By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
THANKS. I JUST NEED A FUULY LOADED RX300 W/O NAVIGATION.I NEED HELP FAST.
***Although to aleaviate the problem I simply removed the windshield, thus eliminating any chance of condensation.***
An option I'd like to see on the RX along with the others that have been mentioned, an auto start feature, this would make me take full advantage of the auto climate control.
Never thought of taking the windshield out; I'll check with the wife and see how she likes the idea, since it IS her car, after all! ROFL!
Ravl: I was surprised that the RX seat memory system did not include the outside mirrors and radio presets as my 300M does. I also would like the autolocking feature (a la my 300M. Lotta car, not a lotta money!) I'm pretty sure the two biggest selling points for my wife were the styling and the purse holder! At least now her monstrous purse won't be on my lap or under my feet...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Which parts are...
My RX300 (GS, LS, etc.) doesn't turn on the blower in automatic mode even at "max heat" until the engine water jacket temperature is up to 130F...
Don't know if this helps, but when I first started using the system, I found I had to think about it differently from the manual climate controls I was used to. In a manual system you set the temperature of the air coming out of the vents. In the winter you set this as hot as possible until the car warms up and then lower it. With the auto system in the RX, think of the temperature control like the thermostat in your house. Set it to what you want the temperature in the cabin to be, and the system will figure out how hot to make the air (and fan speed) in order to achieve that temperature and then maintain it.
I, for one, am very happy with the auto climate control.
Out here in the wintertime cold and humidity of Seattle we like our cars to warm up (and in so doing dry out) as rapidly as possible.
When you get into a cold car on a cold day your body's comfort level is affected just as much by the surrounding COLD objects, near and FAR, as it is by warming airflow.
So part of the object is to warm up the cold interior parts of the vehicle without unduly discomforting yourself with overly warm, HOT, airflow.
The other reason "WE" can't use the system on automatic is becuase it insists on COOLING our faces and upper body even in the DEAD of winter.
And if you can keep the A/C from working in the wintertime you are much less likely to DIE from loss of forward vision.
I have very little doubt that I might be perfectly happy with any Lexus system remaing in fully automatic year 'round in southern California.
Hey, one more thing I forgot to tell you about RX300 - the remotes for the door locks do not have the seat memory feature. After my wife drives our RX, when I need to drive it, I open the door and press the #2 button on the dash and wait outside like a dork while the seat is winding into my position. It's OK if it's not raining outside.
Other than that, it is a nice little truck.
The RX starts out with 220HP, we all know some of that will be lost on the way to the contact patches. Or are you proposing 95HP to the rear and the rest to the front?
We can all respect the fact that you should NEVER have found engine coolant in the crankcase. But that doesn't mean the Lexus has any other "random" problems.
Oh, and I'm not testing the RX for the ultimate level of HP it can deliver, I only want to know the real world numbers for the torque distribution front to rear. None of us would be so stupid, I hope, as to go WOT if we are in a situation wherein the torque distribution is of importance.
Speak with/about factual events, you'll get a lot more respect that way.
I'm still waiting for the Lexus hat and t shirt...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Now come to think of it, there are many flaws with this vehicle, if Lexus would disengage the auto climate once the vehicle was turned off I'd definetly buy another. But because they've decided to not listen to consumers such as ourselves I'm leaning toward purchasing a Ford
Oh, and your right, my tongue does stick to my cheek without the windshield in place.
When you turn on the key in the morning you get a cold blast of air if you have left the system in what "wrong configuration"?
And please don't ever go back to Ford except for simple functionality. I have a 2.3L 93 Ford ranger PU.
I can never forgive them for making the Continental FWD and FORCING me over to Lexus. Now, like Cadillac, they want to move back to RWD but I have lost interest, completely.
Maybe an American built ML320.
BTW...220hp is a LONG shot. I would doubt it even has 190.
What I did discover is if you for some reason "tinker" with the blower speed, manually turn it up or down, while in automatic mode it takes the blower out of the automatic control regime altogether.
So now when you start the car up the next morning the "system" is in automatic mode but the blower speed is not. If, when you last shut the car off, the blower happened to be manually set to a high speed then just as you have said it comes on instantly, with a rush of very cold air.
I didn't think to check, but it may do the very same thing if it was left in the defrost/defog/demist position when last shut down.
BTW..Who said 25k & Freeze-up? Not I.
The Explorer has space behind the passenger seats that is about 5' wide x 3.5' long, or nearly 18 square feet of space. I haven't measured the rx300, but it looks a little less roomy, esp. in terms of length between the passenger seats and the rear tail gate. I can't find the sq. ft. stats anywhere -- can any rx 300 owners help out? where do you guys put stuff?
thanks.
As to cargo space, older Explorer vs. new RX - we had a '98 Mountaineer (same body as the Explorer) and there was quite a bit more space behind the seats than our '01 RX300. As The Gimp will tell you, you can't go wrong with the RX - it's a great, great vehicle and Lexus service and support are wonderful. However, it is smaller in cargo room vs. the Explorer/Mountaineers.
Consumers Reports (6/2000) lists the differences as follows:
Length behind 1st/2nd row of seats:
Explorer, 78.5"/42"
RX300, 73"/37"
Cubic volume (LxWxH) space behind 2nd row:
Explorer, 52.0 cubic ft
RX300, 37.5 cubic ft
If you go with the RX, just remember to follow the Owner's Manual on frequency of oil & filter changes and use their recommended high-quality oils (not Amsoil). Good luck with you choice.
It's a bit bigger on the inside and as near as I can see it's only practical short-coming vs the RX is the lack of HID, which you can now get aftermarket.
Vs the Explorer neither the RX nor the HL will give you the kind of AWD performance, there are both basically FWD and while they do have a VC across the center open differential it never seems to be up to the task at hand.
My suspicion has been that the VC is very lightly pre-loaded so Toyota/Lexus didn't have to go to the expense Chrysler did on the T&C to make it a REAL AWD.
But you won't need to under-inflate your tire on either of these to reduce the chance of rollover either.
If you really do need the carrying capacity of the Explorer then neither of these will be satisfactory.
Filter socket: I wasn't able to get an exact fit but I was able to get one that would do the job.
0 to 60 in 4.2 sec..... Come on!
Gotta be some kind of mentally challenged, I guess.......Come and see.
Gotta keep telling myself that...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
You think there is an HID after-market product for the RX? I'd love to have that!
Any info on this would be great!
thanks!
What kind of oil do Lexus dealerships use for oil changes? How often do you change your oil? The manual says 5,000 to 7,500 miles but my dealership still recommends 3,000 miles?
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
i use castrol syntec 5w-30 along with a castrol
max pro plus filter (only available at k-mart)
and change every 5,000 miles... also keep all
receipts!!!! believe me you will feel the difference with castrol syntec!!!
a friend of mine is always a MB fans, all service included oil change is on the factory, as everyone knows. they recommended him to have a oil change every 10k....
If Mobil 1 didn't exist or wasn't available I wouldn't have any problem at all with using Amsoil, but I would still follow my own lifes experiences and change the oil and filter every 4000 miles or so. Really cheap insurance.
Now maybe if I had started using 7500 mile oil changes some years ago and had by now accrued enough personal experience to know that no detrimental affect would result, I wouldn't have any trouble using that schedule today. But I find absolutely nothing wrong with my personal experience base as it exists today.
It's a nice goose chase - but all I can find is info about automotive lighting from Philips in Europe. No indication of availability in the US at all. Also doesn't list a Lex RX-300 on the automobile selection page.
But if you have any further info - that would be great
Willard.. They buy Brand-Name oil in bulk. Most have overhead dispensing systems. Sort of like a pump.
Bill
As for getting a Ford over an RX: I recently drove a rented Mountaineer and was very pleased with it. It had 3 rows of seats, a leather interior, good ride height, a better turning circle than the RX, and amenities like auto climate control and a 6-disc in-dash CD player. But, it had its downsides too - the ride was harsher, engine noise was pronounced, its fit and finish was of a lesser quality (you could see the metal in the door frame from inside, around the interior panels), and its overall design was more suitable for the rental that it was, albeit a nice one. It is simply not a vehicle I would like to call my own. The Lexus gives you an experience that you can savor everyday without tiring of it. Its design is one you can admire in your driveway for a long time to come. Sure, it has its shortcomings when viewed as a truck (interior space, etc.), but when you look at it as a luxury vehicle, it's superior to so many others you won't go wrong owning it.
You spend your money and you ought to get what you pay for. We paid for a Lexus and are glad to live with it every day. If you have other priorities such as those that a Ford can provide, then be happy with that too. Just don't buy a Ford because a disgruntled gimp tells you to.
Much as I appreciate having Willard (wwest) answer questions directed to me...
For a real answer, check Edmund's "Maintenance & Repair" board under the topic, "Engine Sludge?", post #2780. Bob seems to know his oil.
Amsoil is apparently a type of pyramid sales plan where you can become a "dealer" for $25 or so, get the oil at wholesale, then persuade your drinkin' buddies that it's the Liquid Lubricant of the Gods and sell the stuff to them at retail.
Whoop...whoop...whoop...whoop...whoop...there goes the Gimp Meter off the scale again! Expect incoming at any moment...
Let's make this Easy Math for the one amongst us so challenged:
Number of RX oil changes under normal driving conditions (every 7500 miles) REQUIRED to keep warranty in force if one doesn't go to the dealer for the free 5k change and one drives 25k miles:
One (1) at 7500 miles
One (1) at 15000 miles
One (1) at 22500 miles
So your total is.... Three (3)!
Number of said changes done
on the GimpMoBile: ZERO (0)!
And ZERO is the amount of warranty service I would expect Lexus to give the Gimp for any sludge-type problem.
Willard, you CAN answer any questions directed to me concerning the following:
a. Why does my RX windshield fog up so much?
b. Why do Jeeps have more traction than a AWD RX?
c. Why does my RX hold less than a T&C minivan?
d. Why is my RX' handling crummy vs. a Porsche?
e. Why are AAA route maps better than RX' Nav sys?
f. Why are deers attracted to the RX at night?
g. Did McGyver ever build an A/C filter for the RX out of toothpicks and brillo pads?
Sure bob is going to talk junk about Amsoil,He does'nt sell it. DUH!
wwest....IF IF IF!