Sudden MPG drop!
06-15-14, 09:36 PM
#1
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Sudden MPG drop!
Hi all, I have a 2007 RX350, now at 110K miles, bought at 80K miles. I recently notice a sudden drop in mpg about 5K miles back (it might happen before that but I did not notice). Previously, the car gets around 25MPG on average, now it can only get 21 - 21.5 mpg, my range of a full tank drops around 60 miles. My route of driving everyday is pretty much the same. I have tried to change gas branch, using fuel system cleaner (Chevron Techron), check tire pressure but no help.
So do you have any idea/guess of what might be happening with the car that makes this significant drop in mpg? Thanks
A side note: I changed power steering rack and pinion at a dealer also about 5k miles back and at that point I had a dispute with a service consultant there. He made me drive back and forth a couple times without telling me that the part hadn't arrived yet (the car was on extended warranty). I then emailed directly to his boss. After that he treated me really well: gave me a most recent model loaner car for a week and did not charge for gas, and waived the deductible. Now I notice the MPG drop so I kind of link with this event and put him in doubt
. Well, I'm not sure if he could do anything to the car since he's not the technician but still ... Can a guy put something to a car to reduce its fuel efficiency?
So do you have any idea/guess of what might be happening with the car that makes this significant drop in mpg? Thanks
A side note: I changed power steering rack and pinion at a dealer also about 5k miles back and at that point I had a dispute with a service consultant there. He made me drive back and forth a couple times without telling me that the part hadn't arrived yet (the car was on extended warranty). I then emailed directly to his boss. After that he treated me really well: gave me a most recent model loaner car for a week and did not charge for gas, and waived the deductible. Now I notice the MPG drop so I kind of link with this event and put him in doubt
. Well, I'm not sure if he could do anything to the car since he's not the technician but still ... Can a guy put something to a car to reduce its fuel efficiency?
08-04-14, 09:39 PM
#3
Pole Position
@Nuge, Welcome to Club Lexus!!
As Nuge said above, checking your air filters won't hurt, as dirty filters can drop MPG.
With the Lexus RX, as with most newer luxury cars, it "learns" the way you drive, and adapts itself to it. I know it sounds strange, but that's the way it is. To get it to "re-learn" your driving style, all you need to do is disconnect the battery for a significant amount of time (a safe bet would be about 20-30 mins or so, I personally would do 30 mins to ensure everything resets), and then reconnect it. After that, when you drive the car, the first 50 or so miles (it seems), the computer learns your driving style. That should get you back to where you were as far as MPG goes.
Please note that when you disconnect the battery, you will (likely) lose radio station presets and settings. It wouldn't hurt to write them down before you do this. Also, you will lose memory seat settings, and the power windows and moonroof will need to be reinitialized. Please refer to your manual or search the form to find the instructions on doing this, as this has been discussed many times. Good luck.
As Nuge said above, checking your air filters won't hurt, as dirty filters can drop MPG.
With the Lexus RX, as with most newer luxury cars, it "learns" the way you drive, and adapts itself to it. I know it sounds strange, but that's the way it is. To get it to "re-learn" your driving style, all you need to do is disconnect the battery for a significant amount of time (a safe bet would be about 20-30 mins or so, I personally would do 30 mins to ensure everything resets), and then reconnect it. After that, when you drive the car, the first 50 or so miles (it seems), the computer learns your driving style. That should get you back to where you were as far as MPG goes.
Please note that when you disconnect the battery, you will (likely) lose radio station presets and settings. It wouldn't hurt to write them down before you do this. Also, you will lose memory seat settings, and the power windows and moonroof will need to be reinitialized. Please refer to your manual or search the form to find the instructions on doing this, as this has been discussed many times. Good luck.
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