Oil Cooler Hose Recall

[Derrick Nicholson]

Has anyone had a problem with oil loss caused by this oil cooler hose failing on an RX350? I have had major oil loss and consequent engine damage which Lexus are refusing to pay for despite it being an open service campaign/recall.

[steve2006]

I've not heard of this problem before but if this problem is on a manufacturer's recall and providing you have a FLSH I would take your claim higher up the chain, possibly a call to Lexus GB may produce more favourable results and mention the LOC as it is thought Lexus do peruse the forums.

[iflytaildr]

My wifes 07 ES350 had the same thing happen. She shut the car off when she had a low oil warning, and lexus towed it and fixed it under warranty. I was concerned about long term engine problems and called lexus customer care with my concerns. They extended the warranty out to 100k miles. They should step up to the plate on this one.

[GrahamG]

Would be interested to know how many failures there have been of these engine oil cooler pipes in the UK. There is a major ongoing thread on this appalling piece of design on the USA Club Lexus site.

From the numbers affected there I am surprised there is so little on our site.

From the US it is apparent there was a recall to replace defective rubber pipes. When these also failed the design was changed to an all metal fitting and there is an excellent American Youtube video of a DIY change over.

I am considering such a replacement for my '06 RX350 SE.

Any thoughts?

[ChrisKaye]

ColinBarber made an interesting point when I posted something similar about the Transmission oil cooler pipes (see the post on here a couple of months ago).

There are several things different between our UK spec cars and the US ones - such as all the UK cars came with (for want of a better word) the engine "tow pack" upgrade which had beefier transmission oil cooling capabilities.

Indeed, researching the revised part numbers for some of the US TSBs proved fruitless in the UK via Lexus & Toyota dealers.

I can only recall reading of 3 issues with the UK RX350; spark plugs, coil packs and something to do with timing chain cover leaks.

It is likely that this is because only a few were sold and got crucified by road tax changes, making the RX300 more appealing (if slightly older)...

Ta,

Chris

[GrahamG]

Chris, thanks for the reply.

The differences between US and UK spec. are annoying because so much useful information is available on the US club web site given that they have so many more cars on the road.

Your three RX350 faults are interesting because between 30,000 and 42,000 miles I have replaced two ignition coils and now at 50,000 miles have a timing chain cover oil leak.

The latter Lexus Guildford have recommended I live with because it is only one drop per week.

If anyone knows of the rubber engine oil cooler pipes failing I would appreciate a report.

[lurch]

Is this issue just with the 350 or is it a problem for the 400h aswell, do I need to inspect mine ?

[ColinBarber]

Is this issue just with the 350 or is it a problem for the 400h aswell, do I need to inspect mine ?

Just the 350 it seems.

[lurch]

Hopefully Lexus will look at this and get it sorted.

[LG2]

Looks like I just joined the group w/ an oil cooler hose that burst.  I have a 2008 RX 350.  I went from no leaks at all, never a problem to copious amounts of oil coming out of the bottom of the car...under the engine.  No warning/engine lights came on so I hope there is no engine damage.  

 

 

[Jaystar77]

Just to clarify, is this hose for the oil cooler or is it the pipe that feeds oil to the camshafts?

(I have a similar weep on my 350 and it is the latter).

[GrahamG]

Perhaps LG2 will let us know where in the world he is located. 

My UK supplied '06 RX350se has no engine oil cooler fitted. This is sometimes referred to in the USA as associated with the ' tow package'. I would be interested to know if any UK spec. RX350 had this cooler fitted.

Just for clarity on the USA club site the other rubber section which fails in the oil supply pipe up to the camshafts is referred to as the 'VVTI' pipe.

[Trouble in paradise]

This just happened to my mom's 2007 rx350.   She didn't know about it, no lights, until she drove home across town and heard a knocking.   Oil was empty and dripping from the entire underside.   The dealer did 6k worth of repairs.  Corporate will cover 50% but after repairs there is still a knock.   Now she is screwed and is considering a lawsuit.   She has impeccable service records from the dealer, they never suggested that part be replaced during any service.   She never got a letter about the part, I suppose since she bought it third party initially.   

Poor mom, we convinced her to buy Lexus due to the excellent build quality.   Engine only had 100k and now probably needs to be replaced.

[Delphius1]

The tow package oil cooler in the US is associated with the transmission fluid, not engine oil.

The engine oil cooler is associated with the oil filter. I believe it's a liquid-cooled cooler. Oil passes from the oil filter housing to the cooler and back again originally via rubber hoses (that break down due to heat and eventually leak). The final update was to change the assembly for semi flexible metal pipes between the two units.

There are a couple of videos on YouTube. This one is about the clearest:

As the fault and the fix/update is pretty well known, you'd think a dealer would at the very least advise a customer there is a potential weak spot that should be addressed. Then the customer can decide if they want to take the risk or have the issue fixed. Especially if the car is being dealer serviced, the dealer should be aware and advise the customer accordingly. Unfortunately I don't think it's a recall, so it's not mandatory.

But it's just good customer service to make a customer aware of such things and avoid the messiness that ensues when there is a preventable failure. The key word is preventable.