We've had our 2019 NX300 for almost 3 years now and just reached 65k. It has been excellent and I've done all the maintenance myself. My concern is the number of posts about a rear main seal failure on these 8AR engines. Is this really that common? It has me worried since these aren't exactly the simplest engines and we tend to keep our vehicles for a long time. I am maybe considering trading it for a 2022+ NX250 with the more simple naturally aspirated engine.

 

In this Thread — see below link — the #3 post said if you’re under power train warranty, to have it fixed for free so this is a known problem but not sure if that meant also under extended warranty or not.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...aking-oil.html

The last poster on the thread said it was the 2nd time it happened — the 1st time was covered in good will by dealership, the 2nd time not.

I believe it was on earlier MYs than yours. I’m not sure how common a problem it is on the Refresh 1st Gen MYs 2018-2021 but I haven’t seen a lot of complaints, so maybe they figured it out by then and it’s not so common on those years. And I agree with you and would like to keep my 2020 NX as long as I can as I’m only at 29k miles.

Since you do your own regular maintenance you can keep an eye out for any evidence of leaks. If and when it ever does happen and you’re beyond extended warranty timeframe, they mentioned the leaks are very slow so that might be a good time to look for a replacement.

 

Hoping it's just an assembly issue, the block and rear main design isn't much different from any of the ARs and its all the same family of engines. I try to use the best oil I can and we barely do 6000 miles a year but I still change the oil every 6 months. Hoping that fresh oil and good additives keep those seals happy. At least they don't seem to suffer from any other major issues. Complicated but well-built. I was looking at the 2022+ NX250s and I really find the interiors to be a huge step back. Felt like I was in a luxury Corolla Cross and they are also built in Canada now instead of Japan like our NX.

 

Yes, I agree with everything you said especially staying on top of the maintenance.

We just happened to buy our NX at the end of Oct with 26k+ miles and just did the 30k maintenance early as it needed an oil change. But I plan to DIY on future oil changes as a guy on CL says it’s the EASIEST car he’s ever had to maintain the oil changes on.

If you want to go the 2nd Gen route I would look at the 350s instead of the 250 as they think it has better options and might not be like the luxury Corolla Cross as you say - that was funny btw 🤣.

I plan to keep this car for the long haul as we just got it recently and I’m completely obsessed with it - hahaha

I’ve never taken a complete interest in a car EVER and I’ve learned so much on CL. The hubster is sometimes annoyed but I don’t care — I LOVE my NX 😅

 

You might be referring to ME. I did state in one of the postings that it is the easiest oil change I've ever done. I've owner perhaps 20+ vehicles in my lifetime, and did a LOT of oil changes. On my 2020 NX I don't even have to jack it up. I just slide underneath and I can easily reach the drain plug and the oil filter canister.
Originally, I was doing 3k intervals, since that's what I've done my entire life. Then, I was somehow convinced that with these 'newer' engines, and with full synthetic, that I should be able to do 5k intervals. Well, I've recently switched back to 3k.
YES, we all have opinions on these things, so I'm sure I'll hear both sides of this...
I've switched back to 3k intervals for a few reasons:
1) I hear that turbo engines (which is what I have) are tougher on the oil.
2) The COST for me to do it is low - $25 for 5.2q and $4 for the OEM filter (low cost for a little extra piece of mind).
3) Since there isn't much to do on the NX (I'm very big on preventative maintenance), this gives me an excuse to look at as many things as possible while waiting for the complete drain/drip, to do other stuff on it.
4) I ENJOY doing it !

I do 95% highway driving at 55-65mph. I am easy on the car. I don't jackrabbit or try to accelerate too quickly, unless necessary.

STILL, it is so easy to do AND I really don't have much else to do on the NX as it's very reliable.


BY THE WAY, I presently have 88k on my 2020 NX and haven't noticed any leaks at all.

 

@LexMan2003 — OF COURSE I was referring to YOU — I just didn’t want to call you out w/o your permission…

You have been a tremendous help to so many, not just me and I very much appreciate the knowledge and experience you bring to the table 🙌

 

Hahahahaha. THANK YOU !

I try to be helpful where I can. I find forums like this to be VERY helpful to many (including myself). If I have something to say that I think could be useful, I open my mouth. That's just how I am. But ONLY if I really believe that it is of value, and not something clearly obvious (within that forum/thread). Of course, it has to be the right place, right time as well. We can all learn a lot from listening to others' experiences. That's what makes these forums GREAT !

If I didn't have a forum like this, I'd HAVE TO purchase the shop manuals. And even then, there is nothing that can compare to hearing from others who have "been there, done that".

 

Really, you can pick ANY topic and you can get into it to a great level of detail, if you so choose. It's good to hear the different perspectives that people have.

Here's a quick example. RUN FLAT TIRES. I was just talking to a buddy of mine about them. I'm not a big fan of them, and I explained to him my reasoning. BUT, I am aware of, and shared with him, my point of view of the BENEFITS. It's one of those things that it MAY fit your life, or it may not. Depends on the circumstances.

 

Regarding the REAR MAIN OIL LEAK...I've heard about this before, but I don't recall hearing that 'it may very well be only in the earlier model years'. That's good news. Of course, I don't take that as gospel, but I store it away for future consideration. Fortunately, I have not had this problem (I have 88k miles on my 2020 NX) but I will be monitoring just in case.

 

For what it’s worth, I have a 2015 nx 200t with 140k miles. No oil leaks to date, but if it started leaking within the next 5 years, I wouldn’t be too mad considering the age and mileage of the car, and how reliable it’s been. Also been running on 6k oil changes (full synthetic) since new.

 

That was just a guess about it happening the majority of the time in the earlier MYs as I don’t recall seeing it being an issue after the refresh, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened to our MYs, only that I hope it doesn’t.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on it as well and again, hope it doesn’t happen to us as we both have the same MY.

This is good news to hear, so thanks for letting us know 👍 — I guess it’s just the luck of the draw…

This has me wondering what percentage of cars produced in Gen 1 has this affected before the refresh and what percentage of cars after the refresh.

Either way, I’ll be keeping up with reg maintenance as you all @HybridMotorsports @LexMan2003 @AMTMJ have done and with, so far, good results.

 

Since the engine block is almost Identical to the Camry and Rav4 2.5L, I wonder if this is because of the extra pressures inside the crankcase since our engines are turbocharged. It's much harder on seals so maybe people that drive aggressively and always in the high rpms are more prone to blow out the rear main seal? Was this a gentle 140k?

 

Average driving. I get on it from time to time.

 

Question - Have you done either a transmission flush or a transmission drain and fill yet?

 

Not yet. I intend to tackle this once the weather starts to get nicer. On my 2020 NX it is NOT a simple task.