I recently purchased a single pre-owner 2011 RX 450h AWD w/ 76k low mileage, made in Japan. I have the manual and other original brochures but still confused what exactly packages I have? According Lexus my vin# shows that my crossover is equipped from the factory with Comfort and Premium pkgs. However they were not able to clarify why I do not have some important to me features which Premuim pkg should have.

For example, I have 9” screen nav, 19” wheels, 235/50 tires instead of 235/60R18, cargo rails w/ cross rails, heated/cooling front leather seats, weather maps both raws, ASF HID headlights, auto remote rear door, towing pkg also factory preinstalled, etc.

But even loaded with Premium pkg I do not have rear-view mirrors auto adjustment as well as button adjustment on the door panel, LCD headlight addition to the HID, smart key remote activation of the vehicle, adaptive radar cruise control, lane change warning signal and etc? Maybe somebody more informed than I’m can help me with that? Highly appreciated.

 

Premium, comfort are package names which bundle features. The bundling of features is based on Lexus marketing research and does not mean vertical layering. So a premium may not have some of the comfort features [example]. Even after bundling there may be additional features. As models change yr to yr, what is included in each bundle changes. On top of that dealer may add additional features.

When you buy a new vehicle it has window sticker with each item listed on it and its additional cost to the base model. Lexus, base models not sold in USA [there is no market for it and no dealer wants these ... hint -> search on allocation].

You can ask Lexus of NA [give them the vin#] to provide you a build sheet.

Please review the owners manual and the build sheet to see what features your vehicle has. Some of the issues you mention can be a malfunction, not-knowing how to use and also as you list the issue not explained well. [Example: auto-adjust --> self dimming/tilting/memory]

Salim

 

Your answer teaching me what I should expect is not helpful at all. I already mentioned that neither Lexus headquarters in America, nor my local Lexus dealer was able to explain the discrepancies of what I should had based on Premium pkg and why I’m missing certain important for me features as I have described. Replies like yours are not needed. Thanks anyway

 

He was only trying to help.

 

For only $10, I think it is well worth it to get a copy of the "original" window sticker at https://monroneylabels.com/. I bought a used 2013 RX450h and was very pleased with the Monroney Label (close enough) I purchased. It shows me all the standard equipment and optional packages with the package codes and retail prices. FYI, even this Monroney label does not show that the car has remote start. I figured that out by going to www.lexus.com and entering the VIN to see all the Lexus service records. The very first record at 10 miles had the towing hitch and remote start installed. Apparently, the towing prep package was done at the factory, but the hitch is installed along with the remote start, I think, at the port.

FYI, at first I could not get the remote start to work. The mechanic at my local Lexus dealer was the one who knew how to use it. My 2013 takes 4 presses (not 3) of the lock button, holding on the fourth press, until the lights flash, then let go. Since it is a hybrid, the hybrid system starts almost silently, then a few seconds later I hear the engine start. Another tip, first try it very close to the car to see if it works, then start backing away from the car to test how far you can be and still have it work. Any cases on the key fob will reduce its range.

 

I have recently bought 2011 RX 450h AWD w/ 76k mileage and YES the trim level pkgs I have as Comfort and Premium Plus are missing quite important features which should be a part of the equipment. For example, instead of fully loaded this top of RX line hybrid Lexus is missing Head-Up Display feature, auto remote rear-view mirrors folding, auto-parking assist, and etc? This Japan made and factory pre-installed 450h AWD vehicle all existing Premuim Plus and Comfort pkg equipment yes is missing quite important for the driver equipment thanks to this Lexus anti-customer change of trims to the point that nobody. Yes, nobody at the U.S. Lexus Headquarters on the East Coast, neither my local Lexus dealer were able to clarify why? It’s just unbelievable to realise that this Lexus brand is doing that?

 

It seems you are unhappy with how Lexus markets its vehicles.

There is no such thing as "all options included" vehicle sold in Lexus line up. Some options are also one or the other.

There are packages which combine some option and then few items are additional.

We have discussed that when ordering new, you can talk to the dealer to have the vehicle equipped as you like, BUT even then due to allocation reasons you would be forced to choose/settle for some items that you may or may not need.

Let me suggest switching the brands to Porsche, where you can order the vehicle 99.9% as you wish. [There is a .1 possibility that they will not be able to do what you want technical/non-technical reasons]. When manufactures switch to that build process, the cost of build goes up and the risk of purchaser backing out before delivery increases.

Salim

PS: Just for grins try building a Macan or Cayan at Porsche site and you will see the base price run up to 1.6-1.8 times the base price as you configure the vehicle.

 

The known truth:
The car came with the options the car has, no less, no more. Unless someone went thru the trouble of swapping options between two vehicles (which seems unlikely to me), it is what it is and always has been. We can only assume at this point the original owner got exactly what they purchased.

The possibilities:
i) the pkgs you believe/were told came with the car is not accurate
ii) the options you believe/were told come with the pkgs is not accurate
iii) the vehicle has been re-vin'd and really isn't the vehicle you were sold

When dealing with a 15 yr old car, finding accurate information can be tough. Sometimes Lexus might do a press release preceding a new model year but as the actual sales year begins the real availability of options and options within pkgs might be adjusted. But the original press release is picked up and replicated onto various car sites and there it sits forever, which each passing year becoming harder to fact check. I had the 2010 model and its press release was a bit different than what the first few months of that vehicle were built as and then the remaining months of that model year the vehicle had a number of mid year changes done. You'll sometimes see clues of this when you look up the owner's manuals on the Lexus site and notice there are multiple versions of the manual based on month of mfg even within the same model year.

I would suggest you don't blatantly trust any 3rd party generic car site to be 100% accurate on their specs, especially as it pertains to options (the basics are usually pretty good but options are so variable). Within Lexus itself, who knows how accurate their generic spec info would be either if casually asked. I think the gold standard would be the original build info page. I think the suggestion of finding the original window sticker printout from that suggested website sounds excellent if you are so inclined. Hopefully they are accurate and if indeed they have access to the actual original build info, that would be what you want beyond anything else from anyone else, including a random inquiry with Lexus itself.

If you still think something is wildly amiss, perhaps inspect the VIN labels, look to see if there's anything unusual about them, potential tampering. Perhaps if you have access to (someone with) a scantool (especially TechStream), see if they can pull some data directly from the ODBII port of verify.

 

A lot of used car dealers will advertise a car as “fully loaded” inaccurately unfortunately. To me that means every possible option under the sun - but in reality, in most cases, it is a mid spec combination. It is more common than not.

But please be aware the features you mention are extremely rare for this generation and are not part of any package, they are standalone options that had to be -most likely- special ordered. So if you have the Premium Package and Comfort Package that is actually very well equipped RX.