OCDinPDX
Paint Ph.D
We're through, finished with what used to be a fine brand that did everything right where Detroit was doing everything so wrong.
My mom has driven two Toyotas and one Lexus, the latter of which is a 2002 RX300, her current car. We bought the RX new in '02 as a replacement for her bulletproof '93 Previa, a car I drove for 25,000 miles and finally traded for my Santa Fe at 177k. My parents are meticulous about maintaining their cars per manufacturer recommendations and the 300 was no exception. Always serviced by the dealer, always on time, never skimped on ANYTHING. About two months ago, my mom complained to me that the transmission was clunking on the 2nd-to-1st downshift. I drove the car and could not duplicate the issue and told her to come back to me if it got worse. Cut to last week when my mom had shoulder surgery and I was driving her car. As I came to a stop at the light at the bottom of the hill near our house, I felt a lurch and heard a distinctive 'clunk'. Uh oh...
The car continued to do it and at one point it did it so roughly I thought it was going to snap the driveshaft. I took it into the dealership and was told the transmission was indeed on its way out at 107,700 miles and it would cost $4,400 to replace!
I'm sorry but this is completely unacceptable from a $42,000 (in 2002) car that is considered by many to be the pinnacle of luxury, longevity and customer experience. The insult is further compounded by the fact that my homely little $20,000 Hyundai Santa Fe, a car for which I have been insulted by many and told is a piece of crap, is at 131,000 miles on its original transmission. In fact, the Hyundai has had so many fewer problems and dealership visits compared to the Lexus it's not even funny. And this is not our first major problem with the RX300; three years ago it hemorrhaged a seal that mated the transmission and engine and that cost $3,000 to fix. I doubt this has anything to do with the premature transmission failure as it seems to be a common RX300 occurrence. Club Lexus is filled with RX transmission failure threads. Come to find out the RX's V6 engine has a tendency to sludge up, even with regular oil changes. :wall If it does that, to the scrap heap it goes.
Combine the apparent lack of quality in the design with Lexus's current round of technical issues (ES350 unintended acceleration which is being conveniently ignored and blamed on floor mats) and they are not worth the money anymore. And it's not just Lexus; Toyota is just not making the car they were 15 years ago. I rented a new Highlander a year ago from a local dealer and it had only 12,000 miles on it. The interior material quality was horrible, fit and finish were sub-par, and the damn thing rattled like a 1974 Pontiac. In my mind, Toyota has become the new GM; their cars are not worth the money they charge, they believe they are too big to fail, have the customer base eating out of their hands, and will continue to gain sales by people who are stupid enough to buy on brand alone and not the actual qualifications of the car.
My parents have said they will not buy another Toyota or Lexus and I will never consider one, either.
My mom has driven two Toyotas and one Lexus, the latter of which is a 2002 RX300, her current car. We bought the RX new in '02 as a replacement for her bulletproof '93 Previa, a car I drove for 25,000 miles and finally traded for my Santa Fe at 177k. My parents are meticulous about maintaining their cars per manufacturer recommendations and the 300 was no exception. Always serviced by the dealer, always on time, never skimped on ANYTHING. About two months ago, my mom complained to me that the transmission was clunking on the 2nd-to-1st downshift. I drove the car and could not duplicate the issue and told her to come back to me if it got worse. Cut to last week when my mom had shoulder surgery and I was driving her car. As I came to a stop at the light at the bottom of the hill near our house, I felt a lurch and heard a distinctive 'clunk'. Uh oh...
The car continued to do it and at one point it did it so roughly I thought it was going to snap the driveshaft. I took it into the dealership and was told the transmission was indeed on its way out at 107,700 miles and it would cost $4,400 to replace!
I'm sorry but this is completely unacceptable from a $42,000 (in 2002) car that is considered by many to be the pinnacle of luxury, longevity and customer experience. The insult is further compounded by the fact that my homely little $20,000 Hyundai Santa Fe, a car for which I have been insulted by many and told is a piece of crap, is at 131,000 miles on its original transmission. In fact, the Hyundai has had so many fewer problems and dealership visits compared to the Lexus it's not even funny. And this is not our first major problem with the RX300; three years ago it hemorrhaged a seal that mated the transmission and engine and that cost $3,000 to fix. I doubt this has anything to do with the premature transmission failure as it seems to be a common RX300 occurrence. Club Lexus is filled with RX transmission failure threads. Come to find out the RX's V6 engine has a tendency to sludge up, even with regular oil changes. :wall If it does that, to the scrap heap it goes.
Combine the apparent lack of quality in the design with Lexus's current round of technical issues (ES350 unintended acceleration which is being conveniently ignored and blamed on floor mats) and they are not worth the money anymore. And it's not just Lexus; Toyota is just not making the car they were 15 years ago. I rented a new Highlander a year ago from a local dealer and it had only 12,000 miles on it. The interior material quality was horrible, fit and finish were sub-par, and the damn thing rattled like a 1974 Pontiac. In my mind, Toyota has become the new GM; their cars are not worth the money they charge, they believe they are too big to fail, have the customer base eating out of their hands, and will continue to gain sales by people who are stupid enough to buy on brand alone and not the actual qualifications of the car.
My parents have said they will not buy another Toyota or Lexus and I will never consider one, either.
