cory143

Hi, friends. Finally giving up my 2005 ES330 with 182K miles on it. It was a great car. Grateful to have owned it for the last 11 years. Bought My first SUV ever last night, a
2010 RX 350 with the Luxury package.

As a newcomer to the RX team, any overall suggestions? Links to good posts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

RX in NC

Welcome. How many miles?

My research on this forum prior to purchasing my wife's 2015 RX350 late last October at 32,700 miles turned up the following items to keep an eye on:

- Leaking rear shocks

- Loose wheel bearings

- Failing control arms and bushings

- Headlight lens interior condensation

- Mediocre-at-best factory batteries

- Inferior seat leather quality


Now at 44,400 miles and the 4-year / 50,000-mile basic factory warranty having expired on August 21st, the only one of those items I have had to deal with thus far is the lousy seat leather quality. The drivers seat bolster surface developed some unsightly surface cracks. I contacted Lexus Corporate and they worked with our local dealer to have an upholstery specialist restore the seat bolster condition to like-new. It required significant cleaning, resurfacing, and dyeing (actually, painting) the leather to make it right again. Total cost was $200. Lexus paid half and I paid half. They initially wanted me to believe it is "standard wear-and-tear". We have owned leather-interiored vehicles since the early 1980s and I know lousy leather when I see it. I fought back and won my 50/50 settlement. How long the repair holds up remains to be seen.

The factory battery failed back in February 2018 while the vehicle was still with the first owner. Lexus replaced it with the same mediocre battery at no charge.

While Lexus claims that the ATF is "lifetime", know that the friction modifier additives in all ATFs eventually break down and the ATF gradually loses some of its lubrication capabilities. Many of us believe that a fresh ATF drain-and-fill or two makes for excellent transmission life insurance at 50,000 to 60,000 miles. I will certainly be doing that on my wife's vehicle by then.

Good luck with your new-to-you vehicle.

cory143

Thank you RX!!!! Great info. I've got a great mechanic who kept my ES330 running. I'll be sure to give him this info when he does the service check.

My new RX has 101,700 miles on it but you'd never know from looking at it. It was garage kept and babied - the rear ledge and liftgate interior are nearly mark-free. I don't think anything was put in the back ever.

cory143

Hi again. Provided your recommendations to my mechanic when he replaced my front brake pads. He checked it all out and said all was good.

Thanks again for your input!

Cory