adamls2

Hello fellow RX family, my mother has a 2008 rx350 with 106k miles and I need some help with a few things.

1st off the a/c compressor has gone out and Lexus wants $2k+ to fix that. They said the parts needed are:
a/c compressor w/clutch
a/c accumulator/ drier

I found this kit online that seems to have all of these items + the washers for $635...
http://www.discountacparts.com/Lexus...~81121_RK.html
My local mechanic said he would charge $200 max for the install.

My question is, has anyone had this done before or have any advice on what to do? Is there a place to get cheaper parts?

The second part is the tires. The current tires are just shot and really crappy quality. I would like to try to save some money and buy something with minimal noise and decent tread rating, (I know you can't get the best on a budget). Iv'e been looking on the tire websites and previous threads about different tires, but I wanted to see what people recommend and if you could please share how much they were, that would be wonderful. Here in Florida we have a lot of rain, so tires are usually on top of my safety priorities.

Any help, advice, and information shared is greatly appreciated!

Carver

I would have no problem with that AC kit.

I'm in Texas so rain is a big deal here as well. I'm very impressed with my Yokohama Avid Enigor tires. Best rain tire I've had, they've seen me through some serious Texas frog strangler storms. The AEs are a general purpose tire and Yokohama does make an SUV tire but I can't speak to their efficacy.

RockfordRX

Nice pic, Carver! LOVE the drilled rotors and wheels and tires!!!

Carver

That's actually my RX300 but the pic is the best shot of the tread I have. I transferred those wheels to my 330 and got some drilled rotors for it as it needed new ones anyway. This is the current 330 setup.

adamls2

Thanks for the response. Any other tire recommendations??

RX330inFL

The current thinking is one of the following, in no particular order:

Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season
Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring
Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia
Yokohama Parada Spec-X

buieville

My 2008 RX350 tires have 5/32 of an inch of tread remaining after 100k miles of use, which is actually quite good considering they are the original tires.

The tires are Mirada cross tour SLX 225/65R17 ; these are made by Yokohama and have been excellent tires both for wear, handling, performance and durability.

Most of the driving has been Canada in the summer and Florida in the winter. They have experienced winter conditions and were fine..

I will be replacing them in the next 6 months and the dealer has suggested Michelin MXV4S8s at a total cost of $1,313 which includes all taxes. It appears to be a very good all weather tire for both dry pavement, but also for snow and ice.

I would suggest that if most of your driving is in a warmer climate, e.g. Florida that the Mirada tires might be best and the total installed cost including all ancillary costs would be $1,011 in Canada/ Alberta. A major tire retailer also suggested Nokian WRG2SUV tires and they appear to be very good tires but durability might be an issue; they are also all weather which would not be required in warmer climates ... The installed price is in the order of $1,125

Hope you find this useful.

Good luck

mandyfig

All good tires above. I have the Ecopia, like it.

winwin4all

Maybe eBay for parts? New or used- up to budget. Dealership is almost always is a rip-off. Can check with Toyota dealership they are usually 10-20 % cheaper. Don't see any problems buy parts yourself and give it to a local guy, not a very difficult job to do.
Tires are important, especially at rain and water puddles so must choose wisely on that.
I'd go with Goodyear assurance(had them for the last 3 years) Now went with Duellers as found them $100 cheaper. If budget is tight check with local Craigslist, type 235 55 18 or 235 60 18 or whatever you have and look at the options there. Most of the time those guys buying tires in bulk (used ones) and picking good ones, combine them as a set and sell for the fraction of new tire price, if you lucky you can get 4 tires for $200 with 70-80% life on them. Even if you drive 30-40K on them you will save $$ compare to new ones. Assurance or Dueller will cost you at least $900 unless you can find a deal like buy 3 get 1 free but even then they will charge about $220 per tire plus installation around $80 and disposal and some other ... so you may end up around $800.
I wouldn't buy cheap brand as most likely they will be finished earlier and you'd have to buy another set sooner. As for me I am trying to keep an old saying in my mind every time I am buying something " I am not rich enough to buy chip things "
Good luck!