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Some do say that break in oil is a lighter weight oil than what's recommended for normal operation, but that theory has also been attributed to older cars with poor machining techniques.
Usually the owner's manual addresses break in and recommended fluid changes.
Steve, Host
For those who have asked whether they should go in at 1,000 mi or 30 days, I would say it does not matter.
I'm curious....has anyone else experienced a noisy dash? If so, have you been able to solve the problem?
I had corrected it before my 1,000 mile check up and I think that my dealer may have adjusted it at that time.
The RX seems to be extremely sensitive to tire pressure being set evenly between the tires.
If this problem is intermittent, try to determine the conditions that make the squeaks the most noticeable and reproducible. Try to schedule the test drive under those conditions. Temperature may play a big factor. We had a rattle in our '01 MDX dash that disappeared at higher temperatures, or after the car warmed up for a half hour. It was a bear trying to get the rattles to occur after I had arrived at the dealer! They finally reproduced the rattles on the morning after I had left the car with them overnight. The dealer kept the car one more night so that they could verify the fix the following morning. I didn't mind, as I was given a CL Type S as a loaner, and most importantly, there were no more rattles when I picked up the MDX.
Probably not, but I feel good about spending a few bucks to change to Mobil 1, at 3000 miles or 3 months after taking delivery. Old habits die hard, I guess.
I know this means I have to head to the dealership with my next service but this isn't very convenient. The closest dealer is 40 miles away. I travel a great deal (by air) for my job and when I am home I have to take an entire day off of work to take the car in for service (no Saturday service at my dealer). And, this gets back to one of the many reasons why I got rid of the Accord. My Lexus dealer will pick-up my vehicle at my house and leave a loaner on service visits.
I guess I am just a bit bummed that I haven't been able to fully escape personal visits to the dealer for service. But I will get over it. I still love my RX.
(Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003, 7:47 PM Moscow Time)
In January to September 2003, sales of Toyota and Lexus on the Russian market made an impressive 200-percent streak against the same period of 2002 and reached 17,624 cars, the press service of the Russian office of Toyota Motor reported. Sources in the company announced that in 2003 they expected to sell over 20,000 Toyota and Lexus cars in Russia.
Steve, Host
Also, Lexus ranked #1 as a brand.
Tedcruiser
"You are not using your moonroof enough!"
According to the unofficial Lexus RX 330 manual:
"Using the moonroof controls frequently will build thick callouses only your fingers. These callouses will protect your fingers from the exterior door handles which incorporate pinch points that are engineered to...."
Come on "bmwbob27", get with the Lexus mind set. Lexus knows better. There's a reason for all this stuff!
I would sell today if I wouldn't take a big bath.
If one is willing to sacrifice some luxury, reliability, customer service, comfort, cargo space, and/or expense (initial cost and/or resale value) in order to have an SUV that is more fun to drive, there are other good choices. The FX45/35, X5, Cayenne, and Touareg come to mind. If utility isn't really needed, there are plenty of sedans that provide more smiles for the buck. The trend in our family these past few years is to have one sport sedan for the "smiles", and one quality SUV for all the other reasons. The RX330 fits the bill very nicely.
Of course, there are some disadvantages of jumping to an X5. Although the driving experience is more fun, jumping from the RX330 to the X5 typically provides an increase in purchase price, less cargo space, lower fuel economy, a less compliant ride, and statistically worse reliability.
I will admit that I hate it when components just don't work especially when they are touted during the sales process. I have had 6 computers in various cars and altho' computing MPG is usually inaccurate (always high, never low), the range has always been reasonably accurate.
I have not seen any posts on this subject. Does this mean that others are better than mine or does everyone grin and bear it or not pay any attention to it?
The next time you refuel when the 19 gallon tank is supposedly empty and refueling is substantially less then drive around the block three times and then fuel again. You'll need about three more gallons....
And I am suspicious of mileage but haven't cross checked it yet. Is there a way to check mileage if you don't trust the odometer? Haven't seen a "measured mile" around here.
Katherine
I'm not too concerned about this. To me, the computer is making an error on the side of caution. This is a good thing in my mind.... it forces my forgetful husband to put in gas a bit sooner. He would let the tank run dry if he knew the computer was wrong (hence I haven't mentioned it to him). And, if I really want to know exact mileage, I will calculate it manually by comparing actual miles traveled to total gallons pumped.
By the way which grade of gas are people using. My dealer said I could use regular and have not noticed any pinging or loss of power. At least that is one advantage over the ML.
The outside temperature sensor is located under the front bumper in the center on a vertical steel member. Look there and it's very visible. Now that you have found it you can you can forget about it and agree with my previous postings."This thing is worthless". It takes about 15 minutes after starting the vehicle to start and indicate an approximate temperature reading. Then for another half hour it may indicate any temperature that "it" wants. Never the correct reading. I pass an outside thermometer/clock sign on a bank that for many years has been "right on" with the time and temperature. My BMW's are within 1-2 degrees consistently. The RX330 is about 5 -10 degrees higher or lower, never the same. Even after driving for an hour!!! Another engineering marvel from the Japanese!!! They are so good at copying that you would think that they would have "blueprinted" the BMW's computer system and gotten it right. I would not have 4 gallons of fuel with 30 miles range indicated left!! They also should have copied the sliding/tilt moon roof controls and the memory seat functions with individual operator's keys. What about the overide for the left hand mirror that tilts??? How about the overpowering running lights?? Useless!! Oh yes, we must live with the rain sensor wipers that can not be turned off!! What about the "automatic" climate control that doesn't work unless you operated it manually?? Hey, I could go on complaining about this great vehicle with all of it's "minor" quirks, but I'm stuck with this vehicle for awhile. Just as mb280 indicated. Or maybe I can find someone to "unload" this uneventful very "soft" ride on. I'm still waiting for someone to let me know if they have pinched there finger in the outside door handle. Open the doors with your right hand and see what happens. Oh yes, The brake pads are great. I haven't had to clean the wheels. You see, I can praise the car!!! I give credit where credit is due. Love and Kisses, BMWbob
I have always thought the OAT needed some DSP.
A direct input from the outside air temperature sensor to the HVAC ECU causes a malfunction.
So IMMHO it would help if the vehicle had to be driven some minimum distance above a minimum speed before the OAT were considered valid.
But still, I don't understand, the driver OAT indication could still be direct reading while the signal is digitally processed for validation for the ecu.
I'm only bringing this up because I'd hate to see someone get stuck somewhere thinking they had plenty of reserve.
Regards
The OAT has no basis on the climate control system that regulates the interior comfort level. It is a "read only" indicator that doesn't work properly. The interior of the vehicle has a sensor that relays the information to the "automatic" climate control system. The climate control system is so faulty that is not possible to set a temperature level (72+ -) and maintain it. The operator has to regulate the temperature manually. This is why you are experiencing the cold air blowing in your face. As I have stated previously, "It is a failure and a complete engineering blunder".
Now go open the door with your right hand and tell me if you had pinched you little finger?? Love and Kisses, BMWBob
If your idea applies, then the computer would be more accurate, but the gas guage would be way off. The fact is that the computer and the gas guage each tell a different story and are at odds with each other by about 50 miles.
However, I will try your experiment at the next fill up.
The OAT sensor output signal has ALWAYS, 90 LS, been one of the parametric inputs to the Lexus automatic climater control systems. MY 92 LS still has a switch so that I can modify the signal (at 55F OAT the ECU "sees" a sub-freezing OAT) during the colder months so the A/C compressor NEVER cycles.
And for ALL the Lexus vehicles in our "family", I ALWAYS rewire and relocate the OAT sensor so it cannot be influenced by the radiant heat for the nearby radiator and A/C condensor.
The LS sensor fits nicely into the right front fascia under the bumper with several holes drilled for airflow. The RX sensor gets moved to below the bumper on the driver's side.
On the hottest day of summer if you put the sensor (still connected to the system) in an ice bath the system will start up trying to heat the car.
On a cold day it causes the system output to be warmer at startup and remain in the warming mode for a much longer period.
Before I relocated the sensor away from the radiant heat sources and with the "sub-zero" switched on the A/C would still sometimes cycle briefly due to radiant heat in slow traffic or while stopped.
One can hope.
A recent AAA study (reported by CNN and others) has it this way (ranking driver distraction):
#1: Reaching, leaning, etc
#2: Manipulating music/audio controls
#3: Eating, drinking, etc.
#4: Conversing
#5: Grooming
#6: Dealing with Passengers
#7: Reading or writing
#8: Using cell phone
#9: Smoking
So let's see, we also have to detect when people are talking and eliminate passengers. The latter should be easy. Just build cars with one seat.
Even studies that put cell phone use as a high risk, also put radios high. So using the studies to ban cell phone use would require banning radio use as well.
There is probably a better place to discuss this (certainly not in the RX forum). But I could not let the mindless suggestion of "wwest" go unchecked.
Pretty simple. Of course, it's important to not park too close to walls, trees, or other vehicles that would block the hatch from opening and require a trip to the ER after using the KDHs.
How was this study performed? Was it representative of ALL drivers? How many drivers (in terms of %) use cell phones? In general, there is a higher percentage of people who eat, reach, and converse in their cars than talk on cell phones. I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that is why cell phone usage was ranked lower in this study. It has a smaller offender representation. Same for smoking.
These types of study are sometimes useful, but I have to go by my own experiences and my own eyes. I've seen too many vehicles with poor driving practices while the driver is chatting on his/her phone: such as unsafe lane changes, cutting people off, and driving aimlessly slow in the fast lane.
I've also seen other studies by AAA that were real laughers, which is another reason why I am suspicious...
I've got a better solution for the KDH syndrome. I think we need to start a recall campaign against Lexus to incorporate a robotic door opening function via the remote. Instead of merely unlocking the driver's door, a push on the "UNLOCK" button also OPENS the driver's door. Such a convenience might eventually lead to more car-jackings, but at least a car-jacking won't be as dangerous as them door handles.