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newtoncd

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Everything posted by newtoncd

  1. Add me to growing list that really likes these tires. I put a set on my 05 330 and they are fairly quiet, ride quite well in the rain and no snow since putting them on but I expect good traction. I did some reading on this and other forums and these have an excellent reputation. I just put a new (replacement) set on our 2004 RX330. After 38,500 miles, the Alenza's were down to 4/32 and and were in need of replacement. Because they offer a 65K treadlife warranty, and I only got 38K, I got quite a bit of money back to help pay for the replacements. Much better than the Michelin's that don't offer any type of treadlife warranty.
  2. Continous?!? I am having to replace my Rotors now, because they are warped. This is the first time that i am having to do this. Your post sounds a little scary, what would cause this, or in your case, what would cause it to be "continous" is this a known issue on RXs. I should have done it myself, it is pretty straight-forward .... I didn't go with OEM rotors this time, the shop put on "Mountain" rotors made in Japan along with OEM pads. They checked the calipers and said they were functioning as they were supposed to. We will see how it goes .... as for this problem, I don't think a lot of people are experiencing it as bad as we have. We purchased the RX in November 2003, so it is an early production model .... I know this much, anytime we drive up in the mountains (which isn't that often), when we come back to 5280, it seems the rotors are warped.
  3. We had the TSB update at 30K and the dealer put on new rotors with the old pads .... at 60K, they put on new pads and turned the rotors and they turned the rotors again at 90K ... this all because of warping. Now, they are warped again. I always have the rotors hand torqued to 80 pounds and my wife isn't hard on the brakes. I am going today to get new pads and rotors ...... replacing them both at once, I hope will solve the issue ... time will tell.
  4. 114K on our 2004 RX330 .... continuous brake rotor warp problem, but other than that, great vehicle
  5. And you can get a screamin' deal on them at SAM's club .... in Colorado, it was $680 plus taxes out the door.
  6. I pay $129 for a full fluid exchange with Toyota Type-IV on our 2004 RX330. I have it done every 30K. I do my own oil changes and Discount Tire rotates for free, so I can't help with the total bill.
  7. I have a 09RX350 with the 18" wheels, and it came with Michelin tires. I've only got 6600 miles on it, but the tires are fine: good grip, low noise, good 'feel' (if 'feel' is not an oxymoron when associated to RX steering) and they seem to be OK in the rain, including hard tropical showers. I haven't tried them in cold conditions... I assume you have the 17" wheels, and I don't know if the original 18" Michelins come in your size. Maybe you can check on tirerack.com? No treadwear warranty on both the Michelin and Goodyear tires makes it a non-starter for me. The OEM Michelin's lasted just about 35K before needing replaced. The Bridgestone Alenza's have a 65K rating and although they will need to be replaced at about 40K, I am at least getting a credit for the treadwear. YMMV.
  8. Had ours replaced at about 93K with the timing belt ... they still looked to be in pretty good shape.
  9. I'm interested. Are you certain that it will fit an RX330? I use the M1-102 on our '04 RX330 and have for years .... but, I get them for $9.99 a piece on sale or as part of the oil package deal at Autozone. There are plenty of good options (Bosch Premium, Wix, Napa Gold, OEM). I am going to try the new Fram 10,000 mile filter next oil change. I change the oil filter every other oil change, so the new Fram will be ideal. I will end up getting an oil analysis when I am done ... so far, the Mobil 1 filter has shown excellent results.
  10. Pretty darn easy: http://newtoncd.freehost10.com/files/Lexus...nstructions.pdf
  11. Pennzoil Platinum is an excellent choice for your RX; if you listen to the advertising, it will clean out sludge nicely. It is in the mid-range for 30 weight oils (viscosity 100°C is 10.2 cst); 30 weight starts at 9.3. Castrol Syntec is also an excellent oil, but the 0W30 is almost a 40 weight (viscosity @ 100°C is 12.1 cst); a 40 weight starts at 12.5. Or, Auto-RX will definitely clean (safely) out the sludge. My $.02.
  12. First off, you are posting to this forum, so I assume you want honest feedback. Next, it is wrong they didn't treat you with the most utmost respect. I don't care what type of dealership it is. I would think it would be common that if you had your car towed in (and it was drivable) for diagnosis that they may need to test drive to see what is wrong. It is very unfortunate that they damaged your car, although it has happened to me before. The place paid for the repair to my vehicle, accepted responsibility, and I was on my way. Finally, as I understand things, they wrecked your car and they are offering to either fix it at their repair shop or give you the cash to fix it at the shop of your choice, right? That seems fair to me. While it is not fair this happened, the damage is minor and there is no concern about the damage being near the gas tank. Did you purchase the vehicle new back in 1999? If so, has it ever been in a minor accident? If not, how do you know the previous owner didn't have some type of accident? In the end, I am left a little confused. What do you want them to do, give you blue book price and let you walk because of the damage? You didn't state the number of miles, so I am assuming 100,000 miles and based upon that, the wholesale price is somewhere around $6000-$7000. Their offer seems fair to me. My $.02.
  13. Sorry to hear about that. Our 04 RX330 has just over 105K on the odometer and has had oil changes every 5K since new ... no sludge here.
  14. There is a TSB/warranty coverage enhancement for this issue. I don't have the specifics on it, but it is worth a phone call to the dealer. TSB Number:0702 NHTSA Number:10023695 TSB Date:October 16, 2007 Date Added to File:January 25, 2008 Failing Component: Unknown Or Other Summary: Customer support program - warranty coverage enhancement for 2004 model year gx470, ls430 & rx330 vehicles as well as 2004 through early 2005 model year lx470 vehicles equipped with rear (back-up) camera.
  15. 2004 RX330 here, purchased new, now have 105,000 miles ... I use an independent that charges $129 ($109 if I can find a coupon) for a fluid exchange (technically a flush) using Type IV. The first flush was at 60K ... it desperately needed changed. After seeing that fluid, I now do flushes every 30K. I had another flush at 90K, the fluid looked a lot better. The next one is scheduled for 120K, again I will do a flush .... YMMV.
  16. Believe it or not, this is in your owner's manual. Make sure only the odometer display is on (i.e. it is not in trip a or b mode). Press and hold the reset button next on the left next to the steering wheel, then cycle the key to accessories on. The dashes will disappear one by one on the odometer display until gone. Once gone the resetting procedure is complete.
  17. I use this one from Griot's Garage ... it works great. http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+ma...id+extractor.do
  18. The independent shop I use works only on Toyota/Lexus and has a running special of $189 for a timing belt replacement, but the water pump added a bit more to the price. I also replaced the serpentine belt. When I priced things, the Lexus dealer was right at $1000, the Toyota dealer was around $650 and the indy was $425. They Toyota parts, so I was comfortable with getting it done ... it does suck because the parts looked to be in very good condition.
  19. I agree with RX in NC, but my only concern is the fact that the RX330 is a valve bender, so I did it around 95,000 miles. The total price including water pump was $425. My wife was getting to take a road trip and I didn't want to take any chances. YMMV.
  20. That makes sense .... our RX was made in Japan .... I called back and was told ours wasn't covered (too many miles), but also, it was affected. Thanks for clarifying.
  21. I called and I am over the mileage limit (we have 102K on our 2004 RX330). If this is truly a recall, I didn't think recalls had any mileage or year limits. Was the dealer just giving me the run around?
  22. My opinion (for what it's worth), Castrol Syntec 0W30 is a bit heavy for the Toyota engines. At operating temp, it is very close to a 40 weight oil. I use it in my Audi, but not in my wife's RX330. Amsoil is a great oil, I just prefer an oil I can purchase over the counter. Schaeffer's is another excellent oil to consider. I personally would stick with Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum, 5W30 for either. YMMV.
  23. If for some reason you can't find the K&N oil filter, the Mobil 1 filter is identical (internal) for about $2 less.
  24. Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 and Mobil 1 oil filter here. We purchased our RX new and I originally used Mobil 1 5W30 EP up until about 60K, but after a couple of oil analysis reports, I switched over to Pennzoil and the reports looked better.
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