81corolla

2000 RX300 AWD
60,500k miles

It's time for the 60k maintenance. My questions revolve around what
is done and who should do it.

I. What's done at 60k at my dealer:
--------------------------------------------------

* full inspection
* change oil/filter (synthetic please)
* top fluids
* replace wipers
* replace air filter
* replace A/C (cabin) filter
* rotate tires
* replace brake fluid
* replace transmission fluid
* replace cooling fluid

Dealer cost: $471 (includes loaner)

Q. Is this a fair price?

What's not done:

* retorque the flange bolts
* change fuel filter
* replace differential fluid
* Others??? - chime in

Q. Should I be concerned about these missing items?


Oh yeah, at 90k the timing belt, drive belt and spark plugs get
changed for $880 - 'ya think that's fair too?


II. Who should do the work?
---------------------------------------

A. Dealer route:

If folks think the dealer is giving a fair price I might just go that
route. Actually the more I think about it, maybe I *should* go this route
as the car is still under warranty (major components 72m/70k).

I don't have any real issues with the car except:

* the attenna makes a little more noise, but maybe it just needs to
be greased.

* the glove compartment latch sucks and has to be slammed closed

* when the car idles, the engine seems to emit a low frequency.
Almost like someone is playing a bass in the car. With a little
rpm it goes away. I'm pretty sure it didn't use to sound like
this. I'm going to have a tough time explaining this to a
mechanic - engine acoustics don't sound right in the cabin.


B. Owner route:

I did most of the maintenance work on my old car and I was hoping to
continue that trend on the RX300. My friend thinks I'll keep the
resale value up if I can show I went to the dealer consistently.

Truthfully I'm not thinking a whole lot about resale as I'm hoping to
keep the car for 10+ years at which point the value will probably be
low enough that maint. records won't be significant. But I could be
wrong about this; luxury cars are a different segment.

Thoughts?

I think I can do the following work:

* change oil/filter (have yet to try; only changed once at local shop)
* top fluids
* replace wipers (already done)
* replace air filter
* replace A/C (cabin) filter (already done)
* rotate tires
* replace transmission fluid
* replace cooling fluid
* change fuel filter

What I don't feel comfortable with:

* replace brake fluid
* retorque the flange bolts
* replace differential fluid (although this really isn't necessary at 60K is it?)

Anyway, does it make sense to wait until the car is out of warranty
before I try some of these things on my own?


C. Of course I could just ask my local trusted mechanic to do the work
instead of the dealer.


Any thoughts on which route I should take?
Or what I should ask/look out for during the service trip?

TIA,
-Sam

jassurafs

$471 is a damn good price. I had to pay about $850 for my 60K service at my local Lexus dealer. Of this $850, the parts were for ~ $350 and the rest is for Labor, which is not cheap at Lexus.
I am not really a DIY guy and for your quoted price, I would stick with the dealer. This price is good enough for Peace of Mind and as well as a good Loaner

Traturn

The list that they do for a 60k is pretty good imo; especialy for the price.

As far as whats on you're list of whats not done, I would just ask that they change the diff fluids, especialy the rear. GL5 80/90 is cheap insurance vs a siezed up diff.

the fuel filter is in the tank, shouldnt have to change that.

retorque flange bolts is imo a gimmic. I'd be wary if they said they do that, as 9/10 flat rate tech's dont even know what or which flange bolts this relates to; nevermind zap them with a 1/2" gun to 'torque' it. Flat rate is the devil.

HarrierAWD

$471 is actually pretty good. My dealer wants $599 with differential fluid. $450 at nearby Toyota with no loaner.

I'd ask them to throw in the differential fluid to sweeten the deal, though it's not necessary unless you drove the RX through deep water. The RX300 fuel filter lasts the life of the car so it needs not be replaced (I think the RX's filter is located inside the gas tank, nearly impossible to get to for DIYer anyway.) For some unknown reason, no dealer cares to retorque the drive shaft. They say it's not necessary?!

Spark plugs should be changed at 120,000 miles according to the manual. Perhaps the 2000 model uses different plugs? The engine low frequency sound may indicate a leak in the exhaust system.

DIY is a good route, just save the receipts for parts and fluids. You can have the brake bled at your dealer if you are not comfortable with doing it.

Lil4X

You might check the prices at a local Toyota dealer - their shop rate is usually less than Lexus', but will not include a loaner, unless specified. I wouldn't want to DIY complex services on a car still in warranty for fear of costing myself $ down the road. One advantage of dealer service - you have someone to complain to when something goes wrong . . . especially when it's expensive. If a DIY item goes wrong, your complaint department is in the mirror!

Once out of warranty, I'd find a local shop that has a good reputation - ask around your neighborhood, particularly among Lexus and Toyota owners. Oil changes can go to a franchise oil change place (they check other vitals too, for the same money). Otherwise get a shop manual and have at it!

81corolla

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to go to the dealer. Turns out the dealer will change the diff. oil they just forgot to mention it.

They want an extra $35 to use synthetic but will deduct if I bring my own. So I'm off to the store to pick up 5 qts of Mobil-1 10W-30 or am I to use 5W-30?
I think I once saw a thread that said you can buy Mobil-1 oil in a big jug. I'll hunt around.

Thanks again.

jimmouse

Damn good price. 60K costs more 1k here. Which dealer are you going to? I may do my 90K over there.

BTW, my 2001 RX has same bass affect whenever it stops in drive and idle between the 2nd and 3rd rpm mark. When put in park or nutral, rpm goes to 3rd mark, it is quite as a cat. So, if you figure out the cause, pls post it here. It is really annoying.

Purdy99

i've got a 99RX, and it too rumbles with bass effect when idle in Drive. my warrantee expires in a couple of months, so if anyone knows what the problem is, please post it!!!

81corolla

Thanks for all the input.

Service was completed yesterday. Everything went pretty well although I have some other questions that I'll post as separate threads.

Front brakes have 20% remain. This might be a DIY - pads shouldn't be tough - dealer wants $350 for the pair. The rears have 60% left but were new 8000 miles ago so I'm not sure if that's normal wear or not. Seems kind of fast.

Had them change the PCV valve for good measure. When is the oxygen sensor replaced?

Lastly, as for the low noise at idle speed, the dealer's report states: "Normal Low Exhaust Noise - This is normal." So Harrier was right - it's related to the exhaust system, but they claim its normal. It could any component along the way; manifold, pipes, catalytic converter, muffler, etc., and even then, there's no guarantee that replacing any one of those will solve the problem.

As I said, the problem is idle speed when in gear - engine rpm is about 500. One hack would be to find the engine throttle stop and screw it in a little to increase the rpms just enough to make the noise go away. But I'm not prepared to do that and I wouldn't recommend it as it probably would lead to other problems down the road, say a worn transmission. Perhaps the experts can advise.

Thanks again for the advice.

Todd

I had this issue way back when. See my earlier post regarding the fix or at least what to have checked at this link-
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=106589