Bobk528

I own a 2000 RX300 with 111,000 miles (178,600 km). If that's the going price in Canada, I would not mind driving from California to Vancouver to sell my RX. It runs great and the transmission fluid been changed many times to keep it fresh. I have my eye on an used GX470 but I understand it only gets 16 mpg.

I usually purchase five quarts of synthetic oil when AutoZone has a special ad and it includes a free Mobil, Bosch or K&N oil filter.

When was the last time or mileage you replaced: - timing belt - water pump - hoses - spark plugs - oxygen sensor - transfer case fluid - rear differential fluid Have you ever cleaned the IACV?

I had a bad coil (no. 6), drove another car to the nearby Toyota dealership, purchased a coil at the parts counter for $99 with my AAA discount, drove back home and replaced it in about 5 to 7 minutes. I'm no weekend mechanic but I read a number of DIY threads on the Lexus RX forms and was able to quickly replace it.

Would this shortcut be helpful? http://members.shaw.ca/heeeeee/strut/1.htm

Three years ago I purchased a 4.5 liter Tempo Boy oil extractor for my 2000 RX300 and BMW 3-series and liked it so much that I recently purchased a 6.5 liter Pela 650 oil extractor on EBay. I've also used the extractor to suck out brake fluid, power steering fluid, and oil in the bottom of the oil filter well (BMW). The advantage of an extractor is not having to get under the car and there is no oil mess to clean up. But with a RX300 it's really easy to get under to remove the drain plug and just as easy to drain and refill the transmission fluid. The extractor comes with two long hoses which can easily reach the bottom of the oil pan to vacuum out the same amount of oil as when I gravity drain the oil. The strong suction power conveniently transfers the old oil into a canister. http://www.pelaproducts.com/HowToUse1.htm

In 2002, I purchased a Thule Evolution 1600 cargo box for my 2000 RX300 and regularly use it for winter ski/snowboarding and summer backpacking trips. I don't like to place the cargo box too far up front because of wind noise so I'll initally place the box on top of the rack loosely, open the rear tailgate and adjust the box so I'm comfortable with the position of the box while allowing the tailgate to open 90% of the way. The Thule box is one of the best investments I made.

I have a 2000 RX300 with over 78,000 miles on it. I had a lot of front and rear rattle noises and became obsessed with eliminating all those irritating noises. I went to Home Depot and purchased 1" and 2" felt buttons and long narrow strips of form insulation that is normally used around door openings. I also purchased carpet padding and packaging material. I applied the felt buttons and form pads to and around wires and connection points in the following areas: Rear brake light assembly plastic conduit wiring Tools and under the tire jack On the back lining of the folding seats Anywhere wires loosely touched plastic Anywhere steel loosely touched steel Liftgate brake wires and plastic lining Inside the Side wall cavity The four biggest things that eliminated most of the rattling noise were 1) placing some insulating pads inside the side cavity wall where the seat belt tensioner draws into the plastic wall, 2) since I drive solo most of the time, I make sure the front passenger belt is straight and has tension and the rear seat belts are nicely folded, 3) I spent a great deal of time cleaning the interior of the car and found deep and concealed under the rear seat, two baby toys including a plastic rattle that contains those small balls that make noise when you shake it, and 4) I wrapped all my tools and spare parts that are under the rear conpartment with micro-fiber towels that I purchased from Costco. Now the vehicle interior is extremely quiet. Too quiet.

I own a 2000 RX300 with AWD and about 72,600 miles from 70% city/30% highway driving. After every 5,000 to 6,000 miles or once a year, I will regularly change the engine oil with Mobil One synthetic oil and install a Toyota oil filter that I purchase from a nearby Toyota dealer. In addition, I change my automatic transmission fluid about every 20,000 miles or about every two years by performing a 4 quart drain and refill. I just purchased 5 quarts of Toyota ATF Type T-IV at $5.05 per bottle from the nearby dealer and used the following site for DIY instructions: <rx300how2.home.comcast.net/xmission_fluid_change1.htm.> Whoever took the time to put it together, I thank you and am learning to enjoy working on the RX. Today I changed both the engine oil and performed a drain and refill of the automatic transmission fluid. The drain and refill is a relatively easy maintenance function but I was wondering if anyone ever used an oil extractor to remove automatic transmission fluid trough the dipstick? The following site shows an oil extractor to change engine oil for a BMW: <www.bmw325i.net/maint_oil_extractor.shtml.>

I was doing a word search on the subject and found the above suggestion. I immediately applied the Meguiar's ScratchX on the exterior of the headlight lens and was quite surprised to see how clear the lens became. After all those months thinking the film was occurring inside, I'm really pleased with the results. This site is great. Helps for all the help.

A great example of the value of having a knowledgable independant mechanic willing and able to diagnose and repair instead of just replace parts. Some people don't realize the IACV is completely separate from the fuel. Hence comments about fuel additive. Did the mechanic also clean the mass airflow sensor, which may be the cause of your increased performance? The IACV would not affect performance above idle speed. The location of the IACV can be best found by doing search in this forum. There is a photo that shows the location below the throttle body. All newer model cars should it. The MAF sensor was not cleaned but about 6 months ago, it was replaced. I believe the MAF became faulty because I earlier installed a K&N air filter.

During the past month, my 2000 RX300 with 69,000 miles was having difficulty starting up particularly on warm afternoons. One afternoon, it would not start after repeated attempts, however after several hours of rest, I was able to start it although it would shut off if I let off the gas pedal. Once on the freeway, it ran nicely. The next day, I took the vehicle into my mechanic who discovered that the magnet for IACV was so heavily gummed up, he was not able to move it. The repair bill came to $135 to clean the IACV. My mechanic indicated that a Toyota dealership typically will replace the IACV instead of cleaning which is quite an expensive part but he stated that the IACV gums up about every 60,000 to 80,000 miles and there is no need to replace them – just clean it every 60,000 miles. After I picked my RX300 and drove it onto the freeway, I immediately noticed a big difference in the response, smoothness and power. I have read other threads in the Lexus Forum about IACV related problems and some attempt to fix the problem by putting in a fuel cleaner into a tankful of gas. The IACV does not receive fuel but takes in air and can only be cleaned by removing the IACV.

I checked the battery and the readout window shows a blue light. which is an indication that the battery is fully charged and is okay. You mentioned a door pin switch so I did a search and someone mentioned that the alarm problem is probably the "Drivers Door Power Window Master Switch" and that there is a service bulletin on it. If the alarm sounds off again, I make an appointment with my Lexus service dealer. Thanks for the assistance.

I always park my 2000 RX300 in my garage and while eating dinner the horn went off even though I never activated the system and nobody was in the garage. Anyone knows how this could have occurred or whether others have experienced a similar situation?