RxMike

Can't belive it. Only live in Crawley and would have loved to make a quick drive down to Southampton, but have to keep going to bl**dy Toronto all summer due work. Was only briefly back tonight and have just read what I missed. Off again in the morning back to Toronto. Michael, thanks alot for your relentless persual of this problem and it is re-assuring to know that Lexus are now looking at this issue with a hopeful view to sorting it out. Shall be looking out on this thread as much as possible to see what happens. By the way, anyone who's interested, the Lexus RX330 seems to outnumber X5's etc by at least 5 to one in my estimation in Canada - well downtown Toronto anyway. Have seen only one rx400 on the road there though, a white one. Toodle pip, back on Sunday so will see if anymore has developed by then RxMike.

Thanks scorcher Didn't realise such repair kits existed. I'll pop down Halfords and have a look. Still havn't found who the guilty party is yet! RxMike

I have owned an RX300 SEL for 18 months now and have to say that I am very pleased with the car over all. It is beautifully put together and performs its role in our household very well indeed. Does exactly what it says on the box. Like anything mechanical there are a few minor issues, but these are things that would probably go unnoticed by most owners / drivers anyway. I don't mean to sound condescending with that remark its just that I'm a bit of a perfectionist and like my vehicles to be that way aswell. At the moment there is only one real issue that I would like Lexus GB to sort out, and that's the gear change issue at low speed, (see thread), but this alone has not stopped me enjoying the car. I would certainly recommend anyone to buy one. I personally feel that its better than the rest in many ways and the Lexus staff are generally very helpful, polite, courteous and keen to try and resolve any issues and questions their customers may have, which is a lot better than the shaeful flannel I've been given by their German counterparts having owned many a German car in the past. In summary: YES, I'M VERY HAPPY WITH MY LEXUS RX300 THANK YOU RxMike :winky:

Hi again After being out of the Lexus for a couple of weeks, I've got back in to find that someone has left a few marks on the dash on the passenger side. When I tried to clean them off, I have discovered that they are in fact very slight graze marks to the dash leading edge right above the glove box. Although only slight, and the wife swears she hasn't done it (yeah right!), I now find my eye keeps being drawn to them as the vehicle is otherwise unblemished. Would be grateful if anyone knows if there is some kind of repair that can be made to this material to restore the leatherette type finish in this area. As I say the marks are only very slight and superficial, they have no depth, so to speak, but I have not been able to shift them even using that 'orrible Armour All dash cleaner. I like my cars to be imaculate, but have never had to deal with a problem like this before. Just spare a thought for the poor sole who did it when I find out Thanks :winky:

Dear All Just wondering if anyone may have experienced some noise from the ac compressor. Sometimes when I accelerate or slow through 1250 rpm on the guage, I am hearing a slight whirring / screech from the ac pump. The noise is eminating from under the bonnet area, and is not there if I turn the ac off. I'm wondering if it may be the pulley or the belt driving it? The noise is only slight and has only just started and I'm a little concerned that it could be something more sinister that is wrong with the pump, but the ac seems to be working fine apart from this occasional odd little noise as the engine passes through 1250 rpm. Any ideas or similar problems experienced I would be grateful for the info Thanx in advance RxMike B)

Realspeed Appreciate your comments but if you read my previous post you'll see that the car still lurches even in manual, regardless of the gear selected, also, as Damian points out you literally have to only breath on the throttle pedal and the car will lurch. It's a real pain and you find yourself unconciously tensing-up in anticipation of whats coming. I'm certainly not a 'lead foot' driver but to have a throttle pedal as sensitive as this is unsatisfactory. I think its simply a case of the gearbox selecting first gear when it should be selecting, or remaining in second. I've found that the ECT SNOW mode is the only way to work around the problem at the moment, but this is not something I want to be doing as a long term solution to the problem. The car is faultless in every other respect and I would still recomend others to buy this car if it were on their shopping list. The dealer service in my experience is second to none. Mike :)

That explains why they didn't work to well then. Thanx for the info. Just put them on the mini aswell during my trip to Le Mans and I kept getting flashed then as well. The mini has Xenon lights as well. At least having them stuck on the lens will keep the old bill happy if you should be stopped. Mike

I think you have to disable the swively function of the lights and then stick a beam converter onto the front lens. Thats what I did when I drove mine in France last year and all seemed well, but I was still flashed by cars coming the other way as beam converters don't seem to do very much IMHO.

The problem is only noticable when the car is slowed to below approx 10 - 12 mph, then without stopping, if the accelerator pedal is depressed to move away again, thats when it will suddenly snatch. Otherwise I agree, the gearbox is silky smooth at all other times. The problem becomes most noticable if you slow to the above speed when passing over a series of closely spaced sleeping policemen. The only way around it is to select the ECT SNOW mode on the gearbox. This desensitises the gas pedal and I belive prevents the gearbox selecting first gear if the car is still moving forward in an effort to prevent inadvertant wheel spin in icing conditions. I have tried to alleviate the problem by selecting say 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th, but the gearbox will always select a lower gear it requires regardless of your 'manually' selected gear, thus this approach does not prevent the problem from occuring. i.e. You can't actually pull away from a sub 10 mph speed again in 5th. The gearbox will actually be using a lower gear than what is displayed in the gear selected window on the dash. It would be interesting if you could try a little experiment on a quite road next time you're out and post the results for us all. Try slowing to below 10 mph without actually stopping, say 5 - 8 mph, and then pull away again and see what happens. It is worth noting that if the gas pedal is squeezed ever so very lightly, then the problem may not occur, but in every day driving conditions this is fairy impracticle and sometimes simply not just possible during normal traffic conditions. Leave the gearbox in auto mode and make sure the ECT SNOW mode is off when you try this. A long straight road is an ideal test area, preferably with ramps fairly closely spaced, such as some residential areas. I for one will be pleasantly surprised if you CANNOT replicate the problem which is driving a lot of us mad. I look forward to your results if you can find the time to try this out for us all Thanks Mike G :winky:

Have just filled in a Lexus customer satisfaction survey that I recently recieved. Have in no uncertain terms explained the problem and that many users of the car are experiencing it. Have asked that a representative of Lexus GB contact me directly as my dealer is unable to help me further with this problem and that a gearbox reset does not fix it. Have also asked that they look at this web site in order to read all the threads that we have collectively posted on this subject. I live in Crawley but would be happy to let them drive my RX also if they wish. Just don't know if I can get to you on the day as I work a varied shift pattern. Will let you know if I hear anything from Lexus GB. Regrads all Mike

Hello again all I have suffered with this problem on my RX300 SEL from day one. Noticed it after I had the car from new within about three weeks. Have posted many threads on the subject in this forum as well as having the odd exchange of emails from other RX users with the same problem. My car had its first service about two months ago, (9,000 miles) during which the dealer sorted some minor problems, rattles etc. I told him abouth this matter, having been in contact with them previously on this subject. They disconnected the battery in order to reset the intelligent gearbox, but having already tried this when the car was about six months old, THIS FIX DOES NOT WORK. I must admit that I like the car alot, but i am sick and tired of Lexus GB not seeming to be concerned about this issue. My dealer who I fell is very good, scanned the Lexus database on this issue and said that there was nothing to report even though they have had a few of their RX customers reporting the same problem. I will happily approach Lexus GB on this matter as a group (strength in numbers) as there is most definately an issue with the gearbox selecting too low a gear when pulling away from slow speed which results in the snatch with which we are all too familiar. Lexus would be wise to at least contact us on this matter and reassure us that they are at least looking at a fix to this problem. Turning a blind eye to this is not the answer from what is supposed to be a luxury motor manufacturer. We are not happy. Regards RxMike

Mines done it from day one. See thread 'Rx300 my experience so far' Had it services last month fro the first time. Dealer removed and refitted the A pillar cover on the front pax side and tidied up the wiring behind, but it has not solved the problem. I believe the top of the dash has to be fully removed to stop it, and I asked the dealer not to do this as I didn't want any more rattles to appear as a result. Seems to be worst during the cold weather - cabin temp below 10 C - not really a problem during the summer months Tally Ho

ECT SNOW on the Rx 300. ECT = Electronically Controlled Transmission. SNOW = For driving in potentially slippery / snow / icing conditions. Press this button when driving in above conditions to reduce the onset if inadvertant wheel spin. It desensitises the throttle pedal and also prevents the Rx from selecting first gear as it will force the gearbox to pull away from standstill using second gear. Can be used all the time and will not increase fuel consumption as it purely manages the gear changes and throttle sensetivity. Incidently, using this mode is the only way to prevent the gearbox lurching from slow speed starts, (see other threads), so it is useful if driving in slow spped traffic conditions. Hope this helps RxMike.

You will have to have the vehicle's camber adjusted to take into account driving on the other side of the road. Again this is not difficult. The headlights may have to be replaced with uk spec type as it may not be possible to simply adjust them to the left due to the refraction properties of the lens. My friend brought in an Audi TT from Germany and had to do this to get it registered on a uk plate. I think you can get an information pack on this topic from the vehicle licencing agency which outlines what will need to be done. Good luck RxMike

The Rx is bad at the back in grotty weather granted. But nothing gets dirtier as quick as a Mini. The no. plate often gets so bad you can't read it. Check out the back of a few Minis next time you see them after bad weather, then you won't feel so bad about the Rx Mike

Bought mine at the launch during last years NEC motor show. I've stuck the small magnetic disc on the dash just above the sat nav screen and use the coil type power lead from the lighter to power it. I the push the lead into the air vent on the right side of the screen, only enough so that it stops pulling on the road angel unit itself and thus stops it swiveling around when in use. This way it can be removed and installed again in no time, I found the windscreen mount looked too gash and was not so easy to keep removing when parked up. Works a treat although sometimes it can take a little while to first aquire a signal. RxMike

Mike, I had a noise/squeak coming from the rear when driving which was driving me nuts, I too thought it was the shelf (which it wasn't). I finally tracked it to the rear seat armrest, when in the up position it was creaking as it rubbed against the adjoining seats, I simply lowered the armrest and no more squeaking! This may or maynot be your problem but as you did so much work on the lurching gearbox I thought I at least had to try and help. Regards Roger. ← Roger Thanx for the info, I will put this to the test, but I think its the actual trim on the inside of the tailgate itself. I suspect the tailgate door is not always pulling itself as hard closed as it should - hence the creak, but will try the armrest in the back all the same Thanx Mike

Dear all I'd thought I would update this thread a little as it was started by me a long time ago and seems to have been viewed with some interest. My RX 300 SEL is now 10 months old and has covered 7000 miles. It will be going back to the dealer for its first service shortly. During this time the car has started to bed in well. A few rattles and creaks have come and gone and now there are only really two cabin noises that I intend to have looked at next service. One is a small rattle from the dash in the vicinity of the glove box when the cabin temp is below approx 15 C and the other is more of an intermittant creaking from the tailgate, after it is closed. Its definatly the tailgate as the noise can appear with or without the rear parcel shelf cover thingy fitted. I believe Lexus are aware of the dash rattle and a TSB is in effect to rectify it. Other than these minor points the rest of the cabin is faultless and quiet. I have a few stone chips on the front of the bonnet and the car seems to collect them in this area quite easily. My dealer is aware of this and was not slow in coming forward to have the problem addresssed and looked at as a possible warranty issue, but this will no doubt be raised at its first service soon. I am a little reluctant to have the bonnet respayed due to possible colour match differences, but I also don't want the bonnet of my car carrying too many stone chips. The rest of the vehicles paint is excellent, maybe I've just been unlucky with the leading edge of the bonnett. I had an issue with an intermittant rough gear change when accelerating away from slow speed. Basically the car seemed to snatch from 1st into 2nd gear causing a slight lurching motion. A fix from Lexus was to disconnect the battery for a short period to reset the learning capabilities of the gearbox. There is quite a lengthy thread on this subject so I will not cover it here suffice to say that the car seems a lot smoother since this was done, yet it is possible under the right conditions to force the car to lurch when accelerating from slow speed if driven in an (in)appropriate manor. I know this gearchange issue has been quite an imotive subject on this forum, it certainly concerned me for a while, yet in general I find the cars transmission to be silky smooth and certainly not a cause for concern for prospective purchasers as some threads i have read may have you believe. I have found a small area of surface corrosion around the base of the rear offside gas strut. I don't know if anyone else has got this? I appreciate this is well inside the wheel arch behind the wheel but what anoys me is that is it just visable above the 12 O clock position above the tyre when viewed from the side. I have not told my dealer of this yet, I'll wait until the next service. All of the above only really highlights the small problems that I have noticed with the car in the last 10 months. It does not say what a pleasure this car is to own and drive, that is something that can only be experienced for yourself. I suspect that most of the people that read this may be thinking to purchase one of these vehicles. Since new I have not returned this car to the dealer once in nearly a year other than to have a rear brake light switch replaced following a recall notice,(See 'great service' thread), yet the car has been 100% reliable. The above really is the worst I can find in this vehicle and I am confident that even these small issues will be resolved at its first annual service. I will update this thread as time goes on and my experience with the car and the servicing continues, but for now I'm very pleased. RxMike. :D

Stating the obvious I know, but the front and rear defog buttons on the opposide side of the consul light up in orange when depressed. Mike

John In answer to your econ question. The car has now done 7000 miles. My driving consists mostly of round town with the odd few short trips down the motorway. I never tend to take the car over 70 mph unless I overtake, tending to try and keep the cruise control on with speed set to about 67mph on the speedo. Generally the car returns around 24/25mpg with this type of driving per tank, more if I do more motorway miles. If I 'Gas It' around town which I did for one tank just to see the results I got a return of 20.9mpg, but this was driving with no concern for the fuel consumption whatsoever and quite honestly also results in a pretty unpleasant ride in this type of vehicle. (I use the mini cooper for gassing it, and that is only returning 26.9 mpg in this cold when driven hard!). THE UP SIDE: I have done a couple of long distance drives with practically nothing except motorway and duel carriage ways, again using the cruise control at around 67-75 mph I returned regular figures of 30.9 and 31.5 mpg which I think is exceptionally good for this type of vehicle with this size engine. On one occasion I recall a figure of 32 mpg! I have noticed that the colder ambient temperatures of late have caused the fuel consumption to go up in the order of approx 2 mpg/tank, but this is to be expected in colder weather. Generally I feel the car has good economy for its size and the published figures of 16.7 mpg urban for this vehicle I feel are total rubbish. You would have to do kick down gettaways every time to see this type of consumption me thinks. Hope this helps Mike

Damian Mines a 2004 300 SEL and the auto light is always green when the system is functioning. I've never seen it change to any other colour. This is obviously a new feature on a later model. Not much help really and you probably knew this already ;) Regards RxM

I agree. I always wear my belt, however if I need to move the car only small distances which sometimes I do, the beep becomes more than just an anoyance, I find it quite offensive. I'm glad it can be silenced and I will probably silence it now. I've never had to put up with noise like this in the past in order to make me wear a belt, and I don't intend to start now. Thanks for the info Regards all RxMike Ps do the seat belt warning lights still flash once you do this fix or are they switched off as well? I don't mind those keep flashing.

My RX is faultless. Have a 300 SE-L from new and have now covered 7000 miles in it. It has one or two very minor rattles in it, all of which I believe can be easily rectified by the dealer when I send it for annual service this March. I also looked at X5, XC90 and VW Toureg. I think RX is best looking of the lot and offers good value for money by comparison to these other models I am very happy with it and would recommed you buy one. RxMike :)

Ainsley Harriot has one. Saw it at my local dealer before he picked it up. They also sold Joanna Lumley her's alledgedly RxMike

Dear all I write this really for the benefit of the silent majority who may read these forums and might be looking to purchase a Lexus / Rx300. My Rx 300 was subject to a recall recently to replace a possible fault with a brake light switch. After booking the car in at my local dealer, Lexus Croydon, i went along to the dealership to have the work carried out. The work took about 35 mins, and whilst I drank coffee and read the paper, my car had the appropriate rectification. Not only this, the car was washed and valeted on the inside, I was given a complimentary bottle of champagne for the inconvenience and they also filled the fuel tank, (it was just below half when I took it in), to compensate me for the fuel used in getting to them to have the work done, even though I only live 30 mins from the garage! I didn't expect anything from the garage at all except for the recall item to be fixed and felt most surprised and taken back by their hospitality and generosity. This is certainly a million miles from the service that I recieved from my local Audi dealership after I purchased a new Audi TT from them a few years back, and in hindsight, even further from the shoddy servicing and customer care I recieved from Audi ever since I started to drive Audi cars from when I was still a teenager. The RX 300 is a damned fine car and I'll bet there are prospective buyers out there looking at Rx300's and X5's and XC90's etc. Look no further, the Rx is better than the rest and I'll be very surprised if you get the kind of after sales care that Lexus afford not only their vehicles, but their customers as well. I drove & owned German cars all my life right up until I bought the Lexus, the first Japanese car I have ever owned. This was a big step for me, especially getting over the physcological hurdle of not spending the money on something German. Now the Germans would have to try damned hard to try and regain my trust and make me want to buy one of their cars again and quite honestly I don't think they could. Go on, buy the Rx 300 Mike G :D