Great Cdn

thank you both for the update.

Kevenclee I'm not sure what you mean by an "ooo" sound. Just after start-up, I have a buzzing or "rrrr" motor sound from somewhere under the back seat. I suspect it is the air suspension lifting (I have the sport edition with air suspension). As has been commented, I frequently get the 'hang' between 2nd and 3rd. I had the program update. It seemed better for couple of weeks and then went back to the way it felt before (or possibly it didn't improve as much as I first thought, and just stayed oh so slighlty improved.) I spoke with the service manager yesterday. He said they have had other concerns about the 'clunk' when you touch the gas pedal and reengage the transmission. On my next visit, he has a part the will reduce the sound and feel. It will not fix the jerking of the transmission, but rather only the sound of the clunk. He pointed out that there is no other updates to the transmission, which leads me to believe that they understand it is a concern, but have no fix yet. My hope is they will have something soon. Did anyone else have a drastic decrease in mileage after the update, or is it possibly just a drop due to winter effects and the timing of my program update. I had it done in September '03 and noticed a substantial drop afterwards. I understand that gas mileage can decrease by 30% in the winter due to temp, driving method, snow and other factors, and this my be the reason and not the update. I have never had a problem with no power when I hit the accelorator as mentioned by Blackphantom. I like the truck and the look of it, but when I pass an FX or MDX (or some of the less expensive vehicles ie; (cringe) Hyundia, Kia, Honda etc.) I wonder if they are pleased with their smoothly shifting transmission, and if I should have purchased one of those vehicles and been happier (or saved myself boatloads of money). I wonder sometimes if it is only some of the 330's that have this shift and transmission problem, since not everyone is commenting on it, or if others just don't notice it (although, I am not sure how that could be possible).

I too have problems with the transmission. I have a '04 RX 330 purchased in July 2003. It seems most noticable at slower speeds. When decelerating, above 35-40 Kph with foot off the gas pedal the car feels like it is decelerating too rapidly (like a brake is applied) then at 35-40 Kph it it feels like a bump from behind and coasts much less rapidly. If you touch the gas during the coast, there is an audible (and feel) clunk of the transmission going back into gear. The vehicle seems far to jerking and clunky. I have had the update which changes the shifting pattern, but this did not seem to solve the proble. The Lexus techs say they do not notice anything unusual and that the car has a 'learning' transmission and that I will adjust my driving technique to match the truck. Hell, at $60,000 after tax, the truck should adjust to my technique (and make me lunch). I have driven 'cheap' cars and trucks that have a smoother transmission. The advertising when on hold with the dealership says "The RX330 with the silky smooth 5 speed transmission"...nothing silky smooth about it. The shift update done as sure done nothing good to the milage I get, either. At best I receive 15 liters/ 100 Km city, and 11 L/100km highway...Pathetic.