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Comments
First of all, I know that I'll have to solve all the rattles myself, the glovebox door, center pod display, rear seatbelts.
Second, the car makes a droning sound (DDRRRRRR) every now and then for a few seconds in neutral.
Third, the car makes a slight rumbling sound. More like HUMHUMHUM. I mean you can hear it inside. It doesn't sound as if it is running smooth. That is when the car is not moving, neutral. Also, the car isn't as quiet as it used to be.
Fourth, when the car is running(in drive or neutral) the inside lights (when on) aren't steady. They kinda flicker lightly but noticeable.
Fifth, there is a sound under the car up front which looks as if something is loose, like the sound of a loose exhaust.
Sixth, there is also a sound under the car in the back. When you go over a bump or pothole it looks like the car is hitting something, sounds like a thump.
Seventh, the steering is not centered, the car pulls to the right.
Seventh, the rear brakes squeal(squeak).
Again, there are no Lexus or Toyota dealers or any other dealers in that country. I would really appreciate if someone could answer these questions. The dealer in Florida (JM Lexus) where the car was bought isn't any helpful either, although we bought the car at full MSRP (has all the options except the electro chromic mirrors and the mem. seats).
That's about it. The RX drives amazingly good in those horrible conditions. It is still amazingly comfortable. More comfortable than a comparable 4Runner. And it also looks amazingly good. Glad we didn't go with the Mercedes ML. A word of caution though. I think I saw a little rust spot near the bottom (center) of the back window frame (the groove around the window). I think the rain that sits there could be a factor.
Again, I would really appreciate if someone could answer these questions.
Thanks
now have a oval emblem VSC on the front outside
doors, basically advertising Lexus's -Vehicle
Skid Control-. Looks nice, adds a little Pizazz
to an otherwise ordinary door side. Wonder if it's
available as an add-on for alder models.
swiftm, the tiny country is called Suriname, South America. An underdevelloped, unindustrialized country. No pollution at all. Lot's of trees, you could say about 90-95% of the country is a jungle. If you want adventure this is a paradise.
avery1, I don't really know if it is the AC. It's not the sound that you hear when the compressor comes on. I've read about this one this board also. When the drone starts the steering and shifter vibrate heavily. It's a very strange DRONE, DDRRRRR...
Some folks here have mentioned their frustration over the safety feature which requires a full stop to enter a new destination in the Nav system. Is this needed only to access the on-screen keyboard or is the stop also needed when choosing a nearby POI (gas station for instance)? Any other Nav frustrations?
The dealers I've spoken to in the SF area admit to this and just explain that the market is so tight up here (particularly for NAV) that they need to be responsible in managing their inventory.
Seems that car dealers have a stranglehold on the delivery of new vehicles given the strong franchising laws in most states. Guess that online sales are not likely to bypass the dealers anytime soon.
- greenlight.com still has last year's color choices
- edmunds.com is great but is missing the ACCESSORY CROSSBAR KIT Code: DR 183/113)
- cars.com still doesn't reflex the $1500 value package change Lexus made in early Nov and fails to load on IE5 (use Netscape)
- carsdirect.com doesn't think you could have a 2wd configured with Limited Pkg, CD, and Nav (and someone posted that they purchased this config)
None of the sites listed the region advertising fees which are a mandatory portion of the vehicle price ($4XX in CA).
This discussion group has been especially useful in setting my expectations on realistic option combinations (ie. don't bother trying to get Nav without a sunroof). Thanks everyone!
- Wheel alignment problems (pulling left/right, requires realignment after tire rotation)
- Vibration at Idle (failure of the active noise cancelling system?)
- Buffeting airflow with the sunroof fully open (sounds like this is somewhat avoided with 80% open default position new for 2001?)
- Shifter that sometimes slips out of position
- Seatbelts that don't retract reliably
- Rattle in the glove box interior wall (some vent insert is loose?)
Any opinions on whether the problems above are common to most RX's or just a few units?
BTW...Other design issues people have mentioned:
- Suspension comfy but floats too much (firmer suspension for 2001 may help here)
- Unrealistic EPA MPG estimates (heavy foot seems to be a big factor, so what else is new)
- Small gas tank (fixed in 2001)
- Inequal volume levels of Radio vs CD
- Rear window prone to road dirt (unless you have the spoiler)
- Roof rack can't handle much more weight than skis or bikes
Thanks to this forum I will certainly be taking my time on the test drive and inspection of my new RX later this month.
- Pulling to right. This seems to occur more on FWD and/or RX's with Goodyear Integrity tires. Mine is 00 AWD w/ Bridgestone, at 16k miles and is still fine (knock on wood).
- Limited Range (Due to low gas mileage and small fuel tank). This is my no. 1 complaint and 2001 has increased the fuel tank size, but only 2 gals, maybe giving you 40 more miles. I'd like to see a range closer to 400mi.
- Sunroof. My dealer installed the sunroof deflector for about $70, I recommend it.
- Vibration. I have noticed this, but so far it's very slight. Note my Camry also did this but much worse.
- Roof rack. No surprise, almost all factory racks offer only minimal support. Fine for ski's or something light. Get the trailer hitch and a hitch style bike rack. The roof is too high for bikes anyway.
- Stereo. I love it (I have Nak). The levels thing is a non-issue, tapes and CD's can be recorded at different levels so they will always vary.
- Engine warm-up (one you forgot). The trans stays in 2nd gear until a decent warmup occurs. Not a prob for me, I always give my RX a little warm-up time, but others complain about this.
- Other. The other things you mention are more or less valid, but much too minor for me to care about.
It's a great vehicle!
PDS
I wonder if the AWD's with the extra weight and so on get markedly worse mileage? I know this was true in our Mountaineer AWD V8 - a good day was 13 mpg overall. Our friend's same year Mountaineer, V8, with 2WD, got closer to 16 mpg.
Also, I couldn't agree more on the crap Goodyear tires that came on our RX - why does Lexus put $60 passenger tires on a $40K SUV, even a lighweight SUV? I noticed that Acura on the new base MDX does the same thing. Dumb dumb dumb.
I'm getting the new Michelin Cross-Terrain rubber installed next week. Should be interesting to see if the handling, noise, etc. changes.
My 00 AWD pulls to the right, and has since about 1K miles (currently at 11,500). It has been re-aligned three times, but always returns to pulling.
My car is out of alignment as to caster which is the fore/aft positioning of the wheel (as opposed to toe which is the front portion of the wheel which is paralell to the ground, or camber which is the top portion of the wheel leaning in towrard or out from the wheel wells). Unfortunately, there is no solution for this as the car has no caster adjustment.
I am disgusted with Lexus. All of the rattles, the pulling, the junk tires... Inexcusable.
To those of you who want your RX300's, install the Michelins. You will really enjoy the improvement!
After just two weeks in our new 2001 RX FWD, I changed my mind completely. In a very short time, it's helped us out tremendously - to the point where I now debate taking my non-Nav LS400 on trips vs. the RX. In short - I will not buy another vehicle without this option.
Sure, many people will not need it. Just like many people don't need cell phones. But once you try it and start to depend on it, watch out - you're a Nav-junkie.
YES !! These are great vehicles and very comfortable, perfect for my work commutes. I have owned other SUVs, sports cars, and luxury vehicles, and I consider this a great mix of luxury with SUV. Having driven the Mercedes, Land Rover, and BMW, I feel you get much more for your money with the Lexus. I have not driven the MDX, but I do not care for its non discript look.
I am planning on buying a second RX for my wife.
If not, has anyone found an online retailer that sells the Cross Terrain?
The RX300 and MDX implementations are the first to have solved all the problems I've seen in the past...both have great databases and user interfaces. The one striking difference is in pointing technology...I'd thought I'd prefer the MDX with it's joystick but after using both the touchscreen on the RX300 is faster and more intuitive.
My wife and I have always loved the RX300 but held back because it was clear that someday they'd implement a NAV system in the console. We were impressed to see such a good implementation (including the matte buttons, dedicated clock, and updated dash plastics).
Some people argue that people who have bought these systems in the past have been burned by rapid technological obsolescence. I'd agree but argue that until now, nobody has designed a system that meets people's expectations. Other than additional POI categories and internet access I can't see much room for improvement.
I'd guess the keyboard screen, anything else?
BTW...someone mentioned that the MDX doesn't have a safety lockout when in motion.
The RX Nav system is upgradable via DVD replacement; I think the cost is somewhere between $150-200 for the disk. There's an annual upgrade each year around October; it's up to you if you want it or not. More and more "remote" areas are included each year beyond the big cities.
As far as I can tell from the various internet sites the dealer invoice price for this vehicle was $33,419. This gave them a profit of $484 plus the hold back. They would not negotiate with me on the hold back.
I worked with 3 dealers via the internet in the San Diego area and after going back and forth a few times settled on the above deal.
On delivery, I put on Michelin LTX tires and they are a far better tire than the [non-permissible content removed] Goodyears that came on the car. The sidewalls especially on the Goodyears were very thin
and flimsy. Overall a cheap tire.
On a recent 2,200 mile trip at 65 to 75 mph averaged 24 mpg on 87 octane gas. Mileage around town is 16 to 17 mpg.
No problems, it's a good vehicle.
Any chance it could be the engine mounts? Are they liquid filled? Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Dealer has been very cooperative but no luck in solvin the problem. Otherwise, we are very pleased with the vehicle.
Thanks for the clarification.....
The FWD model sells well in the southeast and in southern CA. Supposed to get slightly better mileage and is a tad quicker due to slightly less weight.
Hope this helps.
My 2000 RX300 FWD has Goodyear tires. So far the car has got only 3000 plus miles. It'll probably never go off road. Most of the first 2000 miles were on highway and the rest is mostly city drive only.
So far I haven't found any pulling to either left or right side, no matter when I accelerate it or I apply brake, highway speed or whatsoever. I know it' got a soft ride compared to my Altima and Maxima, and it's good to me because I can switch in between sporty and more luxury feelings if I choose one to drive.
As to the idling rumbling, when I set the gear in "Neutral" or "Park" and compare them to any other gear, "N" and "P" positions are very slightly quieter and less vibrating. I think it is the characteristics of the auto transmission, as the car tends to move when not in "P" or "N".
Good design will reduce the difference but will probably not totally eliminate that. My Maxima has a little more vibration but not bad at all, I only feel it when I shift it between "N" and "D" to compare, and when at "D" it gives a bit sound like "wuuuuuu", just a little that is heard if I turn everything off, radio, fan... My RX300 has less that for sure.
I was thinking about doing this to improve gas mileage and hopefully add some more horsepower due to free breathing air intake from the K&N filter.
Does adding the filter really make that much of a difference? Is it hard to install if I want to try it myself?
Any suggestions or experience with this would really help me out.
Thanks.
Looks very neat but not sure on it's long term reliability.
Thanks! Did you have loyalty money?
INKY
The "new" one...
The one currently on all RX 300's...
Please provide detail (line itemized)description of pricing of your 01AWD RX300. I'm in the market for a SUV but have been unsure about purchasing RX300 vs. MDX. However, with what you paid, that decision is now moot. I look forward to hearing from you ASAP.
P.S. This is my first time logging on. Thanks to all for significantly increasing my knowlegde about vehicles in general (pricing, technical data, etc.).
I forgot to mention. Would you also please provide the Lexus dealership, name and phone number of your salesman in the Dallas area who made the sale?
Again, Thanks.
Your post(#148) on the deal you got for a 01AWD appears to be the best deal sofar posted in this forum. Do you mean by $1500 over invoice or MRSP? Seems to me, the price you paid would have been about roughly the same as the invoice price w/o the $1500 rebate. Did you get the $500 loyalty? Looking forward to your respond. Thanks.
At one point, I even hit a car that was parked on the side way; this was while driving at about 10 miles/hr!!!!
Any thoughts?? Am I overreacting by stating that the RX's all-wheel drive system sucks, and I should have saved the money and get the FWD instead? How about any fixes? Tires??
Just went throught MDX's and ML's forums. I noticed that some said ML slid and fish-tailed, some aslo said that X5 did the same even with skid control functioning.
What year is your RX and what tires and milage do you have on your RX? We just drove my girlfriend's RX to ski trip here in Lake Tahoe with Bridgestone tires. I don't trusted my RX's Goodyear tires because it has almost 35,000 miles and the tire-track woren out quite a bit to be safe to drive on snow. Snow tires will help you a lot.
The RX has a built in LCD monitor, and the navigation system is DVD based, so in theory, could I connect a mobile DVD player to the LCD screen and watch DVD movies? Or would I have to get a seperate LCD screen (which would look terrible! 2 LCDs!)
Also, does anyone know how large the LCD is? 6-7"? somewhere in there? If it is possible to play DVDs, would the quality of the screen be good? The LX 470 (Landcruiser)has the DVD playback feature built in which is neat!
I have found a mobile DVD player from Power Acoustik for less than $400, plays DVDs, CDs, VCDs, and MP3s which is pretty damn cool!
Thanks!
Ara