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Lexus RX 330 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • edev31edev31 Member Posts: 41
    Hi Katherine-

    Thanks for the reply. I am currently driving my 5th loaner, too!

    Have you approached your dealer about a "buyback"?

    The manager at my dealer offered to several months ago, but we would be out almost 5k.He was very rude about the whole situation, and didn't return my husband's calls for 3 days. I was told by the assistant mgr.that he had been working all of those days!

    I hope you have better luck with your dealer!
  • uis00snuis00sn Member Posts: 18
    Can anybody recommend the manufacturer?
    Is it better to buy a kit or film-by-the-feet?

    What is the installation cost?

    Thanks.
  • katherine6katherine6 Member Posts: 61
    I gave the dealer I bought from a courtesy call and he said he wanted to follow up, would get right back to me after calling the servicing dealer. been a week and I haven't heard.

    Lemon is a manufacturer issue. The dealer is not really involved. I don't want to bug them about it; not their fault that Lexus gave them a lemon. Why would your dealer offer a buy back, especially if it would cost them $$? Sounds like a good deal. If a dealer offered to buy mine back, he/she can be rude as they want.

    I'll let everyone know how this plays out when I'm back in a few weeks. Keep us posted.

    katherine
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Try the Car front end protective bras & film discussion.

    Steve, Host
  • gardencargardencar Member Posts: 293
    Read about your brake rotor woes. Congratulations on getting Lexus to pay for a new set. I'm glad things worked out so well for you.

    I've been so busy that I haven't even had time to call Lexus to set up my 5000 mile service. My RX330 has 5640 miles on it and so far the only issues are the driver's side door handle sticking, and the transmission cooler lines clunking when the car is put in reverse. So far, I seem to be the only person that has posted a door handle issue. I usually have to pull up on the inside handle twice, before the door unlocks. If I use the lock/unlock button first, the lock works fine, without sticking.

    Other than the rare hesitation after slowing down, even after the transmission update was done at the factory and before I took delivery, I am so far very happy with the car. We haven't put too many miles on the car yet because we've been using our other vehicles for in-town grunt work and saving the RX for highway cruising. Will post again with reports of our 5000+ mile service.
  • edev31edev31 Member Posts: 41
    Hi Katherine,

    Maybe I wasn't clear on the offer my dealer proposed-b/c it's definitely NOT a good deal for me!

    They offered to "take the car off my hands", but I would have to pay out almost $5,000 due to the depreciation! They claim they are "giving me a good deal" because the vehicle has depreciated about $8,500. Yeah, great deal to pay an additional $5,000 to get out of a $44,000 "luxury SUV" that has given me nothing but problems and hours of wasted time driving it back and forth to the dealer for service repairs!

    So, technically, they are not "buying it back", although that's how they put it! I agree, if they would completely "buy it back" for the price paid,and I would not have to pay out any $$, I wouldn't care if they were rude, either!!

    Good luck with your car, and keep us updated, too!
  • rparisrparis Member Posts: 368
    I had an Es a few years back that had been to the dealer 8 times for the same problem With the assistance and support of Lexus, as I called the 800 number, the dealer bought it back from me at a very fair price. I then bought another one which was part of the deal as it was very highly discounted to say the least..
  • rparisrparis Member Posts: 368
    I could not locate all of your earlier posts-what is the problem with the car and which dealer did you buy from?
  • katherine6katherine6 Member Posts: 61
    I think you can do a "Search this Discussion" with my name and find my posts. My rx has had all of the "big five" problems as my service writer put it. Transmission hesitation, cooler line clunk, quirky operation of rear hatch, one I can't remember and dash and A-pillar rattles. The dash has been pulled 4 times and each time one set of rattles is fixed new rattles appear. Got it back from repair yesterday. will see what it does this time.

    I bought at Lexus of Norwood, and have it serviced in Watertown. Both dealers have tried to fix the dash rattles. Watertown took me more seriously - didn't brush me off - on the other issues; in fact they brought up some things I hadn't mentioned, so I'm sticking with them for service for now.

    Why do you ask? Are you in Massachusetts?

    Katherine
  • mb280mb280 Member Posts: 27
    At about 11,000 miles my RX330's steering wheel would vibrate heavily if I applied the brakes when at high highway speeds. The dealer cut the rotors at no charge--that problem has now gone away. They also seem to have cured the noise in the dash.

    My main complaint since I first got the RX in July was that it drifts and does not track straight. My dealer acknowledged that this problem exists but Lexus has not yet developed a fix.

    Over the years I have driven a variety of vehicles from Suburbans to Corvairs and have never had a car that requires as much concentration as the RX.

    As one can see from my past posts, I am not a happy camper with the RX. It's not a truck, it's not a car--but I could live with all of that if didn't go off on its own if I look at the dash for a fraction of a second to adjust the temperature.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    When I first acquired my 78 911 driving it required constant attention, I compared it to flying the C210 in IFR conditions.

    Then I happened across a master Porsche mechanic who sent me to an alignment shop with specific instructions to not use the factory alignment procedure.

    I don't know what the proper term is but I think it involved setting the front wheels up such that the vertical strut travel was with the bottom of the strut slightly behind the top.

    Made a world of difference in the car tracking without constant attention.
  • uis00snuis00sn Member Posts: 18
    Can anybody recommend the manufacturer?
    Is it better to buy a kit or film-by-the-feet?

    What is the installation cost?

    Thanks.
  • rparisrparis Member Posts: 368
    To answer your question, yes. I found the Watertown service dept very good to work with. I work with Maria who is excellent.I would suggest, if it is not repaired, you go back to Norwood and ask them to buy the vehicle back from you. Maybe you can avoid the lemon law dealings. Also, contct the national Lexus office.
    If you e mail me (check my profile) I can give you soame additional information lwhen I had a major problem.
  • tomjavatomjava Member Posts: 136
    Most made by 3M under names such as Stoneguard, X-pel, etc.

    IMO, you'd better ask proffesional installer since it's not easy to do it right.
    FYI, I paid $600 for my RX330.

    Good luck.
  • smartyjonessmartyjones Member Posts: 22
    I am having a problem with starting the motor. I just picked up my new RX330 last night. It had 15 miles on the car when I picked it up. It has 139 already. The problem that I am having is with the starting motor. It takes too long to turn on the car. I turn the key and the engine does not start right away. I have to keeped it turn for another couple of seconds and then it will start. I am wondering if anyone else is having this problem.
  • grapevinetxgrapevinetx Member Posts: 89
    You may have encountered a feature rather than a problem. Toyotas are famous for cranking longer before starting than other makes. First time Toyota owners often notice the difference, but it's not necessarily a malfunction. Two seconds of cranking sounds about right. As long as it starting cranking as soon as you hit the starter, cranks smoothly / strongly and always starts, it's probably not a problem. You might try starting another Rx at the dealership and see how yours compares.
  • btill1btill1 Member Posts: 69
    My wife just called me from NYC where she is on business with her RX 330, she said that when she puts on the brake at higher speeds the whole car shakes. She asked if I could make an appt. with Lexus ASAP. I just got off the phone with them and the service rep told me Lexus would replace the rotors under warranty and not to worry and what kind of loaner would I like? So obviously this is somewhat of a known problem, our RX 330 has about 20k miles on it.
  • cotmccotmc Member Posts: 1,081
    Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that info with us. Now I am very curious whether we will see other Town Hall members reporting this problem within the next year or so.
  • rsl007rsl007 Member Posts: 7
    I have an 2004, RX330....I would like to know if it is possible to deactivate the DRL's. I pulled the fuse, #10, labeled DRL, but the lights still stay on. The service manager at my dealer did not know how to turn them off.
    Thank you,
    Richard
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    They do give you a safety advantage...

    In the 01 RX you could simply disconnect the voltage dropping resistor mounted under the battery support plate.
  • rsl007rsl007 Member Posts: 7
    Thank you for the reply.
    I just wish to control the lights myself, and I personally feel they are unnecessary and wasteful, driving for hours in bright sunlight. I wish there was an easy way to deactivate the day-time running lights in my RX 330.
    Richard
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    how often you drive along on one of those nice bright days and your mind goes someplace else, not really present and accounted for. We have all had experiences of pulling into our driveway and coming to the realization of not remembering the drive home.

    The human brain is multi-tasking, you can be driving along solving a work problem while your brain is processing a myriad of information coming to you via your vision. Your brain is being a filter, as long as nothing your eyes are seeing represent a threat to you, it will allow you to continue to "daydream".

    IMMHO anything that helps your brain snap you out of your daydream quicker is a definite asset.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    That's a little like inattentively veering off topic while typing! You need to learn to focus! ;-)

    tidester, host
  • cotmccotmc Member Posts: 1,081
    About 3 years ago I was driving my little Audi A4 at a modest speed through a busy urban neighborhood into a narrow 4-way intersection. The road was a single lane in each direction, along with some additional space for the parked cars lining the side of the road. As I proceeded to drive straight through the intersection (as the light was green), a truck heading in the opposite direction proceeded to make a left turn directly in front of me. I applied the brakes as quickly as I could and tried to avoid him, but I still clipped him with the corner of my bumper.

    If my A4 had daytime running lights, I'm certain he never would have mistakenly turned left directly in front of me.

    I agree Lexus should allow a service technician to easily turn off the DRL feature, if the owner requests it, but I would never make that choice with my own vehicles.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    my 01 AWD RX300 is just now in the process of getting 1 watt luxeon leds that flash on full brightness at a 20% duty cycle at 4hz, left and right in opposite phase.

    Replacing the "dim bulbs" (REALLY) in the outside upper portion of the headlamp [non-permissible content removed]'y.

    DRLs that will not be overlooked.
  • bachfirebachfire Member Posts: 19
    I had the clear bra installed on front bumper and the painted surface around the front grill or my RX330. The company I used was by the name of "SpeedFilm" and they can be contacted via their web site at http://www.speedfilm.net. You can see if there they have a professional installer in your area. Must say that they did a superb job on the installation of the clear film which took the technician about 5 1/2 hours to complete. They even installed strips of the film on each of the four passenger door edges at no extra charge. Nice thing was that they actually will come out to your home residence and do the installation right in your garage.

    This company offers the standard 3M film as well as the new film that is manufactured by Llumar. IMO the Llumar film is far superior to the 3M film. When holding a sample of each side by side, you will immediately notice that the 3M film is somewhat opaque while the Llumar film is virtually crystal clear! The Llumar film also has a lifetime warranty (as long as you own the car) as opposed to the 3 year warranty on the 3M product. However, the Llumar film is slightly more expensive then the 3M product. I paid $475 for the complete installed package and could not be happier. This is truly an amazing product and well worth the investment to protect your expensive vehicle.

    I live in the Atlanta area and driving the average 80+MPH on the Interstates around here definitely causes the front end of your car to be prone to stone and bug stains/chips. Have had the SpeedFilm on my RX330 for three months now and have not experienced a single chip or discoloration from bug juices. Two of my neighbors where so impressed that they have had the same company install the film on their vehicles as well. You just cannot see the film until you are very close to the vehicle.
  • fsc1555fsc1555 Member Posts: 42
    I sit worth driving 200 miles and take off for a day to get the 5,000 miles check?
    What are they going to do/inspect for the 5,000 miles.
    If I need too - I guess I will do it then do the next service with Toyota locally - any input about this?

    Thanks
  • smartyjonessmartyjones Member Posts: 22
    I had my RX330 for three weeks now. It has a problem starting the first week. I took it to the service and they replaced the water pump. It was a defective water pump. I then got it back and it was better. But sometimes it still does the same thing. I was wondering if anyone else had this problem. Also if the water pump breaks will it cause other problems with the car.

    I also wanted to know more about the break in period. I drive alot on the highway and I want to go easy on the engine. Its alittle hard because in the manual it tells you not to drive and one speed too long. So what should I do?

    Thanks for you help. I really appreciate it.
  • dsindmdsindm Member Posts: 13
    I've seen a number of references to a "whining sound" but I'm not sure they all refer to the same thing. I have a noise that I want to bring to the attention of the dealer and want to make sure I know whether there is a TSB or standard fix for this one.

    The whining sound I hear is when I'm at city-traffic speeds with the AC on. In those conditions when I accelerate from a stopped start or a slow speed to say 30 or 40 MPH, I hear what I would describe as a whining sound in the front. A key fact is that when the AC unit is OFF, I never hear the sound. Is this the problem others have referred to for which the fix involves changing something about the AC lines?

    Thanks in advance.
  • amontgomamontgom Member Posts: 12
    dsidm - I had the same problem that you are experiencing. I heard a high pitched whine when the car was at lower speeds and when the A/C was on which drove me absolutely bonkers. I have been back to the dealer three times for this problem, and I think they have finally found a solution. During the first visit, they installed the A/C wrap per the TSB. When that did not work (and Lexus corporate could offer no other solutions), they tried covering the A/C line with noise deadening tape, and moved the bracket slightly away from the front grille. When that fix did not work, they tried adding rubber bumps to the A/C discharge line brackets. They also performed the transmission cooler line TSB, which was reported to cause a noise during braking and acceleration. I'm not sure which of these two last fixes resolved the problem, but I have not heard a whine since my visit one week ago, and I am hopeful that it won't come back. Good luck with your problem!

    Andi
  • btill1btill1 Member Posts: 69
    My wife has 20k miles on her RX330 and her rotors went bad, the dealership replaced them without question. The only problem she had was that they promised her a Lexus loaner and when she got to the dealership she got a Grand Am from Enterprise that needed new rotors worse than her RX330, so needless to say it was not a pleasant service experience. When I spoke to the service manager he stated that it is not uncommon for the RX330 to have rotor issues. The brakes are great now with the new rotors.
  • edev31edev31 Member Posts: 41
    I also had a loud squealing noise with the a/c on, (esp. at lower speeds b/c you can't hear the engine as much)and it completely stopped when the system was turned off. The blower motor was bad, and had to be replaced. It was on backorder for over a month, but now the noise is completely gone.
    I don't know if this is the same sound you two are hearing, but I just thought I'd mention it.
  • bennbbennb Member Posts: 143
    What did the clear film cost you overall if you don't mind sharing?
  • bennbbennb Member Posts: 143
    Sorry I saw that you said $600.

    I think the dealer here said $495 ... what areas do you have it on? I think the ones I saw here had it on the front and up the hood a little ways and then the front of the side mirrors.

    You really CANNOT see it until up close. I think I will get it when I make a deal. Just kinda wonder how it will hold up over time ... like discoloration or fogging and whatnot. Probably would show on a darker car more easily than a lighter color?????
  • battambangbluebattambangblue Member Posts: 11
    Has anybody had their RX330 Engine check light go on and VSC?

    Well it happened to mine this afternoon. I called up the service guy at Lexus and he says it could be a short in the system, which would cause the VSC to shut down. Or the gas cap itsn't tight enough. I tried tighten the gas cap a couple of turns and no luck.

    There could be anything, and he says to bring it in. Will have to wait until Monday, they only do oil changes on Sat. Anybody have any ideas why the light will go on?
  • battambangbluebattambangblue Member Posts: 11
    Has anybody had their RX330 Engine check light go on and VSC?

    Well it happened to mine this afternoon. I called up the service guy at Lexus and he says it could be a short in the system, which would cause the VSC to shut down. Or the gas cap itsn't tight enough. I tried tighten the gas cap a couple of turns and no luck.

    There could be anything, and he says to bring it in. Will have to wait until Monday, they only do oil changes on Sat. Anybody have any ideas why the light will go on?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    If an engine diagnostic indicates an engine related problem the VSC is automatically disabled. Not likely a problem with VSC.
  • gjp2gjp2 Member Posts: 1
    I bought the rx330 in the flint mica color. Has any one else had a problem with waterspots that won't come out? I purchased the 5 year sealant service and just had it in for the 2nd application. The service dept. applied the 2nd coat on top of water spots on the windows and the body and said they could not get them out, they suggested I take it to be detailed. I'm upset and don't know if its the paint or if they applied the sealant incorrectly
  • niraj724niraj724 Member Posts: 17
    I got my 330 about a month ago and loving it.
    I need help with two things:
    1) I only use the remote to operate the power door. I found the button below/left of the steering wheel for the back door , but even after pressing that, the door doesnt open. is there something wrong with the vehicle or i am doing something wrong?

    2) for the first time I had someone in the back seat, they couldnt open the door from inside to get out and i had to open the door from outside after pressing the button on the remote twice. How do i fix that?
    thanks in advance
  • chopper1chopper1 Member Posts: 4
    gip2 your water spots are probably not the result of the"protective coat" installed by the dealer.(at least on the windows) Our windows also have water spots and we did not have a dealer added protective coating at time of purchase. The car is silver and there is no indication of water spotting on the paint finish.
    Am not certain what to do about the water spotting on the glass.Have tried all the usual glass cleaners.No joy.
    Anyone else out there with this squawk?
  • mfullmermfullmer Member Posts: 773
    Did you get an owners manual with your vehicle. These are all covered there.

    In any case, if the dealer did not reprogram the C-BEST settings to change from the default the rear door switch on the dash works in the following way: The liftgate must be unlocked (either by the power door lock switch or remote) and you must hold the button in for two seconds.

    Chances are your child protective locks are on. Have you not ever had one of these get flipped by mistake? They have been on virtually all cars since the 80's. Look at the switch, which is located on the outer edge of the door and make sure it isn't in the lock position.
  • rycaryca Member Posts: 17
    Has anyone had any problems with the spoiler rubbing on the back of the car when raising the power liftgate? When my liftgate reaches the top it makes a horrible squealing noise. This only occurs when it is outside in the sun. The black spoiler expands and rubs on the back. The have adjusted the spoiler once but the noise is back. The loaner car I have also does the same thing. I would like to know if anyone has had this noise successfully fixed.
  • niraj724niraj724 Member Posts: 17
    thanks for your help. I must admit I was lazy and intimidated by the sizeof the manual and didnt read it.
  • mfullmermfullmer Member Posts: 773
    That's understandable. It's certainly not "reading material". However, it's organized and indexed in a way that makes it very easy to find what you're looking for.
  • tomtomtomtomtomtom Member Posts: 491
    There is a switch inside/near the glovebox that able/disable the power liftgate.
  • r0001r0001 Member Posts: 1
    I have about a two week old RX 330. Upon delivery, I immediately noticed a fairly loud rattle coming from the driver door area at all speeds. I took it in for service and the service folks said the seat belt mechanism needed adjustment. It now rattles less at slow speeds, and much more above 40 mph. I've also now noticed that the passenger door area has a similar rattle (which I don't think it had before).

    When I took out the courtesy car, it had no such rattles. I have a second service appointment in a week, but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar problem.

    Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
  • bachfirebachfire Member Posts: 19
    Many of us RX330 owners are experiencing the whining noise at low rpm's when the AC system is on. I have seen that a couple of people have had the problem resolved by their dealership service department and some mentioned that there was a Lexus TSIB issued for this problem. If anyone knows the TSIB number for this would you kindly post it. It would be a great help to all of us who are experiencing this annoying problem.

    Thanks for your help on this!
  • fsc1555fsc1555 Member Posts: 42
    I heard the rattling noise too - mostly on the passenger side - unoccupied - I found out that at times the way the seat belt hanging and everytime I re-arrange or just hit the seat belt - rattling goes away.
    I hope this helps.
  • bachfirebachfire Member Posts: 19
    Thanks for your reply. Fortunately, I am not having any noise problems from my seat belts. The "whining" noise is only evident when the AC is running and you are traveling under 30 mph. This seems to be a problem that is cropping up on quite a few RX330's and some have mentioned that there was a TSIB issued by Lexus to correct the problem. I am just hoping that someone that has had this corrected can post the TSIB number so that I can have my service tech. bring it up on his computer.
  • tomjavatomjava Member Posts: 136
    TSIB # AC002-04
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