QuestionHello Zak from a fellow allexpert, I'm hoping you can help me out.
I have a 2001 Lexus RX300 that was purchased in December of 2000 and currently has about 55,000 miles on it. The warranty on the car ended last December.
About a month ago, the check engine light went on yellow as well as the VSC light. This had happened a couple of times in the past and each time we had been told that the gas cap was loose and it was reset at the dealership at no cost. I had assumed it was the same thing this time and didn't bring the car in right away. I finally brought it in on Wednesday evening and was surprised when I was told that I needed to have the charcoal canister fixed/replaced, an evap purge, and VSV for a total cost of $1200 including labor.
Needless to say, this blew my mind because you don't expect a problem like that on a well-running car that has so few miles on it -- and the service rep at the dealership didn't inspire a whole lot of confidence or sympathy so I chose not to have the car repaired right away.
Today I took the car to an Autozone where they were able to independently read the check engine codes, and sure enough the codes returned were P0440, P0441, and PO446, which all have something to do with emissions.
I know in the past there have been all kinds of emissions lawsuits, problems, extended emissions warranties that various carmakers (such as my previous '96 Acura) were forced to implement, and it just seems very early in the life of this car to have such a major and costly problem. My question is this -- do you know of any such problems with Lexus and does it seem reasonable that this problem would occur with a car of 55k miles and 4-5 years old? Do you have any suggestions on how I should react to the diagnosis that would be more favorable than just paying the dealer the $1200 to fix a problem that I don't know the severity of?
And lastly... is the problem I have described something that will affect the drivability/safety of the car or it's long-term lifespan if I don't get the repair right away, or is it simply something that causes excessive emissions which would need to be repaired before my next emissions inspection next year in order to pass?
Any help would be great, it is very difficult having to just take the word of the dealer on something like this so soon after the warranty expiration.
Hope to hear from you soon!
-Mike Feinberg
AnswerHello Mike, One of the things that can cause the charcoal cannister to go bad is topping off the tank once it has shut off. It is my understanding that Lexus vehicles are covered until 80k miles on all emissions problems. I am pretty sure that this is a federal law. The local dealer here Scottsdale Lexus has also confirmed this for me before.
