rx350guy

You should use the lowest rated gas that gives you good performance. Try a tank or two of regular

and keep track of mpg, performance, and any 'pinging' noise. Then try a couple of tanks of the next

higher rated gas. And on to the premium. You will probably get a minimal better gas mileage from

thge premium but you need to weigh that with the cost difference. Maybe you could use a mud-grade and

have the best of both worlds. The onboard computer will override and compensate for any problems that

you may have with the lower grade gas. Use the one that runs the best.

I have several cars that are supposed to use premium and I have used regular in them all consistently.

One has a few miles short of 100,000 miles on it and runs great. It also gets great mpg.

I understand what you're saying, but then why does the manufacturer say that premium is required?

I just purchased a certified 2007 RX 350

In the morning on a cold start there is a distinct engine knock. It diminishes as the engine warms up but never fully goes away.

I have had the vehicle to Lexus service. They tell me this is normal (The nature of the beast). Does anyone have a fix or a service bulletin that addresses this problem.

There is a lot of discussion about this issue on the board, and I believe the general consensus is that it is normal for the RX's.

I think the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza are one of the best on the market. Had them for the blizzard last year and got around (due to work) with no problems. Dry,wet,snow performance is best I've had for suvs. I don't see them as noisy in the RX350. BUT maybe you like it dead quiet. I have them on my 10 sequoia plat. These are the only tires for my suvs as long as they keep selling them.

Snow...what's that??

I am a 1st time Lexus owner. I have a certified pre-owned 2008 RX350.

Anything that I should know? Tips on keeping my car running well?

I own/owned a few japanes cars since new (including 98 Corolla 90Kmiles, 03 TL-S 79K, 04 Accord 196K, 02 Odyssey 130K, 10 Sequoia 25K, 10 Venza 8K, 05 G35 122K) and late model Toyota/Lexus have been the easiest to work on, as I do most maintenance myself, and require the least amount of "maintenance" vs. other brands. Also, Toyota and Lexus cars have the least amount of problems from what my friends and I've experienced. First the transmission oil never needs to be changed unless you tow. I am told the RX350 does not have grease points for the chassis unlike the sequoia. The schedule is not the exact guideline from Lexus but it's what I follow. If you have some type of extended warranty you should follow what they say to do and keep all the receipts with a record of all the work.

Since it's a used vehicle, I would run auto-rx in your next oil change. If you have all the records showing it had good oil change intervals then maybe not. Much debate on this topic so do your research but I like the product. The accord was burning 1-1.25 quarts on 10K pennzoil platinum synthetic oil changes around 80-110K. I ran auto rx as noted and it dropped the consumption to .25-.5 every 10K until i sold the car 70K later.

I have a 08 RX350 without air suspension. 91,000 miles. zero problems. no repairs outside what's listed below.

MY maintenance schedule:

6K conventional oil

10K synthetic oil with 1/4 quart top off at 5K

auto-Rx every 50K

every oil change: pump out and replace power steering & brake fluid in the reservoir only

engine and cabin filter change 30K

brake flush every 2 years or 50K

rear differential and center case fluid 50-60K (this makes the car ride much smoother imho, I used amsoil severe gear oil 75W-90)

coolant drain and fill 50K (overkill by some but cheap at 20-30 bucks)

PCV valve 90K

Struts 90K

spark plugs 100K (huge pita to get to the rear three plugs, do not attempt unless you want to disassemble the intake manifold)

belts (not the timing chain) 100K

Hope this gives you an idea.

As we've talked about, Lexus recommended service, at the recommended intervals; nothing more, nothing less. Anything beyond this is a waste of time and money..

That doesn't look too bad, just needs to be sanded, primed, base coated and cleared.

Do you have an airbrush and air compressor? Preferable one large enough to spray this? You'd need the right paint and clear, and you'd need to remove the bumper to paint it.

Unless you're planning on doing this again, it's probably not worth buying the materials and doing it yourself. It'll cost you $100 just for the paint...

To have a shop do the repair, might run you in the $250-$500 range...

Agree with cd.. I had a very similar job done on my wife's car by a good independent shop, and it was about $300. Couldn't tell it even happened afterwards.. Your Lexus dealer will likely subcontract the work out anyway, and it will probably run you 2-3 times as much..

I am a 1st time Lexus owner. I have a certified pre-owned 2008 RX350.

Anything that I should know? Tips on keeping my car running well?

My main tip is to follow the maintenance schedule religiously and keep your vehicle reasonably clean. Excess maintenance can be almost as wasteful as too little maintenance. Consider using an independent repair shop that specializes in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. I've rarely used Lexus dealers in my 21 years of Lexus ownership and have gotten much better service and prices from independent repair shops.

Definitely agree.. keep your vehicle well maintained (according to the Lexus maintenance schedule - nothing more, nothing less); keep it clean inside and out, and you should enjoy years of reliable and great driving from your RX.

Welcome to the club!

Go to Lexus dealer (or call) they should give you the list model phones compatible with your particular model.

Or you can find the lists online via Lexus' bluetooth compatibility listings on their site; which is what I did when I got a new phone a few weeks ago..

I recently got new tires and they don't replace the permanent TPMS sensors (integrated with the metal valve stem), but they charged me ($3 each) for some kind of service kit for the TPMS sensors. I'm not sure exactly what was part of the kit but it's specific to each type of vehicle with TPMS.

This was my experience as well when I replaced 4 tires a few months ago. Anybody know what the TPMS 'sensor kit' is or does?

same as Messerschmidt above, I recently fitted 4 x yoko parada specX.

Based just on the reviews on Tirerack!

They seem pretty good. Just as quiet as the Michelin MXV4 that were on there before

Interesting since I replaced my stock Goodyears with the Michelin MXV4's a few months ago and have no complaints so far. Very quiet ride and they seem to be wearing well. Plus I got $100 of the st of 4 at Discount Tire.. :)

hi all

have only had my 07 350 for 3 weeks, and the wind noise is really annoying me.

At speeds of over 100kmh (60mph), the wind noise seems to dramatically increase.

I don't think it's the mirrors, as I've driven with them folded (in fact folded them electrically while driving) and it didn't make much difference.

Seems to happen in some travel directions more than others. eg on the same highway it seems worse in one direction than the other

Is this normal on the RX?

:(

thanks

I don't think it's normal for the 350. Lexus in general is known for their quiet rides, and that is what I have experienced with my 08 from the day I drove it off the dealer's lot. It has always been amazingly quiet in all driving conditions, including high freeway speeds. I don't believe your experience is the norm for RX's..

VSC and Engine llight on, still under warranty. No charge.

'07 Rx350: I've had the same problem ... the first time I had my Lexus dealer tell me to tighten the gas cap ... I did and the problem was resolve, even though it takes a few tanks for the light(s) to go out. Since I don't like to 'overtighten' anything, it's happened a couple of times since and retightening the gas cap and 'enduring' a few tanks of gas ... and the LIGHTS GO OUT.

Ron Pierson

You're supposed to tighten the gas cap until 1 click, and no further. Never had a problem on mine..

This is our first Lexus and so far, I'm totally unimpressed. Thanks.

Are you "totally unimpressed" because of this battery problem or have you had lots of other problems?

I've gotten more than 43,000 miles out of a battery in a Lexus vehicle only once in almost 21 years of driving them. I'd say you are doing pretty good. Also, a battery can test "good" but still be weak.

If you are keeping your headlight switch in the "Auto" position and letting the headlight ECU turn your lights off automatically, try turning the switch to the "Off" position each time you park you car. As explained to me by a Lexus tech, the headlight ECU checks every nanosecond whether your headlights are on and whether they should be turned off -- eating up battery power. Once we started turning the headlight switches in our Camry and Lexus to the "Off" position, our car batteries no longer seem to run down.

If it hasn't already been done, clean your battery terminals with one of those 3-dollar abrasive battery terminal cleaners and use some baking soda, water and an old tooth brush to clean away any corrosion and gunk. Reconnect the terminals and coat them and the battery cable ends with petroleum jelly or a substance designed for that use.

Is Lexus service incompetent? Does a bear !Removed! in the woods?

I have over 50,000 miles on my 08 RX 350, and the original battery is still going strong. I've never had my headlights on auto..

I haven't noticed that on my 08, but I do notice ticking sounds from the engine when I shut it off after driving for a while; which I know is normal..

I live in San Diego near the ocean, and do not have this problem with my 08 350..

hi, anyone got any suggestions where i can get a set of cheap tpms sensors for an 08 rx350? ebay or? tpmswholesaler seems to be down

i want them for the winter rims+snow tires I got for my RX.

they are 315mhz right?

Don't know if this is an option for you, but when I had my tires replaced at Discount Tire a few months ago, they replaced all four sensors. It is a kit that they charge you a few dollars for each. They would probably do them for your snow tires/rims for a nominal charge.

I'm pretty sure you can get a complete set of 4 practically identical to that one at Advance or any other parts store...maybe even Walmart. That's a pretty common design. The whole set would probably cost $5 or less.

I think those may even be aluminum...here's a set of 6 on Amazon for $2.89 -

http://www.amazon.co...70943848&sr=1-1

Those aren't exactly the same as the factory caps, but pretty close. Probably the only way to get the exact same caps is from the dealer..

How can I change the door locks or can they be changed. Like all doors lock on shift out of park. I remember some customizable settings when we bought the 2009 RX 350 but don't remember all the choices and are there instructions on how to do it anywhere?

Thx

Carl

I don't really understand by what you mean in "change door locks", but if you mean the setting that they 'lock' automatically when the car is in D, and unlock when in P, those settings can be changed by the dealer to be unaffected by the position of the gear lever. On my 09RX, the settings cannot be changed by the owner, only by dealer, except if a general 'reset' is made, in which case all defaults are re-established and all setting are lost. Good luck!

Does the dealer charge you to change this if you didn't take advantage of the 'complimentary' LPS updates soon after vehicle purchase?

Not sure on the tranny change interval but you may be getting close.

34K on tires is a lot. What is the tread depth now?

You need to verify wear on the brake pads.

Flushing power steering fluid at this time is a money maker for the dealer & they are selling you "snake oil".

Did they also suggest you lubricate the muffler bearing & replace the reluctor?

Fuel injection service: see power steering service above.

Completely agree with the above. I have always declined the fuel injection/induction service; it is a complete ripoff..

Hey RX guy. This is not the response we are looking for. When starting the car in the cold mornings, we do not want cold air coming out of the dash vents while the system is waiting for the heat to generate. When the system is waiting for heat, no air whatsoever should come out of the vents. Is this a problem with the duct doors not closing tightly or is there a way to keep all air from coming through the vents until the heat is ready to come on.

Okay.. I thought I answered your question, but I guess your particular situation is a bit more complicated than I thought. Hopefully you'll get a better answer soon!

Interesting.. I've never experienced this (thankfully) in the 3+ years of driving my 08 350..

Look out for dealers overcharging for services you don't really need. Stick to the required maintenance specified in the manual. At 60,000 it's just an oil/filter change, rotate tires, replace cabin and engine air filters, replace brake fluid, visually inspect brake pads, and a few other routine inspections.

If you're at 39K now, your next service should be at 40K (every 5K according to the manual). The 40K is very minor service, LOF, rotate tires, etc. Agree that you should always be wary of dealerships trying to sell you service that your car doesn't need.

Nope, they're not supposed to be lit.

Mine are.. They come on with the rest of the dash illumination when the headlights are turned on..

only the 3 homelink buttons... we're talking about the moonroof buttons that aren't illuminated.

The original post/question also mentioned homelink as not illuminating; that's the part I was responding to..

Nope, they're not supposed to be lit.

Mine are.. They come on with the rest of the dash illumination when the headlights are turned on..

The specifications for the 2010 RX350 for the U.S. market have the following footnote:

[3]Ratings achieved using the required premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher. If premium fuel is not used, performance will decrease.

It was recently announced that the only change on the 2011 ES350 is that it is "re-rated" to use regular fuel at a small loss in power and torque. Note that the word "re-designed" was not used -- only the word "re-rated". Doesn't your RX use the same engine as the ES of the same year?

Sounds pretty much like our old 98 Camry V6 -- its owners manual says regular fuel is acceptable but that there is a slight performance increase if premium fuel is used.

All I know is that the owner's manual and the sticker inside the fuel filler door of my 08 RX 350 both say 'premium unleaded fuel only'..

I received the credit card key with my 08 RX.

Jeff

So did I..