New (Used) Rx Made A Funny Noise

[japanesebob]

We picked up our new car today and are immensely pleased with it, and with ourselves for choosing it.

The car is a 2003 RX300 with 95000 miles on the clock. It is very clean and to be fair, the interior is like a brand new car, incredible. The MOT has a few advisories, mostly about bits of corrosion here and there, which I expected.

After collecting it I filled up with petrol and when we got a couple of miles from where we bought it it started making 'a funny noise.' At first it felt and sounded a little like a flat tyre, then the warning light came on for "system malfunction." It was a sort of juddering noise and feeling.

After a few minutes we drive the car 28 miles home on motorway and A roads and it was perfect, although the warning light remained illuminated.

There is no service history with this car, but it had an oil, oil filter and air filter change before I bought it.

Any thoughts on the funny noise?

[royoftherovers]

If the warning light was yellow, it is advising you to take the vehicle for attention.

If it was Red, then you must have it looked at immediately.

Either way, I would advise that you take it back immediately to the Dealer from whom you bought the vehicle and demand that he correct whatever needs to be corrected (inc the funny noise) asap at no cost to you.

Good luck

Regards

John

[japanesebob]

Thank you John, I appreciate the reply. It was yellow, and I think the noise was something to do with the brakes, perhaps because the car has been stood a while. I will take it back at my earliest opportunity.

[japanesebob]

Well I have an idea now what it is - having looked at the plethora of advisories on the previous MOT's it seems likely to be the "rear off side brake grabbing."

I'm sure sure it's a decent motor, despite the advisories for various bits of corrosion. I hope it works out for us with this car.

[Boxbrownie]

Is the funny noise a sort of low growl when pulling away from standstill occasionally?

[nelmo]

Crikey, very brave buying a 95k miler with no service history Does it mean it's never been serviced or just no book with it?

I hope you at least asked Lexus to check the car on their system? I'd be amazed if it hadn't been to a dealer at least once in it's life...

[japanesebob]

No, it's not a low growl, it's definitely the brakes grabbing on huge rear off side.

To be honest Neil from Surrey, I wanted to buy a lovely big Skoda I found on autotrader but it was in Shakespeare country, a good three hours away. I did look at an rx with full service history in Bury (as in the world famous market, and black puddings) but it looked as if the previous owner had been off roading with a car full of small children - it was knackered and had suffered five owners. The one I did buy had a mere three owners, and in suspect one was a dealer.

I will be taking the car to the dealer next week - the dealer's exact words were "do not worry, it is my duty to put it right." I think I will let him 'fix' it and then take it to my local trustworthy mechanic who will tell me the truth!

I do hope it turns out all right, it is a lovely car and the best quality I could afford, I think.

The truth is, I put plushness of interior before all else. This rx was the only car within my price range that came close to the luxury interior of the Skoda I was tempted by.

[Jaspersilus]

Hi

had grabbing rear brake on my RX300, had a local garage in lakes try and fix it, got a big bill but the useless wretches stripped and rebuilt the caliper, despite me saying check the handbrake cable for stretch, anyway the handbrake cable was stretched so ordered a new cable and was fixed.

It is a dangerous fault and can lock the rear wheel, the parking brake on a RX holds the brakes off when released and allows the spring loaded parking brakes to engage when applied.

I may be wrong, its happened before according to my wife!

Also, as soon as poss get 5 litres of type4 transmission fluid from Toyota dealer, toyota type4 only NOTHING ELSE, do a drain end change on the gearbox, also get rear diff and transfer fluids changed, front diff shares type4 with gearbox on my mark 1, not sure on mark2.

Obviously if you re wealthy get someone to do this for you, if not join clublexus.com and look at the instructionals on how to look after it yourself properly.

Cheers Jason

Also, only use fully synthetic for oil changes, the original recommended oil causes sludging of this engine, think its 10w 40, use a 0w-30 or 0w-40!

[nelmo]

To be honest Neil from Surrey, I wanted to buy a lovely big Skoda I found on autotrader but it was in Shakespeare country, a good three hours away.

The truth is, I put plushness of interior before all else. This rx was the only car within my price range that came close to the luxury interior of the Skoda I was tempted by.

Skoda? Luxury interior? You're looking at very different Skoda's to the one's I've seen

Bit of a strange jump, from a Skoda to an RX - very different cars in all respects and, to be honest, you might be better off with the Skoda if money is an issue. The Skoda will be cheaper to insure and will almost certainly save you a small fortune in petrol in the long run.

I never understand the reluctance to travel to see a car - you're spending thousands on a car but you don't want to spend £50 to go check out a possible better alternative? I've often travelled a couple of hours to buy...although admittedly I've always done all my checks before I go etc.

[japanesebob]

Jason, many thanks for your advice. Neil, yep, skoda with very plush interior! I looked at a couple of skodas 'superbs' and was very impressed. Even after driving my lovely Lexus for a few weeks I would still consider a superb in the future. Not a white one, obviously, that would just look like a taxi! But seriously, if occurred ever get chance, cast your eye over one, they really are luxurious cars for the price. As for travelling to view potential purchases, I agree, previously I have driven from Manchester to South of Leicester to view a car. Unfortunately at the time I was considering buying the RX my wife was days from a C-section, I was trying to finish building a patio and the truth is I rushed things and didn't do the checks I usually would. I did return the car to the dealer, they have furnished me with new front brake disks and pads and new rear brake shoes. The rear callipers still look horrible and I suspect they may need replacing at some stage, but the dreadful noise and grabbing rear brakes seem to have been solved.

[Duncan Roberts]

Back to the dealer forthwith. His to cure, not yours to conjecture.

[Boxbrownie]

It is a dangerous fault and can lock the rear wheel, the parking brake on a RX holds the brakes off when released and allows the spring loaded parking brakes to engage when applied.

I may be wrong, its happened before according to my wife!

The parking brake mechanism on the RX is exactly the same as any other parking brake system (apart from the foot actuator ala MB rather than a hand operated lever), the cable pulls on the brake shoes forcing them apart and onto the drum assembly, when released there is a small return spring inside the assembly which pulls the relaxed shoes away from the drum, no different from any other system.

There is no way if the parking brake fails the brake "locks the wheels".......you have been misinformed, probably by those "useless wretches" who cocked it up in the first place.

It is possible you were told the parking brake cable had seized thus holding the brakes on (or at least making them bind), but this is a fault that can happen to any parking brake bowden type cable.

[japanesebob]

Corks, hope I haven't caused a row between you all about handbrake cables - the car has been fine since and I've been enjoying cleaning every nook and cranny of it all day.

[Boxbrownie]

Of course not.............as long as your happy cleaning your nooks and crannies!