sgriffith

I just replaced my noisy, rough, Kelly Safaris (only about 42K out of them...rotated every 5K) with Mich. LTX/MS yesterday. All I can say is WOW!! I wondered where that nice smooth & quiet ride went. I was going to go for the Cross Terrains, but they were hard to find in the area and my parents LX has the LTX/MS tires on it and they seemed like a quiet tire. I hope they last a little longer than the Kellys did...but if not I can handle it because at least my car is quiet and smooth again!!!

We have a 99 RX (not AWD) with 91K on it. Initially I did not realize how much maintenance would be required with these vehicles...and it was a bit overwhelming. However, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty you can do the vast majority of the work yourself. Also, maintenance items can usually be handled by Toyota or some qualified independent mechanic. No, you don't get all of the Lexus ammenities (free loaner, awesome dealership, etc.) but you do get your maintenance done cheaper. For example, we need to have all of the belts & water pump changed for our 90K service....there is an independent mechanic who will do it for about half the cost of the Lexus dealership. I have used him before and he only works on Toyota & Lexus. So, all things considered, I would probably purchase our RX again. However, when it is time for a new vehicle (we plan on keeping ours until about 200K miles..Lord willing), we won't be getting another RX...just because we want something bigger. I would happily buy a new RX330. Yes, I have had a lot of issues with our RX, but we have an extended warranty and all things considered, our vehicle at 90K is much nicer than my sister's 2002 Tahoe with 50K....no rattles...leather is in good shape...etc. So, yes, they do have their issues...just like any car...but if you make yourself aware of what could happen, you can make plans to take care of those things. The transmission issue does make me scratch my head though. These vehicles should not have tranny problems. :chairshot: If you get one...do the maintenance. It should save you much grief later on down the line.

As long as you have a master key (one of the big ones with the remote built into the key) that works, you will be able to program and cut the new key...and yes, it should work just fine. My key got lost (wife leaves keys on top of the roof all the time) but we still had another master key.....hers. I bought an uncut key off of ebay and had it cut....programmed it...works perfectly. You can also go to www.lexus-parts.com and buy a "shell" for a new lexus key. It includes an uncut key, but the plastic part of the key is only a shell. You can take the remote unit out of your current key and put it inside of the new shell and it should work great. My "new" lexus key has already cracked (the plastic housing) and I am considering this option. I hear the plastic housing on the keys sold at lexus-parts.com are much stronger and will resist cracking. Hope this makes sense

In a larger city, there should be a locksmith who could cut the key. I was able to find one in Abilene, Texas (much smaller than dallas/ft. worth) that would cut the key for me....only cost about $25.00 (plus the cost of the key I purchased). I would look around in the yellow pages and call the different locksmiths in your area.

I consider our RX300 our 'family' vehicle, but I drive it daily. I don't feel insecure about my manhood in it. I work with a guy who drives a silver one (and he is single..that is is only vehicle). Ours happens to be black....but I wouldn't mind driving a white one. But, I don't really believe that only men drive one type of vehicle and women another.....I drive what I like...and I love our RX.

My suggestion...seriously....take it to JPI who posted in this thread if you need work or maintenance done in the future. He is in Garland and absolutely incredible. You will not regret the drive. I will use him from here on out and he is about 3 hours from me. He is the best and the smartest I have seen.

On another note (but along these same lines) I had the same thing happen to me with a radiator cap. Every auto parts store had what their computer showed would work on my RX, but none of them would fit. I ended up driving 2 hours to a Lexus dealer to buy one. The Toyota dealership about 30 miles away didn't even have one. For that very reason I only purchase my oil & oil filter from an auto parts store....every thing else comes from a dealership. Kinda sucks though when you are in a bind and need something right then.

While I am insuring a 99 as opposed to a newer model, I use Geico and my policy runs me $63.00 each month. It is the only vehicle I have insured through Geico, but when my wife hit a deer and smashed our RX up pretty good, they were as fair as any I have dealt with. I would go to their web site and figure out what you think you need & see what their quote will be. When I had my truck insured through geico, our policy was still only $96 per month....so even with 2 vehicles it wasn't too bad. I don't remember what all of the numbers are, but I do know we have a $250 deductible instead of the $500. We had no credit history when signing on with them and still qualified for the monthly payment option. I think we pay a little more for the policy, but $63 per month isn't bad at all.

My mother-in-law has a highlander with the 4 cyl. engine. It is all the power she needs, but I can't stand it. Her highlander isn't the upscale model (obviously) but the cloth seats aren't very comfortable and I just don't think the ride is near as nice (but that could have a lot to do with the cloth seats). I haven't driven one with leather. A few years back she was in a car wreck where the vehicle rolled down the side of an overpass (before they hit the bridge on the overpass) and it broke her back. While she is lucky to be alive, she has many problems with her back as a result. She had an explorer and it just bounced her to death. She drove the highlander and bought it without looking back. She said it is wonderful to drive and she hopes she can keep it forever. So, they are great vehicles...I just had something nicer to compare it to.

Used it on my RX when I had a rear main seal leak and it fixed it like a charm. While I went ahead and had the seal replaced b/c I had an extended warranty, I have nothing but good things to say about the product...and I still add 3 ounces of it every time I change the oil. I do not usually like additives, but this stuff is different than what is usually out there on the market. I like it .

What dealership did you take it to in Ft. Worth? Sewell? If so, we have had issues with them as well. There were multiple TSBs out on our car about some problems we were having and they acted as though I was the only one having the issue. Won't go back to them again. I am now a Park Place Grapevine fan. Their dealership is like a resort!!

When I got married in 2001, my wife drove a 94 camaro with 130K on it. I knew it wouldn't last much longer (and really needed a new clutch) so we decided to shop for cars. We ended up purchasing a 99 RX and have just loved it. I will echo what others say, make sure you can afford the maintenance. Our car payment is no problem (because it is scheduled) but the maintenance isn't always something we can just run out and have done. However, this site is full of DIYers and that is how I handle most of our vehicle maintenance. This way, I only pay for parts. So, MOST of the maintenance it can be affordable....it you take the time to learn how to do some things yourself. We also bought an extended warranty when we purchased our vehicle. It has paid for itself time and time again. Not many things go wrong with these cars...but when they do, it is generally expensive. I hope this helps a little!

My parents own an 02 LX with 34K on it....I drove it for a week a while back ago and the temps were around 15-20 degrees in the am. There was no sound at all. Everything sounded normal.

Mine on my 99 RX do the exact same thing. They vibrate as I drive down the road and it drives me nuts!!!! I will probably change the hinge at some point in time, but I have bigger things to work on right now ;-)

In my few dealings with trade-ins, Kelly is usually the closest. I just traded my Ford truck in at a dealership (salesman I know) and I told him what the KBB was on the truck and that is what I got. It seemed like a fair deal for me. Sometimes though it depends on the dealership you are dealing with. My parents were going to trade a 96 SC300 a few months back and were offered $10,500 as a trade on a certified 02 LX. My dad is a pro and initially told the salesman he wasn't trading so just to figure the price on the LX. I thought it was a great deal, my father didn't so he bought the LX w/o trading so he could sell the SC. He barely got 10.5K for it as a private sale......and that was after a few months of it being up for sale. They were trading at a Lexus dealership and were offered more than the KBB price (by about $1K). Maybe the salesman predicted that he was bluffing, but he still got the same deal (a good one) on the LX w/o a trade. In most of my dealings with Ford or Chevorlet dealerships, KBB has been the rule. We didn't buy our RX from a Lexus dealer, but we got KBB for our trade. Sometimes it seems to me that if you are trading a Lexus at a Lexus dealer, you will get more for your trade (or closer to what it is worth). But I have never gotten below KBB on a trade-in....anywhere. I guess the way I figure if I am getting a good deal or not is by looking at all of the available data from edmunds, nada, kelly, and also what used cars are going for on eBay.....figure out from there what range I am comfortable with and don't settle for less. I can usually predict what will be offered for a trade if I look at those few sources.

Thanks everyone....I ended up finding it on lexus-parts.com Probably not the best price, but it was convenient. I thought I had heard that some dealers didn't want to sell you these things....for whatever reason. Anyways, I appreciate the replies. Oh, and the number I was referring to was the 1800 number to toyota publications (or something like that) that I ended up finding on their web site after digging around some more.

Does anyone know this number? I know I have seen it on here before, but still can't find it anywhere. Thanks!

Well, we had the strut mount replaced under warranty at a dealership and the noise is back...so I am thinking that the strut itself needs to be replaced b/c it isn't quite the same noise. So, here we go again :-)

With all due respect to My3rdRX, having a well maintained forum isn't an easy job and the moderators have keep that in mind when organizing the forums. I am a teacher and moderate forums for my students as well. If I have a million places to maintain (along with all of the other things I do) then it is a nightmare for me....and the forum & my students suffer from my poor choice. I believe that there has to be a balance between pleasing the customers and the keeping a forum manageable. I know that this isn't what SW & SK do for a living....but this is a hobby/something they enjoy and their attempt to extend a helping hand to people like us. And lets not forget that our "management" are customers here too. I completely understand the desire to seperate the forums out....but I (personally) enjoy seeing what is going on in the RX330 world...especially since I might own one at some point in time. Additionally, I think it encourages more collaboration on thoughts/ideas/suggestions/etc. amongst users.....but that is just my 2 cents worth.

That is not the part you need. I live in Texas and was looking for the bracket also. I went to the newlexusparts.com site and found the same part (#16) you are looking at. I called the dealership (Park Place Plano) and they said that the part I needed would cost $45.00. So, (after 3 warnings from our highway patrol) I made the trip and bought one. But I read where the part actually costs the dealership $12.00....so that part I (and you) found online is not the bracket we need for sure....but it sure does look like it on the web site (which is why I called the dealership).

A while back ago, someone posted a telephone number that I could call to order a factory service manual for my RX00....the real one from Lexus/Toyota. I have searched for this number and can't seem to find it. Could someone please repost the number? Merry Christams to me!!! Thanks a million!!!

I am about to install an XM satellite radio antenna in an 02 LX with the NAV system. I have heard that the two antennas can interfere with one another....is this true? If so, where is the NAV antenna located? Wherever it is, I will put the XM antenna on another end of the vehicle. Thanks!!

I don't know HOW to do this, but I know it can be done. My parents have an 02 LX and this is how the video is sent to the rear headrests....it is a robbed signal from the DVD player to the headrests. I know that a shop did it, but they bought it preowned...so I don't know who. But yes, you can do that.

Yeah, I heard that toyota was dropping the LC and that lexus was dropping the LX for a newer, larger suv based off of the sequoia. Has this changed? I hope it has - I love the LX & the LC!!

I am about to take my RX in to replace the water pump and all of the belts & was told that I should replace the cams & crank seal (cost of $165 for parts and labor). Has anyone else had this done & if so, what is the purpose? I really trust the mechanic & will probably just have it done, but wanted to make sure this wasn't a waste of money.