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Out of curiosity, why didn't you retrofit a new $10 actuator as described in the posts instead of trying to install a new motor on the existing actuator? That retrofit sounded hairy and the motor replacement looked easy, but it wasn't. I got the 5 motors off ebay for $10, and now have extras incase some more locks (motors) go bad. The retrofit is actually easier than the replacement of the motor. I replaced all 4 on my DIL's RX before I ever found this site. I replaced them with donated Ford actuators. I was funding the project and couldn't justify the $1300. cost of the 4 Lexus actuators so instead spent a little bit of time and $0. I've always liked a challenge and might have used the e-bay actuators (would have been a little easier), but got the Ford's for $0. By the way, I split 3 of the 4 Lexus actuators apart to see if I could repair the motor (figured it was the brushes), and I just used a razor knife and split them at the seam. They actually split pretty neat and then I just super glued them back together when I was done. You could hardly tell they had been opened. The Ford actuators haven't missed a beat in almost 2 1/2 years.

Oiler- I'm curious, did the same mechanic change the timing belt and water pump at 150k? Did he install a Toyota belt and pump or aftermarket? I am very impressed with the Toyota parts and would personally not use anything else myself. Especially the belts and water pump.

GLC- Yes you have to remove the plastic shield, and I believe the rear window guide. Don't quote me on that. (it's been about 2+ yrs. since I did it) You mentioned a drill. Someone else mentioned in the past having to drill a hole for the linkage. On my DIL's RX I replaced all 4 actuators and I didn't have to drill any holes because all 4 actuators had an unused arm with a hole in it that worked perfectly. You MIGHT not have to remove the lock assy., or at least remove the screws so you can twist it out where you can get to the arm to attach the linkage. Probably will but might luck out and not have to. The more I think about it I'm almost positive you'll have to remove the shield and rear guide and the screws that hold the door latch, but I don't think you'll have to disconnect or remove the lock and actuator assy., just twist it around where you can get to the unused arm so that you can attach you rod. I hope you find the hole already there so you don't have to drill it. Good Luck!

Good one. Yah the tires are slightly more worn on the front set, and they are all evenly worn - no cupping etc. It's a 2WD and when they gave me a new set of tires after the first 12k they did a full alignment so it should be running even. I took it in cause it was drifting and the tires looked worn and they gave me the same ole story as they did 12k ago. Tires are always at the right pressure. Its got a low tire pressure sensor so the light would go on and plus for oil changes they check and fill as needed. THis was all this past THurs Oct 2nd. I told the service guy to "F" off when he said we are going to install new tires and align the car and charge you. Told him to speak to the manager then call me, and still havent heard back. I guess Im keeping the loaner car a while longer. If they are worn as evenly as you say, I am at a loss as to what to say, except to say again, that's definitely not normal! I did alignment in the course of body work, so I know a little bit about it. I can't say for sure about your RX but I don't believe there is adjustment on the struts either front or rear. That leaves a pretty easy job for the alignment guy. Some cars have adjustment for caster and camber on McPerson struts and some don't. Probably more that don't than do. At any rate, if they are worn evenly, no inside or outside wear or inside and outside wear, it definitely doesn't sound like alignment. Most cars don't need alignment for a LOOOONG time after they are built, as long as they are not abused (as in potholes and etc.).

Something is not kosher in Denmark. There is no way those tires should be wearing out in 12k mi. What kind of wear do they have? Are they worn evenly across? Do they have cupping? Are they worn on one edge or both edges? Do you keep them inflated at least to what the manufacturer recommends? Are all 4 tires worn out or only the fronts? Do you have AWD or just 2WD? Have you ever had the alignment checked? Did they (or you) have it checked when the 1st. set of tires wore out? I don't believe you have caster or camber adjustment on an RX- so if you bought it new and haven't done any damage to it, toe-in or out are the only adjustments. Nitrogen isn't going to have any affect on the tire wear other than not loosing pressure as fast, and you should be checking them once a month no matter what you have in them. Most people don't check them near often enough and that is hard on a tire (destructive) to run it too low on pressure. I run my tires at a minimum what the factory says and most of the time 2 to 3 lbs. above factory recommendations.

Yes, and the British motorbikes used to leak oil with or without provocation. I remember when the first Japanese motorbikes came out, we would (in Europe) comment on how they lacked excitement but were amazing because "They don't leak oil!". The world has certainly changed. Now we comment about the Korean cars that they lack excitement 'but what great warranties!'. Next in line will be the Indian and the Chinese... Talking of which, I saw the Hyundai Vera Cruz (that blk_on_blk had mentioned and was impressed with the progress they made. Too big for me, though, but certainly a contender for some, and very reasonably priced. The thought of Indian and Chinese cars more scares me than excites me. Have you ever seen the crash tests of the Chinese "Cherry" I believe it is called. A car they are hoping to market here. That just folds up and keeps folding up. You don't have to buy a casket for the buriel, they just bury you in the car. Absolutely scarey. I remember the 1st. Hyundai's. Incredibly unimpressive. But I saw a story on TV about a year or two ago by a top Hyundai guy and they have a 10 year plan to be a world leader in the automotive field and having spent my life in automotive, I can tell you with their reliability record and design and engineering, they are on track to do it. They are serious about it. They have kicked MB in the pants for a # of years in the least problems area.

They are a lot more expensive to replace than a cable, though, and bad diagnostics just point to replacement, not repair. I regret the time when, providing you had a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and a sufficient supply of paper clips, you could repair most problems, particularly those occurring from Lucas, Prince of Darkness. But, yes, reliability is so much improved that one takes it for granted now. Also so much less variability from unit to unit. That's progress - we need new toys! Lucas, Prince of Darkness- I like that, Paul. How very true. I always heard that if you bought a British car, you bought 2. That way you would always have 1 to drive when the other was in the shop. LOL :)

Paul- reference my post right above yours. I hit "reply and it brought my long post along and I didn't want to eat so much space so I highlighted it and deleted. That leaves me a "quote" shy at the top so I just type that in and then it transports the quote to your post. I'm not very computer literate so there may be a way to do it and retain the quote box but I don't know how to accomplish that. Yes, I can believe that your BMW would make max use of the "Magic" of computers in todays cars. I think the current use of electronics, micro motors, computers and all the rest of that field is a dream come true for the engineers. I believe even aircraft are going to totally fly-by-wire- eliminating cables. I'm not surprised, when computers were 1st. introduced to cars I expected absolute nightmares, given the frailty of computers but that has for the most part been proven baseless. I am amazed at the toughness of computers in cars, given what they have to endure in incredibly adverse conditions around the world. Magic- in a little box! :) P.S. Type the "quote" exactly as you see it on the screen.

Lenore- I was under the impression that he was talking about the drive shaft to the rear, since he has a AWD. Maybe I'm wrong but that might explain the cost for a used one.

I would be interested in what exactly is "bad" about the driveshaft? Is the yoke seal surface worn (that is pretty unusual), is the u-joint bad or did he even tell you what exactly it was? I have had that apart but it's been a while so I don't remember just what it was like. Often when a pinion seal goes out it's because the pinion bearing is going and allowing the pinion shaft to move some and it takes the seal out. Most pinion seals are pretty much good for the life of the car as long as the pinion is good and solid.

Very interesting. My Rx seems to have a pretty good up-shifting pattern. Some kind of RPM management (probably through the timing) is in place and works well. I'll try a newer one and see whether that seems improved. Thanks! [For some reason, I cannot 'reply' to your post, it says the number of quote marks is not correct or something similar - strange!] Hi Paul- Concerning the "reply"- just like you see on this "quote", when I deleted my looong post I had to add the "quote" at the top for it to carry it over. Otherwise it doesn't recognize it as a quote. What I was passing on was what I had read about the engineers trying to solve some of the problems with the RX and still not totally redesigning transmission and were able to do some desirable things with the engine at the same time. What they are able to do through the magic of computers is pretty incredible. The computer management, while doing what they wanted, should be undetectable to the average driver. Though there was plenty of computer involvement before, once you go to drive-by-wire you greatly increase the capabilities over cable operated. With cruise control, you now have no servo or cable connection. All done with electronics feeding the little throttle body motor, same route as the signal is fed from the accelerator potentiometer. The beauty of it for the engineers is being able to do multiple things all at once seamlessly and all you have to do is tell your programmers what you want, they write and you download and go for a ride. My understanding is these changes were made specifically to solve the existing problems.

Could you tell me, in a nutshell, why you believe the later RXs won't experience the same problems? I am perfectly in tune with your explanation of 'hot' crankcase - of course, yes, it si not the same as a 'hot' engine - and of the hardened seal material. It would explain the appearance/'look' of the leak, which was 'along' the visible portion of the seal rather than at a localized spot. I am not familiar with the usual apparent thickness of the seal or I could comment on that, and I also doubt Toyota left the old seal for me in the car, which would allow me to check its resilience and flexibility, which would allow me to confirm your theory. I had - a long long time ago - been allowed into the Alfa-Romeo factories in Milano, long before they were absorbed by Fiat. They showed me part of the testing they do, and that of the engines (which were their pride). They had sensors all over the engine! They knew the temp. of every section of it! So, I believe Toyota knew the temp of every part of the RX300 engine, and, either by a supplier missing specs. or by faulty design, sold vehicles with seals not up to the stress they were to bear. Re: your engine oil 'coking' - you've just got to use full synthetic in the hope it will reduce the problem. Thanks again for all your comments! Best... Paul Paul- from what I have read the crankcase ventilation was actually the major problem that caused the sludge and jelling problems in the 3.0 toyota engine. As in inadequate ventilation. I have read tons on this from when it first started- especially on the Toyota site. Little old grandma's with low miles, changed at the dealer every 3k mi., engine gone and being told they didn't change the oil often enough. Anyone who has done any amount of reading on this problem knows now that wasn't the problem. I believe the inadequate CC ventilation probably ADDED to the "overworked" situation caused by carrying quite a bit more weight than it reasonably should have as a result of basically using a car engine in a "truck". Know you guys don't like your $45k Suv's being called a truck but that's what the industry calls them. I also think you may give them (engineers and the companies that hire them) just a tad more credit for being totally on top of things than they SOMETIMES deserve- or we wouldn't have the problems showing up after a vehicle is put into production that we see. To cover the second part of my comment on not seeing near the problems showing up on the later RX's that did on the early ones. I don't know when they went to drive-by-wire in the RX but my wifes '02 Camry has it so I assume the RX did by then. You can do wonders in controlling things through a computer that you can't do with cables. I don't know what if anything they might have beefed up in the tranny (I hope they did), but I do know for a fact they do subtle management through the computer to take the strain off of the transmission when it shifts. Reduction of throttle and retarding spark at the moment of shift that is subtle enough you don't notice it but reduces strain and therefore wear (and even thereby engine heat). There are a lot of other little tricks, through the magic of the computer, that taken all together add up. My knowledge is limited but these are just some of the reasons i said i didn't believe the newer RX's would manifest the problems that plagued SOME of the earlier ones. I could elaborate more on what manufacturers and their engineers find out in the real world AFTER they have produced the 1st. vehicles but that's for another book! LOL :) Good point on the synthetic oil- ESPECIALLY on the RX!

I got a chuckle out of your "tight pants syndrome" comment. I am well over 60 and been out of the tight pants for many years. Love pleats and "relaxed" cut pants. Thanks for the attached instructions. The PDF describing the process and the necessary tools seems a bit much for me to tackle. But, thanks to you, now I know what some of the options are! So, as a work-around, I think I will try swapping my house key ring with the softer items (wallet, etc.) I carry in the opposite pocket. I don't have another "buttoned" ignition key to compare, so if the condition persists, I may have to go to the dealer. Better start putting aside half of my paycheck! Only half? You must make more than the rest of us. LOL :D

Paul- I don't think it's the "engine" (cooling system) that runs hot, I believe it's the crankcase. There's the difference. It may be because the engine is pulling about 600lbs. more weight than in a Camry, for instance. I don't believe the factory testing is "real world" enough. Even though they may as engineers test to specific standards, put it in the hands of the average stressed, overworked, hard driving, high miles driver and you'll find the weak spots that strictly factory testing won't find. If it weren't true, we wouldn't have all of these problems showing up when they get in production and in the hands of the person I just described. My DIL's RX has never been run hard, never towed or carried heavy loads and has not had perfect care but certainly good care. When I removed the front valve cover and the lower pan to take a look at 120k+ mi. I found throughout the engine in random "spots" "coked" (cooked, cinderized) deposits as a result of oil being literally cremated as in a self cleaning oven onto random surfaces in the engine. That and the rock hard seal are the reasons I say I think the crankcase runs hot. I have never seen that in an engine before, and the engine has always had regular oil changes with good oil. Good Luck in whatever your decision is! By the way, there are a lot of reasons that the later RX's haven't experienced the same problems that the early ones have, and they probably won't- but that's a whole 'nother story.

I've been forced to deal with mold in a car AC system, a high efficiency Trane heat pump (Trane replaced the the coil), and a house wall due to a poorly constructed valley. Unfortunately, depriving mold of moisture will not kill it but cause it to go dormant, only to thrive again when it someday reacquires moisture. And while in the dry/dormant phase, the spores are much more likely to spread through air movement. You will be much better off in the long run to eliminate it now, and thereafter operate your system in such a way that it does not reoccur. mccldwll- You have peeked my interest in this now. Does that mean that the 2 new vehicles that we have purchased with the odor as standard equp. NEVER were rid of the mold spores, only that they were sleeping? We owned the 1 car for 7 years and I owned the truck for 3 yrs. and the odor never returned. Were we breathing the mold spores all of that time? One would think that if that were the case that you would suffer health problems as a result, considering how dangerous mold is. I will have to do some research on this.

I have something called a short finder. I uses a power transmitter and a receiver with a probe that you pass along within a few inches of the wiring loom and will pick up a shorted wire or an open circuit. Males it a whole lot easier tracking down problems like that. Probably a little too expensive just to find a problem like that though.

Thank you so much, blk_on_blk. I'll look at that website.... very thoughtful of you. I'll let you know what I do. pauljcl- I really don't blame you for feeling the way you do, for the care you have taken of the RX and the manufacturer not participating at all. I was in business at one time and my experience is that goodwill never cost you- it pays. For those that take advantage of you, there are always more that are a customer for life when they are treated well. But allas, the bean counters run this world (don't you ever doubt it) and that is what we are on the receiving end of. Concerning the seal- i still think it was not a design flaw but a material flaw. Maybe the supplier used a cheaper rubber than Lexus spec'd. or maybe Lexus wasn't aware under controlled testing that the crankcase would run as hot as it does in the RX's. This engine is used in several other Toyota vehicles, do any of them have the rear main seal problem in those years? That seal was like a rock- absolutely cooked! and my understanding is that is always the case on these RX's when they leak. It wore a grove in the C/S. Fortunately it hasn't seemed to affect the seal- no leaks at all in 25k mi. Good Luck in whatever your choice is. I would be very careful though, there are a lot of problems in other "high line" brands also. :)

Agree- would be unusual for both bulbs to go out (tail light filament) at the same time but stranger things have happened. I would at least pull 1 of the bulbs and check the juice in the socket . With the parklights on you should have 1 hot contact in the socket. Since the brakes aren't pressed you don't have to worry about the second contact. You already know your brake lights work so if you have no juice with a test light you know you have to look elsewhere. I do a "thump test" on bulbs. Hold the bulb in either hand between your thumb and index finger. Give it about three really good thumps with the "thump" finger on your other hand. When you look at a bulb you can't always see the break in the filament, but after about three good thumps you'll definitely see the broken ends vibrate. Don't worry about breaking the filament in a good bulb, if that breaks the filament, it was going out soon anyway. You can't break the filament in a sound bulb that way. I spent over 30 years doing body work and that saved me a lot of comebacks a week or two after the car went out because I knew if it passed that test, not only was it good but it wasn't going to burn out very soon either.

cfi- The thing is, with the DSS you need to eliminate the cause of the DS odor (in this case the mold caused by the wet evaporator) and the odor will self eliminate. Killing the mold is easy- it can't live without the moisture. Either kill it with something that actually KILLS the mold or use the blower in whatever way you choose to dry the evap. (just not rec.) and it will die on it's own. Problem solved. :)

I never carry my keys in my pants pocket while I'm in the house. The key ring has my house keys on it so as soon as I come in the door the keys go in the deadbolt lock on the inside of the door. If you have a deadbolt on the door and you have a fire you sure as heck don't want to be hunting for your keys to get out.

Could be wrong but I believe that link has been dead for a few years now. It is from '04 and from what I remember the guy refreshed it once but after that- nothing. I know a lot of people have requested wiring diagrams over the years but maybe someone could post if they have had luck with that link since early on when it was posted in '04.

While Lysol might work, Pure Air by Interdynamics is specifically made for auto air odors (I found an old bottle sitting around from when I had the problem). Got it at an auto parts store. Like I've said, in a reasonably dry climate all you have to do is deprive it of moisture sitting on the evaporator to end the problem. I've had it several times over the years in addition to the 2 new cars that we have had that came with the problem. Have never had to treat the problem, it went away in a short time on it's own when I simply ran it on regular air for a mile or two before I reached my destination. Lysol will kill it very effectively but is not even needed unless the climate is a high humidity one. The problem is a lot more easily dealt with than most people realize. I don't know what Lexus would charge but I think they would be enjoying a nice night out on the money you spent on having it done, when you could a lot more easily enjoy that nice night out and take care of it yourself, being that it so easy to deal with.

rxrb- You live in a pretty damp part of the country but for the most part the reason for the mold is running the A/C on Max right until it is shut off. It has a lot of moisture build in the evaporator area and then when it sits it molds. When you use Max position (don't know on the RX if it is listed some other way), it isn't drawing outside air over the evap. to keep it dried off. When I use Max position, a couple miles before I arrive at my destination I switch to regular A/C so I get the outside air over the evap. to dry it off. If the humidity is high enough where you live you may have to occasionally use the spray through the air intake to keep the mold killed. (that's the air intake for the Heat/ A/C in front of the windshield). I live in Cal. so the air here is pretty dry but 2 of the new vehicles we have purchased had the dirty sock smell on A/C when we purchased them. I knew what it was and how to fix it but just ran it only on regular A/C for a week or 10 days and with no moisture to feed it it died on it's own and never returned. In Vermont you may not be quite that lucky.

cfi- I don't think it's the seals shrinking, rather that the synthetic is slick enough that it gets past them.

cfiiman- Lenore makes an excellent point- can't imagine the synthetic oil being that powerful (that stuff is hard!) but it's worth a try. Newtoncd also makes a good point about the Auto-RX. From everything I've read about it, it does do wonders but I think I would probably try Lenore's sugg. 1st. because it's so simple.