2004-2009 Lexus RX330/RX350 Buyer's Guide

Kinja'd!!! "Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn)
09/01/2018 at 13:29 • Filed to: None

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We’ve had my ‘04 RX330 in the family for about 9.5 years and 164,000 miles. This has been more than enough time for me to rack up a ridiculous knowledge of these cars; it’s even been enough time for the family to pick up a second RX350. So I figured I might as well put this info to use in a guide here.

In case you aren’t a fan of reading, here’s a video outlining most of the differences between the pre-refresh and refreshed RX:

Now that that’s out of the way, there are a few things to look out for with these cars.

Power steering- The power steering racks on these cars tend to go bad and cost about $800 to replace with OEM parts. My RX330 had a leak, but they were able to replace a rusty line for $200. Most don’t seem to be as lucky.

Cracking dashboards- There was an extended warranty to replace cracking dashboards in these cars, and many other Lexuses, but it ended over a year ago. Unfortunately, my RX33o’s dash has just started cracking. The ‘08 RX350 we have has avoided this fate so far.

Trim Adhesive- The adhesive fails on the rear quarter window trim. The entire trim piece fell off of my car, but broke in half on my dad’s RX350. This is just cosmetic, though.

Rust- The rust proofing on these cars is really good, but as with any car that is 15 years old, like my RX330, there is some rust present.

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The top half of the trim can be seen missing here.

These next things mostly apply to only the RX330.

Timing Belts- The RX330 uses a timing belt, which needs to be replaced every 90,000 miles and about the cheapest you can have this done for is $600.

Catalytic Converters- These tend to go bad somewhat early on these cars, but the one in my RX330 made it to 244,000 miles before calling it quits.

Radiators- There was a TSB out for the radiators early on, and my RX330 has had its radiator replaced twice so they seem to be a bit of a problem area.

Wheel Bearings- The rear wheel bearings needed to be replaced right when we got the car with 82,000 miles. However, these would’ve most likely been replaced at this point.

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The 3.3 Liter V6 in the RX330.

Now, these cars had some really nice standard features for all model years. They include:

Sliding center console

Reclining 40/20/40 split folding rear seats

Full size spare tire under car with underfloor storage in rear cargo area

Genuine wood trim, though wood trim varies per year

Standard dual zone automatic climate control

Standard Homelink

Extra cup holder to left of steering wheel in front of an air vent so it keeps drinks either hot or cold

Knee airbag

All windows automatic up/down

Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors

5 speed “smart” automatic transmission, gearing adjusted in 2007 for lower highway cruising RPMS

Brake assist. This applies extra braking pressure in situations the car deems an emergency. This is based on brake application speed and pressure.

Collapsible brake pedal in collision

8 speaker Lexus premium audio system, which sounds great

Front seats recline all the way flat.

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The front passenger seat is reclined flat here.

These cars could also be had with some interesting packages:

AWD system with a constant 50/50 torque split, improved for 2007

Heated seats, headlight washers, and rain sensing wipers

Leather. Ivory cloth trim is standard for all years, but they’re essentially nonexistent. Almost all come with the premium package even though the premium package is not standard.

Premium package: leather seats, power tilt-telescopic steering wheel, memory seats, steering wheel, and mirrors, illuminated entry system, sunroof, and roof racks.

Multi-panel panoramic moonroof

Performance package which gets you air suspension and a sequential shiftable automatic transmission. This also removes the wood from the dashboard above the shift lever.

These last two options are also basically nonexistent. Like the cloth interior, they were special order only, apart from the initial production run in 2004.

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An interior view of the multi-panel moonroof.

Onto the model year changes.

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2004

Used the 3.3-liter V6 with 230 hp and 242 ft-lbs of torque

10-way power driver’s seat, 4-way passenger seat

Optional power liftgate

Optional wood and leather steering wheel, wood shift knob

AWD system uses open center differential and the VSC system to brake slipping wheels and redirect power. TCS cannot be disabled without pulling a fuse in AWD models; FWD models have a button to disable TCS.

Third generation of Lexus’ navigation

TPMS uses wheel speed sensors to indirectly sense a flat, meaning you have to drive a bit before a flat is detected. This works by sensing the speed of one wheel changing because the diameter of the tire is changing; the tire will get smaller as it loses air.

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2005

Added roll sensing curtain airbags

Added Bluetooth handsfree calling to navigation equipped models, navigation upgraded to the fourth generation of Lexus’ system

Made power liftgate standard

Different surround on passenger airbag and seatbelt state light

Flipped the direction the stalks turn to turn on the lights, rear wiper, and adjust the sensitivity of the auto-wipers

Created Thundercloud edition, which gave the RX a different grille with horizontal slats, black wood trim with the gray interior, and special wheels. It also had the option of an exclusive silver—Thunder Cloud Metallic.

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The Thundercloud Edition of the RX330 in Thundercloud Metallic.

2006

Standard wood and leather trimmed steering wheel

10-way driver’s seat and 8-way passenger seat, adding height and lumbar adjustment to passenger seat

RX400h added to lineup

2007

Switched to the 3.5-liter V6 with 270 hp, and 251 ft-lbs of torque. The name was updated to RX350. The timing belt was ditched for a chain, too.

Added an acoustic windshield and more sound insulation

Shape of interior mirror updated

Removed cassette player from models without navigation, no aux input added

Satellite radio added

Fifth generation navigation system implemented, voice recognition for navigation added

Center limited slip differential added to AWD system, so system redirects power to wheels with most traction mechanically and not with the VCS and TCS systems

Direct wheel mounted sensors for TPMS added

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The refreshed 2008 RX350.

2008

The first and only refresh for the second gen RX— new pointier grille with less slats, chrome door handles, and a new 18-inch wheel option

Black trim available with gray interior

AWD models are now able to disable TCS via a button under the dashboard like the FWD models

Both front seats become 10-way power adjustable

2009

Pebble Beach Edition added— has unique wheels, chrome grille, and painted rear spoiler instead of the usual gloss black. Also, can be bought in a unique brown called Truffle Mica.

No big changes. H owever, production was scaling back for the upcoming 3 rd generation RX in the form of the 2010 RX350.

RX400h discontinued

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The Pebble Beach Edition in Truffle Mica.

These truly are fantastic cars. They do everything well, and we clearly love them since we’ve got two of them. At this point, I would recommend going for the RX350 since they’re newer and they avoid the timing belt replacement costs. And the extra power from the 3.5 V6 is very much appreciated.

As long as you’re not expecting a sporty drive, you’ll love the comfort and solidity of these cars. They’re just so enjoyable to drive and ride in. And as my RX330 has 246,000 miles on it now, you’ll love the reliability, too.

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DISCUSSION (14)


Kinja'd!!! Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Michael Woyahn
09/01/2018 at 13:41

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Nice write-up! My parents used to have an RX400h in Hong Kong, and now my SIL just got an RX450hL in California.  Lovely cars to ride in.


Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
09/01/2018 at 13:50

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Thank you! They really are just fantastic to ride in. I got the chance to drive a 2018 RX450h this summer and the hybrid drivetrain really fits these cars, too.


Kinja'd!!! Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Michael Woyahn
09/01/2018 at 16:19

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Excellent video and write-up! My wife really likes the RX . Good to know that the 3.5 has a chain and not a belt. My timing belt service was not cheap...


Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/01/2018 at 16:37

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Thank you! Honestly, it’s a very likable vehicle if you’re not looking for fun or really anything particularly interesting. We’ve had to do the timing belt in my RX330 twice now and you are not kidding about the cost . It’s interesting that your IS has the sticky dash too. It seems like any soft touch dash that Toyota made  from 2000 to 2009 either melted or cracked.


Kinja'd!!! P5guy now GTIguy > Michael Woyahn
09/01/2018 at 23:37

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That was a good read. This is my favorite gen of the RX especially the 350 version


Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > P5guy now GTIguy
09/02/2018 at 00:28

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Thank you! I love this gen RX too, clearly haha. It’s such a good size and feels really high quality. The 350 feels legitimately quick, too,  at least compared to what I’m used to.


Kinja'd!!! bob and john > Michael Woyahn
09/02/2018 at 00:57

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There IS  a way to totally disable TCS and VCS in the 400h at least. But it's a froggen video game code to put in


Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > bob and john
09/02/2018 at 10:42

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Huh, I knew some Toyota’s needed to do a pedal dance to get it disabled, but I didn’t know about the RX400h ! I’m pretty sure in the RX330 you have to pull a fuse for some reason. Not sure why they couldn’t do the pedal dance in all cars.


Kinja'd!!! P5guy now GTIguy > Michael Woyahn
09/02/2018 at 10:48

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Srry if I missed it but do they both require 91 octane ? 


Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > P5guy now GTIguy
09/02/2018 at 11:09

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Oh, good question! I should’ve put that in somewhere. Premium is recommended in the RX330 and supposedly required in my dad’s RX350, but we’ve only used regular in both . We’ve got 164k miles in the RX330 and a little over 40k in the RX350 on regular gas and had no issues because of it, so I personally think you can definitely use regular.


Kinja'd!!! bob and john > Michael Woyahn
09/02/2018 at 11:25

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I think it might have been to help with testing the hybrid system I think.

But my god. it was:
1: key to on.
2: press brake pedal 4 times
3: gear to neutral
4: gas 4 times
5: back to park
6: brake 4 times
7: key to start and turn car on.



Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > bob and john
09/02/2018 at 12:03

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That’d make sense, but that’s amazing. They clearly didn’t want really  anyone to turn it off haha!


Kinja'd!!! Arrivederci > Michael Woyahn
10/19/2018 at 10:01

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Interesting write-up! A former colleague did a ton of traveling for her job and this was the vehicle she used. I think she had well over 200k on hers the last time I checked and it was still running strong.


Kinja'd!!! Michael Woyahn > Arrivederci
10/19/2018 at 13:26

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Thank you! These cars are definitely  a good choice to rack up a lot of miles; they’re very comfy highway cruisers. My RX330 just crossed 247,000 miles and shows no signs of slowing down so I’d imagine hers is still going strong too!