sgriffith

When I bought my 99 about 3 years ago, it didn't have one either.

If you have anyone other than the Toyota dealer do the work, I would recommend that you purchase all of the parts from your local Toyota store so you know that original Toyota parts are going back into your vehicle. That is the only way I will let an independent mechanic work on my RX. On the RX, the timing belt isn't due until 90K, but I am a "better safe than sorry" type person and usually replace belts early. If you can afford it, I would do it. I just don't want to be driving down the road when it finally decides to give in and have to deal with it then.

I am as well....would love to see more info on that.

I had the exact same problem. I do have an extended warranty, so the repair was covered. I did get the same quote as you, though, around $1100 from a dealership. The worst part for me is that it took about 4 days to get my car back (including the weekend). I second what RX in NC said....approach the dealership with the fact that this is a common problem with the RX series....that is your best avenue. Good luck and keep us informed. If you do decide to have it done somewhere else...I recommend purchasing the seal from a lexus/toyota dealership and taking it to the independent shop to have it replaced...then you know you are getting the OEM seal put back in your vehicle.

Back to the oil filter - I usually purchase our oil & oil filter at Orielly auto parts. They have their own brand (can't remember the name) of oil filter that is made by purolator. It is about the same price as the cheap oil filter sold by Toyota - around $3.20. I use this same filter for my truck as well....and have been pleased.

Thats crazy.....I have had many people (not on this forum) tell me that I can flush the tranny out and replace it with other (non-toyota) tranny fluids. I smile, tell them thank you, and walk away. Other fluid may work just fine, but not for me. I have heard too many horror stories.

Have you always noticed this or just since recently changing out the fluid? Also, did you use the Toyota Type T-IV tranny fluid? Just a few questions that will be helpful.

There may not be anyone who knows the answer to this question, but does the new 4Runner have this same issue? I was drooling over the GXs until reading all of this & have almost decided to buy a used LC or LX. But am considering a new 4Runner as well. Just wanted to see if anyone knew if the problem was there with them also?

Be careful is all I can say. I had a bad sensor and did the exact same thing as was recommended and my vehicle started running to rich. That caused my catalytic converter to basically explode (yeah, it had a hole blown in the bottom of it)....or that is what we are speculating as to why it happened. The mechanic did say he had never seen it happen before. Replacing the catalytic converter & the sensor ran me about $2300 to get it out of the shop. So, be careful. I found an independent mechanic who is certified with Lexus & Toyota (he can even stamp your maintenance records and it will be honored by Lexus & Toyota) and his cost for the sensors (same Toyota parts....I made sure) was considerably less.....as was his labor charge. I actually found him through this site (JP Importz). So, just be careful when continuing to run the car with the check engine light on. Keep us posted on how it turns out.

I use the Autoglym products found on the lexuscarcare.com web site. I have found them to be wonderful products. After using Lexol, though, I will probably switch to their cleaner product & conditioner product....as they can be found at a near-by store. I love the Autoglym stuff though....if I hadn't tried Lexol (not that I think it is a better product) I would have never switched!! I was a former Meguiers leather care fan...but there is no comparison.

Cats are indeed expensive...just had to replace the first one on my RX and it was $1100 plus labor. I would live with the smell before I shelled out that kind of money.

Well, this one will probably be chalked up to "lesson learned" for me. When I called them and asked them about the tranny, I asked that if the tranny was indeed bad, then would they replace it with a new one. They said yes. However, in order to prove that to them, they wanted to take off the whole dang transmission and have it looked over for a part that had failed. I just got the car back about 3 hours ago. My mechanic did tell me that the fluid was a little low (1 qt.) and that this probably caused my slipping. He did feel it too when he drove the car before, but he reset the ECU, went ahead and did a drain and fill on the tranny, and drove it for about 3 days. He never felt it again. He also said that when he dropped the transmission fluid pan that it was very clean...not much dirt and virtually no metal shavings. He said that if the tranny was indeed bad that there would probably have been much more junk in the pan. Does that sound right to you? It made sense to me. I did also have the rear main seal replaced and they had to drop the tranny then to replace it. He told me (I think this is what he said) that if they didn't reset the ECU after they did that, then it could have also caused this issue. Anyways, I didn't feel a thing on the 3 hour drive home, but will do much more testing this weekend. I am going to give my contract to a friend of mine who is a lawyer and see if he can't help me force them into something. I am not really going to hold my breath. I would love to replace the tranny on this dang thing, but I guess the best I can do right now is argue like hell with them and do my drain and fills. I found out that the reason it was a quart low was that I was checking it incorrectly.....so lesson learned. At least it was only like 1500 miles since I had done that. Thanks for the advice and I will continue to battle with them. Will post something if I can strong-arm them into something.

TexGX.....I don't know where you live or take your vehicle for service...but I have had very good luck with Park Place Lexus in Grapevine. The service guy I have used before is Butch Shank. http://www.parkplacelexus.com. There should be a link to the Grapevine dealership and some phone numbers on the web site. I have noticed a significant difference from service at one dealership as compared to another.

Well, getting a new transmission is proving to be a little more difficult than anticipated. My mechanic called me and said that the warranty company is wanting him to completely take a part the transmission and find a part that has failed. Naturally, this would be at my expense. He doesn't want to do that for a number of reasons: 1.Cost...it will be an expensive job. 2.They may just say they will replace a part instead of the whole thing. So, I have called them and they aren't giving in any at all. He is on the phone with them about once an hour trying to get them to replace the whole thing. Any other suggestions? I am standing my ground and fighting with them, but it doesn't seem as if it is going anywhere. I am so frustrated that I am thinking of just trading this thing off!!!!! I now feel stupid for holding them up as a great company.....but this has never happened with them before.

Had I put that $1500 in my pocket & not purchased the warranty, I would be paying about $5500 (+ the $1500) to get all of this stuff fixed. 'Lexus' isn't the only great extended warranty....you just have to do your homework.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, we are very pleased with the warranty company. I have learned several things from my 3 years of owning our RX, and the most important is find a qualified mechanic you can trust. I found one off of this site (Jason at JPI). I have traditionally taken my RX to a dealer to have it serviced...but after Jason fixed my catalytic converter and other things, I am a life-long customer for one simple reason... Honest answers....no sales. He actually told me he never liked the RX line because of the problems. Would you find a dealer who told you that? Once I went to pick the car up, he asked me if there was any maintenance that I wanted to do for myself but just didn't know how. He showed me how to clean the MAF & throttle body. Who else would take the time to do that? And if you are wondering about his qualifications....he used to work for Lexus (the dealership I used to have my RX serviced by) & goes to Lexus/Toyota training with the mechanics from the dealerships. AND when I took my car over the first time to get my cat. converter replaced, I didn't plan on having to leave it there. After I discovered that I had left my drivers license at home & couldn't rent a car to drive 3 hours home....he loaned me his personal car. Talk about service!!! If anyone is in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (or surrounding area) I would highly recommend him. You lose the flash of the Lexus dealership, but you know that you aren't getting sold on something you don't need...and you can get an honest, striaght-forward answer. I hope to be picking up my RX with the new tranny on Wednesday. Will let you know the final outcome. Just some of the things I have figured out over the few years...but yeah, so glad I got the extended warranty. My wife tried to talk me out of it when we bought the vehicle.....and she is SO glad that I wouldn't listen to her (and she NEVER says that!!)!!!

Actually, the 1st day we drove our car over a bumpy road, we noticed the problem. So, our first went out at around 33K. Our front passenger side is just starting to go out (at 84K). I really didn't notice a ride difference, just the dang annoying noises from my nice "Lexus". The diagnosis was a bit involved. I took it to a dealership while under manf. warranty & they said nothing was wrong. Problem still existed, though. I waited a long time until I found another dealership & they diagnosed it right away. It just rattled when we went over a bumpy road....kind of a "thuddy rattle." There is a TSB out for these things. So, I was out of manf. warranty the second time I took it to a dealer, but the extended warranty covered it for me. I don't believe you replace the entire strut assembly...from what I can tell it was just the mount. The dealership price for it was absurd, but I didn't care b/c of the extended warranty. By the way, I just called my Extended warranty company and they are going to let me get a new tranny for the RX.... I don't have to get a rebuilt one. I pushed for it, but it was based mostly on a recommendation by my mechanic. I am relieved for that. Here is the info on my extended warranty company: Western Diversified Advantage Preferred Vehicle Service Contract 1-800-606-3524 That number should get you what you needed. My contract price was $1485.00....and they are about to have saved me around $6K on a tranny, plus all of that other stuff. Anyways, let me know if you need more info.

I purchased a 3rd party extended warranty when I bought my 99 RX300 in 2002. It had 32K on it and the warranty was good for 5 years or 100K. It has paid off for me. Mine was about 1400 also. Here is a list of my repairs & costs: New rear main seal = $1100.00 (I only paid $50...my deductible) New passenger side front strut mount = $400 (fixed at the same time as the rear main seal....I paid nothing) I am about to have to have the drivers side front strut mount replaced also. I am also about to have to have the transmission replaced. It will cost about 5 grand...but will only cost me $50. I am a big believer in extended warranties...even if they are a 3rd party. I just was sure to do my research before I bought one. I would be working 4 more jobs to pay for all of the repairs that have had to be done on my RX. I am very glad that I have it. You might check to see if it has an emissions clause...or at least includes some emissions componenets. I just got hit for about $2300 for a new catalytic converter, flex pipe, and O2 sensor. I didn't mind paying for the flex pipe & O2 sensor, but $1100 plus labor for a catalytic converter will dang near send you to the hospital. Needless to say, my warranty wouldn't cover any emissions issues.

Thanks RX in NC.....I appreciate the reply. I couldn't agree more with you.... my 22 month old daughter could do this type of maintenance....I just wasn't for sure about the type of fluid.

Warning...stupid question ahead... In reading through these posts, I am confused. I do my tranny fluid changes every 15K, and I do not have AWD. In looking through my maintenance schedule, I know I don't have a transfer case to change fluid in, but what about Front & Rear differential? And according to my service schedule, then the front differential fluid is T-IV. Is this correct? Thanks in advance.

I too am in the same boat. I am young & my wife and I bought our 99 RX instead of a tahoe or expedition for quality purposes. Since we have had our RX (bought it used with 32K on it...we now have 84K) we have had the following problems: 1.Rear Main Seal had to be replaced (under extended warranty, thank God) 2.Passenger Front Strut Mount replaced (under extended warranty) 3.Bank 2 O2 sensor went out & had to be replaced 4.A week after the sensor went out (my fault b/c I figured it was a dirty sensor), the 1st catalytic converter blew a hole and had to be replaced. 5.While the catalytic converter was replaced, I had them replace a flex pipe in the exhaust system because the first design was inferior to later designs & my mechanic told me they go out quite frequently. The only thing that cost us was the O2 sensor, the catalytic converter, and the flex pipe, but that was about $2300.00. My extended warranty did not have an emission clause in it, so it wouldn't cover that. However, I have heard my drivers side front strut mount giving the same indications that it is going out, so that will be replaced here before too long. I almost wish my tranny would go out before 100K so I could get it replaced under the extended warranty!!! We can't afford to trade it off right now, but we sure can't afford many more $2300 repair jobs either. I wish I had waited a bit longer until I could afford a used LX. My parents purchased one and man, what a vehicle. My mechanic says they are pretty solid, too. I have just found out how important it is to have a qualified INDEPENDENT mechanic. I found one through this forum, and he has given me loads of advice on future vehicle purchases. He has direct access to Toyota/Lexus information and will shoot it straight with you. I used him to fix the catalytic converter/flex pipe/O2 sensor....and will go back a million more times. He is ASE certified and goes to Lexus & Toyota training with other mechanics at dealerships. He is a wonderful resource. You can find his postings around on this forum....look for JPI (JP Importz). Only uses toyota parts, and has all the qualifications. Again, he is a wonderful resource.

I also had the noises when I was going over speed bumps etc. It was misdiagnosed initially by Lexus, but it turned out to be the "suspension support." I actually had to take it to another dealership to get them to diagnose it. What was funny is that there is a service bulletin out on it and the other dealership was like "oh yeah, this is what it is for sure." So, you never know what you are gonna get. I thought the first dealership was great and wonderful, but I have decided that I will drive a little further and get reliable, consistent service. Let me know if you need any more info on this.

If you read the above message, then I asked this question some time ago. Yes, it was a suspension support that had to be replaced. Mine was on my front passenger side. Had it done at a Lexus dealer...would have been around $300 I believe, but mine was done under my extended warranty. It is now fixed and we have no more of those annoying noises.

I will see what I can find out about my extended warranty.....purchased through a dealer and paid around 1300 for it. The RX had 32K on it when we got it and the warranty goes for 5 years or 100K. We had the rear main seal replaced (approx 1100) and the front passenger strut mount replaced (approx 300) all for $50.00 (which is my deductable). Even minus the deductable the warranty was still worth it. When I reach 100K, I will either trade or buy another one. I just don't like surprises. If you will e-mail me at skip@sunsetpass.com then I will reply with the name....pending that I can find it ;-).

When my parents purchased their LX they dealt with the internet manager and he knocked around 5K off of the sticker price. Still a lot of money for a vehicle, but it was a much better deal than he was getting across town.