Just purchased 2015 RX 350 AWD
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Just purchased 2015 RX 350 AWD
I just purchased a Lcertified RX350 AWD with 29,901 miles on it. It’s factory warrantied for 5.5 years bumper to bumper. I am having a bit of anxiety or as my husband calls “car PTSD”. I previously owned Audi and Volvo and have had nothing but costly problems that should never happen. I want this car or any car I could have purchased to run great for the long haul without endless things breaking and needing repairs to the drive train or constant electrical/computer issues. I have never owned a Le us or Toyota product and really purchased the car, because my father is a huge enthusiast and has owned many generations of Lexus in various models with good reliability and low ownership costs compared to luxury and non luxury vehicles. I need some sort of confirmation or lack there of about my purchase. Did I make a sound decision? What can I expect from this car over the next decade or so? Is there anything I should be looking out for that are regular problems issues? Beyond following standard servicingis there anything else you guys reccomend to protect my vehicle and get better value for the long haul?
#2
To be honest, why would you place internet forum opinions above your father's one? He's the closest person in the world, along with mother, to you, right? Maybe simply ask him, how he maintained his Lexi and follow the suite.
Otherwise, thank you for confirming to never buy anything German of Swedish (or British)
There is only one answer to your question. For ten years Lexus and Toyota top any reliability charts. As far as you do regular normal maintenance and do not do stupid driving the car, you should be good for years to come.
Otherwise, thank you for confirming to never buy anything German of Swedish (or British)
There is only one answer to your question. For ten years Lexus and Toyota top any reliability charts. As far as you do regular normal maintenance and do not do stupid driving the car, you should be good for years to come.
#3
The Basic Warranty coverage is for 48 months or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Wheel alignment and balancing are covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
The Powertrain Warranty is for 72 months or 70,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Except for the situations listed on the Basic Warranty page, this warranty covers repairs needed to fix defects in materials or workmanship of any component listed below:
https://www.lexus.com/warranty
Hence, it is not 5.5 year.
The Powertrain Warranty is for 72 months or 70,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Except for the situations listed on the Basic Warranty page, this warranty covers repairs needed to fix defects in materials or workmanship of any component listed below:
https://www.lexus.com/warranty
Hence, it is not 5.5 year.
#4
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
The warranty coverage is broken down per the Lexus dealer we purchased from as having 7 months of factory warranty remaining from the original lease date. 2 years of bumper to bumper factory warranty from Lexus due to Lcertified. The dealer offered to up sell the extended warranty option through Lexus for pretty hefty fees ranging from 2 -6 additional years, but stated this must be done at the time of purchase. I didn’t green light this, because I was still apprehensive about purchasing a car just in general. During the negotiations they threw in the additional 2 years for the extension of the Lexus warrant as part of the negotiations. Ultimately, it states in my contracts 5 years 7 months bumper to bumper. It states about mileage too, which says “unlimited”, but this means nothing to me personally, because I live in a very populous urban area and walk locally to everything or use subway/cabs. I average 4,500 miles a year and some years a lot less on my vehicle.
The power train warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, which for me the 10 years is what’s applicable.
I do advise staying away from European imports as whole. My parents have had nothing good to say about Mercedes or my in laws either. My sister did have great luck with a 06 Volvo S60, but not great luck in comparison with my father’s and grand father’s Lexus vehicles.
The power train warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, which for me the 10 years is what’s applicable.
I do advise staying away from European imports as whole. My parents have had nothing good to say about Mercedes or my in laws either. My sister did have great luck with a 06 Volvo S60, but not great luck in comparison with my father’s and grand father’s Lexus vehicles.
#5
Moderator
I just purchased a Lcertified RX350 AWD with 29,901 miles on it. It’s factory warrantied for 5.5 years bumper to bumper. I am having a bit of anxiety or as my husband calls “car PTSD”. I previously owned Audi and Volvo and have had nothing but costly problems that should never happen. I want this car or any car I could have purchased to run great for the long haul without endless things breaking and needing repairs to the drive train or constant electrical/computer issues. I have never owned a Le us or Toyota product and really purchased the car, because my father is a huge enthusiast and has owned many generations of Lexus in various models with good reliability and low ownership costs compared to luxury and non luxury vehicles. I need some sort of confirmation or lack there of about my purchase. Did I make a sound decision? What can I expect from this car over the next decade or so? Is there anything I should be looking out for that are regular problems issues? Beyond following standard servicingis there anything else you guys reccomend to protect my vehicle and get better value for the long haul?
Vehicles are machine and no two machines are identical. As an example I owned first gen RX for 18yrs 250K plus miles. Some have had transmission issues and oil consumption at high speed, but my RX did not exhibit those problems. No be can predict exactly how your machine will behave. You should take comfort in
a) L Certified ... You have few years of extended coverage.
b) In general the odds are in your favor for trouble free service.
What you can do is stick to the service schedule and not abuse the vehicle. Simple things as drive slow till the vehicle warms up. No aggressive driving. Do not carry/tow excessive weight. Garage your vehicle.
That said ,,, enjoy your vehicle.
Salim
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CarPTSD (09-16-18)
#6
After multiple Volvos (loved the cars, did not love the periodic expensive repairs) we got a 2013 RX350 more than five years ago primarily because Consumer Reports convinced me chances of having to deal with repairs would be minimized with a Toyota Lexus product...and so it has been...so far so good, not one single repair required.
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CarPTSD (09-16-18)
#7
Pole Position
I'm with you.
I HAD a Volvo WAY BACK and kept it as a commuter car for a long time (960 4 door sedan bought new 1995 and sold it in 2013 after some 180K+ miles. I was at the Volvo dealership OFTEN during the warranty period and luckily got most of the bugs worked out).
One cold winter morning I was driving/traveling through the Reno NV area and the U joint on the drive shaft was making some noise. Called up the Reno NV Volvo dealership and asked if they can work me in to fix it (my Volvo was 8 years old at the time and I had never been to that dealership)....to my surprise they told me that maybe I should just trade it in for a new one!!! I told them no thanks!!! An independent Swedish car repair shop near Costco in Reno NV was able to help me and got it fixed and no problems (at least with that part afterwards)......
I HAD a Volvo WAY BACK and kept it as a commuter car for a long time (960 4 door sedan bought new 1995 and sold it in 2013 after some 180K+ miles. I was at the Volvo dealership OFTEN during the warranty period and luckily got most of the bugs worked out).
One cold winter morning I was driving/traveling through the Reno NV area and the U joint on the drive shaft was making some noise. Called up the Reno NV Volvo dealership and asked if they can work me in to fix it (my Volvo was 8 years old at the time and I had never been to that dealership)....to my surprise they told me that maybe I should just trade it in for a new one!!! I told them no thanks!!! An independent Swedish car repair shop near Costco in Reno NV was able to help me and got it fixed and no problems (at least with that part afterwards)......
After multiple Volvos (loved the cars, did not love the periodic expensive repairs) we got a 2013 RX350 more than five years ago primarily because Consumer Reports convinced me chances of having to deal with repairs would be minimized with a Toyota Lexus product...and so it has been...so far so good, not one single repair required.
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CarPTSD (09-16-18)
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#8
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Welcome to Club Lexus and to the group of folks who own 3rd gen RX.
Vehicles are machine and no two machines are identical. As an example I owned first gen RX for 18yrs 250K plus miles. Some have had transmission issues and oil consumption at high speed, but my RX did not exhibit those problems. No be can predict exactly how your machine will behave. You should take comfort in
a) L Certified ... You have few years of extended coverage.
b) In general the odds are in your favor for trouble free service.
What you can do is stick to the service schedule and not abuse the vehicle. Simple things as drive slow till the vehicle warms up. No aggressive driving. Do not carry/tow excessive weight. Garage your vehicle.
That said ,,, enjoy your vehicle.
Salim
Vehicles are machine and no two machines are identical. As an example I owned first gen RX for 18yrs 250K plus miles. Some have had transmission issues and oil consumption at high speed, but my RX did not exhibit those problems. No be can predict exactly how your machine will behave. You should take comfort in
a) L Certified ... You have few years of extended coverage.
b) In general the odds are in your favor for trouble free service.
What you can do is stick to the service schedule and not abuse the vehicle. Simple things as drive slow till the vehicle warms up. No aggressive driving. Do not carry/tow excessive weight. Garage your vehicle.
That said ,,, enjoy your vehicle.
Salim
I’m a responsible driver car owner. However, I live in an area that will hard on the car. Poorly cared for roadways, densely populated major city and plenty of corrosives from winter salts/chemicals. I am fortunate enough to have off street parking. I won’t be towing. Predominantly city driving my elderly MILand preschoolers around. With some regular trips back and forth between NYC and Boston.
I’m not car savvy. Is there an indicator or something I should pay attention for regarding transmission issues and the oil consumption? I will be bringing the car to Lexus for all servicing as I have done with previous cars.
#9
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
I'm with you.
I HAD a Volvo WAY BACK and kept it as a commuter car for a long time (960 4 door sedan bought new 1995 and sold it in 2013 after some 180K+ miles. I was at the Volvo dealership OFTEN during the warranty period and luckily got most of the bugs worked out).
One cold winter morning I was driving/traveling through the Reno NV area and the U joint on the drive shaft was making some noise. Called up the Reno NV Volvo dealership and asked if they can work me in to fix it (my Volvo was 8 years old at the time and I had never been to that dealership)....to my surprise they told me that maybe I should just trade it in for a new one!!! I told them no thanks!!! An independent Swedish car repair shop near Costco in Reno NV was able to help me and got it fixed and no problems (at least with that part afterwards)......
I HAD a Volvo WAY BACK and kept it as a commuter car for a long time (960 4 door sedan bought new 1995 and sold it in 2013 after some 180K+ miles. I was at the Volvo dealership OFTEN during the warranty period and luckily got most of the bugs worked out).
One cold winter morning I was driving/traveling through the Reno NV area and the U joint on the drive shaft was making some noise. Called up the Reno NV Volvo dealership and asked if they can work me in to fix it (my Volvo was 8 years old at the time and I had never been to that dealership)....to my surprise they told me that maybe I should just trade it in for a new one!!! I told them no thanks!!! An independent Swedish car repair shop near Costco in Reno NV was able to help me and got it fixed and no problems (at least with that part afterwards)......
#10
The Volvo’s I owned were 07 and newer, which I have been told after the fact I bought a nicer looking Ford and Penta. We had so many serious problems. The most recent problem on our wagon (under 100k) was the spring/coils on the suspension snapping in half. All of them need to be replaced. It’s about 16 grand per Volvo. That was the straw that broke the camels back. Unfortunately, my father called the car a derogatory term years before this and told me to get rid of it. Prior to the coils issue I have spent this year $5,700 for timing belt servicing, replacing the engine mount, seat belt latch breaking, replacing all sensors for park assist and abunch of other minor things. Four months prior I had to purchase a new fuel pump, actuator for the door locks and I forget what else. The car has been this way for a couple of years. Every 4-6 months $4,000-$5000. BUT the Volvo’s we had we’re far more realible than he Audi! I’m just so over it. Mercedes has also been nothing to cheer about either. Prior to swinging to European imports I always owned Japanese cars and everything was normal. Take care of the car and for the most part nothing goes wrong.
So...I needed two new springs (keep the front end balanced, only 75k miles on the car) plus the strut broke so we needed two of those, plus two tires, all told $2k, no help from Volvo even though this problem has been written about a lot.
(It's an XC70 2006 wagon). Since then, have needed a new fuel pump, oil line leak fixed, rear wiper motor, all four wheel bearings, even the plastic windshield washer fluid reservoir cracked...lovely car to drive when it's not breaking down...right now I only drive it 4k miles/year (I'm retired), it's our second car behind the Lexus..trying to milk another 5 years out of it...
#11
You already have your own experience as well as your father's. I'd suggest looking at reliability ratings based on actual data versus just random people posting comments on a discussion forum. Consumer Reports seems to be popular but there are also resources such as TrueDelta. TD recently stopped collecting new information but their existing data is still available and potentially useful.
Last edited by takeshi74; 09-17-18 at 05:44 AM.
#12
Lead Lap
Getting back to the OP's original questions: Yes, you made a good decision to buy the Lexus. You should expect virtually trouble-free service from your RX as long as you do the required maintenance according to the schedules in your Owner's Manual. Hopefully the owner(s) before you took good care of the car and it hasn't been in any accidents. L-Certified does NOT guarantee that a vehicle hasn't been in an accident (many posts about this), but a "good dealer" won't certify a vehicle that has been wrecked. Unfortunately, not all Lexus dealers are good.
We have owned several Lexus vehicles and all have been trouble-free during the time we owned them. That said, we don't usually keep vehicles very long, and once the odometer hits 60-70K miles or so--or we get bored with them--we find something else.
We have owned several Lexus vehicles and all have been trouble-free during the time we owned them. That said, we don't usually keep vehicles very long, and once the odometer hits 60-70K miles or so--or we get bored with them--we find something else.
#13
Pole Position
Yes, the L certified Lexus has unlimited mileage warranty for the duration of the original factory warranty of 4 years plus the two additional years of L Certified warranty which equals a grand total of 6 years!!! Unless you got or bought additional warranty.....it is a maximum of 6 years FROM THE TIME THE CAR IS FIRST PUT IN SERVICE, NOT FROM WHEN YOU BOUGHT THE CAR!!!
One thing to keep in mind is you can do more damage to a car by NOT driving it and just let it sit. Try to at least take it out for a drive once a week and start slow to let it warm up to operating temperature (if you are in subfreezing temperatures, this may take some 30 minutes+ of "slow driving"). Then take it to highway speeds and open the throttle to blow off any excess carbon deposits.
Also if your tires are at least 5 years old, I would seriously recommend replacing them even if you DID NOT drive but 5K miles total. This is because tires do age even if not driven (actually tires age faster is not driven and just sat there for an extended period of time ).
Lastly, oil/fluid changes can be based on mileage OR time. In your case of seldom driving, the maintenance schedule will be based on time. The maintenance schedule is outlined in your owners manual. The last thing you want to happen is for the Lexus dealership to deny warranty coverage bc of no maintenance or deferred maintenance. You DO NOT have to go to a Lexus dealership for routine maintenance. But you do need to document that the routine maintenance was done timely and with the correct oil/fluid/filter and etc.
I think you will have years of trouble free service if you follow the recommended routine maintenance.
On our previous 2000 LX470 bought new in 2000..... Trouble free for 280K+ miles when we traded in for a new 2013 LX570 (upgraded to new technologies which was severely lacking in our old LX470).
Enjoy!!!
One thing to keep in mind is you can do more damage to a car by NOT driving it and just let it sit. Try to at least take it out for a drive once a week and start slow to let it warm up to operating temperature (if you are in subfreezing temperatures, this may take some 30 minutes+ of "slow driving"). Then take it to highway speeds and open the throttle to blow off any excess carbon deposits.
Also if your tires are at least 5 years old, I would seriously recommend replacing them even if you DID NOT drive but 5K miles total. This is because tires do age even if not driven (actually tires age faster is not driven and just sat there for an extended period of time ).
Lastly, oil/fluid changes can be based on mileage OR time. In your case of seldom driving, the maintenance schedule will be based on time. The maintenance schedule is outlined in your owners manual. The last thing you want to happen is for the Lexus dealership to deny warranty coverage bc of no maintenance or deferred maintenance. You DO NOT have to go to a Lexus dealership for routine maintenance. But you do need to document that the routine maintenance was done timely and with the correct oil/fluid/filter and etc.
I think you will have years of trouble free service if you follow the recommended routine maintenance.
On our previous 2000 LX470 bought new in 2000..... Trouble free for 280K+ miles when we traded in for a new 2013 LX570 (upgraded to new technologies which was severely lacking in our old LX470).
Enjoy!!!
The warranty coverage is broken down per the Lexus dealer we purchased from as having 7 months of factory warranty remaining from the original lease date. 2 years of bumper to bumper factory warranty from Lexus due to Lcertified. The dealer offered to up sell the extended warranty option through Lexus for pretty hefty fees ranging from 2 -6 additional years, but stated this must be done at the time of purchase. I didn’t green light this, because I was still apprehensive about purchasing a car just in general. During the negotiations they threw in the additional 2 years for the extension of the Lexus warrant as part of the negotiations. Ultimately, it states in my contracts 5 years 7 months bumper to bumper. It states about mileage too, which says “unlimited”, but this means nothing to me personally, because I live in a very populous urban area and walk locally to everything or use subway/cabs. I average 4,500 miles a year and some years a lot less on my vehicle.
The power train warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, which for me the 10 years is what’s applicable.
I do advise staying away from European imports as whole. My parents have had nothing good to say about Mercedes or my in laws either. My sister did have great luck with a 06 Volvo S60, but not great luck in comparison with my father’s and grand father’s Lexus vehicles.
The power train warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, which for me the 10 years is what’s applicable.
I do advise staying away from European imports as whole. My parents have had nothing good to say about Mercedes or my in laws either. My sister did have great luck with a 06 Volvo S60, but not great luck in comparison with my father’s and grand father’s Lexus vehicles.
#14
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Understandable
Owning German vehicles will certainly cause some ownership worries. Lexus will be nowhere near as worrisome or costly to own. Lexus reliability is well documented. Simply change the fluids, perform basic required maintenance, and you’ll be good for 200-300k no problem.
Happy Driving!
Happy Driving!
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