Only day 2 of RX300 ownership, absolute nightmare

[Rxowner]

Hello all,

New Lexus RX300 auto SE owner, got a 2004 one that’s done 135000 miles. 
 

condition looked great and had full service history, could tell it’s been looked after. 
 

Drove it home and went to work this morning, on the way back I hear a dull intermittent humming noise at low speeds. To which I thought maybe it just needs tracking. 
So I thought I’d put my foot down and see if it goes, to my horror I see two amber lights , the engine light and a VSC light. The car didn’t feel any different although it’s hard to tell because I only had it 2 days. 
 

I switched the car off and back on again and the VSC light disappeared. 
 

parked it up for a few hours and just switched it back on now to see and both lights are on again. 
 

I really can’t afford much more this was meant to be a family car always wanted a Lexus and it’s turning out to be a shambles 😞

 

any thoughts on what it might be?

 

thanks! 

[royoftherovers]

5 minutes ago, Rxowner said:

Hello all,

New Lexus RX300 auto SE owner, got a 2004 one that’s done 135000 miles. 
 

condition looked great and had full service history, could tell it’s been looked after. 
 

Drove it home and went to work this morning, on the way back I hear a dull intermittent humming noise at low speeds. To which I thought maybe it just needs tracking. 
So I thought I’d put my foot down and see if it goes, to my horror I see two amber lights , the engine light and a VSC light. The car didn’t feel any different although it’s hard to tell because I only had it 2 days. 
 

I switched the car off and back on again and the VSC light disappeared. 
 

parked it up for a few hours and just switched it back on now to see and both lights are on again. 
 

I really can’t afford much more this was meant to be a family car always wanted a Lexus and it’s turning out to be a shambles 😞

 

any thoughts on what it might be?

 

thanks! 

Welcome to L.O.C. Adam.

Sorry to read of your problem. If you have recently purchased from a Motor Trader, then get back to him immediately and request that he corrects whatever is causing the problem(s).He is responsible for correcting any significant problems occurring within 6 months of purchase.

[Rxowner]

Unfortunately got it privately from Gumtree and the seller is completely ignoring me now. 
not much I can do I don’t think, what a shame just my luck. My brother in law got one similar age and miles and has had it for over a year with no issues 

[royoftherovers]

2 minutes ago, Rxowner said:

Unfortunately got it privately from Gumtree and the seller is completely ignoring me now. 
not much I can do I don’t think, what a shame just my luck. My brother in law got one similar age and miles and has had it for over a year with no issues 

OK,Adam.We have some helpful members here and one will be along in due course, I am sure to offer you some advice.

[Rxowner]

8 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

OK,Adam.We have some helpful members here and one will be along in due course, I am sure to offer you some advice.

Thank you, yes I hope so! In the process of looking for local garage recommendations in the mean time

[royoftherovers]

5 minutes ago, Rxowner said:

Thank you, yes I hope so! In the process of looking for local garage recommendations in the mean time

These are all I have Adam.

Lexus Indie Garages (1).docx

[Spudd]

https://www.cashcarsbuyer.com/vsc-light/

[PCM]

8 hours ago, Rxowner said:

Unfortunately got it privately from Gumtree and the seller is completely ignoring me now. 
not much I can do I don’t think, what a shame just my luck. My brother in law got one similar age and miles and has had it for over a year with no issues 

If the seller is a trader, pretending to be a private seller, you have extra rights.

This thread is also of note: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/146551/what-are-our-rights-after-buying-an-unroadworthy-car-in-a-private-sale-

The error you have can mean a number of things.

Again, for me it was a knock sensor. 

Have you tried reading any codes?

( I would guess the seller might have known there was an issue? )

 

[GS300h2014]

 

[steve2006]

Hi Adam and welcome to the LOC.

It is either a complete coincidence that this problem has occurred since you bought the car or you have encountered a slightly devious seller who knew about the problem but has got away with it. Had it shown up during a test drive you could have walked away.

First thing is check the fuel cap as mentioned, second is a diagnostic code read which should help pin point the problem.

If after the diagnostics you need parts there are cheaper sources than Lexus for OEM.

[Rxowner]

28 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

Hi Adam and welcome to the LOC.

It is either a complete coincidence that this problem has occurred since you bought the car or you have encountered a slightly devious seller who knew about the problem but has got away with it. Had it shown up during a test drive you could have walked away.

First thing is check the fuel cap as mentioned, second is a diagnostic code read which should help pin point the problem.

If after the diagnostics you need parts there are cheaper sources than Lexus for OEM.

Thanks, yes I read through the forum posts about the VLC / Engine light issue and tried the petrol cap thing. Didn't hear a whoosh but still tightened it until the click and didnt work.

The humming noise is also another issue which is probably going to be harder to diagnose :( 

I am in the process of finding a good Toyota / Lexus dealer near Bournemouth to get the codes read

[PCM]

Is the seller advertising other cars I wonder?

Have you tried a search on their contact details?

I guess there are two strands:

1. Any investigation/action you might or might not take towards the seller.

2. Resolving the issue at their/your, expense.

[NickySB]

Ref the humming noise - it’s hard to say if it’s connected to your lights - could be a range things - tyres, wheel bearing etc - if the humming gets louder as you increase the speed it could well be a bearing- just another point of consideration- good luck with a (hopefully cheap) resolution 

[m4rkw]

Tell us more about the humming noise, does it occur in neutral or only in gear? Stationary or when moving? If moving what speeds, is it constant regardless of speed? Does the pitch change with speed? Does it sound rotational?

 

[m4rkw]

Also since you apparently got a lot of documentation with it, check if it's always been to the same garage in the last year or so. If it has you might want to give them a call and ask if they've noticed the humming noise or the lights on the dash and whether the previous owner had asked them to investigate.

 

[TigerFish]

There are quite a lot of forum members with code readers who may be able help at least get the fault codes. Where are you located?



Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk Pro

[royoftherovers]

He is in Dorset Rick

[TigerFish]

Ah, thanks John.

I can see Dorset now I'm on my laptop, Tapatalk on the phone doesn't show that bit of the profile 🙁

Bit far for me depending where in Dorset.

[cloudedmind]

I suggest buying yourself a cheap obd reader for starters

[Rxowner]

Thanks for the help, I’ve read through the replies some very helpful suggestions. 
update: 

took it for 4 wheel alignment and the humming is still there, they made some adjustments and said the ball bearings are fine and brakes are fine so they’re not sure what it is. 
 

managed to find someone to read the error code and it is POO37 error. 
just trying to source the correct sensor from eBay and find a garage who would be able to identify it and replace it. 
Lexus Poole  weren’t very helpful with part numbers I’m going to try a different branch tomorrow  

 

 

[Rxowner]

5 hours ago, m4rkw said:

Tell us more about the humming noise, does it occur in neutral or only in gear? Stationary or when moving? If moving what speeds, is it constant regardless of speed? Does the pitch change with speed? Does it sound rotational?

 

It’s only when I’m driving and at speeds less than 30mph when I hear it. It’s constant regardless of whether I’m driving 20 or 30 and the pitch is consistent. 

[Rxowner]

4 hours ago, m4rkw said:

Also since you apparently got a lot of documentation with it, check if it's always been to the same garage in the last year or so. If it has you might want to give them a call and ask if they've noticed the humming noise or the lights on the dash and whether the previous owner had asked them to investigate.

 

Called the garage this morning they couldn’t help, just told me it’s been serviced and MOT’d with them at the intervals mentioned in the book. I’m going to send them a pre paid envelope to hopefully get all the invoices sent to me

[The-Acre]

Have you tried swapping tyres front to back?  I've had the humming noise on various cars, it nearly always turns out to be a tyre, you can't always tell visually if they're ok.

[m4rkw]

5 hours ago, Rxowner said:

managed to find someone to read the error code and it is POO37 error. 
just trying to source the correct sensor from eBay and find a garage who would be able to identify it and replace it. 
Lexus Poole  weren’t very helpful with part numbers I’m going to try a different branch tomorrow  

STOP! Don't do this, this is a common mistake. The codes are not a diagnosis, they are an indication of a *fault condition*. Most error codes can have multiple possible causes and this one is just the same - https://www.fixdapp.com/blog/p0037-code

If you start throwing parts at problems, especially cheap eBay parts, you're likely to A) not fix the original problem and/or B) create new ones

Take it to someone who knows what they're doing and have them diagnose it for you, it will be far cheaper than throwing parts at it, because you'll run out of money before you run out of guesses.

[m4rkw]

5 hours ago, Rxowner said:

It’s only when I’m driving and at speeds less than 30mph when I hear it. It’s constant regardless of whether I’m driving 20 or 30 and the pitch is consistent. 

Tyres is definitely a possibility. You might also try *carefully* putting the car in S-mode and leaving it in first gear and see if the hum is present, then shift it up into 2nd and see if it changes at all, then 3rd. Warm the car up first before doing this as high revs aren't good on a cold engine, and be very careful to pay attention to the road.