JFOK

Hi All,

I hate to start of my first post here on a negative note, but "it is what it is."
My wife has had her RX 350 since April of 2014 and has been very disappointed with it.
We bought it brand new and it listed for a little over $50,000.

Here are the issues:
** The seats don't heat or cool adequately. We've had it checked by the Lexus dealership and they said all is operating normally. She had better seat heating in her 2009 Venza and in my 2013 Pathfinder, the seat heating and cooling is very noticeable.
** The car is very slow to heat in cold weather. Again the dealership said all is normal, yet after running for 10 minutes in 30 degree weather, the heat output is minimal and remains so until 20 minutes into driving. My 1965 Thunderbird convertible heats faster.
** The wood steering wheel got a chip in it. How I don't know as my wife is super careful and it wasn't a chip from any jewelry.
** The glove box interior lining was defective and the fuzz like lining came off and dirtied anyone's hands that ventured intro it.
** This last mention is just an observation. Why didn't Toyota include auto headlight dimming on the Lexus ? My wife's less expensive Venza had it.

We really wanted to like this car as it is very attractive and comfortable, but the above mentioned issues have taken the shine off of this car for us. We expected more quality from a $50,000 vehicle and more quality from Toyota.

John

JDR76

Welcome to CL. I'm sorry to see it isn't under better circumstances! What a bummer to get a new car and not be satisfied with it!

A few comments below.

- On our '13 RX, the seat warmers are quick and toasty, even in the cold weather we are experiencing. The seat ventilators, however, while good, could be much better if they were tied in with the air conditioning.

- We have not experienced the slow warm up that you are having. Seems odd on a new car, but it does make you wonder if your thermostat isn't stuck in the open position. Is there another dealer nearby you could have look into this?

- We avoided the wood steering wheel, so I can't offer much insight here.

- I'll look at our glove box tonight, but I haven't noticed anything about the lining coming off.

- As for the auto dimming headlights, I believe they were offered in the first few years of the third gen RX, but discontinued in either 2012 or 2013 for issues.

I really hope things can get worked out for you. We've had a LOT of cars over the years, and we've never been as happy with a car as we are with our RX.

Best of luck to you!

lexus114

JDR76, very happy with our 2015 RX 350 as well. to op, try what JDR76 commented and have another dealer take a look for you.

Tom558

Sorry to hear about your issues and disappointment with the 2014 RX. We have had ours since October 2013 and have about 15,000 miles.

I have been surprised at how quickly our RX heats up. I expected to have to wait longer for heat to be available at the vents. I wonder if there is a problem with the engine thermostat? Now, we don't have the same low temperatures here in CA and have not been in very cold weather with the car.

We have been pleased with the heated and ventilated seats, but this is the first vehicle we have had that included that feature. I was in our daughter's Honda some time ago when she had left the passenger side heat on and it was uncomfortably hot. I don't know if the RX seats get that hot. I know I was a bit surprised that the heat/ventilation is only at the seat bottom and does not continue up the back of the seat. We liked the ventilation on a long trip we took to MO earlier this year.

No chips on the steering wheel but I can imagine that would be very annoying.

We get in and out of the glove box quite often and I have "taken it apart" to replace the air filter and have not noticed the fuzz issue. We would not like that either and I would think something the dealer should take care of.

We have not had issues with our RX that the dealer needed to address. I hope you can find a resolution to these problems.

kitlz

John,

Sorry you're disappointed with the RX. I assume you'e taken it back to the dealer to make sure nothing is mechanically/cosmetically wrong. To address a few of the issues:

-The heated seats and cabin temp might have to do with the vents. In auto mode, they default to floor when it's cold out/temp is set high. That should help with the seats but maybe give you a cooler feel in the cabin. I'd suggest you try adjusting the vents manually. And another member came up with a way to amplify the cooling effect of the seats in this thread here.
-For the wood steering wheel, ask the dealer to touch up or replace it. I haven't had it in the 16 years I've owned an RX so no experience there.
-The glove box fuzz problem is new. Any chance something wet was placed in there like an umbrella to maybe loosen the fibers? Again, this is something the dealer should address.
-Auto high beam was available on earlier 3rd gen RXs. It's one of those things I don't know why Lexus dropped. No doubt it was in favor of other technology.

I hope you can find some resolution to the problems. Maybe sit down with the service manager of your dealer. I know mine gets very involved with customers and goes above and beyond fixing things. Good luck and please keep us posted.

JFOK

Hi All,

Thanks for your quick responses.
The car has been to the dealership several times to address the various issues I listed in my first post.
The glove box issue was noticed the day after we picked up the car. My wife went to get the owner's manual to read and came back into the house with a hand coated in black marks. There was never anything wet placed in the glove box. The dealership fixed this issue saying it was a first for them.
I read through this forum and others, regarding the seat cooling issue and I'm aware I'm not the only customer with this issue. I tried all the "fixes" and nothing worked. It's just a poor design.
As for the lack of heat, I'll have the thermostat checked.
With regards to the steering wheel, if the touch up isn't satisfactorily done, I will request a new wheel.
I feel bad for my wife as she looked forward to getting a Lexus and sadly she now prefers her old Venza.

John

RXSF

regarding the heating in the air conditioning, make sure you don't have ECO mode turned on, it will reduce heat output in favor of MPG numbers.

I have seen a little fuzz come out of previous Lexus cars, nothing that would coat your whole hand black, but still some lose fibers. Glad they change it out for you.

Regarding the steering wheel, the dealer probably isn't responsible for replacing the steering wheel, they go a few hundred dollars close to a thousand I would suspect. While your wife is careful, the dealership has no way of knowing if you actually damaged your own wheel. Rings will often dent the lacquer.

The auto headlights are a gimmick anyways. They are a bit slow to respond, are tricked by reflections from signs, streetlights, etc. Also, its pretty low tech as it just turns on and off the highbeams, unlike other auto makers that can actually calculate/see the oncoming vehicle and dim it so that it doesn't blind the other person, while keeping your highbeams on

vlad_a

Just in case, turn off AC. If it's above 32F, it may keep running.
How is the temp gauge in the cluster? Does it rise relatively quickly?
What temp do you have the climate control set at? Dual mode? Where is the air stream routed to?

rayaans

I know waht the problem is to why the seats dont warm up properly. Liquid Leather protectant!

Put some new stuff in my wife's Merc to try it out. Blocked the heaters partly and feels much cooler than before.

Had to keep the heaters on for 100 hours just to make them feel normal again wtf? Any chance that could be the case?

SW17LS

I think a lot of this is perception. Your issues seem relatively minor to me, the glove box was a weird one, but that was addressed by the dealer. A chip in the wood steering wheel is unfortunate, but wear does happen as you use a car every day.

As for the seat heaters/coolers. Lexus seat heaters aren't great, our Jeep's seats get way warmer than the seats in my GS or any other Lexus product I've had. As for the cooled seats, its a difference between "ventilated" and "cooled" seats. All the seats do is blow air from the cabin through the perforations. I think it does a nice job of keeping your back from being sweaty, but they aren't "air conditioned" seats...and they aren't advertised as such.

As for the heating, I'll echo what others have said, make sure "eco" mode isn't on, make sure that the system is set to AUTO.

I just don't see how these issues would make one "extremely disappointed" in the vehicle. Its not like the thing fell apart or left you stranded. It had a weird fault with the felt in the glove box which they replaced, you chipped or scratched the wood wheel (they don't chip themselves), and its not heating up fast enough. The only thing thats a legitimate issue is the heating, that we need to get figured out for you.

kitlz

I had another thought before you have the heat checked. It's a long shot but I'll put it out there. Any chance the climate control is on dual mode? That allows the driver and passenger to set separate temps. I imagine it could make a difference if one side is at a lower temp than the other. The 350's cabin is pretty large to heat/cool.

I noticed it's the first winter in the RX for you. Maybe you should consider installing remote start to help take the edge off. Works for me.

corradoMR2

+1

I think a lot has to do with expectations. I remember when I got my first new Lexus IS years back, expectations were so high that all it took was the stitching in the passenger headrest to be slightly off to disappoint me and not be as excited about the car for the remainder of my ownership. I have since "grown up" and come to the realization after a few more Lexus (and other brands in between including an 09 Venza ) that there is no such thing as 100% perfection though Lexus comes closest. Today, I couldn't be happier and more proud to own Lexus vehicles despite minor shortcomings in features/functionality!


I owned an '09 Venza and the ride, fit and finish, and solidity are nowhere near the RX's. Perhaps your wife never paid attention to the fit and alignment of the vents, speaker covers, and dash panels of the Venza to see the misalignment. Apologies if this comes across as a negative against the Venza - it was a great car for the money when I had it but the intent here is help your wife see how superior the RX is so she hopefully can reignite the passion for it again.

Good luck!

Raoul

Only had ours since June. Finally getting cool enough to use the heat. I've noticed that even when adjusting the temperature(s) higher, the upper right hand corner of the NAV screen states 'AC On'

I have to go to the Climate screen and turn the AC off each time.

I know the answer is in the Owners manual but, I've only read thru Chapter 23 of Volume I.
The manuals are just too heavy to carry together, even with the sack the dealer gave me.
Anyway there is no place to keep them in the car, so I'm building a bookcase for them in the den.
That's about my only complaint, they didn't give me no bookcase or a Lexus hand truck to get them to and from the car, just a lousy cloth sack.

corradoMR2

LOL.

You must not be aware of the "secret compartment" inside the center console ...

I had my manual there though now it's one of the compartments in the trunk under the floor.

Another spot is under the transmission (console floor) where we have a kleenex box.

Plenty of spots in the RX!

TechNut

We haven't experienced the slow cabin heater issue on our 13 RX 350. I do agree that something isn't right there and I would seek another professional opinion. We have the wood steering wheel on this RX as well as the previous 2004 RX without any issues. At nine years of age our last one was still in perfect condition.

I will say these seats do not get as warm as the seats did on the 04 RX. I also agree with the comment that the cooling function does little more than keeping you from getting sweaty and sticking to them.

Anyway, I wish you luck getting your issues resolved to your satisfaction.