Jumper73

Great read (4 pages) and glad you decided on RX. Also glad to know that it's still going strong.

Gabytx12

LMAO!! Great story!! ...and I'm freaking out for looking at 2005 RX330 with 104K for 15K - you got all the bells and whistles on yours!!! Keep us posted on how things are going.

I totally know what you mean about driving a RX330 as someone who is also not a "car person" (right now I am driving our 2004 F150 PU with 195K!!!) ...I just LOVE the drive and feel of the RX330!!!

msandrea

I'm impressed and surprised. We talked about getting another car because this has lots of miles, but I think we are going to hold off. If memory serves me right, someone had 420,000 or so. Except for the cracks in the dash, it's held up incredibly. The only issue is being ripped off at the dealer when it needs servicing....

Adamjeeps

Just take it to a good independent shop. There is nothing special to changing the oil or any other basic maintenance.

thomas1

Wow I too just read these pages...gives me extra faith in my RX400h with 167k miles....Needs some shocks and control arms, but love the car.

tinteks

good thread...


I bought a 04 rx 330 a few months back..125k on the clock.
do any of you guys notice the dash squeaking and rattling when the temperature is cooler? its kind of annoying and im not sure if something needs to be tightened down or why its doing this?


I bought the lexus because of how smooth it drives but the rattling is damn annoying and a let down.


tia

05RX330TX

Dash squeaking and rattling are very common for RX330, my 05 RX330 have the same issues and I just try to ignore it but sometime hard to swallow because the Lexus brand

Carver

Not very common on my '05, the dash is tight and quiet. Has your car been wrecked?

jfelbab

I owned my 04 RX for 10 years and it never made any rattles or squeaking. It did have higher than expected road noise but the car was solid as a rock. It was a Japan built car.

tinteks

the vehicle has a clean title and has never been in an accident.


I bought it when the temp was warmer and didn't notice it till it was cooler out. sounds like its making noise by the windshield where the defroster vent is. I can press it down and it stops the noise.


does lexus replace something like this? I see some dashes started to deteriorate and look greasy. mine seems fine but the rattles and squeaks suck!


I replaced my 05 mdx for the rx and I never had any sort of dash noises and it had almost 200k.


what do you guys suggest for a auto start setup? can it be linked to the heater system to turn the heat on or is that not feasible?


I also notice when I hit auto on the heat selector buttom my a.c button comes on?? not sure why it does that or if this is normal. not sure if a.c clutch is kicking on or not when this happens. seems odd to me. I would think there would be a sensor that can tell what the temp is like so a.c doesn't come on.. very strange.

dmanwi

Love this post. It's still being read 4 years later. Awesome.

Carver

You can take the car to a good trim shop and have them "de-squeak" the dash. They tuck felt or velcro in various pressure points. A good tech can do amazing things.

Do a search on auto start systems, there are many threads.

It's normal for the AC light to be on when in Auto.

tpwilliams

VAAttorney, how has your experience been? How many miles/years did you get out of your purchase?
Researching a 2005 RX330 with 200k miles, so interested to learn what has transpired since the thread was last updated!

VAttorney

Alright. I'm back. Yes, I had my bamboo pearl RX 330 until a couple months ago. At 433,786 miles I'd noticed some significant noise and assumed it was time to look at bearings. Turned out it was the transfer case on my AWD vehicle. So over 5 years after purchasing it and over 200K miles I offered it up for sale. It was scooped up by someone who needed the interior. My asking price was $4500 (given the circumstances I thought it was a bit high but the Kelly BB suggested it was still worth around 7K+ but obviously that didn't include problems with a transfer case. They paid my full asking price.

I paid about $12k when I bought it in 2010 (including cost of the new timing chain at time of purchase). I'd replaced the tires a couple times and replaced one headlight assembly. Other maintenance like oil changes are obvious (ran Royal Purple in it) and replaced the timing chain one more time. If I'd kept it it would have been due to for another.

The factors that lead to me deciding to give it up were entirely financial. By the time I put a new timing chain and wrestled with the decision of new/rebuilt transfer case, I would have been in more than it was worth (or so I believed). In the time I had it, the only thing that failed was the motor for the rear door. As I could still open and close it manually and was told that replacing it would be around $600+ for part and labor I declined.

Still, if you can plan on 400K trouble free (and it was trouble free, she never left me on the side of the road - EVER) miles then I would think it greatly increases the value you can plan on getting from the investment. I've not replaced my RX yet... bf would like me to consider a Toyota Forerunner...and I am considering it...but I can't think of a single reason not to consider another RX either!

aachowhan

Wow 430k miles? You drove that thing to death! Gives me a lot of hope for mine I guess. Mine is a 350 so it has a chain, but I have the dreaded power steering leak issue, and I just replaced the oil cooler line.