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EdS

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Everything posted by EdS

  1. The first thing that comes to mind is the previous owner wasn't careful about changing the engine oil all that frequently. I hope I'm wrong. Take it to the dealer. Are there records of previous oil changes with the manuals they provided you? There should be stamps in the supplemental guide if oil changes were done at the dealer.
  2. The code for the radio is either the last 4 digits of the VIN, or the lat 4 digits of the key code. Which is correct is up for debate in a prior thread. If you try it, please let us know which one works!
  3. EdS

    Car Died

    I agree. Change the battery first. If you still have problems, then try a new alternator. One thing at a time...
  4. If a code has never been applied No code is needed. There is no code from the factory..... And it is the last 4 digits from the KEY code. I don't understand. If power has been disconnected the radio should require a code. How would you ever apply a code if one is never needed? Interesting point about the key code. My RX is 6 1/2 years old and still going strong on the original battery. I asked the dealer at one time, expecting to change the battery as a preventative measure last winter, how to determine the radio code. I was told it's the last-four of the VIN. I still haven't changed the battery so I do not know which of us is right. Have you actually tried the last-four of the key code?
  5. Use the last 4 digits of the VIN.
  6. My 2000 RX is the same way. It's a much heavier car than the ES, requiring more RPM's.
  7. I completely disagree with this statement. The dealer isn't going to do anything without Lexus corporate being behind it. The assistance will ultimately be given by the dealer, but they will be reimbursed by corporate.
  8. There is a big difference between an '07 Rav4 and a 5 year old Lexus. You could wind up shelling out 4 grand to repair any 5 year-old car that you buy. Why don't you move up to an '03 so you at least have another 3 years under the powertrain warranty? Or better yet, find a good deal on an '01 and buy an exended warranty. It'll be cheaper than a new Rav4.
  9. Don't be so sure. When my transmission failed the first thing I did was pull the ATF dipstick. It was clean, and did not smell burned. Burned smelling transmission fluid certainly is a sign of a problem, but not necessarily this one. I see no reason not to purchase a 2001 model.
  10. It's 2006. There has been plenty of time for '01 models to get up to 75k miles. What I've seen that shows a change to solve this issue is a lack of reports here of premature failures on models later than 2000.
  11. My understanding is the transmission problem was with 1999 and 2000 models, not with 2001 and later. By the way, I have a 2000 model with a brand new transmission, only 48k miles. How much are you willing to spend? :D
  12. Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels. I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on. That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer. Good luck! Not trying in any way to side with the dealer that unduly rebalanced your tires but it is entirely possible that the tire balance technician didn't remove the original weights before the tires were spun to check for proper "balance". I have seen, again and again, the technician remove the weights from the wheels prior to putting them on the spin balance machine but then again my own experience (insofar as I can remember) always involved new tires on the old wheels. I admit that were I the technician in question I would not bother removing the old weights first given the tires had only 8k miles. I understand your point, and I agree that the balance should be checked prior to pulling the weights off, but not when I'm objecting to it. Please note where I mentioned the dealer insisted on checking the balance of the tires, and thus charged me for it. I told them it wasn't necessary, and I was told "We don't rotate tires without balancing them". If they did check the balance before pulling the weights off, over my objections, and determined rebalancing was unnecessary I should not have been charged for it. This is the same dealer that charged me $50 for an oil change. I think I'll stick with servicing my RX at the dealer that just gave me a free transmission post-warranty instead.
  13. You'll know if your alignment is out if your car is pulling to one side and/or if your tires are wearing abnormally. Frankly, if someone changes the oil in my car (which is rare since I usually do it myself) one of the first things I do when I get home is pull the dipstick to be sure it was actually done, and it was filled to the proper level. It might not hurt to pull the air filter just to be sure someone didn't forget about it.
  14. Tire Pressure and alignment are the first two things that come to mind. How about your air filter? Have you changed it recently? If you have driven in dusty areas (like where there is a lot of construction) it can clog up pretty quickly. In addition, my RX300's A/C turns on by default when you use the auto climate control. If the RX330 is the same, you could try turning the A/C off if it's not needed.
  15. If you would please forward a copy to chris_m887 at hotmail.com I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
  16. Interesting follow up to my new transmission: Since having it replaced, I am getting the best gas mileage ever. I have always averaged between 16 and 17 mpg, with a mix of highway and city driving, sometimes dipping to 15 on a tankful. I remember complaining to the dealer when it was new that the mileage was awful. The salesman suggested it would get better after the break-in period. It never did. Now suddenly I am getting 19 mpg, with the same mix of highway and city driving, and same gas from the same station. I have NEVER gotten that kind of mileage on this car. Even on long highway trips the best I ever got was about 18 mpg. The old transmission was probably bad (and slipping) from the start. I'm loving this car more and more...
  17. My RX300's sunroof and windows will open if you press and hold the remote unlock button on the ignition key. It's great on a hot summer day when you need the car to cool off before getting in. I believe the same happens if you insert the key into the door lock and turn-and-hold it. Your RX330 is probably similar. When the thieves broke the door lock they probably crossed whatever wire combination necessary to make this happen.
  18. You're kidding, right? Take what you get. It beats renting from Enterprise. I'm sure driving an '89 ES250 for a couple of days won't be the end of the world for you.
  19. Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels. I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on. That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer. Good luck! Your story about the rusted wheel weights matches my experience exactly with the two Lexus dealers I have worked with. Both were, and I assume still are, lying frauds. One of my favorite stories was when my antenna motor froze on my 95 LS400. Original motor failed and was replaced under warranty by Lexus. When I took a look-see, I discovered the plastic drain hose was kinked and pointing straight up instead of draining down through the grommet in the wheel well. Water was trapped in the motor and froze. I'll give you some more good stories later on. I think a lot of car dealers are frauds. That's why I don't like to take my car into them unless it's asbolutely necessary. Call me paranoid, but in the past I have found that other things have a funny habit of going wrong after the car just happened to be in the shop for something else. The dealer that good-willed my transmission seems to be pretty reliable. They were recommended to me by a friend after a nearby Lexus dealer proved either they have no idea how to align a car, or are such frauds that they charged me for an alignment while my car sat in the lot all day. This dealer finally got it right, and I've stuck with them since.
  20. Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels. I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on. That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer. Good luck!
  21. A week ago the transmission went in my 2000 RX300 after only 50,000 miles. I was just beyond the powertrain warranty month-wise so the dealer good-willed me a new transmission. It didn't cost me anything. I thought this was an indestructible car until this happened, and I subsequently found this forum/thread on Google and saw all of the transmission problems you all are having. I'm going to be very cautious with this car from now on, and think twice about taking it on a trip more than say 100 miles from home. That's probably good advice for any 6 year-old car though. That being said, I must say I am thrilled with Lexus for covering this beyond the powertrain waranty. They obviously are aware of a problem with this model and owned up to it, for me at least. They didn't even try to pin the blame on me for not changing the fluid frequently enough or any of that baloney. They were first-class all the way. My next car will probably be a two-wheel drive Lexus, and I'll buy it from this dealer. Kudos to Lexus!
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