles on the original Goodyear Integritys, at which point the latter showed really bad feathering. Dealer did a 4-wheel alignment check (so they said, but I just recently found out they didn't) and said they would let me put on new tires of my choosing. I like Michelins in general, and these tires are great in snow, but lousy in most other respects, especially wet traction and NOISE! I want to get rid of them mostly because of the noise, which has gotten worse with time. I looked into all the tires Tire Rack offers in this size. Read the reviews. The absolute top tire (#1) of all the tires in the (light truck) class is the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza. People who've owned them actually rave about them. The only problem with them is price. Tire Rack's price is $116, and that's before S/H, mounting/balancing, tire disposal fees. After adding all that in, it's about $143/tire. While I still weighing my options, I'll probably just swallow hard and get them.

Have you checked the oil level to make sure it has the full 5 qts.? Something is very wrong. The only 'sloppiness' one can have with oil changes is from changing the filter, the position of which was designed by a Japanese sadomasochist. Some (not much) oil spills down the side of the engine every time I change it, but I have rarely smelled anything thereafter, and when I did, it was gone within minutes. If, on the other hand, it was not put on tight enough, or worse, the mechanic cross-threaded it, then it would continually spew oil and you probably would smell it all the time. You should also have big oil spots where you normally park it, and by now it may be close to being out of oil. As for the knocking, that may be bearing or wrist pin knocking due to LOW/NO OIL! Unlikely to be gas knock because timing is computer controlled to maximize it for the gas you put in it (which can be ANY octane, despite what some dealers tell you) without knocking.

Well, I think I found the answer to the tire feathering problem. Had a Bear Alignment center with a good reputation do a 4-wheel alignment. Believe it or not (I've never heard of this), they found that the front wheels were pigeon-toed OUT and the rear wheels were pigeon-toed IN. So as I was driving the car, the front suspension was continuously trying to expand while the rear suspension was trying to compress! Voila, feathering. It will take time to see, but methinks the problem is solved. This condition has apparently existed since the car came off the assembly line. It again confirms that the service dept. at Wilmington Lexus (the dealer) which checked the alignment when I first found the feathering problem, isn't worth squat. I consider this matter closed. On other boards, there is a way to mark a thread as "solved", but can't find anything like that here. Is there?

Yeah, that's what I was going to do next. Lexus said they checked it when I had the problem with the Goodyear's, but it's not a good dealership, so who knows. Thanks for responding so promptly.

I own a 2000 RX300. Am original owner. Bought from Lexus of Wilmington (DE). . . not a good dealership. Only have a little over 33,000 miles on it. Within a couple of years after buying it, I noticed substantial feathering of the Goodyear Integrity original tires. I complained to the dealership. They checked the alignment and said it was OK. They reluctantly agreed to install a new set of Michelin LTX M&S tires (my choice). I have always had good luck with Michelins. Not only do they wear long and evenly, their ability to hold a balance is way above any other tires I've owned. However, I've had them for 3 years now, and same thing has happened -- feathering, and they're gotten noisier with time (some of the noise is natural; the tire has a very aggressive tread). So I decided to replace them with an all-season tire. To my amazement, I found there is almost no choice in tires for this car. Only ones I know of are the Michelin LTX, Goodyear Integrity, and (if you're made of money) the Michelin Cross Terrain. I have two questions: What could be causing the feathering, or is this just normal with this vehicle? Second, anybody know of a good all-season, quiet tire for the vehicle other than the Goodyear Integrity?