Picking Up A New To Me 400H On Tuesday

[justicepool]

Hello,

I purchased a 2006 Lexus RX 400H and will be picking it up on Tuesday. I looked through the Lexus service history and discovered that it has had the water pump/timing belt replaced at 61K because a leak was discovered. Also, it had the inverter replaced at 54K. Now, I am buying from a Lexus dealer and the vehicle is coming with a CPO warranty, so I will have 3 years or roughly 33K miles left under warranty. That is a big factor in my decision to purchase this particular unit.

It does not have factory navigation or bluetooth. I was wondering if I could purchase a take out factory nav assembly from another Lexus 400H and install it in mine? I know some models have all the wiring in place. Any tips on that are greatly appreciated. I've seen a couple of units on Ebay.

Also, any other tips on things to look for. I will be looking for the transaxle leak I read about. I was initially concerned the timing belt and inverter already had to be replaced, but that also could be a good thing and there is going to be a decent warranty period left for me. I usually drive 12k miles a year.

Any styling mods?

Any suggestions and or tips are greatly appreciated. This is my first Lexus and I am very excited about it. I am switching from a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, so I know I will not be able to achieve the 36 mpg that I averaged in my Ford, but hope to get around 26 with my "ECO" driving style. But the refined ride will make up for the difference!

Thank you in advance for any advice.

John

[cduluk]

Well, the water pump and timing belt are expensive maintenance items, so it's good they've already been replaced! ^_^ And as for the inverter, mine is leaking at 4yrs old and 70k miles, and many other Rx400h owners on here have had the same issue. So, similarly it's good that it's been replaced!

So i take it yours has about 67k miles on it (with the warranty ending at 100k miles)? Putting 12k a year, the warranty should end in close to 3 years, when the car's 9 years old- not bad! Just as long as you have a warranty, you shouldn't have to worry about anything.

Congrats on the purchase and good luck with it! I love mine- and i haven't heard of anyone who doesn't like theirs! It's a beautiful car and gives such a comfortable ride... not much to complain about. Too bad it doesn't have nav though- the back-up camera is such a treat! I know it's "possible" to add the OEM nav into a non-nav RX, but it's very costly... And as for other mods, you can see the links in my signature below or go onto eBay and search "Rx400h"- lots of aftermarket stuff should pop up for it!

Be sure to post pictures when it arrives and welcome to the club!

[Cat Rodery]

Congrats on the new vehicle! I just got a 2006 RX 400h as well last week (with an impressively low 38k miles on it!)

My first orders of business will be new tires, update the navigation maps and a full detail (previous owner did horrible things to the paint).

[RXREY]

I got mine (06) in January of 06...not one problem. It has been the most reliable car that I have ever owned. I do like the look of the upcoming 2013 though...but it's hard to think about changing cars when this one is so solid, still great....anyway, congrats! Rey in sunny LA

[Cat Rodery]

Got the updated maps DVD this morning, took less than 5 minutes to find the old one, pop it out, and put the new one in :)

[justicepool]

Got it home and really enojoyed the drive. I averaged 24.9 mpg for the 350 mile trip home. That is really not too bad considering a good portion of the drive was spent at 75 mph with the AC on.

I am trying to locate the chrome grill and harrier emblem. Those are really nice looking! I have found a couple but want to make sure they are the correct fit.

[RXREY]

I have a harrier emblem that I can sell if you'd like...if this is not OK in this forum, my apologies , but I'd let it go for a VERY good "Lexus Owners Club Forum" price! The grille is actually from a "Thundercloud" so the emblem is smaller than the 400h emblem..so be aware of that....if you can get the grille WITH the emblem,no problem, otherwise you'll have to get one that fits. I LOVE the chrome TC grille. I am in LA and I get a lot of comments on my car. Rey

[katzjamr]

Welcome John, as others have said enjoy your 400h, and this forum which has been a constant source of support and information for me. Did you get the Millenium Silver color, that is one of my favorites. Is yours the 2wd or the 4wd? My water pump was replaced under my extended warranty around 75K and we did the timing belt and some pulleys and hoses then too. All the labor to reach the timing belt is already done during a water pump replacement, so it makes sense to do it then. So far (knock wood) my hybrid parts have been performing well. Check to see that the recalls have been done on the vehicle, someone in Canada i think got a CPO vehicle that had not had warranty recalls done on it. The front steering rack should have been replaced, and more recently a transistor board in the hybrid system. The 60K service on the 400h is one of the more expensive ones so hopefully that was done also. Premium fuel will average three mpg better than regular, it pays for itself because of that and makes the engine more responsive. I have also heard that it helps to stop premature failure of the O2 sensors. Keep us posted on how your vehicle is doing we look forward to hearing from you.

[justicepool]

Hello and thanks for welcome. My 400h is Savannah Metallic and 2wd. I belive the 60K service was performed at the dealer. I will check on the recalls. Can one check that online? I think I was able to check all of that online with my Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid.

The SUV is performing nicely. Right now I am averaging right at 30 mpg after 115 miles of driving. Not as good as the Escape Hybrid, but not as bad as I thought it could be either. I really want to upgrade the stock stereo system and I'm currently researching that. Mine did not come with factory navigation. Which I really do not mind because I think the aftermarket units are better. But I do like the information screen on the factory nav for the hybrid drive train information it provides.

Thanks again!

John

[maseace]

I belive the 60K service was performed at the dealer. I will check on the recalls. Can one check that online?

Yes, register your VIN at My Lexus: https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

[Cat Rodery]

I got new tires and have been testing 87 versus 91 for the fuel to see if I can actually notice a difference. Manual says 87 but to use 91 if I want "higher performance" which I find kind of vague. Also the tire place didn't fill my tires enough, so my fiance put some more air in them which should help my mpg's out as well I am hoping.

[justicepool]

Cat,

Let us know the results on 87 vs. 91 on your fuel economy. The tank I'm on now is 91 and I will try 87 next time. On my previous vehicle (2005 Ford Escape Hybrid) I put a set of Michelin low rolling resistant tires and noticed an immediate improvement in fuel economy ( 3 mpg). I have Yokohama YK520 on my Lexus. When these wear out I will put a set of LRR tires on.

John

[takeshi]

Manual says 87 but to use 91 if I want "higher performance" which I find kind of vague.

Can't speak directly to the 2006 RX 400h but the general rule of thumb is that you can use lower octane unless you get knocking.  Higher octane can help to eliminate knock.  See also: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/autos/aut12.shtm

[cduluk]

Got it home and really enojoyed the drive. I averaged 24.9 mpg for the 350 mile trip home. That is really not too bad considering a good portion of the drive was spent at 75 mph with the AC on.

I am trying to locate the chrome grill and harrier emblem. Those are really nice looking! I have found a couple but want to make sure they are the correct fit.

I've got the thundercloud grille on my Rx400h too, it looks really nice! I only got it so it would fit my laser jammers (the factory grille didn't have any room to slide them in). I got it on eBay i think... It was about $275. You can see the links in my signature for close up pics of it!

The grille is part number PZ32748022 and i found it on parts.com (usually the cheapest for oem parts) for $374... kind of a lot but i can't find it cheaper! Keep in mind you can sell your oem grille once the new one comes in. Just do a search on here for that part number for a 2005 Lexus Rx330.

http://www.parts.com/parts/index.cfm?make=Lexus&year=2005&model=RX+330&submodel=&searchText=PZ32748022&action=oePartSearch&siteid=2

[RXREY]

You can see my Thundercloud grille on the post about the grille and Harrier emblem. I think it is such a beautiful grille and even now, two years later, I get compliments on my car, the grille, the bumper lip,etc.

[RX400h]

I got new tires and have been testing 87 versus 91 for the fuel to see if I can actually notice a difference. Manual says 87 but to use 91 if I want "higher performance" which I find kind of vague. Also the tire place didn't fill my tires enough, so my fiance put some more air in them which should help my mpg's out as well I am hoping.

I recommend that you avoid using 87 octane gas on hot Summer days. This is when you will lose the most power. I use 89 octane during the Summer and 87 when it is fairly cold outside.

[Cat Rodery]

I recommend that you avoid using 87 octane gas on hot Summer days. This is when you will lose the most power. I use 89 octane during the Summer and 87 when it is fairly cold outside.

Well we don't have a lot of days that are "hot summer" just nice and regular summer (I live a little south of San Francisco). So I'll just use it on the toasty days I guess :)

[1SICKLEX]

Congrats. We have had ours 2 yrs now and it's an incredible vehicle.

[LEX-SV]

1Sicklex - Still got the 400H?

[LEX-SV]

Congrats. We have had ours 2 yrs now and it's an incredible vehicle.

What Lexus vehicles do you have now?