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My dealership replied and sent me page 442 7.3 Do-it-yourself maintenance.
The notes read.
When inspecting or replacing tires. Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents. Failure to do so may cause damage to parts of the drive train as well as dangerous handling characteristics, which may lead to an accident resulting in death or serious injury
Make sure to install four tires that are of the specified size, and that all four tires are of the same size, same brand, and same tread pattern.
Do not use tire sizes other than those recommended by Lexus.
Do not mix differently constructed tires (radial, bias-belted,or bias-ply tires).
If only two tires are replaced, the new tires should be placed on the rear of the vehicle.
It goes on...
My quote from Lexus for four new tires: Bridgestone DMV2 235/55/R20. Includes OEM rims, sensor and labour. $3380.00 plus tax.
Tire storage service is $200 a year.
Pretty sure your dealer is trying to rip you off. The base RX uses 18" wheels and tires. There is no difference in suspension or braking components between the base 18" and Luxury package (US Spec) with 20" wheels. I suggest you show them this page from the manual:
Hi guys, new member here. Just thought that I would make my first post a little productive as people are now starting to put on their snow tires. I just got my new winter tires installed from my local shop this weekend. Went with Michelin Latitude X-Ice, 235/65-18 with new OEM TPMS sensors on new rims. I got the warning light on my dash concerning the TPMS within the first hour. Tried resetting the sensors but still have the warning. I called my sales associate to see if this was a problem when not using the original sensors. His response was:
1) The TPMS sensors have their own unique programming code
2) The RX 350 is only capable of have a single set of sensors programmed at any given time. It cannot recognize multiple sets.
3) A new set of sensors would have to be programmed for the car when the tires are changed. (Would be a chargeable service by the dealer if my tire shop didn't have the ability to reprogram the car)
4) The 'go-around' for this problem would be to buy TPMS sensors that can be cloned to match the originals.
Apparently, the dealership also sells these aftermarket sensors that can be cloned to avoid this problem with seasonal changeovers.
Also, there is no problem with using an 18-inch tire on the car. More sidewall and cheaper tire cost that using 20's in my opinion. I hope that helps some people before they start having problems when installing new TPMS sensors.
Yes. Starting with the 2014 IS, Lexus made the poor decision to change the ECU so that only one set of TPMS sensors could be programmed. In the 2nd generation IS, I could program two sets in and the car would have no problem picking up the new sensors after a simple push of the reset button. My local dealers will charge ~$40 for reprogramming. You can also use the Carista app to reprogram the TPMS (although I haven't tested this on the RX yet).
On the IS forums, there has been mixed success with aftermarket cloned TPMS sensors. Few reported OK. Most reported they didn't work.
Not sure which dealership you use, but I would watch out. Either they truly do not know anything about winter tires or they want to make more money at your expense.
You can use the base RX wheels,. LEXUS canada orders the winter tire rim package with 18" rims, go to lexus.ca and check the 2017 accessories.
The 18" lexus accessory rim package OEM, plus tpms sensors, installation, Michener tires, programming should all be around $2700 plus taxes.
Here is the correct as it gets fit for your RX350 if purchasing 18" rims. The values that come up are for my winter wheels...rim width, offset etc. I purchased these wheels from Lexus.
On the IS forums, there has been mixed success with aftermarket cloned TPMS sensors. Few reported OK. Most reported they didn't work.
I talked to my tire shop this afternoon. He said that the reprogramming is very easy. He also said that the aftermarket TPMS sensors don't seem to be very reliable and would not recommend them.
Not sure which dealership you use, but I would watch out. Either they truly do not know anything about winter tires or they want to make more money at your expense.
You can use the base RX wheels,. LEXUS canada orders the winter tire rim package with 18" rims, go to lexus.ca and check the 2017 accessories.
The 18" lexus accessory rim package OEM, plus tpms sensors, installation, Michener tires, programming should all be around $2700 plus taxes.
I called another Lexus dealership and they offered this package for $2772.00. I'm disappointed I have to drive across a city to another dealership just to get this, while my actual dealership is minutes away.
Will these wheels look good on black? (maybe a silly question but just looking for opinion). The dealership offers aftermarket rims about $300 cheaper as well. Here are some other choices. I sort of like the 2nd one. Again my RX is black.
Look at the deal I found. A shop near by gave me a quote for Lexus 18" replicas with Lexus caps, Michelin IceX tires or Bridgestone Blizzaks, aftermarket sensors, and install for $2000 (tax included).
The rims are available in alloy silver or gun metal grey. They had a RX on the lot with them on. What do you think?
I don't know much about the sensors but they said they would clone the frequency of the current sensors and I would never have to worry about programming sensors between sets.
I always put on one step undersized rims for winter. Refinished factory Toyota or Lexus rims costs ~130.00 or so each(compare it to what dealer charges). I like Michelin Xice2 Can use 3rd party TPMS.
I change tires myself at home. Having two sets of rims/tires, it is not hard. Also I can relearn TPMS using TIS and laptop. TIS OBD II interface cable costs like ~20.00 on eBay. I have floor jack and
air compressor in the garage. I used refinished rims from eBay for Acura MDX, BMW X5, BMW 3-series, LEXUS RX450h... Never had problem.
This may be a dumb question but a local dealer told me the Gen4 RX had tire specific TPMS that projected actual tire pressure by tire vs the Gen3 that just had a warning light if any tire was low. The ability to see actual tire pressure is a big plus because you can detect a slow leak much sooner than with the idiot light. From this discussion it seems that the Gen4 is like the Gen3. If that's the case you can buy a reset tool and use aftermarket sensors then switch between Summer and winter tires. I've never heard of cloning the factory sensors, not saying you can't. On my Gen 3 I use a reset tool. I call BS on the statement that aftermarket TPMS are not high quality. I bought mine from Tire Rack and checked out reviews first and they work great 6 years later and counting. Some TPMS are made by a Toyota TPMS supplier.
On the sensors for my GMC Denali I bought a Bosch Trigger Tool and can reset between summer and winter even easier than the Lex. On the RX I have to plug into the OBD and actually change the sensor ID's in the vehicle. With a trigger tool I move from tire to tire and reset each one by tire location. Reset is also done when rotating tire since the location has changed. But GM has programmed the process into the vehicle. The Lexus dealer wanted $100 each change or $200 a year. GM does it for free if you don't have a tool.
Anyone looking for a second opinion might try a large tire distributor like Tire Rack.