wwest

Bought my first Lexus in late 1991, a new full-spec 92 LS400. Currently well over 100K, one oxygen sensor replaced and one anti-freeze flush & replenish, no "90k" service and still running extremely well and quietly on its summer only Bridgestone Turanzas. Bought another used (Eddie Bauer off-lease) full-spec 92 LS for my VP of Marketing. He subsequently retired and we gave him the car. A few years later his wife wanted an Acura so I bought the 92 back and gave it to my brother in Memphis. Again, other than any work done while it was leased by Eddie Bauer the car has had power stearing leakage and alternator failures, both replaced. And again, well over 100k, no 90k service and my brother is super pleased. Bought a used 1995 LS400 at 30k miles, for the current VP of Marketing. It now has well over 100k miles, the 90k service done (he had it done without first asking), and one failure of the exhaust gas recycle tube. Two years ago I bought yet another 1992 LS400, $6500.00, this one with over 150k miles and the 90k service just having been completed. When first started up it drives as if the torque converter is just a tad tired. Otherwise perfectly running. To be perfectly honest I bought that last one to use as a test mule for my experiments in trying to find a way to fix/modify the automatic climate control system and then maybe market a kit to all Lexus owners who were dissatisfied with the climate control operation or had experienced instances of sudden unexpected windshield fogging. Oh, and I'm perfectly pleased with my HP level, 248.

Actually I belive the transmission issue is with 99/00 and maybe 01? models. I think the highlander came out in 02/03 after the problem (whatever it was) was "fixed" The U140F AWD transaxle was used in the 98-03 RX300, the 01-03 Highlander and the 00-03 RAV4. The U140E (the two wheel drive unit) was used in the 98-03 RX300, 01-03 Highlander, 99-01 ES300 and the 2002 Camry. And now.... How do we go about finding out which engine/transaxle FIRMWARE shift control versions were used, or were common, to the various models amd model years? Or how about the possible design variations in the formulation of the viscous fluid for "locking" the center diff'l? And then there's also the question of what size air bubble was used to delay the onset of VC diff'l locking.

It's simple, really..... During the times when you, your human body, feels "cool", "coolish", be very diligent about keeping the system airflow only to the footwell. Then you will be able to maintain a human comfort level at a constant setting. In automatic mode the system will often switch to "cooling" mode, airflow to your face and upper body, even when your body is saying, Sheesch, it's kinda cool in here. If its any comfort to you I actually sued Lexus over this issue as a result of purchasing my very first Lexus, a new 1992 LS400. I lost. There is an aspect of human body comfort of which Lexus, Toyota, and especially NipponDenso (Denso US) seem totally unaware. The human body comfort equation has more than one parameter, three, as a matter of fact., at least only three primary ones. There is the air temperature surrounding our bodies. Radiant heating from direct sunlight. And lastly, but FAR from the least important of these, radiant heat recieved by our bodies from the "surrounding" "landscape". Put yourself in a room wherein the air temperature is somewhat elevated ABOVE your normal comfort level, but with the surrounding walls and ceiling CHILLED, and you will not, cannot, be comfortable. The chilled surrounding walls will make you feel coolish, if not downright COLD. Your Lexus automatic climate control, on the COLDEST night in the dead of winter, will automatically switch into COOLING mode, primary outlet airflow to the face and upper body, once the cabin temperature has been raised to your air temperature setpoint, or closely thereto. You can help yourself somewhat by having the dealer make a change to two of the more "secret" C-BEST settings. These would prevent the A/C from running automatically absent your own manually intervention. But the method whereby you will help yourself the most is to manually over-ride the system into footwell outlet airflow if, when, the dominant radiant temperatures of the surrounding "landscape", components inside the car and out, are sending a reasonable levl of radiant heat "to" your body.

Just remember that this whipper snapper has proven you wrong on several occasions, including now. You don't know everything. You should take some time to talk to some of the younger generation, you just might find yourself, inadvertently, having a very ENLIGHTENING conversation/experience. Do I have things I could learn from you? Certainly you are obviously a very intelligent man. What you need to realize though is there are plenty of things you can learn from myself and others too. Younger than you or not. I have an inate, embedded, curosity about anything and everthing. But yes, I am sometimes wrong. But there at times when being wrong results in so much joy to others in finding you that way it just becomes pure pleasure.

Many Toyota 4WD/AWD vehicles have had ATF overtemp detection lights on the instrument panel since the late 1980's. Sorry, it was really thoughtless of me not to exclude truck "class" SUVs since many of those are so often used to tow heavy loads or operate semi-continously in off-road conditions at low speeds and high torque loads, climbing boulders and hillsides, steep hillsides. Absent some sort of marginal design issue that needed to be addressed in this manner I don't see the need for protecting the RX's ATF from overheating.

Actually I belive the transmission issue is with 99/00 and maybe 01? models. I think the highlander came out in 02/03 after the problem (whatever it was) was "fixed" Hmmm.... Good point, really good point. As most of you likely know already, I have always questioned the functionality of the VC, Viscous Clutch, in my 2001 AWD RX300. Disregarding the fact that the Trac over-rides it anyway, seemingly it NEVER stiffens up sufficiently enough to couple any operational level of engine torque to the rear wheels. Suppose, just suppose, that back in the early model years of the AWD version of the RX300, it was discovered that the heating level that the VC had to rise to in order to become operational, fully "functional", was high enough to cause the ATF in the nearby, adjacent, center and front diff'l case to rise above a safe level insofar as 100,000 mile ATF duriability is concerned. And let's take one more step and assume that the ATF in the diff'l is there only for lubrication capability and thus the engineers saw no need to have it readily circulate into, and through, the transaxle itself and thereby also through the transaxle's ATF cooling system. Now let's assume, if you will, that somewhere about or during the initial RX production run some Toyota engineer happened across and read the Sierra Reseach article regarding the fact that adopting the new shifting procedures that would likely result in a 9.8% improvement in FE. By the time my 2001 went into production they knew that one of the the ways they could alleviate the premature transaxle failures was to "lobotmize" the VC. Who would know? Who, in the entire AWD RX300 owner community, would become suspecious enough about the possible lack of functionality of the VC that it would actually be tested, even on a 4 wheel dyno. Additionally, who would really care, provided the Trac system firmware were judiously used to "hide" the fact that the VC never became truly functional? And there, friends and neighbors and fellow AWD RX300 owners, is the state of the state insofar as the 2001 RX300 model year is concerned. Now I need to go off and research techinfo.toyota.com to see when that ATF overtemp detection was first implemented. Any bets?

How can we ever be sure, certain, that the RX300 and Highlander share the same transaxle control firmware? And I'm quite sure, very sure, that while my 2001 AWD RX300 has a viscous clutch the operation of the AWD Trac's brake modulation method of engine torque apportioning system is a close match to that in the RX330 with no viscous clutch. The viscous clutch in my 2001 AWD RX300 never comes into "play" since the traction control system instantly reacts to front wheelspin/slip long before the VC can be heated to the point of stiffening, "locking" the center differential. Can the same be said of the 2001(2,3) AWD Highlander? And ALL RX300s have automatic climate controls and V6 engines. I am certain the the V6 would result in consistently higher radiator temperatures and I would also suspect that automatic climate controls would also result in consistently higher radiator temperatures. Absent the ATF cooling heat exchanger with the towing package the primary cooling method for the ATF is via exposure to the engine coolant. And don't forget that the RX300 has an ATF overtemp diagnostic light/indication and the intructions should it illuminate are to pull over immediately to allow the ATF time to cool. Obviously Lexus had some reason, foundation, for suspecting the ATF would/might inadvertently overheat. Why? In just what circumstance? I don't remember ever having any vehicle before with this feature, and I don't know of any other current models, excluding some heavy duty trucks that have this "feature". The transaxle control firmware will not shift into O/D until the ATF temperature rises to some preset level, about 2 to 3 miles in the summertime and a tad farther during the winter having been in a reasonable warm garaqe overnight. No O/D will result in significantly higher engine RPM. The hard shifting when cold is probably the result of the ATF viscosity still being a nlittle closer to "syrup" prior to warming to operational temperature.

I suspect that what really needs to happen here is that those of you wishing to add BLING to your car via BRIGHTENING it up to impress approaching drivers spend some time visiting, talking, having a long casual conversation with a few folks over 75 years of age. Even at 65 I have become aware that my night vision is degraded, HID's were a welcome "sight" for me because their wider light spectrum significantly improve my night color vision. But, search out, and have that long rambling conversation with someone in the 75+ age group. First of all they'll likely really appreciate your taking the time to visit with them and you may actually find yourself enjoying it enough that you want to do it again, repeatedly. An unbelievable depth of knowledge and experience base there to draw from, and it will disappear forever if not soon "copied". But for my purposes you need to search out, not only someone in the 75+ age group, but someone that is often or even rarely required to drive at night for some valid reason or circumstance. First, please don't misunderstand me and jump to the wrong conclusions. I will be the first to stand beside you on any soapbox as an aid to campaigning for more frequent vision tests and even some sort of reaction/response testing as I, we, grow into this age group. But in any case you may find yourself, inadvertently, having a very ENLIGHTENING conversation/experience. Insofar as I have been able to determine folks in that age group have degraded eyesight far beyond the level of my own at 65. You will find that many of them have given up, already, on their ability to drive safely at night. If you go into detail with them you will further discover that their primary concern, handicap, is the brightness of oncoming HID headlamps, most especially the aftermarket upgrades that do not have the otherwise required auto-leveling feature. So, please, don't bother to tell me that adding those H3s will have little effect on the brightness to oncoming drivers, talk to a few of our respected elders and ask them their opinion. And yes, all of us have need for a little BLING, my own has to do with green leds (to match the wimbledon green of that 2001 911/996 C4 to your left) as frontside street/parking lights. But they do flash amber in turn signal mode. And those DRLs you see illuminated are the european variety, small 10 watt halogen mounted inside the headlamp asemblt just for that purpose, and implemented the Canadian method, street/parking and tail lights all on the DRL circuit. And yes, those BBS racing wheels also add a bit of BLING, while also being fully functional even beyond the OEM wheels. So yes, BLING is the thing. But in dressing up your car in this way to impress others please remain mindful that some of those "others" might find themselves further handicapped by YOUR BLING. My 911 came from the factory with fog lights that operate independently of low beams, and I modified the wiring on my 2001 AWD RX300 so they can work that way. If you should ever encounter ground fog as it often happens here in the Pacific NW, especially along the coast highways, it will quickly become obvious why fogs are useless when operated with low beams in these circumstances. So, am I arrogant? No. Just older, more experienced and therefore more knowledgeable than many of you younger whipper-snappers. So I don't consider myself arrogant, just certain of myself.

"...HP is even better on the RX350...." ??? The RX350 is 270 HP and the RX400h is 268 HP.... But then there's the "rest of the story". Torque.

Assuming the factory recommendations for transaxle servicing is followed religiously is there any foundation for a belief that not ALL RX300 transaxles will fail prematurely? Why would the majority of owners have reason to disbelieve the scheduled maintenance recommendations provided my the actual designers and manufacturers of these vehicles? Has anyone of us seen a TSB or any notification by/from the manufacturer indicating that the recommendations printed in EVERY owners manual is not correct. I fully agree that regular flush and refills of the ATF will help to extend the useful life of these transaxles. Whatever the contamination and cause of burned ATF is it will help to extend the usefull life of the transaxle to remove burned and contaminated ATF. Personally I find it somewhat interesting that with my ATF I had no indication of contamination or a burned odor until about 38,000 miles. It looked, seemed to me that between just two engine oil changes, typically every 4,000 to 5,000 miles, my ATF went from "pristine", clear and pink, to dark and odorous. Did the molecular structure of the ATF suddenly change, say due to heat, and then the oil itself acted as a catalyst that caused a higher wear rate of the clutch frictional surfaces?

"....pic of the front of the car...." Not the road in front of the car but the "front of the car"......! Oh, now I see, said the blind man when kicked by the goose..... The question was about BLING all along even to the obvious detriment of forward vision. What? Well we already saw a picture of the light output in front of the car, hence why I asked for a picture of how they look from the front. Regardless of what you may believe simply because form follows function doesn't mean that form is entirely unimportant. I do care how my car looks yes. You really need to learn when your input on things like this isn't required or requested. This is one of those times. "...this is one of those times....." I find myself truly glad that you have taken it upon yourself to speak up for ALL of the potential readers of these posts, really, truly GLAD! You're quite correct I was totally out of line in disparaging anyone concerned with BLING. What I should have said is that anyone concerned with BLING in this context should be fully informed that in doing so they are likely sacrificing, significantly reducing, their night time distance vision. Thereby not only needlessly putting the own lives at risk but also that of their passengers, not to mention the lives of the passengers in oncoming vehicles. The brightness of oncoming HID low beams is already bad enough without the addition of otherwise useless, other than the BLING factor, extra bright fog lights illuminated along with the HIDs. For myself I think I might just start carrying around a small ball-pean hammer to use on BLING type extra bright fog lights and just maybe thereby save a few innocent lives.

The demographics of the surrounding neighborhood determine where that transmission shop is located. So yes, anywhere you see a transmission shop you are highly likely to see a number of newer cars outside. The only conclusion one should draw from that is that the owner was very astute in choosing the location for the shop.

Unless there is daily "rough" useage, a design or manufacturing flaw in a modern day automotive transaxle/transmission there will be absolutely no reason to "service" the transaxle or transmission in less than 100,000 miles. And that's a FACT gleamed from over 55 years of driving and DIY experience.

Sounds to me if your dealer's service bay is taking revenge as a result of your having all the $$$ brake work done at a third party shop and then when the third party failed to diagnose the resulting/continuing problem you decided to rely on them as a fall-back position. Personally I would disable the ABS pumpmotor and then drive it for awhile to see if the problem then persists. If it DOES persist you will know that it is NOT caused by any functionality related to the ability of the pumpmotor to replenish brake fluid pressure for ABS/Trac/VSC/BA or EBD. ABS wheelspeed sensors are NOT Hall Effect. Design is very close to the electric pickup used in guitars to detect string vibrations. Sensor is basically a "light" electromagnet in which disruptions of the magnetic field by the ABS gear tooths' passing is detected.

"....pic of the front of the car...." Not the road in front of the car but the "front of the car"......! Oh, now I see, said the blind man when kicked by the goose..... The question was about BLING all along even to the obvious detriment of forward vision.

The service manager at Bellevue Lexus told me that the easiest way to defeat the VSC/trac functions of VDIM is to create an engine fault. Unplugging the MAF/IAT module coonection just downstream of the engine air filter will cause the engine to die. Plug it back in, restart the engine, and all is well except for a CEL and the disabling of the VDIM functions. CEL will clear in about 4 drive cycles.

"...more torque stear unde heavy power....." What you are more likely experiencing is the fact that the EPS, Electric Power Stearing, reduces the level of power stearing assistance provided to the driver as more and more engine torque/HP, "power" is used. The idea, apparently, is to make it harder for the driver to enter severe steearing inputs in any direction when the front tires' roadbed traction coefficient is being dedicated mostly to forward "drive". Additionally it appears from reading the materials, Toyota documentation, that EPS is used to completely cancel any effects of torque stearing from reaching the stearing wheel.

Sorry, I have just NEVER seen the sense in considering resale value when purchasing a new vehicle. Initially that was because they normally went directly to the wrecking yards after I put ten years and 200,000 plus miles on them. Nowadays it's simply a "me first" attitude and to hell with the next buyer.

If you're interested I still have the Michelin cross terrains I removed from my 2001 AWD RX300's 17" wheels in favor of the much quieter Bridgestones.

The fluid is not only somehow getting contaminated it is also getting burned via overheating somehow. I have no problem with the contamination, that's simply a matter of the various clutch surfaces wearing and the resulting debris contaminating the fluid. Contamination via wear is something that normally happens over a much longer period, say in excess of 100,000 miles. ATF contamination in these transaxles is happening at a much higher rate as a result of the AGL, Aggressive Shift Logic, and other new shifting options adopted by Toyota early in this century. You can read about all three of the new "shift" methods via "Googling" for "Sierra Reseach". IMMHO the adoption of these methods resulted in a dramatically higher number of shifts per mile and that, of course, is causing the higher wear rate on the clutches' frictional surface. The RX300's ATF is overheating both as a result of the higher shifting loads and the heating of the ATF via heat transfer into the diff'l from the adjacent viscous clutch assembly in the attached PTO. Toyota and Lexus eliminated the problem of RX300 premature transaxle failures in the RX330 by eliminating the viscous clutch entirely and by adopting DBW, e-throttle, to significantly reduce the wear rate of the transaxle's frictional clutch surfaces. Just as Toyota has stated publically, the RX330's DBW is being used to "protect the drive train". I'd be willing to bet that since the RX350 again has a viscous clutch within the PTO the diff'l "sump" has been redesigned to allow the ATF to circulate from the diff'l into the transaxle case and thereby to the ATF cooling system more readily.

Fog lights are designed for/with a low and wide, "close-in" beam pattern. Having fog lights on at night along with your low beams will significantly reduce your night distance vision. Think about how much your irises would close up with a brighter close-in light. Not a good idea.

"...stares into a high res LCD display...." I almost NEVER have the map display on, even when using the Nav system. The very last thing I need is to be indecisive at an intersection and inadvertently look over at the display for help. An accident waiting to happen, that. I find voice guidance only to be perfectly adequate once the nav is activated. Additionally it would help tremendously if the nav screen reverted to the old white on green large font display of the non-nav system at all time other than displaying the map. A LOT of information displaying on ONE screen on the non-nav system avoiding the distraction of button pushing to bring up the OAT. I'm very tempted to avoid the built-in nav in my next purchase simply to get the other display and then use my portable touch screen garmin.

Yes, in the past two days I have seen instant delivery and special discounts in WA, Seattle area, and OR for the 2006 RX400h.

I run Bridgestone Turanza summer only tires all year around for comfort and quietness. I consider that worrying above tire "life" is a lot like worrying about brake pad life, so I don't. Hint: A hard rubber tire will give you the longest tire life but make you misserable during that daily drive.

I think Im going to wait til fall, the 2007 Model, and maybe get the 3.5L DFI engine.