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Comments
And as my wife and I were taking our Granddaughter to a pumpkin farm today, she pulled down the visor to use the vanity mirror. She opened the cover and said to me "would you please have those people fix this door. I have to hold it open". I have never used the drivers side mirror and tried it. It also is defective in that the visor cloth material wads up in the hinge and won't allow the cover to stay open. I have accepted the fact that Lexus forgot to design a detent in the roof covering to allow the fingers from pulling the visor down. Does the "Minor" faults ever stop rearing their ugly heads??
Could I ever recommend this vehicle to a friend or neighbor? You bet, "misery loves company".
Can't wait to get rid of this nightmare.
Regarding the nightmare...... my nightmares have been my BMW and my MB C Class - had to get rid of both and take a bath on each. My whole family has had bad luck wiht BWM and MB. Lexus and Infiniti - and believe it or not - Chevrolet have been the most trouble free for us. Part of this comes back to the dealers. I firmly believe when you let your dealer touch your car it is going to come back worse off. Our local MB and BMW dealers are horrible - never have loaner cars, often break more than they fix, and so on.
I feel lucky to own a car now that was engineered at least well enough that it runs and doesn't have to be taken in every other day.
That is the best piece of information I've read in a long time in this discussion. Where do you get such information? Are you an Engineering for Toyota/Lexus?
Will make it much easier for me to convince my wife to upgrade to the 330, or the RX hybrid.
If I op for not running the A/C in defrost/defog/demist does it substitute HOT airflow, I hope!
By any chance does C-best on the RX330 allow me to optionally shut off the "reheat" HVAC cycle (no engine water jacket flow through the heater core) during the summer when only cooling is really needed?
A/C would need to run a lot less often resulting in (substantially??) improved fuel economy.
Do you know if these C-best options also apply to the Sienna?
Or the rest of the Lexus line?
I used to do it on my 300 which I just replaced with a 330. On the 300 it was awkward but do able but after checking on the 330 it looks darn near impossible. In fact, you can't even see the filter from on top.
Thanks.
With the 300, I loosen up that top hose and push it out of the way. Let's hope someone can give us guidance.
Toyota hopes that the quality remains identical to Japan-made vehicles so that buyers neither know nor care where their RXs were made."
USA Today
Steve, Host
The first thing this morning I went over to Bellevue Lexus and the service manager reset my C-best options on my 01 RX300 so that the A/C compressor does not engage in the climate control's automatic mode nor even in the defrost/defog/demist mode. I can manually engage it in either mode if I wish to.
Normally a $47 charge by the service manager did it himself so it was free.
Sorta like finding the holy grail for me.
For three full winters and entering this one I have religiously disabled the A/C compressor in the 01 RX to prevent the unpredictable incidents of sudden windshield fogging.
Why is Lexus and Toyota so secretive about the C-best options?
The service manager was obviously reluctant to tell me of any other C-best options, and the floor salesman that I asked didn't even know what C-best was. Same thing at the Toyota dealership.
LOL
Years of reading those long, long posts...years we will never get back.
LOL
Really, truly sorry.
I'va taken it for granted for all those years that those not interestd knew how to page down.
It's the key with the little arrow that points toward your beltbucket, assuming you're sitting at the keyboard.
Regarding the C-Best options, at the 1000 mile check I had the usual door lock and power rear door settings changed, but I think I'll hold off messing with the climate control until we experience some sort of problem with fogging. I haven't heard of a any widespread complaints on this, and so far we do not have any either. But it IS nice to know it's there just in case...
Both have basically the same origin. Moisture, condensate, remaining within the warm A/C plenum night after night making an excellent breeding ground for the microbes that "outgas" the horrid odor.
The early morning inception of windshield fogging is the result of that same moisture remaining within the system overnight and being blown toward the windshield just about the time it reaches dewpoint on your cold morning drive.
If you happen to turn off your A/C, or it happens to turn off automatically due to declining outside temperatures, or you having de-activated the defrost/defog/demist function, and the windshield surface happens to be rather cool, then watch out.
I think we have grounds for a lawsuit.
It isn't just the long posts here, but elsewhere, too! I just made the terrible mistake of reading a couple other of his other Lexus-related discussions -- something about more Free Airflow, and another about the Atkins cycle diet, or somethin' like that. I'm going to open up the window and yell down on the streets below, "I'm mad as he##, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"
At first I thought it might be due to the fact that RX production is being moved to Canada and maybe Canada has same wintertime safety rule that the US doesn't. Idea was based on the fact that all LS430 vehicles shipped into Canada have electric front windshield defrost/defog/demist included.
But I have now come to believe it has something to do with the upcoming introduction of the RX330 as a hybrid.
Anyone with any ideas as to why??
Prius vehicles shipped into colder regions of the US are equipped with an electric heater within the climate control system. I notice that the new Prius incorporates a humidity sensor as an input to the climate control ecu, possibly for the same reasons.
Sure, there's some corporate liability involved, but at least it cuts down on the Town Hall posters...
Also, I just spent a week in Houston driving a brand new Jeep Liberty as my rental car. Man, I couldn't wait to get back into my RX!
Thanks,
Chris
Well, adults, kids, and luggage come in different sizes...but with the rear seats up, you won't be putting that much luggage in the far back area.
We're two adults + one 85 lb dog - and our luggage for a weekend trip necessitated a Yakima basket on top of the roof rack. Pretty neat set-up, by the way.
Of course, the dog's suitcases full of his stuff went INSIDE...
The Volvo has more room but the MDX would be up there as well; it's a rather wide vehicle since it's based on the Odyssey minivan platform.
All three are good choices - go test drive 'em and take your tape measure.
Upscale, the X5 is a poor cargo hauler with four humans. The FX35/45 has less room than the RX330. Downscale a bit, the Pilot is the same size inside as the MDX and the Highlander is about the same as the RX330.
Actually, if you want enough room to move around in style with the kids and cargo, you might want to take a look at the new Quest. It's a minivan, true, but it is quite a bit different in execution.
It may grow on me, a few eons maybe.
I haven't yet driven the Sienna, but it would get my vote.
If you found the RX300 cargo area to be lacking, then I don't think you'll notice a big improvement with the RX330. The RX330 has a little more cargo floor space, and quite a bit of legroom, but overall cargo volume is not significantly greater due to the sloped rear hatch. We have one 4yr-old son. The RX330 is a perfect size for us. As lovemylexus mentioned just a few posts back, it sure is great to get in the mid-20's mpg on the highway! We average 21-22 mpg at home. In comparison, we averaged 18mpg at home, and 21mpg highway, with our MDX. The MDX requires Premium fuel, whereas the RX330 may be run on 87 octane.
Our MDX was an excellent vehicle in terms of cargo space and passenger/cargo flexibility. As Jeff pointed out, it is a wide vehicle, which allows for 3 passengers (including 2 child seats and 1 adult) to fit into the 2nd row seat without complaint. The 3rd row will allow for a couple youth soccer teammates to ride along. We really liked the MDX because it had plenty of space for all the additional equipment we needed to carry when our son was an infant or toddler, such as the playpen, stroller, larger toys, etc. I definitely wouldn't recommend the RX330 if this type of equipment is needed for your vacation trips.
The XC90 is also very versatile, but I don't think it is quite as wide as the MDX. I personally like the interior and exterior design of the XC90 a little more than the MDX, but I think the MDX is easily the better value. Also, the XC90 does not present very good engine/transmission choices. The current choices are a 2.5L 5-cylinder engine (for a 4300-pound SUV!), or a 6-cylinder turbo with a 4sp tranny. We almost purchased a 2.5L model, and I now wonder how well we would have adopted to its limited power. Also, I doubt the XC90 will statistically exhibit the trouble-free reliability of the RX or MDX.
For '04, the MDX is finally adding side-curtain head-protection airbags for all 3 rows, which answers some of the safety arguments that were previously strongly biased toward the Volvo.
Based on our shopping experience, the RX330 provides more cargo space than the FX35 or the Nissan Murano, but if you have two young children, the MDX, XC90, or Highlander Limited are more practical SUV solutions. As you can tell, I am a little biased toward the MDX over the XC90. The new Sienna has many of the same attributes of the RX330, if you don't mind the minivan look.
Slide the seat up and you not only have more cargo area but it puts the kids in whacking distance. (joking)
Thanks.
I am now seriously considering an RX330. But I will need help convincing my wife that the right time to buy it is: RIGHT NOW. Can you give me some ideas or your own viewpoints on being persuasive in the fiscal way?
Considerations:
1. She drives an MDX.
2. She mutes the sound on every car commercial that comes on television.
3. With her, an obvious ploy is worse than no ploy at all.*
4. Currently, I am not in any trouble** and do not have to atone for anything before I can get started on this.
* - I believe my standing on our street corner in rags with a cardboard sign that says "Help - Need Lexus - God bless" is an obvious ploy that would not work, and might have some element of backlash.
** - This consideration is subject to change.
Any help would be appreciated. God bless.
As for the rest of your note, I have no idea what you are asking.
April 04...
First of all, to avoid any status change for item #4, make sure she never catches you surfing here in Town Hall. If she catches you, all bets are off. The time for your next purchase will NEVER be right, and when it is, you'll end up with a Honda Pilot!
Second of all, I have an important question. Are you wanting to talk her into changing from the MDX to an RX330? (Been there, done that!!) Or would this RX330 be your vehicle alongside your wife's MDX? (Can't relate -- buy a sport sedan instead!)
Whew, really glad to hear that, I was beginning to feel harrassed.
BTW, what WAS he thinking when he suggested the Quest instead of the Sienna?