Harold

Terry: I had my cam belt changed recently and asked Lexus to have a look around to see if they could find anything else wrong.Only other work that was necessary was a complete change of the automatic transmission oil plus change the strainer and gasket. Total cost £679.42 including VAT.(10% discount on parts)Labour was £588. I am not sure if it helps. Regards Harold

I would try Warranty direct who depending on your mileage will offer a much better rate cost wise. I have my Lexus GS (annual cost £305) and labour rate as per Lexus franchised dealer and Harrier/RX300(Annual cost on 60k = £290 - their network garage) insured with them and the cover seems comprehensive. I know the BMW club recommend them due to BMW extended warranty prices being so high similar to Lexus. Contact them www.warrantydirect.co.uk or 0800 731 7001 for a free quote and then compare the two policies. There is another company in the market now as well.Similar name but no doubt can be located via Google. Agree Lexus should be reliable but I suppose the FT and coffee and fancy showrooms have to be paid for somehow. Harold

I have a Harrier 1998 model and I believe yours will have what they call a T-track and wwuld suggest you go on the web and have a look at the Roof Rack Warehouse or similar company who do a version from Thule for the rx300 mk 1 1998 onwards which is the same vehicle as you and I have. Just go and have a look at any other Mk1 RX300 and you will seewhat I mean. FYI I have had a few queries as I only recently bought my Harrier and would suggets you post them on the RX300 site and you will find a good response from other members especially Terry whi is a real guru on our vehicle. good luck.

Terry pleased to say that the protector for the Mk 2 RX(black one) that I bought brand new on e-bay is fitted and looks the business. Thanks once again for your help on this. Harold

I wonder what trading standards or even the competition commission would make of a Toyota dealer saying that he must charge Lexus dealer prices because you have a Lexus. I am sure that one of the car programmes would be interested in such a statement.

:tsktsk: Lexus Hull have replaced the timing belt and changed the transmission oil but not much change from £680 !!!! :tsktsk: . Fingers crossed that problem now solved.Had gs450H as loan car but frankly prefer mine as more fun. Harold

B)--> QUOTE(T7RY B @ Jun 15 2007, 01:49 AM) ← Harold get hold of Luke at this website. He will help you out Luke link Terry: Thanks for the tip and contacted Luke who came back very quickly with his comments.No doubt will get sorted asap. Thanks Harold

Has anyone fitted a FM band expander to a Harrier . I do not want to listen to Radio 2 all day on FM and have the option to change to another station. Is it a big job and any pitfalls when buying one off e-bay.Thanks Harold

I had some a set of wiper blades "in stock" from Lidl and fitted one them at a total cost of 0.99p and it does the job very well. As Terry said just measure your old one and get them from Halfords or simialr auot shop, our local chap in Brigg when I needed front ones put on Bosch(cheaper than Halfords) and free fitting.He is also good for getting discounted parts.I only go to Lexus if no other option for specialist jobs.Just bought 8 NGK iridium plugs IFR6a 11 (new but unboxed) on e-bay for a total of £18 and Lexus wanted in excessof £9 each ???. Happy wiping :winky:

Well thanks Harold, must admit I hadnt thought of a Harrier. Are they reliable? What sort of things go wrong as they are now getting a bit long in the tooth? Dave Dave: The engine and gearbox is the same as the Lexus Mk1 also the body shape as it is basically the same vehicle but without the badge and perhaps a few of the goodies such as leather seats etc.depending on the model. As I understand it the Mk1 and Harrier are all built at the same plant.Therefore it will have the same problems as the Lexus Mk1 in terms of suspension and perhaps gearbox.If you are interested just go on the forum including US and read up the problems the RX has in that area.In terms of VFM you cannot beat it and if you wanted to you can buy the bits and rebadge it and it will look like a Lexus but at sensible money.Some people have done that.Just make sure you check the vehicle out thoroughly before buying and see if it has any service history. The problems with mine have been electrical so suggest you checkout the windows and door locks/central locking as the motors cost £150 a time. The headlights also tend to fog up.More than often or not the Jpaanese radio will only allow you to get Radio 2 but then you can get a band expander.I bought new brake discs and pads and now going for timing belt change at 60k as well as changing the transmission oil. Have also changed the oil and fliter and usual things such as spark plugs. Mine is a 98 and body and frame have stood up to the years and still well put together. If you are a bit of mechanic you get a workshop manual for not much money on CD on ebay and I found this excellent to do some bits such as door locks/windows etc. as you can print off the relevant pages.This will save you money. Sorry if long winded but I went through the same exercise 6 weeks ago and looked at Lexus initially but frankly speaking too much money when you can buy the same vehicle but with a Toyota badge. Harold

Hi: If you have 8k to spend might be worth looking at used Toyota Harrier as plenty around at that level and basically same vehicle as the Mk1 RX . Parts are readily available both from Toyota and Lexus and normally they will have sensible mileage as well.Try autotrader or similar sites.Have recently bought one to supplement my GS300 as I needed to replace an old mercedes 4x4 for transporting my dogs around. They think they are in heaven. Good luck. Harold

Chips: Thanks for the comments. The dealer has to order the timing belt and will take 2 -3 days.So will use the time to check out the OD switch.(The fault was there before removing battery.) Harold

I have found that after using the over drive function OFF that I was getting the O/D off warning light flashing. When switching the O/D back on the car would not change up to 4th gear nor was I able to use the manual select to try and override this. "M" light would also flash. I was therefore left with only 3 gears. If I left the vehicle for a while it appeared to return back to normal and I did not "touch" the O/D switch.The ATF fluid looked clean so have taken it to Lexus, unfortunately as I had disconnected the battery over the weekend no fault codes could be downloaded. The explanation they gave is that the transmission oil was possibly getting overheated and although the ATF was relative clean and at the right level possibly when it was changed in the past nothing was flushed and there is build up of swarf etc. in the system etc causing this. I have extensively read both the UK and US forums on transmission problems so have opted to go for them to replace the ATF as well as dropping the pan and cleaning out the sieve/mesh etc.Think this will be a wise premptive move and will have the timing belt changed at the same time although the car has only done 56k miles.Have also noticed the luching & hestitation problems on the auto which will have to learn to live with. I had my last 4x4 a Mercedes G 280 LWB 88 reg for the last 15 years with no problems as regards auto box etc. it only needed regular servicing with new exhausts and brake discs and the odd coil spring but drove like a truck but was totally reliable. The M class was not in the same league and owning a GS300 I thought I would stay Japanese. All in the work is scheduled to cost between £650& 700 at Lexus but it will give peace of mind but I suppose at a price.

Terry: Many thanks for that and will now go ahead and have battery checked as well. Harold

I understand that be disconnecting the battery that I might change some settings or delete some fault codes on the Mk1 or is it only the radio & clock that will be affected. Has anyone experienced problems of any kind ? Any comments appreciated. (Will use opportunity of possibly replacing battery anyway as not holding its charge too well.)

Does anyone know if the timing belt has to be changed at 60,000 miles or 100,000 miles or at a particular age. I have been told 60,000 miles or 6 years but others say 100,000 miles.My vehicle is over 6 years old and coming up to 60,000 miles now. I have no service record or booklet for the vehicle to check as only recently bought it.Any idea on expense and can it be carried out by any competent garage as Lexus are quoting £340 plus VAT which seems a lot to me.

Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Terry, Thanks and will see how I go.Have just discovered that after dis-engaging o/d button that when reverting back to o/d on, unable to change up to 4th gear or use steering wheel buttons to do a manual change. o/d sign in display keeps flashing.Have stopped vehicle and switched off and then retried and managed to get it changing o.k. upto 4th so keeping away from the o/d button at the moment. Manual switching also works again. Will see if Lexus Hull can plug it in and see if it is a fault with the electronics. Have just had to buy a new window motor for the rear offside window (£151)after a friendly local mechanic had a look after the window would not work. Just wondering if he had to disable the battery that somehow it has messed up some settings. Interesting times. Harold John: Thanks for pictures and it certainly looks the business ( as does your RX.) So will be going ahead and getting the protector now.Just a few more niggles to sort out with windows and auto. Harold

Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 12:32 PM) ←</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Harold if you don't get any satisfaction from Lexus in Hull then telephone Lexus Stockport (0161 480 0660) ask for Colin in parts. Tell him you spoke to Terry with the white RX. Also tell him that you are a member of LOC and he will probably give you a discount. He will also make sure that it is delivered to Lexus Hull for pick up. Terry Terry, Thanks and will see how I go.Have just discovered that after dis-engaging o/d button that when reverting back to o/d on, unable to change up to 4th gear or use steering wheel buttons to do a manual change. o/d sign in display keeps flashing.Have stopped vehicle and switched off and then retried and managed to get it changing o.k. upto 4th so keeping away from the o/d button at the moment. Manual switching also works again. Will see if Lexus Hull can plug it in and see if it is a fault with the electronics. Have just had to buy a new window motor for the rear offside window (£151)after a friendly local mechanic had a look after the window would not work. Just wondering if he had to disable the battery that somehow it has messed up some settings. Interesting times. Harold

B)--> QUOTE(T7RY B @ May 30 2007, 09:55 AM) ← Hi Harold, I have just spoken to Colin at Lexus Stockport and he assures me that the new shape model (rubber) will fit on the Mk1 shape. He has quoted £68.04 +VAT Hi Terry, Thanks very much for doing that and much more reasonable than the original one quoted to me by Lexus Hull at £132. Harold

Thanks for prmpt replies from you and will go to Lexus Hull today to compare my vehcile with Mk2 and will certainly investigate the e-bay option first before making a final decision. Have just bought a bootliner from Hatchbag.co.uk which excellent tailored fit and good customer service as well as quality plus Saunders mesh dog guard. The bumper protector will finish off making the car border collie resistant. :)

I wish to put the black type of rear bumper protection on my Mk 1 RX300 vehicle due to having two dogs and they will scatch same getting in. Lexus have told me they only do the shiny alu /metal type for the Mk 1 and that the black plastic/rubber type is for the later model Mk2. Does anyone have any experience fitting the later version for the Mk2 to the Mk1 Rx300. Unfortunately Lexus will not help or let me try one out from the Mk2 to see it will fit. Any input much appreciated.