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Comments
So your statement "they want to fix it and wont cover anything" is quite illogical - why SHOULD they cover anything with that year RX with that mileage?
With all that being said, good luck with your repair. I agree that $1000 to fix an oil seal - the most likely culprit - is rather steep but that's the way it works for non-warranty repairs at a luxury car service department.
That's a lot of "IFs."
If you have a non-Lexus extended warranty, many of these companies have gone out of business in the last few years or, if they are still around, make it difficult to get them to cover your repair.
Good luck.
Lexus Owners
Pete
Pete
....guys and gals that didn't make the cut on the professional tour that weekend so they all work part-time at a local Lexus dealer doing oil changes.
Wow, you work at a Lexus dealer and didn't KNOW this?
I did talk to SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED about waiting for the hybrid. She was not interested (sometime if we manage to get together for that drink I'll tell you how HER timeframes typically evolve) in waiting despite (or maybe because of) the panting noises I was making regarding the hp boost involved.
So we now have a Black Onyx/Ivory AWD RX330 with Premium Plus, 18s, the towing package (only because I wanted the tranny cooler and hd radiator), and the heated seat/rain sensing wipers. Also couldn't talk her into the ML/NAV system.
And a 99 RX300 AWD/LSD on the block (don't whack me, Steve, this isn't a sneaky "for sale" ad) although my boys don't want the old RX to go away.........it's the only one they've ever known, and you know how kids can anthropomorphize. Of course, adults never do that with their long loved, cherished, faithful vehicles...............(that's just a speck of dust in my eye........of course I'm not crying).
I keep imagining a Black RX330 with a set of chrome BBS wheels but I know she will never go for black. Maybe I can sell her on that deep green.
I must admit that when I first heard about these, I thought they amounted to an overcomplicated gimmick. Having lived with one for a couple of weekends (once on an LX, once on an RX), I now think they are a HUGE convenience. You just don't have to guesstimate how close something is when you back up nor have a little "oopsie" when you forget about that 3 foot fire hydrant behind you.
Black Forest Pearl (that deep green) is gorgeous; Flint Mica would also look good with chrome BBS.
The dealer will typically work with a local chrome shop that wholesales the dip for about $300 for a set of 4. The only real advantage of going through a dealer is that the chrome rims are then covered by the Lexus new car warranty.
If you go to the same shop or one like it, you can get it done for approx $500, give or take $50. I've had this done for several vehicles (RX300, Mustang GT, etc) and if you pick a good shop, the chrome finish stays nice for lots of years.
You can also find these chrome guys online - they do a "core" exchange where they send you factory Lexus wheels, chromed and in the same exact style as yours (made by Lexus/Toyota), and after you have them mounted you just ship back your unchromed OEM wheels as an exchange. Shipping rims is not real expensive and if they are out-of-state there's usually no sales tax so the freight is offset.
Of course, I wouldn't have one now were it not for SHE.................
Anybody had a similar experience?
Terry.
A couple of days ago I was at the dealers for my 30 day check and he told me they sold it immediately but did not tell me the price. So, your price seems pretty good.
My newly wed wifes' 93 Accord EX started giving us problems that did not warrant me spending again on it except for the purpose of a trade in!!So did the prelim research and narrowed down my search to the RX on the basis of its Luxury Appeal and also its saftey features.
I have before me two options from the Certified Pre-Owned Lexus at Ray Catena of NY
Option1
2000 RX300 - 21481 Miles
Asking price - $27,800 + Tax -> $30,163 {Acc to Dealer the car is listed to be sold @ $30,100 excl Taxes)
Financing @3.95% -> 60 Months of $496.67
Option2
2001 RX300 - 31783 Miles
Asking price - $30,500 + Tax -> $33,092 {Acc to Dealer the car is listed to be sold @$32,900 excl Taxes)
Financing @3.95% -> 60 Months of $551.81
The differences in the two is just in two respects; one is the color combo,the 2000 comes in a Black/Grey while the the 2001 comes in the Black/Black (EXT/Int).Secondly the 2001 has the navigation system and all the other "perks" included.
My preferences are swaying very much towards the 2001 soley due to the appearance, the interior of the 2000 has a very much "Plastic-ky" feel. But apart from that, I wanted to get anybody input into the integrity of this deal and also to kindly address a few concerns.
Is the Navigation System on the RX of any use, I have read people complaining of it being completely obsolete w.r.t its depreciation value and also the quality of the directions offered?
THe certified preowned program offers a 3 Years/100K Miles Limited Warranty. Is this the extended warranty being discussed about in the Town Hall Chat Rooms? If not what is the difference b/w the two? For eg. does the CPO Program cover the emissions test and the filters et al?
Lastly, does it really matter that the car is certified? or Am I wasting my time looking at them? Would any of you suggest just looking around?
Thanks in Advance for any response.
Chow!
Would some of you give me some pointers on 2001 RX300? What are the problems areas? How often is it recommended to replace the timing belt?
I have a 96 Camry XLE V-6. The engines in these two are not identical but are very close. This Camry has given me zero trouble. The engine and ride is top notch, but the steering is very numb and vague. I am sure RX steering will be the same.
Was traction control standard in 2001? People with FWD, do you wish you had the AWD? If the 2001 FWD RX has the traction control standard, does it work well in snow/ice?
Thanks for feedbacks.
The only problem I've had is little rattle from front door, not that bad and sometime it does not occur.
Potential problem is engine oil sludge. Not so familiar with that but they say if oil is changed at least once a year it will not happen. If that's true then it's not a problem to me.
By the way, my 02 QX4's engine oil turns dark brown much faster than my 00 RX300, no matter what driving condition is. Don't know why. Actually the RX engine oil never turned dark brown.
HID headlamps are a definitely PLUS if equipped.
2001 is a muchly improved model over the 2000.
The nav is useless, cannot, and should not be relied upon in suburban areas where one cannot readily stop and ask directions. But do not reject an RX simply for this reason.
AWD is preferable if one expects to encounter wintertime adverse road conditions, NOT OFF_ROAD< EVER! But at the same time it is not anything close to what could be considered a robust AWD system, flaccid is more the proper term.
It absolutely should not be used with snowchains fitted, not allowed on the rear because of lack of tire/suspension clearance, dangerous for use ONLY on the front.
I would reject the 2000 out of hand.
Toyota/Lexus addressed the oil sludge question by extenting the engine warranty on subject vehicles to eight years...
As mentioned, the '01 has advantages in VSC (stability control) and other upgrades over the '00 and Nav was unavailable in the RX until 2001.
I just sold my '01 RX (41k miles, $27k) with Nav at a premium price BECAUSE it had the Nav and others listed in the paper and online did not. So the old line about Nav not having resale value is absolutely untrue. Of the 25-odd calls I received, most started off with, "Your RX is the one with Navigation, right?"
So that's the feature many folks are now searching for...but I will say that your price of $30,500 plus tax is a bit high; I think you are paying about $2k for that extended factory warranty. But it's got 10k less miles than ours did...so not a bad trade-off for peace-of-mind...but that extended warranty is not transferable to the next buyer, right? If it's transferable that's an OK deal if you don't plan on keeping the vehicle more than 3 years.
Anyway, my buyer was absolutely thrilled with his purchase and so will you be - good luck!
You will likely pay a slight premium for the nav but the 01, assuming AWD, is still worth it, just as I said earlier.
My post: "...95 out of 100 Lexus Nav owners will never go back to non-Nav vehicles..."
Your post: "Jeff said..95 out of 100 people will not know of the nav faults and simply want a 'toy' thrown in with the deal."
Uh...no, I didn't. If you want to misquote someone, have the common decency to wait a week until everyone has forgotten the real text.
Those 95 out of 100 people that would never go back to a non-nav vehicle will only do so because they never encounter the flaws/faults of the first one.
4 of the remaining five will have encountered the problems and now wish to avoid them.
The fifth is most likely a company shill and therefore could never acknowledge the truth even if it got them lost in the woods.
No vehicle is perfect but some folks apparently wish to think so and bring the world's thoughts along. The more a vehicle's flaws/faults get publicized the sooner the manufacturer will address them.
Kinda like drawing an editorial cartoon then having to put lots of text around it for an explanation.
Why bother.
The road noise from aggressive treads in some of 225/70-16 truck tires will be much more noticable in the RX than in ......an Explorer for example.
For example - the "Lexus-Denso killer HVAC humidity/fogging problem"...remember that one?
The "problem" that could have been fixed with a simple dealer reset of CBEST defaults at the dealer - and at no charge during your 2001 RX's 1k mile or 5k mile free service.
Instead, what do we get via your non-rose-colored eyesight? Three years of posted muck, complaints on multiple boards, references to a failed lawsuit on this subject, how it will kill people, blah blah blah.
So that's why I take your nav complaints with a grain of rose-colored salt.
Having read in this forum of others who found dealerships loading up on non-required service items, I asked for a rundown of what I'm getting for my $940.
The list sounded like the 90K service: timing belt, plugs, the works. When I questioned it, I was told "all the Lexus dealerships are splitting the 90K service and doing some things early because the 90K was too costly. I laughed.
I asked "How much do you knock off if we don't do the plug change at 60K?" The reply: $650.
So of the $940 service, $650 is for changing the spark plugs? I almost fell off the chair!
Anyone else have this kind of experience?
Is that with or without the free wash? I have a feeling that the bar of soap is included...
6 plugs--13.90 x 6= 83.40 for parts
135.00 for labor
------------------------------------
218.40 total
The change of plugs is really not for the diy. There is too much "plumbing" to remove in order to get to the rear 3 plugs.
The plugs can go 100k or greater milage. I changed mine at 104k and they looked brand new when they were removed. I did not notice any change in the car's performance with the new plugs