vteazy

took the RX to Lexus of Greenville in March to have a brake light switch that I purchased at O'Reilly's installed to remedy the issue with all the dash lights coming on intermittently. It worked. For a while.

Now after 2.5 months the problem is back again. Before I spoke with the dealer about it I just wanted some opinions. Is it possible the switch has come slightly loose? Was it a cheap part that has already gone kaput?

I appreciate any opinions. The car drives and performs great, but it is annoying to have these lights pop up every time it is driven.

cartman57

What made you believe it was a brake light switch that was the problem with the dash lights coming on intermittently, what dash lights were coming on?
The brake light switch only controls the rear brake lamp circuit, burned out bulb perhaps?

Rainbird

A faulty brake light switch is associated with the VSC, Brake and ABS lights on the dash. Maybe you should have the dealership check it out. Also using Lexus OEM parts would be a good idea.

vteazy

from what i've read on this forum, it's a common issue with the 04-06 RXs. The VSC, brake, and tire pressure lights come on randomly when you depress the brake pedal. Many folks have experienced the same issue and have solved it by replacing the brake light switch. Replacing my brake light switch solved my issue as well, just very temporarily.

I really have a hard time believing that the quality of a part from an auto parts store vs. a Lexus OEM part would make that much of a difference, but maybe so. I guess I'll let them replace it again with one of their parts and pay them $250.

RX330inFL

The problem with the "install the parts I brought you" model is that if there is a problem the shop can always say the problem was with the part you brought them. You have to deal with any warranty issues, etc. and the shop is not going to look favorably about cutting you any discount the second time around or not charge you for any additional diagnostics. If you had let them use their own parts the diagnostics this time around would probably have been free.

In this case you do not need to go back to a dealership to get the work done, however, you are probably better served by at least allowing the shop you choose to diagnose the problem and to let them provide the needed parts. I would perhaps ask whose parts they would use for the repair.

FWIW, the local independent shop I use for repairs gets their Lexus/Toyota parts from WorldPac. This same group supplies the dealers as well, so I get the same parts no matter who I use. The boxes and part numbers are routinely the same. These parts, however, can be different than what you might be able to purchase from the local discount parts store. It may come from the same manufacturer that produced the OEM... it may not.

Rainbird

Lexus of Greenville wants $250 to replace a brake light switch? I find that appalling. I just had Lexus replace all four brake pads and resurface the rotors for $299.

RX330inFL

And, some Lexus shops are known to charge 2x-3x your $299 for that same brake work or to say that you need new rotors when you do not and then the ticket goes over $1K.

vteazy

250 is my guess, but I don't think I'm far off.

SaneEnch

I have the same problem TWICE in 3 years. The first time it happen was the first week after i purchased my certified Rx330. I took it back and Lexus replaced the switch with original part (made in China) under warranty. Then 2 years gone by, it started to happen again - so much for quality. The car is out of warranty and Lexus wants $300 to replace the part, so I decided to do it myself. Got the part from Autozone, total installation took about 30 minutes using the directions from this forum. One year gone by, the $10 Autozone part (Guess what?! Made in Italy!) is still going strong. Even if the part fail now, I could still buy another for $10 that would last me another year. With the money Lexus wants, I could have replacement every year for 30 years.