Buying review Lexus RX (2009-2015) Engines Common Issues Inspection

Hi everyone, today we will inspect the Lexus RX. This generation was built between 2009 and 2015. Is this car as reliable as you expect from the best the East has to offer ? We will find out.

Lexus is a special brand, it does not really follow trends and often sets its on trends. For instance, no large diesel engines but large displacement petrol engines with additional hybrid tech.

Styling is also something that you either hate or love. In general I do not really feel Japanese cars have a good appealing design but Lexus grows on you. The RX is not really built for sportive driving but it is quick and comfortable. The motorway is where it feels at home the most.

The Lexus was available as RX350 and the RX450h, the latter costed 62K in Euros when new. The car was available as a front wheel drive or all wheel drive car. In 2012 there was a facelift, this facelift is easily recognisable on the spindle grill 

Let’s focus on the strong points of this car:

• Reliable
• Not the type of car you see every day
• Comfortable cruiser

Attention points

In general the reliable image of the Lexus stands firm, there are however a few things you should know before buying this RX.

Interior

This is a matter of taste but the remote touch mouse control is not very convenient to use, especially when you are driving the car. Next to that there are reports of cracked dashboards especially a problem with cars that drive are around in sunny and hot countries. Keep this in mind when you consider to import a car.

Drive train

Only two things to mention, the ignition coils will sometimes fail on these cars. When it comes to the gearbox, the rear gasket will sometimes lose a bit of oil. This is not a very serious problem but make sure the oil level is sufficient for good operation. 

Chassis

Rust on the brake discs can sometimes be a problem. This is the side effect off re-generating energy from the drivetrain when releasing the gas pedal. Because of this the brakes are barely used. But after braking hard for a few times the corrosion on top will disappear again.

Electronics

The electric motor of the widows will sometimes break, this will not happen often offcource. Replacement is not difficult but costs quite some time so it can be expensive if you plan your Lexus dealer to do it for you.

All an all not many weak points, Lexus is very much reliable and in a class of its own compared with the other Japanese cars.

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