RhoXS

I have had RX models since 2005 and have rarely used the roof rails. A few times they did come in handy like when transporting a large Christmas tree home. However, five months ago I had an unexpected emergency and had to move a family member and all associated belongings (no furniture) to a new location about 250 miles away, with only a few hours notice. The roof rails proved their great worth and, in my opinion, I would never consider removing them. I purchased a roof top carrier for about $75 from a local auto supply store and was able to significantly increase the amount of "cargo" I was able to carry. Without it I would have had to have left a considerable amount behind that would have been forever lost unless I made a second 500 mile round trip. Obviously, I could not have begun to secure the roof top carrier without the roof rails. I suggest there is a time and place to put appearance before function but removing the roof rails is not one of them. I would also suggest there is no way you will see any change in fuel economy or noise considering the very small forward cross section of the rails and their streamlined shape. We all buy cars with appearance strongly in mind but isnt the highest priority its ability to perform a useful function? After all, an SUV is still just a prissy truck. My wife and most women maddeningly always seem to reverse these priorities and consider appearance before they consider function but I would never have expected that to be the case from a man.

My 2009 RX350 Nav system calculates the ETA based on fixed speeds for various types of roads preset in one of the setup screens. For example I set the setting for Interstate highways to 60 mph when traveling with my wife because from experience I know no matter how fast I try to go this is what we always average because of all the stops we must make. It then gives surprisingly accurate estimates for long trips. When by myself I reset it to 65 or 70 and this seems to work well also. Surprisingly, the $2,400 Lexus system system uses these fixed preset values when my $200 Garmin seems to look at some average of immediately past actual driving speeds and continues to update the ETA based on that. No matter what, the ETA I do in my head for short trips is always much more accurate than either of the GPS's. In other words, ETA is not a strong point for any GPS because driving conditions are so variable.

In 2005, we purchased a very low mileage 2002 CPO RX300 and were very happy with it. As a result of this exceptionally good experience we purchased a new 2009 RX350 but this time we have been very unhappy with it. Although the RX350 has less than 65,000 miles on it and is still in show room perfect condition, I just want done with it. I want to seriously consider a 2013 (along with another make) and have the following questions, all of which relate to reasons that made a significant contribution to our less than acceptable opinion of our 2009 RX350. The nearest Lexus dealer is about 40 miles from where I am temporarily living so it is not convenient to just stop in and look at one. 1. How does it handle? My RX300 handled reasonably well but the RX350 just sucks. It has an unacceptably soft bouncy ride and it does not corner well at all. In corners it does not feel solidly under control and leans much too much, even understanding it is a crossover SUV. The ride is unpleasantly reminiscent of my Dad's old Buicks and Cadillac's from the 1950s and 1960s. 2. What is the quality of the interior materials? My RX300 had what appeared to be high grade soft supple leather. The RX350 has leather that is hard and rough to the touch. The 2009's interior is just not as nice or apparent high quality as the older 2002 model. 3. Navigation System: We keep a second Garmin GPS on the dashboard so we can search for POIs (mostly restaurants & hotels) without stopping. To say this does not really annoy me would be an understatement. Do the new models allow someone in the passenger seat full access to the Navigation System? This, by itself, is a go or no go feature with respect to considering a new Lexus (My 2011 BMW X3 does not have this limitation). 4. Rear window defogger: This is a minor but annoying thing; it automatically turns itself off after 15 minutes or so. Does it still do this? My X3 stays on until I manually turn it off or turn the ignition off. I do not have to continually restart it AFTER I notice the window fogged up again on humid summer days or ice reforming in winter. Please don't misunderstand me. The RX350 has proved to be overall an excellent car and is a wonderful Interstate Queen allowing long road trips with great comfort and ease. However, I want a vehicle that will be just as enjoyable, within reasonable limitations realizing it is an SUV, on other than Interstate type roads. The 2002 achieved this balance. Nevertheless, I am not willing to purchase another one with the limitations commented on above, especially when my X3 shares none of them.

I am trying to find the coding so a ScanGauge II will display engine oil temperature and transmission temperature for a 2009 RX-350 FWD. Various codes for these two parameters exist but I have found none that work because they seem specific for other models. I live in Florida but am in upstate NY for an extended period. When I start the car and the temperature is in the twenties or even much lower I just wait an arbitrary 4 or 5 minutes for it to warm up somewhat. I would rather be smarter and watch actual temperatures. The Scan Gauge does reliably display water temp but I think oil temperature would be more meaningful. Transmission temp is also important because I suspect it does not consequentially warm up until the vehicle actually gets underway.

I have owned both a 2002 RX300 and a 2009 RX350 (purchased new 12/08). In my opinion, the 2009 RX350 (probably almost identical to the 2007) is an excellent interstate car. It is quiet, very comfortable, reasonably fuel effecient, and has excellent utility (family oriented cargo carrying ability). On the down side, and these are major issues with respect to my interests, it handles like crap. It feels very top heavy and just does not have a precise tight feel to it (the RX300 was much better). On an intersate it is outstanding. We visited some friends last summer in the mountains in SW North Carolina (Cashiers) and it was not a rewarding vehicle to drive on narrow roads with a lot of turns. Also, and this is major to my wife and I but probably insignificant to most others, the nav system sucks. It also is not fitted out as nice as the RX300 was. For example, the RX300 had much nicer/softer leather and the seats were more comfortable (although the RX350 seats are still good). The RX350 has more sleeker styling than the RX300 but this came at the expense of reduced side visibility and less headroom above the doors making entry more of an experience for someone with back issues( especially neck). Bottom line, in my opinion, if your the type of person that prefers a heavy comfortable vehicle that does a really good job on mostly straight well paved roads, and is not into the electronic bells and whistles, the RX350 is a really good choice. If your more into getting statisfaction from a vehicle that has good tight precise handling and electronics that are designed to provide good functionality for the user, a BMW X5 or X3 is a much better choice. That being said, when it comes time to replace our RX350, I do not know what we will do. My wife, although acknowledging the short commings, does not care so much about how the car handles, overall really likes it, and does not like the appearance of the X3 (even though we also have a BMW Roadster now). She will strongly lean towards another Lexus RX. I, on the otherhand, am disproportionaly insulted Toyota allowed me to pay $2400 for a nav system that does not allow me to use it when underway - single issue but major *BLEEP* me off impact. I also do not enjoy driving it; it reminds me of the feel of my dad's 1964 heavy metal Buick Electra. I am done with Toyota products and really want an X3.

At 37K miles I need to replace the Michelin Energy MXV4 235/55R18 tires on my 2009 RX350. Although these have been good tires I never felt they are as good as the Michelin Cross Terrain SUVs I had on my previous RX300. Therefore, I intended to replace the MXV4s with Michelin Latitude Touring tires as they appear to be the replacement for the truly excellent but no longer available Cross Terrain SUVs. Although I checked prices and availability with The Tire Rack, I also called a very reputable local shop that often betters or equals The Tire Rack's prices. To my surprise, the local shop stated they would not install Latitude Touring tires on an RX350. They stated Michelin does not recommend using these tires on an RX350 because the factory MXV4 tires have a 'V' rating (149 mph)vs a 'T' rating (118 mph) for the Latitude Touring tires. I called Michelin and they verified this. Michelin and the local shop both said the Latitude Touring tire is not the proper tire for an RX350. They both also stated that it was not necessary to exceed the rated speed (118 mph for a 'T' rating) to misapply the tires. I suspect it really does not matter as I cannot imagine exceeding 90 mph for any extended period but I am not going to take any risks. Michelin does manufacture an 'HP' version of the Latitude Touring tire that is 'V' rated but it does not come in the required 235/55R18 size. It turns out the old Cross Terrain SUVs, as good as they were, were also 'T' rated and were also not appropriate for the RX300. I bought them from a large tire chain (Tire Kingdom) that I always perceived as being less than fully trustworthy. This just goes to show it is important to trust ones instinct, use a known reputable business, and not get seduced by exceptionally good prices without fully researching what you are buying. If I was sure the margins built into the Latitude Touring tires was still significant, I would buy them anyway. However, I never want to be in a position where I regret a decision based on instinct and not hard data, especially where the consequences can be catastrophic. So, I guess I am going to stick with the MXV4's even though I do not think they are as good as a tire as the Latitude Touring with respect to wet surface handling, overall handling, quietness, and wear resistance. Since there are times when I will drive the car at a steady state 85 mph for extended periods, on hot days, I am taking no chances.

This is a very sore point with both my wife and myself. We have had high end Garmin units for almost six years now and the $2,400 Lexus unit is really no match to the Garmin products. That is exactly why we keep a Garmin 2720 on the dash above the frequently useless factory unit. The issue, in my opinion, is more about Toyota having lost touch with their customers than the actual usability problems with the Nav system. Shortly after we purchased our 2009 RX350 last year, Lexus sent us an extensive survey concerning our satisfaction with our new car. I spent a fair amount of time giving them some reasonable and constructive feedback, both positive and negative and not just limited to the navigation system. I submitted the survey but never received any acknowledgment from Lexus/Toyota. Even an automated reply would have been welcome. I sincerely doubt anyone ever read my comments. On two occasions over the past year I called Lexus and had an almost identical conversation as was related in the first post of this thread. In other words, I now have the firm belief that Toyota no longer cares what it customers think. Unfortunately this appears to have become a deep seated cultural issue in the Toyota organization and will be very difficult to change. Toyota has made an outstanding product for many years and, in spite of the recent issues, still does. However, their well deserved success is now becoming a big liability to them. To use an old WWII Japanese expression, describing valid concerns a few of their senior military leaders had in the early days of the war, they now seem to suffer from "Victory Disease". There incredible success has made them so confident, they no longer want to hear from their customers. They feel they know better than their customers what the customer wants. In my opinion, Toyota needs to get back in touch with their old culture or the competitive automotive market will become a much more level field. They still make a good product and most likely will continue to do so but I think their market dominance is going to seriously suffer. My wife and I are one customer that will no longer automatically consider a Toyota/Lexus product to the exclusion of most everything else.

Turn the ignition to the "ON" position and hold in the button (under the steering wheel ) until it blinks 3 times and then the light should go out. This will work but DO NOT do this until you verify the pressure in all five tires is correct. Otherwise, if one or more tires are low, the system will use the lowest pressure as the "benchmark" pressure and you will not get a warning of low tire pressure until after it is no longer to safe to drive on the low tire(s).

The set point at which the tire pressure warning light illuminates is apparently a function of the lowest tire pressure when the system is registered. How much below the lowest pressure does the light come on?

Our manual (page 330 for a 2009 350) provides instructions to reset/re-register the sensors. 1. Set all five tire (including spare) pressures to desired pressures. This is critical as new alarm set point will be a function of current pressures. If any pressure is too low then warning will not illuminate until the pressure is even lower. 1. Turn ignition to On 2. Push the reset button (bottom edge of dash more or less below where key is - button faces straight down) and hold until tire warning symbol blinks three times. 3. Wait at least two full minutes until the tire warning warning light blinks out before turning key off. I was able to answer this because I just went through the procedure tonight as my warning light came on last week. Do not make the same mistake I did and only check the four installed tires. Those pressures were good so I went through the reset procedure. I then realized I forgot the spare. It was down to 25 pounds.

Last winter we traded a 2002 RX300 for a new 2009 RX350. The seats in the RX300 were unquestionably more comfortable. They also used a seemingly much higher quality leather in 2002 that was much softer and more supple than the hard and rough surfaced leather used in 2009. The 2009 is still very nice, but it appears the seats and leather were cost saved down a few notches.

The 5000 mile service for our 2009 RX350 was included in the purchase price. Yesterday, I took it to the Lexus dealer for the 10,000 mile service. Fortunately I had the sense to ask how much before they started. I just about vomited on the service adviser when he told me $130.00 including tax for an oil change. I asked him if they used synthetic oil and was told no. I left, took it to a trusted independent shop, and received a bill for $58.00. This included, six quarts of Mobile 1, all the same inspections, but not a tire rotation (On long lasting tires I do that every 10,000 miles, not every 5000). This again proves my philosophy, refined after forty years of dealing with dealers, that one has to be nuts to use a dealership for anything other than warranty repairs. That being said, I have to be fair and say that this particular dealer, Treasure Coast Lexus in Ft. Pierce Florida, provided us with the most pleasant and easiest experience I ever had buying a new car when we purchased the RX350 last winter.

Due to a regrettable and somewhat expensive error, I lost the valet key to our 2008 RX350. I replaced the key but it now needs to be programmed. There is a lot of information available with methods to do this but much of this information is inconsistent. I tried two of the more credible methods but neither works. Can a key be programmed without the dealers computer? If it can, what exactly is the procedure to do this? I would like to do it myself for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to avoid paying the dealer another fee on top of the high cost for the key itself. The fact that I now need to do this because of an easily preventable error I made is extremely frustrating.

Opinions will certainly vary but my wife and I do not think you really lost out on anything. A good Garmin unit (like our 2710 Street Pilots) will provide significantly more functionality, be much easier to use, and cost much less than $2600. The Lexus system has the advantage of being built in and the large screen has the potential to be a big plus. However, much of the advantage of the larger screen is negated due to lack of local street detail unless zoomed in to just your immediate local area. Ironically, because of this, the smaller Garmin map view provides much more useful information. The Garmin is fully functional at all times, the Lexus system is mostly crippled once underway. We typically have the Garmin sitting on top of the dash as it allows my wife to find restaurants, hotels, and rest stops without having to stop the car. Just our opinion but don't waste your money.

I am glad to have the cassette deck as it is a very convenient way to input an external audio signal from an iPod or portable XM radio.