Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Most popular vehicles
Popular New Cars
- New Acura MDX
- New Acura RDX
- New Audi Q5
- New BMW 3 Series
- New BMW X3
- New Buick Enclave
- New Cadillac Escalade
- New Chevrolet Equinox
- New Chrysler 300
- New Dodge Challenger
- New Ford Edge
- New Ford Escape
- New Ford Expedition
- New Ford Explorer
- New Ford F-150
- New Ford Focus
- New Ford Mustang
- New Honda Accord
- New Honda Civic
- New Honda CR-V
- New Honda Fit
- New Honda Odyssey
- New Honda Pilot
- New Hyundai Elantra
- New Hyundai Santa Fe
- New Hyundai Sonata
- New Hyundai Tucson
- New Jeep Compass
- New Jeep Grand Cherokee
- New Jeep Wrangler
- New Mazda 3
- New Mazda 6
- New Mazda CX-5
- New Nissan Altima
- New Nissan Maxima
- New Nissan Rogue
- New Porsche Cayenne
- New Ram 1500
- New Subaru Crosstrek
- New Subaru Forester
- New Subaru Impreza
- New Subaru Outback
- New Tesla Model S
- New Tesla Model X
- New Toyota 4Runner
- New Toyota Camry
- New Toyota Corolla
- New Toyota Highlander
- New Toyota Prius
- New Toyota RAV4
- New Toyota Sienna
- New Toyota Tacoma
- New Volkswagen Jetta
- New Volvo XC60
- New Volvo XC90
Popular Used Sedans
- Used BMW 5 Series
- Used Chevrolet Impala
- Used Chevrolet Malibu
- Used Chrysler 200
- Used Dodge Charger
- Used Ford Fusion
- Used Ford Taurus
- Used Honda Accord
- Used Honda Civic
- Used Hyundai Elantra
- Used Hyundai Sonata
- Used Tesla Model S
- Used Toyota Camry
- Used Toyota Corolla
- Used Volkswagen Jetta
Popular Used SUVs
- Used Acura MDX
- Used Acura RDX
- Used Ford Edge
- Used Ford Explorer
- Used Honda CR-V
- Used Honda Pilot
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe
- Used Jeep Compass
- Used Lincoln Navigator
- Used Mazda CX-5
- Used Nissan Rogue
- Used Subaru Crosstrek
- Used Subaru Forester
- Used Tesla Model X
- Used Volvo XC90
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I think the paint and interior are holding up really well.
Joe
Anyone has any idea the cause of this? i'm so disappointed, expected better fuel consumption.
I've never travelled out of town with the vehicle, wondering if the display is wrong or the vehicle is has a problem that makes it consume so much fuel.
I bought it new & its been a terrific car.
Has anyone purchased a 100,000 warrenty?
Would you?
How much did it cost?
My display averages idle time in with all other modes, i.e., slow, fast, traffic, stop & go, idle, whatever. If that motor is runnin', gas consumption is being monitored and correlated with mileage driven - then that average value is repeatedly recalled to do the next "fill up" calculation. I don't know if these numbers finally drop out of the equation at some point in time or not.
If possible, a little more information would be helpful; mine has 67,000 miles so anticipation may be the smart thing to do. What climate to you live in and do you garage to RX or leave it outside (especially during the day)? What kind of driving to you do: all on-road or some off-road?
The leaking headlight is a fairly common and annoying problem. I understand there are relatively inexpensive work-arounds for this condition; I would search for them.
If it's any consolation, I just had a wheel bearing go out at 67,000 miles and I am something of a fanatic about routine maintenance. Sometimes the sealed bearings just fail I guess. I've searched the internet and don't see a lot of references to this problem so I suspect it is not common. You and I seem to be among the unlucky.
Also black trim paint peeling so lots of white patches and wheel rims silver finish peeled off. CD/radio had to be replaced (under warranty ) They wanted to charge me $1200 to repaint the rims. I do like some things about the car but wouldn't buy again since these basic things like paint should hold up more than 8 years.
I have a shed on the property that I never wired for electricity. Instead I equipped the shed with an inexpensive 400 watt inverter and 2 ~40W flourescent fixtures. One battery is in service while the other is on the charger. Admittedly extremely low demand, power level, duration, and dutycycle, but the one in serivice seems to last 5-6 months unless I forget and leave the lights on.
What might this say about automotive battery failure rates...??
No loss of CCA, I suspect, since on occassion I have been able to use the non-service battery to "jumpstart" other vehicles (left door ajar, etc.).
I have found that if the battery on the charger will only charge to 70-80% I can drop it on the (concrete) garage floor from about 6-8" and then it will accept a full charge. Redistributing the "fines" having flaked off the cell(s) and shorting out the bottom of a cell(s)...?
After multiply research, I found the problem with CEL and VSC lights. Lexus RX330 consists of 5 Oxygen Sensors. Most likely 80% of the time it's the sensors that connect before the Catalyst converter and After (2 sensors) I think Bank 1 and Bank2.
Costs for these sensor is roughly $150 each, however, you will need the car to be lifted neck high to reach it. Once, these sensor are replaced, you can erase the code or disconnect the negative battery. It's will reset and problem solved.
Ron
Clock and gas mileage rest each time after restarting, power window auto does not function, power back door only functions when the engine is working, power telescopic steering does not move while removing the key, Home link does not work.
All these items working separately and it seems that all are symptoms of one problem. my guess is a blown fuse or problem with ECU programing
This happened after I did a crazy job! I was trying to instal a hook on the plastic wall of the trunk and I drived my screw right into a bundle wires. It has definitely caused a short circuit. I opened the plastic panels and isolated all wires again but the problem didn't solve.
Any advice/solution is appreciated
thanks
There is a "clunking" noise coming from underneath the rear of the vehicle whenever it passes over a bump or other discontinuity in the road like a gutter or driveway entrance. I have removed all of the tools and other items stored under the deck but the noise continues. I have lowered the spare tire and then cranked it back up tight agains two foam rubber pads between the tire and the underside of the vehicle - noise continues. A recent visit to a Toyota dealer (no Lexus dealer within 150 miles) did not find the source of the noise. The mechanic suggested that I schedule a longer visit so that he could use "clamp-on" microphones to try and isolate the noise. Has anyone else had this problem? Could it be something internal to a strut? i don't know anywhere else to look.
I am sure the dealer would say we need rear struts.
Joe
I thought we were done with defective $1600 headlight. The same side headlight started having the same issue. I am very ticked off that I keep having defective headlights.
If the headlight cost $200-300, I would have replaced it myself and won't be complaining. I know the bumper facia needs to come off and it is involved, but at $1600, you think they figured how to fix the crappy seal after the first batch of these showed up defective.
Has anyone had any luck to force Lexus to replace the second defective headlight?
Thank you.
Joe
try it bunt wait until condensation has dried out you may also want to use a hie blower over the top of the light lenses/housing intersection to accelerate the drying process. Then apply the bead. Goioid luck.
You do not have to remove the bulb. What I meant was that you should lay a bead along the top of the light housing and the frame of the fender were the housing attaches to the frame. The leak is there at the intersection of the light housing and the frame and it seeps into the inside of the housing thus causing the condensation. You do not have to unscrew or unbolt anything.
The reason I mentioned taking the high beam bulb out, was to speed up the drying process of interioir of headlight assembly. Unless, I drive to high heat Arizona, it will take forever for it to dry in Indiana. When I tried the air dryer on the last headlight, it yellowed the interior.
Joe
Thanks
I guess over time it comes loose a bit. I have 74,000 and have heard it for about a year now.
I just turned 110k miles and it runs as smooths a kitten.
I normally do my own basic maintenance and leave the heavy lifting for my repair guy and the car is in top shape and I see no reason why I should not be able to turn 2oo k in a few more years.
Brilliant. :shades:
Please visit our Dealer Ratings and Reviews page and write a review about your experience.
For future reference when you're at your office, you can get the maintenance schedules here:
Edmunds Car Maintenance Guide
I have a '98 GS 400, bought in 2001 with 24,000 miles, a lease turn-in. It now has over 165,000 miles and I expect it to run for quite some time. It gets regular dealer maintenance at the scheduled time. While I did my own maintenance when I was much younger, cars have gotten much more complex since then. Except for tires and the odd battery, very little "repair" maintenance has been required. I'd be surprised if it won't run 300,000 miles, though it will probably become classified as an antique before then. I'd expect the same out of any Lexus that has gotten regular periodic maintenance at the proper intervals and has had regular oil changes on schedule. Maintenance equals insurance; don't neglect it.
The 2004 RX was a new model, and on the web there is a lot of discussion of problems in the earlier-built vehicles. New models are always new engineering that does not have millions of miles in service to back up its efficacy; that engineering is being tested on the early-adopters of the technology, as in any new technology. Personally, I'll avoid 2004 RXs just on principal, given a choice on a 2005 or a 2003 (without air shocks, please).
Lexus maintenance isn't cheap; but then, no one's maintenance is cheap unless you do all your own work. it's generally preventive maintenance, and I've owned Honda's that needed timing belt and water pump replacement at 90,000 miles, and it isn't that much cheaper. You're buying insurance which factors in to the cost of ownership.
When a writer says they have a bad CD player and "they're never going to buy another Lexus" I get a chuckle. For fun you should research any other manufacturer on this site and see what kinds of problems users are experiencing. I researched the Hyundai SUV and the complaints are amazing in their severity, and the term dealer service is an oxymoron. I've had good and bad service by Lexus dealers, and I go to the best service center, not the worst. I've never had anyone try to talk me into service that wasn't needed. If I ever have any doubts or questions I ask to talk directly to the mechanic who in every case has been very helpful, courteous, and willing to share all the particulars of the problem. Sometimes I even understand most of what they're saying, but I'm engaged and they're flattered to think someone is interested in what they do and in their opinion. Most helpful. Always be your first source of knowledge as the owner above who checked the service manual (RTFM) as their own source of information. Yes, as Frank Burns once noted, "You have to aggle-ha or they won't espect-ra oo-ya." But be respectful and knowledgeable and you get a lot further.
I noted "cost of ownership" above. I Had two Mercedes SC-560's, sequentially over a ten year period before I bought my Lexus GS-400. Average cost of ownership, to include service and maintenance, tires and batteries averaged out at $500/mo, something I didn't realize at the time. When I did realize it I drove to the Lexus dealer next door and started looking.
Some of my experiences: Tires - forget what the manual says for tire pressure. At best that applies only to the factory tires and even then it's probably too low (to give a more comfortable ride supposedly, at the cost of premature tire wear). I use the "85% of maximum inflation pressure" rule. The Michelin tires on my GS have a max pressure rating of 50 PSI; they're inflated to 42 PSI for regular drive, 44 PSI for road trips. The Bridgestone tires before the had a max pressure of 40, so I kept them at 34, and 36 respectively. If you can look across the tire tread from the side of the car and see any cupping in the middle of the tread you're going to have poor handling, and you might get 12,000 miles on the tires before the outsides of the tires are worn while the centers still have good tread. And under-inflated tires get terrible gas mileage while "properly-inflated" tires (using my 85% rule) get great mileage. And the ride is no rougher for it either, assuming your shocks are doing their job.
Want the car facts on a Lexus you're looking to buy? Go to the Lexus site; Google Lexus and go to the site for Lexus owners. Put in the VIN, and look for the maintenance records and you'll see every visit to the dealer service department and what was done. If you're buying used this is a good first step; if the vehicle you're looking hasn't had any Lexus service you should factor that into your offer for the car. Your friendly used-car dealer will tell you the owner "probably got the maintenance done but Lexus forgot to post it," or "they probably had the maintenance done somewhere else." Poppycock, I say. They probably skipped it because they knew they were going to trade the vehicle in, didn't want to spend the money, and didn't give a darn. The more expensive the home, I've found, the less the owners do to maintain it, and I've largely found it to be true in cars as well.
Prices vary area by area. In Tampa, a 2005 RX can for anything between $12,500 up to over $20,000; in Venice, 100 miles away, a 2005 might cost between $15,000 and over $22,000. Do mileages vary? Sure, but mostly it's the area where the vehicles are being sold, and yes, mileage is a huge factor, especially over 100,000. But that's to your advantage as a buyer.
Honestly? Most dealers by their used cars at national online auctions, bidding online for what they want, cleaning them up and hoping for a profit when they sell. They're not likely to do much in the way of maintenance except change oil and shine up the tires, or replace them with cheap tires. Location, location, location.
A non-working headlight may be innocuous, you may think, but expensive to fix, something you're likely to only find out after you buy the car; unless you read these blogs first, for example. Make the seller fix it first, or lower your offer to cover its repair. Then seal the leaking cover to prevent further, future damage according to instructions in this blog.
Test drive on a freeway at speed-limit-plus-nine; any issues? Test drive over the roughest road surface you can find and listen for rattles, shaking, shimmying, etc. If you can't immediately locate the source, assume it will be expensive to fix (it is a Lexus afterall). Lower your offer or look elsewhere.
RTFM after you buy the car and familiarize yourself with how to reset things after the battery has been disconnected; at least know them as symptoms of a battery disconnect and remember that the remedy is in the manual. Likewise for all other user-adjustable controls. Lest you think "it's broke and will be expensive to fix," when, in fact, it's a simple procedure described in the manual. RTFM. You'll save aggravation if not time and money. RTFM.
It has a few squeaks and occasional rattles. The car is 8 years old. I am happy with the way it has held up.
Joe
You have nothing to lose except mailing costs. Include a copy of the invoice for the radiator.
I need to do the wiring yet, which is a pain, but necessary. If you have the towing package factory-installed, you don't need to add the wiring harnesses that include a "black box" and a wire that needs to be hooked up to the battery. "Etrailer" makes an inexpensive wiring kit that simply clamps onto the existing wiring (behind the panels and under the cargo floor; installation detailed elsewhere in these logs), and their part number is 118002. Normally, this part number does not come up on most web sites. Rather, the harness/black-box arrangement does, so search for the P/N if you already have the heavy-duty alternator installed as part of the factory-installed towing package: if you have an auxiliary radiator behind the hole in the left-front bumper, you probably have the factory towing package.
Prior to buying the truck/vehicle, I didn't know about the rack steering box problems, and so didn't check under the truck/vehicle for leaks. Nor did I check the power steering fluid because it sits under the engine cover on the passenger side, and unless you remove that cover you can neither check the level nor top it off. My Lexus dealer's mechanic was very helpful. He told me it was expensive, but he could get an after-market, new rack for a lot less money than the Lexus replacement rack, and I gave him the go-ahead. I'll presume that the part he got was a Toyota or OEM part, but regardless, he saved me about $500 on the replacement.
I also had a bad ballast on the drivers side. I bought a replacement OEM ballast, and replaced it myself, saving about $1,000 over the dealer replacement process (parts and labor). It was actually pretty simple following instructions also in these pages, and anyone who knows the difference between a half-inch socket and a half-inch drive can probably accomplish the whole process fairly easily.
One point to make. My ballast was ruined not by a leaking bezel or headlight cover, but by water that splashed up from the road to the underside of the truck, judging by the sand and grit inside the ballast itself. It's not sealed, you see, and while plain, clear water normally won't hurt low-voltage electronics, in FL, near the beaches we occasionally get salt-water splashing up, which will corrode components. Anyway, corrosion was everywhere inside the ballast even though nothing else penetrated the headlight housing (or fogged the lenses).
The ballast is enclosed on five sides (fours ides and the top) by the stamped/cast case, with an aluminum cover over the remaining side, which as I noted is not sealed, and, horror of horrors, is facing downwards with nothing between it and the road except for the air-space between them, making it a magnet for anything that splashes upwards. With the new ballast, I sealed the only un-sealed portion of the case with RTV/sealant, which was right around the edge of the cover where it met the case. It looked a little rough (okay, sloppy) when I finished, but effectively made the whole thing a sealed unit, which, barring any failing components, will probably last longer than the truck itself. Also seal the area where the wires exit the case with the same goop!
You don't need to pot the entire ballast as some manufacturers claim to do, and the stamped/cast case is a sufficient heat-sink to keep it running cool forever, so sealing the case should not cause any undue heating problems.
In the process of replacing my ballast I took a ton of pictures and did a nice write-up of the process, but couldn't figure out how to get the word doc posted, so didn't. If anyone is interested, either put up a simple "how-to" and I'll post the whole thing as a word doc. The major problem with this chat is that you can't post but a few pictures, so it's not possible to put the whole thing into the chat itself (unless you're a moderator or whatever) with narrative - picture - narrative - picture, etc. which is a drag when you've got a series of steps to describe. If anyone knows a good way to post this doc, email me and I'll send it to you and you can post it! If anyone just wants a copy of the doc, email me and I'll send it directly.
Been fun sharing.
http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-second-generation/337671-annoying-clattering-- noise-above-left-ear-of-driver.html
Thank you!