Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Since none of this helps us owners, I have one suggestion that does not required pulling the heads. Just stick a long rod into the oil dipstick tube that will reach to the bottom of the oil pan. Touch the bottom of the pan, and pull it out. If there is sludge on the end of the stick, one would have a problem.
On my other cars I could just look into the oil filler cap to see the inside of the valve case, but the Lexus RX300 has some type of a device that blocks the view of the valve area by looking down the oil cap hole.
Now, I know that Jiffy Lube does not include free cookies, but they do have free (but sometimes old) coffee. So let's give Lexus a $2 credit for the extra food. Since I have never had the honor of a Lexus oil change, I don't have the slightest idea what it may cost, but I have heard rumours of $30 to $60, which seems a little high even for us deep-pocketed folks.
"They feel that the sludging problem can be caused by both over-heating, and under-heating. In fact short drives in cold climates cause a lot of the sludge issues."
This brings the question of "Warm-up or no Warm" up to my mind.
Should we be warming up our cars in these cold mornings. I have heard negative things about "idleing" and warming up. Are those old wives tales or old evil wives tales for some on this forum ???.
With regards to Oil Changes, does anyone know if Lexus accepts Oil Changes @ Toyota service acceptable with regards to the Sludge Argument or will they only accept Lexus service for re-imbursement cases ? No Sludge problems here, yet, gulp !!!
I will NOT be going to Lexus for service from now on. Lexus of Norwood (MA) charges, I believe, over $200 for the 10k service. Now, looking in the little Lexus service book, the only service that should be performed is an oil change, tire rotation, and test drive.
$200+ for THAT? Puleeze. I just called up Toyota and they want $23.95 for oil change, and $15 for tire rotation.
The answer is simple.
-Craig
I found a Mr. Good Lube where I pay less than $20. (after discounts} for oil and filter plus check and top off everything else. They use Castrol GTX 5W30 oil from the small plastic bottles, not bulk oil like the dealer and everyone else. Somehow I have trouble trusting bulk oil. I would switch to synthetic if Toyota would state that it was recommended due to recent sludge reports, but Toyota still recommends natural petroleum based oil with a warning not to switch back if you do use synthetic.
Of course I always check the work at both the dealer and quick lubes by marking the filter and writing done the wheel weight values at each wheel to check if/how tires were rotated.
That's a good idea about marking the oil filter and keeping track of which tires are where on the vehicle before bringing it in. These $2/hour techies show very little interest in doing things properly. I think I'll do the same before bringing in the RX tomorrow evening.
This is going to be my first trip to the local Toyota dealership (only 3 miles from my house). If their service is good (doesn't even have to be "great"), I'm going to bringing the RX there from now on.
-Craig
Senthil
I will not bring it in for 10,000 miles service.I will do it by myself with Mobil 1 synthetic oil 5w-30 and the Lexus OEM filter. Total cost 25 bucks without my 15 min labor.
Should I tell Toyota to include the spare tire in the rotation? I don't even know if Lexus did that at the 5000 checkup. We now have 9985 on odometer. Would it be "bad" to start including the spare in the rotation at this point? My wife primarily drives the car, so the tires are just about new in appearance.
ctk1, have you changed the oil yet on your RX? I've heard it's a pain to get to the oil filter. Mobil 1 at BJ's or Costo is pretty cheap, so if it's not too much of a pain, I could do it myself as well (except for maybe in the dead of winter).
Are jack stands necessary?
-Craig
For over $200, I would expect my oil to be changed, my tires rotated, an hour massage, a 4 course meal of my choice, and a bottle of wine. All I would get would be the first two item, some stale donuts, and a lousy cup of coffee. Oh, and I'd get to watch the news on a cheap big screen TV and surf the web with their dial-up internet connection. Joy.
If Lexus charged, say, $50 instead of $38.95, I would go there. But over $200? No thanks.
And if Toyota were smart, they'd link the Toyota and Lexus databases, so all the records would be available no matter where one went.
-Craig
Not to save money, but to be certain its done correctly.
I don't understand why anyone would go back to Jiffy Lube if you can't trust them. That's why I don't go to Lexus or Toyota, they hire those same "gofers", mcD "flippers" as jiffy lube.
Also I don't like getting hasselled each time I go in and have to tell them "no, I only want done just what my Lexus owners manual says needs to be done, and my car doesn't quialify for "rough service"".
Hopefully they'll treat me like a human being when get there, and the service guys aren't ex cons.
-Craig
10k service at my dealer is $100. It's not as much as some others charge, but it is still 5 times as much as I am currently paying. If your math still comes up with $20 difference I have a used car you may be interested in.
Get the OEM oil filter at irontod.com cost 5.99 each + .72 for drain plug gasket.You must asking for oil filter PART# 90915-YZZB9. Lexus Norwood charge 12.00 each after 20% discount...damn
No need for the jack to do oil change.
Agree with wwest, I change oil for two reasons:
1.Save the money (Make my wife happy)
2.Done correctly (I feel safe when wife drive alone with the baby)
I am willing to pay a small premium for Lexus service but not willing to pay 4-5 times the amount compared to that charged by Toyota. At my Lexus dealership, oil changes and simple jobs are not done by the service people at the the main shopfloor but some rather inexperienced people, some of which wash the cars too.
When I didnt have a car (at all), I would often wonder at people when I saw S Class/7 Series/Lexus LS etc parked at Costco. Now that I own a Lexus, I think differently. People who own luxury nameplates dont have money to throw away, they just have money to spend on what they deem a good value for money. I spent more for my Lexus because I perceived it to be a good value for my $s. As for the $300 10k service, I dont see any justification for the additional $$$s.
Lexus charges $12 for the oil filter, the same is available for $5 at my Toyota dealership. Go figure.
Senthil
All tires must be treated equally, irrrespective of their placement or position
Even if you didnt have the spare tire rotated the first few times, I guess you can start doing so from next time. I am going to do the same
Senthil
What is the deal with Warming up the Car ?
Do you warm-up your RX ?
I have heard that the ideling is bad, but with all this sludge talk and Short trips running cold
What's the concensus ? Idle, no Idle ???
As the engine warms up any moisture ondensed on the various parts and possibly in the oil itsself will be evaporated or boiled away.
On tire rotation, maybe I am just fooling myself, but I just have the fronts rotated to the rear. I don't ever rotate the spare, nor use it unless I have a flat. It seems less expensive to just deal with 2 or 4 tires when obtaining new ones then rather than 3 or 5 tires.
But, one has to complain just to keep the dealers honest, and on their toes. The Caddy dealers always acted like I was made of money when I came in for service. Believe or not the Infiniti dealer was not too bad for the cost of service.
Now for the Lexus dealer, I should not be getting gouged for at least 4 years, unless they get me at the scheduled checkups.
But, the reason I bought a new Lexus versus a used one was the cost of a used Lexus was so high that a new one seemed a better value. There are people getting $28k for a 1999 RX300 in excellent condition. That is outrageous, unless you are the seller!
Three weeks ago, at 85,000 miles the engine seized while I was driving. At the dealer they laughed when I suggested it that the "gel" problem was a an engine design error and told me to have my rx300 dead hulk towed off of their lot.
Today the dealer called and said, as matter of good will, they would replace the engine for free. He said a lot of rx300 owners were having a gel problem. It will take 3 to 7 weeks to get the new engine because the demand for replacement rx300 engines is so high.
They did not know I am in the process of preparing a class action law suit for similarly situated Lexus and Toyota owners. The advantage of being a lawyer is that you do not get taken as often.
As I dropped my Rex off for the 30k service today, the SM explained to me that oil gelling is a result of oil changes being done every 7500 miles. He said that Lexus only shows that much good will because this interval is what they suggest in their manual - they better recognize it as their fault. It also seems that this particular engine design is somewhat sensitive to heat accumulation and therefore prone to sludging.
Tarik
- transmission fluid
- differential oil and transfer case oil
- brake fluid
- air / fuel filter
- PCV valve
- a/c filter
and the inspection of:
- engine drive belts (?)
- drive shaft support bearings (?)
I didn't even have to argue with him about this calculatory dead end before he agrred to $300 for the entire service. I picked up the loaner and off I went. Well, it's still expensive but reassuring in case my engine gives up on me.
Tarik
I've been busy with work and haven't had time to call on you. I did think of you a few weeks ago while I was working in Mercer Island, or should I say, "Lexus Island"?
I'll call you before the end of the week and set something up.
Regards,
Brian
all my lawyer friends maintain that the best thing about being a lawyer is that you can sue someone for free.......
maybe medicine wasn't my best career choice after all; all of the above mentioned also seem to play a lot more golf than me, too
http://www.kmov.com/business/business_stories/NEWS_020219_toyota_engines.html
Automotive News Article:
http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=38302
Perhaps it is like the mutual fund ads where they say that past performance does not guarantee future returns?
Could it be that their surveys ask the wrong questions, and they ask the wrong people? I feel many people that fill out these surveys would probably try to put another CD in the CD changer if their car would not start. They also may take the key out of the ignition, and look at it for awhile.
Another question - The shifting into Reverse and Park with a cold engine seems a little rough. Is this normal? Seems to me an expensive luxury SUV should be much smoother. My 2002 Jetta 1.8T doesn't do that!
They COULD have put in some electronics to supress the power sent to all 4 wheels (in AWD models), but didn't.
Maybe the '03 redesign will incorporate that.
-Craig
Thanks for your response. Nice to know I'm not the only one experiencing the "jolt".
Rich
2003 RX300 will be using a new 3.3V6 and overall length will be 11 inches longer than current model, but will NOT have third row seats. Although the length is close to LX and even a bit more than GX, but the width and height will be less than LX & GX. Just take a look the Toyota highlander, which is 11 inches longer than current RX, you will have an idea why "overall length" is not the only fact to make a car "bigger"......
I assume there to be at least a significant change to the '03 RX since production is moving from Japan to Canada. It just makes sense that if they are re-tooling the Canadian factory (which currently produces Sienna's I think) they would incorporate the new model then have to switch everything again a year later........Steve
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/features/2001/July/200007_5best_toc.xml
Upon driving in, I was greeted by a friendly gentleman, who guided me into the "service" area. He ask me if I was in for the oil change/tire rotation (guess he memorized the appointment book). I acknowledged, he went out and got the VIN number, mileage, etc.
Upon returning, I asked him a few questions. First, I asked if they use the spare tire in the tire rotation. He said no, that they prefer to not use the spare, especially on AWD vechicles since the tread difference between a "fresh" tire, and one with 10k miles on it might cause an imbalance of tire rotation speed. Personally, I thought it was a bunch of malarky, but hey, whatever.
Then I asked if they do a front to rear, or criss-cross rotation. He said front to rear, because of something to do with the steel belts, and criss-cross may cause a vibration or something. Whatever.
Then I asked about the gelling/sludge issue. He's like "You've heard of that, too?". So I told him that the news agencies have reported it, it's all over the news groups and car sites, etc. So he said that they've had "some" sludge engines in their bay (mostly Siennas), took them apart, confirmed the sludge, asked the customers for proof of "normal" oil changes, and none of them could come up with any. It sounds a little odd that NONE of the customers could come up with oil change receipts, but hey, who am I to argue.
So I asked him what I should do with the RX. He said I should change the oil between 3,000 and 5,000 miles, and that the 7,500 mile schedule in the RX is a bit long, and is in there to show new customers that the maintenance of the vehicle isn't so bad. I don't know if I believe that, either. But I'll faithfully be changing the oil every 4,000 miles from now on. I even scheduled it in the Nav screen "Info" center to remind me (first time using that feature).
I was going to ask him why other engines from other makes don't have this problem when they don't change their oil on a regular basis, since I find it hard to believe that only Toyota owners neglect their cars, but I didn't want to piss him off and get crappy service in the future.
Within 40 minutes, the RX had the oil changed, tires rotated and filled to 32PSI all around, and exterior washed. Final damage: $38.95 + tax.
When I got home, I checked the oil level. The mark on the dipstick is about 1/2" below the full mark. No oil drips on top of the engine or exhaust. Perfect.
I will definately be visiting my local Toyota dealership for maintenance from now on. Two thumbs up.
For those interested, it was Bernardi Toyota in Framingham, MA (on Route 9).
-Craig
For example, the buttons that control the butt warmers on the Highlander are of much better quality than the RX (but only one temp, not Hi and Low). I like the dark tinting of the windows better (don't like the "mirror" finish on the RX). There is an in-dash 6 cd changer, unlike the glove box cartridge of the RX. The wood in this Highlander was a dark walnut, which I liked better than the normal wood in the RX (not sure if it was fake though). The rear passenters get two huge cup holders right on the door.
But there are things I like better on the RX. Navigation, HID lights, auto-dimming rear view mirror and side mirrors (the rear view mirror on the Highlander looks like it was pulled from a '85 Tercel), better window switch placement, wood steering wheel, two temp bun warmers, etc.
The Highlander in the showroom stickered for $35,200. It had wood all over the interior (tastefully done though), and where the pocketbook holder is in the RX, this Highlander had it covered with a "console" type add-on, that made a bridge over this area (there was a pass through from the driver to passenger). So there was still place to put a small pocketbook (under the console), and it looked pretty slick with a continuous flow of wood from HVAC controls to the cup holders next to the driver.
But for $35k, just spend a few more k's, and get the Lexus with better warranty.
-Craig
BTW, what was the Toyota service guy's response to your question regarding why it seemed only neglected Toyota engines get sludge and other makers do not???
Thanks.
The RX, for '01, had some significant improvements, including, but not limited, to:
o Navigation
o HID headlights
o VSC
o TRAC
o Additional wood trim options (steering wheel)
o "Shiney" door handles inside
o Revised tail lamps (maybe not significant, but I hated the old ones)
Some of these improvements aren't even available on the Highlander, so I don't really see an advantage of the Highlander being released later.
-Craig
Whan I wanted to know why Toyota's 3.0 V6 is especially susceptible to this phenomenon, he went to explain to me that due to the aluminum construction of the engine, the heat dissipation is quicker, therefore the warming of the engine takes a little longer. This, in turn, would gunk up oil returns and such with gel while the remaining little bit of oil has to take care of lubricating the engine, allowing it to now run hot.
They are basically trying to imply that all these situations are caused by an oil change interval of more than 5000 miles, which is bologna. In Europe there is no car on the market with an oil change interval <9000 miles, why should it be any different here? Is the Toyota V6 the only aluminum engine? Didn't think so. The only engine which is somewhat abused by short-distance and city driving? Reality check, please. Oil quality? Hmm, that's a possibility.
Redundand and brainwashed is what comes to mind, but hey, we've got to deal with it.
Tarik
I also have a '96 Honda Accord EX with the 2.3 inline 4 (aluminum). There are a TON of these engines in service. Haven't heard of any sludge in them.
-Craig