Hello, new be here, hope everyone is well, I am in the process of possibly purchasing a 2018 RX 450h. I'm going to put it up on a lift on Monday when I go to make a deal on it at the dealership, it was just traded in today It has about 85K on it I spoke to the owner trading it in and they said it's been a great car with no issues, it has a clean Carfax and looks like it has been maintained. It drives well although the hybrid battery didn't seem like it was charging I think it was parked for quite some time before they traded it in. I also noticed when bumping the steering wheel from right to left when parked I get a slight, very slight clunking right to left for half that might be a rack or something similar?Can you please tell me any concerns that I need to address or look at when I go to further inspect this vehicle on Monday? I am a amateur mechanic who has worked on many vehicles as well as an electronic technician so I know my way around vehicles feel free to talk technical to me. I do know it has the 3.5 motor and I'm aware that there's a possibility probably a good possibility, of a leaking timing chain cover which I am concerned about and will look at when I inspect it further, anything else anybody suggests I need to look at to make sure it's okay? does this vehicle have an air suspension and should I check that or anything specific related to that as well? I appreciate everybody's help and suggestions!

 

At 85k miles there's not really any issues you need to look for. I got clunks from the suspension from time to time, it seems normal for the rx. When doing full lock it seems that the electric motor will use 110% output on the last bit of rotation of fully locking and wants to be a 1/2inch rotation from full lock at least in mine. The noises are probably sway bar link ends that are a bit worn or the wheel bearing nut needing to be torqued down a bit more. Just make sure you keep up with coolant changes as the heater element will corrode the coolant making it acidic quickly in cold weather. And no air suspension just strut and spring in the front and rear also is strut and spring but isnt one piece. If the battery has an issue good luck there pricey to get checked out and replace. Maybe look for a 350 since the factory warranty only covers 8 years on the battery and its ending warranty life if im not mistaken

 

Thank you for that explanation, I did get on the Toyota owners website and look at the build sheet and I did find out that yes, there is no air suspension, I will keep an eye on the coolant I'm a bug about changing all of my fluids anyway so once I get it I'm sure I will go right through it from bumper to bumper, I'm a bug about that stuff. Yeah, the steering's kind of hard to explain, when sitting still and moving from left to right not full steer but just bumping the wheel left to right there is a pretty good clunk I'll have the dealer check it before I purchase it should I decide to buy it. Not too worried about the traction battery, I've been looking them up online they're not really that expensive and I can do all the work myself as I do electronic and electrical systems, but I hear people say they last quite some time. I am however, like I said concerned about the timing chain cover and that's something I need to inspect tomorrow, that's not a job I'm equipped or wanting to do. Thank you for your reply back I appreciate your time!

 

The timing leak is not that common.
The timing chain cover leak is really more of a slow seep that just makes a small mess near the timing cover and never leaks enough to require adding additional oil. It is a case of the cure is worse than the disease as the extreme cost to pull the engine ($3000 plus) is not worth it for a tiny leak that nobody can see unless they pull off the passenger front wheel first and look in at the engine. Just spray it with brake cleaner and maybe put some silicone gasket sealer around it and keep an eye on it.

Did they provide a print out of the dealer service history? They can pull it and provide it. If you were on the Toyota owners website, you can also go to the Lexus Drivers Site and look up the service history yourself, if the site is working that day!

Do make sure they kept up with brake fluid changes every 3 or 4 years and if there is a hybrid battery cooling fan filter that it was inspected and changed. It should be somewhere in the back seat area.
The engine coolant should be changed around 10 years or 100,000 miles and the hybrid system coolant a bit longer than that, although changing it sooner is good preventive maintenance. Always use
Toyota Super Long Life Coolant.

You may want to have an independent shop do an inspection rather than just the selling dealer who will be biased to hide things that may hinder the sale or lower the price.

To learn more about maintaining these vehicles, check out the Car Care Nut on Youtube as he is a Toyota Master Tech. He has posted many great videos explaining maintenance procedures on these vehicles. https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCarCareNut

 

Yes I am familiar with the car care nut he is excellent! Thank you for all the helpful advice I've decided to look for other for a different RX, this one seems a little bit suspect. I do appreciate you getting back to me!