ernster

the souveran may be 75-90 dollars, but the klasse bottle shouldn't be more than 20 bucks and is a good primer to the wax. some people prefer using it to wax because it lasts so long. i use both.

i use klasse all in one (red bottle) to clean and prep the car. then i use pinnacle souveran wax to make it real shiny. it's very easy to apply, and it wipes off clean. no white marks. http://www.autogeek.net/klasse.html http://www.autogeek.net/pinsouvwax.html

i wouldn't doubt that the first tires aren't rated to last long. my parents have used the same service advisor at the same lexus dealership for over a decade. even he tells us to get better tires (like michelin) and not use what was put on originally. periodically, they have sales at the dealership, but they're still crackhead prices. i purchased 4 michelin tires for my expedition from ntb (when they were still owned by sears) that were priced at 950.00 for 745.00 after showing them the prices at discount tire. i got at least 50k out of those tires, but that's what they were rated for. lexus wanted about the same amount 989.00 for michelins that would fit my rx. given that my expedition used all terrain suv tires that were not rated for smooth driving, perhaps the touring tires will wear out easier. still, 15k is not very good for new tires, imo.

yeah, i've heard rattling above me when there are extreme temperature changes like the cold fronts we've had here. i assumed it was the luggage rack on top. i never considered the sunroof. i had toggled the bands over the luggage rack that can be adjusted and didn't notice the noise until the temperature dipped again. i thought that was the problem. the maintenance staff at lexus had not heard of this but promised to look it over whenever i wanted to. as i was in a hurry, i said i would do it next time i had an oil change.

i put premium in unless i have no choice. i average 20 mpg driving about 50/50 highway and city. i don't mind it. my old expedition averaged 13.4 mpg and had a 30 gallon tank. that's 90.00 for regular at 3.00 a gallon. at my worst, i've had to put 50.00 in to gas up my car since i bought it last december.

my dealership offers two years of free maintenance and oil changes. that sounds good until you realize that lexus used to offer free lifetime oil changes. my parents had an '93 LS that they never paid for oil changes on. in fact, i think the lady that t-boned my mom a couple of years ago was sent to keep any more free oil changes from going out. once they bought a new LS, all that went away.

Does anyone know why the rx appears to be the only lexus that isn't offered aniline leather? I got an ES as a rental while my RX was being serviced, and I was amazed at how cool it was. I realized it wasn't the a/c from the front. The air was coming through the holes in the leather, and the leather was much softer than mine. A few days ago they had a small article about it in lexus' magazine, and i noticed that the RX was the only lexus car not included in the line up, not even as an option. I would much rather have air that came thru softer leather than the heated seats here in Houston where it does not stay cold for any long period of time.

i have noticed that the cd changer does not like music recorded as wma. it constantly pops or cracks. mp3s, no problem.