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Comments
316,000 miles...???
The transmission additive benefits were very short lived. I barely made it back to the dealer the next morning after adding it when the transmission started slipping.
(Don't mind us, Lee, we go back a long way on the forums here. Good luck with the transaxle and feel free to set up your CarSpace page and post a pic of your odometer too).
My car, at this point, has 163,000 miles, so I think 3 transmissions in 9 years is a little ridiculous, especially when all the maintainance and check up were done regularly.
I am done with Lexus, and so is the rest of our family forever. This company sucks!
The transmission shop I dealt with was of the opinion that the RX transmission is the same as they (Toyota) puts in the Camry and it's driving a much heavier vehicle.
When you mount a 3.0L V6 sideways in the engine compartment there's not much room left for the transaxle, now the engineers had to come up with a stronger, more robust one.
In order to do so some elements, long standing operational aspects, of the Camry's old transaxle were discarded. Along with providing more room the new design did provide for increased operational efficiency.
Google for:
wwest abolition hesitation dfg
For more detail.
Just as a "flush" is not quite the same as transmission "service" (changing the filter and checking the debris in the pan) there is a difference. I was lucky. The dealer replaced mine with a genuinely new (from the Kyushu plant) transmission after trying two rebuilt (exchange) transmissions off the local shelf, all under warrantee at 70,000 miles.
I would shop around. There are transmission shops (maybe even another dealer) who would love to have your business. Look for a reputable one that will rebuild yours with the modernized Lexus spec parts, rather than one off-the-shelf, if it's not a genuinely new transmission.
The new transmission (four years ago) in mine doesn't exhibit any of the mis-designed or under-designed traits that (presumably) led to durability issues like the original had. The original was clearly flawed. With the new one, there is no hesitation upshifting or down, no rough shifts, and no burning of the fluid like the original from 5/98 (early '99 model).
Good luck. I hope you let us know what transpires.
I did have a complete transmission service done including the flush.
Ron Ka1cvy
I did not have time to read the entire thread. Was the 01' less prone to failure than the 99 and 00? Was the 330 better than the 300's.
Thanks for the input.
I do not want to purchase one of these and worry and wait for the tranny to go out.
Although more common with first year models (1999, including those built in 1998), the transmissions have not always been unusually troublesome. Many people report mileage approaching 200,000 miles without trouble. But there is enough concern that you should be cautious of any SUV style vehicle's transmission.
Some report hesitation, burned fluid (indicating wear) and failures much earlier. But these concerns don't lead to a hard and fast rule, across the board. My friend's AWD 2000 model is doing great at 200,000 miles. Mine was replaced under warrantee.
The first model year for the RX330 was 2004. Use a keen eye on those like you would any first-year model since the drivetrain was changed.
The moral is: I'd be suspicious of any used car I'm considering. But that doesn't mean you won't find what you're looking for (a great car with lots of life left). Knowing what to look for is helpful. Look for signs of city mileage, which tends to be hard on a car. Roadtest the transmission thoroughly under widely varying conditions. Pull the dipstick and wipe it on a paper towel. Check for a burned smell, indicating wear. New fluid is a cherry-pink color, with the smell of a petroleum based product, absent of burned odor and brownish tint.
Check RX's like you would any used car. There are good ones. An early model that had the transmission replaced under warrantee might also be worth considering. Private party or dealer, one with complete service records including tranny service (which is not incl in regular maint "packages") is your best bet.
Please report back what you find. Good luck!
If that happens then it will also get converted to R/awd at the same time. I may also design a circuit that will automatically hold the tranasaxle in the current gear, prevent an upshift, for 10 seconds or so even if/when the gas pedal is fully released. Obviously the new circuit would need to be disabled if the OAT declines to or close to freezing.
The RX330 and later RX models use DBW to "protect the drive train" but that "fix" came with yet another set of short-comings, the inability to accelerate immediately after, 1-2 seconds, a brief period of coastdown.
Since the earlier RX300 used a mechanical coupling between the gas pedal and throttle plate the same technique could not be used.
On the other hand my '01's TC, Traction Control, dethrottles the engine via EFI fuel starvation control. Why couldn't Lexus use this same technique to "hold off" rising engine RPM/Torque for downshift delays...??
The throttle plate would still open, just as it does/is with TC activation, but the only harm in that is the engine ROARING to life once the downshift is completed. On the other hand there are circumstances with my RX300 wherein VSC activates and I am forced to completely release and the re-apply pressure to the gas pedal before the engine will respond at all.
Recently you submitted a question to the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department.
Subject
Fw: Idea
Discussion Thread
Response (DCha) 07/15/2009 07:45 AM
Dear Mr. West:
Thank you for contacting the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department advising us of your product idea. We appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to share your thoughts and comments with us. Lexus is a division of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS). It is against the policy of TMS to accept unsolicited ideas from persons outside of the Toyota organization. The possibility of a conflict between developments from within the Toyota organizations and ideas submitted by interested persons, such as yourself, make this policy necessary. In accordance with this long-standing policy, we apologize that we are unable to accept your idea.May I take this opportunity to thank you once again for writing and best wishes to you.
If you require further assistance, please respond to this e-mail, or contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Pacific Time.
Sincerely,
Danielle Curtis
Lexus Customer Satisfaction
Customer (willard west) 07/13/2009 10:43 AM
----- Original Message -----
From: Vera & Willard West
To: customer-satisfaction-inquiry@lexus.com
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 10:24 AM
Subject: Idea
Beginning with the RX330 Lexus used DBW to prevent the engine from rising in RPM until a previously engine/transaxle control ECU "commanded" transaxle downshift ran to completion.
Since the earlier RX300 used a mechanical coupling between the gas pedal and throttle plate the same technique could not be used.
On the other hand my '01's TC, Traction Control, dethrottles the engine via EFI fuel starvation control. Why couldn't Lexus use this same technique to "hold off" rising engine RPM/Torque for downshift delays...??
The throttle plate would still open, just as it does/is with TC activation, but the only harm in that is the engine ROARING to life once the downshift is completed. On the other hand there are circumstances with my RX300 wherein VSC activates and I am forced to completely release and the re-apply pressure to the gas pedal before the engine will respond at all.
Now you can race them to the patent office.
Read more about other experiences in this forum. Please report back.
Good luck. It sounds like your car is worth a new transmission, if that's any consolation to you at all.
It also seems that if you catch the problem in time while it's still driveable and they know you can take it to another shop, they are more likely to better their price. There does seem to be some competition even between Lexus dealers, especially if it's not so far gone that you can't drive it out of their shop.
But in your case, since you were just barely out of warrantee, I'd keep the pressure on for even more discount... but you have to be willing to be patient.
Please let everyone know what happens.
For the past 2 months, wife has been complaining about a high pitched whine coming from beneath the engine, nearby the transaxle. Sure enough, the hum got louder with time and yesterday the tach showed over-reving while at cruise, at a steady cruise of 40 mph, the engine would rev to 4,000 rpm, remain there while the vehicle under its own momentum, and then eventually pull back to 2,300 rpm or lower.
Driving down the parkway here in Bend at 50 mph, the clutch seemed to disengage, over-rev to 4,000 rpm and then re-engage the drive train with a distinct clunk. Pulled up to Cooley Road on 97 and waited in the turn lane 2 minutes while the traffic signals changed. Hit the throttle and the RX would not move forward, only showing 4,000+ rpm. Shifted to L on the gear shifter and limped out into traffic...such a dangerous situation! Pulled to the roadside and shut down the engine for 2 minutes and was then able to limp over to Lowe's parking lot where Consolidated Towing eventually brought a flatbed for the journey to Eugene.
We have yet to see if Lexus will honor the one-year warranty on the 2008 tranny job and IF they will also reimburse for the $130 of overmiles beyond my GE road club 100 mile limit. Obviously, we are distraught but have a loaner RX350 for free from the helpful, fantastically helpful, dealer in Eugene. Stay tuned for an update to this post and hope for the best outcome possible...no $$.
I cannot stress enough how dangerous this transmission issue was yesterday, to be caught in traffic and unable to control the driving process. There is no cell phone coverage for roughly 65% of the 126 miles to the dealer/repair shop, hence the other reason for taking the road club option on the car transport.
Good luck.
Granted, they haven't driven this car that much but it looks and runs like new. Now, I have taken all of the information on these boards with regard to engine sludge buildup and trans failures to my neighbor, who has been a lead mechanic for Toyota for 15 years...According to him, the overwhelming reason an engine would accumulate sludge is because the oil is not getting changed on a regular basis. Maybe there are some isolated cases...but it's extremely rare for a properly maintained engine to accumulate sludge.
Now, the transmission problems...My parents car has the tow prep package and so I know this is indeed an aide in keeping things cool down there. After careful consideration on whether to do a flush or a drain and fill, I decided on the latter because flushes while good intended, can have negative results. The fluid was a little off color, but with the drain and fill, it brought back the cherry red look to the fluid (I know a drain and fill only replaces about 40% or so of the total fluid).
Now, my understanding from my source is that the RX300's transmission is the identical (well maybe not IDENTICAL, but...) twin of the same unit that is in the Toyota Highlander, which, again, I am told by my source that his dealership RARELY see trans problems with the Highlander. Now, granted, some of you may say I am comparing apples and oranges, and who knows maybe to some degree I am. But it is conceivable that Toyota does cross use components in their automobiles and across divisions??
I am not trying to discount anyone's negative experience with these cars, but I am just trying to get a real read on if this is widespread as it may seem. You know it goes...those that have problems sound off and those that don't, we don't hear from.
I mean to say that if they made 2 million of these cars, are we hearing from the 1000 or so that have had a bad experience? (Don't quote me on the numbers I am just trying to make a point).
I would love to hear from some of the folks on this board that have 300's to sound off if they HAVE NOT had any engine or trans problems.
Let's hear from you all, too!
JBL
Out of how many hundreds of thousands of vehicles, that is a pretty small percentage of complaints. Most people don't bother searching the internet to post messages to report "no problem" compared to those with complaints, but nowhere near the statistically low number you mentioned. And of those who complain, usually their report says they had their car "serviced" but they leave out specifics. The fluid condition is a dead giveaway. Transmission service is usually left up to the owner, and rarely does Lexus dealer suggest it.
In fact, there are reports from owners who were disappointed with transmission problems, but were taken care of by Lexus without problem, why would they bother looking for somewhere to post a complaint? And Lexus stood by them during their standard long powertrain warrantee. They they have even made exceptions for some that are out of warrantee. Not many manufacturers do that. Try to find one! Some folks got poorly rebuilt transmissions and they have a legitimate gripe, even if the third-party rebuild was sourced by Lexus, but not rebuilt by them.
The trans in these models clearly are more vulnerable than many of us expected when we bought them new. However, failure rates compared to many vehicles, especially SUV's don't seem statistically massive, so I don't know where you want to go with that.
I think a big part of the problem is there are a lot of early RX's that were leased. Why would you do anything extra on a leased car? The mfr didn't say to service the transmission often, why bother when it will be someone else's problem later down the road? Here we see the results of that kind of attitude, combined with the type of use many of these cars are subject to (shuttling, idling just to run a/c, city driving, low miles, etc.) and a weak original design combine.
My $.02
What was the first prouction year for teh HL vs RX..??
The first "fix" was applied to the RX in (mid..??) 2000.
My guess is the fluid is already contaminated and has been for a long time. It's probably no longer translucent pink. That's your first check. If so, you might want to shop around for the best deal on a transmission rebuild or replacement right away. If you are still able to drive the car you are at a bargaining advantage. I wouldn't push your luck too far.
It's very easy to check. In case you haven't checked it before or don't have an owner's manual: with engine running in Park with the brake on tight, open the hood, look on the right half (transmission/transaxle) there is a yellow dipstick labeled "transmission" with a paper towel, pull the dipstick out. Wipe the fluid at the end of the dipstick and inspect for color and/or burned smell.
If the transmission has been serviced regularly and the fluid remains pink, there is a slight possibility the problem is not internal. But I'd get it fixed right away.
Please report back and let us know what you find out. Best luck to you.
With the one-year warranty expiring, we went to the Lexus dealer in April 2009 and had them take our service complaint. July 2009 the transmission began to make a high pitch whine that got worse in August. Finally, the new transmission would no longer engage forward gears and the rig was transported via flatbed for service by the dealer (only 6,000 miles on this rebuild).
Because of the extensive documentation we had maintained from the first month of service with this #2 transmission, Lexus paid for everything (parts/labor) on transmission #3. Shifting is very smooth with this new unit, so we have our fingers crossed and intend to document every heartbeat of this rebuild. We are extremely pleased with the service offered by the dealer in Eugene. Hope your O/D issue is just dirty fluid, but the RX300 transmission has plenty of online forum comments to be considered. The RX330 uses a different transmission, as I understand it, as do the newer models.
Question - Are the transmission problems mostley in the AWD RX's or is it in all the tranmissions including the FWD?
1) Lexus Dealer's Service (maybe for just this particular VA location?) is very disappointing. You need to call them every step along the way to get answers about the status of your car. They also want to charge me $195 for the alignment that they said is needed besides the transmission work. And after bilking $4700 from Ford ESP warrantee, you would think they would give me an alignment courtersy discount for their overcharged service, but the rep said NO discount, not even a penny! I just said fine, I could have the alignment done at some other good repairs shop for about 1/2 that price so NO to your arrogrant, disgusting attitude. See if they would have me back as customers (or Lexus customers for that matter, after I trade in this car) ever again.
2) My hat off to FORD ESP pre-owned warrantee plan. They honor their plan to the T (paid for the tow, even asked what make of the car, and tow it to the nearest dealer w/out customer's request...I would have agreed if they suggest other just-as-good repairs shop, other than the cut-throat Lexus dealer!. Also offered to pay for rental cars (took 3 days to fix), but I declined the offer to save them some expense. (paid $1600 for the 4-year ESP plan, so they're already $3000 in the hole after this claim!).
3) Does anyone know if there's already a complaint petition about this Lexus RX300's particular transmission problems that I can sign on? What's the most effective way to let Lexus know about this problem? What would be the good address to write to?
4) Once again, my thanks to FORD ESP service, and would not hestitate to recommend them to anyone. If you need to buy pre-owned car, especiall this disappointing Lexus RX300, then trust me, by any means ask for the FORD ESP
plan...They are the best out there IMO.
Thanks for any help on what I can do to let Lexus know about their disappointing service, and their non-response to customers who have so many problems with the RX300's transmission!
A few years ago I purchased a used Mercury Sable and promply went over to Toyota and purchased an extended warranty for the Sable. Never had very much done under the warranty but Toyota ALWAYS stepped up.
Nothing good to say about the way Toyota and Lexus are treating THEIR OWN customers regarding the FLAWED transaxle design introduced with the RX300 in '98 and soon migrated to most other Toyota and Lexus FWD and F/awd vehicles.
More than time for a trip to the woodshed.
They did alright by me for sure, and many others too. I had much better experience with Lexus flaws. But they are not flawless, just like other brands. The difference was they stepped up with a positive attitude and fixed it. I can't help but be sorry for others who had repeated trouble with their Lexus service. We have to look at what went wrong.
Service Manager and his staff are top-notch and customer-centric. Loaned us an RX3350 for the 10 days of waiting/installation. Lexus honored the warranty, insofar as we had plenty of documentation of issues with the transmission prior to the warranty expiration. Had we lacked the documentation, we likely would have been eating a huge portion of the service bill. Will let you know if we see a check for the over mileage, but one was promissed by Lexus and that is good enough for me. My next purchase will be an RX 400h or 350 IF there are no reported service issues like we see on the RX300 transmission.
:surprise:
The process over the phone takes about 15 minutes and you will receive a copy of the complaint for verification purposes in about 2-3 weeks. Everyone with these troubles should be documenting the issues with a NTSB complaint. You will feel better after making the complaint and receiving a case #
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Check this link: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/aoakit.php
I wouldn't go by mfr rec's that are any longer than two years either, but most owners don't ask for service that costs extra like changing trans fluid and filter. Or brake or power steering fluid (I bet the color is dark on yours, but easy to purge with new). It's hard to say burned fluid is the cause of trouble rather than a symptom, but it's still a good idea.
I hope you like your car enough that after the rebuild you still have a nice car. It's still a nice package, as long as yours is in good condition. I hope you're happy with the result.