wwest

Many vehicles today don't come with a spare tire as the same size as what's on the 4 wheels. Then putting the spare into the rotation "cycle" isn't an option to begin with.... But, I've used a spare as the 4th tire in a new tire purchase when the spare is the same thing I'm purchasing so it matched the other three tires. ...

"..clicking thing..." That was your starter solenoid rapidly engaging to pick up the load, HEAVY starter motor load. When the starter relay contacts closed there was too much resistance in the battery supply circuit, the voltage dropped accordingly, and the starter solenoid dropped out. No more heavy load, the voltage rises again.... Repeat the cycle, RAPIDLY, as necessary. Your most likely problem (its SPRINGTIME) was poor/corroded battery post connections. The bad news is, become, that each and every one of those CLICKS resulted in a very high level of surge current through the solenoid relay contacts and now due to your CHEAPSKATE tactics your solenoid relay contacts have finally WELDED themselves together. Remove and replace your starter solenoid and be on your way. But NEXT spring if/when the clicking noise occurs then IMMEDIATELY remove the battery post connections, clear and burnish both the battery posts and the connections. A discharged or failing battery can also produce the clicking noise but apparently not in your case, not THIS time.

You probably cannot. Later models (03-04..??) have a c-best option that the dealer can set to prevent this. The idea is to more quickly cool down the cabin on a hot summer day after setting in the sun all closed up. Utterly STUPID....!! What it really should do is leave it in FRESH for the first ~few minutes with the blower on HIGH in order to more, MOST QUICKLY PURGE the hot interior atmosphere (typically HOTTER than the oputside) and then revert to recirculate. Idiots...!! For the best FE and quite satisfactory cooling I have added a manual shutoff valve in the engine coolant line to the heater core within the HVAC system so there is no, CANNOT BE, a REHEAT/REMIX cycle within the HVAC. My '01 AWD RX300 had a c-best option wherein I can turn the A/C function OFF indefinitely throughout the winter months and thus improve FE during our COLD/cool periods (and prevent instances of sudden unexpected windshield fogging). The '01 911/996 C4 there to your left has a toggle switch within the glove box that I use to disable the A/C compressor clutch in wintertime.

My '01 AWD RX300 will roll ALL the windows down if I hold the remote unlock button down continuously. If I still lived in Memphis I would probably consider it a neat feature. In Seattle I simply find it an oddity.

College... So what could be wrong with an SC300 with manual transmission...?? College.....LS400.....???

Doesn't matter, the engine/transaxle ECU will still erase, FORGET, anything unique it "learned" about "your" driving style just as soon as you switch off the ignition. Otherwise the next driver (your better half..??) might get VERY PO'ed. On the other hand it might take many "drive cycles" maybe as much as 500 miles, for the engine/management ECU to learn all the tolerances of the various sensors, servos, etc. The car will probably not "settle" down and drive in a consistent manner until those initial drive cycles are completed wwest: do you have a reference to quote that states that the "learning" that occurs takes place only during a single driving trip and then resets when you turn your ignition off? Not to doubt you by any means, and what you say could well be true, but the theory that you state above (I have read you say this before), goes against most of what has been discussed throughout these posts - which is that "semi-permanent" learning occurs and the only way to reset it is an unplugging of the battery. You may well be correct, but it would be good to get this firmly established before there is any further discussion on the issue. Boston Snowboarder Some years ago, 5 or 6 maybe, I ran across an engineering white paper that explained the then method of driver style/type learning. And wouldn't cars in the rental fleets have to be somehow modified if the ECU didn't erase the "memory"? The fallacy arose thus... When you unplug the battery the ECU forgets many of the parameters it must learn to correctly run the engine and transaxle optimally. So of course drivers will "feel" as if their previously learned "style" has changed, but in reality it is just the engine management parameters being returned to the defaults, those approximate parameetrs "loaded" initially at the factory.

I'm not in the habit of rotating tires at all but were I to do so I wouldn't include the spare in the mix. Too many times over the years it's been rather nice to have an unused spare to mount with ONE new tire that I had to purchase due to tire failure, a "single" tire failure.

Doesn't matter, the engine/transaxle ECU will still erase, FORGET, anything unique it "learned" about "your" driving style just as soon as you switch off the ignition. Otherwise the next driver (your better half..??) might get VERY PO'ed. On the other hand it might take many "drive cycles" maybe as much as 500 miles, for the engine/management ECU to learn all the tolerances of the various sensors, servos, etc. The car will probably not "settle" down and drive in a consistent manner until those initial drive cycles are completed

Fear: Think of the strut bar as a body brace, it prevents the car body, basically the top of the front fender structures, "opposite" structures, from distorting independently and thereby affecting the stearing angle when there is a heavy lateral load, and EXTREMELY heavy lateral load, on the front tire tread surfaces. Where it to occur as more of a linear function, say in the same way your tires' sidewall deflects (distorts..??) more and more as lateral forces build, it wouldn't represent a problem. Where body flex of this type comes into play is when there is a sudden change in stearing angle (right at the apex) due to NON-LINEAR distortion of the body. Again, I just can't imagine this being a problem, absent "track time" on any modern day FWD vehicle. If it were to happen the first thing I would do is have the dealer go over the body and check THOROUGHLY for missing or faulty spot welds.

You need a mechanic with experience with Lexus cars----. May I revise that slightly....? Mechanic implies "wrench" and that does not "fit" the process of troubleshooting these modern day cars, Lexus or no. So the "proper" statement might have been.... You need a GOOD, HONEST, technician for troubleshooting... Now that we have given you the easy part the hard part is up to you......FINDING ONE. Ask around amongst your friends.... Oh, typically they do not "reside" at dealerships. Oh, yet another thing... Autozone isn't a bad place to start, knowing the codes will at least give you an edge up on the dishonest "mechanic" that tries to oversell the repair.

Tirerack..Ice rink testing. Do I get this right..? The testing simply involved how quickly you can accelerate straight ahead for the initial 60 feet from a dead stop...?? Most of us, I think, would consider stopping distance as of primary importance and turning ability as second... How fast can I accelerate on a "known" slippery surface...just what does that go to proving...?? As I said before, how fast can a specific car STOP on a FROZEN ice rink surface with "summer only" use tires and with ABS disabled vs ANY winter tire.

"Nag" should never be included, not even as an option, we get that for free, many of us anyway.

First, while engine lubricating oils are specially formulated so as to hold particulate matter in suspension, so it will drain away when you change the oil, ATF is formulated to NOT hold particulate matter in suspension and therefore have it not interfere with the analog "computer" (valve body, tiny orifices) operation.

One picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case maybe 10,000 words.

mwest, you brought up interesting factoids ! ... and even so, there are other variables & motives for using an EBH. For example in sub zero conditions, an EBH can mean the difference between the vehicle starting or not. Who'd want to have to replace a freeze plug, if your coolant expanded & pushed one out? And between your older RX, versus the hybrid version, there are other variables. With much of a hybrid's mpg improvements being due to the electric motors, traction battery temperature management becomes important. The EBH warming the block/coolent allows the cabin heater to warm the batteries quicker. Our 400h gets only around 15mpg during the 1st 10-12 minutes, but with the EBH, the 400h is capable of going over 30mpg within the 1st minute. Etc etc. In my years in MT in the early to mid-sixties I more often used a dipstick type engine oil heater but sometimes a coolant heater, and then only during sub-freezing weather times. None of these measures worked in Alaska since they didn't prevent the ATF nor PS fluid from turning to SLUSH overnight. I would often go outside and start the car and then go have breakfast while the ATF and PS fluid turned back into a LIQUID.

Yes, by all means, and give Lexus a certain/sure reason for voiding your warranty.

Lexus dealer prices aren't all that bad, it's mostly the addition of unwarranted services that add up. make them agree, have the service writer write down, that you only want the factory recommended non-rough service maintenance items performed.

The links I provided talked about the snowflake emblem and that in order for a tire to have it, it must past certain performance tasks which prove they meet certain minimum criteria for winter traction. Why you continue to post this opinion of yours that summer tires are just fine in packed snow and ice conditions is beyond me and actually dangerous to anyone stupid enough to believe you. Evidently, figuring out that summer tires get hard in the cold is pretty tough. Here are the first four hits I got from a google search: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/ti...n-the-cold-406/ Summer tires are out of their element when it gets cold and slippery and shouldn't be driven on ice or snow because they are designed for dry and wet conditions. Their performance rubber compounds are stiff in cold temperatures, and their treads lack the slits, called sipes, that bite into snow. You're quoting consumer reports as an authority on tire tread compounds...? Or worse yet you seem to expect us, ME, to believe them..?? Is there ANY indication that their statements were well founded, maybe based on some actual testing..?? http://www.moderntiredealer.com/t_inside.c...312&pgNum=2 This compound's makeup will likely tend to become "harder" (the rubber will tend to become more like plastic) when exposed to temperatures below 32 degrees F, which detracts from tractional properties. Winter tires utilize special compounds that remain pliable in cold temperatures. "tend to become "harder"." "tend to become more like plastic" ALL tires will "tend to" become harder as they cool. Sounds, reads like, "marketeer" statement/wording under the advice of a barrister. http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2008/04...71918167798.txt Keeping it simple, the basic thing to know, according to Vandewater, is that summer and winter tires are specifically built for those seasons, temperatures and driving surfaces. All-season tires, on the other hand, are a compromise between both since the properties of a good summer tire and a good winter tire contradict each other in nearly every aspect, from tread design and softness of the compound (which used to be made of rubber but is now a blend of synthetic ingredients) to sidewall construction. Now you want us to take Vandewater's words as "truth" http://www.freshalloy.com/site/features/te.../001/home.shtml If you use a summer tire with its specially designed compound in the winter, the compound makes the tire very hard and it won't conform as well to the road conditions. To try and take this thread back to some semblance of it's original intent, I'll sum and say don't let the AWD system be the deciding factor between a hybrid or non-hybrid. Tires are much more important. Look, all you need do to prove to the "world" that you're right and I'm wrong is find "someone" who has tested non-ABS stopping distances for summer only tires vs ANY winter tire on an ice rink surface. Simple, right...??

If it were me in your shoes they would have to take me to court to get their RX350 back. Just think of all the FREE publicity, ADVERSE publicity, for Lexus.

My RXes heating blower will not come on automatically until the engine coolant temperature rises to 130F, and that generally happens within a mile, ~1/17th of a gallon of fuel (20.59 cents), of leaving the attached non-heated garage. So what would it cost to bring the engine block up to 130F using a block heater vs not...?? And how much of that 20.59 cents went toward simply moving the RX for that distance vs heating the block and thereby the engine coolant?? Maybe 10%, 2.059 cents...? Hmmm.. No, wait... The engine block is CONTINUOUSLY heated, to ~200F yet. So, until the coolant heat rises to the point wherein the EXCESS is dumped overboard isn't that HEAT free of cost...?? It seems to me that the only time there is "value" in the engine coolant heat is for cabin heat, otherwise ALL of it is THROWN overboard. That can't be right...or can it...?? That would mean that the cost savings for pre-heating the engine blocking would be ZILCH,...or maybe even NEGATIVE. And then there is the catalyst, that MUST be heated to something like 800F before becoming fully operational. Does pre-heating the engine block allow more of the "initial" excess heat derived from "fuel burn" to flow into the exhaust and thereby help to heat the catalyst sooner? Wow, too many variables for me, 'way too many.

You can probably get the hybrid system to use regenerative braking at a much higher level in wintertime by modifying the OAT sensor. Due to the higher likelihhod of snow or ice on the roadbed less regenerative braking is used, allowed, during cold weather. But should you do this mod you may be making yourself more subject to loss of directional control....

The ENTIRE Toyota/Lexus FWD and F/AWD product line, fleetwide, has had transaxle design flaws beginning with, during, the developement of the original RX300 late in the last century. Several attempts at fixes have been made, tried, over the succeeding years but none successful so far. Maybe '09.

Absent COLOR having been added to the refrigerant the sight glass will look the SAME empty vs FULL of liquid. The way to check is to WATCH the sight glass for "transitional" bubbles just as the A/C compressor cycles on or as the liquid refrigerant is depleting before the compressor cycles back on. Assuming the compressor is actually cycling on it will only do that with at least a minimum level of refrigerant system pressure. There is a limit switch lockout of the compressor clutch if the system pressure is so low the compressor might be damaged. If you move the temperature to MAX COOL all of the sensors are over-ridden.... If the OAT sensor behind the front bumper is open, indicating sub-freezing temperatures, the compressor will be disabled.

This is a fairly common aftermarket mod for sports cars, Porsche, say, that will be run on the track from time to time. And yes, across the TOP of the "shock" towers. And pardon me, but I see NO usefullness for these on a an ES300, nor ANY FWD or F/AWD vehicle. "Pushing" a FWD car to the limit wherein the top of the shock towers begin to move due to body distortion is simply beyond belief for me. To what purpose...?? Track time with a FWD car...LAUGHABLE...!!

Yes, the rotor's braking surface will often rust slightly, overnight even, if exposed to moisture. And yes, also the "hub" will develop a fairly high level, a non-harmful level, of rust over the years. Most of us are satisfied with that since the wheel covers the rust covered hub. The only solution that I know of would be to paint the hub with a HIGH TEMPERATURE tolerant paint. It occurs to me that you might really mean that the brake calipers are rusting and the PAINT is also the only solution for that.