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Lexus RX 300

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Comments

  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    If, big IF, this is your problem the pollen filter would rattle up and down at helicopter whop-whop rate, might come through as a rattle.
  • kboltekbolte Member Posts: 1
    I too have the same rattle with a strong headwind. It sounded like it was coming from the Passenger side vent on the dash. I had it in for the 5000 service last week and they looked at it and came up with an excuse that said it was because the vent was half closed. Not even close to reality. We drove 400 miles listening to this thing...taking stuff out of the glove box, openning and closing the vent. There is definitely something not right.

    But I have to remember that both my wife and myself told the dealer that the brakes were squealing...(5000 Miles)...and the dealer called back to ask about a vibration and that they were going to turn the rotors and change all the brake pads....
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    ...(TSB) on the RX brakes that have that problem; they replaced rotors and pads for free on my RX but yours has lower miles so perhaps all they need to do is turn the rotors and replace pads. There should be no charge. Good luck!
  • mikey00mikey00 Member Posts: 462
    This happend to me 3 times, you think I would have learned by now. I pull the RX into the garage at night and the headlights are on auto. I close the drivers door and go into the house. No need to lock the car because it's in the garage. The headlights stay on for a short time as usual and should go out after I enter the house. But--the drivers door is not completely closed so the headlights stay on all night and kill the battery. If I do the same thing to my Alero the lights still go out after a preset time and the battery is ok.
  • rparisrparis Member Posts: 368
    What gas mileage do most RX owners obtain for highway driving and also for a combination of highway/city?
  • avery1avery1 Member Posts: 373
    I have a '99 AWD and use 87. Get 22 on flat freeway going 75. Around town with hills it is around 16.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    After this happened to me a few times I developed the habit of double clicking even in the garage.
  • mooretorquemooretorque Member Posts: 241
    About the same as avery1, in the same car (99 AWD w LSD); lifetime average mileage (never been reset) at 54k is 17.2 (lots more city than hwy miles).
  • borg1of2borg1of2 Member Posts: 90
    I am averaging 20.7 MPG. Average over the last 4+ years on my 99 RX. I drive mostly in the city, with weekend trips, frequent, on the highway. I use Amoco Ultimate 93 Octane.
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,726
    My wife's '02 awd averages 17-18mpg using 87 octane. Almost all local driving. Last mixed trip (170 miles, 75% highway) averaged 22mpg, averaging 70ish mph.

    '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...)

  • rparisrparis Member Posts: 368
    On original equipment tires about how miles are fellow RX drivers obtaining before having to replace the tires. Mine need replacing at about 37,000 miles with about 1/2 city and 1/2 highway driving. Is this typical?

    Also, if the tires are replaced with Michelin's how many miles are being obtained?
  • mooretorquemooretorque Member Posts: 241
    If those are the LackingIntegritys from Goodyear, 37k is certainly OK. I took ours off at 25k with maybe 5k remaining (est)and replaced with the CrossTerrains. Now have 28k on them and they are at about half depth. Highly recommended.
  • erik_herik_h Member Posts: 77
    Mine had this problem as well, I thought it was a computer problem. The tech diagnosed the problem in 2 minutes. The Door acutator was not working always. The dealer goodwilled me a new one on my '99 RX. If your interior light only comes on sometimes when you open your door this could be your issue ? The vehicle thinks you are still inside so it leaves the headlights on.
  • mikey00mikey00 Member Posts: 462
    It's actually my fault for leaving the door ajar. I just think the RX should be smart enough to turn off the headlights before killing the battery, especially since my Alero does it at half the price.
  • ke2feke2fe Member Posts: 37
    I have put 91000 miles on my 2000 RX300. I am on my third set of tires (Michelin XT) and recently changed the timing belt and water pump. I still have the orignal brakes and spark plugs. I change the oil every 7000 miles with Mobil 1 and a Toyota oil filter.

    The car has been a dream.

    What is doing with your RX300?

    Ke2Fe
  • kmhkmh Member Posts: 143
    Yep. had the same issue. The actuator would never indicate that the door was open so the lights stayed on the whole time. Luckily, this was covered under warranty and I believe there was a Technical Service Bulletin too.
  • xcarnutxcarnut Member Posts: 81
    How can you tell RX300 is FWD or AWD when buying a used RX300 and do not have access to the dealer/mfg pasted sheet on the window ?

    I know lifting its rear end and looking at the differential will of course be one way but are there any clues from inside or looking for some badge in rear or something similar ?
  • mooretorquemooretorque Member Posts: 241
    mikey, I suspect that the Lex was designed that way, simply so that if you (well, wifey) is unloading various and sundry items purchased during a hard day of shopping, the lights don't go off till she's finished. But I agree (having had to come home to jump the RX when my wife had done the same thing), I'd rather the lights were timed whether the door was open or not.

    xcarnut, on my 99 there's no way to differentiate, but the rear diff is easily visible beneath the car. It looks sort of like a black, ribbed pumpkin in the middle of the rear axle and the RX sits up high enough that you need not stand very far behind it to see it.
  • mikey00mikey00 Member Posts: 462
    Who did your timing belt and how much did it cost?
  • borg1of2borg1of2 Member Posts: 90
    I have 65K Miles on my 99 RX, I'm on my second set of tires. The first made it to 50K, not bad. I put on Duellers and I am very happy with them. I have done any timing belts or other higher mileage work on it yet. My belts are squealing a little now, so I will probably have it looked at.

    I love it!!
  • folomypath02folomypath02 Member Posts: 13
    I'm a newbie here and have been reading some of the great postings here. Thanks to all for the information and guidance. I just got a new 2003 RX300. It is a beauty. It is White and interior is Ivory. It will mainly be for my wife but I think its a great ride. I believe we were able to get a good deal becuase the 2004 RX330 will be at the dealers at the end of March. So the deldaler had about 8-9 2003 RX300's to sell. Dealers are working with you to get them sold. We have a loaded RX300 (Premium Plus Value Package) but does not have the navigation. We didnt really think we needed it. Overall we are happy. I wanted to wait to see the RX330 but im sure they will be selling at or close to MSRP. My wife was happy with the current model anyways. Is there anyone out there who decided to go with a 2003 RX300 instead of waiting for the 2004 RX330?
  • marys235marys235 Member Posts: 23
    How much did you pay for your 2003 RX300? Did they come down quite a bit, due to the new 330's coming out?
  • lease_rx300lease_rx300 Member Posts: 5
    I'm thinking about leasing the RX300 and was wondering if anyone could help me with the lease info. I'm being offered:
    2003 RX FWD with Value Package (all but NAV)
    Cap Cost: 32,000
    Residual: 20,000
    Monthly Pmt: 413 plus tax.

    Any advise is greatly appreciated! Anyone who wants to post their lease experiences/deals feel free!
  • bigorange30bigorange30 Member Posts: 1,091
    You might want to look back at post # 7092 to compare.
  • borg1of2borg1of2 Member Posts: 90
    How many miles and how many months is your lease for?

    Also, did they provide you with the what money factore they were using. Lexus did have a program going on in February for around .0020.

    If you go to the lease board here you can ask Car_Man what the official Lexus numbers are, you will get money factor and residual to verify they are at least offering what Lexus financial is offering.
  • lease_rx300lease_rx300 Member Posts: 5
    The lease in question is 12,000 mi. 36 months. They did give me a money factor of .00155

    I will ask Car_Man for the official Lexus numbers and then post them here.
  • kmhkmh Member Posts: 143
    Just looking at the manual and comparing to what's on my AWD RX the FWD RXs have a tractional control button next to the heated seats switch. I believe that the AWD model does not use or have the tractional control switch or that function. I don't know why the AWD RX doesn't have this switch/option but maybe someone else can. Oh, and this I believe only applies to '99-00 RXs.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Apparently back in 99/00 lexus felt that with all four wheels "driving" traction control wasn't necessary. Then when they added VSC accross the product line the FWD lost it trac button uniqueness.

    Lean down on the driver's side at the back and look at the inside of the opposite rear wheel. That accordian shaped rubber bellows surrounding the black (drive) shaft covers the CV joint. If it isn't there then it isn't AWD.

    I understand that all that the traction control did in FWD was to dethrottle the engine if the front wheels started to spin, over-run the rears, and the driver didn't lift the throttle quickly.

    In addition the AWD's viscous clutch will never tighten up and do its "job" (not that it ever does anyway) unless the front wheels are allowed to spin "out of control" for at least some brief period of time. So it would have been operationally detrimental for the 99/00 AWD to have a dethrottling style trac.

    Still is.
  • folomypath02folomypath02 Member Posts: 13
    Loaded with exception of Navigation. MSRP was about $40,431. Dealer came down to $35,300. I am leasing for 39 months, 15K/year. Monthly is about $430. I was very pleased with this dealer. My family has purchased cars from this dealer before so that customer loyalty helped as well as his need to get rid of his 2003 RX300's before the 2004's arrive later this month. I wanted to consider it but I couldnt pass up this deal. The car is pretty much loaded. I am looking forward in driving this one.
  • the_heidithe_heidi Member Posts: 17
    folomypath02, Does your price include tax, or any out of pocket money?
  • sorentocrazy22sorentocrazy22 Member Posts: 6
    Im looking to buy out someones lease for a white rx300 2001 with low average milage. If you are just going to turn this car back to the dealer, I would like to purchase the car from you. The dealers are robbing people on a daily basis and I refuse to participate. Please let me know at this format, so I could email you. Thanks BCM
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    We don't buy and sell on the Town Hall boards, thank you.

    tidester, host
  • folomypath02folomypath02 Member Posts: 13
    I put out of pocket $4000. This included tax, tags. Was this a good deal? Are you currently in the market for a 2003? The sales manager had given me a "high ball" quote. After about 5 hours of not returning his call, he called me and said he just received new rates and leases for the RX300. Go figure. It was March 3. Maybe lexus comes out with new lease specials and rates at the beginning of each month. I would like to know what luck you have had so far. Good Luck.
  • pschiffepschiffe Member Posts: 373
    Tidester, please pass along to appropriate Edmunds personnel: If I select my RX from the pull-down menus to determine the next maintenance service, 1999 Lexus RX 300 4 Dr STD Wagon , there is one omission and one addition which should be noted:

    1. add *oil drain plug gasket $.99* to parts list,
    replacement recommended at each oil change
    2. delete *retorque drive shaft bolts $5.70*, this applies only to the AWD model

    Otherwise, this is very helpful feature, you can click on this link and try it:

    Edmunds Maintenance Guide

    Pete
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Thanks for the info - let me put in a plug for our feedback feature by asking you to try out the Feedback Form!

    tidester, host
  • kmhkmh Member Posts: 143
    My RX, going on 70K miles, feels like it starting to lose some of its luxury ride and comfort. I'm thinking of replacing the shocks and struts but want to know the experiences of other owners before I plunk down the cash.

    Does anyone have opinions on which brand I should get? Please know that I don't really care to have a stiffer suspension put in - just merely get back the "new" car ride I had in the past.

    thanks.
  • pschiffepschiffe Member Posts: 373
    Thanks, I used the Feedback Form to report my comments from #7142 above. I'll check back at a later date to see if they were adopted.

    Pete
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Just drove from Portland to Seattle in our 01 AWD RX300, odo 25k, 17x8 wheels, larger tires, A/C compressor unplugged, roof rack cross rails stored, 87 octane.

    Initial MPG at 100 miles average speed of 69 was 23.2 MPG. Final numbers, 168 miles, average speed of 63, was 23.5 MPG.

    Not bad, IMMHO.
  • shmerlslashmerlsla Member Posts: 1
    I have a brand new RX300 with just 1200 miles and it's been back to the dealer 3 times for alignment, tracking, & driveability issues.

    Basically, the car doesn't drive straight. It feels like the back and front wheels are not in sync and/or the wheels are so independent that any change in the road surface sends the car in another direction regardless of where you have the steering wheel pointed. It's really odd and nothing I have ever experienced and I've been driving cars for 35 years and a harley for 11 years.

    Instead of cruising and guiding the steering wheel, I find my hands gravitate to 10 and 2 on the steering wheel with my arms flexed in order to hold the car in line. I am constantly making minor, but constant, adjustments because the car keeps making changes in direction on it's own.

    Long drives are out of the question. Too exhausting. Not to mention potentially dangerous at highway speeds on particularly on turns. It takes constant attention to keep the car in the center of the lane. As soon as you drift into auto-pilot I find the car off to one side or the next. It's just impossible to relax and cruise.

    Unlike every other car I've owned or rented, you cannot simply kick back and hold the wheel in one hand lightly and cruise. It's a constant drive and correction while you feel the car intermitantly shift underneath you. Very odd and disconcerting.

    The 1st service they re-aligned the wheels and adjusted tire pressure.

    The 2nd service they found a camber bolt needed replacing, which really improved the drive but only for a couple weeks, when the drive started to deteriorate, so I brought it back today.

    But wait there's more... I got loaners each time and got a different RX300 both times. Each of them drove the same way! That's 3 RX's all with the same drive problem! Something is very wrong...

    But... they temporarily fixed mine, which means it is apparently addressable. It feels like between the camber, alignment, independent suspension and steering something is unstable. OH... and having a full or half full tank can make a difference in how pronounced this problem is. Odd.

    But get this... one of the of the asst service mgrs has an RX and confided that he knew what I was talking about and changed the wheels and tires to improve the tracking problem.

    The mechanic that found the defective camber bolt told me that if I changed my tires to get a size wider. I could tell from our frank discussion that he knew what I was going through...

    Now... I ask you.. how many dealerships do you know where the service dept tells you to change tires and/or wheels on a brand new $40,000 car to make it drive right?

    Because of the fact that I've experienced the same problem in 3 RX300s, plus I've had 2 friends and a mechanic drive them and experience this, I'm convinced that a coincidence is too unlikely and that Lexus has a driveability issue, if not a manufacture's defect, that may require a recall.

    I know how many folks LOVE their RX's and I don't mean to take anything away from them. I REALLY want to love mine too, I paid a lot of money for mine and need a car that can drive straight, but the drive on mine is a drag.

    Today's loaner was an ES300 and as soon as I got it out on the street I could instantly feel that the car was in sync and rolling down the road straight. I never get that feeling with my RX or the 2 other RX loaners I drove. There is something very wrong. And I bet we'll see a recall sometime in the future...

    Steven

    PS.. BTW, the tires on mine (and the loaners) are the OEM Goodyears.
  • mrrogersmrrogers Member Posts: 391
    Steven,
         Car & Driver magazine mentioned the problem in their RX300 long term test. You can read it at www.caranddriver.com. On this site, some owners claim that if you ask your Lexus dealer in a nice way, they will replace the Goodyears with Michelin Cross Terrains at their expense. Good luck!
  • heywood300heywood300 Member Posts: 1
    I researched this board for info and input on pricing and deals. I just purchased a rx 300. list 38259, invoice 33,589 paid 34,000.
    dealer financing 0 down, 3.9 for 60 months.

    ( Dealer said that using Lexus financing has a $500 charge back to them, so this was actually below invoice)

    While shopping I mentioned the issue of $100 dollar oil changes here, he said he just got a factory memo that oil changes will be $29 going forward. Maybe someone from corporate does review this board!
  • jrynjryn Member Posts: 18
    What's been the actual experiece of RX 300 owners in taking their vehicles off paved roads?

    I'm not talking about rock hopping or other heavy duty off-roading.

    But how, in the real world, have your RX's worked out, say, driving on Florida and North Carolina beaches that are 4-wheel drive only and on national and state park dirt roads (esp. when they haven't recently been graded), and in the snow.

    Is it a vehicle that you need to drive gently (like a Camry that just happens to have 4-wheel drive) so you don't shake it apart or can you push it a bit (like a 4-Runner, just not quite as hard)?

    The recent posting citing the Car and Driver long-term road test has given me some pause, since it seems to suggest that taking an RX off-road even in the situations I've described overtaxes the suspension and leads to alignment issues.

    Any thoughts on whether the RX is as good, not as good, or better than the many vehicles built by other manufacturers since the RX was introduced (e.g., the BMW X5, M-B 320/350, Acura MDX, Volvo XC90, etc.)?

    Looking forward to your responses.
  • learn2flylearn2fly Member Posts: 16
    Oh finally! Lexus has put in the feature so that drivers will not doze off on long drives. If car stays in straight line on long stretches of road, what guarantee that you will stay awake. I wish other manufacturers will follow suite :-)

    I got cheated! I did not get this feature in my 2002 RX!
  • jeffmust2jeffmust2 Member Posts: 811
    First thing I did after taking delivery of our '01 FWD RX300 was to change the Goodyears for Michelin Cross Terrains.

    The Goodyears are garbage tires with way too much sidewall flex. Shame on Lexus for forcing them on unwitting buyers on a $35-42k vehicle. From the auto shows, it appears the RX330 will come standard with Michelins but another few weeks and we'll know for sure.

    Steven - noticed that your list of the dealer's service attempts did NOT include checking the tires to see if they're within specs for being, well, "round."

    Perhaps your service writer did not, for some reason, want to send the vehicle to a local tire dealer for their most sophisticated tire balance and alignment using hardware (such as Hunter) not usually found at a dealership.

    You paid several thousand extra bucks over a similar Highlander to get Lexus service. Sit down with the dealership's general manager and, in a nice way, ask him to take the vehicle back and give you one that drives normally or, if he can't do that, refund 100% of your purchase price.

    You paid your money - it's up to Lexus to fix the problem 100% and not just a temp fix for a few weeks or months. Why waste your personal time?

    There's 300,000+ of these units on the street today and if 5% had the problem you describe in all three RX's that you have driven, there would be a lot of unhappy folks writing to this board that they'd never buy from Lexus again - and there are very few posts like that.

    Good luck and let us know what happens!
  • hoggrahnhoggrahn Member Posts: 7
    I too had tracking problems when I bought the 2000 RX300. It came with the Goodyear tires and the car pulled to the right and at higher speeds seem to float around from one lane to another. Fortunately, the service manager tested the car and agreed to put some Michelin LTX M/S tires at no cost to me, and the tracking problem was solved. I chose the Michelins based on postings on this board. I did however have another problem, increased tire noise. The tires were mud and snow tires and they were very loud.

    I just bought (3/8/03) the 2003 Rx300 complete, except without the Nav system, at a great discount ($32,673 minus trade) and find the same tires on the car as were on the 2000. At this time I don't have a tracking problem and the car has considerable less road noise than the 2000 with the Michelins and the ride is much smother.

    At the first sign of trouble with tracking I'll put the Cross Terrains on it. Based on others' experiences, are the Michelin Cross Terrains as quiet and smooth as the OEM Goodyears? I'm afraid the tires will generate more noise and not be as smooth. Of course I'm sure they will track much better. Please provide some comments.

    For those who are interested, my 3000 had a total average MPG after 35,500 miles of 21mpg.
  • rlui1rlui1 Member Posts: 93
    I know someone who leased a used ES 300. Has anyone heard of leasing a used car. Maybe this was a special situation where my friend has a connection at Toyota.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Maybe (more likely than not) someone out there will disagree, but the RX is not intended to be an off-road vehicle, but certainly not the boulder climbing type, nor does Lexus market it as such.

    The current AWD RX SHOULD BE an excellent wintertime adverse roadbed condition vehicle but it is NOT!

    Lexus is (hopefully)in the process of correcting this serious design oversight/neglect with the RX330 (see separate thread) to be in the showrooms April 1.

    The AWD RX300 is basically still a FWD vehicle, 90/10 F/R instantaneous torque distribution, as high as 75/25 with prolonged front wheel slippage, and with all the adverse roadbed condition safety issues associated with FWD.

    The X5 is likely the best of the best, with the ML series coming in a close second. If it's strickly AWD performancce you need and you don't want to wait to see if the RX330 VSC/Trac firmware is aggressive enough the Chrysler AWD minivans will yeild stellar AWD performance in comparison to the current RX model.
  • kapouchkapouch Member Posts: 4
    Looking to take advantage of what I think should be excellent purchase opportunity on 2003 RX 300 (w/o NAV) as new 330's start rolling in. Dealer offering me a RX 300 (all options, but NAV) for "$400. above dealer cost" at $35,400. Seems like a good price, not a great price. Anyone seeing better pricing out there?
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    My dealer in Houston has the RX330 in they go onsale officially on Friday.
  • devlopperdevlopper Member Posts: 44
    I've noticed you mentioned the Chrysler minivan AWD system often. I'm wondering how that system compares to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. I had a 99 model and was very impressed with it's snow driving capabilities. Needless to say, I've been more than dissappointed with my RX300 when driving on snow. Even worse is the Goodyear OEM's that will keep me from shopping for another one. That is an insult to a luxury car buyer.
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