2000 Lexus RX300

EVEN THOUGH THE OIL ON MY RX 300 WAS CHANGED 2,700 MILES AGO, THE ENGINE DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE IN THE 3.0, 6 CYLINDER. LEXUS IS TRYING TO BLAME IT ON ME FOR NOT CHANGING THE OIL AT THEIR DEALERS. THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $500.00 JUST TO LOOK TO SEE WHAT THE INTERNAL DAMAGE IS AND THEN ANYWHERE FROM A RE BUILD OF THE ENGINE FOR $6000 TO $8000 OR AN ENTIRE NEW ENGINE FOR $13,000.00 PLUS LABOR. I HAVE SINCE FOUND NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ALL CITING THE SAME ENGINE, SYMPTOMS ETC. ON TOP OF THIS, I WITNESSED THE LEXUS SERVICE MANAGER "RUSHING" TO TAKE DIGITAL PHOTOS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE AND THEY QUICKLY DOCUMENTED AN "OWNER NEGLECT" FILE IN THEIR MASTER LEXUS RECORDS. AFTER TALKING WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE AND MECHANICS, WE NOW BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A COVER UP ON THE PART OF LEXUS TO AVOID WHAT COULD BE ONE OF THE MOST COSTLY RECALLS IN HISTORY. ANY HELP PLEASE.....?*AK

BRIDGESTONE, DUELER HT 687, P225/70R16 DOT ELWA, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2000, LEXUS RX 300 WITH 25000 MILES. FIRST BLOWOUT ON LEFT REAR TIRE OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY, 2001 AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SECOND BLOWOUT ON RIGHT REAR TIRE OCCURRED ON 12 AUGUST, 2001 AT HIGHWAY SPEED. NO ACCIDENT.*AK CONSUMER STATES SPEED WAS 15 MPH. *SLC

INSPITE OF CHANGING THE OIL WITHIN WARRANTY GUIDELINES, MY RX 300 DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE IN THE 3.0 6 CYLINDER ENGINE. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET DISCLOSED THAT NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THE RX 300 AND OTHER TOYOTO CARS, LIKE THE SIENNA, HAVE DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE EVEN WITH TIMELY OIL CHANGES..THROUGH THE INTERNET I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT " THE 3.0 LITER V-6 ENGINE FOUND IN THE LEXUS RX 300 WAS REDESIGNED IN 1999. IT WAS MODIFIED TO IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY AND REDUCE POLLUTANT EMISSIONS. THIS MODIFICATION INCLUDED REDUCTION IN THE SIZE OF THE COOLSNT PASSAGE ON THE HEAD GASKET SO THAT CYLINER HEADS RUN AT EXCESSIVELY HOT TEMPERATURES. THE OIL IS LITERALLY FRYING, RESULTING IN SLUDGE." HTTP: PHILIP.GREENSPUN.COM/MATERIALISM/CARS/SIENNA.HTML. ALSO, FROM WWW.CARREVIEW.COM/REVIEWS/VANS_MINIVANS/PRODUCT_225.SHTML "...THE COOLANT SYSTEM MAY NOT BE OPERATING CORRECTLY OR THOROUGHLY ENOUGH TO KEEP THE OIL FROM FRYING AND SLUDGING UP ULTIMATELY CLOGGING THE PORTS AND BURNING UP THE MOTORS. SOME MECHANICS THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH THE ALUMINUM HEADS WARPING...AND NOT JUST IN THE SIENNA, THAT ENGINE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS ON THE LEXUS 300.."*AK

I EXPERIENCED AROUND 15,000 MILEAGE A NOISE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES VERY SIMILAR TO THE ROAD SURFACE CHANGING FROM SMOOTH TO ROUGH. I ASSUMED SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN IN FOR SERVICE THAT THE BRAKES/BRAKE SYSTEM HAD BEEN ADJUSTED AND THAT IT WAS NOISE WAS NORMAL. THE NOISE AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE INCREASED WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND GRADUATED TO ALSO A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN APPLICATION. IT WASN'T UNTIL A RELATIVE INDICATED TO ME THAT THE SOUND WAS NOT NORMAL DID I TAKE THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE NOISE AND VIBRATION WAS DUE TO ROTOR SURFACES THAT NEEDED TO BE TURNED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IT WAS DUE TO STOP AND GO DRIVING. I STATED TO THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I DID NOT THINK IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE BRAKES TO HAVE EVEN WEAR AND THE ROTORS TO HAVE BLUING SPOTS THAT I OBSERVED. I ALSO INDICATED THAT 99 PERCENT OF MY DRIVING WAS HIGHWAY AND NOT STOP AND GO. I ASKED THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TO CONTACT LEXUS CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND THEY AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR. I DO NOT. I THINK THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING/ROTOR SYSTEMS AND THAT THE CUSTOMERS WAS BEING CHARGED FOR A DEFECTS. I WAS CHARGED $277.40 TO RESURFACE ROTARS. I THINK THAT THE PROBLEM THAT INITIALLY STARTED AT 15,000 MILES IS THE RESULT OF DEFECTS IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND NOT DRIVING HABITS AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS.*AK