Since my RX350 seems to get the problems first I thought I'd post this in case yours is soon to be out of warrantee.

Just had my '07 RX350 in for 75k service. They found that the rack is leaking power steering fluid into the rubber boot. It doesn't leak on to the ground as it drips into the boot. I have an extended warrantee so it was covered. The cost to repair billed back to the insurance was $1300. for this repair. However, the Lexus extended warrantee does NOT cover the alignment that must be done when the rack is replaced - that sucks!

Anyways, if your RX is close to the end of its warrantee period, I would suggest you have this checked. The service person told me he is seeing it on about every third '07 RX350 in the shop and always happening on the right side. No recall as it's not a safety issue.

 

It's also notable on '05 330s. Mine went at about the same mileage. My mechanic said lack of maintenance was most likely the culprit, keep that fluid fresh folks, next time I'm going synthetic.

 

Hence I drain(more of suck) the PS canister and put fresh Dexron III every time I change the oil. Tranny DEX II is so cheap anyway. I always check my PS fluid, it has to be pinkish all the time.

 

it is not lack of maintenance. that is a common problem on all 04-? RXs the reason for the ? is i see it on 350s as well as 330s it is expensive to repair but if it is not covered by warranty call lexus not your dealer and complain and they might help you out with repair costs. Also if you are paying for the repair check on the labor time quoted it should include time to toe in the front wheels so paying for an alignment is not necessary but still recommended every 15k or yearly

 

I use royal purple in my PS system so I hope it helps. I'm convinced that Lexus wants this to be a problem as its such a pain in the *** to check PS fluid level
With the black plastic cover on that side of the engine bay

 

My Toyota dealer changed my PS fluid at the 45K oil change. They checked it while doing all the fluid checks with my oil change and noticed it was very dirty. They had me look and it was very dirty so I had them go ahead and change it.
Jeff

 

jgr7,
You have a great dealer. Both the Lexus and Toyota dealer had no idea of how to change the PS fluid so I went to an independent mechanic.

 

What is the interval for changing power steering fluid?

 

I was just at my dealership and was informed that my steering rack is leaking on both sides. On the right hand side the boot was wet and dripping on the stabilizer beam. The right side was just wet. No material has hit the ground. So, the leaks are slow and the boots seem to be intact. I was given a price for the replacement of the entire steering rack with both a Lexus part and for an aftermarket part. I decided to have this issue addressed at my next service interval, probably with the least cost option, the after marked part.

My question is does the entire assembly have to be replaced? Couldn't just the boots over the couplings replaced and the lubricant be replenished?

George

 

Yes you can. Mine has been leaking for 30k miles. In the spring I will cut off the old boot and replace with a new one. All you will need to do is remove the tie rod ends. Just make sure you don't have excessive play in your steering or you'll need to go ahead and replace the rack.

 

I use the turkey baster method, suck some out and replace with Mobil 1 ATF, drive 50 miles, do it again. The PS fluid on my '98 SC300 was dark brown when I bought it, after 2 or so quarts of Mobil1 ATF it's now red.
My SC and RX were both serviced at Lexus through their life, they would change all the fluids except the PS,.............. kinda strange

 

Thanks for this. I shopped around and found it is not a good idea to just change the boots. Changing the boots alone does not stop the leak and the leak will eventually deteriorate the boots and your back to square one.

I found an independent mechanic who specialized in Toyota and Lexus who I worked with in the past. He quoted me an OEM replacement for $500 less than the Lexus dealer. He completed the job in less than 3 hours and included a front end alignment.

I’m happy,

 

Johnson Lexus in Raleigh gave me the bad news today at my 70000 mile service that I need to repair the leak with a 1600 $ repair. I see no leak reaching the garage floor. What do they replace ?

 

Holy cow, a 33% failure rate? Most definitely a design/engineering flaw. I hope it has been addressed in the later models. My 07 is out of warranty, so I will be keeping an eye on the rack & pinion and look for leaks once a month.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

I too have used the turkey baster method with Mobil 1 synthetic tranny oil...works great and brings back that clean fluid.