MellonC00

I'd appreciate your answers to some of these questions. As usual the dealer doesn't always give the best answers.

1. the car in question has new Milestar tires on it. Are these any good? I understand the manufacturer is Taiwanese. I like that it's not a cheap Chinese brand but never heard of these guys.

2. The Atkinson engine sounds pretty rough compared to my 15 year old RX. I understand the firing order is different but it seems a bit 4 cylinderish. Is it just me or is this normal?

3. What window tint brand and color does everyone use?

4. Where in the world is the engine air filter? It's all covered up in there. How do I access it?

Thank you.

vfr700f2

I have no experience with Milestar tires, but clearly they are a cheap Taiwanese brand. If that seems better to you than a cheap Chinese brand, go ahead. But why would anyone sensible put the cheapest available tire on a premium car? Are they using cheap chinese oil filters too? Skipping oil changes to save money?

Milestar has mixed online reviews, including things like "Much better than the bald tires I had before." I would tell the dealer that you are not interested in the car without OE-quality tires. In other words, Michelin, Goodyear, whatever your favorite brand, etc tires must be installed before I buy.

Atkinson-cycle isn't a different firing order, it's a different strategy employed by the variable valve timing system. Info here. Drive a few other 450s to see how they feel.

Droid13

The Toyota 3.0L engine did come with 2 different firing orders, but most after 97 used the same firing order as the current engines.

Now that said, I am surprised that you would find the current engine so rough. Yes, the newer engines do have a lot more going on, cam chains instead of belts, VVT systems, etc. but I've never found them to be more rough sounding. I have an old Sienna bought new in 2003 with a 3.3L engine, a little closer in vintage to your RX and it has always been a reliable and smooth running engine. With 200,000km it still runs smooth as silk, but in comparison I would not even think to say my RX engine is rough in comparison.

The Atkinson cycle is just a fancy label overcomplicated by historical references to a modern engine that simply draws a smaller volume of fuel/air into the cylinders but uses a compensating slightly higher compression ratio to deliver a more efficient burn and power extraction from a set amount of gasoline.

If it's that bad at the one you looked at, I would look at a different vehicle.

NateJG

I find my 2013h to be quite noisy when a) it first starts up in the morning, or b) at idle when the traction battery level requires that it gets charged - during which times, it is clearly less quiet than nearly any other "normal" gasoline engine.

While I cannot prove it by an onboard tachometer, my ears tell me that it's idling faster than a "normal" gasoline engine to boot.

Once "a" and "b" are satisfied, it runs fairly quietly.

MellonC00

i think this is what I'm hearing. But no big deal. I tried different cars in the lot and heard the same thing. The salesman and I got in an argument after I told him my current 2001 RX with 250k miles had smoother idle. After sitting in my current car he pretty much shut his mouth. No matter. I get that I'm comparing apples and oranges here. i will continue my search

MellonC00

well.... I'll have disagree with you here. Taiwan, Japan and s. Korea probably do most precision and specialty manufacturing in the world next to certain parts of Western Europe and a tiny fraction of the U.S. So I'd be much happier with a firm from Taiwan than some Party related firm in China copying other firm's designs at cheap cost.

I checked with the dealer and LEXUS. they won't change them out. I'll negotiate a discount instead. I prefer Michelins.

MellonC00

So no one has an idea where and how to get to the engine air filter???

kitlz

Mellon, from my recollection, the engine air filter is towards the upper middle right part of the engine. But you have to remove the engine covers to get to it. Push the center of the clips to release them, then carefully remove them before picking up the covers. Look for a black housing with a few pressure clamps. They're easy to push open. It'll take you far longer to remove the engine covers.

NateJG

And/but I forgot to mention that I have very few "nits" with my car - as none is perfect - but this one is not far from it.

I especially like not having a car delaying the first shift into second gear as it lights off the catalytic converter; and having the car's engine at hardly a bit over idle speed immediately after a cold-start and heading up an incline is quite satisfying/impressive.

If you come to appreciate yours like I do mine, we'll both be very happy for a long long time.

MellonC00

my sales guy says the engine cover is for looks. Would you all agree? If I buy the car, I'm thinking about taking them out and storing it in my garage. Am I doing any damage to the car?

kitlz

You're probably not going to damage anything by removing the covers. I kept them on since there's still access to fill things. Maybe it kept the engine cleaner. The covers do make for a more finished look under the hood.

vfr700f2

Absolutely the engine covers are for looks only.

I did screw up my message regarding tires. My intended point wasn't about countries, it was about companies. If Michelin engineers a tire, designs the manufacturing process, does the quality control and backs the warranty, I don't really care what country they make it in, it is probably a good product. (I'm no blind brand loyalist, but Michelin has proven itself pretty well in the last 100+ years IMHO) If some ultra-low-price brand does all those things, I'm a lot less impressed, and if I'm driving a Lexus I should be able to do better..

Here's the search result for 18" RX tires at Discount. CLICK $93 for the Milestar, tied for cheapest tire offered. There are several better-known options for a little more money (like Cooper for $133), and then you get into a Goodyear @ only $155. Prices work their way up through a number of other good tires til you start hitting Michelin @ $221, topping out at $245.

I admit, a major retailer like Discount doesn't want warranty and liability problems, so I might think the Milestars are basically adequate. They could be an appropriate product for a "basically adequate" car and a customer with a "basically adequate" budget. Just not what I expect when I'm Lexus shopping.

I was in car & truck fleet management for ~10 years. Unfortunately I never had the sophisticated tracking and analysis tools that a fleet like UPS does, but I did put a lot of thought (and a WHOLE LOT of money) into round black things that hold air, and I have purchased tires ranging from little-known offshore brands all the way thru Michelin. Just my $0.02.

I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to buy.

kitlz

Great information, vfr700f2. We also have the tire thread which gives real time experience with various brands from 3RX owners

MellonC00

Thanks for the info. The engine cover will come off after I make the final transaction. Still negotiating with the dealer.....

BTW. I found out why Milestar tires are so cheap. They don't last. I'm probably going to get about 25K to 30K miles tops. Then, I'll be off to Costco for my usual Michelins.

NateJG

That doesn't look like a bad tire.

You may get more than the 35K miles I got on my OE Bridgestones (and I didn't think that was bad at all).

At least they're new! Give the tire thread 5K updates.