lexpilot

Hey guys, been a usual ES poster but my wife wants an RX.
I'm thinking the 350 is better cuz there's no timing belt.
I did buy an 05 for my daughter as a grad present with a 150k on it last year. I had to change the steering rack before she could drive it. It had a couple other issues, AFS light etc.
My question is: what are some common troubles with the 350 and what should I be sure has been done on one with 150K or more.
I live in Wisconsin but do annual flight training in Orlando and have brought 3 Lexus cars back for myself and family. I'm heading down in June so any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Should I stay clear of the hybrids or all wheel drive models?
Thanks,
lex

NVAKeith

iTrader: (1)

For the 350s, keep an eye and ear on the water pump as they can start leaking after 90k or so miles. Also be aware of this oil line that can leak and drain all the oil in a short amount of time:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-pictures.html

We had to get a new transfer case around 95k miles due to a leak, but I think that's pretty unusual. I would go for the AWD.

SkiMe

We have 07' 400h so don't know if everything is identical....but I do know I have a timing belt that needs replacement so I guess double check the 350.


My radiator sprung some leaks so needed replacement (150k).


Although the 400h is nice and gets decent mileage (24mpg, AWD), I am a bit concerned about the batteries or other hybrid specific items going out and the associated cost. Probably the 350 will be a safer bet for higher mileage vehicles.

theory816

No, you should not steer clear of the Hybrids, in fact, these are the cars you should be buying because you are getting a much better deal and better tech.

rx350 vs 400h? Theres no comparison at all and the 400h is just better in every way. I mean why would Lexus sell the rx400h for almost 15k more than a base rx350?

The batteries on the 400h does not just go bad. In fact, I don't think I've seen a case where someone had to replaced the battery due to it being "bad".

If you can find a rx350 for a extremely good deal than go for it but I would always prefer the 400h and due to people misunderstanding and people not knowing how to care for the 400h, its being sold pretty cheaply.

Maintenance with the 350 and 400h are exactly the same. The biggest difference between the two is that you cannot let the 400h sit for more than a week without driving or else the battery will discharge and you will end up needing to jump the car.

SkiMe

I will agree on your points and when we originally test drove the 350, we were like.....ehh. Nothing too special.


Then we drove the 400h and it was so much better. Acceleration felt like a V8 and my wife was very happy. We wouldn't of driven it unless the sales guy suggested it. Very surprised really.


We've had ours for most of the 156k miles and have had very limited repairs. My concern is more of the unknown technology than anything. I have no indications that the reliability is different than the 350...just my gut on typical "new" technologies. I may just be paranoid and it's good, but enough that I might pause a bit before purchasing. Hard experience though, it's been a very reliable vehicle and we are very happy with it (400h).

theory816

I absolutely adore the 400h I really do. Its the first of its kind.

The reason why it feels like a V8 is because of the two electric motors that gives you extra torque. Its almost like having two turbochargers that are super efficient. They can also power your engine going under 40mph. Tell me what turbochargers can do that?

As for it being "unknown" or "new", its really just a battery pack and two electric motors.. If they go bad, they go bad but its very rare. As simple as I made it sound, I would not tinker with the system and take it to a dealership if anything goes wrong no matter how good of a mechanic that I am.

Before Lexus released the 400h, they put in a ton of money into its development and hundreds of thousands of hours of test driving. They also bought up very high mileage prius, took the car apart to see how well the batteries help up so that should reassure you on the quality and reliability of these cars.

Lastly, maintenance and changing out all the fluids regularly is key to any cars reliability

smassey321

400s are fine. Just check for transmission and or inverter for coolant leaks. Check the area between the trans and engine for pink. Check the bottom seal of the inverter for pink. Both are not common but do happen and they are not an easy fix. And get the AWD as it is faster.

Also watch out for clicking ABS brakes on the 400. The braking pump module can go bad although it is not common.

rld14

Steering racks are going to leak on pretty much ANY 09 and older RX.

Period. I look at maybe 5-6 of them a month and almost every one needs a rack.

Radiator leaks are also rather common.

400h = Electric steering = no leaking racks.

lexpilot

Thanks for the replies guys.
I bought an 05 330 for my daughter last fall with 155K.
Yep sure enought right side of the steering rack was leaking.
I found a guy in NC "the rack doctor" who said toyota started using a cheaper end seal pack on the racks for the RX. He uses the seal pack for the tundra and warranties his racks for life from leaks.
The rack was 200 exchange and half a day to install.
I'm not confident with the inverter troubles with the hybrid. Especially those with 150K miles or more.
If anyone thinks of any other common things to check please post them as I'll be checking this thread daily.
Thanks again,
Lex

tbm5690

To clarify, the 400h has a timing belt, since it still uses the same 3.3L mill out of the RX330. The 3.5L utilizes a chain.

Is that a C90 in your profile pic?

theory816

Ok first, what exactly is an inverter, to keep it simple, its the coordinator of all the electricity in the hybrids vehicles.

Because of all the electricity that runs through it, overheating becomes a problem, thus you get the pink liquid leak. You have to be on top of its maintenance and keep your air and cooling system in tip top shape especially if you live in very hot climate.

Plus, the inverter does have a few recalls so that should address some of its overheating problems. If the inverter does go out, you can always make a big deal out of it and Lexus will probably do something about it even if its past warranty. A 7k component is no joke.

SkiMe

I believe mine was repaired/replaced under a recall notice. I have not experienced any problems directly.

Badhobz

I bought a 2008 400h with 138k kilometres on it about 3 months ago. It's currently at 145k due to a road trip to San Francisco.

1 previous owner, dealership maintained. Go it for 19k cdn money all in.

Within 5 days I noticed the brakes had issues and lexus told me It was the brake actuator. The part was almost 3500 bucks but they covered in under good will. It has been flawless ever since. I'm getting 8.5L per 100kms in mixed driving. A tank goes about 650kms.

I would say get the 400h if you can. I tried the 350 and felt it was a bit underpowered. The 400 was just right. Just look for one with a good service record.

smassey321

To be clear, leaking inverters or any inverter problems are rare. The recall was to address some transistors that did not have proper solder joints. It had nothing to do with a coolant leak or overheating. They replaced that circuit board and we are now good.

My transmission started to leak coolant right after the inverter recall so I dug deep in this topic.

The inverter and transmission are cooled by a half height radiator at the front of the stack. If cooling was any sort of issue at all, they would have used a full height radiator.