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Lenore- It depends on a lot of different things. I know it is standard procedure with a lot of FEFD cars to drop the engine out the bottom with the cradle. If one has access to a lift that changes a lot things. If R&Ring the trans it is common to support the engine but still drop the cradle with the trans or at the very least pull the bolts on the trans side of the cradle to allow it to drop enough to get the trans out. In the case of doing it at home i would still prefer to do it the way I did my DIL's. I took everything loose that holds the engine, (w/trans), cradle, all front suspension (unbolted top strut plate) and in my case disconnected all of the wiring (unplugged it at the computer inside) and left it all with the engine. Removed the front bumper cover and with a heavy duty engine hoist lifted the body up about 3' or so, put stands at the firewall level on the frame rails which left the entire front assy. with suspension on a floor jack (minus front wheels) which I then rolled out from under the car and made it really easy to work on. Don't know if there is a lot of difference in the 2 vehicles other than what the exterior body looks like. If he is only changing the engine it might be easier to simply lift the engine out the top (which he should be able to do). I was doing a number of other things at the same time that made it simpler for me to do it the way I did. Though that is a 3.0L I don't even know if that is conventional or transverse- makes a big difference in how you do it. I was working alone and had to be innovative. The compressor can be removed from the engine and tied back so you don't have to break the air lines. IF the entire assy is removed I also removed the calipers and tied them up so I didn't have to bleed afterward.

Nice people don't commit insurance fraud- PERIOD. Get the picture? Who's horrible? People like you (and your parents) cause me great concern for the future of this country (and the world)!

Like I said before if that was all you had. 3 tickets too. Well when your mommy gets a visit from the police in the middle of the night she will know she did nothing to prevent it. The fact that you think it's funny shows just how "young and dumb" you are. Hopefully you won't kill anyone including yourself. That was very rude... I posted this to share my experience not be harassed this way. There are better ways to say things. This is not a very friendly forum. I have to agree with LEXIRX300- I DO NOT agree with your mother (or parents I guess). Very frankly, your adjuster isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer if he can't tell the damage wasn't caused in the way you reported it. He may just not care enough, and just go ahead and write it but in the years I spent in body work I have seen a few "fraud cases" and the body men could tell if it didn't happen as reported. I have seen people cancelled with no repair on the part of the insurance (rightly so) because of lying on a claim (just such as this) and I can only imagine what it was like for them to try and get insurance then. It isn't right and simply isn't worth it. Call it rude if you wish but I think you are showing your immaturety and so are your parents.

Hi Lenore- When I did all that work on my DIL's RX in '06 I ordered most all of the parts from a place online called Drivewire. They sell a lot of OEM parts that come in unmarked boxes (they are indeed OEM but can not put anything but the part# on the outside of the box. When I got the trans kit (gasket and filter) I opened the box and indeed it had the original screen filter. I just went to the site and they no longer are showing the screen filter (they show pictures) so it looks like possibly no one is making the screen filter any longer, unless somehow there is still an aftermarket manufacturer that is.

I spent way too many years in body (and mechanical) and I think there's a surprise a'comin . Unless his contacts in the body shop world do him a gigantic favor, $1200. Isn't going to touch the repairs. I have been out of it for quite a few years but it is going to be closer to the $4k than the $1200. Even a good used door is going to run $400. to $600. and the chance of getting the right color is slim to none, so that means a lot more work to strip everything off of it to paint it. Hope I'm wrong but it's going to run some bucks to get it done right. Even the cost of paint and materials today is astronomical . Base coats that can run $200.-$300. a quart and clears that run $100. a gallon or more.

mikjr-You say the oil pan bolts were stripped. Do you mean the drain bolt or the bolts that hold the lower pan to the upper? I assume you meant the drain plug (singular). If that is the case and you don't get satisfaction from the dealer (the one who is responsible if they have been changing the oil), they do make oversized plugs for that very purpose. And they only cost a few dollars. I re-read the invoice... it says the "drain plug", and said they need to replace the pan at a cost of $638!! As I said earlier, this dealer is the ONLY one to touch the car! I've had it serviced about every 5k to 7k miles. I've had many cars in my 40+ years of driving and have never had a drain plug strip, not even on American cars. I don't know if the dealers are that hard up for cash, that they have to start making stuff up!! mikjr- I second the post below your post by GDixon. There is NO WAY you should be paying for this! Way to many dealers and independents tighten plugs too tight and eventually strip the plug. This is precisely why I have changed my own oil my whole life- and have never had a stripped plug! I would not accept anything less than them taking the responsibility that is theirs.

One of the replies gave instructions for changing the engine air filter. Do these apply to a 2006 RX 330? I can't seem to find the location of the air filter!! :( GaneshR- Am not specifically familiar with an '06 but it should be easy to find. It pretty much has to be in the air intake line on the drivers side of the car. On the earlier RX's it is right behind the battery and as one poster said it should be easy to unsnap the clamps that hold the top on it. The rest is history! :)

mikjr-You say the oil pan bolts were stripped. Do you mean the drain bolt or the bolts that hold the lower pan to the upper? I assume you meant the drain plug (singular). If that is the case and you don't get satisfaction from the dealer (the one who is responsible if they have been changing the oil), they do make oversized plugs for that very purpose. And they only cost a few dollars.

Hi Lenore- Do you have any idea what the "professional cleaning by a mechanic" actually entailed? Having worked in automotive all my life I can assure you not all mechanics are created equal. Though I have worked with a few really good mechanics, it saddens me to say I feel they are in a clear cut minority. The one thing (among many others) that your neighbor needs to do is a compression check to see if the rings actually seem to be worn or stuck. My bet is the damage is done but there is a lot more checking that needs to be done before that determination can be made. I actually laugh when someone says or advertises "maintained by professional mechanic". I could tell you horror stories till the cows come home of the things I have seen "professional mechanics" do over the years- and that was almost all in dealerships! It ain't pretty! ]/quote] I agree with you, The guy that did the professional cleaning (quote from my neighbor he said he uses a solution only available to mechanics) charged him $300. As far as I can see the valve covers were not removed. I agree with you he needs to do a compression or leak down test. I agree with you about mechanics (not my trade) however I am a meticulous when doing mechanical work. I have rebuilt three engines and one automatic transmission on my own and was successful on all three. I am self taught and you may laugh, but I learned the hard way on British sports cars, and you know how undependable those were in the 60 and 70's . I enjoy your posting by the way I kind of relate with you when fixing things properly and making do when necessary (ie door lock solenoids). I feel for my neighbor, whom is no slouch when it comes to fixing things, He tears in and goes, but is not meticulous is his work. I think he should be pushing Toyota, after all it is obvious the sludge problem was not fixed in 2003.... Lenore- I would love to remove the front valve cover and see what the top side of your neighbors Toyota looks like. I'm betting I know, but maybe I'm wrong. Always glad to hear when someone cares enough to do something right. I used to be a perfectionist. I realized one day many years ago how difficult it can be to live around a perfectionist. I told my wife I am leaving perfectionism behind (and I did) but I didn't leave behind a standard of quality that I could be proud of. I decided in my teens (working in a Lincoln-Mercury dealership) that if I couldn't do better than what I saw the "professional" mechanics do, shame on me! I have worked on my own vehicle to this day, and will til I can't do it any more. I love a challenge. I spent the last 8 years of my working career doing Special project outfitting for the Sheriffs department. I absolutely loved it. Was given free reign to use my creativity and built some very interesting projects. They came and asked for things that they had never had before and it was a pleasure to create them. I'm retired now but still have to smile at a job that I couldn't wait to get to each day and had a very hard time leaving. I won't say how old I was but I've always been young at heart and in body. :D Lenore- I did laugh because you did learn the hard way (working on British cars)!

Doesn't exist.

The trans won't shift into 4th because the CEL is on. This is by design. Change the knock sensors reset the light and it will shift fine. I could be wrong Mikey, but it sounds to me like he has already changed the knock sensors. Getting an all aluminum engine hot enough to stall would really concern me. Often, a cast iron won't even tolerate that real well. I saw a Vega years ago (brand new) that had a casting biscuit in the area of the thermostat housing so that there was NO water circulation. The car came in the morning after it was delivered, on a flatbed with 60 mi. on the speedometer. The block was split from one end to the other, out through the rear of the block into the bellhousing and out through the front into the water pump opening with a gap a 1/4 in. wide!! Aluminum doesn't tolerate overheating the way cast did.

Hi Lenore- Do you have any idea what the "professional cleaning by a mechanic" actually entailed? Having worked in automotive all my life I can assure you not all mechanics are created equal. Though I have worked with a few really good mechanics, it saddens me to say I feel they are in a clear cut minority. The one thing (among many others) that your neighbor needs to do is a compression check to see if the rings actually seem to be worn or stuck. My bet is the damage is done but there is a lot more checking that needs to be done before that determination can be made. I actually laugh when someone says or advertises "maintained by professional mechanic". I could tell you horror stories till the cows come home of the things I have seen "professional mechanics" do over the years- and that was almost all in dealerships! It ain't pretty!

Are you still looking? I just sold my 2000 RX300 for a 400H and want to sell mine! Do you still have the 2000 RX 300 manuals? Fred Fred- Try E-bay. I got DVD's for both my wife's '02 Camry and my DIL's 99RX there really cheap. It's going to be a lot easier to find the DVD's than the paper manuals. I wouldn't waste my money on a Haynes or Chilton (now owned by Haynes).

Time to get the codes read. I'm sure you probably have someone in your area such as Autozone that will read the codes free of charge and give you a printout of the problem and the possible corrections for that problem. Try that and report back to us what you turn up with.

Fred, You'll get plenty of opinions (like something else, everybody has one). My opinion is that to replace the idler and water pump is an ABSOLUTE waste of money. To even replace the timing belt at 90k is a waste of money. All of those parts will likely go TWICE that far without any failure because they are some of the highest quality parts I have ever seen. I would be interested to know how many have had any of those parts fail even if they have gone twice the recommended miles. I'll bet extremely few. That's only one mans opinion (but one man who has spent his life in automotive). It's your money, spend it any way you wish. Good Luck!

My guess would be that person was not very knowledgeable, maybe not at all.

I have a RX330 2004 and is doing thesame as you mentioned - slipping in the gears. It still has about 10k km of power train warranty. I went to a dealer and they are asking for a fee to find out if this transmission problem would be covered under power train warranty. DOES TRTRANSMISSION PROBLEM NOT COME UNDER POWER TRAIN ?????????? What kind of crooks do you have in Canada? If the transmission is slipping it should be covered under power train warrantee unless you have abused it or failed to maintain it according to man. guide lines. Part of the warrantee should be to diagnose it.

NJD-read my post #6. To top it off, when I went and got Toyota OEM belts- they were cheaper than the after market!! You should not have to overtighten the OEM belts! (I did get the belts from Toyota, not Lexus. I had to ask for belts for a Sequoia because they don't have the cross reference for Lexus. They had a different number being from Toyota but were the exact belt.)

NJD- My own personal suggestion is not ever to use anti-squeal spray. Especially on Toyota OEM belts (which is the only thing I would use after my experience with after market belts.) Look at the factory Toyota belts. I don't know how they do it but the belts have a "flocked" appearance. I can't even imagine how that could "squeal". It doesn't wear off so it is something about how the belt is made. If you keep your old belts (I do to carry in case of an emergency (which probably won't ever happen) because you know they fit!) Put them back on and see if you still have the squeal. It will tell you what the problem is quicker than anything else. I worked for a full day trying to find what the squeal at start-up was and was tearing my hair out. I finally put the old belts back on and no more squeal! Went and got OEM belts and that fixed it. No more after market belts for me. That's not the 1st. time I've had problems with AM belts. Only OEM for me from now on. And I was using good name belts.

Lenore- I stand by what I said in my last post. To me those are the 1st. 2 things that I would investigate. Motor mounts are often quite sophisticated now compared to what they used to be. Even Ford used liquid filled mounts on the Taurus 15 yrs. ago. Trust me, after a lifetime in automotive work my hearing is suffering too, but if you haven't ever used a mechanics stethoscope I can tell you for a fact you'll hear things you never dreamed you could hear! The mounts are pretty easy to check normally just by putting it in D and R and torqueing the engine (braked). But I don't think a bad mount will always show up in that simple test the way they used to. As I said, some of the mounts are quite sophisticated and I know some of them even have sensors on them, though I am not knowledgeable enough to know what that's all about.

Techfiend- Thanks for that terrific write-up (especially with the pictures). I did My DIL's (all 4) about 2 1/2 yrs. ago and it was a stressful time for me (no time to take pictures) so I don't remember all of what I did but I know I didn't remove any glass or outside window trim. (I did spend over 30 years in auto body and mechanical though) I am going to have to pull a front door and a rear to see exactly what I did because I know I didn't have to drill any holes in the actuator arms though, they were already there. At least you know now from this or the other Lexus site that you can repair the locks (one of 2 ways) for $5.-$15.

LVh- A clogged filter would not do that unless it caused oil starvation and totally destroyed the inside of the transmission. (I mean catastrophic). Even then, it would need to lock the convertor up to keep the car from moving. I would still jack it up and report back with what wheels turn or don't turn (front and back since you have an AWD.

GNW- I would certainly think the people at Lexus would have checked- but have the motor mounts been checked? I seem to remember that the mounts in the RX are rather sophisticated and CAN be problematic. Defective or broken motor mounts can DEFINITELY cause resonance and other strange noises that are amplified into the interior of the vehicle. It isn't a possibility of catalytic convertor that is coming apart inside is it? They can definitely cause strange noises like that. You can buy a mechanics stethoscope cheap at Harbor Freight and have someone else in the car operating it in the way you described while you listened with the stethoscope. They definitely amplify the sounds- you could hear a gnat !Removed! at 50 ft. with one of those!

I don't believe you can adjust the idle, that is controlled by the IACV. As Lenore said, it's probably the exhaust, at least that's the first place I'd look.

Been down that road and I would not use an aftermarket belt again, at least not on a Toyota or Lexus. Used Gates and they squealed when they were properly adjusted. Took them off and took them back and put OEM Toyota belts on and no more squeal. They are right, you shouldn't have to overtighten a belt to get them to stop squealing. The OEM Toyota belts were even cheaper than the aftermarket!