Hey whats happening forum? First paragraphs are backstory, skip to the bottom for my stupid questions. I thought this would be a decently interesting story for Scotty and warning to fans, who will no doubt have plenty of insight on where exactly I went so wrong. Plus I have some questions for this type of vehicle which I cant seem to find answers for elsewhere online.
I was at the dealership looking at another vehicle and saw this Lexus recently arrived and looked pretty good, but they told me they didn't have time to do all their regular maintence and inspections yet, fine. So I come back a couple days later for the test drive and the car reeks of some industrial air conditioner, but seemed to run and drive just fine. Decent looking 2001 Lexus RX 300 with just under 100,000 miles, 2 previous owners. Lovely vehicle for the price with all the features I wanted and nothing I didn't. Leather, electric everything, sun roof, wood wheel, good climate system, 200+ horsepower, ect ect just good solid cars. I end up buying the car for $5,500 but after driving for a short while the dash lights up like a Christmas Tree with check engine light, traction control, ect and then about 1000 miles later the auto transmission starts stuttering. I don't know how to describe the problem, but eventually stops shifting or driving at all. I obviously don't know much about cars but I put two and two together and realized I got ripped off. They must have wiped the codes, covered the smell of burning transmission with air freshener and took my money. So much for their inspections and maintence.. When I confronted them to complain they offered me $900 they made profit on the deal saying they don't legally owe me anything, then tried to sell me a new Hyundai from their dealership across the street. HA! This wasn't some here today gone tomorrow dealership, Allen Turner Hyundai and Used Cars screwed me over knowing full well the tranny was on deaths door!
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decided to dig myself a deeper hole and have the transmission fully rebuilt from a reputable local mechanic for almost the cost of the vehicle. Since then everything else has been working perfectly for the last 10k miles (oil change ever 5) and still well under the 2 year warrenty they offer for the job. Overall I'd say thanks Scotty, despite the previous owners obviously abusing the vehicle apparently everything else managed to survive nicely with the engine still running very smoothly.
Realistically I could ask all these questions to my mechanic who did the transmission rebuild in the first place but I'd rather not sound so clueless. The engine runs silent and, the shifts are silky smooth, comfy suspension, and somehow I get 19+mpg average making for an ideal daily driver. I enjoy using this vehicle for a daily driver because of the comfort and simplicity. However, after finding out how surprisingly roomy the back is for sleeping I've been itching to take it camping more often. Trouble is, I have the FWD model and any dirt roads you might find around camping sites or trails will be massive risks. I even got stuck in my own yard on street tires, so I have been strongly considering upgrading to All Terrain tires and possibly larger wheels too, depending what fits.
Obviously the vehicle is already no race car. Its not an offroader either. Thats why I'm concerned adding larger tires, and possibly larger wheels too, will push the vehicle from "passable" to downright slow. With that said there is 220 horsepower under the hood somewhere, you just have to literally floor the throttle to ever feel them.
TLDR: Can the RX300 be programmed to prioritize performance over comfort/fuel economy so that I can compensate for larger wheels/tires while keeping up with newer cars for daily driving? Can the suspension be adjusted at all to accomidate larger wheels/tires? And assuming the vehicle can be reprogrammed to utlize more horsepower, what other modifications would also be logical? I'm thinking cold air intake and strait pipes because my state doesn't do inspections for cats or anything. Let me know how stupid this all sounds for an old mom car like mine, but that's exactly why she needs some help.
Also, will I need to be aware of anything regarding the rebuilt transmisson while having someone reprogram and tune up my car? And while I'm asking, how often should I change the transmission fluid for the new tranny in general? And what about this 'ECT SNOW' button which I've seen as 'ECT POWER' on other Toyota vehicles like the Tacoma? What exactly does this button do and could simply using this feature be a more logical and economical solution for my problem?
Leave it alone, do NOT modify it. It is not a performance oriented vehicle and trying to make it one will ruin it. You don't want to add big tires, a.k.a. more weight, for the transmission to have to deal with.
In addition, straight pipes would sound terrible and add nothing for performance. Straight pipes are the bane of my existence as someone who modifies cars for a living. Stupid sound, terrible cabin resonance, and no power gain. Don't ruin your car.
My advice is leave it alone it was a well-designed car you start changing tire diameter and messing with other stuff you just create A rat's nest. Yeah I'm not surprised about used car dealers they are the scum of the earth many times. Thought you could have hired a lawyer and sued them because they're responsible for pre-existing conditions and that transmission obviously was shot you can get triple damages in most states and get to keep the car that way.
I would stay away from stealerships in general, particularly any that are in the business of selling cars whose age is measured in decades. That's a huge red flag right out of the starting gate. As others here have said leave that thing stock or you'll find yourself in a very deep hole that just keeps getting deeper. A relatively simple vehicle like, for example, the same year Jeep Cherokee you can modify to your heart's content and is ideal for riding trails but I would not go there with a Lexus.
