MotoMac

My 04 RX330 doesn't have the mirror problem, but it's always been in hot dry climates. The dash, however, has three cracks on the passenger side, each about 1.5 inches long. I took the car into the dealer today for the 90K service (holy crap that's expensive!!!) and they agreed that my dash would be covered. They took photos and will order the parts.

I'll definitely use OEM parts. Thanks much for the tip on the manufacturer info.

I definitely wasn't going to the Lexus dealer. The Toyota dealer and the independent are very close in price, but the dealer screwed me on a new Tundra I bought last year. Looks like the independent is getting my business.

Man, I want to go to your dealer. I called the Toyota dealer and he quoted $911 for the timing belt change only. I called the Lexu$ dealer who quote "around $1100", which, from previous dealings, means about $1500. I guess we're a captive audience here in Boise because the next closest dealer is in Salt Lake City, Utah.....350 miles away. The Lexu$ dealership here is also a dump....I've been in used car lots that have nicer waiting areas for customers. There's a machine where you can buy coffee (nasty stuff) or snacks (machine takes money, often gives nothing). There probably a reason I see so few Lexus cars around here.

The WeatherTech mats also fit the 2004 RX330 perfectly. We have them in the front only since it's rare to have anyone in the back seat. This is our third season with them and they're still going strong. They can be a little difficult to clean, but I've found that soaking them with 409 or similar household cleaners and then a good washdown with a pressure washer works great. Sometimes it takes two washings, depending on how bad the winter was.

So, the dealer replaced the battery and then said you had to use a trickle charger from then on? That's just plain wrong and you might want to contact the U.S. headquarters for Lexus and see what they have to say. Meanwhile, you should make sure both battery terminals are clean and tight. Clean away any corrosion on the terminals or the connectors. If they are okay, trace the negative cable (the black one) from the battery to where it bolts to the chassis. unbolt it and make sure there is no rust or other corrossion on that connection. Check the area around the hole where the grounding bolt attached, check the washer, and check the bolt. All should be nice and clean, and bolted tightly to the chassis. If that doesn't cure it, you may have something as simple as a light staying on when the car is off. An example is the glove box light and the under-hood light. Bulbs this small draw very little power from the battery, but can drag the battery down if they're on overnight. There are probably several other small lights that could be staying on. Park the car in a very dark place and look for any lights that may be on. The first two I mentioned above are the most common culprits. Do you have anything plugged into the front or rear power outlet (what used to be the cigarette lighter)? An iPod or cellphone or GPS and any other thing might also be using power when the car is off. Have you installed (or had installed) any aftermarket items like a different stereo or something similar. It could have been wired to an "always on" terminal in the fuse box and drawing power all the time. Little problems like this can be frustrating. Good hunting for whatever is draining your battery.

I did see that thread, but it seemed to only cover up through the 03 model, and my understanding is that the 04 model had a different transmission. I have been paying a lot closer attention to my driving and how the transmssion reacts. My last car, a Honda CR-V, had an absolute horrible transmission. It was supposed to automatically adapt to the driver's style, but in reality it only adapted to some vague idea of shifting whenever it felt like it. One of the thing I used to do was to lift off the accelerator slightly to let it shift, which really seemed to help make the ride less jerky. I have found myself doing that to the RX without even thinking about it, and it really seems to confuse the transmission. Since the Lexus has such a sweet and fairly high-revving engine compared to the agricultural lump in the Honda, my lifting off to help it shift is definitely not where it is programmed to shift. I've been trying to practice not lifting slightly for shifts and just let the car do what it wants, and that has improved things quite a bit. Even my wife noticed that it was smoother, so that really means it has helped. I don't think this is a cure for the problem, but really does lessen the hunting and delays I had been experiencing, but every little bit helps. Grouch... I agree with you! After trying all sorts of things, including driving "softer" or "helping" it shift, I finally gave up and started driving it harder....and that does help. I think this car actually likes to be driven slight more aggressively than one would normally. On top of that, it also seems that my mileage is improved a bit when driving a little harder. Strange....but more fun! Cheers, Mac

I couldn't care less if they're pretty...was just tired of constantly being told "your lights are on!" Finally went with the recommendations to leave them on, since obviously they get people's attention! Cheers, Mac

I bought a 2004 330 early last year and brought it with me overseas. The one-and-only dealer here doesn't want to discuss problems....they don't exist. Or, if I'm unhappy with the 330, he'll be happy to sell me a 350. Uh....no thanks. My car had 42,000mi on it when I bought it and has only 48,500 now, but the noise has been present all along. We need the a/c almost year round...especially now that the daily temps are in the mid-120s to low 130s every day. The a/c system doesn't seem to handle heat like that very well at all. It takes about 10-12 miles on the freeway before it finally gets the temperatures down.

Would you guys characterize the noise as a screech? My wife's 01 RX300 makes a very intermittent screech (when she tries to vocally copy the noise its more of a screech or loud squeal) it does it intermittenly when she starts it up after work out in the parking lot. It does it so rarely that I've never heard it. Does it seem like she has the same problem? A high-pitched squeal, intermittent or sustained, is normally a slipping belt. If she only hears it occasionally and only at start-up, then I would just about guarantee it is a slipping belt. It could be that the belt is loose, or one of the components driven by the belt may be hard to turn over initially, thus causing the noise. Dampness seems to bring on the squealing also. The a/c noise everyone is hearing is more of a low moan, not very loud, and happens at low engine revs.

Grumpa- If you can put that stick back in and wait 5 seconds before you pull it out and read it, my hats off to you, your a better man than I am. I normally have to stab it about 3 or 4 times and look at both sides of the stick to feel that I have an accurate reading. It normally takes that many times because of all the splatter in the pan. Many times when you pull it out all you get is splatter running down the stick. I try to stab and pull as quickly as possibly to limit the splatter as much as possible. How about the rest of you guys that check your own trans. fluid? I'm willing to learn. I find that I have to read it on the first couple of stabs. After that, the dipstick drags enough ATF up onto the tube walls to make good reads impossible. As far as being 1/2 inch over full, I wouldn't worry about it. Both my RXs came from the factory that way. Even when I did my first drain and fill at 60K, I put back in exactly what I took out, so it stayed over full. Even had a flush done at one point at a Toyota dealer and they had it a little over full. Never had any problems. Finally on the last drain and fill I put a little less in to get it to the proper level. I have always heard that the transmission should be at full operating temperatures, driven so that it uses all gears, including reverse, engine idling, and then left in NEUTRAL, not Park. The reason for that is that Park aligns all the spool valves to allow the fluid to drain back into the pan. Leaving it in Neutral keeps all the lines charged. If you check the level with the trans in Neutral and then again when it is in Park (but wait a few minutes after it has been placed in Park), you should see a noticable difference. Are there any Toyota/Lexus technicians here who can give the official party line on checking trans fluid? Cheers,

I have a 2004 330 AWD with 49K miles and it's the 2nd best car I've ever owned....the first being a BMW 325i convertible that we had before the RX. I got the RX used, and it had a few problems that didn't show up right away. Now that those are fixed, about the only complaint I have is the air conditioning system seems to be unable to keep up with the heat here. I do suffer the transmission shifting problems that everyone else has, but can live with it....although I do wish it was at least consistent rather than coming and going like it does. Overall, it is quiet, roomy, smooth riding, powerful enough, and does everything it is supposed to do quite well.

I have 2004 RX-330 that I bought in the States and then took overseas when I was transferred to Kuwait. None of the Arabian-specification cars have Daylight Running Lights. Unfortunately, mine does and I am constantly having people yell at me or tap on the window at street corners to tell me my lights are on. The manual says that the dealer can turn them off. Had I known about the hassles, I would have had it done before I left the U.S. The dealer here does not know how to turn them off...probably because their cars don't use them. Does anyone know how the "turn-off" is done? Is it something the DIY can accomplish or do I just resign myself to all the yelling/tapping? Cheers, Mac

I did see that thread, but it seemed to only cover up through the 03 model, and my understanding is that the 04 model had a different transmission. I have been paying a lot closer attention to my driving and how the transmssion reacts. My last car, a Honda CR-V, had an absolute horrible transmission. It was supposed to automatically adapt to the driver's style, but in reality it only adapted to some vague idea of shifting whenever it felt like it. One of the thing I used to do was to lift off the accelerator slightly to let it shift, which really seemed to help make the ride less jerky. I have found myself doing that to the RX without even thinking about it, and it really seems to confuse the transmission. Since the Lexus has such a sweet and fairly high-revving engine compared to the agricultural lump in the Honda, my lifting off to help it shift is definitely not where it is programmed to shift. I've been trying to practice not lifting slightly for shifts and just let the car do what it wants, and that has improved things quite a bit. Even my wife noticed that it was smoother, so that really means it has helped. I don't think this is a cure for the problem, but really does lessen the hunting and delays I had been experiencing, but every little bit helps.

There is one Lexus dealer here, but I hear really bad things about them. That said, there are probably more Lexus' on the road than any other brand...other than perhap Toyota. I'll go talk to the service manager at the dealership, but am nervous about the fact that the cars sold here are not U.S. spec. I'm reluctant to get the CPU re-flashed because there might be some things that are different in the programming for U.S.-spec and other-spec cars. I know about the enrichment devices, but it does it even when the temps are over 90. When I bought it in WashDC last year, it didn't do it at all, even when the temp went down into the 50's overnight. Guess I've got to bite the bullet and go see the dealer. There's no way I can go 2 years without any service other than what I do myself.

Enjoy the good income, I mean weather. I use to live in the high desert area and remember when I would get tired of working outside in the yard and then realize it was 110. Pool time............ B) Your original post was about oil. Keep an eye on the radiator. Some RX's start to leak in the lower tank area. Lexus has a TSB for extended warranty repair. No "good" income here. I work for the gov't, so get paid the same here as I do in the States. I sure would like to have the income some of the contractors are being down here!!! Thanks for the tip about the radiator. All appears good so far. Temps are in the 90's right now and the radiator fan has only come on once, and that was when sitting in traffic for a long time. I'll keep an eye on the water level and eyeball the driveway for any stains. Thanks again...

Calling WWest... Below is your final post in the 9 page thread about RX330 (mostly 2004) that had the hesitating transmission problem. This was posted in January 2005. Actually, this is sent to any and all who may have some info on the problem, not just Mr. West. :) ------------------------------------------------------------ I too was banned, for life, from clubless, mostly because the moderators felt I was unjustly, and too often, denigrating their "beloved". But then I will be 65 this year. Here is a post from another forum wherein someone was suggesting more frequent fluid changes might be the solution. I don't think changing the fluid more often will be an effective effort. The fluid is being "cooked" because something within the transmssion is over-heating. My guess is that that "something" is the bands and clutch surfaces because they are still not fully engaged as the engine builds RPMs and torque when the gas pedal is unexpectedly(***) and agressively depressed. ***The firmware in the transmission ECU is not downshifting from 3rd(?) to first until the vehicle comes to a full and complete stop. Accelerating just before coming to a full stops results in the need to quickly shift from 3rd(?) to 1st, all while the engine is already reacting to a (fully?) open throttle valve. Except in the 04 or later with an e-throttle. In that case the engine ECU chooses not to "see" the open(ing) throttle until the transmission has shifted into 1st and the bands and clutches are fully seated. That very like takes more than 1.2 seconds, the time the shop manual says it take to shift from neutral when you first move the shifter to D, drive. Same problem with/during coastdown, the RX transmission upshifts from 3rd to 4th (according to the 01 AWD Lexus shop manual) during coastdown, and now if you suddenlyn decide to accelerate the transmission must quickly shift from 4th to 3rd, or maybe even to 2nd, and while the engine is already building torque.... Except on the 04 or later models with e-throttle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I did a search and came up with the thread with the above message and one other thread with many very similar messages. Unfortunately, they were both several years old and I haven't found anything more recent. The basic question is: Was there ever any sort of resolution for this problem? I had heard a little bit about this hesitation problem when I was shopping for a RX last summer, so was careful to pay close attention while doing the test drive. It shifted perfectly, and since everything else on the car was excellent, I bought it. A few days later I shipped it overseas (I'm posted to Kuwait). When it arrived several months later, the battery was dead, but fired right up with a jump and holds a charge just fine now. The first thing I noticed when I finally got the car registered and was able to drive it, was that the idle would jump up to around 1800 rpm within about 5 seconds after the engine was started, and then would gradually return to normal within 3 or 4 more minutes. This is very similar to a carburated engine with an electric choke, but I knew the RX was not so equipped. Also, it most definitely did not do that before it was shipped. The second thing I noticed was the hesitation in the transmission. As I said above, it hadn't done it when we first bought it, but now it was very noticeable. In the past few months, I've tried to adjust my driving to the transmission, but nothing seems to help....and the problem seems to be constantly changing a bit. It will be fairly nice for a few minutes, then gradually gets worst until it feels almost dangerous, then works its way back to only slightly annoying. The problem seems to lessen slightly when there is more of a load on the engine....i.e. when I have the A/C running. The lastly, my mileage has been getting progressively worse. It's now down to 18 overall from the original 25-26 overall. I am using 93 octane super unleaded. Most of my trips are short (under 5 miles commute), but at least once a week there is a 45 minute, fairly high speed (80-90 mph) trip. Neither of these two types of trips changes the symptoms. So, did Lexus/Toyota come up with a fix? Could having the problem show up after the battery ran down have any bearing on the problem? Did the ECU "forget" what it was doing when I first bought it and revert to some older program that has this shifting problem? Or, is there a separate ECU for the transmission (TCU maybe)? Would the strange-acting idle be related to this? Could the decreasing mileage be related? Do I ask too many questions? I am surprised that the original thread just stopped all of a sudden 3 years ago and hasn't cropped up again (or not that I can find). Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Mac

THAT'S why I live in Montana. Your biggest problem is the short drive. It takes about 8 miles to warm up the crankcase to evaporate any condensation that could mix with your oil. Hopefully that is not a concern in the summer months (May to Oct.) Wow, 130. Anything over 55 here is short sleeve weather. Thanks everyone...that's the info I need. I do get in a 45 minute highway trip once a week, as well as one or two 8-10 mile trips during the weekend, so it isn't all the ultra-short ones. Also, humidity is virtually non-existant most of the summer, so I'm pretty sure no condensation would form in the exhaust system.....although I do worry a bit about the oil getting a bit of condensation, but haven't seen any evidence on the dipstick yet. And Grouch, I can understand your distaste for this sort of weather. I actually don't mind it most of the time, but would like an occasional cool day just for something different....and I don't mean "cool" as in "it dropped from 130 to 125!" either! Anyway, I've got less than 18 months to go here, and then I'm outa here. Again, thanks for the excellent answers.

I bought my 04 RX330 last summer and shipped it overseas. I finally received it in December, so the weather was mild. However, now that summer is looming on the horizon, I'd like some recommendations for oil in very hot weather and short trips. I am in Kuwait, so from May to October, the daytime temperatures will be over 120 and peak in the mid 130's in late July/early August. Overnight lows will still be over 100 for that entire period. My daily commute to work is less than 3 miles, and the vast majority of trips are less than 5 miles. Since these are about the harshest conditions for a car, I'd like to keep mine alive and well. Logic tells me that I should be using a good synthetic like Mobil 1. I don't know what sort of oil is in it now...there are no stickers or other indications of what was put in the engine. I've never used synthetic before, so don't know if it looks or smells different than regular oil. Based on my assumption that it has petroleum based oil in it now, should I go to a synthetic blend (half dino, half synthetic) at first or go straight to full synthetic? Is the OEM filter good for synthetic or are special filters required? Any help appreciated.

You probably can't open the passenger window from the driver-side control either. Here's the fix... Turn the key on (not necessary to have the engine running). Go to the passenger's door and lower the window with the local control, pause for a few seconds, then hold the button in the up position until it closes completely and then continue to hold it in that position for 4 or 5 more seconds. Repeat this for each door. Once you've finished, all the windows should work from the driver's door master control. This is what worked for me. Cheers, Mac

Frustrating, isn't it??? I had the exact same problem. It happened when I picked up the car after it had been shipped overseas. All was good before I shipped it, but when it arrived, no windows except drivers. Surpringly, I found the info buried deep in the owners manual. Turn the key on (not necessary to have the engine running). Go to the passenger's door and lower the window with the local control, pause for a few seconds, then hold the button in the up position until it closes completely and then continue to hold it in that position for 4 or 5 more seconds. Repeat this for each door. Once you've finished, all the windows should work from the driver's door master control. It worked for me!!

Is that only for original owners or an across-the-board warranty extension for all the 04 RX330's? The dealer I purchased it from said that the original warranty was still good, but after the purchase he changed it to say that it had expired. If I was staying in the area, I would have been really upset, but since I was taking the car overseas, it didn't really make much difference.

I bought both the Haynes and the Chilton's manual for the RX-330 and was very surprised to find that they are virtually identical, including wording in the text and the photographs. Not all, but enough that it looks like they were produced together. I had asked 2 different deales about purchasing the factory manuals, and both told me that they were not for sale to the general public. However, in other posts on here, I've seen people refer to the factory manuals, so believe that there is a way to get them. If you find out, please let me know. Thanks...

Dang....I knew I should have shopped around. This summer I bought my 04 RX330 and only had it for a few days before I had to turn it in for shipping overseas. The dealer only gave me one key, but said he had the others "somewhere". The day before I had to give the car to the shipping company, the dealer told me they couldn't find the keys and I'd have to pay to have new ones made. I drove over there and gave him my master, and they made one more master and one valet key....and charged $420. Wish I had found this forum sooner...

WWest, Where did you get the repair manuals? I tried 2 dealers (one in Washington DC and one in Seattle) and both said they were not available to the public. I bought a Haynes book and a Chilton book, and they both leave a lot to be desired. Background: I'm new on here. I bought a 04 RX330 a few months ago and shipped it overseas. I only got to drive it a couple of times before it was shipped. I had noticed that the Xenon lights seemed to be aimed a little high, but figured it was just something I wasn't used to and was normal. Ha! When I got here (I'm in Kuwait) and drove a night a few times, I can see that they're waaaaay too high. I am lighting up overhead signs that are very close. I will admit that they do light up the whole neighborhood quite nicely, but just about every driver I meet flashes me (no, not THAT kind of flashing!) or honks or screams or something. Obviously I'm blinding people because when I pull into my driveway, the 2nd floor of the house is lit up! Reading back through this thread, I see a reference to auto-adjusting headlights and some sort of adjuster near the rear axle (??). How can I tell if I have those? Are they standard? If I don't have them, then I need to adjust the headlights to the correct height before I cause an accident. There is a dealer here, but virtually every Lexus owner that I've asked says to stay very far away from them....and that it's better to do no maintenance than take it in to them. If the car goes in for one problem, it will come back with three more. I am a reasonably adept mechanic -- mostly on motorcycles, but have worked on most of my own cars over the years -- but I cannot find any sort of adjuster on that massive headlight assembly. Both the lights are adjusted equally high, not just one. Can you point me in the direction of the adjuster with a description of what it looks like? I'm convinced that the adjuster is wearing some sort of automotive camouflage, and is disguised as some other piece... :) I finally got my internet hooked up a few weeks ago and this is the first time I've had a chance to browse through the forum and see what's here. Looks like a lot of good info available. Any help much appreciated. Cheers, Mac