SW03ES

And we're supposed to have a warmer, wetter winter here! You can thank me for that because I bought the Jeep...

There is a button on the overhead console that turns the overhead light on, plus you also have your two front passenger maplights, and the rear passenger's each have a maplight.

No problem, yeah keep us posted...

Something sounds fishy...the only thing "Reman Transmission" could possibly mean is "Remanufactured Transmission". Anybody else have any other ideas what it could mean? I even Googled "Reman Transmission" and everything that came up read remanufactured. I would bring up to HQ what your original work order from the first time says, and that a different dealer told you the records were "purged" (isn't that interesting?) and tell them that you are starting to wonder whether this vehicle has some history that wasn't disclosed to you when you purchased it Certified Pre Owned. I bet you get this replacement covered real quick...

Thats just what they billed Lexus. My mechanic sold me two OEM bulbs for $40 each and charged me $25 to put them in. You can find the bulbs online all over the place, look for Philips or Sylvania 4100k, those are the OEM brands and color temp. Installing them yourself is no different than halogen bulbs.

Thats a start. You might want to tell the service manager that you are a part of a large Lexus owners club and that this is a problem others have experienced as well. He can escalate it up at Lexus and get a TSIB issued.

If at 57k miles your transmission went bad and the invoice at that time had these comments: "Lexus Reman Transmision defective, Replaced Transmission Assembly. " I read that as saying the "Lexus Remanufactured Transmission is defective, transmission assembly has been replaced" to me that means the transmission that was defective at 57k miles was a remanufactured transmission, meaning the original transmission was replaced with a remanufactured one at some point before you purchased it... I would go to a separate dealership and have them pull the history for the vehicle. Something doesn't add up here, why would they call the transmission you had replaced at 57k miles a "Remanufactured" transmission if it was the original transmission? Nothing wrong with a remanufactured transmission, but something doesn't seem right about your situation, we have this weird reference in your original replacement to the one being replaced being "remanufactured" and now you need another transmission 30k miles later. There's something they aren't telling you IMHO...

Unfortunately thats the dealer M.O. If they can't see it happen, they won't do anything to fix it. I literally got into a screaming match with a dealer one time because they wouldn't address a binding in the steering column that was a very common issue on my 2003 ES. I finally got them to do it, but not until the service manager at a different dealer drove the car with me riding it and felt what I was talking about. I feel for you...

Yeah if they aren't HID I agree with Lenny...

This is really interesting, I bolded the part that I find interesting... "Reman Transmission" must mean "Remanufactured Transmission" which means the transmission was replaced already before you bought your RX, with a remnaufactured transmission. So this is the THIRD time its gone bad...not the second... This is completely bizarre to me...

I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying that Lexus specifically put out a memo to owners for them to *NOT* increase oil change intervals because they are using synthetic oil. Whatever their motivations for doing that are meaningless, the reason they did it was because they wanted something on record they could use to get out of paying warranty claims. Personally? I change mine at 5k miles because its pretty cheap to do, and it keeps me within the terms of my warranty without question. Will the car be fine with synthetic and 10k intervals? I'm sure. But...if you ever have some sort of engine seizure or sludge and Toyota can make a case for it being because you went twice as long as they recommended between changes...they absolutely will.

The dealer won't do anything probably unless they physically see it happen, then they'll do whatever they can do to fix it, replace the camera, etc.

HID headlamps? Sounds like a failing HID bulb, thats exactly what happened when one went bad in my old '03 ES. Eventually it will stop working altogether. I recommend replacing both bulbs instead of just one.

It definitely works, widely used on Lexus/Toyota forums and other make forums... Our new Jeep by the way has a system even more nanny-ish than the Lexus. The Jeep system won't even let you scroll around the screen while moving...

Lexus specifically recommends that oil change intervals not be extended when using synthetic oil.

I'd also like to know...

What did the invoice from the dealer state when they did the work last time?

I don't have an RX ;) Absolutely, we'll sticky it...

5W 20 has a little lower viscosity so its a little better on cold startups. The ES uses 5W30 as standard, the dealer probably uses 5w20 because of your location. Either is probably fine.

Sure, and you took the time to do that vs the convenience of simply letting the dealer do it. Most of the dealer's customers don't even think about taking the time to take the car elsewhere. Of course they wouldn't, they would charge you the appropriate portion of their hourly labor rate. Do you work for free? Can't expect others to work for free either. Look...I'm not saying you should use the dealer...I don't use the dealer. I'm just saying there are reasons the dealer is more expensive...

How noticeable it is depends a lot on the color of the car too...

The paint protection films are a matter of personal taste. On the one hand, newer paints are very prone to chipping from rocks and road debris. However, those films are pretty noticable IMHO. I didn't get it on mine, although at times I wish I had. The rear bumper applique is superfluous IMHO, just be careful when loading/unloading the trunk. I think the add-on moldings are ugly on the 2010+... As for the ding protection plan, each time you have PDR done its $100 or so, so figure are you going to have 4+ dings in 3 years? Maybe.

If you want it incorporated into your key, it needs to be done by the dealer unfortunately. Is that the only dealer in your area?

I'm not sure what debris you have all over your seats... Never had that problem.

But claying is an important part of any detailing process, whether it adds luster or depth or not. I also personally disagree about not using a polisher to glaze or apply wax. It all depends on the type of pad used. Oftentimes I will use a polishing pad and a fine polish (I don't care for glazes), just the action of the pad is enough to smooth out light swirls or scratches. Using a finishing pad on low speed also can help make applying glazes or waxes a much easier job.