2004 Lexus RX Reviews - Page 2 of 4

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2nd Oct 2005, 23:10

Haha I love the way you say "if you can afford it." So true! I own 3 Lexus's an RX330 being one of them. I'm hooked on Lexus. Cannot get enough.

4th Jan 2006, 03:37

I think the new rx330 looks great, but now considering X5 due to tranny issues.

22nd Jan 2006, 09:19

I was fully sure that I am going to buy an RX330, but after reading the reviews on the transmission and humming noise.. I am confused.

If compared, which will be a better choice RX330 or X5?

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2004 Lexus RX 330 3.2 from North America

Model year	2004
Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2003
Most recent year of ownership	2005
Engine and transmission	3.2 Automatic
Reliability marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	2 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	5.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	5 miles
Most recent distance	19200 miles
Previous car	Mercury Grand Marquis

Faults:

When braking and going down from 3rd to 2nd gear, vehicle surges. I hesitate to take on highway as a I expect a rear end collision eventually!

19,000 miles and new tires are needed even though they were driven in normal conditions and rotated every 5,000 miles.

Engine is loud, sounds like tapping to due to low oil.

General Comments:

Spent $42,000 on this vehicle, which was extreme and extravagant for us, only to have Toyota not acknowledge these known defects/complaints.

Will not buy a Toyota or Lexus vehicle again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd February, 2005

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13th Jul 2007, 23:54

Don't know what to say about your experience. I bought a new 2004 RX330 for my wife. Now has 40K miles on it. We have not had one problem with it. She could not be happier. I personally don't like the looks of the vehicle, but it is fun to drive, powerfull and has never given us a minute of grief. Wife loves it. Sorry to hear about your experiences.

2nd Sep 2008, 18:01

I have a 2004 Lexus RX 330. After 25000 miles I needed new tires. Now at 45000 miles my best Michelin tires are almost ready to be replaced again. Can anybody tell me why the 330 RX needs new tires so often? Is there anything wrong with the front wheels to wear them down so fast?

Any comments are appreciated.

16th Dec 2009, 21:48

Reason new tires are needed is because we're using still pretty skinny tires. I've got the 18's on it, and the tires are just 235/55... that's really a size for a car; and we're lugging around an entire SUV/Minivan... and I say minivan because mine's FWD, so ya, a heavy car like this will eat up those skinny tires. My only recommendation, stay away from Michelins, at their price.

2004 Lexus RX 330 3.3 V6 from North America

Model year	2004
Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2004
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	3.3 V6 Automatic
Performance marks	5 / 10
Reliability marks	8 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Dealer Service marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.4 / 10
Distance when acquired	23000 miles
Most recent distance	27000 miles
Previous car	Ford Expedition

Summary:

Lexus has lost their edge and made a mess with the RX330

Faults:

Serious transmission problem in the RX 330.

General Comments:

My dealer has been given the go ahead from Lexus to replace the transmission with a rebuilt one.

The service manager at my local dealer has performed this service on a few other cars and says it corrects the problem.

Interesting that it can be corrected with a rebuilt transmission, but the original one from the factory is terrible at best. It makes me wonder how they're correcting the problem with the rebuilt transmissions. Something in the bowels of the transmission must be repairable, but Lexus won't admit to it.

I think they ultimately will have to recall these cars.

I intend to make sure that Consumer Reports finds out about this as well. Maybe they can put some pressure on Lexus.

I wish I had never purchased this particular vehicle and I have to admit that without some sort of free extended warranty, I will never purchase another one. There are too many other good choices out there.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd November, 2004

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