Lexus RX 300

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Comments

  • gonzo7gonzo7 Member Posts: 259
    Okay, Back to the tires.
    I can't look at the flabby Goodyear Integrity tires any more.
    ($66 ea)
    Last week, I had a set of chromed Lexus wheels (very nice) put on and while the tires were off I examined them. The sidewalls are paper thin and the carcass is very soft.
    I don't really feel good about driving on these - especially on 200' pavement in the AZ summer. (Yes, an egg will cook on it)

    I'm trying to decide between Michelin Cross Terrains ($127) and Michelin X LT M+S ($112)
    (Costco's price includes Balancing and warranty BTW)
    Anyone have any experience with either of these?
    Anyone replace their Goodyears with anything else?
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    After 500 miles of driving our new FWD '01 RX300, I swapped the Goodyears for Mich Cross-Terrains:

    1. The CTs are a heavier tire with much greater tread depth (I think it's 11/32th vs. 9/32th)
    2. The CTs are stiffer and not as soft-riding as the Goodyears and, though it's hard to tell, I think the CTs are a bit noisier. After all, the Goodyear is a passenger car tire that retails for $55-60 each.
    3. Most important - there was a very positive increase in handling - the steering was a bit lighter, but it was easier to keep going just where we pointed the vehicle (the Goodyears and the new CTs are kept at 32psi)
    4. In the last year, we had just replaced all the Deathstone rubber on our son's Explorer Sport and my wife's Mountaineer with Michelins XLTs and that's a fine tire as well - you probably can't go wrong between it and the CT.
    5. My choice of the CT for the RX was biased on it simply being newer tire technology; the XLT has been around for a few years.

    Good luck!
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    I'm a bit confused here Jeff & Gonzo... I know about the Cross Terrains, but the most popular tire replacement for the RX300 (according to tirerack.com) is the LTX M/S. Is this what you guys meant by the XLT? Is it the spell checker mangling the messages again?
  • ahuiahui Member Posts: 15
    Hey Folks. After a lot of thinking and research, my wife and I went ahead and put our deposit down for our new Silver RX300 w/Navigation and heated seats. We are buying from McGrath Lexus in Westmont, Illinois which is a suburb of Chicago.

    Our experience thus far with the salesman has been excellent, but I will give a detailed account of our purchase once we take delivery. They are currently searching to see one might be out there that they can swap for. Otherwise it'll hopefully be in the next allocation at the end of the month.
  • cali5cali5 Member Posts: 15
    Jeff, did you swap out your tires at your Lexus dealership? I have just 300 miles on my new RX and I want to change the tires also. I am wondering how the Lexus dealership handles this. Did you have to fully pay for the new tires and for the labor involved? TIA.
  • gonzo7gonzo7 Member Posts: 259
    Jeffmust- Still have your orginal Goodyears?

    Tony- Yes, I meant LTX M/S. They're about $15 per tire cheaper than the Cross terrains.
  • drivindrivin Member Posts: 10
    Picked up my Pearl White RX300 2001 AWD with Premium Package Plus, Chrome wheels, crossbars, gold kit, cargo mat, and tow hitch receiver from Longo Lexus about 3 weeks ago - $40,000 out the door. See Verone P. and get a good deal. So far I've had good dealership experience from them, very professional and eager to deliver excellent customer service. I'm glad I purchased a Lexus RX, definitely a cut above the rest.
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    Gonzo7 - still have the Goodyears. Bids are now being accepted; I wax them every week and store them indoors to protect against UV (both items are outright lies but they look new). Direct email is jeffmust@aol.com.

    Tony - hey, you know why I reversed the Michelin Model from LTX to XLT - it must be too much high pressure and the foreign air inside! (private joke; sorry)

    Cali5 - no, I had my local tire guy chrome the wheels and install the Cross-Terrains - looks great and I get rotations & balancing for life or until he retires.

    And I kept the Goodyears for Gonzo7 to buy...

    Jeff
  • rostamzalrostamzal Member Posts: 5
    Since I got my 01 RX I can't get more then 14 mpg
    in the city,and 19 mpg on highway. I know it's been cold but this is kind of low. I have only
    2000 miles. Anybody got any ideas?
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    Jeff- how much did chroming the stock wheels cost? Guarantee or experiences regarding flaking down the road?
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    Tony -
    It was somewhere between $110-125 per wheel and they are guaranteed for two years. They have the gold emblem Lexus "L" center cap and look great. I've used this plating company before and never had any problems so it's always humorous to see a manufacturer charging $1700 for chroming a set of wheels.
  • cattmanducattmandu Member Posts: 12
    Did you use CarsDirect for that deal? Your price is about the same one I was quoted there..
    Sounds good to me.. only a couple hundred over invoice, if, as you said, the price includes T&L.
    Congratulations!!!
  • drivindrivin Member Posts: 10
    I used figures from Cars Direct and Price line but I was able to haggle the price down a bit more. The price includes TT and other associated fees -out the door price. Thanks to all for posting. This site's been a good resource so far.
  • finch3finch3 Member Posts: 113
    I exchanged my Goodyears with the Michelin LTX and am very satisfied. Sold the Goodyears at ebay Motors for $100. You can save a lot of money by ordering tires from tirerack.com and having your local garage install them.
  • litzviclitzvic Member Posts: 11
    Michelin developed the cross terrain tire strictly for SUVs after the Firestone problem started to surface. Michelin went to the drawing board and developed this much needed SUV tire. I have a set on my 1999 RX300 and my JGCL. The LTX is also a great tire; however, I find the Cross Terrain to be less apt to pick up stones on the outer edges of the tires. Also, the Cross Terrain raised white lettering (Outline of Michelin in two places) is not as overbearing as the LTX lettering.The Cross Terrain works terrific with the RX300. I highly recommend for any SUV, especially the RX300.
  • mooretorquemooretorque Member Posts: 241
    Jeffmust2, Drew will probably yank this for being off topic but I gotta admit that GTmustang/toyota/santefe/mercedes/whatever has been a great source of humor. The postings that you cited in #1017 are hilarious!!!! His previous stuff earlier up the board ("millions of Americans....are buying Santa Fe" for example) is great (if unintentional) stuff.

    Thanks for going to the trouble to keep the red hot poker articulately applied!! Stuff this funny is rare!
  • ahuiahui Member Posts: 15
    I just ordered my RX300 and I wanted to know if I should ask them to put the stone guard plastic film on the front end of the car. Does anyone have any experience with this? Will it peal off, crack, yellow, get scratched? Thanks.
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    Several of the RX300 owners here have used it. I have asked them the same questions, you should try to read through previous messages here. Unfortunately, the discussion software here doesn't allow you to search for words withing individual questions. :-(
  • gonzo7gonzo7 Member Posts: 259
    RE: Post 1016-- Hmmm. $100 per set for used Goodyears huh?

    I paid $550 (Incl. tire changeovers) for my chromes from the guy who supplies our local Lexus dealer.
  • mlevinedcmlevinedc Member Posts: 45
    Well folks, in shopping around, here's the latest on pricing for what may be my next Lexus:

    Indigo Blue/Ivory Inv
    4wd model 31375
    options:
    Nav system plus pkg 4649
    Heated front seats 352
    Rear Spoiler 224
    Wheel Locks 31
    Cargo Mat 47
    Acess Crossbars 113
    Gold pkg 199
    Chrome wheels/Bridgestone Dueler HT
    850
    Inv 38385
    Adv 446
    Dealer profit 750
    Conv fee 225

    Offered price 39806.00 plus tax and reg.

    I'd greatly appreciate some feedback on the above...please!

    This is what I want in the vehicle and how I want it when delivered. I have no time for aftermarket wheels, tires, gold pkg etc. Simply, is 750.00 (plus the conv fee 225) the righht price at this time of the model year for the above, or should I solicit other bids based on this pricing? We have only 4 dealers in CT and 1 in MA and 1 in NY that I am willing to travel to for significant savings.

    Thanks all for your time.
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    That's a decent price... but I'm not sure what "conv fee" is?

    Who's the dealer in NY?
  • mlevinedcmlevinedc Member Posts: 45
    The price is from my nearest CT dealer. Catena (NY) wants 1500 over invoice. The conv fee is the conveyance fee (BS paperwork fee). I'm figuring on offering 39,500 in a few weeks. Lease is up on my Audi A6q 5/7/01 so I don't need it till then.
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    I did better at RC Lexus. I'll email you.
  • dwjessiedwjessie Member Posts: 1
    Need help in pricing. I live in MA and will travel anywhere in the northeast coast area to buy my new silver 4wd RX300 with the vp(premium pkg plus), cargo mat, cross bars, hid(high intensity headlights), hh(heated seats), rf(rear spoiler), wu(wood steering wheel), wl(wheel locks). Any suggestion on where I can get the best deal and what price I should be paying is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  • levyroblevyrob Member Posts: 22
    This may be the mysterious underdash sound resolved by xcaliber in note #559. I am experiencing this problem in out Lexus -- specifically, there is a clicking sound that occurs only at speed. It sounds like a relay cycling, but note #559 indicates it is a clip. More info on this is desperatly needed so it can be resolved.

    As for upper dash clicking, this is often caused by heat/cold expansion/contraction. The underdash issue is something else.
  • mvs1mvs1 Member Posts: 462
    Please read post #1017. I'm starting to think that you guys at Edmunds are playing with our emotions. Can GT get his own forum or live chat, please, please, please.

    By the way jeffmust2 your starting to scare me. How did you find those!
  • rmorin2rmorin2 Member Posts: 110
    If any other RX owners are having a problem with a low rumbling noise when the engine is idling in either D or R, please post or email me. I am still having no luck in finding the cause. My dealer is also stumped. My only hope is another owner or dealer who has found the source of the noise. Thanks for any help.
  • jiaminjiamin Member Posts: 556
    My 2000 RX300 FWD has that noise when idling at D or R, L and 2. However the noise is so low that I have to turn everything off, roll all windows up and no talk, in order to hear a definite little bit of it. Any other sound will easily cover that up.

    I'm not a very car knowledgeable person, but I think the automatic transmission is designed to be prepared to move the car when at R, D, L and 2. Better designed car has less noise.

    By the way my 96 Maxima (auto transmission) has just little higher noise at R, D, 2 and 1, compared to RX300.
  • adpcsadpcs Member Posts: 59
    We picked up our 2001 RX300 w/NAV about 3 weeks ago, and so far only one major complaint. On our '99 RX we had buttons for the radio stations, which made it easy to change while driving (by feel). However with the audio stations on the touch screen now, we find it rather difficult to change (we have to take our eyes off the road, and you have to hit it just right). So, now my question, is it possible to add steering wheel controls just for the preset radio stations? I would be willing to have the dealer to do this if possible.
    BTW, The NAV system is awesome!
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    Agree 100%! I do not like the screen radio controls for all of the reasons you sited, but yes, the Nav is awesome and one of the best on the market if you read complaints/shortcomings from Infiniti, MB, and Acura owners.

    It's funny, but I had an ES300 loaner car the other day (1K mile service) and it didn't have steering wheel controls either. It seems you have to move up to a GS430 before you can get steering wheel mounted audio controls??? Even my $20K Grand Am sedan has this feature.

    Steering wheel audio controls are a big deal with me (as you can tell) so if anyone finds out about a retro fit I'd love to hear it. I'm doubtful though.
  • gonzo7gonzo7 Member Posts: 259
    How long will it be before I stop accidentally changing the temperature setting when I'm trying to adjust the radio?
  • kl_rx3kl_rx3 Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone tell me how to search for past topics relating to a subject on this board? For example, I remember reading a few past messages on "funny smell". I know I can do it the hard way by scrolling up or down until I find them. But there has to be a better way. I tried the "Board Search" on the upper left hand corner, but it doesn't seem to pinpoint message(I) or words. Thanks.
  • cattmanducattmandu Member Posts: 12
    I'll tell ya, this may REALLY be the tie-breaker in favor of the MDX for me....
    ...and really angers me, because I like the RX so much more...in this day of ergonomics, there is really no excuse for not making the audio controls more user friendly...
    You telling me Lexus did no market research??? I've done a few on auto ergonomics myself,
    and this issue always comes up(Honda listened!!)....
    This is one problem that would just get more annoying with time... not to mention how boned one would be should the touch screen go out for some reason...
    ARE YOU LISTENING, LEXUS R&D??? WE WANT STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS!!!!!!!!!!

    Thanks, I feel better now....
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    Sorry cattmandu, there ain't no better way. Supposedly Edmunds is working on some modifications that would allow one to search for specific messages. This would make the message boards 100x more valuable IMHO, especially when trying to track down vehicle problems/fixes.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Both times that I really needed the nav system it failed me miseribly!

    The onboard CD-rom does not have enough resolution/information beyond the suburbs of urban areas.

    Both times I entered the destination address and the system gave me time, route, and distance. It was only as we approached the final destination out in the country side that the nice lady's voice pooped up and told us "sorry, I'm outta here, you're now on your own!"

    Had the stupid system told me at the bginning that where I was going was "off the map" I would have either used mapquest to plot a route in advance or taken a map along.

    I suggest that if you are going into a outer suburban or countryside area then you should manually check the on-board CD-ROM map resolution near the destination before proceeding.

    The smaller the core city, like Bellingham, versus Seattle, the sooner you will enter no mans land. Some areas of downtown Bellingham are not even covered.

    I would gladly forego more regional coverage rather than have the entire country on one CDROM. How often would any of us take an SUV outside our regional area?
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    I'm just curious on a couple of things. What is the version of your NAV software/DVD, as per the information system screen (I forget how to get there, but it's in the manual).
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    don't really know at the moment, but the RX was just purchased, only has 3000 miles. Should be reasonably current I would think.
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    Also, is there "no streets" showing around the address in question? Or is there just no "turn directions"?

    The reason I ask is because the streets should be there, but because info such as "one way" might be missing, directional turns won't be recommended. But you should be able to get to your destination as long the streets show up on the map.

    I don't doubt what you are saying, just trying to understand it.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Pick up my 2001 911/996 AWD (Wimbledon green, aerokit) in Germany in late may.

    Not exactly a 959 (very close!) but I get to drive mine on US streets and Bill's 959 is still in the impound lot in SFO.
  • 00rxguy100rxguy1 Member Posts: 38
    I have no idea what your post above is about. Someone clue me in. or is wwest in the wrong forum. Athough i am considering getting a Boxster. Anyway, back to the Rx...........
  • mvs1mvs1 Member Posts: 462
    Will you remove all the emblems from the Porsche and see if anyone can guess what it is. : )
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    Will, did you know that the 959 is one of my all-time favorite cars? I even have the original magzine article about it from the 80's (it was either C&D or R&T, can't remember, it's in a box somewhere).

    God, I get sweaty just thinking about a 959... if folks realized the engineering that went into these break-through vehicles.

    Can I tag along to Germany? image
  • finch3finch3 Member Posts: 113
    Can someone tell me that if you don't get the Nav, you'll have the buttons in the usual place for the radio?
    I need the radio, CD etc. much more than the Nav.
  • finch3finch3 Member Posts: 113
    Ruski, the oil filter is more easily accessed from above, by positioning yourself over the manifold pipes, between the engine and radiator. If you get a good light and look straight down, you can see the end of the filter. You need a cap type filter wrench and you need to take the new filter to a store and make sure you get the correct size. Attach the socket wrench to a six inch extension and you'll have what you need. You can't get all that wrench stuff and the cap down there together. You put the cap on the back of the filter and then wiggle down your wrench and the extension. It will work quite easily once you get the knack. If you write me at redrider@webtv.net I'll be happy to advise further. Those manifold pipes can get very hot, so don't change the filter unless the pipes have cooled.
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    You've got my curiousity now. Would you mind posting that address that the Nav doesn't seem to have streets for? If not, could you email it to me at rx300tc@yahoo.com ?
  • trmgatrmga Member Posts: 50
    Can anyone tell me of a quick and EASY way to peel the ugly red, yellow, black and white seat belt and air bag stickers off of the sun visors? Thanks.
  • katrina5katrina5 Member Posts: 1
    I would like to get the 2001 RX300, yet can't decide if I truly need the navigation system. From reading several messages here, it appears that most folks have gone with the new navigation system... could you help me sort through the pros and cons for this system? Thanks in advance!
  • suv16suv16 Member Posts: 44
    what's the best interest rate on the loan for a 2001 RX300? Thanks!
  • clee4clee4 Member Posts: 103
    From a money point of view, it was easy for us to discount the NAV system until we got a demo of it and then we could not wait to buy the 01 with NAV. It is better than any other system I have seen. The data base looks like it is the same format as mapquest. From a application point of view, well just today I used it in an emergency. My wife and I were touring new homes in a town about 50 miles from where we live. My wife took a tumble down some stairs and broke her foot. I got her to the car and hit destination, emergency, hospital, and it mapped the quickest route to the nearest hospital. I kinda knew where it was (what side of town) but not the quickest way. The NAV system mapped my way through the campus and directly to the hospital. Not a life saving situation in this case, but sure is nice to know it is there whenever we go on the road. For more enjoyable times, you can map resturants, gas stations, parks, intersections, house and streets, just about anything. I have read some posts of wwest having problems, but have not encountered any myself. The plotting locations are right on and the real time re-route serching sure is nice if you want to detour. Besides, IT IS A BLAST to play with.
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