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I think that you will find the thread on brakes, pads, and rotors that was here recently has that information. Iirc, you remove one bolt and then the whole caliper pivots up?/down? and then you merely remove the old pads and replace them. Of course, the usual requirements need to be met - clean and re-grease the shims, scuff the new pads with sand paper, etc. Gary btw, just did a five tire rotation and checked the pads. 3/8" of material left on the original pads with 30500 miles. :) The single "bolt" you remove is also a "slider" for the caliper and you need two wrenches, one to hold the slider so the attached dust boot doesn't twist and be damaged from turning as you loosen the bolt/slider. I NEVER use (specialty) grease except on the sliders themselves and the sliding contact points for the caliper body. There is also a specialty rubber based material that can be used to coat the shims and pad backing to help quiet braking noise. If the leading and trailing edges of the pads are not already chamfered, most are, then you should do so yourself. Since I want the best braking HP I can get I NEVER buy pads that have a life/duration warranty involved. I want pads that EAT rotors for lunch..!! That generally limits me to the highest priced pads I can buy that do not have a warranty attached.

If we're talking about an accelerating turn or a fairly tight turn at speed then this might be SOP. I have had mine activate in this manner while driving through a rain puddle, even slowly. The yaw sensor in conjunction with the stearing wheel position sensor is used to detect over/understearing and is so much more sensitive than your seat-of-the-pants sensor that you often will not realize why VSC (or TC, Traction Control) has activated. For VSC there are really only two additional sensors involved, the yaw sensor and the stearing wheel position sensor. And by-the-by if we are talking FWD only then we may be talking about TC activation. Lost of traction at the front due to engine torque is so patently unsafe (NO ability to stear!) that engine dethrottling will be INSTANTANEOUS with TC brake application. Even the slightest, very SLIGHTEST, wheelspin/slip, FAR below your ability to sense, at the DRIVEN/STEARING wheels will often result in TC activation, braking and engine dethrottling. Additionally TC will have often inadvertently have somewhat higher sensitivity when turning since the outside wheel will be rotating slightly(??) faster than the inside wheel making it "look" as if that outside wheel is already slipping. I assume your RX300 is FWD only since apparently the engine is being dethrottled (fuel starvation via the injectors) so quickly. Disconnecting the MAF/IAT electical connection while the engine is idling will result in the engine dying, reconnect, restart, and drive.... You will have a CEL and VSC fault indication for the next few drive cycles. The engine will operate normally but VSC/Trac will not activate. Recommended only as a test.

A "slight" depression or lift of the button will only move the window during that action. A firm and full depression/lift will activate the automatic function. Most likely the FULL travel function, switch contacts, of the switch has failed.

Might be somewhat SOP at 200,000 miles... Valve float due to weakened valve springs, slight backfire, etc.

It is AMAZING the technology found in todays modern "full" blown snow tires (not the M&S insignia found on four season tires). 1. Snow tires are designed with deep threads to counter deep snow and slush prior to any of the snow clearing trucks/equipment have been deployed. Funny, those are the exact conditions wherein my Bridgestone Turanza summer tires give me quite stellar performance, it's only on ice or packed snow that I sometimes have to add tire chains. 2. The tire compound is designed to remain plyable in extremely cold -30F plus and yet still retain the flexibility required on damp or frigidly cold dry pavement. Many years ago, say during the sixties, this stsatement had sound foundation, but today I would question the truth of it and ask for documentation confirming same. 3. The micro sipes designed in the snow tire is designed to catch snow and remain imbedded in the sipes (test have shown that embedded snow in the snow sipes offers more friction than rubber) and offers grip against black ice or hard compacted snow/ice covered streets whereas without the snow embedded in the sipes. HUH...?? Where do you find a "snow" tire wherein the tread remains COLD enough not to, along with centrifical forces, to quickly discard ANY snow packed into the tread? And can you refer us to the test documentation. 4. The quality of the rubber used and the overall structure of the tire is engineered primarily for the Winter Season, and nothing is comprised in it's execution since so much more innovation and technology has been invested that the Major Snow tire brands keep deploying more and more superior design and thought without the compromises of trying to build a tire for all seasons for all types of vehicles. Pure tire company marketing hype....Two sets of tires for EVERY vehicle. Yes, you can benefit from one type of 4wd / awd technology manufactured by one company vs another, but you can gain more of an advantage by going the Full blown winter tire route than using summer tires only. Also vehicles that are 4wd or awd have zero advantages in the winter when it comes to braking. Ice is ice, snow is snow, the coefficient of friction is greatly reduced, and hence the drivetrain does not come into play whether 2wd, 4wd, awd etc. It comes down to the tires more so than drivetrain. Sorry, but this one is just flat WRONG. You seem to be saying, as an analogy, that we should have brakes only one set of wheels, hopefully you would choose the front. Cheers, MadloR

i guess, but you hear stories all the time about 2wd cars being brilliant in the snow with just snow tires. two extra tires that have power is just an advantage. My point is, and I have done this myself, you can have a driver get hopelessly stuck in the snow and another driver can get into that car and drive it out of whatever it is stuck in. I am a retired cop and have driven 2 wheel drive police cars through some deep stuff with out chains. I have come upon drivers stuck in snow who thought they would need a wrecker to get out. I got into their car and got the car un-stuck in a matter of minutes. Some people will get stuck in 4 wheel drive vehicles with snow tires because they just don't know how to drive. I was a cop for 20 years and from my experience people get stuck because they are poor drivers. And when poor drivers get stuck they usually blame the car. 4 wheel drive is helpful in snow but the skill of the drive is most important. I am not saying 4WD isn't helpful because I have owned 4WD vehicles for almost 30 years, they do give you an edge but you can have 2 different drivers in the same vehicles with the same equipment and one will get stuck while the other won't. There may be a situation where both drivers get stuck but the main factor is the driver. And in your twenty years did your municipality even stick you with FWD patrol cars or front torque biased AWD..? Red Lodge MT did and after a few were totalled they had to revise their wintertime driving procedures as a result.

While it's true that I don't own an RXh I do own a 2001 AWD RX300. I use summer tires all year around but always have chains on board, two sets during the winter season. My RX has 1.5" wheel spacers all around so I can use rear chains first and then add the fronts if conditions warrant. I have very little doubt that the RXh has better AWD capability than my own AWD RX (excluding the mods), but I still say the RXh shouldn't be trusted as opposed to something like the BMW X3 or Acura RDX. If the RXh F/R torque ratio were reversed I would probably own one today even though the RXh hybrid design, unlike our Prius, is more about POWER than FE.

"....routinely plowed through drifts and standing snow......" Gee, I often did that just for fun back in MT in the sixties in my 63 T-bird. Momentum is EVERYTHING. What's it like to initially get up and going on an icy or packed snow roadbed, especially on an incline, when that traffic light changes to green, is the REAL question. There are two notes of caution regarding the RXh AWD system. 1. You cannot fit tire chains to the rear wheels due to extremely tight tire/suspension clearance. So, as your owners manual will indicate, tire chains can ONLY be used on the front. Your owners manual will also state that higher roadbed traction on the front vs the rear can easily lead to loss of control and is to be avoided. Tire chains, studs, or winter traction tires only on the front are in fact a recipe for disaster. 2. Since it is so serverely front torque biased the VDIM (VSC/Trac) will be extremely QUICK to dethrottle the engine upon even the slightest indication (so slight you may not have even noticed) of front wheelspin/slip. The '08 RX will have the ability to disable Trac "first" and then additionally, in sequence, VSC, but I don't know about the RXh as it is much more serverely front torque biased over the RX. TC, Traction Control, is so agressive at dethrottling the engine upon any wheelslip/spin that many owners have found it virtually impossible to get these vehicles moving forward initially in adverse roadbed conditions. And spinning the wheels or rocking back and forth to get unstuck, IMPOSSIBLE! This is opposed to VSC/Trac (or equivalent) on a rear torque biased AWD vehicle, such as the X3, wherein wheelspin/slip is not such as serious matter since at least some of the roadbed traction at the front is still reserved for maintaining directional control.

Not a all sure about this but do PS systems still use ATF..? I know that when my 92 LS was leaking I bought "specialty" PS fluid. I thought that modern ATF formulations had evolved to the point wherein it wasn't really compatible with PS use. And if so CERTAINLY not compatible as a "mix".

Traditional AWD...?? No such animal...so many variations it's hard to keep track. More than adequate AWD would be the system in the BMW X3. Satisfactory would be the Acura RDX SH-AWD system. Dead last, or very close thereby, would be any RX, HL, or Sienna AWD system.

If you recomend bendix pads what do you recommend for the disks since my OEM ones warped at 30K miles. I am not bashing the oem stuff just need something better since I am towing 1600lbs at times. The most obvious answer is to put some sort of braking system on the towed "vehicle".

The color of the darker fluid on the right appears to be much worse than what I drained from my 2001 AWD RX300's transaxle at 40,000 miles. But in the RX case the dark color was not due to contamination, certainly not in suspension, as it was due to the ATF being overheated/burned. When I last checked my 92 LS's ATF at 145k miles it looked very much like the fluid on the left. Looks as if your 96 might need a PS fluid cooling radiator. Now I'll have to check the color of the PS fluid in my 92. But since I rebuilt the PS pump I don't remember if I drianed and flushed the PS fluid then, but probably not.

Hint: Like OEM tire treads OEM brake pad material might be thinner/cheaper without sacrificing "performance". And look at all the owners with warped rotors.... Light, "THIN" brake rotors result in less unsprung weight thus a more comfortable ride, and better FE by a smigen. Automotive designers MUST make all kinds of compromises, not just costing, YOU don't have to do that. And in these days with ABS often or always always interfering with "best" stopping distances how is a buyer to really know how good the brakes really are? ABS is a fine bit of technology but needs further refinement. ABS should activate ONLY if VSC indicates a need. PS: I've been driving since 1957, unless we count mules and farm tractors, and I. also, have never rear ended anyone. But I credit that to good eyesight and good judgment, not anything having to with braking adequacy.

Ain't technology, MODERN technology, wonderful...! Back in the days of carburators and NO knock/ping sensors and NO microprocessors engine timing was the ONLY variable that could be adjusted for fuel grade. Nowadays we do have knock sensors, very capable microprocessors and guess what? FUEL INJECTION. If you put low grade fuel, within reason, into a modern day engine the sensors will detect any resulting knock/ping and the microprocessor will then adjust, enrich, the mixture via fuel injector "open" timing to overcome the "problem". Net result, lower fuel economy but no engine damage. When I picked up my 2001 Porsche C4 at the factory I was told that the only thing I had to be careful about in my travels throughout europe was to ALWAYS fuel with unleaded. When I asked how that could be I was told the above. Makes sense.

"...only one time did the gauge get close to "hot"..... The engine coolant temperature guage in my 92 LS (150k miles) and my 01 RX (63k) initially rises to about 1/3 point and then remains ROCK SOLID right there otherwise. You need to check that the electric radiator cooling fan(s) are fully operational at both low and high speed, the pressure relief valve integral to the radiator cap is operational, and barring problems there then change the thermostat. When you park the car, any car, it is not unusual for the coolant temperature to continue to rise for a few moments thereafter, sometimes the electric fans will come on and in some cases continue to run even after the inginition is off for this reason. If the coolant is already close to "hot", boiling over, it will be vented into the reservoir as the engine "overheats" when you shut it down, a portion overflowing from the reservoir as a result. Then as the engine sets and cools the coolant in the reservoir will get sucked back into the radiator leaving you with an empty reservoir and water on the ground.

"....designed to..." Power stearing pumps are traditionally a horrible waste of HP, they are constant displacement pumps with a spring relief valve to releave excess press/flow back into the sump. Cruising along a 55MPH the is little need for this pumping effort so virtually all the "work" is needless. Normally the air control valve reduces the level of pressure the pump must provide as roadspeed increases. Apparently yours has failed in the "cruising", low pressure, mode.

I would categorize your answer as opinion. Don't start flaming here, let me explain. I ALWAYS go with OEM equivalent pads for the simple reason that pads are cheaper and easier to replace than rotors. If you go with an "improved" pad you may get much more rotor wear, requiring more frequent rotor replacement. I say improved because that is a subjective phrase. Improved in what manner? If you aren't unusually harsh on brakes, don't live in an extreme hill reagion such as San Francisco or Seattle, then I see no reason to up the ante to ceramic brakes. Same thing with rotors. Fwiw, my 14 year Acura Legend has its original rotors. I bought it new, I do all of the work, and I only buy OEM equivalent pads. THere have been some reports here that some owners aren't happy with store bought pads as being too noisy and have switched to Lexus brand with good results. When the time comes I will try store bought versus dealer because of the 50% reduced cost of OEM pads. If there is any hint of an issue, then I will buy Lexus. Just my opinion. ;) Gary ps, notice I didn't say that Bendix was a bad brand, I just don't care for Ceramic. Imo, Bendix makes very high quality OEM brake pads too. "...pads are cheaper and easier to replace than rotors..." In the end, the VERY end, rotors are a whole lot cheaper than tombstones.... You really want the very best pad/rotor combination that yeilds the most stopping HP... OEM rotors, the ones shipped from the factory, are more likely selected for cost above performance.

Rain....Wet..... Those are the ONLY major advantages of street driven cars having drilled or slotted rotors. I choose slotted. On the other hand lighter rotors, less unsprung weight, are a definite advantage insofar as driving comfort is concerned and you can get there by using HIGH(er) brake pressure, braking force overall, pads, etc, but then you MUST provide a means for the gas to escape via drilling/slots, etc. You may notice that one (or more?) of the european marques is using the windshield wiper rain sensor to trigger a procedure, apply slight braking pressure, to keep your brakes dry in the wet. Good idea. Now if someone could just figure a way to constantly compute/sense the coefficient of friction at the tire/roadbed interface without the use of brake force....

I try to buy brake pads that are guaranteed NOT to last over 25,000 miles and even here in Seattle it doesn't rain often enough to warrant slotted or cross drilled rotors. But if you must, then go with slotted, you lose too much rotor braking surface to warrant the slight advantage of cross-drilled only in the wet.

In general the alternator doesn't fail prior to ~100,000 miles which is well past any reasonable warranty period and isn't a serious safety issue/problem so it doesn't fall into the realm of a recall. I'm surprised at 3 times since my 92 LS's alternator didn't wear down the (too) soft metal of the commutator ring until about 150,000 miles. Apparently the alternator failures have nothing to do with the PS leak.

If I could buy an FE "conscious" SUV I certainly would. In the meantime I guess I'll stick with the Prius. Can only imagine how good the FE would be if the Prius team built an SUV. Supercharged Miller cycle I4...? AC electric motor driving the supercharger via the hybrid battery...? Smallish I4 producing STELLAR FE for just cruising along and INSTANT HP, but within reason, for acceleration.

I like the styling, it's unorthodox, but aggressive. My wife dislikes the ride - too harsh for her, but i love it and that motor sound...... The X3 will provide much greater AWD capability and safety for all that ice and snow you're encountering than would any RX.

Actually the new idle control valve is the most likely "suspect".

Or: Just how many times has a given service advisor heard that same statement since this whole transaxle issue started with the first RX production? Where's the BEEF...! When you put a V6 engine and a transaxle in a FWD vehicle, BOTH sideways, there isn't a lot of room for nicesaties such as more robust gears, clutches, torque converter, decent size ATF pump or variable displacement ATF pump, within that gearbox. Take the Camry transaxle and fit it into a heavier AWD SUV and you undoubtedly are asking for problems. And yes, the beancounters will insist in parts and component commonality so and so you have transaxle problems across the board, SUV or smaller, lighter, sedan. And now a six speed...??!! Just how small can all those components be made and still hold up for 100,000 miles?

Rather than buying into right wing talking points that have an obvious bias and agenda, I would suggest you view the Inconvient Truth movie yourself and make up your own mind. This isn't about a political agenda... its about our collective moral obligation as the top life form on the planet. I decided not to go with a third Jeep for two reasons, Chrysler, and the traditional Jeep "box" was discontinued. I'm not familiar with "the traditional Jeep "box" . What is it? Jeep (lack of) "styling" prior to the Grand Cherokee.