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tidester
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Host - do Scuds need oil changes?
tidester
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SUVs
But, I still doubt there is really anything bad or detrimental about the Amsoil product itself. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Mobil 1 or some name brand equivalent purchase in BULK and relabeled.
But I will try to pay more attention in the future and only answer "open" questions or respond with my own answers if someone else unintentionally or inadvertantly misleads or mis-states.
And, jeffmust2, SPEAKING of MISLEADING!
a. Okay, no argument here.
b. Jeep vs RX traction. Well, traction has NEVER been the subject matter, it's always been distribution of engine torque F/R and the fact that I think Lexus is putting out misleading information regarding this issue.
c. RX vs T&C cargo space? Yes, the T&C has more but I have neevr pointed that out.
d. 911 handling vs RX. Where ARE you getting this STUFF? I have probably mentioned that I improved my Rx handling by upgrading to 17X8 wheels, spacers and +1 tires, but comparing these two in that context, NEVER!
e. AAA maps vs RX Nav. Not BETTER, just necessary backups.
f. Okay.
g. No, but didn't one of our space crews do something of this nature?
fasterthanu: Climate control, battery?
Satire?
JM2, I think your wife must know my wife. I can't seem to convince her that I'm maintaining her RX by hanging out on this board. (sigh)
BTW..This is so much fun...next.
Thanks.
"or some name brand equivalent".
Rx/Snow...
Well, we all really like to ski on that dry powdery fluffy stuff, but out here you only find that east of the cascades, "The Dry Side".
Here on the west (Wet) side we have to deal with what's commonly referred to as "Pacific boilerplate", horrible sound of metal ski edges trying to get a "hold" on grainy "ice".
There will be times when you will be exceedingly pleased with your RX AWD, and then there might be times when you wish the Jeep Cherokee was still in production.
You're darn right there's no need for all the satire, hostility, jokes, repartee, cut-throat humor, and veiled name calling.
So let's all put a stop to it now.
Whee, glad that's over with.
OK, the serious issues before us:
- Does Willard EVER recognize a rhetorical question?
- More importantly, is Willard really BobFloyd and has moved from Washinton to Texas? Since WW took care of all the deer in his old state, I guess the cows better watch it now.
- Willard, what time of the year in So.CA is it OK to reinstall my RX windshield and still avoid having it fog up?
- As for The GimpMeister - if we all got together and contributed a dime apiece for you to get a JiffyLube oil/filter change, would you be gentleman enough to have it done? With the added condition, of course, that you leave this board and go post on the "Muh 'Stang Is Meaner Than Your 'Stang" board?
Once we get serious answers to these questions we can probably shut this board down.
All of the stang guys know my car, since it has been in the mustang magazine 3 times. But if ya want to race,I will give you a head start.
I will turn my car OFF, when you leave the line I will crank it, and spank ya. I GUARANTEE THAT! Even if ya have a 2001 vette.$$$$
Might get it in the straights.. but not the corners.
Bill
Well, I've been so overprotective of this truck that it's going against me. I had my dog and 2 of my friend's dogs in the back. Folded the seat down and layed an old fitted sheet so no shedding would be on the carpet.
One of my friend's dogs got excited and decided she wanted to be in the front seat...now I have a fresh nail scratch on the side of the front passenger seat right above the pull-down inside armrest.
Question: is the side of the seat leather or vinyl? And how do I try to fix the scratch?
It's just a surface scratch, but hey I'm a perfectionist and want to treat it ASAP.
Lemme know your thoughts! Thanks!
http://www.thehollywoodextra.com
Go down to "Vince's car page"
What do you think?
RX 300, they are TO SLOW, and SUCK down the fuel.
And the 3.0 V6 has a sludge history. If you already bought one... oh well.
BTW...customer "NO" service could use some training.
You can see mine at teamseattle.com
For a second example, you could write your vehicle's name as a - "RX30"
Hope this helps too.
BTW...Go back and check YOUR own spelling...Teacher.
Show your e-mail address on your profile, and I will send ya some pics.
The one that we own (Company vehicle leased for employee) is a 99 AWD.
61K NY City/Long Island miles so far. Engine is perfect, still drives verytight. AWD works fine in the snow (In case Willard was wondering). It spends a LOT of time in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Of course, every 4K miles or so it gets an oil change.... This way, if it DID have a Glycol leak, unless is was severe, it wont cause a sludge problem.
And I think its pretty peppy for what it is.
Bill
I'm about to make my purchase.This is what i'd like
AWD
PREM PKG PLUS
HEATED FRONT SEATS
HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE HEADLAMPS
CHROME WHEELS
SPOILER
LEATHER AND WOOD STEERING WHEEL
GOLD PACKAGE
WHEEL LOCKS
CARGO MAT
ACCESSORY CROSSBAR
TOW PKG
I live in the wASHINGTON D.C/MD/VA AREA. Can anyone recommend a dealership and a fair price that I should pay for this configuration.
Thanks for all the feedbacks.
Gimp: people like you give the concept of opinion a bad name. Thanks for turning a nice owner board into a joke and a mess. Dumb Mustang owner... ;-)
Someone here recently posted that they bought an RX with NAV (meaning it includes mostly everything you want and a little more) for about $37.5K. I would assume your target price should be about $36K or a little more. We bought our RX loaded with everything (like yours without gold trim) for $37K last year so perhaps prices have come down and you should benefit. Hope you get a good deal and enjoy your RX.
BTW, although I would never concur with the gimp mustang owner on any issue, ever, you should check out the Acura MDX for a fair comparison. The reason why the RX has come down in price is precisely because of the MDX's competition. Its MSRP was set pretty low, and people have been snatching it up. You may find that the RX becomes a better value despite the size difference (MDX has 3 rows of seating). The RX's appointments are in a class all its own (Lexus) and the Acura is a few notches down. This is all from someone who is still a Honda fan.
Have you been able to verify the "startup" circumstance, was I of any help?
LTS: Low Traction Surface.
If your dad is anything close to my age you will probably want to take him out quickly and teach him about the uniqueness of FWD handling in certain circumstances. FWD can be extremely hazardous on LTS (low traction surfaces), especially for someone who has primarily driven RWD for all or most of their lives.
Ever since FWD became so popular the industry has been trying to solve its LTS handling problem. When you encounter a LTS in a REAR WHEEL DRIVE, RWD, even with an automatic transmission (as most are these days) instinctively lifting your foot from the throttle will not have a detrimental affect, in most cases it will even be helpful. But that's only a small part of the equation, if your dad has never driven a FWD on LTS his reaction will be the same as he would for a RWD, and in many FWD vehicles that can be extremely dangerous.
The Cadillac engineers had this problem in SPADES with their high torque V8 northstar engine, lift the throttle on a LTS and instantly do a 180, or worse. Their near term solution was to put an over-running clutch between the engine and the driveline, so that the "deceleration" torque of that engine didn't BRAKE the front wheels on throttle lift.
You may have alreay noticed that their, Cadillac's, new long range plain is to rid themselves of FWD vehicles altogether.
Even my 2001 AWD RX300 will automatically shift the transmission into the highest gear on throttle lift (unless cruise control is active, and NO ONE should have cruise control active if LTS is even suspected, EVER!) to prevent or minimize engine braking and the resulting potential for loss of control in this predominantly FWD (even with the AWD {VC} fully activated)vehicle.
I have heard arguments recently that back in the early eighties the increasing popularity of FWD was the initiating factor for more thoroughly exploring/expanding the use of ABS. Until the advent of FWD, mechanical brake pressure proportioning valves were the common solution for allocating brake HP front vs rear. With FWD, engine braking on the front became a VARIABLE to be reckoned with. Because of the driving and handling dynamics of RWD, this engine braking variable didn't have to be reckoned with, as a matter of fact it was considered an ASSET, especially on LTS.
Be carefull out there....
There is a reason why horses are in front of the carraige, reindeer in front of the sleigh and sled dogs in front of the sled. FWD dynamics direct the vehicle much better in traction situations like snow and ice since the power is generated in the front of the vehicle, where the vehicle is heaviest, is able to steer and correct direction better than if the traction were coming from the rear. That is why you see RWD drive cars more prone to 180s in snow than FWD cars.
So if you are considering the RX, don't worry. Of course, the AWD will have the advantage in winter conditions.
I would not hesitate to buy a used, 10 year old Acura Legend for about $3500 to $4000 because the cost is not that high. But spending $20K for an RX with a known problem is a waste of your hard-earned money. The previous owner may have had a terrible history of oil change intervals which contributed to his own problem. Let him deal with it.
The "buying a Ford" was a joke, people relax.
Jeff I never made the connection between the Gimp and the "Stang". Whoa!!! I like saying that too much.
mrrogers: Don't buy Gimpy's RX.
Gimpy, isn't the Amisuck was before mobile comment you made really stating that the two brands are still one in the same. Thus meaning you should still follow the manufactures' recommended service schedule.
Now, that has happened because the rear wheels suddenly do not have enough adhesion with the roadbed for the level of forward driving force I am applying. But isn't there likely to be some "sweet-spot", at least some level of roadbed adhesion if I can just find it quickly?
If I lift the throttle then the rear wheels will quickly go from "driving" to "dragging" due to engine compression loads. Let's say to sustain 60MPH the engine RPM would have been 2200, now the engine RPM will drop to a level determined by the rear wheel's adhesion with the roadbed, in effect the rear wheels will begin "driving" the engine. And yes, sometimes the rear wheels will just plain lock up becuase there isn't enough adhesion to overcome the engine drag at any coasting RPM, but those times will be in the definite minority.
But the affect of what I have just done, most of the time, would be to automatically apply a braking level on the rear wheels comeasurate with the level of roadbed adhesion/traction avaialble at that very instant.
What happens to a boat floating lazily down the river if you throw out an anchor, drag component, substantially aft of the center of the boat? it "rights" itself with the river's current. An RWD vehicle on a slippery surface will do the very same thing with drag applied anywhere aft of center, it will quickly "right" itself with respect to its "moment" of inertia.
And, THIS PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT, I have reserved any roadbed adhesion of the front wheels to be used exclusively for directional control.
And just what would happen to a FWD vehicle in this circumstance?
A very quick 180 or worse!
Just how many of us wouldn't lift the throtte, immediately and instinctively, in this circumstance?
And that's the real problem FWD manufacturer's are trying to combat, our very own human instincts. We long ago learned that if something starts going terribly wrong the very best way to survive is to immediately and quickly stop doing whatever we were doing, we already know that we are most often the cause for our own demise.
Oh, lifting the throttle quickly in a RWD Cadillac with the high torque northstar engine in low gear and high RPM on encountering an icy bridge surface? Pray for a clutch, or an ECU that can shift the automatic into fourth quickly, damn quickly! But remember, you still have two wheels worth of roadbed adhesion to maintain directional control with.
Substitute FWD (before Cadillac came to realize the flaw in FWD and threw in the OR clutch) in the above paragraph and you're TOAST!
No more ice to worry about
And quality.
You are right about the gimpyrx...It's a lease,in 11 months, you can get it from a CERTIFIED LAXUS DEALER.
Actually, I like the "Amsuck" name better.
Steve
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Maybe he just lifted his foot off the throttle?
Just as many have responded with posts countering my arguments I would agree with most who pointed out that FWD is absolutely excellence on LTS, right up to the point....of losing it or having "lost it".
FWD, pulling, not pushing, weight bias on the driving wheels, very much like any good AWD, 4WD, very easy to drive on LTS and get beyond the limits of recovery....
Doctor Moore's law applies here.
How many of you would disagree if I proposed that the very best AWD system would be one wherein the engine driving/braking torque to the front declines quickly in the event I start adding directional input (steering wheel off center) and the yaw sensor indicates that the car is only partially following my input, or not at all?
No, not THAT Doctor Moore!
The BETTER your driving system, RWD, FWD, AWD, 4WD, etc, the farther into the woods you can get before you get STUCK!
See teamseattle.com for complete information.
For the previous five years they have run Porsche's. I don't exactly agree with the switch but you can take a look at the cars.
Not exactly your father's Mustang.
Like Ruski I have seen a number of RWD cars (Camaros, BMWs, Lincolns, etc.) lose control at different speeds. And they are not worth the danger.
The RX feels good to drive on the road - and has excellent braking ability. The only thing I would want to see improved is the turning radius.
Actually, as you most correctly pointed out, none of these are the MOST important to proper handling of a FWD vehicle.
"Driving slowly and carefully", now that's the REAL key, regardless of "drive" configuration.
But, wasn't there a period of time when we all believed that 200HP was the realistic upper limit for a FWD vehicle?
Realtor23: We bought last weekend in the Boston area for $37.5k. It took a while to get to that number, and to be honest, I think I might have been able to do a little better (I think), except that the evil wife wanted the car and was getting tired of me negotiating. It seems like a decent deal, however. The negotiation process was low pressure/low key. They even threw in a Lexus hat and nice golf shirt! She loves her RX! All in all, so far, dealing with the Lexus dealer has been a good experience.
Good luck, let us know what you end up doing.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
and do it on the 30 or 31 of the month. In a lot of regions, like mine, L.A., you can get close to invoice. Others you will be successful with $300. to $500. over invoice.
Don't forget to factor in the advertising cost in your invoice figuring (I used Edmunds numbers).
Edmunds doesn't tell you there's an advertising fee of around $425. that is invoiced to the dealer. It's only fair that you pay it, IMO. I guess some supply/demand conditions allow for the use of this as a bargaining chip, but I bet you'd have to be "pretty good" at negotiations to buy the car less the advertisin fee.
You need a t-shirt saying ... "My wife went to Lexus and got an RX300 and all I got were the lousy payments, a t-shirt and a hat"
I have a CDL licensed and can say from my many years of driving every type of car and truck the only thing that helps with ice covered roads is to slow down. What a concept!
Edmunds.com agrees that manufacturer or regional ad fees are legit - there's a blurb at the bottom of every Prices page here, like this one. They vary so much, they aren't figured into the pricing numbers.
Steve
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Then why don't we just agree that we'll share the cost of heating his building too...
Are there other dealer expenses we should be subsidizing directly?
I go to the dealer to buy a product and if he somehow can't get enough for the product to cover his expenses then he shouldn't be in business or his "product" doesn't justify a reasonable profit, or both.
But, just what is a dealer's "product"?
Most vehicle invoices include a legitimate advertising fee levied by either the manufacturer or regional dealer groups.
And a different blurb from our FAQ :
12. Why should I pay advertising fees?
Most vehicles carry a legitimate advertising fee levied by either the manufacturer or by regional dealer groups. National or regional advertising fees, when charged, should not exceed 1 percent of the vehicle's MSRP. Because individual dealership advertising is a cost of doing business, you should never pay an advertising fee levied by the dealer rather than a regional dealer association or the manufacturer.
I can't justify it myself, but expect to pay those fees. Everyone seems to draw the line at dealer expenses being passed through.
One way to avoid the issue entirely is to negotiate an "out the door" price which would include all fees whether they be listed as ad or doc or tire fees.
Did I dance around your question enough? :-)
Steve
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All those other factors are hidden in the selling price of the vehicle and keeping the advertising cost separate as an add-on only allows the dealer to advertise a lower price for the vechicle than is justified.
Imagine going to the supermarket for a gallon of milk with the price posted as $0.39 and getting to the counter where they tell you that will be $0.50 extra for shipping and handling, $0.25 for heating and rent and, oh yeah, $0.15 for advertising. For good measure, we'll tack on an extra $0.05 as a restocking fee!
IMHO - it's somewhat misleading to advertise the cost of a vehicle only to add on the various overhead charges when you're at the point of signing the papers. no - that is not an official Edmund's position!
tidester
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