Lexus RX 300

gregoryo

Hi.
I don't seem do be able to turn the central display off unless I have lights turned on. My RX is 2001.
Is this a normal behavior or a defect? Thanks.

subal

Please post the dealer name or at least the name of the town these nut buckets are in so the rest of us can advoid them!

jiamin

I just checked my 2000 RX, and yes I found the same. When only parking light is on, the display
can be adjusted to have one vertical bar which is to me like next to off. And found the brightness adjustment is completely independent of headlight on or only parking light on.

ravl

The overspray I'm discussing is not from the windshield wipers. It's something that's occuring to the vehicle when it's been at the dealer. My best guess as to why the windshield had to be trashed is the vehicle was exposed to whatever it is that causes this during the summer and it was allowed to 'bake' into the 'shield for the couple of weeks the vehicle sat on the lot before I bought it.

As if my story wasn't enough, it gets even better. I went out to my garage yesterday morning (in SoCal, btw) and the light was hitting the car just right, and all over the hood of the car is this 'overspray'!! You could even feel it hardened on the paint! I immediately drove it back to the dealer and fortunately (for them!) the GM was in. I sat down and proceeded to tell him the story and then showed him what I was talking about. The 'overspray' dumbfounded him and their detail person. Neither one could say what it was or what its source was/is. All I knew was it was from the EXACT source that made the windshield have to be replaced. If I were to describe what it looks like, it's *very* small little spots that look like you went through a sand storm and the windshield got hit bad by small pieces of sand. On the hood, it looked and felt like very small drops of pitch or sap.

The GM tells the detailer to take the RX and give it a full detail. I took the loaner and came home. A few hours later, I pick up the car and it's been given a really good detail in and out. The finish is smooth as a baby's butt. I *finally* was able to begin to turn the rotten taste in my mouth into one a bit less sour.
I'm still not satisfied to the point of 'excellence' though.

I also suggested the GM may want to do some detective work to determine what it is that's caused this to happen not once, but twice to the same vehicle. I knew black was a difficult color to maintain, but sheesh! this is ridiculous what has been happening. I'm not going to post what dealer this is as they are very much trying to make me a happy camper again. The GM threw Mr. Big's name at me and said he would discuss the saga with him on Monday. We'll see if they're smart enough to one--refund the license wrap price and 2-- offer another compensation. I still need to cross the bridge, if'n you know what I mean...

One other detail that very much surprised me was the fact someone had stolen one of my chrome tire stem caps and I 'assumed' they'd replace it. Not. I even mentioned it to the GM yesterday that I thought it would have been a 'nice touch' to see it replaced. It still wasn't, even after the mention.

What really boggles my mind is how all this could have happened. The dealer and service people are all very competent, professional, nice and efficient. It makes bagging about them all the more difficult.

Thanks for reading along...

ravl

Thanks for the info about this. The ES loaner's a/c light came on every time I engaged the defrost, but the RX light doesn't. I'll be sure to listen for the compressor next time I use the defrost.

I'm still not pulling any relay as my solution to it staying on is to use the foot or face mode of the system, thus making it turn off. If I can't outsmart a car, then I prolly shouldn't be driving....

mikey00

I don't think the hidden hitch will provide the bumper protection you are looking for. It sticks out about the same as the factory hitch. It protrudes about 1 inch out from the bottom of the bumper (black plastic). Which puts it about flush with the part of the bumper where the car color begins a little further up. And, yes, the connector is in the black plastic box you mentioned (at least on my 2001).

tarik

What really boggles my mind is how all this could have happened. The dealer and service people are all very competent, professional, nice and efficient. It makes bagging about them all the more difficult.

Somewhat surprised, I recognize that it's not only my local dealer (SC) who can't walk his talk [about the relentless pursuit of perfection], which I attributed to the South. After the last service, my Rex had two rather visible scratches on the right hand side (I know because I checked before it went in - it had happened one time before but I was never sure where...). Upon bringing this up, my SA said that ..those things have to be expected. People walk around between the cars in the service area and hit them with cell phones frequently...!!! After having regained my countenance, I made my opinion heard and they finally agreed to give me a full detail which took care of the problems.

Do I give out an excellent rating for this? No, because getting it right in the second attempt and only after I made them aware of shortcomings is not the goal. As long as everyone plays the game of being politically correct not to hurt someone's feelings, nothing is going to change. What if they saw the scratches and tried to hide them from me, deliberately misleading the customer? Nobody compensated me for having to come back to the dealer the next day to pick up my car (30mls one way).

I paid a lot of money for the car and the service, I want perfect results to rate excellent, period. Anal or not, I see that as the only way to change the current situation.

Tarik

wwest

You probably can outsmart your RX by using the footwell/defrost combination airflow mode to PREVENT fog from forming. In LA you might even be able to use this mode to REMOVE (force a "state change") condensation once it has formed.

That's the procedure I used until OLD MAN WINTER arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. Now that he has removing condensation from a thoroughly CHILLED windshield surface requires more heated airflow than the combination mode can provide. And while reverting to the full defrost/defog/demist mode can certainly provide enough heated airflow to force a state change, it also engages the A/C compressor.

So I removed the A/C relay.

gimpyrx

widmer

Is it true that the RX300 has an active noise canceling system. I rod that somewhere, but doesn't not find it in the owner manual.

Thanks for your answer and regards of Switzerland.

Jean-Jacques (John) its easier for you...

wwest

Other than some sort of arrangement wherein the motor mounts are "active", I don't think so..

I read "active noise cancelation" to mean the electronic system, maybe mounted under the front seats, that analyzes the local "noise" and then cancels it by an amplified inversion process.

Don't know if anyone is actually using it yet.

[Deleted User]

Either I missed something on the posts or I am dumber than I thought. But the AC is designed to run whenever the defrost is on. The AC helps pull the moisture out of the air to aid in defrosting the windows. It has worked this way on all my cars since I can remember. If I misunderstood the posts, by not going back far enough, I apologize.

rxguy

I found the black box under the car without any problem, but I could not find the place to plug in the harness once I removed the box...can anyone confirm whether the 2000 has the prewiring done? If so, what exactly am I supposed to be looking for?

Jiamin, I looked more closely at the hitch and it does not stick out quite as far as the bumper...

Thanks!
David

nofeer

I put this on the GS board, but it also applies here

When honda's last year for a car the year before the "redesign" has a special edition. So does rx.(Silver Edition) The market moves the vehicle design. the RX has not had substantive changes since inception. Market going toward longer with 3rd seat. Look at trailblazer changes for spring, to compete with the explorer etc. All are looking for 3rd seat. with honda getting a variant of the MDX, and the MDX itself pressure....pressure on lexus. how does lexus compete with everyone else going 3rd seat. i heard toyota customers want the highlander to have a 3rd seat. so my prediction
is major change in the market mover RX to stay competitive. If they don't and wait a year....y2k y2k+1, y2k+2 have no real changes to keep fresh. Other manufacturers won't keep still. The MB has had 3rd seat. Lexus won't be left out.

I'd bet some $$$$ on this....new rx next fall with the following changes
longer and wider with 3rd seat
redesigned dash to clean up
lower center of gravity
more power to separate it from the highlander
less pronounced rear deck
entertainment system offered

GS may go AWD to compete with MB, and Audi (c and e class MB's have AWD available)

As an aside--how reliable is the Audi A6 or A4--if i need to go AWD like to have option
over MB e 4matic.

marsha7

it used to be that imports, or at least Hondas, had an A/C button that you would push to engage the compressor, either for air cond or dehumidifying heat in the winter...the system gave you total control, which I liked...most of the time, once the windshield was defogged, I would shut off the A/C unit (saved fuel and wear and tear on the compressor) and just direct warm air from the heater up to the defrost vents, low fan speed, and the car was mildly warm and windshield clear for hours...whereas American cars, going back to the 1960s as far as I know, once you engaged the defroster on the dash control, automatically engaged the compressor, and still does so today...whether the imports (Honda) have changed their systems, I do not know, but I always appreciated the true versatility that my Hondas offered, since I always thought I was "skilled" enough to decide if I wanted just plain warm air on the windshield...considering that I would use full defrost (with A/C) during the winter almost daily for 5-10 minutes, there was never any chance that the seals would dry out and lose freon, which is one reason given as to why USA cars have the A/C permanently connected to the defroster...my opinions only...

rkgordon

A few of you may recognize our name and know that we've researched our purchase thoroughly. We purchased our car 3 days ago & we love it. We compared it to our other choice, the HL and the Lexus won out. Thanks to you all for your help and advice. It has been very interesting. The kids are sooooo excited to have such a nice car. Our 14 yo is seeing himself driving it someday (never say never) Our 8yo is most excited about the FREE first aid kit in the back and our 12 yo thinks the remote IN the key is so cool.

Two questions: 1) Do I do anything now to the interior or exterior finish to protect it? Wax? RainX? Leather protector? My brother says to buy a "california brush" and keep the dirt brushed off now and then. I have not yet read the manual, but I trust you all who often know more about the care of the RX.

2) It pulls slightly to the right. This is inconsistant and very minor, but definitely there. Happens equally on windy roads and interstate (husband agrees if that matters) It's got 123 miles on it. Is this something I should have looked at right away, or should I drive it some more to "break it in" then assess. OUr dealer said there is no break-in period needed. He said to drive as fast as we want.

what do you think? thanks all

jiamin

If your RX is the same as my 2000 RX then there is a break-in period of 1000 mile said in the owner's manual. Unless Lexus break in all RX in their factory and then set odometer to zero.

wwest

take a spray bottle of water, the "finer" the mist (atomizer?) it will disperse the better. Now take a piece of metal sheet and turn it so it's vertical, so gravity will cause any condensation to flow downward.

If the metal sheet were cold enough and/or the surrounding air humid enough you wouldn't need the spray bottle for the next step.

Now spray a light coating of fine mist onto, all over, the vertical metal sheet. You should see no visible result at this point other than a metal sheet covered with a fine mist. That's what your air conditioner evaporator will look like a few moments after you turn on the A/C and it is chilled enough by the refrigerant boiling in its interior to begin condensing water molecules from the local atmosphere.

Now if you were to leave the metal sheet just as it is the fine mist you deposited there would eventually evaporate away into the local atmosphere.

But, let's continue the experiment, using your spray bottle give the metal sheet another coat of fine mist, and another, and another, until here and there the fine mist begins to change into larger droplets of moisture and now as you continue spraying some portions, droplets, will have gathered enough mass that gravity will overcome viscosity and those droplets will begin to flow down the surface of the evaporator.

Now if you continue spraying the metal surface with the fine mist from your bottle you are basically replicating the continuous and ongoing condensation process that occurs on the surfaces of your A/C system evaporator as long as the A/C compressor is run to provide liquid refrigerant to be "boiled off" within the interior chambers of the evaporator.

If you boil water on a burner on your stove then until the water has all boiled away the temperature of the water remaining in the pan will be a very consistent 212 degrees F. Now virtually all of the heat energy being applied to the bottom of the pan is being "wicked" away via the steam leaving the water.

Unlike water, the refrigerant in your A/C system has a very LOW boiling point, for our purposes, lets say 32 degrees F. So as long as the compressor provides liquid refrigerant to "boil" within the evaporator ALL of the evaporator surfaces will remain very close to a 32F temperature.

You are removing HEAT from the atmosphere flowing through the evaporator, reducing its temperature to something close to 32F. Just as with the boiling water, the heat removed from the airflow is carried "away" by the refrigerant's "steam" as the liquid refrigerant within the evaporator boils from the heat applied by the warm airflow.

Now, if the relative humidity of the airflow through the evaporator is high enough, lowing its temperature to 32F will cause it to reach 100% relative humidity and any airborne moisture molecules will condense out of the atmosphere and onto the evaporator vanes.

Another point to remember, the viscosity of those water molecules and water droplets increasing substantially with lowering temperatures.

What this means is that these droplets must accumulate a LOT of MASS before gravity will overcome viscosity (one water molecule's "attraction", binding force, to its nearest water molecule "neighbors") and they will flow down these surfaces and out the drain tube.

So, at the very instant the A/C compressor circuit is opened and no more liquid refrigerant will be supplied, the evaporator surfaces are very COLD, 32F in this case, and the millions (billions{?})of small water droplets remaining (having not yet accumulated enough mass....) will continue to "cling" to the COLD evaporator surfaces and each other.

Now as the evaporator's surfaces begin to rise in temperature due to a rising local ambient these droplets will either flow out the drain tube as they lose viscosity with rising temperature, or they will evaporate into the surrounding atmosphere.

Historical information:

When I first came to Seattle in about 1961 four of us would often go skiing in a 1950s Ford sedan. Late in the afternoon we would get into the car for our return trip home, down the mountain. Ski togs in those days consisted primarily of blue jeans and wool sweaters Four of us, cold, tired, very sweaty, clothes quite thoroughly soaked, in a 1952 Ford.

The only way to survive getting down the mountain in this case was to turn the heat full up, route ALL of the heating capacity to the interior surface of the windshield, and lower the rear windows to help dehumidify the car's "atmosphere".

And a stop at the state liquor store in North Bend for a bottle of Old Forester.

Then along came cars with air conditioning and some nameless someone decided that an A/C could be used to help make driving in cold humid weather less hazardous. But there was a "technical" limit. In freon based systems of that era, up until about 1990, it was not technically feasible to manage the system differential pressures needed to make them operable below about 47 degrees F. That was the pressure level on my 1984 T-bird at which the A/C compressor would be shut down.

So basically, up until the early ninties A/C conditioners were not generally operable below about 50 degrees F, so there was never an issue concerning the growth of mold and mildew because above 50 degrees F the moisture condensed on the evaporator vanes during the previosu day's operation didn't "hang" around very long, probably not even overnight.

But, here we are in 2001 and apparently some bright young engineer, likely Japanese circa 1989, has discovered how to make A/C systems operate efficiently all the way down to 32F.

Except the moisture accumulated at these lower temperatures doesn't evaporate away when the overnight temperatures remain below 50 degrees F.

AND just what does happen to the small droplets of moisture left on the thousands of square inches of a Lexus very dense evaporator core once the defrost/defog/demist mode is deactivated and the A/C ciruit is opened? Or the operator just blindly shuts the A/C down after about an hour's operation in humid weather?

The A/C evaporator's placement in these systems is such that ALL cabin airflow comes through this device, NONE can be bypassed.

Mold, mildew, TOXIC MOLD even, maybe, and fogged over windshields and windows. God bless those brilliant, gadget and gimmickry oriented Japanese NipponDenso engineers.

They may be the death of us yet!!

im_brentwood

1) Dont wax it yet. Especially with it getting colder in most parts of the country.. I'd wait until at least spring until you start to wax it. Generally you want to paint to be a good 6 months old to "harden".

When it comes time... If you plan on keeping it a real long time, use a high quality leather conditioner like Lexol or Conolly Hide Food (BuyHide food from the local Jaguar dealer.. $15/can). Do that 2-3 times a year, and your leather wont dry out. As far as the paint, Iuse Zymol onmy own cars twice ayear. But everyone in TH likes different stuff (Actually I love Ardex but its only sold wholesale in huge containers.. maybe your local detail shop will sell you some).

2) Alighnment ought to be covered for the first 12mo/12k miles... But if its out, it can cause premature tire wear which they WONT cover.

So keep an eye on it. I'd bring it up at the 1K service.

Good luck and congrats!

Bill

ravl

Thanks for the feedback about your problems, Tarik. The comment about 'cellphones between cars' struck a chord with me because my rearview mirror damage looks like someone gouged it and scraped it all at once. It may not have been a cell phone, but I'm sure they carry around more dangerous stuff than that!

If they want 'excellent' from me, there needs to be more than this full detail on the car. I feel that's their cost for messing up with the overspray. I want to be compensated for all the trips I've had to make to correct their mistakes. I mean, would it have killed them to give me the tire stem cap?

tarik

No question, grab the bull by the horns - what is more valuable than your time? A nice we'll take care of it, meaning that they will fix what went wrong in the first place, just won't cut it. I wonder why I only got two customer response questionnaires from Lexus HQ...

Tarik

ravl

I've been wondering if the individual dealers can control who gets the survey. You know, bad service call, no survey; good, gets one. Does anyone know if *every* service written will be sent a survey, or is it random?

I'm curious to find out if Mr. Service Writer will call after he speaks to Mr. GM about my Saturday visit....

ctk1

To rkgordon:

1. Check the car manual for the breaking period. The first 1000 miles should not access over 3000 rpm and recommend to drive local or city (stop and go instead constant speed on the highway for long distant). All car require break-in period. If do it right at the fist time it will better for the engine in the following years.
2.If the RX is slight pull to the left or right, check the front tires pressure. Make sure they both same psi
3. Wash & wax the RX exterior? I read from the web and listen to other recommendation, some say wait for the paint to harden, other suggest to wax it right away! I bought the car in June 2001 and I wax it after a month, then another wax in October. I use Turtle Emerald Series™ Premium Advanced Liquid Car Wax. It contain 100% Brazilian carnauba wax
4. Leather care? Since the car is new, so I only user the leather cleaner & conditioner combo. I apply it at the same time as I wax the RX and a recently third time for the front seats only cuz it mostly used.

For more infor:
www.zainobros.com
www.carcareonline.com
www.turtlewax.com

Good luck

rkgordon

Thanks for the input. Re: waxing now or waiting 6 mos...my well schooled brother who just ordered a Mercedes SUV says do it NOW. Our minivan was in an accident this summer & was painted. They said not to wax it for 6 mos.(not that it was ever hand waxed) so the paint can bake. Little brother says that is true but this new car paint was definietly baked & it should be waxed now, before any damage to the finish. (in virginia this week we're expecting 2 days of 70's - unusual for December) Your thoughts? Best wax? I'm taking a survey.Thanks. K of RK

clee4

Like the earlier post, check tire pressure. That being equal, did your RX come with Goodyear tires? They are prone to right hand pull on other RXers with them install, but mostly after the first rotation. Did your tires get switched at dealer for some reason? Keep us informed.

Jon90

Wax it now, you can always wait a month, but yours was probably made more than a month ago anyhow. And do several coats to get a good finish on there. Zymol.com and Zainobros.com have a lot of good products. Zymol actually has a section for SUV's. I plan on trying their "titanium Wax", will keep you posted on it.

The "brush" is actually a California Duster which can be used occasionally when your car is clean, but dusty only. Do not use on a dirty car, wont help. But if you washed a few days ago, and has sat in garage for few days and just has layer of dust....Its Great!

You might want to go to the maintenance town hall and look around. Be prepared for everyone to tout Zaino. I havent tried it yet, so can't comment. I have read there the a Rolls Royce dealer uses Liquid Glass. So there are plenty good products out there. In general, people that have done several light coats have acheived much better results.

I recommend getting someone that is easy to use, and you are comfortable with. Also get a detail spray to use in between wax jobs to keep the gloss, protect your wax, and keep the surface "smooth" for dirt doesnt sit in micro ridges. Malms.com has some good insight on this as well.

As far as your pulling to the right, i bet it is a tire out of perfect balance. Certainly have the delear test drive it and check the tires, until it is right. Lexus will stand behind it better than anyone.

As far as the break in period - Bullcrap, everyone car has one. Treat is like a new girlfriend for the first 1,000 miles, then gradually work it in. Besides going under 3,000 rpm. Be very careful to modulate your RPM. That is, do not sit in the fast lane and keep in locked at one rate for an extended time. You dont want the engine to "learn" anything (i can get deeper if you want) Also breaks it in much better. Normal city/county driving will do this anyhow. You will find 1,000 goes fast enough.

gimpyrx

Brought to you by LEXUS customer"NO"service.

wwest

Was that him I spotted with a Cameo role in the Grinch movie?

im_brentwood

Jeez..

I've only had like 15 used RX300s in stock in the past 2 months..

Not a sludged one yet.

Also, none of them apparently went 25K between services either.

Bill

mooretorque

Just my .02. A vote for Zaino. Very easy to use, certainly the easiest product that I've ever taken off. Sal Zaino recommends twice a year for daily drivers but if I had gone by water beading and feel alone, would not have re-waxed at 6 months!! Great stuff, but as was pointed out earlier, many great products available. Two salient points: 1) I don't have a lot of time to spend and Zaino doesn't waste any of it 2)even my non-gearhead wife could see the difference (and she has NEVER commented on any other product).

Goodyear Integritys. A passenger car tire spec'd by Lexus cause it's quiet and cheap as well as reasonably long wearing. But a lot of owners have had issues with pulling, esp. to the right, which were not cured by (sometimes multiple efforts at) re-alignment and re-balancing. My wife's RX was one of those. I was on the verge of taking it in again, but delayed a week to replace the Goodyears with Michelin CrossTerrains to see what affect they might have. Voila'! No pulling, just as quiet, better road/steering feel than the Potenza RE030 on my GS430.

Nothing further to add on breakin. Jon90 phrased it succinctly.

ravl

I'd like to second that car duster comment. I have one as well and it saves me a LOT of car washes. With black, the lightest coating of dust is visible and the car duster extends the time between washes by weeks.
I've used one for 3 years now and haven't experienced any damage.

Another second to the Blue Coral wax treatment from the car wash. I'm lucky to have a very competent car wash and they offer this product. It's sprayed on to the vehicle and wiped to a shine with cloth. A full service treatment for about $17-20.

RK, congrats on the new RX! What color did you get? Were there any new colors for 2002?

ges1

Has anyone experienced the periodic loss of the seat adjustment memory? This seems to occur rather regularly on my three month old 2001. It is annoying to have to continually reset the adjustments.

rexlexus

Had a dead battery this morning... If someone leaves a door ajar (easy to do if you don't slam the door hard), the auto headlights will not turn off.

jiamin

Thanks Rexlexus for mentioning this to us.
I could have the same problem, not sure though.
One time I left headlight on purposely but doors were all closed, just wanted to try "auto turn off" feature. I only remember quite a few minutes passed and still it didn't turn off, but don't remember whether it turned itself off in the end, or I couldn't wait and turn it off.
I used to think RX300 has that feature. But after I take another look at the window sticker that I saved, it says "Automatic on/off headlamps". I think it means the third stop (auto) when the lamp switch is turned. It senses how dark the environment is to determine when to turn on headlights.

rmorin2

I've tried many different waxes over the years. Currently using Blitz Wax. It is pretty easy to apply and take off. Lasts about 3-4 months on my daily driver which sits out all day but is garaged at night.

Where is the best place to buy Zaino? I'd like to give it a try?

Also, have any RX owners had a problem with a rumbling vibration at idle with the transmission in gear such as when sitting at a traffic light?

We have had this problem on and off since buying our '00 RX. Seems worse when it is cold. Motor mounts were replaced but the noise has returned. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

gimpyrx

Rx transmissions NEVER have problems,NEVER!
Just ask Laxus.

clee4

Auto lights will turn off in either position (auto or on) provided the doors are shut. They stay on for ~2 minutes after the doors all shut ( lift back included)

Display turning off. A few posts back someone wanted to turn off the display (do not know why). On 01 NAV display, hit display button located below the display, then touch gooey button at top of the display (display off) and it will turn off. If it is the brightness of the display at night, try this. With lights on, instrument light dimmer reostat not full clockwise, touch display button located below the display, and you will see a gooey button located at top of display that says something like night mode on/off. Touch that and then whenever your lights come on the display will go to a black background as long as the dimmer reostat is not full clockwise. When in this mode at night and you want to escape from it, just simply turn the dimmer reostat clockwise and you will go back to the daytime screen.

mvine

Zaino is available at www.zainobros.com, or through some dealers. If you e-mail zainobros ask them if they have any dealers in your area. In Chicago there is one in the N. suburbs. I've been using Zaino for years and I think it works great. I'm sure there's tons more information in the maint. discussion.

jiamin

I just came back from my RX. First time I left light switch at ON and shut all doors. In about a minute it turned off. second time I tried the same but at least two minutes passed it was still on. Didn't try further.

atlanta5

""Also, have any RX owners had a problem with a rumbling vibration at idle with the transmission in gear such as when sitting at a traffic light?""

Same problem here. Went round and round with dealer on last service visit. Seems like simple idle adjustment to me, but he claims cannot simply adjust idle without going into computer. Dealer says it has to do with drain on alternator- which didn't sound right to me. If its still doing it at next service I will raise the level of my complaint. Vibration is less without A/C or fan on. No vibration in neutral.

jiamin

My 2000 RX does not vibrate at idle. If I close all windows and doors, and turn off everything that has sound, fan, radio, etc, I can hear just a little "wuuuu". Put in Neutral, no or almost no sound. At stop, I tried shifting between any two gears and virtually no difference. It's a much, much better auto transmission compared to my 86 Sentra, 94 Altima and 96 Maxima.

outrun

Our '01 RX (about 9k miles) has no vibrations in neutral, drive, with the A/C on, etc. This is based on weekend-only driving (it's my wife's car).

I tested the headlights a while back, and recall that they didn't turn off automatically (when in the "on" mode). As noted above, it might have something to do with testing it right after shutting the car off.

Something to the same effect. If I turn the car off and close all the doors, the car won't arm itself. But, if I arm the car, then disarm the car, it WILL arm itself in something like 30 seconds.

This is probably one of the programmable features that could be changed at the dealership.

-Craig

ssssteve

I happened to notice something else about the autolight feature. When you get out of the RX and hit the remote control to lock it - hit the remote control to lock it AGAIN - the lights go out right away. Noticed this because I wasn't sure if I locked it and hit the remote again to be sure. After seeing the lights go off immediately. I tried it again intentionally to see if this was the case and it did the same thing. So, if you're worried about the lights being on - lock it with the remote control twice.

Another Point about Autolights:
I've had this happen a few times with other cars and it happened to me again last weekend. If you hand over your car to a valet parking attendant - BE SURE TO CHECK THE STATUS OF THE LIGHT SWITCH WHEN YOU GET BACK IN!!! These guys are not familiar with all the features of the many cars they park and will switch the lights OFF when parking it - then just switch it to ON when returning the car to you. I handed a car over to a valet attendant once - got back in thinking everything was as usual - got home and walked away with the lights still on KNOWING that they will turn themselves off in a minute (or so) and woke to a completely dead battery in the morning!! (It was a Monday morning too - to add insult!)

When I got my RX back from the parking attendant last weekend - sure as shootin - the lights were just set to the ON position. Glad I checked!

ssssteve

Yes - the car will automatically arm itself in (about) 30 seconds if you do not open a door. Here check it: Go to your locked car - disarm it with the remote and just stand there for a few. It will re-arm itself in (30 seconds). Try it again, but this time disarm with the remote and open a door - close it and just stand there. The car will NOT arm itself.

I'm not sure why they have this "feature" but there's probably a good scenario that prompted it.

outrun

You disarm the car. The kids take the keys, jump in the car, close the door. The car arms itself. Now you have a locked car with kids in it, and they have the keys.

Or are loading up the car with groceries at the supermarket. You unlock the car, load up the groceries, by accident place the keys in the cargo area instead of your pocket, and close the hatch. You then take the carriage to the designated drop off area. That itself will take 30 seconds. Now you're at the supermarket, car auto-armed, with keys inside, and milk, eggs, and ice cream spoiling.

-Craig

wwest

Something about the driver's door "open/close" switch and the ignition switch is involved here. If you should get into the car from the passenger side and turn on the ignition with the headlamp light switch having previously been left "on" the auto-off feature will not now work unless you open and close the driver's door AFTER you remove the key from the ignition.

ssssteve

That's probably it!!!! Being w/o kids - it didn't dawn on me! Makes sense

ctk1

The auto lock will re-arm itself if the car is unlock by remote but no doors open after about 30 sec. This safety feature to prevent thief if you accidently "unlock" the car via remote.
When you lock the car with the remote and then unlock it with the remote then open the door with in about 30 second and close it. The alarm will not re-arm and the car will not lock. Cuz you already turn off the auto re-arm & lock by open the door.

This auto re-arm and lock feature is similar to BMW X5

jimxo

I'm taking delivery of a 2001 4X2 next week with 14k miles. Should I dump in a bottle of synthetic oil to guard against any sludge problems. The car has had 5 & 10k mile service, and I expect this car to be maitience free like my previous Lexus.

Any comments are appreciated.

jiamin

Hi ssssteve,

I tried hit the lock button twice but still it didn't turn the light off. Then I tried more times but no matter how many times the lock button was pressed it just didn't work. My RX is 2000. I'll ask my dealer about this feature, or ask them to check it at next service.