GDixon

It might work in muddy conditions if you ever get rain again in the south.

Mine has (had) that characteristic also. I think it allows one to adjust the racks from one side of the car. Many people on this forum just remove them since they won't be used. Mine were taken off and my gas mileage improved .0001%. :whistles: There are some posts on the crossbar removal technique if you do a search of this site.

Check the cabin air filter. However, in S. Cal there should not be a mold problem. With only 2K miles on the car you may want to take it back to the Lexus dealer under warranty and have them deal with the issue. Others on this site have noted an odor in their cars but it is not a common occurrence. Do a search of this site using keyword "odor" or "smell" and see what comes up.

Try checking online. This link will take you to a custom touch up paint manufacturer. I used them to color match a 1984 Porsche 944 when my touch up paint dried up. Their product matched perfectly. http://www.etouchup.com/?gclid=CMH3z-y82o8CFSFaagodqnk09A

The dead rat, or any animal, issue is possible. I live on a farm and did experience such a thing once. However, decaying flesh doesn't smell like manure. Have you checked the fresh air/heater/AC filter? It is supposed to be changed every 15K miles. It can get moldy and have a musty odor, especially in humid country. There are some hints on this site about cheaper ways to get around having to buy an expensive Lexus filter. Some people cut up HVAC filters that are carbon impregnated to reduce odors.

It's nice to hear good new once in a while. :D

This may be a dealer specific issue. My dealer (Lexus of Roseville in California) was asked if there would be a charge to reprogram the preferences if something needed changed and the service rep said it would be done for free. The car was bought at that dealer so that may may be something influencing the complimentary changing.

Good for you for posting positive thoughts, even though it is couched in a negative view of those who post negative views. It is often the case that people who post or comment do so out of desperation or the occurrence of negative circumstances. It is rare for people to post just to say how pleased they are. It is the same with just about any consumer feedback; pleased people do not post, those with a problem want the world to know and possibly help. Perhaps you have experienced the same thing. I joined this forum because of some questions and concerns about my new Lexus and probably 98% of the others here joined for the same reason. Those looking for solutions will search while those completely pleased will leave well enough alone.

Has anyone here looked into the Libertarian Party? No, they won't win the Presidency but a few members in Congress and a decent percentage in the Presidential election would send the message that can be generalized from several posts on this topic. The bottom line is that the representatives of the Libertarian Party are all politicians and have the same foibles as any politician. However, they seem dedicated to getting government off of our backs - at least that is the rhetoric.

Thanks for helping us all out in a situation where frustration reins. How would it work to put a piece of masking take under the nut to temporarily hold the nut in place? It would be removed afterwards or it would be dried out and gone by the next time the filter is changed. A little bit of hot glue to hold in the nut might work as well. The engine compartment heat should not be enough to remelt it. Wing nuts would tend to come loose with the vibration in the engine area would be my thought on that fix.

Here is another post that has even more information and is more detailed. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=33399&st=0

I have an 08 RX350 that the seat belt alarm was disabled. It is simple but you have to know what to do. Check this link for more information. The method stated works for the RX as well. Try searching the forum if you need help on something else - you will be amazed at the amount of helpful information here. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;hl=seat+belt

Costco for sure. Look for the $60 off of a set of four sale that happens often.

You completely missed the point. At least you admitted to being short sighted. "i actually believe that over population, especially in terms of space, is not what we should be concerned about right now," Space was never a concern in my post. The earth could be coated with people for that matter if resources were available. There are simply not enough resources and now the effect of material waste from human activity is beginning to be seriously felt throughout the environment. A favorite example is the argument that cow flatulence causes more pollution than cars. With less people there would be both less cows and less cars. Also ignored is the pollution created by the manufacture of the cars. Overpopulation has the "trickle down" effect. The quote you included in your post is what is possible not what is recommended and not what is logical given the facts. The world is straining under the current food supply as evidenced by worldwide hunger - even in the U.S. Under the current population situation there are shortages of many commodities that are considered essential - not only food. It can be concluded that less people equates to less problems. Hurricane Katrina, the California wildfires, the Indian Ocean tidal waves were disasters because of the destruction of humanity in a relatively natural occurrence. While even the loss of one life is tragic, the losses would be far less with fewer people. Next time you read the newspaper or watch the TV news ask yourself if the reported problem would be eased by controlling the population. Another possibility is to watch the movie series "Mad Max" to see what the shortage energy alone will cause. Try reading "1984" to see how you will be living in 2024. I'm done with this subject. Ignorance is bliss so enjoy.

The first oil change is free if the car is new. Only that first 5,000 mile oil change is free. They rotate the tires as well. The remainder of the oil changes will cost you your first born. Lexus would love to get everyone in the "dealer oil change" habit. Somebody might skip the first free oil change if they live far from a dealer, want to do their own work, don't trust the dealer, want to be absolutely sure it is done correctly (and the panels put back correctly), or want to use a special oil or filter.

If you really think about it, participating would contribute to the demise of Earth. Feeding the poor is admirable on the surface but is short-sighted. Such action contributes to the overpopulation that plagues the world and will eventually destroy it. Well-fed organisms reproduce actively. This is not meant as a criticism but rather a fact of nature. Any organism will multiply until the resources are exhausted and then begin consuming each other. Bacteria in a petri dish, rats in a cage, people on a planet all share the tendency. It is unfortunate that humans cannot control their reproductive instincts with their well-developed brains. One of these days some brave leader will expose this problem on the world stage and actually take steps to do something about it. Maybe the impetus will be oil, global warming, pollution, famine, or who knows. Don't expect the leader to emerge from the United States since the economy would completely collapse with a static population. In the meantime, happily feed everyone and wonder why genocide, war, and other atrocities are committed.

"LOC" is this site - Lexus Owners' Club (LexusOwnersClub.com). Their search engine is not the best but it usually works.

The reflection explanation makes sense. Try stopping on a road where you see the stray light in the tree tops (out of the way of course). Cover different parts of the headlight assembly with your hand or some 2" masking tape to find out where the reflection is originating. After that you can decide what you want to do about it - if anything. BTW, don't forget to take off the tape.

Yep, that is what the transmission is designed to do. You might do a search of the LOC site to get more information about quirky transmission issues. There is plenty of information here.

They would have rotated the spare if you were willing to put forth a ridiculous amount of cash. The personalized settings have to be done with a special hand-held computer device that plugs in under the dash somewhere. The dealer got mine wrong too but I checked all of the settings before I left the dealership. A guy came out and fixed it in about 5 minutes while the car was in the "exit" line so I could see what he did. The service rep was asked if the personal settings would require a service charge if something different was wanted in the future. She said that it would not be a problem and would not be charged. It probably has to be reasonable - like not weekly. If you still have your setting sheet, or the service rep still has it, another visit to the dealership should correct the setting without a problem. Strangely, the same personalized setting was wrong on my car as it was with yours - unlocking the car with one click. Maybe it is a conspiracy!

Rotating the spare into the tire rotation sequence would require dismounting the spare, mounting and balancing it on the "pretty" rim, and mounting and balancing the replaced tire on the spare rim. Then there is the labor of removing/replacing the spare under the car. Lexus will probably do it but don't expect it to be free. When I bought new rims from the dealer the mounting was "included" in the price but when it was detailed out on the bill the labor cost was over $100 per tire. My advice is to wait until the 4 tires are worn then buy 3 tires, use the spare, and save one of the worn tires as the spare. Not a perfect solution but it would work if the same brand of tires was used as the original.

If your spare is monitored as it is in an RX, check that too.

Do a search of this site for more information. Try this link for a post I wrote some time ago. It applies to your vehicle as well. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...43&hl=hitch

My recent trip was 3.400 miles from Northern CA through Yellowstone NP, Glacier NP, and return through WA and your OR. This was in an 08 RX 350 and it did the same frequent downshifting at high speed. The point is that Lexus must be satisfied with that quirk in the car since it still exists with the 2008 model that has plenty of HP to handle slight lugging. The head mechanic at a Lexus dealer said that the transmission has two overdrives so cycling through all three of the "D" gears is a usual issue. The worst is when going up a hill and every 2-3 seconds it decides to lurch into another gear. It does not make for pleasant or peaceful driving. For some reason, the constant shifting is hard to get used to and is startling when it occurs. I ended up leaving the cruise control off and tried to feather the throttle just enough so the downshifts would not occur. Speed was lost on hills but it is a fair price to pay for not being constantly jerked around. Your solution sounds similar. As Clinton might say, "I feel your pain." ;)

Oh, yeah. Try looking at the cabin air filter - then change it. It is supposed to be replaced every 15,000 miles. After that leave your window or sunroof slightly open to allow for circulation. There are many posts on LOC that address this issue. Some members have even gone to Home Depot and cut one of their carbon filled HVAC filters to fit. Storing in a humid underground area would only make mold growth and the resulting odor worse. BTW, if your Lexus smells you have an anatomical miracle. If it just has an odor then you won't be getting rich soon on Letterman. ;)