Update: Bad News for the Grocery Grabber

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn) 01/16/2015 at 21:50 • Filed to: None

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We have discovered the source of the Lexus' moaning in the cold after a trip to our mechanic.

Unfortunately, it is the power steering. Points to everyone who suggested that the power steering was the problem!

I promise to take new pictures of the car soon and stop reusing ones from the same day.

I am ashamed to say that I let the car leak to a point where the fluid was at the bottom of the reservoir. To my defense, it was covered by a sound-deadening panel and I wasn't sure how to remove the cover to check the fluid level. I was also afraid to break some clips in the process of removing it. Still, I do take full responsibility for my own stupidity and neglect to that poor car.

However, none of us, not even the mechanic, expected the leak to be as bad as it is. We topped off the fluid on Thursday and we were going to return in a week to see how much fluid was lost. I drove the Lexus to school today and when I got home at 3, the level was pleasantly between the maximum and minimum lines, as shown in the picture below. When I checked it again at 6, the fluid was already down to the minimum line. Weirdly, there isn't a giant puddle of fluid underneath the car. This means that we're definitely going to have to get the Lexus in for repair sooner than expected.

Here's the reservoir that I neglected. The fluid looks shockingly dirty, but apparently it's supposed to be a darker color. Please excuse the quality as this picture is from my phone.

The most painful part of this situation, as most of you can guess, is the price to fix the steering. After scrounging through Lexus forums, I discovered that the price of a refurbished steering rack is at least $700. I also discovered that this is a common problem with RX330's. In some cases, the power steering has started leaking at 95,000 miles or less, so I guess we're lucky to have made it to 196,000 miles without it leaking before. The forums also told me that the fluid typically leaks into the boot of the steering rack and collects there, which explains the lack of a puddle. In addition to this, the only remedy to fix the leak is replacing the whole power steering assembly. You can't just replace the boots because the leaks will eventually return. On top of the steering issues, the timing belt also needs to be changed so we're going to replace that while the car is already disassembled. (This isn't as big of a deal because it's an expected service for the miles.) The total cost of this escapade is going to be over $1,000 and that's without any extra surprises.

Now, this situation has made us explore other options like trading the Grocery Grabber in for a newer one (my dad really likes this car and wouldn't mind getting another one) or some less practical ideas, like upgrading our 2007 Mustang convertible to a 2015 Mustang. We have decided, well, my dad has decided with my input (he still owns the car), that we are going to fix everything that's currently wrong with the Lexus and hopefully get a couple more years out of it. Once another thing breaks, we'll decide what to do from there.

What a machine!

For now, the Grocery Grabber is still around and I'm happier than I expected to have it back for at least a few days. I realized how much I actually admire that car after driving my dad's winter car, a 2006 Toyota Rav4, for a couple of days. This incredible automobile, which is pictured above, has the amazing 4 cylinder, 4 speed automatic combination. (My dad bought it for $5,000 so he wouldn't have to drive our Mustang in the winter, like he did last year. Honestly, for five grand, he could have gotten worse cars, but that's a different story.) The RX330 is just so much more refined, but it should be considering it is a Lexus. I'm looking forward to some more exhilarating time behind the wheel of that beastly Rav4 while the Grocery Grabber is getting fixed.

bob and john > Michael Woyahn 01/16/2015 at 21:57

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you know, as much shit as those cars get. I liked them. looked classy, were fairly reliable, and had a 1/2 decent motor.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Michael Woyahn 01/16/2015 at 22:04

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I can't believe I mostly corrected your car's problem!

As for the Rav4: ouch on the engine-tranny combo. Your dad sounds like a nice guy. Hooking you up with all these cars!

SJGeorge94 > bob and john 01/16/2015 at 22:07

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Rx are great for being a comfortable transports though the rx350 sounds like a truck when cold

bob and john > SJGeorge94 01/16/2015 at 22:09

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yea, my moms IS250 sounds TOTALLY different when cold...almost like it gained a liter in displacement

Michael Woyahn > bob and john 01/16/2015 at 22:44

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I completely agree! It has been mostly reliable for the time we've owned it. It's just starting to have more problems as the miles add up, but that happens with any car. The engine is pretty good too! It definitely has more power than the 4 cylinder in the Rav4!

Michael Woyahn > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 01/16/2015 at 22:53

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Seriously, my dad is great! I am very lucky to be able to drive the cars that I do! I appreciate it everyday. Definitely a good guess with the power steering! Thanks for helping me out!

The funny thing with the Rav4 is that the gas pedal travel is very short. It feels like two inches judging by my foot, so it seems like the car has more power than it actually does. Pressing the pedal 1/3 of the way down on the Lexus equals about half of the way down on the Rav4, if not more. It's only once you floor it, which comes up a lot faster than I was expecting (I thought I had 1/3 of the pedal travel left and my foot wouldn't move anymore), you realize how little power it actually has. It's a fine car for most people and there's nothing that's seriously wrong with it, it's just not my type of car.

wontacceptthis > Michael Woyahn 01/16/2015 at 23:32

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I'm the complete opposite of this story. I've had a lot of cooling system issues with my Miata, as it basically sat for two years before I bought it, and now I've put a metric crap ton of miles on it.

I got it back from an emergency timing belt / timing gear / crank pulley repair, and swore it was leaking coolant. I tracked down a few small leaks from bad hoses and fixed those, but it still smelled strongly of coolant.

Convinced it was leaking an alarming amount of antifreeze, I filled it to the top of the reservoir, which is about 3 inches above the full line.

5,000 miles later, and it still hasn't leaked or boiled over down to the full line.

Michael Woyahn > wontacceptthis 01/17/2015 at 00:05

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No kidding, even our cars are complete opposites!

Interesting issue with the Miata, at least it decided it doesn't want to leak anymore! Maybe fixing the hoses did do something?

Too bad the Lexus doesn't look like it wants to change its mind about leaking.

Rico > Michael Woyahn 01/17/2015 at 15:49

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How come the RX isn't the winter vehicle? With that and the Mustang I see no point in the RAV4.

Michael Woyahn > Rico 01/17/2015 at 16:15

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I agree. I offered to drive the Mustang with winter tires this year, but my dad wouldn't let me. He said it wouldn't be safe and I disagree with him, but he makes the final decision. He, for some reason, doesn't believe in winter tires and he drove the Mustang last winter with just all seasons and bags of salt in the back. He surprisingly only got stuck once and it was in our driveway, so he was able to dig himself out, but he still said he was never driving that car in the winter again. I think he was also concerned about the Mustang getting wrecked by salt because paint started to chip around the right front wheel and he didn't want it to get more chips this winter.

Last winter, we had a system where I would drive the Lexus to school and when I got home, he would take it to work on days where it snowed since he's basically retired now and only gives tennis lessons in the afternoon. This winter, he decided to buy the Rav4 from our mechanic instead of buying winter tires, which would have been cheaper than that car. The Rav4 also leaked oil and we couldn't get in to get fixed for almost a month because our mechanic was very busy so it was always parked over a tarp. It just got fixed last month for free so that was a bit of a disaster, but it worked out in the end.

I still think buying the Rav4 wasn't the best idea, but, again, my dad has the final decision so I can't really do anything about it. It's especially pointless while my sister is home from college because she has an all wheel drive Ford Edge and my mom has a Honda Odyssey and both be easily driven in the snow. But it's too late to do anything about the Rav4 now. I guess it'll come in handy while the Lexus is getting fixed, though!

Rico > Michael Woyahn 01/17/2015 at 16:19

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Hmm at the way he spends money fixing the Lexus should be a drop in the bucket. You are right getting winter tires on the RX would've been the best and cheaper decision and it's probably way more comfortable than the Rav.

Michael Woyahn > Rico 01/17/2015 at 16:32

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Yeah... he's a bit of an impulse buyer. The Lexus is so much more comfortable and quieter than the Rav4! The lumbar adjustment in the drivers seat of the Rav4 ranges from stabbing you in the back to pushing your stomach through your chest. I really can't get comfortable in it when I drive, but I don't have that problem when I'm in the passenger seat.

I think we could have even just gotten snow tires for the Mustang and skipped them on the Lexus. The Grocery Grabber is very good in the snow with just all seasons and I'm sure the Mustang would be so much better in the snow with them. It only had 210 hp when it was new (it has over 70,000 miles on it now), so I don't think the power would really overwhelm the tires. If we did get winter tires for the Mustang, we would have four cars we could drive in the winter (when everyone is home) without having to buy another one. The only problem I had with that plan was that my dad seriously does not think that winter tires make that big of a difference, so that's why he decided to buy another cheap all wheel drive car instead.

In the end, we still have four cars that we can drive in the snow, it's just not the way I would have done it.

Alex B > Michael Woyahn 01/19/2015 at 15:19

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That's not good! :( Hope it gets sorted out soon. A note about the Rav-4, the V6 version is surprisingly fast.

Michael Woyahn > Alex B 01/19/2015 at 15:55

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Me too. Thanks for the concern! I was actually a little excited when my dad first brought the Rav4 home because I thought it was a V6. You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that it was a 4 cylinder haha!