volosong

I sold my 2006 RX400H to my best friend and she asked me to check the fuses for the power rear windows. They do not go down or up with the driver's door switches. I checked both fuses, and they were fine. Checked the lock button on the driver's door next to the switches and it was "off". Then I tried all four windows with the driver's door switches and both front windows go down and up; and neither rear window went down or up. Then, I climbed into the rear seat, had my friend sit in the driver's seat, start the car; and I activated each rear seat window in turn - and both work just fine with the switches on the rear doors. I immediately had her try again, and she could now control the right rear window from the driver's seat switches, but not the left rear window. Any ideas? Dirty switches in the driver's door? Something else? Thanks for any help you can offer. (p.s. She really likes the car and wants to keep it for a long time.)

Absolutely. I'll be helping my lady friend out as much as I can, at least until I retire next August and move out of state. She's been making noises like, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you". She even cried the other day. Trying to convince her to come along, and she might eventually. She's past retirement age, but is very involved in her work, (middle school English teacher). If she comes, she'll be bringing the RX with her. Her main car is a '06 Prius and it has never had battery issues either. I think in the beginning, we were all just scared, especially when we got a quote about how much it would cost to replace the battery pack. It has turned out to be a non-issue. And even if it is a problem, there is enough documentation out there that you don't have to replace the whole battery pack, just the one cell that has gone bad. Jayna knows exactly what she is getting. She knows the care well. I'll be back here, off and on. Jayna isn't very forum savvy, so I'll be her voice here. Thanks again everyone for your help and support. p.s. We'll get the timing belt replaced in a few months. Maybe that could be my Christmas present for her. (Yuck! What a stinky 'present'. I'll have to do something else better than that.) I'll be on the lookout for a discount coupon at the Toyota dealer who services my, (I mean, 'her'), RX.

Thanks guys. I did love that car. All is not lost however. My lady friend really wanted to buy it, so I let her have it for a quite attractive price. I went back and forth on letting her have it, but decided that she's a 'big girl' and she knows the car, and all it faults. She's not getting an unknown. We'll keep an eye on the coolant level until she can get a good price on a used inverter. The Toyota dealer in Coeur d'Alene wanted just shy of $4,000 to install an inverter out of a doner car that had 70,000 miles on it. lenore, with mine at 200,000 miles and only needing the inverter and just recently, a radiator, I would think that yours will last 250k easy. I replaced the Lexus with a RAV4. And, for sure it ain't a Lexus. The ride is so different between them. Would have loved to wait until the new year when the RAV4 hybrids are available, but couldn't wait. I probably should have and just babied the RX until then. I'll miss the ol' girl. We've had some great adventures over the past six years.

Subject vehicle: 2006 RX400h AWD with a smidge under 200,000 miles. Last month, the incorrect service was performed on my RX. Instead of doing the 90,000 miles service, (which includes the replacement of the timing chain), the dealer performed the 120,000 miles service. So, the timing chain was replaces at around the 90,000 mile mark and not since. I've heard conflicting information. On one hand, it is part of the normal 90,000 mile service. On the other hand, I've been told that it is a preventative measure and the chains really don't ware out. Thinking that, you can replace all types of things on a preventative basis, some of which will never fail. Not sure if 'driving style' affects wear on the chain. If it does, I'm pretty gentle on the car. Can't remember the last time I 'floored it'. Usually come up to speed after a stop gently and in no hurry. Rarely exceed the posted legal speed limit. Never hard braking. etc. How critical is it to replace the timing chain? Are you living on 'borrowed time' when you don't replace it? Is it an unnecessary expense and the things don't fail at a very high rate?

Just had to replace the radiator on my '60 RX last month. Also leaking on the right side, (passenger side). 200,000 miles on the car.

I purchased my 2006 AWD RX400h about six years ago from the dealership. It was a lease return with 60,000 miles and came with the 100,000 mile certified warranty. I did have to use that warranty for several items, most expensive was the replacement of the Mark Levinson audio system. That car has served me well. Up until recently, not a lick of problems. I took it 'everywhere'. Multiple trips to the northern Rocky Mountains. Got stuck on a steep snow-covered slope, (was able to drive out with a 'head start'). Went 'off road' while doing field work with my students in my mapping class. Traveled icy roads in the winter. Towed my Mercedes to the mechanic when it failed to start, (and over some pretty steep hills). We've done a lot together. However, I think I've worn the thing out. Of course, I take it in to my local Toyota dealer for its 5,000 mile oil change, (I live more than 25 miles from the nearest Lexus dealer). For about 20,000 miles, his mechanics have made note of a coolant leak on the inverter. They never have to add coolent and always say, "We'll just keep an eye on it". I thought it was an ancestral leak because there are never any indications of a leak on the driveway or in the garage. Car operating temps seem normal, no matter the ambient temperature. On a trip to Coeur d'Alene last month, my 5,000 mile oil change became due and I took it into the Toyota dealer there in CdA. They also made note of the inverter leak, so I now had indepentant verification that there is actually a leak. They also quoted me a price to install an inverter out of a doner car that had 70,000 miles on it. In addition to the oil change, they also performed the 120,000 miles service, (which should have reallly been the 90,000 mile service - they 'screwed up'), AND, replaced the radiator which had just started leaking about two weeks earlier. (I saw evidence of the radiator leak on the front bumper several times.) Now, I believe pretty much what Clark Howard says. He is a comsumer advocate with a radio show based out of Atlanta. His little motto is, "I'm here to serve you. To help you save more, spend less . . . and avoid getting ripped off!". He talks about all types of personal financial matters and one of his beliefs is that when a car repair is half as much as a car is worth, it's time to dump the car. In this case, my RX now has a few miles under 200,000 miles, (long out of warranty), and starting to show its age. With that amount of miles, and a leaking inverter that will cost $4,000 to repair, the car has become 'worthless'. That Toyota dealer offered me $2,750 as the trade-in value if I were to purchase something from them. So, it has come time to resign my membership in the Lexus owner's club. It has been a great vehicle. Most comfortable that I've owned in my long life. Faithful to a fault. I would have loved to purchase another, newer RX, but they are too expensive. This one was only $25K. The only RX hybrids that I've seen sold by the dealerships are in the neighborhood of $35k. A bit more that I would want to spend this close to retirement. However, my beloved RX AWD hybrid is not lost to me forever. My lady friend wants to purchase it, even knowing its faults. I'm going to let her have it for a little less than the dealer trade-in offer. She's knows the car well and is happy to have it. I have one more question, primarily for my lady, but will ask in a new post. I do want to thank all the members here for sharing their experiences and wisdom about they RX hybrids with us. Your information has been very helpful in allowing me to enjoy my RX more fully. Thank you, all.

What is the length of the CA warranty? Looks like my '06 AWD RX hybrid has the leak. It has a whisker under 200K miles. The cost of repair and amount of miles pretty much makes the car worthless.

Long post. Summary - coolent leak at transmission - was told the only way to fix was to replace transmission. - - - - - I've had my 2006 RX400H for a few years. Purchased it as a Certified Pre-owned car from the local Lexus dealer at just shy of 60,000 miles on the clock. I understand that it was a lease return. Now, several years later, the car has just under 155,000 miles and has been relatively trouble free. Other than routine mainainence, just recall stuff has been done on the car. Up to several months ago, I had my Mercedes mechanic perform that routine maintenance, but he has since retired and the fellow who took over his shop longer wants to service Lexus/BMW/etc. cars. The previous last oil change I had performed at the Lexus dealer where I purchased the car because they sent me a coupon for an oil change at only $50. That was a good deal, so I went with them. That was about 5,500 miles ago, and at that time, their 2,458 point inspection check didn't show anything that needed attention, save the rear tires, which I knew about. Fast forward 5,000 miles and I had the oil change performed by local Toyota dealer last week, upon the recomendation of my lady friend. (The nearest Lexus dealer is about a 45-minute drive, one-way, from me.) The oil change was a good deal financially and I went ahead and had them change the cabin filter also. Now, the crux of my "problem". The Toyota service rep, who is the senior service rep at that dealership, said that I have a coolent leak at the transmission. It's not a huge problem yet, but he said that the only way to fix it is to replace the transmission. For a Lexus, that will probably be half the cost of the value of the vehicle! Not worth doing, even though I love that car. (That's what Clark Howard, the consumer advocate out of Atlanta says. That when a repair is half the value of the vehicle, it's time to dump the vehicle.) I was under the impression that under the skin, the RX400H and the Highlander Hybrid are the same. The service rep said that in 2006, the transmissions were different and that it is well known that this coolent leak is common on the Lexus...but not on the Highlander. He said the Lexus engineers messed up. Is this true? Are the transmissions really different? Is this coolent leak a well-known issue? The Toyota rep says that they could change the transmission. Newer model RX hybrids that are certified are about $10,000 more than I paid for this RX. For that price, I'll purchase a new Subaru Forester or Outback. Brand new, they would be about $5,000 less than a five-year old RX hybrid. My alternative is to just drive the car into the ground while keeping an eye on the coolent level. If I could get it to last another three years, at which time I retire, then I'll just donate it or give it away and get someting else at that time. Thanks for reading. Would appreciate knowing what you more knowledgable RX hybrid owners have to say.

Can't answer your specific question, B5Bill. My '06 AWD hybrid now has about 155,000 miles on the odometer and is running just fine. No problems at all. Well, I'm going to have to tighten the driver's side sun visor for the second time. That's anoying. Otherwise, nothing. I've been getting, (usually), between 24 and 25 miles per gallon with regular grade fuel. Most of my driving is over the mountain from the desert where I live into the Los Angeles basin for work. I'd be happy if a set of tires lasted me 40,000 miles, but I guess that's the price I have to pay for driving a heavy vehicle over twisty mountain roads.

Thank you. I'll try some of his suggestions.

A search didn't show a thread about my problem. This past Saturday, I descended a nine-mile road on my bicycle in 55-60 degree temperature. No suprise that I was quite chilled afterward and after loading up the bike onto my 2006 RX400H, I headed home and cranked the heat to "MAX HOT". Good! Nice and toasty to warm me up. So much so that after a few minutes, I reduced the temperature "one click", and the heat went way, way down. Not incremental as it used to do. Then I remembered earlier in the day that the "MAX COOL" really wasn't all that cold. It was only in the low 90s outside, and the A/C usually blows real cold. It didn't that morning. Any idea what is wrong with my A/C-Heat system? All else seem normal.

To the OP. Wow! To each his own. I'm glad you enjoy your new 450. On my last warranty service, just before it expired, the dealership gave me a '13 RX450H to use for the day, and I thought it was absolutely horrible and couldn't wait to get my '06 RX400H back. I just didn't like it at all and decided that day to drive mine into the ground. By then, I'll probably be too old to drive and they will take my license away.

Realizing that this is an older thread, I want to give my thoughts as other people will probably stumble upon it. I purchased my '06 RX400H as a certified used car from the dealership. It was a lease return with about 55,000 miles on it. I've had it for about three years now, maybe four. It is at somewhere around 125,000 miles on the clock. Most discrepancies were handled under warranty. The audio system was replaced because it would not eject a disc. Other little things here and there - nothing major. A bunch of recalls. I don't know what the '06 inverter problem is, or if it is fixed in my car. I have my Mercedes mechanic perform routine maintenance. Mine is a AWD and have had two experiences in snow. Two Christmas' ago, we spent the week in West Yellowstone. Snow was everywhere, and we encountered snow on the drive to and back home in Utah. Took chains, but never needed. Car worked fine. The rear wheels kicked in on occasion, but didn't really focus on when it did or did not. (As an aside, I was amazed at the difference between Southern California and Montana/Wyoming. In California, even at the first hint of snow, the CHP forces you to install your chains. In West Yellowstone, even though snow was on all the roads, nobody was using chains. Ya just drive slower and give yourself more time to stop.) Other snow experience was the following Spring, (one year ago), in central Montana. Most roads were clear of snow, but it snowed off-and-on throughout the week. Never had to use chains and my return trip was delayed a few hours due to the previous night's snow and the person I was visiting was fearful that I'd slide off the dirt road that runs from the highway to her ranch. After leaving her place, I had to drive over some mountain passes in heavy snow. No problems! Just went a bit slower than normal and drove a bit more carefully. Again, I did not really focus on if or when the AWD kicked in. This past weekend, on the last field work session with some of my students, we were doing some off-roading. We were going up a hill on a very-little-used, and very poorly maintained jeep trail. The road was really bad. Erosion ditches all over the road. Going up the hill, the AWD was engaged almost the whole time. No problems. Worked great - otherwise the car would probably still be stuck up there.

Just wanted to give an update on switching from Costco premium to Costco regular grade gasoline. (In California, there are only two grades of gas available at Costco). For the past month, I've been running regular exclusively, (about five or six tanks full). Fuel consumption appears to be the same, or slightly higher. Available power if fine, but again, I don't "hot foot" it at all. About the only difference I can sense is that there seems to be a slight bit more compression. My commute goes over the mountains and I use "B" on the downhills so that I don't need to use the brakes as often. On the flats, when spying a stop sign or red light ahead, and I let my foot off the gas, it seem to have a bit more compression slow-down power. I might put a tank of premium in once or twice a month, but otherwise, I'll be running regular. That is, until the next time that I have to tow my other car to the shop for repair.

UPDATE. We don't seem to be able to edit tread titles. Anyway ... I took the car into my Mercedes mechanic for a routine oil/filter change this morning and asked him to install the new light bulbs that I purchased while on the trip to Montana at the beginning of this month. I gave his helper the background info, that I checked the fuses, but wished him to double check. Told him about the relays and gave him the printouts that maseace linked to in reply #15 and also ordered/received the owner's manual that was linked to by maseace in reply #12. More on the manual in a moment. The lights now work! And the "problem" was the old bulbs. I do not know if the mechanic checked the condition of both old bulbs, if one were still goood. Only after I left the shop did I think of it. Anyway, it appears that either both bulbs fail at the same time, or if one bulb burns out, the good one will not illuminate. Thank you all so much for your help and encouragement. I "love" my car again. On the manual ... I was unable to get it working on my netbook computer in the shop. If you are considering ordering this digital manual, be forewarned that you MUST be using Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer. That is a problem for me because all my home computers run Linux Mint, and IE is not available for that operating system. For my browsing needs, I use Firefox, and even if I were to be running windows for some reason, (photoshop), I would still use Firefox. More "testing" needs to be done, but I just might have to send the disc back and get a refund. I don't remember the eBay advert specifying that one needs to use IE to view the shop manual. Thank you all again.

Doesn't the manual recommend premium fuel? Anyway, I've found that Costco has the least expensive gas, (except for Arco, which is garbage fuel), and most Costco stations only have two grades, regular and premium. Not sure of the octane rating for the Costco regular, 88 or 89 I think. Most of the Costco stations in California have 91 octane premium, but I did notice on my Easter road trip to WY, MT, and ID that the Costco stations in that area have 92 octane premium. Costco also gives 1% back at the end of the year if you use their AMEX card, making the cost even less expensive. I'm satisfied with my fuel consumption and don't mind paying extra for premium.

My car is an '06 RX400H. I have found the energy display has created a "game" for me when I drive. I try to maximize my mpg as I'm driving. It has been a real education. As most of us know, the worst fuel consumption is when accelerating from a full stop. In anticipation of that, when I see a red light ahead, I'll let off on the gas pedal way, way before I approach the intersection, in hopes that it will be green when I get there, and thereby not having to brake to slow the vehicle. Also, I've become sensitive to the slightest grade in the road. This might come from being an avid cyclist (bicycle) where any hill is noticeable on a bike. I keep all my gasoline receipts. It is not easy to segregate city from highway driving, as a tank of gas will entail both environments. I live in an area where I do little city stop-and-go driving and most of my highway driving is over a mountain road for a work commute. For the past several years, I've averaged between 25 and 26 miles per gallon, pretty much every tank full. I am very satisfied with this figure. This is with premium 91 or 92 octane fuel. I usually leave my hitch mount bike rack on the car all the time and don't know how much that would affect the average mpg figures. - - - - - I have one situation where I'm really happy with the mpg as displayed on the monitor. If I were to fill up the tank, baby the car back home, drive to work the next morning, also really driving conservatively and babying the car as much as I can ... when I pull into the guard check station at work, it will show right at 30 mpg for the 50 mile commute. This is going over the mountain, but I also drop from 2,500 feet elevation where I live down to about 1,500 feet elevation. However, when I get home that night, it will only show about 27.5 mpg for the out-and-back commute. Yeah, it's a "game".

Ordered. Thank you all so much for your help. I've checked the fuses, but will do so again, this time with a multi-meter just to make sure they are good. Friday, I'm going in to see my Mercedes mechanic and have him replace the light bulbs. Hopefully, the service CD will arrive by then and I'll take that in also so that if the new bulbs don't solve the problem, he can check the relays. I have another general question ... it is my understanding that under the skin, the RX400H is the same mechanics as the Toyota Highlander hybrid. For a specific part, will they have the same part number? And if so, have you found that the part is less expensive from a Toyota dealer than a Lexus dealer? Or the same price? (I have no Lexus dealers nearby, the closest being about 40 miles away, but do have a local Toyota dealer.) Thanks again, everyone. I have a question about my auto dimming center rear-view mirror, but that can wait for another time.

Thank you for the link to the manual. I'll check it out. In the interim, I went to my lady's house for a late supper and had her watch while I drove slowly toward her. First time, (it's getting dark), parking brake off, transmission in drive, lights on auto. Result: the low beam was on, the small parking light bulb was on, and the side amber light. Second time, parking brake off, transmission in drive, lights on auto, high beam switch on. Result: same as above, (low beam on, small parking light bulb on, side amber light on), and the blue dash indicator light was on. So, I don't know what is wrong. I wish to ask, if one DRL/high beam light burns out, does the other one not illuminate when switched on? In other words, one bulb out, both lights no work. Thanks again for all the help.

Sheech! I have a love/hate relationship with this car. On one hand, it is the "best" car I've ever owned. That is to its comfort, amenities, power to mpg ratio, versatility, etc. On the other hand, there are no Haynes or Chilton manuals available for the diy people. We are slaves to the dealership. I have had a difficult time finding an independent mechanic that I trust to service the vehicle. My Mercedes mechanic is wonderful and takes care of routine maintenance, such as filters and oil. But anything complicated, he begs off. (On a side note: anybody who can recommend an independent mechanic they use in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles would have my eternal thanks.) Anyway, after about an hour of web searching, with no results, for a picture identifying front lights, I gave up. I think, and I'm not sure, but the fog lights are in the bumper. That is easy. The low-beam lights are separate and come on either when the headlight switch is turned to the on position, or if set to auto, they come on when it gets close to dusk. I normally leave my lights on auto. The high-beam lights are in a seperate housing and function as either daytime lights or high beams, depending on the switch. I think that the small bulb at the top of that housing is the parking light. I had thought that it was the DRL, but it appears that I was wrong. The DRL/high-beam is the same bulb; the amount of voltage determines its current state. What I could not check is if the parking light goes out when the car is in motion. I could not check that by myself. I'll need another person. What I did is turn the key to ready, release the parking brake, leave the vehicle in park, and go outside to check the light configuration. The parking bulb was lit, but not the DRL. When I turned the low beams on, they were indeed on, the DRL was still out, and the parking bulb was still lit. When I turned the high beams on, the dash blue idiot light came on, the DRL/high beam light was still out, and the low beam lights stayed on. Any ideas? This Friday, I'm going to ask my Mercedes mechanic if he would replace the DRL/high beam bulbs. I got a set of Sylvania Silverstar bulbs to insert. Can someone verify that under normal conditions, the low beam goes out when the high beam is employed? Also, that the fog lights extinguish when the high beams are turned on? Thank you all for helping. I'm not going to be very happy if it is an expensive repair. Even several hundred dollars. The car is about 20,000 out of warranty and I realize that some people might say that if one can not afford to maintain such a car, they shouldn't own one. Maybe I shouldn't. There is just something about paying almost $200 for a simple oil change when my Mercedes dealer does it for $55, filters included. And, he also checks all the fluids, pressures, and brake linings at the time.

Didn't know that. I assume I can leave it in "Park" transmission mode?

I will have to check exactly. From what I remember, they do not come on when dark or during the day ... but I can't be sure about during the day. I'm parked against the garage door right now and will go out and try them. Will report back later today.

Is it possible that if one bulb burns out, that the good one will not illuminate when switched on?

On a recent road trip to visit a friend in Montana, we arrived at her house late one night. All lighs on my 2006 RX400H were working fine. The next day, the high beams would not work, and have not since. All other lights work as they should. When the high beams are switched on, the blue indicator light on the dash illuminates as it should, but the actual high beam lights do not come on. Fuses are good. Any ideas?

What is the secret to replacing the rear wiper? The Costco car wash trashed one of my front wipers, so I stopped at an auto parts store this morning and purchased all three. The front wiper replacement was easy, but the auto parts guy and myself couldn't easily see how to detach the old rear wiper and attach the new one. Being plastic, I didn't want to force anything and end up breaking it. It's a 2006 RX400H and I purchased the Trico 14A wiper. Any help appreciated. Car is at the dealer right now for some warranty and recall repair. It's a few miles short of being out of the certified warranty period at 100,000 miles, so I wanted to get some things fixed on their dime. - - - update: No reply to my orig query in another thread, so new thread started in hopes someone sees it. Got the car back, but a CD changer part on order and will have to return in about a week for installation.