djgrubber

I didn't even know that they had their own fluid. It is not about saving or not. I was curious how much fluid gets into the system because I need to flush it first and I wonder how much it takes... Plus it is a bit more convenient to order things online than go every time to the dealer which is at the end of the town in my case and loose an hour in traffic... I thought it was like with most other brands that as long as you buy the same specs it is all good. Although I know that for coolant Toyota long life is required which is a bit more special.

Hi All, Could someone please confirm how much power steering fluid is needed for RX300 ? Can you recommend any brand? I was thinking about: Motul or this one Mannol which is significantly cheaper but I have never heard of this brand before. I have also come across this: Opti Lube, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312730585179 Any suggestions ?

I have the following advisories on my MOT: Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c)) Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c)) Nearside Front Brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule (1.1.12 (f) (i)) Offside Front Brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule (1.1.12 (f) (i)) Is my thinking correct that brake hose and brake pipe are two different things? I thought I would replace both front and rear brake hoses cause there is some corrosion near to ferrule and also deal with break pipes at the same time. The garage would probably need to order break pipes locally. I know what you mean, but in this case it is not about quality. In the UK car parts for Lexus cars are totally overpriced when compared to US or EU market. Same thing applies to car parts for American cars if you order in the EU. I remember when I tried to get some parts for my muscle car and when I went to a shop with parts in an EU country they asked me for insane money, while from US together with import duties + VAt it was still 50% cheaper. The same applies to Lexus parts. Most sellers out there import the same staff and it is the same quality or the same brands, it just the UK price which is different and totally insane... (unfortunately...).

I will give them a call, many thanks!

Hi, I think it is time to replace brake hoses in my car. I was about to order some parts from US from Rockauto but they only have RX330 in their parts catalogue. My car is from 2005 and I was wondering if RX300 and RX330 are the same thing and I can order the hoses or are these models are different and it won’t work? I found a few sellers on EBay selling hoses for about 30-40 quid each while in US it’s about £10 so the difference in price is quite significant so I am tempted to give it ago. By the way has anyone replaced brake pipes in their cars? Is it a pricey job?

Hi Patrick, I am also based in Edinburgh. Have you found any good garage worth recommending?

Hi all, I am 100% sure now that this is a return hose. The leak is coming from the same pipe as shown in this YouTube video of course my model is different cause it’s from 2005 but I suspect that it is the same thing. I am about to order it from rockauto from US but they only have Lexus RX330 listed in their parts catalogue. Is my thinking correct that RX300 and RX330 share the same parts for most of things? I mean models 2004+

That’s what I thought. Do you know where I can find a diagram showing this part? I was trying to look for it online but no avail 🙁

Hi all, My RX just developed a serious leak today 🙁. I went under the car and identified the leak from a narrow metal hose just near subframe / lower control arm. I am not sure if it is a pipe from the break system ( Dot4 level looks ok) or perhaps the power steering system. The metal hose goes along the oil pan ( on its right hand side) and then it turns and goes to the front of the car and up towards the engine. Please see attached photos. Could you please advise what this pipe is? Many thanks for help 🙂 Metal pipe between control arm and oil pan Picture showing the front of the car

Many thanks!! This is super helpful. I also have RX300 SE. I had the car on a ramp today and it seems that I have only one sensor at the rear on the driver’s side. The whole assembly looks very corroded although the sensor link adjuster looks ok. The corrosion has probably got into the sensor.

Oh good point, I will update it later! Congratulations on reaching the 100k ! 😁

It is funny because I was about to write a post about this auto leveling sensor and ask you guys about a few things. You have perfect timing. Could you please advise and post links to auction/supplier from Ebay/ Amazon? My headlights move up and down as they should, however, from time to time the autolevelling light comes on. It has been on for 3 months, then suddenly it disappeared for 2 days and now it is back again. First of all I am going to check whether the adjuster linked to the sensor is not broken /corroded. Then I am going to take the sensor out and clean it. Now my questions are: 1. Do I need to disconnect the battery before disconnecting the sensor? 2. Can I drive the car after I disconnect the sensor (I mean turn the ignition on etc.). 3. Can I turn on the lights or is it safer to not start the car until I plug the sensor back in? Are there any other sensors responsible for the autolevelling? I think that my model doesn't have AFS, my lights don't move left/right, only up and down. I know that there are some actuators in the head lights, but these are probably fine since I can see the movement. Is there any sensor in the front of the car or somewhere else? I have Techstream for Lexus on my laptop and I was wondering whether I should plug it in first and see what kind of error it is going to show. Would Techstream indicate which sensor failed or would it show a general error 'problem with autolevelling'?

Wow, this is very a comprehensive answer! Thank you! By the way did you do a timing belt with a water pump? I was curious how much other Lexus drivers with an older RX spend on their cars. It seems that I was a bit unlucky with mine when it comes to repairs. When I bought the car it had 70050 miles in 2017 and the previous owner had done: spark plugs, pollen filter, new bonnet struts, new battery, engine oil service, new tyres + it had all previous services on time. My list of expenses is as follows (using local garage specializing in German/Japanese cars): 2018 - 70953 - passenger door switch , resealed two rear tyres, offside rear wheel bearing - £348.00 2018 - 72193 - engine oil+filter, front wiper blades, front caliper repair kit, brake service+ front and rear disk brakes and new pads, new bleed nipples, new brake fluid, parking break adjustment, anti roll bar link, MOT, - £752.00 2018 - 72491 - offside rear diff seal + new oil - £311.19 2019 - 73625 - new nearside rear drive shaft seal + oil - £276,86 2019 - 74643 - nearside rear wheel bearing, MOT, rear breaks adjustment, aircon service £460.07 2019 - 75000 - centre exhaust repair/replacement (I had a small hole in it), renewed seized battery clamp with bolts (they were corroded and seized so I decided to renew them to able to take out the battery if I ever needed to change it), rear CV joint replaced with ABS ring (I had an error on the dash and ABS ring was corroded so needed to replace) - 529.96 2019 - 76200 - replacement of oil pan , new engine oil + filter, new strut mount offside + new front shock absorber cover - £396.00 So it comes to : £3470 - and all was spent within 6000 miles and 3 years of ownership which is a blooooody pain! Of course it is super neat now and it drives like a champ. But I still need to replace timing belt and pump. I know that they last till 100k, but I am worried that it needs doing due to age. On top of that the auto leveling sensor turns on from time to time so probably needs cleaning and I want to renew underseal for a piece of mind. So probably another 1k in expenses. If it turns out that the bushes need replacement... ouch it will be another expensive year for my Lexus.😂, but I do hope that after so much work done it will last for at least 6 years and I will enjoy some trouble free motoring.

Hi All, Taking into account that Lexus is a very reputable brand and exceeds in reliability polls, I have been wondering how much have you spent on repairs during your ownership period. I am curious at what age the costs started to build up. I have owned my car for 3 years so far and I bought it when it was 12 years old (1 previous owner with full history). At a mileage between 70-76k a few things came up and I needed to do some repairs (rear wheel bearings, disc breaks, strut mounts, oil pan and a few other things). I like to keep my cars mint so I haven't spared a penny. However, recently I have started to wonder what kind of repairs I should expect in the future and for how long I should keep investing in the car before an upgrade. What are the common things that go wrong after 80k mileage and potential expenses ? I know it is a very general question about I am curious of your thoughts. 😊

Well, this is comforting news. Perhaps this is the reason why my mechanic said that the job would be a few hours rather than 9! I am going to take the car to the garage this Friday and see these bushes myself. Maybe they don't need immediate doing. I get your point about the aftermarket parts. However, the reality is that it is a 15 year old car, 76k mileage. It is quite mint, but I won't keep it for longer than 5-6 years so at this point there is probably no point in investing in Lexus original parts and pay the premium. I won't do more than 25k-30k miles in this period. It is used as a third car. To be honest, if one uses aftermarket parts of reputable brands (SACHS, KYB, DELPHI, FEDORO , PAGID etc.) these are ok for suspension elements or brakes. I wouldn't probably buy aftermarket parts for sensors or electrical components (touchwood) since LExus /Toyota show really good quality, but it is unlikely that a wishbone would break. Unless one buys some really cheap ones of unknown brands. Thank you all for all comments. ;-)

Unfortunately I am based in Scotland (Edinburgh) But I will give my local Lexus a call and ask for a quote , just in case. I found these on EBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-LEXUS-RX300-RX400H-LEFT-RIGHT-2X-LOWER-SUSPENSION-WISHBONE-ARMS-BALL-JOINT-/122640742503 , they are available in other shops too. The thing is that if I decide to use a local dealer they will probably not accept non-Lexus parts 🙄 Oh dear, that is a bit worrying 😱. Initially my mechanic said the same, but then checked again and said that it could be done for less. I am going to take the car to a different garage to look at these bushes myself. I’ve read on US forum that bushes deteriorate slightly (exterior) but if there is no movement they don’t have to be done and one can drive like this for years. Apparently even cars which are 5-6 year old will have bushes which don’t look perfect , but still function for years. I need to double check this because I don’t see the point in replacing them if they still work properly (the car drives perfect).

Hi All,🙂 I have a Lexus RX300 from 2005 ( no air suspension) and my mechanic said that my front lower bushes may need a replacement. I know that newer models require an engine to be lifted in order to get access to the bolts of a wishbone. Apparently it is a big job. My mechanic had looked at his manual and recommended amount of time to do this job and for RX450h it was around 9 hours. But then he looked at my model RX300 and it was 2 hours. Do you guys know if for older models there is no need to lift up the engine and replacement of lower control arms is more straightforward? I have read a post from clublexus ( a US forum) where there was a guide on how to replace these wishbones and in pictures the guy had a 2-gen Lexus and he needed to jack up the engine but perhaps it was RX400 and these have a different suspension? I am a bit worried that my mechanic manual wasn’t precise and I may face a huge bill 🙁. Thanks for help 😉

Hi All, I have a small update on my issue with a Master Key. It turned out that the dealer found the key, but the the casing was broken so they ordered a new one and cut the key and moved the chips into the new casing. I got it today. The remote works fine, the car recognizes the key when I put it into the ignition (security light disappears immediately which is a proof that this is a master key) and the steering wheel is moving towards me as it should. But I can't turn the key, also I can't open the car with the key (without using the remote control). I guess that the locksmith (or whoever was making a copy of the key) must have cut it incorrectly, right? or the dealer had the wrong key blade from the beginning with good remote/ immobiliser chips and this would explain why a copy from the locksmith does not work. I was wondering if it is possible to make a copy of my Valet Key blade and simply move remote/immobiliser chips into the new casing. So I would have Programmed Master Chips + Valet Blade in one casing. The logic behind is that I know for sure that Valet Key blade works and I do not have the original Master Blade - the dealer probably threw it away... What do you guys think?

Is 2003 WRX STi expensive to maintain? What about reliability?

Thanks, I am glad that you like the cars. The only drawback is that I can only enjoy them when I am on hols at home. Fortunately, we have a crazy hobby in our family (dad, brother etc) so we are able to keep and maintain all of them. If I kept them in the UK tax would kill me, and the climate would probably kill those cars too :) Here is the UK collection :)

As promised :)

I will upload them later today :) Thanks

My list is pretty short but I decided to share it anyway. It will include my cars + cars to which I have access to (family etc.) Hyundai Coupe FX 2.0, manual, year 1999 ( my first car, bought it 4 years old, I still have it as a summer holiday car. Brilliant car, economic and had nice spec at that time, very very reliable and nippy) Pontiac Firebird 2.8 V6, manual, year 1988 ( I call it KITT for obvious reasons, it is a classic and we still keep it in the family. It will stay with us forever :)) Mitsubishi 3000GT, manual, year 1998 (Black Japanese beast, bought it from a friend who bought it brand new when it was 6 years old. Very fast, it is one of these cars that has a soul . We still keep it in the family it has 70k miles on it, nothing went wrong with this car ever, it has never seen rain/winter) Deawoo Matiz, manual, year 1999 ( bought it when I got my first job as a daily driver , the worst car ever in terms of reliability but very cheap to repair/run, rust ate it completely ;-)) Status: DEAD) Pontiac Trans Am GT 5.7 V8 LT1, automatic, 1994 ( another classic muscle car. Only 40k miles on it, very rare in Europe. I will never sell it . It is my baby) Hyundai Sonta 2.7 V6 , automatic, 2005 (US version) (parents' ride... very comfy car and reliable, this is the only car which is as comfortable as Lexus. I love it , especially for a long distance driving) Hyundai Coupe Siii, 2.0, manual 2007 (my daily driver in the UK, loved the car and unfortunately it was written off because some idiot crashed into me :-(( ) Hyundai Coupe Siii, 2.0, manual 2008 (at the moment it is my daily driver. I had it for over 1.5 years. I think that it has the looks, it has the specs (leather etc). Very reliable - touchwood, economical. Ideal for cruising. Love it! It could be faster though, 0-60 in 9sec does not match the looks of the car. Anyway I will keep it as long as I can :) ) and finally... Lexus RX300, automatic, 2005 ( bought just recently to experience how it is to drive a luxurious comfy car, so far I am pleased). What will be next?? I am in love in Honda Type R (2015 or 2017 models) as well as new Lexus RX. We will see in 5-7 years :)

Hello again, do you guys know whether there is an option to turn off the steering wheel auto-tilt ? :) The reason why I am asking is because I am afraid that it may break one day from frequent start/turn off of the car. I don't need it really. Once the wheel is set I am fine with it :)

Hi All, I have an orange indicator light constantly on. It is the auto levelling warning light. I guess it tells me that there is something wrong with the autolevelling. My car has recently passed an MOT and I know that the lights are set on the correct level. I assume that one of the height sensors (perhaps the one at the back of the car) is not working properly. I was wondering what is the best way to identify which sensor failed? I don't feel like changing all sensors or lamps without knowing what went wrong. If I connect the car to the TechStream or some OBD2 scanner would it tell me exactly which sensor failed? Thank you for a reply in advance.