rdgallo

My wife and I were just about convinced to purchase one of these until I found this forum. Just want to thank everyone here for the valuable information posted. After reading about the lack of a guard to prevent the radiator from damage, the bumpers coming loose and the comments about the declining quality of the Lexus, we have decided to keep shopping. I wish the info on the 2010 350 had been better as we really liked the vehicle.

afpj

Remember, go to any forum and you will find problems. If what you read on forums easily sways you, I do not think you will find a new vehicle. If you do, we would certainly be interested in what you pick. Despite it's issues (I have the bumper issue and am still waiting for the fix), my spouse loves the vehicle (10RX) for it's safety and comfort, and versatility. We would not have picked any other vehicle, although maybe should've waited a few months. But then again, we could've been left stranded with our other older 90k+ mileage RX in the middle of the desert Southwest if we waited. At least Lexus makes some effort to keep customers happy, unlike my neighbor's BMW dealer.

pulp

i am not trying to defend the RX here, but you have to take into account the sales volume, the RX simply sells much more than rivals in its class, and logically there is bound to be more comments/complaints about it.

i had mine since May, and i certainly have a bunch of things that annoy me about it, like the harsher than expected ride on bad roads, engine noise and center console materials quality.

however, it was overall a quality/investment decision, the RX remains a fairly reliable choice, and toyota as company seems to be at least listening to customers perceptions and making changes recently. Also, i am not sure how is it with the euro brands resale values in the US, but over here you are almost taking a 50% depreciation hit the moment you walk out of the showroom with a german/euro brand in addition to questionable reliability. it also helps that our lexus dealer here is actually good with service, prices and parts availability, all things that are lacking with other brands/dealers.

i had a Renault Megane before the RX, wonderful, spirited and fun to drive car, but i had constant serious reliability issues with it that by the end made me just wanna get rid of it before the next unexpected major breakdown, this all while i never missed a scheduled maintenance or allowed anyone but the dealer to work on it.

lamar411

Have you considered purchasing a 2009 RX350? In my opinion its a better car with better looks.

RXSF

remember, people sign on to forums to talk about problems, not to praise the car. If we did that, there wouldnt be much activity or much to talk to. Please visit some of the RXs german rivals like audi, bmw, and mercedes and see what those forums are talking about.

As with any manufacturer, there will be problems, espcially with the first year model in a redesign. No doubt, lexus is already fixing the new RXs that come off the line. Consider buying an RX with a later build date, or wait till the 2011 comes out in February

kitlz

As a 1st gen, 2nd gen and soon to be 3rd gen RX owner, I can say I would not buy anything else. All of my vehicles were purchased within months of launch without any issues. Looking back over the past 11 years, Lexus' sales and service has been fantastic. No complaints from me. They just can't be beat.

Regarding the issues, not to dismiss them, but this is not indicative of Lexus overall. Like pulp said, more and more RXs are on the road, hence more problems have surfaced. The same thing happened with the Toyota Camry. I have inspected the bumpers of the 2010 RXs at my dealer and did not see one with the gap. The air dam is big. And so is the one on my 04 and other vehicles on the road. I will add the screen, though, as a precaution. Additionally, I have to applaud Toyota for being proactive with the recent recall on the floor mats. Another car company would have dragged their feet or tried to bury it.

I wish you luck in your search. If you don't find something comparable, by all means, reconsider the RX. It is a great car.

Cruiter

I meant to post this last night and forgot. Yesterday I had the 5000 mile service on my 450h and the only thing on my gripe list was the front passenger floor mat had the metal eye ring separate and pop out. It could have been fixed with pliers (I could have done it) but instead they replaced them all under warranty. I asked what was involved with the recall on the models listed and they said it was the 'other' mats sold by Lexus and Toyota stores. I didn't ask, but the way he described them, I think it was the weather tech mats that were sliding up around the throttle pedal. He definitely said it wasn't the carpeted mats from Toyota or Lexus.

So if you have them, I guess the word to the wise is be alert.

But because Toyota and Lexus dealers are selling them, there is a recall. That sure speaks highly for the company IMO to go to so much effort even though they're not a Toyota product. I guess it's a legal thing since there must have been some accidents involving cars sold with them.

rdgallo

Thanks for all the very good responses to my post. We will definitely reconsider the RX. I was glad to hear the positive comments as we really did like the drive and looks of the 2010 RX. Is it a fact that the 2011's will come out in February?

Stormforge

correct me if i'm wrong, but the floor mat recall is for mats that don't have the mat anchor? both my GS450h and RX450h have mat anchors, and as long as the anchor hooks lock into the metal eye ring that is on the mat, there should be no problems with mats sliding.

to rdgallo: keep in mind that no vehicle brand or make is 100% perfect. whether you look at lexus, mercedes benz, bmw, audi, etc, there will be some sort of defect of one sort or another. your main focus should be selecting the vehicle that is the most reliable with the least amount of defects. lexus is at the top of this criteria, when comparing to other brands. and as others have already pointed out, public forums are for people to complain about problems.

Cruiter

You're absolutely correct. I was trying to point out the recall seems to be due to some of the dealers that sell Toyota's and Lexus line with other than OEM mats installed.

My conversation with my dealer on that topic came up because of 'my' mat issue. An eye ring on the passenger side separated so they just put a new set of mats into the car.

kitlz

rdgallo, glad to hear you're reconsidering the RX. I assume the 2011 will be out in February since the 2010 debuted in February this year.

Lexus has two sales a year, December to Remember, and in August, Golden Opportunity. So you might want to keep that in mind. Absent these sales events, most people have managed a decent discount, around 10% off MSRP. Your biggest dilemma will be picking a color

kitlz

Jim, Stormforge, I know the recall did not cover the RXs but I was glad to hear Toyota handled the problem the way they did. As I understand, the issue related to non-OEM floor mats which would presumably not fit like or as well as the OEMs. Obviously this is not their responsibility but they stepped forward and issued the recall.

By the way I will admit I have non-OEM all weather mats over my OEM carpeted mats. Lexus does not recommend having both in at the same time. It's in the manual. But I have not had an issue because the non-OEMs are thin and have the cut out for the anchor hook lock. And I always make sure they are properly installed

rdgallo

Kitlz, thanks for the information. We will watch for the specials on the RX. Our problem here is there is only one dealer within 100 miles and he told me that they will not come off sticker price by much. I don't want to drive all over trying to get a deal, but may have to if I can't deal with the other dealers via the internet. I live in central Illinois and most of the dealers are up near Chicago, which is about 150 miles north of me. Again thanks for the information.

PatsSoxfan

rdgallo,

As Anita, Jim, and a few others already commented, no car manufacturer is perfect. However, when one considers everything there is to a luxury utility vehicle, you cannot go wrong with the RX. We have had our RX450h since the first of July and we absolutely love it.

Cruiter

I have to imagine that all of the cars you've considered are SUV's and probably within $5-10,000 of one another. Lexus just isn't in the same league as the typical GM manufacture or for that matter even Acura. When you put quality, performance, features, safety, comfort, drivability, and fuel economy in the same box, there just isn't a competitor at all except maybe the less expensive and trimmed out Toyota Highlander. There won't be as many dealers in a geographical area as there is more emphasis on quality than production numbers. My 1st Lexus was an '03 model and I (like the 'vast' majority of owners) didn't even know about this board until I started waiting for my 450h to arrive. So use it as a spring board for info (which you are) and to ask questions or even challenge someones statement but please know that from the initial purchase experience at the majority of dealers and untill thousands of road miles behind you, you won't realize that you've made a huge jump in the vehicle ownership and satisfaction experience.

And you shouldn't expect to purchase the car on a volume discount basis like you might have experienced with different manufactures where they throw them off the line like Frisbees and offer incentives to dealers to move them like blue light specials at K-mart. That's not to say you won't find a better deal at one dealer than another, you will and since it's your money you should use due diligence to satisfy yourself on the price. But maybe not in your backyard. Your warranty is good at any dealer. That said, you should expect all things being equal, more of a return not only in enjoyment and personal satisfaction but also in resale. Check consumer reports on the RX history.

According to a report published a few weeks ago on another string in this forum, the RX so far for 2010 has outsold several of it's competitors combined already. That should speak for itself and maybe also why the competitors are so willing to give theirs away. The cream will always float to the top.

Best wishes for you on whatever you choose.