pauljcl

I had the same problem - replaced TWO of the solenoid switches under warranty. Dealer told me that there were three 'possibles', but that of the three, two were often the ones at fault. Worth changing both because of the work to get to them. Don't know more, but passing it on FWIW.

I already have one (so, sorry, do not wish to buy yours), and I agree - either the RX300 is no Lexus, or it is a Lexus and Lexus is crap. Did you try finding a junkyard (or 'Japanese parts reseller') to see if you can locate less expensive boards? Good luck Paul

Lexus dealer did tell me that the extended warranty should cover the cost ! I am going to clarify if I will have to pay anything from my pocket. I am not the original owner of the vehicle ! So dont know for sure if it was maintained properly and serviced at the same dealer. I dont trust the dealer and cant really come to the terms that the transmission is dying ! Maybe thats true, but could it be another gimmick to rob customers? I was thinking about talking with them and ensuring that I dont have to pay anything for the cost (not even for labor) and asking for some warranty on the changed transmission. Given the high failure rate of the transmissions on the RX300, and the often less than helpful attitude of Lexus, I would most definitely have a new transmission put in (or the od repaired) if the would be done under warranty. It is likely that your transmission will fail, otherwise, when you will be 'out' of warranty.

Consumer Reports tested car wipers (Nov. 2008 issue), and ranked them as follows: 1. Valeo 600 series; 2. RainX Latitude; 3. Anco 31 series; 4. Michelin Rainforce; 5. Anco Contour; 6. Valeo 900 series; 7. PIAA Super silicone; 8 Bosch Icon; 9. RainX Weatherbeater; 10. Trico Exact Fit; 11. Michelin HydroEdge; 12. Michelin Optimum; 13. Anco AeroVantage; 14. Trico Teflon Blade; 15. Trico Innovision. They all cleaned well when new. The RainX Latitude cleaned above average after 6 months (other average except #13 and 14 were below average after six months). 3 of the top four were among the least expensive.

Hi Lenore! How does one file a complaint with NHTSA on-line? Thanks! Paul Sorry - Done. Have files a complaint re: the rear engine seal at 68K miles. Probably to no avail, but nothing lost. Tks.again - Paul

Hi Lenore! How does one file a complaint with NHTSA on-line? Thanks! Paul

The RX is larger than both the CRV and the Tucson. Different kind of car. We liked that the Tucson could have a V6 (we tried the 'top of line' model) and find the used CRVs very expensive here in Miami. It also appears that very few Tucson's are purchased with Moonroof. The Outlander is the same price (here Miami) or less than the CRV, and, again 'top' models, very nice. The used ones - and the new ones, too, actually - are very heavily discounted. Points we did not like with the Outlander were - uneven finishing/ road noise (probably due to Yokohama tires)/slight torque steering on acceleration for the 2WD. The RX is a nicer car than all those models, but - as you point out - reliability is the concern. Let me know what you decide.

Everyone has kicked MB in the pants for several years now. I'm still tempted by the Santa Fe with its engine/drivetrain warranty. I liked the handling (though nothing special) and the transmission was much smoother than the RX. MPG could be better. I haven't seen one yet, but from what I've read the new Genesis should be interesting. I saw the Vera Cruz (did not drive it), the Santa Fe and the Tucson (drove both) over the past weekend. The VC looks good. The SF and T are not quite as refined as they could be, but I would estimate they are only one generation away, i.e. 3 years or so, from being as good as any. I was unable to see/drive a Genesis, but a friend was going to lease one, then the dealership said they were not bound by the 'special' from Hyundai (there is so much demand for the car), and they lost the customer, probably forever. He was amazed at quality/price ratio of the Genesis. Also for lesser cars (the Accent), I believe they are practically 'there' in packaging and quality for the price. Warranties are great (5yr+10yr. powertrain). They do need to upgrade their dealerships, though, and separate their 'upscale' products from the lesser ones, 'a la' Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Accord, VW/Audi. The KIA line seems less evolved, though the new Sportage has very nice packaging and is an interesting (smaller) size. Of course, they have the Toyota models to follow, and it may be more difficult for them to take the lead after they match them. We found the current Mitsubishi Outlander a very nice effort too, and the aesthetics very pleasing.

Its just something that happens to older cars. You're reading about it here, look around elsewhere. I'm SURE there is a good independent Lexus mechanic in Miami... I hope there is, but I was lucky enough not to really need one until recently. The car is in Traverse City (MI), where we intended to keep it in the future - AWD, heated seats etc.... are of less usefulness in FL than in MI. But you're right - a good independent is the way to go. Thanks!

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.

You obviously have more experience (re: seals) than I have - I don't know any car (other than this Lexus model) where the rear engine seals 'go' (even when engines overheated), so I'm on track with the 'hot crankcase/hardened material' theory. Be that as it may, you are certainly very right in the need to find a good mechanic, whether independent or dealer, that is not too expensive. It is the dream of the owner of every older car. Not so easy, though. The obvious answer is to go with long(er) warranties and newer cars....

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. 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!

Yes, I believe I have a pretty full 'drive-by-wire' set-up with the BMW, and it is amazingly 'transparent' to the driver, apart from working extremely well. The accelerator feels in direct contact with the throttle body, lag-free. I lent the car to a friend, was in the passenger seat, and he was using the 'manual' shift of the auto transmission. With closed eyes (which I usually avoid when driving myself !) you could swear he was the greatest driver in the world - smooth up-shifting, perfect rev. matching when down-shifting.... very impressive! [still having a problem with 'number of qote tags' - even when I add or subtract from them]

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! 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 Steve! Nope - did not check elsewhere (indie) for repair, since I was in TC for just a couple of days and Toyota was the obvious and I had noone else I could check/trust. I am sure they went by the 'book', and I fully acknowledge that the 'book' is usually a rip-off of the client. Nonetheless, I still believe a nine-year old engine seal - or a fifteen-year old engine seal for that matter - with less than 70K miles should not leak. We are not talking rocket science here, and I stand to be corrected, but I know nobody else with any other car make that had an engine seal 'go' - Ever - IMHO, Lexus could at least have made a gesture - this is not 'normal' wear and tear. If it is not abnormal w & t for a Lexus, then I have been in the wrong car make. In fact, the engine seal doesn't 'wear'. Of course, s--t happens. But it seems to happen a lot on the RX. Reading about sludge, transmission problems, exhaust manifold cracks (is this the RX too?), now the engine seal... Phew! What I seem to have is not just transportation, it is an annuity for the Lexus dealer! But my complaining is over. Got it off my chest. Thanks! Paul

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 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. 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

Yes, problems in all brands, of course, but this is 'basic', and Lexus gave not even a token of care. They reminded me to have the car serviced every 5K miles!.. I am sure you are right: the problem is the quality of the material of the seal. However, there is no way that Toyota cannot have known the crankcase runs hot (if it does do so), since any testing would show it. My RX was never loaded/stressed close to max, always light usage, no towing etc... Maybe the 'hot' crankcase is partly to blame for the possible overheating, thus overstressed transmission (though mine never overheated). An easy fix or retrofix would have been to add 'fins' or water-fins. Obviously, I am not the first to suffer from this (nor the last, I assume),and, along with the transmission risks, it makes the RX a somewhat flawed design, engineering-wise. Someone - on a post elsewhere - made the comment that newer RXs did not suffer as much from these problems precisely because they were newer, and he(she?) believed that the problems would occur as the vehicules age/accumulate more miles. Who knows? I'm not willing to be a guinea-pig. Been thee, done that, bought the tee-shirt! It's rfeally too bad, because I think the RX 'cocnept' is great: luxury overtones on a basic structure, a sizzle of luxury. But, as I wrote earlier, no steak: compare a glove-box lid on an MB to one a Lexus. Yes, the MB is overkill, but I have never had anyone complain they could not get it to close well..... Anyway, I really enjoy your (and lenore's and blk_on_blk's) comments and knowledge. Yes, Lenore, I too in my youth enjoyed drives, but not i n the Pyrenees but on the corniches of the Cote d'Azur, TR-5A (the IRS one!) and Lotus Elans. Also tiny Fiat 600/750 Abarth. Great times, less people, more fun! I will continue reading your postings with interest... Blk_on_blk - I looked at the "carsurvey.org" site. Thanks for the ref. Looks interesting, specially when one's choice is close to made Best regards to all Paul

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.

Thank you for your kind comments... I am really touched that you care (and that you care about Lexus too). But I have owned cars for 45 years, have rallyed cars, have driven some of the best (and the worst) cars, and I have never ever had a rear engine seal 'go'. Other things break, yes, particularly when you stress them, including engine parts and you end up with a 'blown' motor. Head gaskets - long time ago - yes. But the engine seal? never! And this is supposed to be a reliable, not-hotted up, everyday use engine. So, 60,000 miles, 'tender' use, and a blown engine seal is unacceptable. If it were only me, then you can blame it onto a very very unfortunate 'lemon', but, given all I have read on the engine seal (and the transmission), there is no doubt that the design is flawed - and I haven't even brought up the engine 'sludge' problem. I always take super care of my car (and all my possessions), and I can see that Lexus (and by extension, Toyota) do not. Would I have had a better response from MB or BMW (or other cars I have owned or still own)? Don't know. But the problem did not occur. So I have to believe they were better designed. We are in 'free' markets, and if Lexus chooses not to assist, I will not assist them either since they don't support their engineering; and I can find a replacement product made by someone else. As I said earlier, it's too bad. Their cars are attractive. The sizzle is great. In my case, however, the steak doesn't taste good. But I am sure they will do very well without me and those people I know who value my opinion being part of their customer base. Again: thanks for your nice comments. Paul

Thank you all for your comments. You may recall that I had paid the $1600 requested for the repair, and had asked Lexus for some assistance on this. They have 'respectfully declined' to do anything. Consequently, I will 'respectfully decline' to purchase any other Lexus in the future, since they let the owner hang over a flawed design (seal and transmission) they have produced and sold. It's too bad: I was 'this' close to purchasing another RX for Miami, because I moved the old RX300 to MI, and need another one here. I'll let the salesman know today my respectful decision. Good luck to all! Paul

See if the last two entries in the post below has useful information. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...hl=backup+light Thank you for the ref. GDixon. I was really looking for info. as to where the wires run through, and the colour of the back-up lights' wire(s). I would prefere to dismount/remove as little as possible, and I do not know how to remove and replace the rear hatch door panel, which is probably a pre-requisite. Paul

Hi, Vytau! I have the same issue --> I have purchased an accessory (back-up sensor beep) that attached to the license plate, and needs to be connected to the back-up light so that it is activated when (the car is put into reverse and) the back-up light comes on. Oc ourse, neithr my '99 RX300 nor your 2000 RX300 have LED lights. Have you found the quickest/easiest route to the wiring of the back-up lights? Do you know what colour wire the back-up lights use? Thanks! Paul

I have just purchased an accessory ('distance back-up sensor/beeper') that attaches to the top of the rear license plate (holder) and is connectged to/powered 'on' when the back-up light goes 'on', i.e. when one put the car into reverse. Does anyone know the best/simplest route from the rear license plate to a back-up light wire, with a minimum of dismounting to do? The accessory seems both pretty neat and rathern inexpensive ($35), so I am curious as to the result..... Many thanks in advance Paul

When I got my used '99RX300, I noticed the same problem. Took the car to the dealer. I was told it was normal - the early transmissions do not shift into overdrive until a certain operating temperature is reached (for the car? for the transmission? for both?). My own RX300 shifts into overdrive only when the temp. indicator is above the 'cold' mark, reaching at the first marking beyond. I was told this is no indication of any trouble or forthcoming trouble with the transmission. On that note, let me add that I believe this to be very weird. Ity is not good to run a cold motor at 'high' revs., better run it at medium-low revs.: it heats up faster and this causes less stress. So, starting out cold, making it to the highway and running at 4,000 rpm+ (to keep up with traffic) until the transmission is warm enough does not seem to make much sense to me. I therefore believe it is a design flaw.

Sorry - I think slowly - I now noticed the 'new topic' button and have used it (I hope that is what I was supposed to do). Sorry for the trouble. Tks! Let's see what develops. Paul