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Thanks for the update. In noticed the my1stsuv1 posted the TSIB for the Power Back Door problems as TSIB No. EL002-04. I am calling my service representative later this morning to provide him with the information. Hopefully this will solve my issues with no further problem. I also have the "drone" and "downshifting clunk" problem for which they have ordered the "revised oil cooler assembly" that Lexus states in a TSIB will correct the problem. I am waiting for the parts to arrive and will hopefully have all issues resolved when I take my RX330 in for the 5,000 mile service. I will post the results after the repairs are made.
Thanks again for all the assistance!
Had the rear hatch ECU replaced and these #'s are on the work sheet: "perform bulletin #EL002-04" and "replace rear hatch ECU EL4003 1.0" Maybe there are two numbers for this issue?
hope this info helps anyone else with these problems.
katherine
Thanks for the rattle information. Unfortunately I am having all of the same issues as you are!I completely understand the frustration you're going through! I think we may be tied for "Most Rattles in a Lexus" : )
I had my dash ripped out and the TSIB for the defroster nozzles done (which I'm sure you know doesn't fix the dash rattle) and the cowl removed, cleaned, siliconed and replaced (which also doesn't fix rattle). My service mgr. said that the cowl (where the wipers are attached on the exterior of the windshield) is at fault, and it needs to be altered, but Lexus has not come up w/ a new, better designed cowl to stop the creaking. Apparently the ES330 has the same dash rattle, and they did re-design the cowl and it supposedly fixes the rattle. The service mgr. says that they have weekly di-tech meetings about all of the problems RX330 owners are having, and that hopefully they should come up with a re-designed cowl for the RX330 sometime in the future.
I told my dealer about the A pillars creaking (several times) and they said they "couldn't replicate the problem", and there was no TSIB. They said I was hearing the driver's seat creaking (which I did, but that was a different noise!) and replaced some parts on the rear of the seat back (but now the sides creak!)
At least you have a dealer that admits to the problems, and doesn't try and make you think you're imagining things! The service at my dealer is disappointing. I have been treated with more respect at a Ford dealership. They seem annoyed every time I call with a recurring problem that they can't fix!
Thanks to much help from this forum, I finally got the service mgr. to "find" the TSIB for the infamous "clunk"! I was supposed to bring the car in today, but now that you mentioned the parts are back-ordered, I asked them to call me when they come in rather then have the car sit there.
Thanks katherine6, for all of your helpful input!
P.S. Sorry I can't help on the power door TSIB, my dealer does not put it on the invoice (only an FP #89222-48010
Don't know what the lemon laws in your state are, but it sounds like you might qualify. If insulating all the contact points, etc doesn't work, it seems to me, in my unexpert opinion, that something may be permanently out of line or out of "fit" so that it can't be fixed. I hope you aren't the person who tried the lemon route with no success a while back. If not, it might be worth giving it a try. Here's wishing you best luck.
katherine
-Crestomanci
It's certainly not obvious the first time you see it.
Stupid.
There is a reason for this. In most states it is illegal to drive with just your fog lights or just your parking lights on.
The Fog light beam pattern is intentionally low and wide to best prevent the reflected light "scatter" and typically of an amber tint to give your eyes the best "landscape" definition.
I agree that there is a law on many books preventing driving with parking lights only, but that law cannot now be inforced. Except maybe in the dark of night. With the DRL rules and the fact that teh Canadians REQUIRE that parking and tailights be active as a part of DRL.
On many cars incoming from europe if you activate DRLs you get the canadian version by default. And why not.
And any patrolman who writes me a ticket for driving with fog lights only, at a reasonable speed given the conditions, will soon find him/herself in court definding that action.
Is this the case with other rx's out there? Any experience and/or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Katherine
Katherine
My3rdRX
And a related noise. A couple of posts back I mentioned a headliner rattle that was fixed. Well the rattle is completely gone.... until I open the moon roof. Then it returns twice as loud as before. The helicopter sound and this rattle are competing for the privilege driving me nuts.
Katherine
May be you could check it out yourself. Also, I'm not sure what you meant by "terrible" gas mileage. I have the performance package on mine and I average about 19MPG around town (Washington metro area) with premium gas and it's not that bad, considering my last two RXs only got about 18!
In my Chrysler T&C I could simply open one of the rear winglet windows slightly and that would kill the standing pressure wave.
tidester "Volvo XC90 SUV" Jan 4, 2003 1:19am
Steve, Host
Katherine
I also have the helicopter noise (very badly) when the sunroof is open all the way. I noticed that the first time I brought the car in for the ECM tranny update, my service dept. re-set it so that when you open it with the "one-touch" operation, it only opens about 3/4 of the way, thus eliminating most of the helicopter noise effect. I noticed this immediately, even though they never told me they adjusted this.But if you then manually open it all the way (the remaining 3 inches or so) the helicopter noise happens again. You could ask your dealer to do re-set your sunroof this(if it's not been done already-it's a C-Best setting) even though you sacrifice not getting as much fresh air!
I did inform my service mgr. of this, and they test-drove my car and reported on the print-out that this is "operating as designed" and like other RX330's.
Keep us updated about when you get the "clunk" problem fixed on your RX. My service mgr. said he would call when the parts come in.
Has anyone experienced a strange sound on the first engine start of the day that sounds like a really loud, low pitched squeak/ squeal/groan? (louder and different than a squeaky "belt" (??) It happened the first time, I thought it was nothing, then it happened 3 more times! Yet another issue for the service dept!
Maybe you need to read up a bit on "fog lights". The fog lights that are available on from the car manufacturers are not really fog lights at all. They are a styling accessory. Only high powered fog lights, mounted very low, can cut under the fog.
Here are the states that prohibit the use of fog lights, without the headlights, markers, taillights on also, on the road:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Lousiana, Maryland, Massachussets, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Over the years traveling on I5 to/from Seattle/Portland there are sections very prone to heavy fog and the best way to continue forward is at low speed with fogs (and street/parking) ONLY!
434......???
And you take issue with??
1. "Ticking sound" from the engine--The service rep told me this is "normal" although louder on this vehicle than others. He did say that Lexus is trying to see if they can develop a solution for this. (I think someone may have reported this effort earlier).
2. Transmission "clunking": I think the issue I have experienced is different than what most have reported along these lines. My only problem was that the tranny "jumps" a little when accelerating again after decelerating in roughly the 15-30 MPH range. The service rep said the ECM update had already been performed on my vehicle, which was built in Japan and on which I took delivery in November.
3. Rear wiper contact problem--They told me there is a new wiper blade out for this and that they would have it in in a couple of days. I haven't gone back to have it installed yet, but I wonder if this means they've developed a fix or are just replacing it with a part of identical design. I'll let you know if it works.
4. Dash rattles--They told me up front that they should be able to fix this (and there is a TSB on at least one form of rattle), and so far (knock on wood) they seem to have taken care of this one.
5. Outside temperature gauge--I may be the only one reporting how unreliable this gauge is on my RX, and the dealer said there was nothing they could do. Fortunately it's not a key item--there's always the old reliable "stick your head out the window" method. ;-)
6. Disappointing gas mileage--I was getting 16-17 in about half local/half highway driving. Pure highway trips were in the 2o-21 range. Since the weather warmed up and the vehicle is better broken in, I'm getting more consistent 17 MPG in mixed driving and got close to 23 on a recent all-Interstate trip. I'm still disappointed not to be at the bottom end of the EPA range (18-24) in mixed driving, but not much to complain about. The service rep said the nearly 23 MPG I got on the one highway trip was "the best I've heard of."
Bottom line--I'm grateful to have the %$#@ dash rattle apparently fixed. It would be nice if Lexus really did figure out a way to muffle the engine ticking, but I'm not holding my breath. All in all I'm fairly pleased with the vehicle thus far. Hope the rear window wiper replacement works, and as I said I'll let you know.
Thanks again to all the helpful posters here.
I suspect, strongly, that when the engine/transmission ecu(s) detect a coasting circumstance the transmission automatically "upshifts" or even possibly into neutral. There are two positive aspects to this, increasing the fuel economy by reducing engine braking, and increased safety with reduced engine braking to the front wheels if the roadbed happens to be slippery, ice or packed snow.
But the negative aspect as you indicate is "clunking" due to a sudden need to downshift back into "driving" range when you reapply the throttle at a slightly aggressive rate.
I moved the OAT sensor on my 01 RX300 to the driver's side front bumper area so it wouldn't be affected by the radiant heat of the radiator and A/C condensor.
It is interesting that yours is not apparent when all of the windows are up and is apparent when the rear ones are down. The whole physics of this is caused by wind rushing in through the moonroof and not having anywhere to go. It then "buffets" back through the vehicle trying to get back out of the sunroof.
What Lexus needs to do is design a larger wind deflector so that the wind does not rush in the sunroof.
Has anyone tried one of the exterior wind deflectors? I can't stand the way they look but it should definitely help the problem.
Has anyone else noticed that when you get a stone chip it takes out a huge amount of paint...both in surface area and depth? It doesn't seem right. What can we do? Any suggestions? At this rate I'll have no paint left on the hood in about 3 years.
One thing I have not seen posted is a rattle that comes from the trunk. It is loud enough that I can hear it with the radio on. I havent been able to pinpoint the problem, but it may be related to the cover, which I generally leave opened. I am not convinced that this is the source because I cannot always hear it when it is in the opened position. I will continue investigating, and any input would be appreciated.
As to other messages posted, I have heard, inconsistently, the whining noise in 4th gear while coasting. However, when it is present I must turn the radio off and concentrate on listening in order to be able to discern it. Also, my rear wiper leaves a large streak across the top of the rear window. Both of this issues are minor to me, and I hope that the whining noise does not indicate serious damage to any part of the drivetrain.
I took delivery of my RX in November 2003 from Japan. My gas mileage with premium fuel had been dismal at first (14 to 16 mpg), but has been increasing. Lately I have been able to achieve consistenly over 18 mpg according to the trip computer. However, most of my driving is local, with few short highway trips.
If you intentionally downshift to use engine braking and still feel the clunk then I understand.
I found that after snapping into place, the rear shade still had a small amount of play as it rested on either side of the cargo bay. I then removed the rear shade and applied a self adhesive, round tab on the points where the shade snapped into place. The round tabs are the felt half of some velcro fasteners that my wife had purchased at a fabric store. Sure enough, the rattling has ceased. Hopefully, this fix will last until my 5,000 mile service, when I can bring it to my dealer's attention.
Good luck and I hope this works for you.
It's a subtle noise that seems to emanate from the lower part of the engine compartment and it's closely tied to the gas pedal. I don't hear it when starting from a dead stop, but if I'm already moving I'll hear this muffled sort of tin-canning noise (like pushing down on the top of a tin can) when either press or back off of the gas pedal. I'd say it's the sound of a valve opening or closing but I get the same noise, only slightly louder, occasionally without changing the position of the gas pedal.
What the heck is that all about?
I can save the engineering department a lot of work and money.
Use the same blade they used on the RX300. Dah!
It was hard to tell anything was there unless you were standing within a couple feet of the car and looking very closely along the edge. Otherwise, it seemed invisible, even after 3 years of use. Also, it stays on permanently. No need to remove when washing, during rain/snow, etc.
Steve, Host
Steve: $500?? Yikes!! I'd barter that down. Don't pay a dime over $399!! Seriously, I would say these custom-fit transparent bras are likely worth the price for those who live in areas where rock chips are prevalent, especially for someone who wants their paint to remain unblemished for a long time.
Steve, Host
On the helicopter noise discussion... trust me... no matter how loud the noise is with the roof open, it doesn't come close to what a helicopter sounds like! In all seriousness, I hear the same amount of noise with the roof open on the RX330 as I did on my old Accord. And... IMO, you have to expect some noise... the roof is open!
I agree with lovemylexus that the sunroof doesn't sound as bad as a helicopter (she should know). The sunroof noise isn't so bad, so long as you don't open it all the way back. If you depress the sunroof switch just long enough to start it sliding, it will automatically stop about two to three inches short. We found the noise quite acceptable at this setting and on par with an LS400 sunroof, and much quieter than one on an Explorer. It is only when you depress the switch again, to open the sunroof fully, that the noise becomes loud at high speeds.