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Lexus RX 330

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  • wco81wco81 Member Posts: 590
    Of the luxury SUVs?
  • cotmccotmc Member Posts: 1,081
    and read posts #1237 and #1239 for some Consumer Reports comparison information. There were 6 luxury SUVs compared, and this was the order they finished:

    RX330
    MDX
    FX35
    X5 3.0
    XC90 T6
    VW Touareg V6

    The RX330 is now CR's top-ranked recommended SUV. Even though the VW finished at the bottom, it still received an overall grade of "very good".

    A couple additional notes not previously posted:
    If I remember correctly, the Touareg's 0-60 time was 11.9 seconds! (The Touareg review details are available only online.) Also, the XC90 required 9.4 seconds for 0-60 -- this was with the upgraded 268hp turbo six! (Reportedly, some of this was due to a lag between 1st and 2nd gears with the XC90's 4-speed tranny.)

    Consumer Reports' acceleration tests typically come out anywhere from 0.3 to 1.0 seconds slower than the auto magazines and manufacturers' specifications.
  • bmwbob27bmwbob27 Member Posts: 35
    Your correct. They, (Lexus) want you to keep the AC on to cover their butts pertaining to the fogging up the interior law suit and problem they had several years ago. I can only presume that there was a law suit after reading the previous posts from the guy with a 92' LS400. I turn the AC off and on as I need it. As stated previosly, This system is nothing more than a standard manualy operated "Climate Control" system.
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    hundreds of times each year. The plaintiff with the '92 LS400 and his HVAC complaint lost in court - so I seriously doubt that Lexus is shaking in their corporate boots over it.

    In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Town Hall is the Only Place on Earth where that particular civil action ever gets mentioned. Wait - the losing plaintiff mentions it on all the other Lexus topic boards he frequents. Of course, he usually gets booed off those islands but that's a different subject.
  • bmwbob27bmwbob27 Member Posts: 35
    Good summation on my thought about the law suit.I don't see anything from him on this board recently. Can't wait!!! I still don't want to keep the A/C on all the time. It takes forever to get any heat when mixed in with cold air. When I want to get warm air I have to use the recirculation button on and the A/C off and turn up the temperature to over 78!!! This isn't a "good thing". The system sucks.
  • mgabel2mgabel2 Member Posts: 37
    I'm thinking of jumping from the 2004 Highlander to a base model RX 330 (with the roof rack and towing option). I was told it would be a 4 month wait and was quoted "around" 35K. Any advice here? Thanks.
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    mgabel -you might try JM Lexus in Florida; they're the country's largest dealer, have the largest inventory of RX330s, someone posted a while back that they even had some some base RX330 models with cloth seats available, and I'm sure they would ship to your city. As for pricing, you won't get a major discount bec there's less profit in just the base vehicle but I would expect 3-5% or $1000-1500 off msrp; there's about $4k profit at sticker. Good luck and let us know how you do!

    bob - I gotta tell you, I'm taking delivery of my 4th Lexus tomorrow, a RX330 FWD Nav Prem+, and I expect that it's HVAC system will work like the other three..i.e., no problems....

    For cooling, we usually set the Auto control to the mid-70s...if the fan blower kicks into high speed for too long, it's an indication that the system thinks the cabin air is quite a bit warmer than the control system is set for...if we agree, we leave it alone for a while. If we think the temp is about right, we increase the auto temp setting a degeee or two until we hear the fan noise decrease. At this point, we leave the system alone and it takes over.

    For heat, we just increase the temp control with or without the A/C button depressed depending if any windows are open and how high the humidity reading. If there's some inside fog on the windshield, I would direct the air up thru those vents, A/C on, recirc on, fan at high to med speed. Bye bye fogging.

    Worked in all three previous Lexii so I assume it will work on the RX330.

    Wife looking forward to dual controls - and so am I! Talk about polar opposities...have to learn to check for that on the next wife before I sign the paperwork...!

    LOL honey...honest...
  • mgabel2mgabel2 Member Posts: 37
    Good info. I'm on it. Thanks for the lead.
  • bmwbob27bmwbob27 Member Posts: 35
    Jeffmust2: I'm looking forward to your letting me know about the heat/cool system after you give it a go tomorrow!! I believe that the 330 has an "improved" system compared to the 300. I'm not sure as this is my first( maybe last) Lexus and have no experience with them. I am only aware of Lexus' great reputation.
  • mgabel2mgabel2 Member Posts: 37
    Good info. I'm on it. Thanks for the lead.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    The base problem, or at least one of them, with the Lexus automatic climate control is that it automatically switches the outlet airflow to face and upper body ("cooling" mode) when the cabin temperature rises to within a few degrees of the temperature setpoint (72 for me).

    If you simply over-ride it manually back into the footwell mode it will now provide predominantly warmer airflow and keep the cabin at a comfortable 72 degrees.

    If you follow the service managers directions and set the temperature upwards (80F?) the airflow will be automatically routed back to footwell alleviating your discomfort, at least for a short period.

    Once the cabin temperature now approaches 80F it will again switch to face and upper body, cooling mode.

    Over-ride it to footwell and leave it set to 72F.

    And you won't need to worry about the A/C mode.
  • finch3finch3 Member Posts: 113
    Hard to imagine a climate control system working better than the Lexus, at least in our RX300. When it's real hot inside, the system automatically shuts down outside air and blows the max air speed. Setting the temp at 74, auto, and it's pretty darn good.I only turn off the A/C during cool or cold weather.
  • finch3finch3 Member Posts: 113
    Is the oil filter location as difficult in the 330 as the 300? It's a real bear to get at to in the 300.
  • rycaryca Member Posts: 17
    Has anyone experienced a rattle in the spoiler of the 330. At first I thought it could be the roof rack but I am pretty convinced it is coming from the spoiler. The rattle is much more pronounced during the heat of the day. I do not notice it in the morning or evening when it cools off. The spoiler itself seems to be attached quite firmly to the back but the metal makes a loud vibration when tapped.
  • smg1062smg1062 Member Posts: 54
    I've seen BMW x5's with running boards and they look sharp. Anyone know or seen any 330 with running boards? Do you think it would look nice or silly?
  • 46494649 Member Posts: 24
    Just picked up my RX330 with NAV on Monday, August 11th. Dealer offered me the extended warranty, 7 years or 100,000 miles at $1875. Salesmen said that all of his NAV sales have taken the extended warranty due to the cost of the NAV computer if it should fail. I declined the offer anyway. Seemed a little steep and I figured I could sign up later on if I changed my mind. I would appreciate the thoughts of others on this message board since I am still on the fence about taking out the extended warranty. Thanks in advance for your help.
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    I took the extended warranty on my 2002 ES 300 because I plan to keep the car about 7-8 years. Since I have the nav, I was worried that one small problem could be very expensive. Heck, a power window switch is about $500.

    However, the time to express an interest in the extended warranty is before buying a car. That gives you a lot more room to negotiate the price. Sure, you can get the warranty later, but the dealer then has the power and no real incentive to come down much on the price. I got my 7-year/100,000 warranty for $1,100, down from their "retail" price of $1,800.

    In any event, I find it hard to believe that all of this salesman's nav customers bought the warranty. For you, it depends upon how long you'll keep the car. If you'll have it for a long time then I would recommend the warranty.
  • alex0615alex0615 Member Posts: 13
    Thank you for info.
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    We're taking delivery of a RX330 Nav today and I have no intention of getting an extended warranty bec of Nav potential repairs or any others; we had no such problems with our '01 RX Nav.

    We usually replace the "Dogmobile" vehicle every 3-4 years so we're not good prospects for any extended warranty - but if you want one shop different dealers (usually the Finance person at each dealership is the one that sells extended warranties) - in fact, I'd do a web search with key words like "Lexus warranty" (pretty clever, eh?) and you should come up with lots of hits.

    DO NOT buy a 3rd-party, non-factory warranty - too many horror stories and after all you're buying this for piece of mind, right?

    Good luck and let us know the best price you find.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    I agree totally, when the human body "experience" is on the warm side, cooling is definitely needed, the Lexus climate control system is outstanding.

    It's only when the cabin air temperature is sending a mixed message with regards to other, sometimes more important, human comfort factors to the climate control ecu that things get discomforting.

    Denso US lays claim to being the only company with a bi-level climate control airflow model for extending human comfort. Their idea is basically sound, predominantly cooler and dryer airflow into the upper cabin (face, upper body, dash outlets)areas vs the lower footwell. I have measured as much as 20F cooler airflow from the dash as the footwell simultaneously.

    As long as the human body comfort equation is balanced toward the need for cooling that's likely a perfect solution. But once nightfall approaches and exterior radiant heat factors begin to decline the bi-level systems begins to be more and more discomforting until at full night the system should adjust and not route so much cool and dry airflow to the upper body.

    The sad thing is that it will still do the same thing on the coldest darkest night in the dead of winter, once the well insulated and restricted exit airflow Lexus cabin atmosphere has reached the system setpoint (72F) it will automatically switch to cooling mode.

    You can avoid most of this discomfort by simply over-riding the system to footwell mode.
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    "...the sad thing is that it will still do the same thing on the coldest darkest night in the dead of winter..."

    You never set-up the Denso HVAC system properly by entering the current date (day/month/year) and your zip code!

    How do you expect the system to KNOW that it's winter in the Pacific Northwest if you don't enter the current date and your zip code?

    It still thinks it's in Japan, rolling down the assembly line, probably in spring time. And no wonder your Nav system was off - it's probably looking for roads in Hiroshima.

    Sheesh...all these frustrating years, post after post, all complaining about the RX's Nav and HVAC problems - and it turns out to be operator error. Sad, sad, sad.
  • tomjavatomjava Member Posts: 136
    Would mind telling us where did buy your extra warranty for $1100?

    TIA
  • tomtomtomtomtomtom Member Posts: 491
    Haven't seen one with the running boards yet but i saw a company offers a pair for $400 something on ebay last week.
  • JPhamJPham Member Posts: 148
    Does anyone know what those two little pop-out panels on the front bumper are for?
    I had thought the winch hooks are there but there's nothing but holes behind them.
  • scottphillipscottphillip Member Posts: 249
    Does anyone have a problem with moisture inside the headlight assembly? I went to pick up my RX330 today after its repairs, and noticed that one light had moisture inside. Wouldn't that indicate that it wasn't sealed properly?
  • bmwbob27bmwbob27 Member Posts: 35
    WoW!! What did he say??? Don't you just hate it when you have to go through life feeling inferior and always being wrong. I thought that my wife was the only one to make me feel that way!!! Does this man that the RX330 is going to control my life? It will tell me when I'm hot or cold, what to eat and when, where it takes me!! Oh well, just another day of being "stupid".
    When you get ready to sign the papers on the new ride, hit the salesman for a rear cargo tray and a set of all season rubber floor mats. They expect to throw in a "perk". I've got them and are really happy with them.
    Gotta go now. To the wrecking yard down by the river and buy a new set of tires for my house.
  • ctk1ctk1 Member Posts: 79
    winch hook.
  • ctk1ctk1 Member Posts: 79
    washing the car with high pressure washer direct spray into the headligh or at close range. Drive it for few days with the headlight on. If the moisture still exist contact your dealer.
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    Unfortuneately I promised my dealer I would not disclose where I bought the extended warranty. I have a good relationship with my salesman and don't want to jeopardize it. The dealer does not want other people, especially from out of state, saying they want a warranty for $1,100 because that's what so-and-so paid.

    My advice is just negotiate hard. It's all a game. I worked the same magic for my girlfriend when she bought a new Honda Accord.

    I hope this helps. Good luck.
  • JPhamJPham Member Posts: 148
    You would think the winch hooks come standard ... heck, there's one on the ES300.
  • alex0615alex0615 Member Posts: 13
    Thank you for info.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    I've had the best luck negotiating prices with a dealer finance manager at someplace other than where I bought the vehicle.

    The pressure is on them, not me to accomodate them in order for the purchase deal to go forward expeditously.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    The factory may be setting the recirculate mode, manual/auto, "default" to manual becuase that would represent your best "option".

    The only time I see the system switch to recirculate automatically is when I first start it and the car has been setting in bright sunlight on a hot day and the interior temperature is above the exterior temperature, sometimes substantially so. It will usually switch back to fresh mode automatically once the interior temperature declines to something closer to the setpoint temp.

    In these circumstances the best choice, clearly, would be to immediately turn on the system blower motor at HIGH speed, footwell airflow, until the overheated atmosphere within the vehicle is exhausted, and the interior air temperature declines to something near the exterior.

    THEN using recirc to bring the interior temperature down to human comfort level makes sense, but one must remember to return it to fresh once that point is reached.

    An example:

    It's lunchtime in Dallas and it's 87F outside and over 100F inside my RX. 72F is my "comfort level. If the system is in recirc it must "pull" that 130F air down to 72F. On the other hand if I use high blower and fresh mode I can quickly exhaust the overheated interior atmosphere while simultaneously pulling in 87F airflow through the A/C condensor thus reaching my 72F setpoint much more expeditously.

    But I can't fault Lexus or Denso for this one, it's the way things have been done with automatic A/C for as long as I can remember. Obviously a decision that was made before the ability to compare inside and outside air temperatures came about.

    Time to rethink this aspect of the design, maybe?

    Having lunch in Dallas on sat. so I'll check the procedure just to be sure.
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    ...never mind.
  • ctk1ctk1 Member Posts: 79
    washing the car with high pressure washer direct spray into the headligh or at close range. Drive it for few days with the headlight on. If the moisture still exist contact your dealer.
  • barbjackbarbjack Member Posts: 15
    The rain sensing wipers on my RX330 are very erratic. They will sometimes go on in the garage when I start the car, and at other times will not go on even when significaznt rain is hitting the windshield. Also at times they will go very fast and then stop entirely even though the rain is falling at a steady rate. Any comments on this?

    Jack Henderson
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    ...is the controller for the auto-sensing wipers made by Denso?
  • bmwbob27bmwbob27 Member Posts: 35
    Road kill jerky is devine dinning.
  • cotmccotmc Member Posts: 1,081
    the Navigation System isn't also made by Denso?
  • rycaryca Member Posts: 17
    I have the same problem with my wipers. They seem to work better the longer it rains but I would much prefer to have the old intermittent controller like they have in most older cars
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    The ones in my C4 seem to work fine, Seattle lite mist or heavy rain, controller by.....
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    You mean that RXs equipped with the rain-sensing wipers have no intermittent feature?
  • blackrx330blackrx330 Member Posts: 25
    Mine seem to work great but with as much rain as we have down here (almost daily) they get plenty of practice.
    I always leave mine in the auto mode and have noticed that when putting up the radar detector (using suction cups) just below the mirror that somehow that triggers the blades to wipe once, maybe twice. Never did that in my MB C320 with auto wipers. Also in my C320 the auto wipers were suspended while the driver's door was open - to keep from slinging water on you should you jump out to get the mail or the paper. Neat feature.
    A nice thing on my MB ML320 is when your wipers are on and you put the vehicle into reverse, the rear wiper automatically sweeps to clear your rear view.
  • rycaryca Member Posts: 17
    The rain sensing wiper is the intermittent choice. There is a sensitivity adjustment but I don't seem to see any difference when adjusting the sensitivity. Sometimes when there are only a few drops the wipers go very quickly and other times there is a lot of water and they go very slowly. I guess it will just take some getting used to
  • finch3finch3 Member Posts: 113
    Isn't there anyone out there changing their own oil. Hope you're not letting Lexus do it!

    I wanted to know (and still do) if the filter is located as awkwardly in the 330 as the 300.
  • wco81wco81 Member Posts: 590
    Doesn't Lexus come with free scheduled maintenace for the first few years like BMW?
  • barbjackbarbjack Member Posts: 15
    Had my oil changed by a local shop here in Maine. The only Lexus dealer ia over 100 miles away. The underside of the motor is completely sheathed by fiberglass panels. These are held in place bya series of screws. Once the panels are removed, thr oil filter is quite accessible. It is on the left front side of the engine as you look at it. This was my first filter change since new and the filter was on very tight. New filter was installed hand-tight as it should be.

    Am going in to Lexus next month for the "freebie: oil change etc. Also will have the various beeps etc. shut off.

    Question: Does anyone know if you can reduce the time the headlights stay on after you shut off the ignition? Or better yet have them go off immediately when the ignition is turned off?
  • cotmccotmc Member Posts: 1,081
    wco81:

    Was your question sincere or sarcastic? As far as I know, none of the Japanese automakers offer any free maintenance programs, contrary to the practice of the European manufacturers. However, Lexus offers a free inspection at the first 1000-mile interval and a free oil change at 5000 miles. I'm not sure I am a big fan of BMW's free scheduled maintenance program. The oil changes are free only if you wait approximately 15,000 miles between oil changes, give or take. Same with Mercedes.

    finch3:

    Yes, why not let Lexus change your oil, assuming we can find a Lexus dealer who charges a reasonable price?
  • r1_97r1_97 Member Posts: 181
    Yesterday, I had my 330 in for lighting not turning off when set on "auto". The tech told me that he could change the 1 minute default to 30 seconds. I left it at one minute. I really love this car.
  • wco81wco81 Member Posts: 590
    Haven't been in the car market for awhile.

    But I thought all the luxury brands advertised free maintenance for the first 3 or 4 years. Those would basically be oil changes only because it wasn't within the mileage when you'd need tune ups or new brake pads.

    But if they give you oil changes every 15k miles, that's ridiculous.
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