kh046

I dont have this particular rattle, but the 2004 sure did have its rattles! ha I have pretty much given up asking them to fix the rattles, which often get worse when they pull the dash (which usually causes other damage to the interior). My loudest and most annoying rattle is over the passenger air vent, and its almost continuous. I've never bought a new car before with so many quality control flaws and recalls/service safety campaignsm, and i'm just about ready to sell it and try a different brand. :( :( From my experience, there is a fix for this particular rattle problem. If you keep looking through the archives, you'll probably find it. My RX 330 had a similar rattle. I took it in and they took care of it for me. You might want to try another dealer if it's not too far.

I've posted this problem in another string. However, my RX330 was doing this as well at about 20K. I finally had it checkout out at my 30K. The dealership did realize that it was warped and replaced it under warranty. I can't believe that they didn't catch this earlier.

I finally took my RX330 to my dealership. They took a look the rotors and called me back regarding it. The advisor told me that I had warped rotors. They were able to replace both of the front rotors under warranty.

Our dealership in town does not do any body repairs. They send it to a local shop here in town. The first time I went and asked, the advisor told me to just take it to them myself. I've been using that local shop myself for 2 years now. Recently, someone just swiped my front driver's bumper area. It left a scrape on the bumper where I can see the black underneath the paint and some of that black rubber got scraped as well. I was debating whether I'll pay it for myself, or go through my insurance. I ended up taking my vehicle in to that local shop and have them do an estimate. It came out to be around $600. $600 is about $300 more than my deductible. In that case, I just called it in to my insurance. By the way, that shop is also one of the shops in my insurance's list of repairs. My insurance just told me that, this case was sort of like a hit and run. The Local shop here says that they use the number on the vehicle to order the paint from where Lexus buys the paints. The after look is flawless. It looks just like the original. Just like a couple of replies before me. Do your research around your area, and take it to a independent shop that does body work for a living.

I live here in the central valley, and basically had the wipers stop on me because the down pour was so heavy. It seemed to hesitate and didn't know what to sense. In that case, I just turned it back to manual operation.

Thanks for the detailed information and the visuals.

Well, it's been a month since I first posted this post. I haven't heard from the Lexus Rep regarding my problem yet. Wow. What kind of satisfaction center is Lexus providing here?

Make an appointment with the fleet manager or internet manager. They tend to be able to give you the discount without doing that running around back and forth time waister game. If you haven't already, you need to check Edmunds.com and kbb.com for true market values (TMV) for that area you want to shop in.

Just to be on the safe side, I fold it down all the time. Even though I tend to use the car washes where they hand wash your car on the way in there, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Regarding the TSIB, do you know the part number or number for that TSIB.

Have you guys ever had it done? If so, how much does it cost to replace or to resurface the rotors? Thanks for all the advice.

I am just wondering which part do I need to replace or fix on my RX 330 which has about 28K. When driving at or above 50mph +, while braking, my RX starts to vibrate hard from the steering wheel. I was wondering, if it is my brakes that needs to be replace OR is it my rotor that needs resurfacing. Any ideas before I take it in to my dealer? Thanks

I've heard that same sound in my 2004 RX330. However, I tried to make sure I can reproduce it all the time before I take it in. I haven't had much luck reproducing the same whining noise all the time. Keep me posted on your progress with the dealership.

Jetman, don't feel too bad about your experience. I've been through a couple of those as well. That happened to me when my hatch wasn't opening right with the key fob. The advisor made me look like a fool. However, always check with this site for TSB's on your particular problem. Then the next time you go in, arm yourself with the TSB and the dealer will sure fix it without a fight. Good luck. ;)

If you are going through the costco program, the dealer has to show you costco's discounted price. When I purchased my RX330 (04), I initially went in talking to the salesman that deals with costco customers. However, when he showed me the invoice and the discount, I still thought that I was going to be paying too much. Then the guy told me, "What price is comfortable for you?" I ended up paying 39K before taxes. Do your homework, research prices, and know your price limit. Again, set up an appointment or talk with the fleet manager or internet managers. They can give you the best deals or discounts. If they haven't ran your credit yet, don't give them that information yet until you've settled on a price that you like. In this case, they're not sure how much you can really afford. Don't let them play with your emotions. Meaning, don't get too attached to the vehicle. If the price doesn't fit, walk away. That's what I did. The salesperson had to come out to my vehicle while I was leaving, and tell me that they can work with my offer. Good luck! :)

I personally have not experienced this brake failure and am glad that it did not happen to me. I did recieve a recall letter and took my RX330 in for this "fix." I don't know what was done to it. However, there is a little sticker that they put on the inside of your drivers door when the fix was done. Good luck.

I for one am having a similar problem with my 2004 RX330. I am still currently waiting for a reply from Lexus Customer Care department to see what they have concluded with my dealership.

My vehicle is a RX 330 made in September 2003. I have about 25k miles on it. However, I've been having front end noises (popping) within my first year of owning the vehicle. Make sure that you can reproduce the noise often and take it back to the dealer and try it again. :(

From my experience, my dealer's technician told me that most of the wind noise is coming from the two rear side view mirrows. Basically, there's not a lot that they can do to minimize that because of the size of the those two mirrors. But, I do agree with you guys, the wind noise is much louder than I expect in this vehicle. I might try adjusting my cross bars on the roof rack to see if it helps in the reduction of some wind noise.

Thanks. I'll keep your response in mind and keep this post posted on my issue.

I am going to try to go through the chain of command that was printed in our owners manuals. The rep from Lexus called me last tuesday regarding my issue. She stated that she will try to work with the dealership in town here first, and see if they can come out ahead of this problem. She said that she will get back to me as soon as she can. I haven't heard from her since. I hope that the next time I hear from her, I will get better results from her than that of the dealership. :whistles:

I went ahead today and called Lexus Customer Satisfaction line. The Rep told me that they will be getting back to me within two business days. I'll be waiting. OKEH, I am afraid that my end of my problem will result in something similar to that of yours. What ever the end result is, I do not believe that this type of sound is the type of things that made the lexus brand so popular. My fingers are crossed.

The vehicle IS still under warranty. It will be two years old in October of this year. I've tried my best. He told me that a LEXUS REP will be there next week. I have asked him to pass on my concerns to that REP and give me a follow up on the REP's replies. I am thinking of writing to headquarters or even the BBB. In addition, my next closest dealer is in Bakersfield, about two hours away.

I'm just curious. (This also goes out to our veterans and management team). Is it possible that the popping/cracking sound that I'm getting from the front area of my car just "body flex" noises such as my dealership has put it bluntly. I've been having this noise from my vehicle for over a year now. In addition, I have had it in numerous times for this noise. The noise comes when you are going over bumps, dips, pulling out of driveways. Also, now, it's also making the noise when you are making right turns and there is a slight change in elevation of the gravel. For numerous times, my dealership has said that it was the front struts. This last time I took it in, they said that it was basically the "body flexing." And yes, he did mention that I am stuck with the noise. Any suggestions on a solution? Can it be the RX's body flexing? What do I do next? Am I stuck with this noise? The person that I spoke to was the service manager. He says, he's the top guy and that's his professional opinion. Thanks in advance.

When I purchased mine (2004 RX330) back in October of 2003, I bargined the MSRP to 39k. However, after taxes, I ended up paying about 43K. From the information that you have posted, the RX330 that you're interested in, must have came in the Premium Plus package. Although it looks like a lot of stuff, it's basically like a base RX330 in my opinion. In regards to Carfax, it is good if the owner went to a lexus dealership to do all the routine maintenance. In that way, you would have a record of that from carfax and any lexus dealership. However, if they went to their local mechanic, it will not show. Just make sure that they have proof or receipts of all work that has been done on the vehicle in regards to routine maintenance. For price, if you can knock the price lower, it's lesser that you'll have to chug out. My RX currently has about 25k miles on it. I would probably sell mine around that price if I had to sell it. But again, you're looking for a great price, not a good one. Overall, the car IS a great one.