Hi all. We just took delivery of a new 2011 RX a week ago for my wife. It is Silver with black interior and without Nav. We traded a 2001 RX with 93,000 miles on the odometer. If this one performs as well as the old one, we will be happy campers. Our other car is a 2008 Cadillac CTS (mine) and I belong to the Cadillac forum which I have found to be very helpful. So...I am sure that this will be just as great. Now for my thoughts/questions/help.

1. I am a direction reader, but I find the owners manual lacking in information and think that it is poor organized. It is so thick that you almost have to break the spine to read it near the seam. Just a thought

2. I thought that the manual indicated that the the dealer could program the rear hatch to go up automatically when it is opened by hand. The dealer tells me no. Is that accurate? What is the point of keeping the keys in your pocket or purse if they must be used to open it automatically.

3.When placed in reverse, the outside rear-view mirrors tilt down if one is selected. Can the amout of downward travel be adjusted? Again the dealer tells me no, but the manual seems to indicate the opposite. I thought that they could be programmed as an automatic recall item. If this is possible, how can it be done?

4. If one does not have the Nav system, it would seem that the Bluetooth features are very limited. For example, you can only program twenty numbers with name tags into the system and when they are used the display indicates, "no name." Further if you download your phone directory into the system, all that is stored is a list of numbers that one can not even scroll through. On the good side, if a call is made by a paired phone in the car, it is automatically transferred into the system so one can speak hands free. Are my observations correct or am I missing something? I would love to be able to see a name and number displayed. Lastly with the phone, how does one dial extension numbers once a call is completed? My dealer tells me that it must be done with the phone. Again what is the point if you want to do this "hands free?" It seems that all of these things can be done if you have the nav system.

5. Is is possible to get a "build sheet" to tell you exactly when the car was built, and what equipment it has as well as when it was delivered etc? If so, how do I go about getting one?

Finally, I must tell you that we think the car is great and so much better than the 2001 in so many ways. What shocked me was the MSRP. It went up less than $4000 in ten years. However, we had to give up the HID light because they only can with the Nav package and we were not going to spend an additional $4K to get something that we would use one a year. We are still debating about the addition of mud guards (the 2001 had them buiit into the fenders) and the door guards. I am not a fan of the design and would only add them if they were effective in a practical manner. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this and any help anyone can provide will be sincerely appreciated.

 

Thank you for your quick response and help. This is going to be a great forum.

 

1. - have you looked at the on-line manual?

4. - "how does one dial extension numbers once a call is completed?" Not sure I know what this means. Do you mean dial extension number after the dialed number is ringing or answered by an automated attendant or what?

 

I'm sure this what he means and I have no idea to answer this too

 

I find a lot of information on the Lexus drivers web site and here is some information that may or may not be helpful in your situation.

 

Folks, this is exactly what I mean. Once a call is completed the automated attendant tells you to dial the extension, account number, pass code, etc. In my CTS, all you have to do is hit the talk switch and say "Dial 1234" and it responds, "sending numbers." I have not tried this yet with the RX, but I will do so later today and let you all know if I am successful.

 

Like cafpaf I just took delivery of a 2011 RX350. I too have a couple of observations relating to this $55,000CDN car.
Having come out of a much less expensive GM product I was amazed that the RX does not have a USB port as standard equipment. I have to plug my IPod into two ports to play it and the steering wheel controls only control volume, nothing else.
Secondly, even the cheapest GM cars allow the owner to convert from KM to miles and vice versa with the push of a button. This is apparently not possible on a Lexus.
These are a couple of minor quibbles, the RX is a great car but I was somewhat taken aback that the electronics are so outdated.

 

Do you have navigation?

What two ports do you have your iPod plugged into?

 

I bet the GM was never as reliable as this machine will be. The build quality is much better with Lexus, and best of all it's not domestic crap...

Whoops... that just slipped. lol.

But, yeah which plugs are you using. I'm assuming the aux and maybe a cigarette lighter port for power.

We have two third gen's in the family, one belongs to my dad, and the other to my brother. My brother's is fully loaded so it has all the goodies, but my father's is base and it has a usb port for both power and audio.

 

There must be a difference in equipment on RX350s that we ship to the US. USB ports are not available on Canadian models until the third option package which comes with
19" wheels. Since I didn't want 19s I get no USB port. I am using the lighter plug for power and the small aux port for music. Those are the only two plugs in the console box. The space where the USB port goes is empty.
The car is definitely a step up from a Malibu and I assume it will be very reliable but I still find it strange that USB ports are not standard, especially since it seems that they are on even base models in the US.
My son in law makes these things so I guess I'll get him to put this complaint in the suggestion box at the plant and maybe he'll get an improvement bonus!

 

Not true, like I said earlier my dad's base RX has a usb port (no navigation).

 

Yep, I see that now. USB in Canada is only available with each of the three different option packages.

 

Earlier I asked how one connects to and extension or includes an account number once a call is completed via bluetooth. Here is the answer. Once the call is completed and you want to dial an extension etc, press the talk button and say "Dial 1234" or "Send 1234" and follow the prompts. This worked for me today and I hope that it works for others. Remember, I do not have a Nav system.

As as aside, I must tell you that while I love this car, I am really disappointed with certain aspects of the electronic systems. Here are a few examples: I really think that Lexus could take a lesson from GM. The Safety Connect system is a joke as compared to On Star. With OnStar one does not need a Nav system to have directions downloaded directly to the car. It is done via the radio. OnStar will run a diagnostic of the car when requested and will send a report to your e-mail once a month. There is two way communication between the car and the system for more than just emergency. Also the tire pressure monitoring system is OK but just does not go far enough. With my 2008 CTS, it not only alerts me that a pressure problem exists, it will tell me pressure in each tire and which tire has caused the alert. There are several other small issues but together they represent a big dissappointment. I would have thought that Lexus would have been at least on par with Cadillac for these kinds of issues. Having said that, I must also say the radio is far superior to my CTS.

 

Congrats on the RX and welcome to Club Lexus

 

Agreed on the Safety Connect. I rather have the sunglass holder instead. Let me know if anyone know the ways to swap them.