Series 3 RX450h (2009-2015) Parts Availability

bashedpotatoes · April 8

Cheers everyone,

With the arrival of a new family member back in september I've become a bit inconvenienced by the dimensions of my is300h. Having a rear facing child seat in a base means the passenger seat is somewhat unusable and we'd like a more easy to live with trunk space and seat access.

I've thought about swapping it for an nx300h but also noticed a 2012 rx450h f-sport close by, which we ended up seeing.

We loved the space, quietness and comfort as it rides a lot better than my 2017 f-sport IS. The owner also has a 2017 (pre facelift) f-sport nx300h for sale which we briefly drove around in, but the seats were much harsher, as was the ride. I found the engine more rattly than in my IS even though they are mostly identical (bar from the layout and lack of direct injection on the nx).

I'd love to go for the rx450h, but I'm very worried about the parts availability in the case of an accident since Lexus are just becoming a more common occurrence on the streets around me and the fact that production ended almost 9 years ago for this generation is surely not helping.

Can anyone chime in regarding how much they had to wait for parts (be them headlamps, bumpers, fenders, etc.)?

I know this is mostly a UK forum and i'm based in Romania so the situation would be quite different, but I'm still curious.

Some Context:

To give some context regarding the cross-shop between the two: the RX has around 110.000 miles on board and is priced at about 22.000 eur vs the NX which has around 80.000 miles and is priced at 30.000. Both come with mark levinson systems (which are a must for me), but the NX has the advantage of being newer and sporting both auto-braking, ACC, 360 camera and a heated steering wheel.

Thanks in advance.

Barry14UK · April 11

Spare parts for Lexus I have found to be expensive and provide a good return for Lexus. I think as long as there is sufficient demand these will remain available, at least for regularly replaced parts. Certainly there are much earlier RX cars still in use and with a need for parts and some suitable components can be brought in from other markets. I remember a long time ago now getting what I was told was the last available sump for my 2.5 v6 Camry. This was shipped in from abroad but in need I could have got one from a breakers. Other parts for that car were still available.

bashedpotatoes · May 17

Cheers @Barry14UK

Yes, I'm well aware of the costs. Decided to take that RX over to our local dealer for an inspection and a couple of suspension parts (rear trailing arm assembly and I think the front control arms as well) had cracked bushings and were suggested to be replaced. Parts and labor came at around 2400 eur. Adding that to the price of the vehicle, not to mention the spark plug replacement being due soon brings me to a sum not far away from having one imported from Germany that's 3 years newer, with half the mileage as well as being sold by an authorized lexus dealer.

granadaman · May 19

Two rear trailing arms delivered were £200 from rock autos USA to uk cost £100 to fit

Barry14UK · May 22

If you carefully check whether the item you are looking to import from the USA is the same as you want for your Japanese build model for the UK, your experience as well as that of some others shows that sometimes items can be imported at much cheaper costs.

I did try this for my RX but without first carefully checking for differences. Superficially. I got very good front and rear Akosombo original quality brake pads at a bargain price for my RX450h. The only problem is these are a very different shape for the US and UK and not compatible. So they remain boxed in my garage as nobody wanted them and the cost of returning them would not have adequately covered the charged amount as reimbursement. (So this would mean that brake callipers, disks, and some other associated brake components would also differ). Hence why I mentioned checking,

bashedpotatoes · May 24

Yes that does make sense. I would expect little difference since I'm in romania, not the uk, so at least there's that, but it's a valid point that I'll make sure to take into account.
Thanks a lot for chiming it. I'm currently waiting for a third party to a have a 2015 rx450h inspected in germany. Hopefully it all checks out.