AznMechanic

They do not use a machine for tranny fluid change. All they do is use a 8mm hex to get the drain plug out and fill it back up through the fluid level checking place. other people will tell you to drop the pan and change the filter and stuff but DO NOT do it. You will regret it. Use Redline D4 ATF and you should be good. It is full synthetic ATF. DONT use Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. You said you get castrol 5w-30 synthetic motor oil for dirt cheap? Can you hook me up? Im also in ohio

If it is only $5700 out the door, I would get it. BUT DO NOT MESS WITH YOUR TRANNY. Just do Drain and Fill every 15000 miles and you should be good without messing it up. Dont bother dropping the pan and replacing the filter and all that, you will get more dust in the tranny and you will need a new one soon. I think it's a steal IMO and i would buy it if i were you but i wouldn't bother dropping the pan and stuff. Drain and fill every 15000 miles will get you going for years

Have you done transmission Fluid Change? For RX330, it is recommended every 15000 or 30000 miles because of the notorious transmission of the previous generation. I do drain and fill every 15000-20000 miles to prevent mine from failing :) I use REDLINE DF-4, which i think is the BEST If you call up Lexus HQ and complain about the transmission and make a big deal out of it saying you are a loyal customer and ETC, they will waive the $5200 charge most likely. My Lexus dealership is changing my roof rack for me for FREE even though i am out of my 4 year/ 50000 mile bumper to bumper warranty because it is notorious for paint chippings Also I got the Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty and got my money's worth! They changed my rack pinion which would have costed me $2000. Hope it all works out for you!

I will be leaving the United States and going to another Country WITH my RX330 AWD with 75000 MILES So far I have done brake pad changes, and transmission fluid changes. I ordered Michelin Energy Saver A/S 225/65R/17 Tires. ARE THEY GOOD??? I currently have Michelin Energy LX4 225/65R/17 I am thinking about changing the Timing Belt, Water Pump, Serpentine Belt, Power Steering Fluid, Tires, Spark Plugs before leaving the country because it is VERY EXPENSIVE to do that maintenance there. Should I do all of them?? Or some of them??? my car has about 75000 miles and it is an AWD ALSO should I take it to my LEXUS Dealership??? or TOYOTA Dealership??? How much would each of them cost??? PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU!!!

vanshaj, the cruising limit indicator is not an actual limit. it is an estimate according to your driving habit of that tank of gas you used. The estimated MPG and cruising limit is completely inaccurate. To find your actual gas mileage, use your trip computer A and B. Set one of them to zero right after you fill up your tank, pressing down on the trip button will reset it. Then drive around and when you fill up again, use this equation. (Total miles driven with the tank of gas) / (total amount of gas you just put in) = your MPG for that tank of gas Example, I have a 2005 RX 330 and i drove 260 miles before i filled up. When i filled up at the gas station it took about 14.5 gallons. This means i drove 260 miles with 14.5 gallons. so the equation is (260 miles)/(14.5 gallons) = 17.93 MPG. My MPG was low because it was 90% city driving and 10% highway. I hope my explanation helped. Again the cruising limit is just an estimate based on your driving habit during that tank of gas.

Hello First step to changing the rear wiper blade is you have to remove the small cap that is preventing the wiper to move up. If you try to pull up the wiper, the cap will block it from going up. you should notice it right away. To get this cap off, pull outwards on each side of the cap and pry it up. You will hear a pop and you will think you broke it but its perfectly fine. After that is off you can now pull up on your wiper and you can take the main piece out. Then the last step is to pull the rubber from the center. This is the most difficult stage. pull it kind of hard until it comes out from a side and then you can remove it. This step is just like taking a rubber wiper off of a regular OEM wiper blade. It is kind of hard to explain how to take the rubber out but if you take it to lexus dealer, they will show you how to do it. Good luck! I take no responsibility in you breaking anything from following my procedure. This is ENTIRELY your choice and your decision.

You need to understand that statistically you will never collect as much from an extended warranty as you paid for it. If that were not the case, the warranty purchase price would increase to the point where the purchase price did exceed the average payout in warranty claims. As with most other types of "insurance," what you are buying is peace of mind that you will not have to pay for some catastrophic failure (engine, transmission, transfer case, A/C, etc) while the vehicle is under the extended warranty. If you have access to a knowledgeable, experienced dealer Service Writer, they could tell you whether or not those failures are "likely" to occur during the specific warranty period you are considering. Over on the Roadfly BMW E39 forum, this issue comes up frequently and the best advice given is to take what you would pay for that extended warranty and put it in an escrow account against the day you might have a claim. If you get rid of the vehicle before having a major repair, use the money as part of the payment of the replacement. Is there risk in this approach? Yes. The other side of this option is that, statistically, most people will still have money in the bank the day you sign the title over to the new owner. My 2000 RX300 AWD has 142,000 miles on it. I have replaced the transmission fluid and kept the oil changed at 5,000 mile intervals with Mobil 1 and performed other preventive maintenance such as flushing the cooling system, replacing the timing belt along with upper & lower radiator hoses and the water pump while I was in the area. If you look primarily at those "big ticket" items, I think you'll find the odds of having one of those failures during whatever warranty period you choose is firmly on the side of the seller of that extended warranty. One note: this is all predicated on the assumption that your vehicle has/will receive good maintenance and that the vehicle has been driven in a reasonable manner and not abused. Only you can make that determination. How much is peace of mind worth? Caveat emptor. Well the Lexus Dealership and I have made quite of relationship. I go there a lot sometimes and sometimes once in 3-5months. They have been GREAT to me while servicing because they have great people taking care of customers. I just took mine to the Dealership today and got me a loaner car because I have gone through 4 batteries during the 4 years and I need a new one today again. They are trying to find why the battery is draining fast and etc. Also during my Original Factory Warranty, they have replaced the Radio, control panel, cup holder vent, some frames, clips, batteries, steering rack, roof molding, resurfaced rotors and serviced all minor stuff for FREE! Everything they have done for me has been OUTSTANDING! I know the General Manager because he's my friend's dad and almost all the advisors know me. I want to buy the Extended Warranty because I want to keep the relationship between the Lexus Dealership and Me but the Warranty is expensive. Is paying around $800 a year worth it? Im sure the car wont have engine problem but maybe transmission but probably after the Extended Warranty expires. The bad part is the Extended Warranty doesn't replace body parts/ wearable parts under warranty. So no more frames, roof moldings, clips, covers etc under warranty. Thanks everyone!

My car factory warranty expires in exactly a week and my car has 48000 miles on it. I just checked with the Lexus Dealership and for the Lexus Platinum Plan they quoted this 8 Years or 125,000 miles - $3600+Tax 8 Years or 100,000 miles - $2725+Tax 7 Years or 100,000 miles - $2375+Tax 6 Years or 100,000 miles - $2025+Tax 6 Years or 70,000 miles - $1400+Tax I drive around 12,000 - 15,000 miles a year and the manager said its the exact same as the Original Factory Warranty. Should I buy it? If so which plan? During the ownership of the vehicle I just went to Lexus Dealership if I felt something was wrong and they didnt charge me at all everytime and I think if I dont get the Extended Warranty they will start charging me. Thanks in advance everyone!

If u read your manual it says it there. I'm a car geek so i read every single page on my manual and know where everything is. How to reset the moonroof is on page 131 on your RX330 manual.

Toyota dealerships are cheaper than Lexus dealerships and they use the exact same parts. Their labor rate is just lower than Lexus's. If I were to go to an independent shop, I would go to Toyota dealership and buy the timing belt, water pump, Toyota ATF T-IV, and etc for your car because Toyota dealership has parts cheaper than Lexus dealerships and they are the exact same parts. MAKE SURE YOU USE ALL TOYOTA PARTS AND FLUIDS!!! They work the best and last the longest!!! Getting cheaper ones costs you couple dollars less but you will have to change it more often and can screw up your systems. Also Toyota OEM Timing belts can last over 150,000miles but if it breaks while you are pushing it, they can't fix it for you because you went over their recommendation for how long it should be used. It is entirely up to you and a lot of people I know changed it little bit over 100,000 miles. I have a lot of experience with RX330 but RX300 is basically the same just simpler than the RX330. I have done oil change, air filter change, cabin air filter change, transmission fluid change and etc. I have a lot of experience with my car so if you have any questions just ask me. My goal is to do the steering fluid, brake fluid, coolant, transfer case and differential fluid change :D

Yeah I tried it like a million times and both sides come out smeared Is it better to run the car for little bit and check or check it when its cold? Can you upload a picture please? I will greatly appreciate it :D

I just changed my transmission fluid and it took me a little over 2 hours because of the panel. My car is RX330 AWD and about 4.5qts came out but the manual says only 3.7qts. I dont know whether the lexus dealership overfilled it at my 30000mile service or because it was running hot more was in the pan. Should I fill it up with 4.5qts? or 4qts? or 3.7qts as the manual says. I tried to go with the dipstick level but the fluid is all over the dipstick so I cant really tell. I filled it up with 4qts at the moment but should i fill it up with 0.5qts more? Or help me how to read the transmission dip stick. Thanks a lot in advance!!!

Thanks but thats for RX300 not RX330 so I think its a little bit different. But thanks for the help!

AznMechanic- I'm gonna ask one last time and then I'm gonna stay out of this. DO YOU HAVE AWD OR FWD? If FWD, I don' think you have a transfer case, only transaxle. The drain plug for the transaxle is easy to find. It's on the bottom area of the transaxle- is also an Allen. Transaxle is fed the 1/2 qt. or so through the dipstick hole AUTOMATICALLY. At 46k mi., in my opinion it should not need those fluids changed (unless your owners manual recommends it, which I doubt.) (TC gear oil and rear axle oil, IF YOU HAVE AWD.) I have an AWD I went underneath the car today but i cant find the transmission drain plug. Do I have to take the plastic cover off? Is the transaxle infront of the transmission drain plug or behind? Thanks for everything!

You didn't say how many miles are on your RX, or if you bought it new. There are several ways you can do it. Since it has a drain plug, unlike most AT's today, you can simply pull the plug, drain and fill the pan. The problem is that only changes about 4 qts. and doesn't change the filter. I don't believe the filter needs to be changed every time you change the fluid. I personally prefer to pull the cooler line and pump it all out and change the filter about every 30k mi. but most seem to choose going the easy way which is simple pan drain and fill about every 15k mi. That's one man's opinion and I'm sure you'll get others. You'll get different opinions on this also, but I believe the OEM T-IV is adequate and will give you good service. I would NOT have a flush done. Some people have no problem with a flush, but I have read of too many who have had tranny problems soon after a flush (of all makes), I believe because of debris that gets moved into critical valve areas that otherwise would have been no problem. No flush for me! My car has about 46000milles on it. Transmission fluid was changed around 32000miles by lexus and I heard a lot about lexus transmission failures so I decided to go around 15000miles intervals. What do you mean pull the cooler line and pump it all out? How do you do that? Also how are most AT's today? They are not drain plugs? Then what are they now? Also should i buy 80W-90 gear oil and change the differential fluid and transfer case as well? Thanks a lot!!! AZnM- How does your fluid look? With that low of miles, and having been changed at 32k, I wouldn't be so inclined to tell you that it needs a complete change. If the fluid is brown at all, maybe so, but if it is quite pink yet, you may be fine with 15k mi. drains, that's up to you. I don't know if the later ones (noticed your is a '05) have the trans. problems that the earlier ones did, I'm sure they had a chance to learn from their mistakes by then. You also didn't say whether it is front wheel drive or all wheel drive (FWD-AWD) I don't think the FWD had the problems that the AWD did because there was more strain on the AWD. You should have a drain plug (takes a LARGE allen wrench) on the trans. pan. Most trans. pans haven't had drain plugs for a long time. You lucked out. If you have AWD, you should have another drain plug on the front transfer case, drain that also, only holds about 1/2 qt. from what I remember. It's common with the trans fluid, but must be drained separate. I don't honestly remember about front gearing, if there is any 80W-90 used there or not. There is in the rear but didn't even change it at over 100k mi. on my DIL's RX, because when I pulled the plug it came gushing out (was actually overfull) and looked brand new. I personally would pretty much go by the manual as far as changes on the gear oil because so many of them use synthetic now and don't even call for a change. I don't run high miles on my vehicles now (like I used to in my younger days- 25k mi. a year), and have never actually changed gear oil. Be sure you don't put gear oil in the front case where it is fed from the trans. That would be a mess. A lot of cars now use trans. fluid in the transfer case and even in manual trans. You drain the front case of that 1/2 qt. but you don't have to fill it, it is fed from the tranny. Double check that, but my DIL's '99RX was that way. If you decide you want to pump it all out, refer to my reply to Artbuc. Good Luck! Thanks a lot for the info but are you positive that the transfer case is fed by the tranny? because I looked at my manual's chassis section and it says transfer holds 1qt SAE 90 or SAE 80W or SAE 80W-90. Also should I take the pan down and change the filter and all? Would that be a flush? thanks a lot in advance!!! Sorry AznMechanic- I probably should have said transaxle. You never have said whether you have FWD or AWD. The AWD should have a transfer case that takes the power to the rear wheels. The transfer case should take SAE 80W-90 as shoiuld the rear axle. The transaxle shares the T-IV with the transmission. At least that's the way it is on my DIL's '99RX. There is a second plug to drain the transaxle (you'll only get about a half qt. out and you fill it in common with the transmission through the trans. fill hole where the dipstick goes. If you have a FWD, you may not have the need for the SAE 80W-90 in the front. The reason it is so confusing (the 1 I'm familiar with is my DIL's '99RX which is AWD), is when I did a search to try and figure the nomenclature, after reading scores of posts, they seemed to be as confused about what the nomenclature (even got a different answer from almost every every Toyota and Lexus mechanic they talked to) was at the end as when they started. Best thing I can tell you is FOLLOW YOUR MANUAL once you are sure which you have, AWD vs FWD. Pan and filter is simply pan and filter- that's not a flush. That has to be done with a machine and I personally recommend against it. Under your circumstances, I would say you are probably OK with just the drain and fill (no filter or pan drop because of as new as it is and as few miles as you have) Remember, they made changes to the later ones that should cause you not to have the worries of the older ones anyway. Should take 4 qts. or so if done that way. Do you know where the transaxle drain plug is located? what is it near? So if i put in the fluid through the dipstick hole, it will go to the tranxaxle? Do you think i should change the transfer case gear oil and the rear axle gear oil? Thanks a lot!

You didn't say how many miles are on your RX, or if you bought it new. There are several ways you can do it. Since it has a drain plug, unlike most AT's today, you can simply pull the plug, drain and fill the pan. The problem is that only changes about 4 qts. and doesn't change the filter. I don't believe the filter needs to be changed every time you change the fluid. I personally prefer to pull the cooler line and pump it all out and change the filter about every 30k mi. but most seem to choose going the easy way which is simple pan drain and fill about every 15k mi. That's one man's opinion and I'm sure you'll get others. You'll get different opinions on this also, but I believe the OEM T-IV is adequate and will give you good service. I would NOT have a flush done. Some people have no problem with a flush, but I have read of too many who have had tranny problems soon after a flush (of all makes), I believe because of debris that gets moved into critical valve areas that otherwise would have been no problem. No flush for me! My car has about 46000milles on it. Transmission fluid was changed around 32000miles by lexus and I heard a lot about lexus transmission failures so I decided to go around 15000miles intervals. What do you mean pull the cooler line and pump it all out? How do you do that? Also how are most AT's today? They are not drain plugs? Then what are they now? Also should i buy 80W-90 gear oil and change the differential fluid and transfer case as well? Thanks a lot!!! AZnM- How does your fluid look? With that low of miles, and having been changed at 32k, I wouldn't be so inclined to tell you that it needs a complete change. If the fluid is brown at all, maybe so, but if it is quite pink yet, you may be fine with 15k mi. drains, that's up to you. I don't know if the later ones (noticed your is a '05) have the trans. problems that the earlier ones did, I'm sure they had a chance to learn from their mistakes by then. You also didn't say whether it is front wheel drive or all wheel drive (FWD-AWD) I don't think the FWD had the problems that the AWD did because there was more strain on the AWD. You should have a drain plug (takes a LARGE allen wrench) on the trans. pan. Most trans. pans haven't had drain plugs for a long time. You lucked out. If you have AWD, you should have another drain plug on the front transfer case, drain that also, only holds about 1/2 qt. from what I remember. It's common with the trans fluid, but must be drained separate. I don't honestly remember about front gearing, if there is any 80W-90 used there or not. There is in the rear but didn't even change it at over 100k mi. on my DIL's RX, because when I pulled the plug it came gushing out (was actually overfull) and looked brand new. I personally would pretty much go by the manual as far as changes on the gear oil because so many of them use synthetic now and don't even call for a change. I don't run high miles on my vehicles now (like I used to in my younger days- 25k mi. a year), and have never actually changed gear oil. Be sure you don't put gear oil in the front case where it is fed from the trans. That would be a mess. A lot of cars now use trans. fluid in the transfer case and even in manual trans. You drain the front case of that 1/2 qt. but you don't have to fill it, it is fed from the tranny. Double check that, but my DIL's '99RX was that way. If you decide you want to pump it all out, refer to my reply to Artbuc. Good Luck! Thanks a lot for the info but are you positive that the transfer case is fed by the tranny? because I looked at my manual's chassis section and it says transfer holds 1qt SAE 90 or SAE 80W or SAE 80W-90. Also should I take the pan down and change the filter and all? Would that be a flush? thanks a lot in advance!!!

You didn't say how many miles are on your RX, or if you bought it new. There are several ways you can do it. Since it has a drain plug, unlike most AT's today, you can simply pull the plug, drain and fill the pan. The problem is that only changes about 4 qts. and doesn't change the filter. I don't believe the filter needs to be changed every time you change the fluid. I personally prefer to pull the cooler line and pump it all out and change the filter about every 30k mi. but most seem to choose going the easy way which is simple pan drain and fill about every 15k mi. That's one man's opinion and I'm sure you'll get others. You'll get different opinions on this also, but I believe the OEM T-IV is adequate and will give you good service. I would NOT have a flush done. Some people have no problem with a flush, but I have read of too many who have had tranny problems soon after a flush (of all makes), I believe because of debris that gets moved into critical valve areas that otherwise would have been no problem. No flush for me! My car has about 46000milles on it. Transmission fluid was changed around 32000miles by lexus and I heard a lot about lexus transmission failures so I decided to go around 15000miles intervals. What do you mean pull the cooler line and pump it all out? How do you do that? Also how are most AT's today? They are not drain plugs? Then what are they now? Also should i buy 80W-90 gear oil and change the differential fluid and transfer case as well? Thanks a lot!!!

I was wondering how often I should change the transmission fluid. The dealer said every 30,000 miles but I checked the fluid and its little bit dark so I was thinking every 15,000 miles or maybe little bit over 15000 miles just for insurance because it doesn't cost a lot. Should I just use the Toyota Transmission T-IV fluid or is there a better alternative fluid thats better than Toyota's and meets their specs? At last do I have to change the gasket, filter and stuff or just the fluid? Also how do I change it? Thanks in advance!

When you say your idle speed is very low, how low is it? Mines around 600-800 when warmed up and 1400-1600 cold start. AznMechanic, I have the exact same idle rpm's as you do. Do you condiser 1600 TOO HIGH ? I thought mine was, and am wondering if this is normal ? thanks ! Does yours go down after starting the car? The best thing is to let your car idle so it can lubricate before you start riding on your car. I let mine idle for about 10sec-1min depending on how high the idle is. Usually after i start my engine its 1600 or 1500 and it goes down to 1300 or 1400 in 20seconds and it goes up and down for a bit. I currently have Castrol Edge 5W-30 as my engine oil which is synthetic so i was guessing because synthetic oils are thinner and gives better lubrication than dyno oil, it allows the engine to rev high easier because its lubricated better. Synthetic oils allow better lubrication which reduces more friction which results in lower engine temperature :D This is my guess XD

When you say your idle speed is very low, how low is it? Mines around 600-800 when warmed up and 1400-1600 cold start.

I had the same experience when i was using the aftermarket product that goes into the cigarette lighter. Usually the aftermarket ones arent quite made well so it blows up the fuse for the cigarette lighter. I took mine to lexus and they replaced it for me for free and they should do the same for you or charge you like a buck or two depends how much they want to rip off their customers :D

The Castrol Edge is full synthetic and it guarantees up to 15000miles or 1year and i used napa gold oil filter which is made by wix so i was wondering if i should let it last a year or change it after certain miles

So yesterday we got an oil change. I bought my own oil Castrol Edge 5W-30 oil and napa gold oil filter and went to monro so they can do my oil change. They charged me $15 so i guess it was worth it rather than me doing it. I was hoping that i dont have to change the oil for a full year because Castrol Edge guarantees 15000miles and napa gold oil filter can last 10000miles and we drive around 10000miles a year. Please tell me if i can let it last for a year or should i change it after 5000miles? Also my fluid lvl was low so i called lexus and schuduled a check up and i asked then what oil they use and they use CONVENTIONAL OIL and they charge you $100!!!!!!! Also when i looked inside the engine with taking off the gasket where the oil goes in, it was black so i guess sludge formed cuz i was letting conventional last 5000miles every time! DUMB LEXUS!!!!! They are trying to make your vehicle get engine sludge i swear! Thats why im going to be using Pennzoil Platinum next year after the 10000miles on Castrol Edge cuz Pennzoil Platinum clears out you sludge at the first oil change XD

I just bought the Castrol Edge and NAPA Gold oil filter so i dont have to worry about oil change for a whole year! =] I will post how well the oil performs and if it actually lasts 15kmiles or a whole year! We drive only 10k miles a year tho

I had the similar experience with my car as well. Mine smelled like dog/nasty smell. I took it to the dealer and told me theres moisture in the cabin air filter. Their price quote was $100+tax!!! I was like psh yeah right so i ordered it online and changed it myself and the smell kind of went away but I read some posts and my smell might have mold inside the system Anyways changing the cabin air filter might help a lot and check if its dirty when you take it out and smell it and see if the cabin air filter smells. If that doesnt work give me a reply and ill get back to you. :D