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SRX

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Posts posted by SRX

  1. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post.  I'll double check the manual for servere service recommendations, but my vehicle is not used in conditions typically listed as severe conditions.   I did not ask why the service was being recommended; only knew the service manual did not agree with the recommendation.  Again, thanks!

  2. When I had my oil/filter changed and tires rotated at a Lexus dealership on my 2011 RX450h with 53,000 miles, it was suggested I exchange the rear differential fluid.  I declined this service.  The warranty and service guide for the vehicle states to inspect the rear differential fluid (AWD only) through 180 months or 150,000 miles interval.  Never a mention of an exchange in the warranty service guide which came with the vehicle.  Any thoughts?    

  3. Thanks for your response to the 12 volt battery discussion.  You raise an interesting point; I honestly do not know if the RX450h twelve volt battery works on the same as in the Prius, but I will find out.  Since both vehicles are Toyotas, it seems likely they work on the same principle.  I'll also check if my dealership participates in the Costco Auto Program.  Again, appreciate your response.  Thanks!

     

  4. Appreciate your reply.  When I have the battery replaced, I'll most likely go to a Lexus dealership.  I have dealership coupons to lessen the cost a little.  I live in an area with multiple dealerships nearby; there is more than  a $100.00 cost variance between dealerships, so check around.  I did check with a very reliable independent auto repair shop in my area.  His pricing was about the same as my Lexus dealer.  So far, I have experienced none of the symptoms you describe with your headlights and radio.   

     

     

  5. My 2011 RX450h has 40,000 miles on it.  The auxiliary  (battery that starts the car) battery is original.  Lexus service tests the battery at each service interval and the battery tests good.  Eight years is a long time for a battery to last.  As I understand it, the original battery is a glass based battery; not lead.  This type of battery usually last longer, but I do not want to wait for the battery to die and be left stranded.  Any of you with Lexus hybrids have any input regarding at what point you replaced the auxiliary (the one that starts the car) battery? Thanks!  

    • Like 1
  6. Considering purchasing an LC 500.  Have read several reviews indicating the controls in the car are very unintuitive; many controls can only be accessed through the navigation screen.  Would appreciate any LC 500 owner feedback regarding controls.  Also, generally, how do you like your LC 500?

  7. When I visited my Lexus dealership to discuss the brake repairs which were made earlier, the service manager and a technician told me the devices controlling the brake pressure distribution were all acting as they should.  The problem was the freezing calipers on the passenger side.  There was no real explanation given as to why the issue with the calipers had occurred.  It was mentioned the agency has been experimenting with different lubricants to solve this caliper problem.

    In response to a letter I mailed to Lexus Customer Experience requesting Lexus reimburse at least some of my cost to repair the brakes, I was told Lexus would not cover any of my repair cost since brakes are a wear item; this in spite of the one axle only going about 12,000 miles before brake replacement was required and the other axle 17,000 miles.  Very few miles, in my opinion, to necessitate brake pad replacement.  Lexus did offer a $200.00 service voucher which may be applied to future service work on my 2005 RX at a Lexus dealership.  I mailed a second letter asking Lexus to reconsider, and reimburse some of my brake repair cost or at least allow me to use the $200.00 service voucher on either of my Lexus vehicles.  They said no.         

  8. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post.  I agree something is wrong with this picture.  I too have never experienced one side seizing up.  I did see the wear on the passenger side brake pads compared to the driver's side pads.  The question is what caused the caliper slides on one side to seize.  Do not believe it was low mileage driving since the vehicle has always been a low mileage vehicle since new.  I agreed to replace the brakes at the dealership and that work is done.  Too late for a second opinion.  I have written a letter to Lexus Customer Experience regarding this situation and am waiting for a reply.  I'll post the response from Lexus. 

     

     

  9. I appreciate your reply and thoughts regarding my post; you raise an intriguing possibility.  I understand why the brakes on both sides would need to be worked on in this situation.  Since there is no difference in how the car has been driven since it was new, I am still puzzled why the original brakes/caliper slides went so many more miles than the calipers on both brake replacements.  Again, thanks for your thoughts.  

  10. My 2005 RX330 with 63,000 miles, front and rear brakes replaced at 45,285 and 50,972 miles respectively, required brake pad replacement and caliper slides cleaning because of excessive brake pad wear on the front and rear brakes on the passenger side only.  Dealership says this is common on vehicles with low mileage.   At the dealerships recommendation, both driver and passenger side pads and calipers were worked on rather than just the passenger side.  Makes no sense to me.  Any experience or thoughts about this situation?  

  11. I would appreciate any feedback concerning a problem with the CD player in my 2005 RX330. "ERROR 4" appears on the display. The owner's manual states this message indicates trouble inside the system and instructs me to eject the CD. The CD's will not eject. Next instruction in the manual is to take the vehicle to a Lexus dealer if the problem is not rectified. Your suggestions?

  12. Is anyone aware of after market no-drill front license plate holders for a 2011 RX 450h? I have seen excellent holders designed for Mustangs from Craig's custom Mustang brackets at jltperformance.com and at a You tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El9loVVIeck; the holders are made of stainless steel and attach with stainless steel wing nuts with the plastic bumper fascia of the vehicle sandwiched between two pieces of metal. I did locate one holder requiring drilling holes in the underneath part of the front bumper fascia rather than the front, but would prefer not to drill any holes. Any suggestions are appreciated.

    http://skenedesign.com/FPBracket/index.shtml ???

    I found this, but you may have already looked at it.

    Paul

    Thanks Paul. I found that site too. This design requires drilling two holes on the bottom lip of the bumper which I was hoping to avoid. Also, do not believe there is the minimum space required to attach the bracket.

    Did find a gominigo.com site which shows a picture of a non drill bracket on an RX350 that fits in the tow bolt hole and mounts the plate off center. An interesting look. Cost is $85.00 plus shipping which is more than I hoped to spend to put a front plate on the vehicle.

  13. Is anyone aware of after market no-drill front license plate holders for a 2011 RX 450h? I have seen excellent holders designed for Mustangs from Craig's custom Mustang brackets at jltperformance.com and at a You tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El9loVVIeck; the holders are made of stainless steel and attach with stainless steel wing nuts with the plastic bumper fascia of the vehicle sandwiched between two pieces of metal. I did locate one holder requiring drilling holes in the underneath part of the front bumper fascia rather than the front, but would prefer not to drill any holes. Any suggestions are appreciated.

  14. I concur with code58's assessment of these vehicles "using", not "leaking" a very small amount of coolant as part of their normal operating procedure. We've owned my wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD since late January 2007. She's put approximately 75,000 miles on the vehicle during that timespan. No coolant leaks have ever been evident. But at the end of every summer with its 95 to 100-degree daily highs here, I have to top off the coolant expansion tank with perhaps 3 ounces of fresh coolant. I've always believed that it is due to evaporation since this system is not truly sealed. But as code58 surmised, it may be very slight seepage which then evaporates quickly due to the heat in the engine compartment....

    So top off your coolant expansion tank, and simply keep an eye on it. No need to spend any money on a new water pump at this point....

    Thanks for sharing you thoughts. Lexus Customer Satisfaction has agreed to replace the water pump as a warranty item even though the vehicle is beyond the warranty period.

  15. I concur with code58's assessment of these vehicles "using", not "leaking" a very small amount of coolant as part of their normal operating procedure. We've owned my wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD since late January 2007. She's put approximately 75,000 miles on the vehicle during that timespan. No coolant leaks have ever been evident. But at the end of every summer with its 95 to 100-degree daily highs here, I have to top off the coolant expansion tank with perhaps 3 ounces of fresh coolant. I've always believed that it is due to evaporation since this system is not truly sealed. But as code58 surmised, it may be very slight seepage which then evaporates quickly due to the heat in the engine compartment....

    So top off your coolant expansion tank, and simply keep an eye on it. No need to spend any money on a new water pump at this point....

  16. SRX,

    I never have exactly figured it out, but the T/L products with aluminum engines (block AND head) seem to lose a VERY slight amount of cooant. That would be the determining factor most of the time, does it use coolant, even a small amount? My DIL's '99 RX has always used a SMALL amount from the day they got it. And by a small amount I mean about a 1/2 to 1/3 pint a year, maybe less. My wifes '02 Camry (1st year they used an all aluminum engine in the 4 cyl.) used about 1/4 pint (per year) from the beginning. Our grandson has had the car for over a year now and it continues the same. That is a VERY SMALL amount of loss, but it is not ZERO. I am absolutely certain there was NEVER a leak in either of the vehicles. I have proper leak pressure testing equipment. I will say that while I said the WP in the '99 looked new (it indeed did) that there was a slight pink trail from the weep hole, but was bone dry AND NEVER MADE IT PAST THE END OF THE HOLE! Meaning obviously that did not explain even the small amount that it leaked in a year, only a small part of that small amount. With the seal system they use I can't even imagine how those few drops got that far. One thing I did notice on the RX was that when I was under it to change the rear A/F ratio sensor, there was DRY indication of coolant making it past the head gasket on the firewall side of the engine. I have often wondered if there is at times MICROSCOPIC seapage because of the higher rate of expansion and contraction on aluminum, and especially because these are ALL aluminum engines. T/L designs outstanding gaskets, like all the rest of the parts, so I don't think that's the problem, per se.

    I believe that mechanic was LOOKING for some work, and it wasn't because you NEEDED a WP!

    Our '11 Camry is about 14 mo. old and I don't see hardly any sign of loss of coolant.

    Thanks for the additional input. Lexus Customer Satisfaction has agreed to replace the water pump as a warranty item even though the vehicle is beyond the warranty period.

  17. Agree with code58, as for that price i would have taken it to an independent and for that price you could get the timing belt, and water pump done....Do you have any coolant on the ground under the car?

    Thanks, lenore. No coolant on the ground or anywhere on the car. I'll keep an eye on the "leak" and use an independent shop if the water pump needs replacing. Please look at my response to code58 for more detail.

  18. Just replaced the front brakes on my 2005 RX330 with 45,000 miles at a Lexus dealership. While doing this repair, the technician noticed some pink residue around the water pump and diagnosed it as a leak. His recommendation is to replace the water pump. Since it was delivered in March of 2005, the car is out of warranty . Cost: $862.00. Price at other repair shops is between $350.00 and $700.00.

    Have any of you experienced what I consider an early water pump failure?

    Guy must have checked you bank account to see how much money you had in there. What I want to know is how did he see your water pump to see that it was leaking? It is completely covered! How did he see it when doing the brakes??? X-ray eyes maybe??? To top it off, I have changed those pumps and they are the finest engineered and built WP I have ever seen in my life. When I changed the WP on my DIL's RX at 120+K mi. while trying to determine what was causing a minor "squeal" at start up. The water pump was definitely the original and looked absolutely new! I even cut it apart with a die grinder and thin cut-off blade and the bearings, seals and all were absolutely new! It has the most secure and elaborate seal system I've ever seen in a WP. I can't even imagine how one of those could ever leak. I THINK (been a while since I did it) that it had 3 different type of seals in there. You can purchase the OEM AISIN WP online for about $80., possibly less. That's what you call more than a little pricey at over $850. I WOULD NOT USE ANYTHING BUT OEM AISIN WP though!

    Thanks for your reply, code58. I also wondered how he just happened to spot the water pump since it is not visible while working on front brakes. He used a light to show me some pinkish looking residue at the end of the water pump (it appeared like dry powder to me) and said that indicated a leak. No coolant was in sight. I'll keep an eye on the supposed leak and use an independent shop if it is indeed leaking. I am also a fan of OEM parts. Thanks again.

  19. Since my last post on this topic regarding a cracked reluctor ring some time ago, a new repair option has come up. Lexus wanted to replace the left 1/2 axle which includes a new reluctor ring and the speed sensor to rectify the ABS lamp staying on at a cost of $1,632.00. Car is a 2000 RX300 with 90,000 miles.

    Found an independent shop where this repair has been done before by removing the 1/2 axle and welding the cracked reluctor ring. As an earlier reply to my initial post indicated, the speed sensor replacement will not be necessary according to the mechanic proposing this repair since the problem is the cracked reluctor ring. He has successfully done this repair before on other RX300's.

    About $300.00.

    Read the post about the person who made this repair with epoxy and the repair failed. Sorry the epoxy failed after all your work, but I am not surprised it did. I'm interested hearing your opinions about whether a weld should do the trick?

  20. Just replaced the front brakes on my 2005 RX330 with 45,000 miles at a Lexus dealership. While doing this repair, the technician noticed some pink residue around the water pump and diagnosed it as a leak. His recommendation is to replace the water pump. Since it was delivered in March of 2005, the car is out of warranty . Cost: $862.00. Price at other repair shops is between $350.00 and $700.00.

    Have any of you experienced what I consider an early water pump failure?

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