wwest

We'll be at Daytona the last of the month for the 24 hour race then over to Tampa, palm Harbor, to visit two of my sisters. The West Family Foundation sponsors the TeamSeattle cars so as to benefit Seattle childrens hospital. How far is Naples from Tampa? If you don't have to rely on the AWD aspects of the RX then it would be an excellemnt choice. To avoid the horrid mold and mildew odor while in Florida see: http://www.airsept.com/eed.html A problem for almost all cars since the beginning of the use of the new less efficient refrigernant.

Yes, WA, Came to work for Boeing in 61, fresh out of the USAF at Pease. Hung out our own shingle in 72, Strobe Data Inc. All things being equal I would recommend the RX330. I had an 00 AWD RX and traded up to the 01 AWD RX to get HID, VSC/Trac, etc. You may already know some of this but IMMHO the RX has (had?) two major flaws. Prior to the 330 the RX used an always flaccid viscous clutch across the center diff'l supposedly to apportion engine torque to the rear if/when needed. On a 4 wheel dyno mine measured 95/5 F/R "native" torque distribution and only got up to ~75/25 F/R with disparate F/R rotational rates. I'm not enough of a mechanical engineer to know/understand how the torque is "natively" apportioned but I suspect it has something to do with the different final drive ratios used in the front vs the rear. But I do think I know why the viscous clutch is always flaccid and never "stiffens" up to the point of routing a significant level of engine torque to the rear. During hard or severe braking the rear axle MUST be uncoupled from the front to prevent loss of control due to rear wheel lockup. The majority of the braking effort is always at the front so the front wheels always turn much slower than the rear in this circumstance. The AWD Chrysler T&C solves this problem by providing an over-running clutch around the viscous coupling. With no over-running clutch on the RX to provide this capability the engineers dare not provide a true viscous coupling capability. The New RX330 has dropped the viscous clutch entirely in favor of a completely open center diff'l and the Trac system's use of the brakes to prevent a tire or tires from slipping and thereby apportion engine torque. This system has a couple of short-comings also. With all four tires slipping the system will quickly dethrottle the engine. Actually it will quickly dethrottle the engine, to prevent brake over-heating and the rotors warping, anytime the driver persists in using the throttle to "gain" traction. To prevent the smallish ABS pumpmotor from over-heating during extended Trac activity it will be automatically disabled after about 45 seconds of continuous use. The RX series, the 330 included, cannot have snowchains used on the rear due to poor suspension clearance and while the manual recommends use of snowchains ONLY on the front Lexus has admitted in writing that this can be very hazardous and will oftentimes lead to loss of control. Oh, the 330 also uses differing F/R final drive ratios so I suspect that the "native" torque distribution ratio is still bias toward the front. I put 1.2" wheel spacers all around on my 01 so as to accept 17X8 wheels, wider tires, and to get the ability for rear snowchains ONLY. The MAJOR problem with the automatic climate control is the fact that the designers do not understand human metabolism as it relates to radiant heating (or lack threof).

213,000 miles, just as likely, or more likely a rod knocking.

Shared love(rs)..... Don, I just took my 01 AWD RX300 out to North Bend and did wheelies in the discount mall (not Kittery) parking lot o test the AWD, VSC, etc. Didn't have the guts to take the C4. What is you overall opinion of the RX330? Re: Climate control, fogged windshield and foul A/C odor. Re: AWD, open center diff'l, braking for engine torque apportioning, etc. Screw the nav, its useless.

My 01 RX300 has a sub-wolfer under the from passenger seat.

My 92 LS came in monotone burgandy which was attractive to me. My 01 Burnished Gold RX was converted to monotone by the dealer at my request. Some of us simply dislike two-tone cars.

Cruise control will not engage if any, ANY, rear brake lights have failed.

I can't believe the replacement cost could possibly be more that your DIY repair time.

NOT the Turanzas! I have run those on my 92 LS since 93. Got them for QUIETNESS. Recommended them to all my Lexus friends. Turanzas seem find at ~120MPH in MT and WY.

Two or four winter tires.... If only two they should ALWAYS go on the rear, especially if you have FWD. Higher traction on the front vs the rear can lead to quick and deadly loss of control on adverse roadbed conditiuons. So says Lexus in the RX300 owners manual, as do most tire shops. So really, if FWD, four winter tires is your ONLY option.

I have heard reports of the wolfer, mounted under the front passenger seat, "talking" to the nearby CD player at high bass volumes.

Be careful..... An A/C filter could be interpreted by the dealer to be the actual refrigerant reservoir/filter which would be expensive to replace. Pollen filter would be a better term to use.

Lived many years/winters in north central MT. RWD only, always carried snowchains, never hesitated putting them to use, bags of sand in the trunk over rear wheels, for weight and occassionally for traction under wheels. Don't drive the LS400 anymore but when I did used the same procedure.

Regretably there is really no such thing as an AWD RX300. An AWD RX300 is a figment of Lexus' marketing's imagination. On a 4WD dynamometer the 01 RX300 tested 95/5% F/R torque distribution and 75/25 F/R only after several minutes of "forced" F/R disparate rotational rates to bring the VC out of its normally "flaccid" state.

No miracles...... I'm not so sure about that.

In June of 93 drove our 92 through Glacier Park right after it opened, then opened "it" up between Browning and Cut Bank. WOW!!

In June of 93 drove our 92 through Glacier Park right after it opened, then opened "it" up between Browning and Cut Bank. WOW!!

WET... For any doubters I invite you to take a short ride with me in my 78 with solid rotors the next time it rains (tomorrow, if not sooner) here in Seattle. Acknowledging that the 01 has much better braking and allowing for same. In the 78 if I do not have advance "warning" of the need to stop the braking will be very poor. If I apply the brakes lightly, to "dry", just before the need to seriously apply I can stop much more readily. In the 01 with slotted rotors I don't noticed any tendency at all for the brakes not to be up to the task in a heavy rain.

Sure, FWD vehicles are aways going "backwards".

To answer the original question more directly. The dealer is correct, your climate control is operating exactly as designed. In your case the continuing operation of the A/C is certainly not "on point". The problem you relate to is due to the fact that the Lexus design automatically switches to "cooling" mode once the cabin temperature approaches your 72F setpoint, even with outside temperatures at sub-zero. In fully automatic mode, as the cabin temperature climbs the system will automatically switch from footwell system outlet airflow only, first to combined footwell and panel outlets at about 5-8F below setpoint, and then panel outlet only as it rises to within 2-3F of setpoint. I refer to these last two modes as "cooling" because that is effectively waht it does. The A/C is operating so this airflow will be fairly dry. Even if it were at the temperature setpoint it would still feel like a cooling breeze to our body. Just like the rest of the human race, you find this very discomforting. Join the crowd. I cannot tell you why Lexus doesn't understand human metabolism. I even filed a lawsuit back in 93 over this very issue. Arising out of the fact of switching to cooling mode on the coldest day in the dead of winter is the fact that in this mode the interior windshield surface temperature is allowed to decline to within the DANGER zone. If Lexus were to properly design the system in recognition of your discomfort factor then the system would remain in heating mode during COLD weather and the windshield would continue to be heated thus helping to prevent instances of sudden windshield fogging. I lost. To close: The fact that the A/C continues to operate is not really pertinent to the heating/cooling mode switch. Just like the Lexus, my 2001 Porsche 996 also keeps the A/C running all the way down to about 35F. The big difference for the Porsche is that if the outside temperature is on the cool or cold side it will always remain in heating, footwell, air distribution mode. Like the Lexus, in this mode some airflow is diverted to the windshield to keep it warmed and well above dewpoint. But unlike the Lexus, if the defrost/defog/demist function is activated the windshield gets blasted with HOT and dry (assuming the relative humidity is within a range wherein the A/C can accomplish this) airflow, even on the hottest day of summer. Cut and paste: No, on line in real time. Well versed on the subject matter.

WET! Water gets between the brake pads and the rotor, gets heated into a gas via hard braking, gas lifts pads from rotor, dimemished braking HP. Holes in rotor allow gas to escape.

Flush the brake system thoroughly and completely. There are lots of one way check-valves in the ABS/Trac system that can too easily get blocked open temporairily with small bits of debris. Lexus dealers SUCK, not Lexus. The LS400 series is hands down the best buy on the planet.

The biggest advantage of cross-drilling is driving in the wet. The only way to know if these are a good deal is to drive them and have them last for the otherwise typical 100k.

The Lexus climate control has several design flaws originating from the very beginning in 89. Toyota and Lexus uses a design by NipponDenso as does most asian manufacturers. Of more recent vintage Denso USA, a subsiderary of NIpponDenso has been bringing those same flaws into the US market. First, they apparenty have no realization of what constitutes human comfort in cooler or colder weather conditions. Our bodies are greatly influenced by radiant heating effects, or really, lack thereof, in wintertime conditions. The COLD outside wintertime surrounding landscape can have a very chilling effect on our bodies, especially at night. At the same time Denso seems to be very proud of an asspect of their design that contributes heavily to your discomfort in the wintertime. Denso claims a uniqueness to their climate control design in that it "biases" the system to aways provide fresh airflow to the upper areas of the passenger cabin while providing recirculating airflow nearer your feet or below the "beltline. According to Denso once the overall cabin temperature has risen to very near the temperature setpoint, say 72F, the upper level airflow will be as much as 20F below the setpoint while the lower airflow will be warm enough to make up the difference. Their primary argument for this uniqueness seems to be that it tends to help keep the windshield and windows free of condensation. Somehow they seemed to have justified this position by claiming that we are more comfortable with this layered airflow model. And speaking of windshield condensation therein is the most astounding and hazardosu flaw in the design. With the advent of the use of the new lower efficiency refrigerant in the early ninties the A/C evaporator had to be made a lot more complex in order to have sufficient cooling cooling capability in AZ at 100F on a really hot bright sunny day. When you turn off the A/C at any time and for any reason, there will always be a thin film of moisture on its surface, thin enough that will NOT drain away. In the southern area of the US that often leads to the formation of mould and mildew, that horrid dirty gym socks smell. In the more northern areas of the US, or in the wintertime, its that very same moisture that leads to sudden early morning fogging over of the windshield. Or actually, anytime the A/C is cycled off and that thin film of moisture begins to evaporate into the incoming airstream. The whole windshield fogging problem is exaserbated greatly by the fact that Denso seemingly hasn't a clue as to what is needed to quickly clear a fogged over windshield and/or keep the windshield cleart of fogging. First, at the same time the system switches modes from heating, footwell airflow predominantly, to cooling mode (the more to discomfort YOU!), mixed outlet airflow, foot and panel (automatic function as the cabin temperature rises to setpoint), and then to panel outlets only, IT STOPS ALL WARMING AIRFLOW to the windshield. A windshield t hat will now be growing colder by the moment due to 60MPH COLD airflow impinging on the exterior surfrace. Additionally, the Denso design relies EXCLUSIVELY on the ability of the A/C to dehumidify the incoming airflow to clear the windshield of condensation when that time arrives. That's the reason your A/C continues to operate automatically even below your need of the use of it for cooling purposes. When, or if, you activate the windshield defrost/defog/demist function of your Toyota or Lexus climate control system you will instantly get airflow to the windshield that is approximately 20F below the setpoint level. Airflow that may, or may NOT, have been dehumidified by the A/C. The efficiency of the A/C for dehumdifying the incoming airflow is very much dependent on the relative humidity of the INCOMING outside airflow. Below about 45F it is unusual for the humdity to be high enough for the A/C to be effective for this purpose. As the outside temperature continues to decline the ability of the A/C to accomplish any dehumidification at all becomes even less probable. Until at about 35F OAT the system itself will shut down the A/C system due to complete non-functionality belwo this temperature. One would think that the Denso engineers would be bright enough to know, recognize, that with the decling efficiency of the A/C for defogging nthe windshield matters of safety would dictate the sue of an alternative method. And there is a readily available aternative method, one that most drivers have relied upon virtually since the invention of the enclosed cabin. HEAT. But no, I have been told that the Denso (more likely a Lexus engineer OVER_RIDE) engineers decided that exceedingly warm, or even HOT, airflow to the windshield surface would be too horribly discomforting to the front seat passengers. So it really doesn't matter to Lexus if you are killed in the process of trying to steer a direction with your windshield thoroughly and completely fogged over. NOT a problem they concern themselves with. But, go back to the dealer and tell them you wish to have the system reset so the A/C does not operate unless you specifically wish. And at the same time have them disable the A/C "link" to the defrost/defog/demist mode. And by the way, the A/C will normally activate in the defrost/defog/demist mode without the indicator illuminating. Without the A/C operating in the wintertime you will be a lot less likely to encounter windshield fogging, certainly not of the type caused by thye A/C itself. But if you do encounter windshield fogging the very best solution, ALWAYS, is turn up the heat to max, the blower should follow automatically, and then activate the defrost/defog/demist function. It doesn't hurt to lower a rear window slightly to flush the mositure you just brought in with those sweaty wet snow skiiers. The Lexus series is exceedingly well sealed and insulated, double door seals, etc, not only for your personal comfort but to also increase the MPG economy rating. In the summertime the less "conditioned" airflow that escapes the less the A/C compressor operates. Each Lexus does have the required airflow "exhauster port" but it's generally mounted in a location resulting in substantially reduced incoming airflow than most of us would desire, especially in the wintertime and high cabin humidity for some reason. Those damn snow skiiers again. And now to prevent further condensation keep the windshield interior surface warmed by over-riding the system's propensity to go into "cooling" mode (no warming airflow to the windshield) automatically. Good reading at: http://www.airsept.com/eed.html

Sorry................, Your LCD panel is BACKLIT using incandescent bulbs. The LCD failures have nothing to do with their brightness level. Probabilities.... I know of a 91, a 92, and a 95, LSes all, all with over 100k miles and no indication of failure yet. Also know of a 92 with failed LCD at 73k. Random?? For some reason I suspect higher average ambient temperatures might be the culprit, the one failure I know of was AZ.