mccldwll

On '05 RX330, the rubber piece which hides the body color on the B pillar between the front and back windows ripped and to fix it's necessary to replace the entire piece which is on the front edge of the rear window (the shiny black piece).I've bought the piece. It's primary attached with peel off adhesive strips on the back of the moulding, but there is a small plastic notched piece which appears to fit inside something. Has anyone replaced this? Does it simply slide down into place before the piece is pushed back to adhere? Thanks.

My wife had the car so I was not able to check out the switch position. But, before both sides dipped. However, the drivers side did not dip as nearly as much as the passenger mirror did. There are some old threads about how to adjust that range.

IMO. stay away from an out of warranty RX300--read older posts here for the issues. And if you ever want to haul much, the Lexus just doesn't have much cargo room. You might also want to consider an even newer RAV4 which has about as much cargo room as Highlander, but gets much better mpg, and is more fun to drive.

Based on my experience, LOW does not "learn a lesson". They are glad to get you off their back so they can resume business as usual. I don't know LOW, and I'm sure you're right that they haven't really learned a lesson. However, they have to rralize the are accumulating demerits with the mothership so they may be more careful next time.

The guys doing the body work generally are not the same service jerks, and if they do almost all their work on Lexuses, they're used to a certain high standard. If someone knows a body shop and in confident about the body work and paint match, OK. Otherwise, if you keep it with the shop which did the damage, and they can't match the paint--get it back to original condition--then it's still their problem. They can't argue no diminished value if there is diminished value due to bad match. It's not really a question about who is capable of doing better work, it's a question about not letting the jerks off the hook until you're completely satisfied.

They have the right to drive it. It may or may not have been negligence re: driving on that day; the person who drove it; how/where it was driven (might have taken your car to get lunch, pick up someone, etc.). Ask for copy of police report for your records. There certainly can be a problem blending paint on a 10 year old car. Unless I knew a good body shop and was ceratin about the outcome, I would want to leave the problem with that dealership to make certain they got it back to condition it was in before accident. If they can do that, then no diminished value. If they can't, there is. Don't bring in a third party that they can shift blame to if doesn't come out the way you want. Keep the ball in their court.

Have some chips on dark gray grill silver plastic shows. Is there a Lexus/Toyota touch up pen? Color code? Thanks.

Everything's soaked. Get it dried asap. I've never done it on a Lexus, but on every other car where something like this happened, I pulled out the entire interior and dried everything completely before reassembling. Anything else and you may be looking at some longterm funky mildew smells.

CarMax (where you're buying it) or CarFax (the reports, which are next to worthless in many cases)? IIRC, the 90K service is more than just T belt. Includes some things like tranny fluids, filters, driveshaft adjustments, etc.. If at a dealer, I would insist on full 90K service, w/ OEM parts. If private, cll Lexus and find out what they charge for it. Also, make sure the computer was reflashed. That was a 96 mo/80K emmissions warranty issue, but only done if someone complained (cheap *BLEEP*s). Makes a big difference.

I didn't mean to insinuate that VSC caused any trans problems. I am just saying that it has nothing to do with the trans discussion same as increasing the gas tank size in 01 has nothing to do with it. I did do some searching as you suggested looking for "well documented changes" and did read the links you provided but everything seemed to indicate no trans change was made in 01 except for 1 speculation by wwest. He even goes on to claim the change causes overheating of the ATF causing more failures. But I guess that's a whole different discussion. Also the link you provided above suggests that no change was made until DBW came along in 04. NHTSA numbers also suggest that 01 trans are failing at the same rate as 00 trans were failing a year previously. I didn't post the Consumer Reports numbers for the 99-03 RX but they suggest the same. One thing not being mentioned is the impact very minor changes could have on tranny durability--replacing a weak part or simply reflashing/recalibrating the PCM--which wouldn't show up as redesign. I think this discussion went from "00 to 01 changes are well documented and anyone who disagrees is going against established facts" to "maybe they made some changes to the trans in 01 because they made other unrelated changes and might have seen some warranty trans failures by then". I do agree with that and hope they did make some changes, I am just saying we have no facts to support it. If I were looking for a used RX I would definetely not get anything older than 02, just in hope that they don't follow the same failure pattern as the previous years.

There are 2 rubber strips (@1.25" x .75" x 3') which sit in recessed grooves of similar dimensions on each side of roof on '05. In very heavy cross winds the other day one came completely loose and was "fluttering". I removed it so wouldn't lose an overpriced part. Groove is filthy. After I clean groove and trip piece, what is recommended adhesive for reattachment? Does it take a continuous bead, or only some dabs on either end? Thanks in advance

Bump-- Does anyone have any info on this and exactly what it was trying to cure (such as more tranny problems)? Thanks.

Lexuslady is entitled to her opinion, but notice she doesn't drive an RX. The tranny is way too weak for the size/weight of the car. The trans problems are extremely well documented and not something which necessarily would be discovered by a mechanic. Neither would a myriad of other issues on the horizon. And carfax really is next to worthless. Do yourself a favor and avoid an older RX.

Don't get a Lexus. Even if it didn't have the trans issues, which it does, it's still a luxury car and when little things fail, they're expensive. Look in the April (cars) issue of Consumer Reports. It lists best bets/cars to avoid. Also lists good choices at various price points. If you really want an SUV, look at CRV, RAV4, Forester. Also Subaru Legacy/Outback (but some years had head gasket failure issues which would need to be priced in) and Mazda wagon. Also Edmunds has a "what it costs to drive" comparison for whatever car you plug in.

For anyone not aware of it, there is a TSIB from 2/9/2006 which suggests recalibration of the ECM to resolve certain "gear hunting" shift issues. It's under the emmissions warranty so it's covered for 80,000 miles or 96 months. I had mine reflashed yesterday. TSIB says may not notice full effect for several days of driving while it "relearns". Could someone please address/explain this procedure and what it is really trying to accomplish. Thanks.

cars.com

The pics are gone. Did your parents just find out how incredibly stupid their kid is and pull them? This kid is nuts. Someone let his parents know about this thread. Name, address, picture, garage variance application, everything is online. Maybe $5K will slap some sense into the family. It beats a criminal record.

They're aware of the consequences of filing a fraudulent claim, but smart parents wouldn't have proceeded on that course of action had they known he posted everything here. The risk is way too great.

The disease has spread to the other coast and, ironically, that same amorality could present complications for OP here. Of course it matters what happened to whom. Others have said so, and he acknowledged that himself: "My mother called back and asked outright if our rates would increase and the lady sated they wouldn't. She said it doesn't go by incidents on the total policy but that of each individual driver. Since my mother hasn't had a ticket in the past 10 years and hasn't filed a claim before, the insurance "lets the first one go". Thanks to her son, when she eventually gets caught she no longer will be able to say that she didn't realize it made any difference who had the accident. She can't say it was a little white lie to save OP the points. He has chronicled to the internet that she knows that it makes a difference in rates. A money based decision. And this has nothing to do with people here being perfect. It has to do with being smart. It was suggested that they go ahead and quietly have it fixed privately and not file a claim. Idea rejected, even though "a lexus is like a corolla" to them. And filing a false claim is one thing. Filing a false claim, rationalizing it, and telling the entire internet universe about it, is quite another. It's well into the realm of stupidity. And I'd be willing to bet dimes to donuts that his parents don't have a clue that he's blabbed to the world at large what his parents are doing. Lots of stuff like this goes on behind closed doors, but smart, affluent people don't hang their tattered underwear in the front yard. He cares more about himself and getting his car fixed than about what could happen to his parents. I suspect he may have some issues along these lines which might give him a defense if only he were involved. His parents don't have the same luxury, and are being hung out to dry by the kid they've tried so hard to protect.

Not only that, but his original posts are already "cached" in google (and other search engines) so can't be deleted. It's a fun read. My wife is a teacher and is having students read and discuss it re: individual responsibility, helicopter parents, the power of the internet, and how shame is somehow missing in today's teens. As a group, we come off pretty well. Maybe it will become a verb--to "duluk" something, or to be "duluked."

Why are you posting this? You have chronicled how you had an accident, that rather than fix and pay for it yourself or report it to your insurance as your own accident, that your mother filed a fraudulent insurance claim. You even state what you're trying to do in your post (put the at fault accident on another driver). And with an amount now over $5000, that could kick it in to a higher degree of felony. And anyone googling your name will find this thread (not to mention that it will be found when you have a subsequent accident, and then you are toast). You also had better hope that no one at your school discovers this, or that no one wants to get to you or your family for anything. Have you even bothered to tell them that you have told the entire internet about the crime? Do you really think insurance companies cut large checks without doing a 15 minute internet search? Do you enjoy going through life looking over your shoulder? Ever heard of karma?Someone really should print this thread and send it to your parents (your address is online too).

I've bought touch up paint, a piece of moulding and rubber mats from Sewell.

I need tires soon. The Dueler Alenzas have sounded the best thus far (for an '05 330), but has anyone had a different experience? Overall, on other cars, my results with Bridgestone has not been as good as with Michelin.