Jump to content


Les Lex 2018

Community Supporter
  • Posts

    285
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    13

Everything posted by Les Lex 2018

  1. So the first thing your guy did was hook up to the diagnostic port and check that all systems are operating correctly. Dealers do that too. Once you have that information, if you decide the head unit is suspect, you can then look on eBay Motors for a used 2014 Lexus salvage head unit that offers a return policy if it ends up not being the problem. If that sounds like too much work, check with the parts department. The unit might still be in their inventory refurbished. Life is no fun without an entertainment system.
  2. Hi Tom! As you know, you have a built in cell phone internet interface and Lexus decided your software needs to be updated most likely due to a problem that has popped up somewhere. My 2022 has never required an update, or they did it w/o messaging me. Either way, I wouldn't worry about what the update contained. Chances are that LEXUS doesn't think you need to know or worry about what needed fixing (excuse me - updating). Iv'e learned to ignore fixes on computers like the MAC because updates keep coming and coming... How did you enjoy the 300H during the Polar Vortex? Bet you're glad you didn't buy a battery electric ev. People unloading them things like crazy. BTW: Your H now has better resale value than the ave. Gas only vehicle. And the crazies won't wanna slash your tires for driving a guzzler.
  3. Hi Les! Your FOB uses a rolling or sometimes called hopping code to defeat the ability of someone to use a simple form of replay attack where an eaves dropper records the transmission code and re-uses it to unlock your vehicle. Same with garage door openers. Both your FOB and Vehicle use an encryption technique such that only your fob and the vehicle know what the next code is going to be. The spoofer has no way of knowing what the next code is going to be. The wonderful world of "Digital encryption"... The disable feature you mention is great if you got a second key but don't have another driver. You can put it in the safe at home, plus It saves the FOB battery from unnecessary drain. Thanks, Les, for the tip.
  4. Your 24 should have a switch to change modes. That should be set to ECO, unless they changed that. To time your engine, bring up the hybrid engine display on the screen. the display will show when the engine is running and when the hybrid battery is charging. Pay attention to the engine running arrows. It's red when pointing to the wheels or bat. Stop watch it so you get only the run time. Then look at the total run time in minutes which can be selected and displayed in front of the driver.
  5. First some comparison info that will not help you a whole lot. My 2020 Rx 350 V-6 got 18 mpg in town in real cold weather. About 20-22 in warm weather. Pure highway got 27 short trip, to 30 mpg long trip. But not running 70 mph. In multiple hybrids and RX's, I've always found TMC vehicles to very accurate on mpg display. So that's a good tool for doing your comparisons at different outside temps and speeds. Take your data to Lexus and have it analyzed by a good hybrid tech at Lexus. One more data point to look at: The ES hybrid has a CVT and optimized engine efficiency system that is getting an engine cycle time of 50%. That's why it gets 50 MPG hot start to hot finish. So get your passenger to use their watch timer to compute how long your engine is running vs. the length of the trip. The longer your engine is kept running to maintain your speed, the closer your RX will register to the mpg of a regular RX 350 without a turbo which I don't believe you have. I'm guessing your engine cycle time will may be closer to 80%. You're almost there with your data. My only guess would be that you're locked in performance mode and don't know it. Getting a engine cycle % in both ECO and Performance mode would tell the story there.
  6. You may be running short distances where the engine is cold and being choked. Do this: Reset the MPG. Start up cold and check after 2 miles. It should be around 25 to 27. Cold engines gulp a lot of gas. When the engine is hot, reset it again and check it after about 5 miles. It should be in the 36 to 40 range. Colder weather and turning on your heater keeps the engine running longer too. Example: The ES300h gets like 34 mpg in the first 2 miles. But running from a warm start to finish in the city, it gets over 50 MPG, believe it or not. So short distances and high speed highways take a toll on MPG. The RX is not very aerodynamic. The ES sedans are.
  7. I do have to back slide here a bit. In 2021 and 2022, when Lexus quit making cars and SUVs (figuratively speaking) they were no longer making money selling cars. To make ends meet, they started loading up most of what they did get the chance to order. In their defense, they did not charge me above MSRP. But they did make up for it with added options. You done good Frank. And you do have good taste in cars.
  8. Hold it! I forgot to mention that there is a mirror inside the dash that needs to be aligned correctly. The projector shoots horizontally and forward onto the mirror which is tilted forward at 45 degrees. It then shoots straight up and bounces off the glass and shoots rearward onto your face. Yes the glass had to be of correct mfg in order for that to work properly.
  9. One thing to check: peer thru the windshield from outside and make sure the protective cover is seated properly in the dash. Or use the mirror as Matt suggested. The problem I have lately (twice) is that the HUD display resets the brightness and position of the display to such a low point that I had trouble seeing it w/o raising the seat. Yes, I do go in and correct both on the meter switches but I don't understand why it did that on its own.
  10. I have no issues with the Mark Levinson system in the 2022. I tested it at the dealership at delivery time using a Maverick's music CD. No complaints on either end of the audio spectrum.
  11. HUD is designed to be perfectly clear and viewed w/o polarized glasses. You can change the Brightness, tilt and up/down position to suit you, but not the L/R position. Sorry, Van, I can't help you with the double vision problem.
  12. There's a white 16 pin connector under the dash near and to the left of the steering wheel that has lots of uses, including use of a popular device that disables the use of the vehicle if the owner blows a certain alcohol level. You just need to find a vendor that has a device that mates with this port and is linked to a keypad or cell phone. That is old technology and it's been around for a long time. See what you can find out there that will fit your needs.
  13. Well, John! Yes you can find a car as quiet, comfortable, and available with a Mark Levinson stereo. The ES300h. Go for It!
  14. You must not be from around here. Sorry! There is an old folk saying: If you can't dance with the one you want, dance with the one that brung you. Stay with the auto technology that you know, can afford, and trust. If you don't fully understand how a propulsion system works, leave it be.
  15. Bottom line: Owning an eV or Fuel Cell will not pay for the added investment. Neither will the Hybrid, unless you get one on the west coast where gas in 5 plus USD a gallon. There is no incentive to buy a Hybrid, unless you believe that someone will slash your tires if you don't. So there is an old saying that I made up: [ If you can't dance around with the car your want, love the one that "brung ya" ].
  16. Your explanation of conversion factors was so good, I.copied it to my "Conversions" help file, if you don't mind.
  17. Thanks for picking out the error used in the conversion factor for Kg to Gallons. Darn that euro Metric system and Kg/Km. Unfortunately, roughly 80 percent of the electricity to produced Hydrogen now comes from fossil fuel. So there goes the clean air part of the plan. Fuel Cell cars will be the rage in the future, but it woun't be anytime soon. Not until cheap Natural gas becomes scarce and battery storage becomes economical..
  18. At $16 dollars per gallon of Hydrogen and 74 MPG, that is cost equivalent to 18.5 MPG when compared to a 42 MPG Hybrid at $4 dollars per gallon. Which is 4.2 miles per dollar vs. 10.5 miles per dollar for the Hybrid. Work is in progress to do recycling of Lithium battery components for re-use. And new battery compositions are being invented to eliminate the need for Lithium Ion and Cobol technology. The Hybrid is a good bridge to have while more realistic eV designs are made available to the public. Right now, the eV is just a novelty or something that the rich folks can show off to prove they got the big bucks $$$.
  19. Great info, John. To be able to comment on or carry on an intelligent conversation about fuel cell vehicles, I’ll need to open a separate file and gather a lot of fuel cell vs. Hybrid comparison information such as: MSRP, availability, Weight, battery cost, insurance, Tax credits, fuel taxes, HP to Wt. ratio, fuel availability along the interstates, output efficiency charts at max and minimum altitude and temperatures, Zero-to-Sixty ratings. Flexibility: The ole Toyota Hybrid Camry took Pikes Peak like it was a day at the beach in Fla. How is you Hybrid running, by the way?
  20. Good comments, John! My wife said NO to eVs so it's not on my Horizon. The future for now "seems" to be Hybrids. I'm a second time owner of a Hybrid with two RX 350s in-between. Going on two years now, Lexus Hybrids have been hard to keep in stock, so they get to load them up with gimmicks like crazy. Things that don't hold up in the Kelley BB used car book. Pros: I can go into heavy traffic and not see my MPG go down. Engine is running half the time the brakes still have machine marks after a year because the brakes are not used that often to slow the unit down. That's if you don't hit them hard. Cons: My Collision and comprehensive insurance is much higher for the Lexus Hybrid even with zero accidents ever. Price tag was higher for the Hybrid than the gas guzzler equivalent. License tag is higher cause they collect an extra tax for driving one in Alabama, to compensate for lost gas tax. That new tax is double if it's an eV. So, is the Hybrid just another novelty that hasn't caught on yet? Probably! While the eV is the ultimate novelty, Hybrids with all its Cons are still practical if the owner drives a lot of mile in a year, and especially a lot of city miles. So will Lexus ditch the eV and concentrate on Hybrids and make less of the legacy gas guzzlers? I have no idea, John.
  21. Hi ya, Aviad! I wear cargo shorts or cargo pants and keep the key in the lower front pocket secured with velcro when shopping. I usually forget it's there because it's not required to lock or unlock the vehicle. You're not likely to lose it that way and if a pic-pocket tries to pick it, good velcro makes a loud distinctive sound. I was sitting in a waiting room and my RX 350 FOB fell out of the main side pocket. My wife had the 2nd key so the RX started off her key and I didn't know I lost it. Lexus wanted 500 to replace it, but the business looked around and found the FOB for me. There is no need for that to happen again.
  22. The spec sheet that Lexus of Birmingham gave me for the ES300h shows these two add-ons: WOOD TRIM WITH AMBIENT LIGHTING $740. ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS $400 Can you possibly imagine the sheer excitement as I finally got it home in the garage and hit the automatic garage door opener, and then in the dark, I see this pale blue strip highlighting the edge of the dash? And I only paid $740 bucks plus an additional 4% sales tax? Followed by the thrill of opening the door and seeing a crummy advertisement projected onto my garage floor ("Lexus of Birmingham") for $416. what a RUSH!!
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership