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Comments
Glad to hear you are enjoying your first SUV, couldn't have picked a better one!
My guess is that the trip computer indicates 0 miles (empty) when there is still 1 or 2 gallons of gas remaining. This is common among other cars, as well. When we had our '01 MDX, the Acura service advisor told me their trip computers were programmed to reflect 20 fewer miles range than what was actually available in the tank. It was an offset bias that he was able to adjust for me, if I wanted.
Basically, these automobile manufacturers realize there are too many drivers out there who sometimes take risks with leaving themselves stranded with an empty gas tank. They intentionally program these trip computers so that we will fuel up before we get into real trouble!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I still believe this particular transmission issue was blown way out of proportion, which sometimes happens when you get a few enthusiasts in a forum such as this one. The early models of the RX330 had transmission programming that sometimes caused a slower than expected downshift, when the driver applied a little more force to the gas pedal while traveling at lower speeds (such as 30mph). The downshift would be slightly delayed, depending on how relaxed the throttle was pushed. In some cases, this brief delay would cause an impatient driver, who had expected an immediate downshift and burst of acceleration, to exert full force on the gas pedal, resulting in the transmission abruptly downshifting a full 2 gears.
The new ECM programming has definitely made our transmission more responsive, but I guarantee you there are many owners out there with the original ECM programming that do not suspect anything is wrong.
I'm not saying that Lexus needs to mail notices to all us RX330 owners regarding each of these improvements and/or bug fixes, but they should ensure that all of the Lexus service advisors know about them! (Don't you think? Or is this asking too much??)
Regarding the RX330, I understand that this ECM update was performed for all factory builds starting as early as December 2003, maybe even earlier. I do not know if a similar issue, and fix, apply to the V6 Solara, but I think it is worth investigating! This may also apply to the '04 ES330 and Camry SE V6.
Also, just in case your Solara is brand new, allow some time for the transmission to "learn" your driving patterns. It may grow more responsive after you have a couple thousand miles on it.
My Solara was purchased in October 2003 and I believe it's manufactured in the US Kentucky plant? Is the RX 330 manufactured in Japan? I think there's no TSBs for this matter for the Solara. But I guess I will contact Toyota directly.
Given all of the posts I have seen complaining of the resulting effects of this I have concluded that it is intentional on the part of the manufacturers. My guess is that it is the simpliest way to overcome the threat of loss of control from engine braking on the front wheels during directional manuvers on adverse roadbed conditions.
Think about it, would you really want the engine to quickly apply HIGH torque to the front driven wheels at the same time you're turning hard and asking those same tires for their best roadbed adhesion charactoristics??
That's the (one of) nice things about RWD or rear biased AWD, while you can still apply too much torque to the rear at least you're taking advantage of all four tire contact patches.
I'm seriously considering the lemon option for my rx330. The dash has been pulled 3 times, the A pillars have been worked on three times, the center console has been removed, the headliner has been removed, the moon roof pan has been raised, etc.... and the rattles just keep on coming. The latest one is the worst. At this point I think it just can't be fixed. I'm not worried about meeting the criteria for lemon status in MA - three unsuccesful repair attempts for one defect, or 15 days in repair for any combination of defects within a year of purchase - because my rx meets both. My concern is with other things. The MA lemon law states that anyone whose car meets the criteria is entitled to a refund or a replacement of the car. Can replacement mean a new OR a used car? If I get a refund will I have to pay sales tax again on another car. Obviously I will talk to the appropriate officials here in MA but would like to hear from anyone with real world experience.
Other questions - will a Lexus dealer help me, or will I be on my own? I bought from one dealer and took my service to another dealer after the first one couldn't fix the dash. They dropped a screw which rolled around inside it. Should I approach the selling dealer to ask for help, at least as a courtesy? Should I notify them, again as a courtesy? How about the servicing dealer? Will Lexus corporate be helpful? In general, will I be in for a big adversarial struggle or will Lexus want to take care of this problem to my satisfaction with the least fuss possible. Has anyone tried the arbitration services - either BBB AUTO LINE offered by Lexus or by state agencies?
People on this board were very helpful when I bought this car, and I've tried to keep you posted on the problems and fixes I've experienced. Sorry to say I'm at the end of my patience. Funny thing - I loved the rx330 I had as a loaner and would get another 330 if it were as good as the loaner. Meanwhile, any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Katherine
Add me to the "not a happy camper" list.
Today I took the wife's RX330 in for the 15K service. I mentioned I had noticed some vibrations, particularly within the steering column, when applying the brake mildly while traveling at highway speeds. They just notified me that I have warped rotors on the front axle. They will be happy to replace the front rotors and brake pads for only $550! (Gee, where do I sign??) They found no evidence that would allow this repair to be covered under warranty.
My wife is the primary driver of this car, and we were both careful about driving this car conservatively during the break-in period. In fact, I believe we have done a decent job of not driving this car too aggressively during the entire time we've owned it. We typically buy new cars every 2-3 years, but this problem has never happened to us before. I can't help but wonder if anybody else is going to experience this problem within the first 20K miles of ownership?
I guess I will try to find a good brake shop and see if they can turn the rotors and replace the pads for a reasonable fee. I just can't see paying $550 for a brake job on a car that is only 1 year old!
I'd be interested in hearing anybody else's comments/advice.
Katherine: Sorry to hear the news on your RX. I know absolutely nothing on lemon laws, but I hope you can get some timely information and make the law work to your advantage. Please keep us posted.
But first be really sure your wife doesn't often ride the brake pedal ever so lightly. Fuel economy means lower weight and lower weight means thinner brake rotors and today's thinner brake rotors are much more subject to warpage than those of yesteryear.
Driving along the highway I am always amazed at the number of vehicles with the brake lights on continuoisly.
I am due for my next oil change and I have a laundry list of items I want my dealer to look at. Nothing major... mainly just all of the updated TSBs since my last service. But I have noticed at times a small hesitation in the transmission between second and third at times in recent weeks. I've already had the original fix done. I have been on the road (via air) more than I've been at home in the past three months. I half wonder if the RX is trying to "re-learn" my driving habits after it has been parked for days at the airport.
Please let us know the outcome of your situation.
I placed a phone call into Lexus Customer Service; politely stating my circumstances, and asking if they had any history of this problem for the RX330. After a couple of minutes, the customer service agent got back with me to report they had no data on this problem with the RX330. I then asked him if Lexus might be able to help me out with this repair, as sort of a goodwill gesture. I am supposed to hear back sometime next week.
By the way, my wife says she is confident she doesn't ride the brake pedal. I saw one post in another forum where someone mentioned over-tightening the lug nuts could be a contributing factor. I'm not sure if I agree, but it just so happens we had 2 new tires installed on our front axle about 3000 miles ago by a local Goodyear shop.
Thanks for your help..
Katherine
Over tightening lug nuts is a known problem for causing a shimmy.
..thanks for the tip..you wouldnt happen to know from your service invoice what was done to correct the klunker, would 'ya??...it would save me lots of time not to mention arguing with the service guy if the problem isnt resolved when they're done with the car..
Thanks again
Mike
Likely due to the industry wide effort to lower the overall vehicle weight. lighter metals, aluminum, etc. I was recently told that the speed of an air wrench to initially run the nuts or the bolts in can result in stripping the threads for dis-simuliar metals.
I notice that some of the new lugnuts feel so light I think they might be plastic (they're not.).
The work sheet says:
Trans Cooler Line S/O/P
TSIB
R/R Tubes
369311 1.5
Parts--Qty----FP-Number------Description
------- 1 ---- 32907-40831---Tube S/A oil coo
--------2 ----- 90119-06942---bolt W/Washer
There was a transmission downshifting hesitation issue that required a software fix. Maybe that's what your service person was thinking about.
good luck,
katherine
Thanks!...armed with this info I should be able to get the problem fixed right the first time...wouldnt that be novel??
I'll ask about the software/hesitation problem too..although I dont seem to have that problem...so I dont want them to try to "fix" that problem is its not really there.
I'll post a message as to what happens tomorrow..
Have a good holiday
Mike
I wish I had performed this research before the 15K service. Maybe we could have determined whether the lug nuts were not tightened correctly by that Goodyear store? Now that my Lexus dealer has since removed the wheels (to inspect the brakes), we'll never know for sure.
With the ease that my rotors became warped, I'm thinking I should invest in a good torque wrench to double-check the lug nuts every time I have a wheel removed/replaced.
I'll also ensure we allow the car to cool down a little before we run it through a car wash. (But if this was caused by cold water, who's to say it wasn't due to a large puddle or a flooded dip in the road?)
For now, unless Lexus Customer Service offers to help us out, I'll probably keep the existing rotors and pads for another few months. The shimmy/vibration is only felt when lightly braking at speeds above 65mph, and even then, the vibration is relatively minor. Any good reason why I shouldn't try to get a little more wear out of the existing pads? (... as long as the vibrations do not become progressively worse?)
I had a tire dealer destroy the rotors on the car I drove in college by over-tightening the lug nuts.
Best of luck to you.
..well, I tried! Lexus is telling me that the TSIB TC002-04 only refers to cars built in Japan; that those (like mine) that were built in Canada already had the fix. So they naturally are refusing to do this TSIB fix. I bought my car in Dec of 2003. Do you know if yours (a J as the first letter of the VIN) was built in Japan??
Mike
Do you know if a there is a TSB for Canadian vehicles with this problem??
Thanks.
Mike
I went to the trouble to make sure I got one of the last rx's from Japan. I didn't want to take a chance on those made in the first months of Canadian production. Mine was manufactured in July. I think production in Canada began in Sept-October '03. Since then dealers on the East coast get Canadian built cars and the west coast gets Japanese built. The production date on mine is on a metal tag on the part of the door that is exposed when you open it - where the latch is. wierd thing , I looked for the tag on my latest loaner and didn't find it.
A while ago someone posted a very good explanation of VINs. Maybe you could find it with a search. Hope any of that helps.
By the way, my service dealer says that the Canadian produced cars have come through perfect.
Katherine
..Thanks for the note.I did a search of VIN's and there was a detailed nmessage, but it didnt say how I could tell the date of mfgr by the VIN. If anyone else knows, it would be very helpful to me as I'm not sure now wheather to trust the dealer..
'ya know, I violated my own cardinal rule when I bought this thing; and that is NEVER, NEVER buy a car during its first year or 2 of production! It is, after all, a mass-produced product. We basically have become Toyotas' "test pilots". I thought I'd take a chance on a Lex (relentless persuit of perfection, and all that) but I wont make this mistake again. In retrospect, probably the best one to but would have been the RX300 during its final year. All the bugs would probably have been worked-out..
I'll plod-on, hoping I dont spend too much of my free time getting this resolved.
Mike
Obviously, I am very pleased at how Lexus is taking care of me. I had hoped they might provide some type of discount or partial payment toward a rotor and pad replacement, but I did not expect them to cover the entire cost. Especially considering we did not buy our RX330 from Bell Lexus, I am extremely pleased with how this issue was handled.
Thanks for the update cotmc.
Yes, I hope this is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
This type of goodwill and customer service is what leads to a large loyal customer base, as well as those full red Customer Satisfaction circles within Consumer Reports!
Summary:
THE PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF THE 7 SOLENOIDS USED IN THE U150E/U151E/U151F TRANSMISSIONS.
Just wanted to know if you are pursuing the Lemon Lawsuit you mentioned a while back.
I haven't posted in a while, b/c I'm fed up with my RX330 too! Today marks 2 weeks in the shop. I was also given a "loaner" Rx330 that is actually for sale AS-IS-NO WARRANTY. The dealer left the window sticker on the back seat! I was told by a lawyer friend that this must have been declared a lemon. By law, a lemon vehicle's title is branded and the manufacturer's warranty becomes null and void.
It sounds like our cars have so many of the same problems. If you get a chance, let me know what you decided to do.
Thanks!
If the car is declared a lemon the manufacturer must replace it or return all of the buyers money plus state sales tax and any fees such as registration, etc. They also have to refund any interest payments on loans and costs of dealer add-ons.
I'm hoping Lexus would rather take the car back than have it "lemoned." Such a pain. I'm in my 5th loaner.
Let us know what and how you are doing.
This board and its posters have been very helpful. Once again, thanks to all.
katherine
Just a note, the ES 330 was a nice but I'm glad to have my RX back. It was quicker, smoother, and quieter than the RX but not as much as you would think when comparing a car to an SUV. After 7 days I got used to the ES, but I prefer the overall ride and feel of the RX.
bought an used (12K miles) AWD RX330 with performance package. I was wondering whether
this is something I should be worried about?
Thanks
/kmk
Did you read all my posts going back to #547?
So far, I seem to be the only person who has reported this problem on an RX330. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. Don't know the root cause. This problem could have been caused by any combination of issues, such as the Goodyear dealer over-tightening the lug nuts; by my wife and myself; or due to original equipment that wasn't as robust as it should have been.
If you don't feel any significant vibrations on the steering wheel while lightly applying the brake on dry and smooth pavement, then your RX330 does not have this problem.