Shark Antenna

[SquireG]

Hello, just bought a Lexus RX400h. Decision between RX and HiHy was easy. Toyota dealers either would not deal, did not have units in stock, or, in one case marked up msrp by $5,000. I found that a HiHy with the options I would want put me right in the range of a Lexus and I had to question paying in the mid to upper $40's for a Highlander Hybrid. Lexus experience was very good and my unit loaded, awd, nav, hid, 18" wheels, wood, all weather mats, etc. (msrp over $53k) I got for around $43k. It had 1,600 miles on it, so, saved some money there.

So far happy with the Rx400. A couple of questions that I could use help with:

1. I want to install my Sirius Sportster. I am going to buy the vais shark fin antenna adapter, but, how do I locate the attachment point? Is it being the dash in the area of the radio? Is it in the rear of the vehicle? Any help would be appreciated. Also, have any of you used the shark fin together with a sirius receiver and how is the receiption?

2. Can I expect mileage to get better during the first few thousand miles, or, is what I am seeing initially reflective of what I can expect in a few thousand miles after the engine breaks in? So far after 75-100 miles, showing 21.2 mpg. Expecting better.......

Thanks

[Gryphon]

Welcome Squire. I hope that you love your hybrid as much as I do mine.

Many people have reported fuel mileage improvements after a break-in period, usually reported as 5,000 or 10,000 miles. I saw a decent increase at 10,000 although I also changed to synthetic oil at the same time. I also have a K&N air filter although I really don't think it produces a measurable effect on economy.

Tom

[jrober]

I installed my Sirius radio (a portable S-50 with the car kit) in my Rx400h. I mounted the regular flat magnet antenna on the roof back by the regular radio antenna. I mounted the car kit in the glove compartment and I hid the antenna wire behind the gaskets and carpet from the back of the vehicle to the glove compartment (totally hidden). I hardwired the satellite radio output into the back of the Lexus stereo unit with the Sirius FM Adapter and I control the unit with the remote control.

It works fine and sounds great. I listen to it on FM 93.5 (hardwired). Obviously, I can't view the station information on the Lexus LCD screen but I already had the Sirius S-50 unit and I didn't feel like paying $600 for the Lexus Sirius installation. It took me about 1 hour to install it myself. I am not familiar with the "shark fin" unit you are talking about.

If your mileage doesn't improve quickly, I would have it back to the dealer. The only time I have ever seen 21 mpg was when I was pulling my boat. I remember getting 26-27 mpg on the freeway on the way home from the dealer. I maybe have seen 1-2 mpg improvement with break-in. Something doesn't sound right at 21.2 mpg.

[silvercorvette]

I put an S-50 in my jeep when the S-50 first came out 2 or 3 years ago. I lost track but I had about 6 or 8 s-50 that I had to send back to Crutchfield. I gave up on Sirius when my 3 month subscription ended and thank God Crutchfield gave me a full refund. I never got my rebate from Sirius but from what I have read the cheated a lot of people out of rebates..

When I first got my RX i was getting in the low to mid 20's but after 17,000 miles and synthetic oil I was getting 30 to 33 around town

I just traded the RX400H in on a GS450H 8 days ago and it came with an XM radio. I have heard that XM gets better reception than Sirius but I haven't bothered to activate my 3 month free trial yet.

I loved the RX and the only reason I got rid of it was I wanted something a little more sporty and I didn't really need an SUV anymore. The only things I didn't like was the NAV and daytime running lights but other than that the car was as close to perfect as you can get. Give the car time to break in and the MPGs will get better

[SquireG]

Thanks for the replies. As far as the fuel economy is concerned, I am going to fill up the tank, hit reset on the energy readout screen and start the mgp calculations over. As I said, this vehicle had 1600 miles on it and perhaps nobody ever bothered to hit the reset button to start the mpg over. I did manage to keep the car in electric mode about 50% of the way home from the gas station and the mpg average said 40 mpg. So, I will see how it goes and let you know. I also adjusted the air pressure in the tires. They all ready differently from 32 to 35.5. You would think the dealer would have adjusted that before delivery. Anyway, the manufacturer recommends an air pressure of 30 psi. Is that the general consensus here to maximize fuel economy, or, what other pressures are you all running and why?

As far as Sirius is concerned, I love it. I have a lifetime subscription so getting the dealer installed unit was not an option (besides the crazy price). I installed my sportster and mounted the hardware underneath the gear selector where the power outlet is located. I installed the puck antenna behind the shark fin, but, it is very difficult to route the antenna wire completely out of the way and behind panels, so, I wanted to see if I could get information about utilizing the shark fin antenna that is already on the vehicle. I know VAIS makes an adapter to go from the sirius radio and hook into the shark fin lead, but, I have no idea where the shark fin antenna lead terminates. Is it behind the radio, behind a panel in the back quarter? Can anyone help out on this question?

Thanks again.

[RX400h]

The door sticker (at least on my 2006's door) incorrectly shows 30 psi. The correct pressure is approx. 35 psi. We average 25 MPG, even with my weekend lead foot!

[jrober]

The Lexus antenna plugs directly into the back of the radio. To get at it, you have to remove the radio. There is a tutorial on this web site somewhere that shows the directions. It isn't a difficult job but it is more difficult than hiding the Sirius puck antenna wires from the rear hatch area to the front of the vehicle.