monarch

wwest, if you want to learn the intimate details about the electronics and engineering of Toyota transmissions and other components you can find it in the official Toyota / Lexus Technician Training Manuals available for download at http://techinfo.toyota.com/ http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/tech.jpg

In the past month I've rented the following vehicles while on business trips. Since all were 2005 models I assume all had electronic throttles: 1) Ford Freestyle AWD SUV, CVT Transmission: No noticable hesitation 2) Subaru Outback AWD Wagon, 5 speed automatic: Highly noticable hesitation 3) Chevy Malibu FWD 4 speed automatic: No noticable hestitation 4) Chevy Cobalt FWD 4 speed automatic: No noticable hesitation I think "noticable" may be the key factor here; i.e. all the cars above technically may hesistate, but the amount of the hesitation was noticable and distracting on only one of them.

Yeah the official Toyota Brake System Technician Training Manual says improperly torqued wheel lug nuts is a leading cause of brake rotor run out (what people refer to as "warp"). The manual further recommends tightening the lug nuts by hand instead of using power tools.

A Toyota is an Asian car with a transmission designed and built by a Japanese company called Aisin. The Aisin automatics have a 400,000+ mile durability track record when the owner has drained and refilled the 2-3 quarts of fluid in the oil pan every 15,000 -20,000 miles or so. The filter of an Aisin automatic NEVER needs to be changed (just cleaned in solvent every 150-200,000 miles or so is all that is needed). One fellow on this forum who goes by the name Bicolini has accumulated 438,000 troublefree miles on his 1981 Aisin A40D 4-speed automatic transmission.

I'd be curious to know what your 400h manual says about the maintenance of your CVT? Is Type T-IV fluid specified or Type WS fluid (World Standard fluid)? Is there a transmission fluid dipstick located under the hood, or is there a transmission fluid fill hole located underneath the car on the transmission itself that you keep filled to the brim as on a manual transmission car? Is there a transmission fluid drain plug or is the whole unit permanently sealed? Does the manual specify fluid changes for severe service like towing? Thanks for any information you might be able to provide.

I agree it's good to use discount Lexus dealers like http://www.lexus-parts.com or http://www.lexuspartsmall.com/ irontoad.com is also a Lexus dealer that's good. Alot of the regular maintenance items like filters, fluids, spark plugs, can be purchased for even lower prices in some cases from Toyota dealers like 1sttoyotaparts.com because the RX330 shares alot of parts with the Toyota Highlander SUV

Toyota Type T-IV fluid is the factory fill fluid and it's NOT synthetic and that's why it's priced almost the same as Toyota Dexron III fluid. It's inherently risky to fool around with anything other than factory fluids. SKPerformance tried Mobil synthetic and later admitted "My transmission troubles began after I used Mobil 1 synthetic" When I was younger I fooled around with synthetics too. Now I have a transmission seal leak which would cost me $800 to get fixed. I have no one to blame but myself for taking unnnecessary and avoidable risks. Installing aftermarket filters and coolers is risky too. What's not risky is to simply drain and refill the 4 quarts of Type T-IV in your transmission oil pan every 15,000 miles. The aftermarket won't make any money off you if you do this and that's why they won't recommend it.

Here are two realities about synthetic oil: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/syna.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/synb.jpg

I have one Toyota with 465,000 miles and another with 243,000. Both have their factory original rotors and they have never warped. Needless to say I am extremely impressed with the quality of OEM rotors and pads. My belief is that if OEM rotors warp, it's not the fault of the rotors. Blame lies with: 1. Owners who make abrupt stops instead of gradual, gentle stops. 2. Owners who fail to downshift to control vehicle speed on long downgrades 3. Mechanics who overtighten the wheel lug nuts when the tires are rotated. Concerned owners should recheck the tightness of the lug nut themselves or else advise their service shop to carefully avoid overtightening.

Acetone is an excellent chemical to use for removing stubborn old bumper stickers from chrome bumpers and also from window glass. Acetone is so powerful the old plastic bumper stickers melt /disintegrate away in seconds. Acetone will do the same to your skin if you don't wear chemical resistant protective gloves. Not just imagine how destructive acetone could be to the rubber and plastics found in a Lexus fuel system.

Actually, Toyota didn't have any front wheel drive cars until the early 80's. All the 60's & 70's Toyotas were rear wheel drive. Financially well-to-do people living in liberal, progressive States like California and Massachusetts bought lots of luxury rear wheel drive Toyota Cressidas in the late 70's and 1980's. In the late 60's and early 70's some also bought big, 6 cylinder powered luxury rear wheel drive Toyota Crown's and Corona Mark II's.

To increase your chances of getting 50,000 miles out of your next set of tires I'd suggest getting a tire with at least a 50,000 mile treadlife warranty. Example: The 2005 (and presumably the 2004) RX330 comes standard from the factory with 225/65SR17 tires. In this tire size, Goodyear offers a 50,000 mile treadlife warranty on the Integrity and Bridgestone offers a 65,000 mile treadlife warranty on the Dueler H/L Alenza. I have found 5,000 mile tire rotations are by far the most important single factor in obtaining long tread life. Although Michelin does not offer a treadlife warranty, the MXV4-Plus has a reputation for lasting a long, long time and is superior to the other two tires mentioned above in certain ride, handling and traction characteristics.

I've driven various Toyotas over 1,000,000 miles the past 20 years. I routinely get 50,000 - 75,000 miles of tire life. I've found the most important factors in achieving this long tire life are: 1. Tire rotations every 5,000 miles 2. Check tire pressure once a month 3. Drive and brake gently instead of aggressively; avoid fast starts from stop signs, abrupt stops and fast cornering There is no doubt in my mind an RX330 driver could achieve 50,000 miles of tire life with factory original tires if they followed these rules.

As a vintage Toyota enthusiast with years on experience buying, restoring and reselling 20-35 year old Toyotas, I definately go with the '90 from a future mechanical reliability / durability standpoint Reason: With only 80K miles it's highly unlikely any major mechanical componet of the '90 has any major mechanical wear and tear even if some preventive maintenance has been neglected (e.g. engine valve adjustment at 60K). And if you get on top of the preventive maintenance right away, (like the valve adjustment) you'll be able to keep the car from ever getting mechanically worn and torn for along time. The '93 is probably fairly seriously worn in a number of ways which decreases your chances of driving another 100,000+ miles without serious and expensive repairs. I would steer clear of any early 90's LS400 with air suspension regardless of odometer mileage.

We've never heard of a case of RX300 AWD transmission failure unless the owner allowed the fluid to get black and burnt. We've also never heard of a case where the fluid got black and burnt during the first 20K miles of transmission operation. Since 10K fluid change intervals like jbarhorst2 is practicing virtually eliminates the chance of the fluid ever getting black and burnt, chances are high jbarhorst2's transmission will survive for alot of years and miles. I would be willing to admit the RX AWD transmission has an internal engineering defect if someday we hear from an owner who experienced transmission failure despite frequent fluid chances since the time the vehicle was new. Until then, my belief is the only problem with the RX AWD transmission is an external one; i.e. the external fluid cooler built into the wheel well doesn't sufficiently cool the transmission fluid well enough during congested city traffic driving conditions and that frequent fluid changes can likely mitigate this defiency.

Preventive maintenance that is not performed preventively is not preventive maintenance - it's corrective maintenance. Lubes, filters, coolant, spark plugs, oxygen sensors, etc., all need to be replaced BEFORE they lose their effectiveness if a Toyota / Lexus owner hopes to become a member of the Toyota 400,000 mile club. Toyota Type T-IV fluid costs $3.80 a quart where I live. 4 quarts every 10,000 miles = $16 = only $320.00 total expense to drive 200,000 troublefree miles. Now compare that to the $1,000 cost of a Lexus extended powertrain warranty or the $3,000 cost of a rebuilt transmission. It's bewildering to me that some owners think it's outrageous that a $45,000 car needs $320 worth of fluid changes in order to last 200,000 miles, but then they think its normal and acceptable to spend $1,000 on an extended powertrain warranty that offers protection against component failure for only the first 100,000 miles. I think these owners need to reverse their priorities and start investing in frequent preventive maintenance instead of buying fancy warranties.

The fluid temp would stay at around 150-160 degrees all day long if you drove on a flat highway, in cool or moderate weather, but if you also sometimes got stuck in traffic jams in hot weather with the air conditioning on or did a considerable amount of stop and go suburban driving in hot weather the fluid temperature could spike up to around 250 degrees and start burning. I remember at one time you said you drive with a heavy foot on the gas pedal when moving away from stop signs and stop lights. That could add even more heat. Now if you currently drive only 10 minutes a day each way to work the fluid would not hardly have a chance to get really hot and should stay clean and fresh looking a pretty long time.

Because the 15,000 mile change interval is a proven method of extending the life of most automatic transmissions. Hundreds of AAMCO franchises would probably go bankrupt if everyone changed their fluid every 15,000 miles No RX300 owner here that changed their fluid every 15K has reported a transmission failure. So 15K drain and refill intervals are cheap insurance against transmission failure due to fluid deterioration. Owners who are commonly stuck in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic should change the fluid every 10K because fluid temperatures can spike up to around 250 degrees under such conditions which rapidly oxidizes the fluid. Owners who live in rural flatlands like the upper Midwest can probably go 30K between drains because the fluid temperature stays relatively cool (only 155 degrees) when driving at moderate speeds (45-75 MPH) on flatlands. The FWD models appear to be better engineered to control excessive rises in fluid temperature during rush hour traffic conditions and that's probably why FWD owners don't hardly ever report seeing their fluid turn black & smelling burnt.

I agree with Toyota that a simple and inexpensive drain and refill every 15K will keep the fluid pink and clean looking for hundreds of thousands of miles. In the 1960's and early 70's Toyota and many other car makers specified a tranny pan drain and refill every 12-18K miles. Those were the days transmission rebuilders like AAMCO and Cottman barely existed - they're business mushroomed when car makers began extending fluid drain intervals.

My '91 LS400 with alloy wheels had a mild vibration problem too at 60-65 MPH. New tires and balancing didn't cure it. Then I bought a used set of standard, non alloy LS400 wheels. Now car is a smooth as silk - but doesn't look as nice with the standard wheels.

I'd go with the 37K RX300 because it likely has less mechanical wear and tear due to the extra preventive maintenance it has received. I'd even be willing to pay a higher price for it. If price is important to you then I'd search for a non-Lexus certified RX300 that has all it's service records and is being sold by the original owner. That might save you $5,000. Search for such cars at cars.com. Be willing to travel out of state if necessary to pick up the car.

Even if you never hit a pothole or curb, driving fast on bumpy roads and hard cornering wears out the suspension and steering linkage fast on any car or truck. That's one reason the best used cars are those that were owned by grandpas and grandmas. It's difficult for young people to grasp this because they see all those ads on TV of cars and trucks being driven wildly and wrongly assume the vehicles "are built to withstand that kind of punishment."

Consumer Reports measures fuel economy directly and has been doing so for more than 40 years. The EPA measures fuel economy less directly, but also reports the ES gets better gas mileage than the LS both in the city and highway, not just in the model year 2005, but every model year going back to the early 1990's. CR and the EPA have graduate degreed scientists working for them and decades of experience measuring / calculating fuel economy. I personally don't think it's reasonable to think both CR and the EPA scientists could be wrong when they both independently found the ES consistently gets significantly better fuel economy than the LS, not just in one model year, but for the past 10+ consecutive model years.

I've noticed you also don't appear to agree with the fuel economy measurements reported by Consumer Report's. CR has reported the V6 ES300/330 always gets significantly better gas mileage than the V8 LS400/430, both in the city & highway, but yesturday you wrote: "What always amazes me about the LS is how much better the mileage is than the ES even though the ES is lighter and has a smaller engine. I'm lucky to get 18mpg." The reason I don't agree with you that "a certain type of person subscribes to Consumer Reports and it taints their findings" is because when Chevrolet put Chevy Nova, Chevy Prism or Geo Prism name badges on the 1985 - late 1990's Toyota Corolla, the CR component reliability data for the Nova/Prism shot up to the levels of the Corolla and soared way above any other Chevrolet model. Same phenomenon happened in 1989 when Ford began putting Mercury Tracer badges on the Mazda 323.

For 40+ years Consumer Reports has been providing up to 8 years of dependability records for the individual mechanical componets of cars. In other words, CR provides data how reliable the engines, transmissions, ignition systems, fuel systems, air conditioners, etc have been after 1-8 years of operation. Anyone who examines this data will see that since the mid-1970's, the component reliability of Toyota / Honda / Nissan / Subaru has been far ahead of any American car brand especially after 6 - 8 years of service. Since roughly the mid-1990's the American car makers have improved componet reliability during the first 4 years of operation, but they still lag far behind the Japanese after 5-8 years of operation. Hence it is not surprizing to me the resale value of Toyota / Honda / Nissan / Subaru is better than comparable American cars. I will post pictures of the CR data in the not too distant future, but I can't right now as I am having to travel frequently on out of town on business trips.