Did any of you guys recieve a legal notice in the mail pertaining to this? I used to own a 97 ES300 before my GS, and got the notice in the mail. It has to do with the oil sludge issue for Toyota/Lexus V6 models & 4 cyl models. You basically get additional warranty coverage beyond the original vehicle warranty ffrom oil or gel damage.


Here is more info
http://www.oilgelsettlement.com/

 

Just got mine yesterday, any idea why RX300-2003 isn't covered?
Some more on this thread. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=249489

 

My mom got one but whats it for.

 

Yea we got ours on Saturay for our old RX300.

 

Much has been written and discussed about this issue..the oil gelling and sludging in the 3.0L V6...both on and off CL. It generally is not a problem if factory-approved oil and filters are used and changed at reasonable intervals. Toyota/Lexus will repair or replace the engine if evidence is shown of a proper oil change one or twice in the 12 months prior to the breakdown. ( which, IMO, is abusing the engine...oil should normally be changed every 3-5 months and 3-5 thousand miles depending on conditions ).

The basic problem with this engine is that it is not as forgiving of extended drain intervals as many other engines are, so if you are careless or lax about changing the oil ( as many people are ) this engine will smiply not tolerate it. It has relatively small oil passages in it that contribute to the oil running hot and high engine temperatures.....primarily for emissions reasons. High oil temperatures, beyond those simply required to keep the oil clean and free of contaminants, contribute to gelling and sludge. Although, Like I said, if people simply change the regular oil and filter when they are supposed to, these engines have little or no problem, but still Toyota, IMO, should have considered requiring synthetic oil in this engine. It would have resisted the high-temperature breakdown much better...and much longer.

 

I got this as well (we used to own a 2000 RX300). I don't understand why someone had to take this to class action status - it looks like the "result" was exactly what Toyota had offered to do in the first place. Am I missing something?

 

My mom got her notice but now she doesn't care. She's upset because the dealer tried to deny there was a gelling problem and she spend thousands on engine work before giving up and trading the car in.
On the other hand, she didn't change the oil as recommended and knows that contributed to the problem. Mom had a 280Z that rarely had an oil change and never had a problem. She thought she could do the same with a Camry. Live and learn.

 

Is there any chance you or your Mom are related to Och?

 

I got one for my old Solara. I never had any "sludge" issues with 98k miles on the ODO.

 

I received mine today for my '01 ES. Too bad she's no longer here (R.I.P.)

 

That's because you, of course, being a Toyota / Lexus expert, had enough sense to keep your oil changed.

 

Toyota made a running change to the 1MZ-FE engine sometime in MY02 so it isn't an issue on the MY03's and later. I could have sworn that our '02 Highlander was in the clear on this and that it was built after the cut-off date for the changes. I was looking into this before we purchased it. I guess I'll have to do a little more digging, or just wait and see if we get some sort of notice or not. My wife is the type that thinks the engine is going to explode if you go 1 mile over 3000 miles on a change, and that you're instantly going to run out of gas the second your low fuel warning light comes on, so I'm always well aware of maintenance issues on her car.

 

This may have been helpful to my uncle about a year or so ago. His 4 cyl Camery self destructed back then. I have no doubt however that he did NOT keep up with regular maintainence. He figures if no light comes on, everything is just peachy.