2000 Lexus RX300

THE PAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO TAKING THE CAR TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THERE IS NO LEXUS DEALERSHIP IN OCALA , FL ..... I WOULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING LIKE RUBBER AGAINST A HOT EXHAUST OR ENGINE. EVERY NOW AND THEN I WOULD STOP THE CAR AND CHECK AND I MIGHT SEE A WHIFF OF LIGHT SMOKE BUT THEN NOTHING. NO ENGINE LIGHTS , NO SPOTTING ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. SO I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE EARLY AND ASKED THAT THEY CHECK THE CAR OVER. 3 HOURS LATER I WAS TAKEN INTO THE GARAGE BAY AND SHOWN OIL DRIPPING FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ENGINE AND TOLD MY SEALS WERE BLOWN AND THE WHOLE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE TORN DOWN TO GET TO THEM. WHILE REPAIRING IT TURNED OUT THE WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING BUT THE TIMING BELT CHANGED AT 60,000 MILES WAS OKAY. THE FOLLOWING EVENING I WAS PRESENTED WITH A $1500 BILL MOST FOR LABOR. I GUESS I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY THEY FOUND ALL THIS BEFORE I TOOK THIS 12 YEAR OLD CAR ON A LONG TRIP . *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE TIMING BELT AND ENGINE WERE REPLACED DECEMBER OF 2010 BUT THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE TIMING BELT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE LOCAL MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN AND THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILES WERE 175,000.

PURCHASED USED RX-300 (YR 2000) IN 2003 AND THE TRANSMISSION DIED SUDDENLY AS I WAS COMING BACK HOME AT 87,000 MILES. THE DEALER FIXED IT FOR FREE, A WEEK LATER THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE TOWED BACK TO THE LEXUS DEALER IN SILVER SPRING AND ANOTHER TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN THE CAR. TODAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED, ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED AND IT WILL COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THE MILEAGE IS 127,000, NOT SURE IF IT'S WORTH GETTING IT FIXED. *TR

9/2009 - ENGINE FAILED. VEHICLE INITIALLY PERFORMED NORMALLY, BUT ENGINE SEIZED DURING INTERSTATE DRIVING. PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION DETERMINED CAUSE OF FAILURE WAS SLUDGE BUILD UP. VEHICLE OUT OF INITIAL WARRANTY. EXTENSION BASED UPON CONSUMER COMPLAINTS EXPIRED 4/2009. NEW ENGINE INSTALLED AT MY EXPENSE. 12/2009 - TRANSMISSION FAILED. VEHICLE INITIALLY PERFORMED NORMALLY, BUT SUDDENLY BEGAN TO LURCH WHEN PLACED INTO GEAR AFTER GASOLINE FILL UP. PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION DETERMINED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. NEW TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT MY EXPENSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED IN 2008. HE RECENTLY HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND THE RPMS DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. WHILE IDLING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO A LOW GEAR AND MOVED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 75,360.

I PURCHASED A 2000 TOYOTA SUV. AND SUBSEQUENTLY HAD THE VEHICLE GO INTO SUDDEN COMPLETE IRREPERABLE ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY ROAD. IT HAD BEEN A "RECALL", OR SERVICE BULLETIN THAT THE ITEM WAS A "GEL" PROBLEM (OR SLUDGE) WITH THE OIL IN THE MAKE AND MODEL OF THE CAR. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM, LEXUS OF MONTEREY CLAIMED THAT THEY'D NEVER SEEN SUCH A THING AND THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED $400.00 WORTH OF DIAGNOSTICS TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. ON THE ADVICE OF MY USUAL AUTO MECHANIC, I CONTACTED LEXUS AND REPORTED A POSSIBLE "GEL" PROBLEM. LEXUS IMMEDIATELY SENT SOMEONE OUT TO CHECK THE VEHICLE AND PRONOUNCED IT THE MANUFACTURERS' PROBLEM THAT HAD BEEN SENT OUT AS A NOTICE TO OWNERS OF THE AUTOMOBILES. THEY PAID FOR A NEW ENGINE, AND ALSO ADVISED US THAT ALL INCEDINTAL WOULD BE COVERED. LEXUS OF MONTEREY PENINSULA DECIDED THAT THEY WANTED THE $400.00 FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS, AND WOULD NOT PAY ANY COSTS FOR A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE, AS PROMISED IN THE NOTICE LEXUS SENT US. LEXUS OF MONTEREY HAS MY VEHICLE, AND I AM REFUSING TO PAY THE DIAGNOSTIC COSTS. I AM ASKING FOR MY AUTO, FREE OF ENCUMBERANCES, AND WOULD LIKE COSTS OF RETREIVING A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE TO BE COVERED AT THEIR EXPENSE.*AK

WE PURCHASED A 2000 LEXUS RX300 WITH A V-6 IN APRIL 2003 WITH 36,000 MILES. WE HAVE RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN REBUILT DUE TO SLUDGE PROBLEMS AT 31,000. WE CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 5,000 - 7,500 MILES. I HAVE NEVER HAD AN OIL RELATED ENGINE PROBLEM IN 28 YEARS OF DRIVING AND HAVE NEVER WORRIED ABOUT KEEPING OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. I ONLY HAVE RECEIPTS FROM 44,000 AND 60,000 MILES. THE PLACE THAT CHANGED IT DOES NOT HAVE RECORD OF THE TWO OTHER CHANGES AT ABOUT 39,000 AND 51,000. I HAVE COPIES OF THE SPECIAL ADJUSTMENT LETTER THAT YOU REFER TO IN YOUR TSB'S. LEXUS HOWEVER, IS TELLING ME SINCE WE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER THAT THIS LETTER AND OFFER DO NOT APPLY TO US. THEY HAVE OFFERED TO PAY HALF OF THE REPAIR WHICH WE HAVE WORKED DOWN TO OUR PORTION $4,200. THEY HAVE NOT PULLED THE HEADS OR THE OIL PAN AND YET THEY KNOW THAT THE WHOLE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS TELLS ME THAT THEY HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ISSUE BEFORE. OUR VEHICLE HAS NEEDED AN ENGINE EVERY 30,000 MILES. I HAVE KEPT ENGINES UP TO OVER 120,000 MILES WITHOUT FAILURE. IF WE HAVE THEM FIX THE ENGINE I AM TOLD THAT THEY WILL MACHINE THE HEADS AT THE LEXUS DEALER, NOT REPLACE THEM, YET THE BLOCK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY INVESTIGATING ON THE INTERNET LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE PROBLEM IS IN THE HEADS. JUST MACHINING THEM AND PUTTING THEM BACK ON WILL ONLY ENSURE THAT I WILL BE DEALING WITH THEM IN ANOTHER 30,000 MILES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. IT SEEMS THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO STAND BEHIND BECAUSE WE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OR AT LEAST THAT SEEMS TO BE THEIR EASIEST ROUTE TO TAKE. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN UNUSEABLE FOR A MONTH NOW AND THERE IS NO END IN SITE.

AFTER APPROXIMATELY 62,000 ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED BY MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. AFTER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON, AND I REATTEMPTED TO USE MY LOCAL SHOP 3 TIMES I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER. THE PROBLEM IS THE MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR/METER. THIS SEEMS VERY PREMATURE FOR THIS TYPE OF PART TO FAIL. FOR A AUTO COMAPNY THAT PROFESSES QUALITY I WAS DISAPPOINTED FOR THIS PROBLEM TO ARISE. I AM PAST WARRANTY AND AM PETITIONING LEXUS TO PAY FOR SOME OF THE REPAIR. *AK