skyfish400h

its supposed to be loose... there is nothing wrong as long as it stays in position

How about the Pirelli Scorpion Verde or the Nitto? The Kumho KL21 H are on sale for $127 each if going on value. I think a sporty tire will be better for the RX since the suspension is very comfortable. I also see some Nokian Z SUV tires for $109 each. Looked pretty nice and the brand is good.

the nitto's are noisy... they are OK on the front and handle well up there but when rotated to the back, my nice quite lexus sounds like a truck.

i'm reading good reviews of the Bridgestone

Turanza Serenity Plus

Since there is no sound level to indicate scale such as a voice or other "normal" sound, its hard to judge if the sound is normal or not. Operating machinery will always make noise.

Try recording the sound again with a normal spoken voice over and maybe hit the throttle to provide contrast with the care reving or even moving. That would help.

the same thing happens with the windows going up and down or the sun roof activating properly after a battery is disonnected. The fix is to hold the button in the "activate" position for several seconds until the window or door is reinitialized. It should work normally after that.

Its an interesting quirk that serves as an early warning.

I like to think of it the same as when you go out to your regular car on a cold morning and the engine barely cranks over. That's the signal. If you ignore it too long, then you get the dreaded click-click-click when silinoid wont even stay closed because the battery is too weak. Then its JUMP time.

The reason the headlight sprayers come out when you wash is because the lights are on.

For me the lights are on when I first start up in the carport, but once I move out into the light, they go off. I just wait until the lights go off and then wash. Of course this doesn't work if its dark outside. In that case you will have to turn the lights off manually if your are that bent on not washing the headlights.

I think the AC works great on AUTO. For the first year I wanted to control everything manually, including the recirculate. But now I just leave it on AUTO, set the temp to a seasonal comfort level (75 summer, 79 winter) and let it do its thing. This saves on cabin filters too, since using fresh air all the time really loads them up quick.

And the rain sensing wipers are the best. When I drive a car without them now I end up squinting thru the raindrops wondering why I cant see ;)

Hi Friends,

Since I have no access to electricity in my garage, I would buy an AC / DC power inverter to plug in my RX400 H cigar lighter and my vacuum cleaner or electric drill to the other end. (I hope I am clear enough, English is not my mother tongue ...) How powerful such a converter from 12 V to 110V or 220 V, can I use without danger please? I saw some converters that go up to 2000 watts but I'm not sure I can use it safely. ??

Thank you.

Your lighter outlet is only good to 10Amp at 12Volt or 120Watts. At 120Volts AC you only have 1Amp of capability from the car. (Power: watts = volts x amps)

Any decent drill or vacuum will require more power than that... maybe a 1Amp dremmele tool or a dust buster car vac but thats about it.

DC to AC inverters cannot manufacture power only convert it from one form to another... sorry.

BTW, if you do plan to run AC appliances from you car with an inverter, be aware that you will need to leave the car in READY state so the engine can fire when needed (ventilation is key here :chairshot: ). If you run anything off of the car when the ignition is in ACC or ON, then you are only using the tiny 12V battery and that will last about 20 min before its dead.

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Thank you so much. You made this perfectly clear for me.

But tell me... what if instead of using the lighter outlet, I connect the DC Inverter directly to the car battery ? would it be the same problem please ???

The problem would be the same... that will not change the physics of it, just bypasses the 10A fuse.

Update on the Nitto's

Had the tire place break the bead and rotate the tires 180 degrees on the rim, then re-balance them

The ride is better but still harsher than the Goodyear's.

I guess I'll keep them, but I'm hoping they wear out sooner rather than later so I can move on to a full set of either:

Continental Extreme Contact DWS

Yokohama Avid ENVigor

Hi Friends,

Since I have no access to electricity in my garage, I would buy an AC / DC power inverter to plug in my RX400 H cigar lighter and my vacuum cleaner or electric drill to the other end. (I hope I am clear enough, English is not my mother tongue ...) How powerful such a converter from 12 V to 110V or 220 V, can I use without danger please? I saw some converters that go up to 2000 watts but I'm not sure I can use it safely. ??

Thank you.

Your lighter outlet is only good to 10Amp at 12Volt or 120Watts. At 120Volts AC you only have 1Amp of capability from the car. (Power: watts = volts x amps)

Any decent drill or vacuum will require more power than that... maybe a 1Amp dremmele tool or a dust buster car vac but thats about it.

DC to AC inverters cannot manufacture power only convert it from one form to another... sorry.

BTW, if you do plan to run AC appliances from you car with an inverter, be aware that you will need to leave the car in READY state so the engine can fire when needed (ventilation is key here :chairshot: ). If you run anything off of the car when the ignition is in ACC or ON, then you are only using the tiny 12V battery and that will last about 20 min before its dead.

Boys, don't fight... you're BOTH pretty.

There is a rear differential IF you have the AWD version... if you have the FWD version, then no.

My dealer used 3 qts of ATFWS WORLD STANDARD AUTOM at a $7.78 a bottle and charged me $74 in labor for a total of $104

Considering the time it would take me to track down the right oil, research the quantity, set up the work area, do the task, clean up (including a shower), and dispose of the used oil... I would be hard pressed to get all that done in less than the 1.6 hrs needed for me to just break even economically, let alone save any money at it.

This kind of math works out for the air filters because those are very easy and quick.... but for oil and getting under the car... That is the kind of thing you do for the love of it. Like a hobby. I don't love it, never did, so I pay someone else to do it. That works for me, YMMV.

The good news is that flats are far less common than they used to be, back in the days of bias-ply tires. And even if you do get a puncture in a tire, as long as it's not in the sidewall, the tire can be patched. I can't wait to get rid of these Alenzas; they are getting annoyingly loud but still have plenty of tread.

I thought everybody loved the Alenzas...??

But the Alenzas are small truck tires and like the Toyos or even the Nittos I just got, they do not seem to be as concerned with noise or ride comfort. You cannot compare a ride comfort of 8.4 on a small truck tire with the same rating on a passenger car touring tire.... They are different scales.

I'm already regretting the Nittos and I may end up giving them back. My nice luxury SUV rides like a truck now (Nittos are on the back axle). The Goodyear Eagle Responsedge tires are much quieter and "more round" if that makes sense... they don't make that hopping sensation as they roll down the highway.

Its like they are out-of-round or that the tread is not concentric with the tire bead... or maybe they are just not seated evenly on the rim, which is totally fixable.

We shall see.

Got my 400h back today from the dealer after the 60K visit...

Oil & Filter (owner supplied Mobil 1 oil)

Measure and inspect brake pads (still have 6mm front/8mm rear left!, replace at 2.5mm)

6Ok Inspection (long list of things that were all OK)

Replaced brake fluid

Replaced trans/fwd diff fluid

Replaced rear diff fluid

total $488

but I got $50 off labor because I did not have them check the engine or cabin air filters (which I replaced on my own), or rotate the tires (which I get free with the tires).

How can you tell if this activity actually changed anything?

Is there a behavior difference or a reading somewhere to indicate the ISC is up to speed (or not)?

So you do the research and you analyze the market and you shop for the best deal to get new meats on all 4 corners of you 400h. Then because you are lazy and don't' rotate the tires as often as you should, two of them wear out faster than the other two.... also helps if you don't over inflate them. D'oh!

The tire guys says, "no problem we will just pro-rate the worn out pair on this visit and do the other ones when you bring it back next time"...

Then the lazy thing kicks in again and by the time of your next visit...THEY DON'T MAKE THOSE TIRES ANY MORE!!!

Now, I've got to find 2 tires that will be a good enough match for the almost new pair until they all wear out together and I can start fresh with whatever tire comes to the top of my research at that time.

I run 255/55/18s

The almost new pair are Goodyear Eagle Responsedge

The replacements are going to be Nitto 420s

I chose them because they are cheap, they wear out fast, the have excellent performance (probably better than the g/y), and they also have the asymmetrical tread (non-directional).

Anyway, I just needed to vent. I feel better now.

I keep running across more and more great reviews on the General Grabber HTS tires. I found this to be interesting:

http://ezinearticles.com/?General-Grabber-...&id=2708007

They tend to be noisy and wear out fast according to my tire guy. Nitto's wear fast too, but are quieter. I don't think either tires are all season tire (as the thread would imply).

Yoko Avid ENVigor are far better tires (60K warr) and seem to be reasonably priced, unlike the Continentals.

Hey, first time posting. Did anyone get the Nitto's or Grabbers? Am looking for some feedback. I have Scorpion Ice and Snows for the winter and now need to replace the stock Eagles for the rest of the year. Am looking at a pure high performance tire with no need for wet or snow grip. Was evaluating my tire rack suggestions (Yoko Avid ENV, Michelin Latitudes, Bridgestone Alenza's). I hadn't heard of General or Nitto but was impressed with reviews. Unfortunately, I have the 225/65/17 size and the HTS and NT420s don't do 17" easily. If they are awesome, would consider buying new wheels too...

Why are you running 225/65/17 on a 400h? Is that for the winter tires? Those rims are not the OEM for a 400h.

You really should be running the OEM size or 255/55 on 18 rims for the rest of the year. Where are your factory rims? Did you get the car used?

I'm getting the Nitto's next week, but only on one axle because... well because its a long story... but I will be able to compare how they handle with the G/Y Eagle Responsedge on the other axle.

When the car is telling you to "shift into P to start" and you are already in Park, it means your 12v batter is failing. Time to replace it.

But check to make sure your grocery bag is not pulling the shifter toward the passenger side :)

ok, got you, but is there a way to "manually" enter phone numbers into the phonebooks of my rx400h?

Not that I know of. Some have purchased a compatible phone from the internet, loaded their contacts onto it, and then transferred them to the Lexus that way. But that seems like a long way to go.

That said, there are 3 screens worth of 1-touch speed dial buttons (18 numbers) you can program by making a call thru you NAV screen and then assigning the dialed number to one of the buttons.... that's all I've ever done or needed.

I read recently that "Iphones" will not do this automatically with the Lexus system. They must be entered manually.

Niether do Droid phones. No way to "send" contacts thru the bluetooth connection...

The rep. at Lexus dealership said the the rotor is at the end of its lifecycle and is worn out.... so, the replacement... but i did not get the logic of replacing only the rotors and not the brakes because the pads "cling" onto the rotor to stop the car and i always thought the rotors were thicker than the pads! May be i'm wrong..

This sounds like crap to me... probably just wants the money. There is no way a rotor can wear out before the pads. Not possible.

Get a second opinion.

Hi,

does anybody of the forum members know how to switch-off the traction control of a 2006 RX 400h?

Your input is highly appreciated B)

there is a button in the glove box to disable the active stability control, but that does not seem to have any effect on wheel spin according to posters here.

If you find different, please let us know. I've never played with it.

Greetings fellow Lexus owners!!!!

I have a 2007 Rx400h which soon needs its 90K servicing and I just wanted to get a heads up from you all of the impending "expense" to my pocket!!! I've always had regular maintenance checks except for one delayed service @75k :cries: and all were at Lexus of Edison, NJ. Hopefully, this would be just a regular maintenance!! fingers crossed....

Have a great day folks!

I suggest you do not ask for the "90K service" but only have the dealer do the items specified in the 90K page of your maintenance manual. If any of that work was already done a the 75K, then you need to decide for yourself if you want to have it repeated early or start your own clock on when it should be done again.

My dealer would randomly do items (like tranny fluid, or coolant) from other places in the maintenance manual until I caught on and held them to the text of the page they were supposed to be on. Now I have to do my own math for some of these things to keep the interval according to the spec.

Unfortunately, you have to watch these guys like they are children.

The cargo box and any contents are unlikely to interfer with GPS signal since they should all be non-metalic, non-conducting materials. The box is plasitc and you should not be loading heavy stuff up there, only sleeping bags and such.

I have a box that mounts on the roof of my 400h, and I've used it on GPS trips without issue.

By the very nature of a CVT its going to be more reliable than a standard transmission, fewer moving parts...no gears...etc.

I am confused over the "no gears" comment. It is my understanding that the CVT is a planetary gear arrangement consisting of a sun gear, ring gear, planet gears and planetary gear carrier---all are gears.

Those gears are more a part of the HSD power balancing between the gas engine and the electric motors inputs than they are part of the CTV.

The CTV operates by simply walking a metal band in and out over a conical shaped drive to change the ratio between input (from those gears) and out to the wheels.

perhaps a visit to howstuffworks would be instructive.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt2.htm

Sounds like your RX is haunted ;) Ghost Rider :whistles:

Seriously, you need to insist the the dealer track down this obvious intermittent short/open and fix the safety issue. If they can't find it, take it to someone who can and let them know how disappointed you are in their skill set when you send them the bill.

This in not rocket science.