Hey all, nice forum; first Lexus one I've seen so far.

Some questions (2000 RX AWD):

1. I had this annoying time trying to figure out if my mirrors are dimming correctly - after picking up my RX in 2000 (didn't know about this forum until now...), I noticed that my center mirror and passenger side mirror dimmed with a green tint, however, my driver side one only turned dark grey. After going back to the dealership (and complaining 2-3x), they finally replaced the mirror, only to break the motor... then they replaced the whole mirror & housing... only to dim grey again. At this point, they explained something about the gel within the mirrors drying, etc. Is this true? Suggestions?!?! I was too annoyed and didn't have the time to pursue this issue (since I didn't know if they were blowing smoke up my @$$ or not...), and since I finally convinced them to replace the lcd because it looked crooked/warped... damn, after replacing a new one, it still looks uneven...

2. Power/Snow button - can I switch this while driving? Will it affect the motor? So far, I've only switched the switch when the car is in a complete stop - what can I say? I'm a newbie when it comes to cars...

3. Anybody know whats the resale/trade in value like? Just curious... 2000 RX AWD, White/Beige Int., all options (Nag stereo, no Nav avail with Nag stereo on 2000 models), grill guard, running boards, guard on rear lights, approx. 30K miles.

4. Any other bumper guards besides those huge rear paperclips? No offense to those who have it... just not my taste... Thanks to people in NY who don't care too much about their cars, my rear bumper looks like a bb gun target range. Thought about getting the tow pkg (so that if they really didn't care about their cars, at least its their bumpers they're damaging!), but dealership wanted like $800 to install them! But then again, its going to cost me like $700 to replace & paint a new bumper...

5. Gold emblems - good price/place to order them? Are they hard to install?


Sorry if I sound ignorant about my car... big time newbie in terms of cars... =)

By the way - just my $.02 on some issues:

If ANYBODY considered the ML320 over the RX300... I just drove one the other day on a 2 hour drive... AM I GLAD I DIDN'T GET THAT PIECE OF S**T. Not for nothing, I love MB and all (picking up a CLK next month), but with that ML, I have to say... all you're buying is the name...

Also, with regards to the BMW X5 - LOVE THE WAY THAT CAR LOOKS... but that price tag is a bit steep don't you think? I wish I could have afforded the extra $20K (if you're considering the X5, you have to go V8...) when it first came out... but in hindsight, I'm glad I got the RX. The only thing I can say is that I wish the RX came with a V8...

Oh well, long enough post for my first, look forward to reading everybody's else comments!

 

What was it exactly, that turned you off about the ML?

I think the late model ML320 is likely the best SUV, overall, in the market today.

I have a 2001 RX300 AWD model, and it should be illegal for Lexus to label this vehicle AWD, it isn't it's a OWD SUV.

Had I not been so turned off by the early ML, and the MB marque in general, I suspect I wouldn't own the RX.

Oh, and for me, the 4WD mechanical drive setup is much more important than HP. You can't POWER yourself up a snow covered or icy slope.

 

5. Gold emblems - good price/place to order them? Are they hard to install?

I bought my gold emblems plus 4 chrome/gold logo wheel center cap from dealer about $230. they are very easy to install but you have to take off the wheel to replace the center cap. Good luck.

 

First of, NY RX300, welcome to ClubLexus You'll have to watch wwest, he has it in for the RX AWD setup

Sorry to hear about your problems with your dimming mirror. Your talking about the outside mirrors right? I have the dimming mirror and wondered if the ones outside were supposed to dim too, can't every really tell if they are. Oh well, back to your issues.

As for the power/snow button. Have at it! Shift here, there, 50mph, 0mph, it doesn't matter. It's electronically controlled and you can't hardly screw that up Power mode will just make the RX tranny shift at higher RPM's for acceleration and snow mode will start the RX out in second gear to reduce wheel slippage. Very effective too. I used it in some light snow one time, very handy.

Not exactly sure about your retail pricing. You could get a rough estimate by checking http://www.kbb.com or checking http://www.autotrader.com and see what the market looks like for RX's.

Bumper guard? I have the '01 plastic bumper pad, but sounds like that won't help you much. I have the OEM trailer hitch and love having it, if nothing else for the aesthetic purposes. Me and my yuppie SUV

For the gold emblems, try this site here:
http://www.autonetperformance.com/lexus/Parts/RX300.htm
or http://www.irontoad.com

Hope I've provided some useful info.

-Nick

 

Lex answered some of your questions pretty good. And yes, watch out for Wwest, you'll notice that whenever someone asks for help around here, he'll just bring up the issue of AWD, even if you didn't ask about it. Loves to hear himself talk. Don't mention air-conditioning or he'll go off the deep end.

Rear bumper guard: I take it you've seen the WAAG product. Yea, I'm not too crazy myself about it either. The JAOS is a better, sleeker design, but I refuse to buy their products because they slap their name all over their accesories. If I wanted to "rice-out" my vehicle I'd buy a Honda Civic. What I suggest is getting some of those bumper rub-stips. They can be painted to match the bumper and don't look as tacky. AutoBarn has them (should be one near you if you're in the NYC/LI area).

Gold Emblems (or other RX300 accessories): www.irontoad.com
Genuine Lexus parts, good prices and customer service.

Welcome and good luck!

 

welcome to the club yo... I dont think Jaos slap their names on everything... but they do have their names on their products.. hehhe, as for the rear bumper guard from jaos, i dunno about that... I would get it myself, but just for that one bar going for $580 is very expensive... but yea...

 

Thanks for all the feedback - couple of comments (get a cup of coffee and get comfortable... I just realized that I enjoy writing!):

1. Gold emblems - thanks for the sites and comments... time to get the cc out... I'm going to look into it next week.

2. Rear bumper guard - regarding JAOS - damn, do they have a ego with their logo or what? Sorry, but its too much for me... Regarding those rubber bumper strips - they look kinda tacky... but if it'll save me $700 in repairs/year, then I might just have to get me a set or two of those... did anybody try removing them after they've been in place for some time? The strips/glue won't damage the paint right? Do they come in a variety of colors, or do I have to get them painted?

3. True AWD? Hell, I'm a newbie - all I know is that the "SNOW" button has helped in NY (or was it my imagination during those snowy months?) so far when getting into or out of a parking spot with 12" of snow. As for "True AWD"... at this point in my life, I can safely say that the words "NEWBIE" and "HUH?" come to mind. Although I do want to add this comment: When I bought my RX, I had the following considerations in mind:

a. A car that would handle better in rough road conditions.
b. A car thats roomy enough but not a troop transport.
c. A car that drives/moves decently (NY has alot of very aggressive sobs! This is the state that you don't signal until you're 1/2 into a merge on the highway!)
d. A car thats comfortable, considering how much time I spend in car (and I don't have a backache after driving for extended periods of time).
e. A car that doesn't feel "cheap" - for example, 2" thick doors, pleather trimmings, the "plastic" look all around the car...

Now, considering that the RX is a LEXUS, the words "comfortable", "performance", and "luxury" come to mind, not so much "safari", "jungle", or "to hell and back in 20 min". Yes, I could have gotten a town car with a "boat like comfort ride"... but the half car/half SUV RX seemed to satisfy everything from "camping on the weekend" to "get out of my way during traffic hour in the city" mix.

4. Is it just me, or do I have quite a bit to say? =)

5. To elaborate on why I don't like the ML - here were my thoughts during a 2 hr drive I had while driving my friends' ML (all in my opinions of course, but another person agreed with me on the same night on the following points):

a. The center rear view mirror felt cheap and warped for some reason; it wasn't very comfortable using it for some reason while going 80-90mph on the highway at night. I opted to ignore it completely and just use the side mirrors.
b. Turning - I have to admit, this is my opion, but I like to feel the car as its manuvering... the RX may tilt a bit too much in the front, but its better than the "boat" feeling I had when driving my other friend's Explorer. The ML doesn't move. No tilt, no pull from the sides feeling. Just... nothing. Feels weird not to feel the car respond to turns... the only time we felt a "tilt" was when we were intentionally trying to test the limits on the car and did a almost 90 degree turn at a not so slow speed... the feeling we had was something like "oh $..T, we almost flipped it!"
c. Acceleration - the car moves and picks up, but I'd like to hear the radio, not the engine roaring all the time... not that we like to punish our friend's cars... but its a lease vehicle, so we pushed it once we got on the highway on our 2 hr drive.
d. Climate controls - looked... again, my opinion... maybe you guys should go check it out, but the words "wtf?" came out of my mouth...
e. The brake pedal - perhaps the spring was a bit tight... but it was a workout trying to press that brake pedal down, as oppose to the almost feather like feel of the brake pedal in my RX.
f. Window controls - can somebody tell me why the window controls are in the center console? I've seen it that way on convertables and some sports cars, but on a SUV?
g. Box shaped. Looks like a design from many many many MANY generations ago...
h. This part kills me... most MB are really expensive, a MB model compared to a BMW or LEXUS equiv. usually will run 10K more or so I think, but the ML 320 is only 40K? Doesn't that raise a few questions?
i. Its the only MB made in the US currently I think... I'm not sure if thats a 3 pointed star on the engine or a crysler star on it... no offense, but if you're on this site, chances are, you'd prefer a japanese or german engine in your car as well...
j. Whats the deal with the punch out bumper? The last thing I want is for some idiot who can't park to tap my bumper in the wrong place and knock panels off of it.

There is one item which I think the ML is much better than the RX - you can get a better engine if you can afford one... However, since this is a "Lexus" site, I'll keep the few negative comments I have about the RX to myself for now.

I think I'll leave it at that for now - perhaps I should have started a new post? "My Review of the ML 320"... If I get lucky and get to test drive a BMW X5 or a Acura MDX on a leisure rides, I'll post the details on those too!

 

Your concerns and opinions are very legitimate, after all, they're yours! And that's what counts since you are the one shelling out the money.

Regarding the bumper strips: they are usually held on with 3M brand auto adhesive tape. I believe that if you use a hair dryer to slightly heat up the pieces it aids in removal. But do me a favor and ask a pro at a local body shop, I'm sure they deal with this stuff all the time and have a more definitive answer.

The ML320 is a fine vehicle, and we considered it along with the MDX when we bought back in January. Safety wise, the ML320 is tops. But for what you are paying for, the interior didn't strike me as "luxury class". The Rex is not perfect, but Lexus has pulled off the right compromises to get the best combination of safety, luxury, and performance. And every MDX or ML320 owner I've talked to won't dispute that the Rex is better when it comes to luxury and ride comfort. If one's priorities are different, than one should be looking at a different vehucle than the Rex.

I'm on Long Island, where abouts are you located?

 

Those "paper clip" rear guard do look ugly, and they don't have them in chrome. I check out the JAOS center and rear guard. at lease they look better. Did anyone check out the JAOS home site in Japan?

http://www.jaos.co.jp/web_jaos/idx_fr.html

It's going for about 48K YEN, that's about USD$390. They're going for about $700 in NYC. Anyone have better luck?

 

Manhattan, NYC.

Hey, has anybody had a chance to test drive (for extended trip vs. 15 min ride) a BMW X5? Any thoughts on that?