Hi Everyone,
A very good friend of mine who has become unable to drive due to his age and various medical conditions has given me his 2003 RX300. It's in very nice condition and it only has 137K miles on it. I am 71 years old and have always worked on my own cars but this is my first Lexus. I've always heard that they were well built but I had no idea how well built until I spent the weekend getting to know it. It"s impressive.

As I usually do when I get a new car, I have questions. My first one is the trim on the A pillar, passenger side. It's loose and I wrestled with it for 2 hour trying to get it snapped in it's place and it just won't clip in. The clips seem to be in good shape but I can't get the piece all the way into position. Is there a trick to this?

I have a few questions about the buttons too. I have one that says "TRAC OFF" and another that's marked "ECT SNOW". If the Trac Off button turns it off does that mean that traction control is on all the time? And what does the Snow button do? I thought it would activate traction control.

Then I have a very small circular rocker button above the "TRAC OFF" that doesn't appear to do anything at all. It's about 1/2" in diameter and has a vertical dash on the top and an "O" on the bottom. As far as I can tell nothing changes when you push it either way. No lights appear on the instrument panel. Nothing! Does anyone know what this one does?

Also, a recommend for a good place to buy parts would be helpful too. I need a new drivers seatbelt and a new upper motor mount or strut support mount.
If there are brands I should look for and brands I should avoid please let me know.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Best Regards to all
Brian
Brian@DesignerGrips.com

PS. I tried to post a picture of the round button but apple stores photos in a format the the forum doesn't recognise. I'll see if I can fix that and post it later.

 

Hello Brian. Welcome to Club Lexus. This is a very useful forum for RX300 owners.

There isn't any real trick to the pillar trim. I guess check that the rubber on the edge closer to the door isn't binding on the rubber there, and that there are no wires that run under that trim blocking the openings the trim snaps into. Also that the retainers aren't bent such that they do not go into the openings, or damaged such that they can't grip.
I don't have the trac-off feature. The transmission is electronic and the ECT rocker changes the shift points. I think mine has ECT-Snow and ECT-Power.
I usually get parts from RockAuto or Lexus online.
If the drivers seatbelt isn't retracting smoothly consider washing it and sanding the guide a bit. There are threads about it
If you don't know the maintenance history consider a transmission drain & fill and timing belt
The "stickies" section has a large list of DIY guides
There is a complete Lexus service manual on CD available at RockAuto for like $20 https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...rock-auto.html . Some of the documents *may* have been attached to posts, but that is against site policy. You can also find some of them online easily, like search for "RX300 diagnostics pdf"

 

Welcome to Club Lexus.

First gen RX is a fine machine and it was among the best if not the best when it was introduced. It should give you a good long service as long as you take good care. If you think I am exaggerating, just observe how many SUV from late 90's are still on the road.

Lot of modern features and updates have been incorporated in later gen but I still prefer the styling of first gen RX.

I would highly recommend that you read through the sticky threads. Also read through the owners manual. Since you are a DIY type, please procure Service manual [Engine and Body]. The factory manual is invaluable and very well written.

Few quick answers:
Parts ... Please do not install any non-OEM electronics parts [Battery and bulbs may be the only exception]. Buy them trough Lexus dealerships or on line Lexus/Toyota retailers. To save, the next step down option would be parts from original manufacturers AISEN, Denso. With abundant fake & clones and sub-standard parts, ensure the seller is providing genuine parts.
Lexus service will not be cheap but it is still not out of the world.

Once you read through the Owner's manual you will get answers to most of the other questions.
SNOW mode removes the 1st gear from standstill motion. This limits the torque to wheels and prevents spin-out from standstill.
Traction on the other hand applies braking to certain wheels based on slip detection.

Please make sure you have the right set of keys. Having 2 registered master keys will keep you out of trouble [one being spare].
Your service/warranty manual will have all suggested dealer service items based on time and milage. Bring your vehicle up to date slowly.

Salim

 

The responses are much appreciated. I still have to get the owners manual and I'll make a point of reading through the stickies as time allows. My friend asked his son to clean out the car prior to giving it to me and he tossed out all the maintenance records. My friend is going to call his mechanic and try to get copies going back as many years as possible. He tells me that he has every recommended maintenance completed as required (including the timing belt) but I'll still feel better if he can get the paperwork. I spent the entire day on Friday cleaning the outside with a toothbrush wherever needed. On Saturday I cleaned the inside. I touched up some of the worn areas of the leather seats and put a new finish on them as well. (I work with Exotic Leather Hides like Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo, Ostrich, Etc...., so this was right up my alley. Sunday was the engine and underside. I've never had an engine compartment or underside that was as clean as this one.

So far all I see that I need to replace is the "front torque strut motor mount", because the rubber is pretty torn up, and the drivers seat belt, because the belt is pretty badly frayed. The headlights are in pretty poor shape and need to be polished out too. My eyes aren't in the best shape anymore but the optometrist tells me I'm not ready for cataract surgery yet, so i'm hoping the lights do a good job once they're cleaned up.

And that, as far as I can tell, is everything it needs for now. Thanks Maxsteel and Salim for the quick responses. I'm looking forward to getting more familiar with my new car and this forum.

Best Regards,
Brian
Brian@DesigneGrips.com