ODU2K

I love my white 04 AWD Rx 330 w/27,000 miles, I bought used from Carmax a month ago. Here are some problems I ran into so far.

1. Water was getting into the driver side front headlight the day after washing it. I brought it into Lindsay Lexus in Alexandria Virginia and they fixed it w/ no charge

2. The 6 disc in dash cd changer is acting up giving me ERROR 4. i use a combo of orginal and burned cd-r. I shut the engine off to temp fix this problem. It's a headache during long driving. I'm still deciding if i should bring it to the dealer.

3. Got little specs of rust on the back end of the car. Mainly in small crevices around tail light, back window, license plate, bumber. Just bought some meguairs smooth clay bar system from a local pep boys. it works great I'm going to clay the rest of the car. Should I wax the car after claying? and why?

RX_brain

When you clay, you're removing contaminants and wax from your paint. You must wax to protect your paint. Visit the auto detailing forum or Autopia.org to get more info on deatailing.

darksparkz

iTrader: (1)

Yep, claying removes wax and any other small dirt particles on your paint. So it's not protected at all, you have to reapply wax after claying. Most people polish the paint before waxing to obtain a better shine by prepping it better.

The only problem I had was a check engine code that said I had emission problems, so I just used an OBD-II and erased the codes and nothing came back.

crosborne

1. Roof racks slide release lever jammed. Had racks replaced under warranty and TSIB.
2. Jerky acceleration. Fixed by ECM Shift feel TSIB
No other problems that I can think of.

teracon

On 8/23/06, the following was done:

1. Downloaded new "shifting" software - AGAIN for constant jerking 2-3 gear
2. Retainer clips added to panel under steering column (recall)
3. Adjusted exhause since it is rubbing against OEM tow hitch
4. Replaced front rotors due to excessive warping

Since 2/05 (purchase date), the following was done (in addition to what is listed above):

1. Installed theft deterrent on front headlamps - due to theft (TSB)
2. Downloaded shifting software for constant jerking

Todd

1- had A/C TSB done for compressor noise
2- Had headlights adjusted to upper limit to reduce low beam curtain effect (or at least help it somewhat)
3- Currently at 5300 miles am noticing steering wheel shimmy when braking. Could rotors possibly be warped at this stage already and why. No panic stops that I am aware of and it hasn't rained much in months.

Signet

Within the first week heard a constant whining noise from the rght side of the interior. Had the passenger replaced at no extra cost

DakotaRX

Guess I've been really lucky or else it's the fact that I have a 2005 Thundercloud which is made in Japan. I've had no problems with tranny, rotors, headlights leaking, rattles. One minor little problem with the plastic piece across the front edge of the dash that is part of the defrost outlet and has the light sensor (for headlight auto on I assume) on the far left. It keeps popping up, had dealer check it out when there in late July. Popped back up with 50 miles after leaving dealer (dealer is 306 miles from home). So don't run to dealer very often. No other problems or complaints (and hoping I don't have one for a long time!!). RX was purchased in late July 2005 and currently has 15,600 miles on it.

2005 RX330 Thundercloud, Thundercloud Mist, Gray/Black Interior with Black Birdseye Maple, NAV, ML, HID w/AFS, Rain Sensing Wipers, Headlight Cleaner, Tow Package with OEM Hitch, 18' Thundercloud rims with Michelin MXV4's.

srashid

Well I have a 2005 made in Canada and I haven't had any issues either, nothing with transmission or brakes, no rattles either.

I did have one very minor thing which is that the rear cupholder cover wouldn't open one day and I had to force it a little, and a tiny plastic piece in there broke, but it still works fine and I'll get it fixed at the next service.

However I've only had it 3 months through the summer, and its only done 14,000 miles so I will see after one year.

32kcolors

RX350 here. The left speakers went out last week. I haven't taken it to the dealer yet.

Orzel

iTrader: (1)

Well, as another Thundercloud owner (July 05 ), in the Thundercloud Metallic color, only problem that I've really had was that the gasketing around the grill sort of oozed out. Asked the dealer if they could just sort of push it back into place, they were aghast, said no, replaced the whole grill (twice – first one was wrong grill, which they didn’t even notice till after it was installed – ooops! Long story on that one as Dealer is 100 miles away.). Other than that, no problems of any kind, runs great, good fuel mileage, and complete comfort. Just hitting 18k miles, and will be looking to replace the lousy Goodyear tires before the snows come.

lexuslover

i have an 04 with 55k miles now. 1st owner, and a very early Japan production. i've had at least a dozen TSB's done over the years, all which have been resolved to my satisfaction (tranny jerkiness, squeaky bearings in AC vent, replace roof rack bars, replace sun visors, etc etc etc).

the only complaint i have now that has never been able to be fixed is the engine groaning in 2nd/3rd gear that happens when cruising along about 18-20mph in my neighborhood. it sounds like a dying cat sometimes, and it is loud. i don't know if it's indicative of a more serious problem, but more likely just a noise insulation problem that wasn't caught in the early production RX's.

i still love the car and hope the transmission will keep up for another 3-4 years before upgrading to the new LX variant SUV.

crosborne

Replaced sun visors?

lexuslover

yeah the early RX's had a messed-up flap on the backside of the visor where the mirrors are. after a while the hinge that flipped up would not work properly and crunch the underlying felt and not stay open without holding it. so they replaced the whole thing with the newer ones. i am glad they did b/c the new ones also have the "slider" so that when using the visor to your left side, it can be adjusted to go past your head.

DaveJ

2005 RX330 AWD.

A/C Moaning noise at about 1200 rpm (TSB))
Slight cowl and interior noises (TSB)

Both were corrected by the dealer at no charge. The interior's now more quiet than my '06 GS300.