Joined the RX300 World Today
08-08-09 | 08:56 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: CA
Joined the RX300 World Today
Hey All,
I usually lurk over in the SC forums (I have a '97 SC300), but today I got my fiance a '99 AWD RX300 for $7500 bucks. Here is the run down of what condition the car is in and what work has recently been done to it. I am trying to get an idea of what I should be looking to do next to keep this bad boy running for ages:
The Car: Gold with 102,500 on the clock.
Major Work within last two years:
100,300 - Timing Belt/Water Pump/Acc. Belts/Idler Pulley
96,000 - Front Strut mounts/front & rear pads
95,500 - New transmission (still under warranty for another year from the shop)
93,000 - New Goodyear Integrity Tires
80,100 - New front struts/new LCA ball joints
Oil changes every 3K to 5K with dino juice. Have not checked for sludge yet. This is my only real concern for the car at this point. Any suggestions to deal with sludge in the future? Switching to synthetic, running an engine flush etc.?
I plan on having the tranny pan dropped/filter changed/complete fluid exchange every 15k to keep the new unit running forever (as it seems this is a weak point in the car, especially the AWD car).
As per other items, what do you all usually recommend for changing the following?
1) Spark Plugs
2) Coolant
3) Anything else I can't think of right now.
I know a lot of this information is probably accessible by going through the search function, but I figure this would be a good way to say hello and get myself acclimated to the community here.
So essentially, hello! Looking forward to contributing and lurking here.
-Sam
I usually lurk over in the SC forums (I have a '97 SC300), but today I got my fiance a '99 AWD RX300 for $7500 bucks. Here is the run down of what condition the car is in and what work has recently been done to it. I am trying to get an idea of what I should be looking to do next to keep this bad boy running for ages:
The Car: Gold with 102,500 on the clock.
Major Work within last two years:
100,300 - Timing Belt/Water Pump/Acc. Belts/Idler Pulley
96,000 - Front Strut mounts/front & rear pads
95,500 - New transmission (still under warranty for another year from the shop)
93,000 - New Goodyear Integrity Tires
80,100 - New front struts/new LCA ball joints
Oil changes every 3K to 5K with dino juice. Have not checked for sludge yet. This is my only real concern for the car at this point. Any suggestions to deal with sludge in the future? Switching to synthetic, running an engine flush etc.?
I plan on having the tranny pan dropped/filter changed/complete fluid exchange every 15k to keep the new unit running forever (as it seems this is a weak point in the car, especially the AWD car).
As per other items, what do you all usually recommend for changing the following?
1) Spark Plugs
2) Coolant
3) Anything else I can't think of right now.
I know a lot of this information is probably accessible by going through the search function, but I figure this would be a good way to say hello and get myself acclimated to the community here.
So essentially, hello! Looking forward to contributing and lurking here.
-Sam
08-09-09 | 04:08 AM
#2
Driver
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,800
Likes: 13
From: Maryland
Welcome to the RX forum. It sounds like you got a great deal.
Considering you have a new transmission, a drain and refill of the transmission fluid every 15,000 miles should be plenty.
A lot of people on the forum like synthetic oil. I'm happy using a quality non-synthetic (usually Castrol GTX) and changing the oil and filter every 3,000-3,500 miles.
The consensus seems to be to go with OEM spark plugs. There are two brands that Lexus uses. There are some good DIY writeups here on the forum. Most people recommend going with Toyota/Lexus coolant. This comes both Red (non-premixed) and Pink (premixed Longlife). Pink came out after the RX300. I think most dealers say stick with Red, but I think a case can be made for switching to Pink.
If you have a sludge concern, you could take the engine valve covers off and take a look. You should have maybe done that before you bought the RX .
Good luck.
Considering you have a new transmission, a drain and refill of the transmission fluid every 15,000 miles should be plenty.
A lot of people on the forum like synthetic oil. I'm happy using a quality non-synthetic (usually Castrol GTX) and changing the oil and filter every 3,000-3,500 miles.
The consensus seems to be to go with OEM spark plugs. There are two brands that Lexus uses. There are some good DIY writeups here on the forum. Most people recommend going with Toyota/Lexus coolant. This comes both Red (non-premixed) and Pink (premixed Longlife). Pink came out after the RX300. I think most dealers say stick with Red, but I think a case can be made for switching to Pink.
If you have a sludge concern, you could take the engine valve covers off and take a look. You should have maybe done that before you bought the RX .
Good luck.
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