skyfish400h

The most likely avenue for a small rodent to get into your car is by stowing away on something that you put into the car. Something that they were either nesting in or feeding on when they where transported. You can't blame lexus for introducing a mouse to your own car. If you want to PROVE that a mouse entered your vehicle some other way, you will need to show the gnawed on part to be at all convincing. Perhaps you should check the cabin air filter for a mouse hole ;) Setting a trap is the most strait forward way to extract the little guy.

I've not seen any difference in scroll behavior in my audio equipment based on speed. I might be worried that I would lose the ASL functionality... which I like. I have the 400h ML sound system and AIVS patch for the iPod. thanks skyfish, i was looking to do something similar to you. i ordered the vais soundlinq and was going to clip the wires while i was back there. i have an 06 400h w/ ml, no rear dvd. so is there a way to have the radio scroll the name of the song while driving? the text button is really confusing and hitting it repeatedly seems to eventually get all the info, but i'm not sure why it doesnt just scroll nicely like most other cars... No, there is nothing you can do to change the scroll behavior. You have to hit the text button to see ANY text and then hold it down for it scroll the next screen full of characters... if there is more text, the arrow will indicate that and you will need to hold it down again to see that set... and so on. The VIAS unit I have will not display much. It shows the playlist (you cannot play a song thru the ML unless it is contained within a playlist on your iPod), and I believe there is an option to show the song title as you scroll thru text data. It works ok, but its not what you would expect... I agree. There may be a later flash that adds more functionality, but I would have to pull the unit back out and send it to VIAS for them to flash it and I'm not about to go thru all that without some good reasons (plural). PS I hate that this text box keeps resizing as I'm typing into it....this new forum format sucks!

Not just you. Site is 'prettier' but seems - to me - less user-friendly and intuitive. Also the odd link is erroneous (e.g. RX from home page takes you to hybrid, nto 'regular' RX). Colors seems a little faded on my computer, and site content is thus less legible. But we will get used to it.... I don't like it either. Visually its less apealing, but worse than that... functionally its a DOG. Keeps hanging and lagging, response is way worse than anythign I've ever seen on the other format. I'm all for change... but, change for change sake is a bad idea.

I've not seen any difference in scroll behavior in my audio equipment based on speed. I might be worried that I would lose the ASL functionality... which I like. I have the 400h ML sound system and AIVS patch for the iPod.

Bad day. The evaporator is a big job. I had it done some time ago (I was the one who documented the source of the "white dust" with photos of the mesh that was coming off and blowing thru the vents). When my job was complete, I noticed both front pillar interiors were scuffed (presumably from maneuvering the dash cover into place). I had to make a return trip and show it to the service manager before he agreed to replace both pillar covers, which he had to order, which meant a third trip. From what you have documented, I got off easy. But the good news is that the dealer should be willing to make it right if are patient and just keep insisting that this is not what you expect in the way of service. Unfortunately, you are probably out of luck on your custom wood work mods... but the good news is that you have fully documented how you did it, so it won't be as hard the second time ;) I know, small consolation. The most important thing I can relate regarding the evaporator fix is that it does not seem to have worked. I have noticed in recent weeks the dreaded white dust reappear on my dash. The "fix" seemed to be just put in a new evaporator of the same design and hope that the warranty runs out before it deteriorates again. Live and learn.

You can use the INFO screen (where it shows the bars for power and regeneration) to see how long you have been driving since the car was started... sort of. Try it out.

You do have some limited control over how the routing algorithm treats different kinds of streets. Have you tried adjusting the speed limit assumptions for major surface streets vs. freeway and see if it will route more to your experience? Also, if the NAV thinks your street is a toll road and you have not allowed them in the settings, it will dutifully route you around it.

Speaking to tires in general (not specifically snow tires)... The best source of tire information is a forum like this where you can ask people who have actually had various tires on the exact same vehicle that you own and you can take into account their driving preferences and geographic conditions. Sticking to well known brands that others on this forum have installed and liked is by far your best bet... Bridgestone Alonza - reliable OEM and oversize tire with long life and good MPG Goodyear ResponsEdge - oversize tire with excellent handling but relatively poor MPG Toyo Proxy - oversize tire with a good balance between handling and MPG Michelin MX4 - well behaved OEM replacement with good MPG but relativly poor handling these are all safe bets... shop by driving needs, price and availability in your area. Others who are happy with their tire choice may feel free to add to this list or debate my assessments, but I've been watching this forum for a long time and this is the sense of it that I can bring to the discussion.

Sticky! :D

Yes, they are narrower but by about a half an inch to maybe 3/4". It doesn't seem to be too much different. This is OK, isn't it? It is almost a full inch narrower than the 10" Toyos that I have now...255/55. I really don't think that it will be very noticeable but if this is a concern, please let me know and why. Thanks a million. You are correct, even up here in L.A. we had a "wet" season...for us. It was more in the foothill areas like La Canada...but then they also had the terrible fires last summer and that is why the rains devastated that area so badly. I am in an upscale area like they are but not with the problems that they have living up against the mountains. Thanks for the help. Rey in very warm and sunny L.A.. I would not want to run narrower tires than stock unless you were doing it for snow reasons (winter tire). But as long as the narrow tire has the same or better load and speed ratings as OEM tire, then you are probably OK.

Why would anyone need/expect the car to tell the driver there is a flat when it occurred suddenly? Wouldn't it be always be obvious at that point? All these monitoring systems (regardless of the technology) are used to warn the driver of a slow leak that may lead to putting many, many miles on an under inflated tire. That scenario is insidious and dangerous because it may not be obvious to the driver, but may lead to sudden tire failure (at high speed in particular) and subsequent roll over... remember the Ford Explorers? Just trying to inject a little common sense into the discussion and reset the expectations to rational levels.

The windows will lose programing if the battery is disconnected. The reset proceudre is simple, just hold the window control button in the UP postion for a long time like 30-45 seconds while the car is in READY state. I think that is the process.

Hmm, I guess that puts the Kumho tires back on top of my list....at least for now. I have about a year to keep getting all of the great advice from all of you....Rey Still running Goodyear ResponseEdge in the larger than OEM size... nice looking tires, great handling improvement over OEM, quiet, sticky... but MPG is negatively affected slightly. YMMV.

RX is quite right. Galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals is a well known problem. Anodize of the Al plate will be needed to prevent corrosion. Even with that, you will still want to install the fasteners "wet" with a good epoxy primer/paint. Coat all faying surfaces (surfaces that touch each other) on both sides and paint the fastener and inside of the hole to make it as water tight as possible. Water is the enemy. Better solution is to use the stainless steel the metal fabricator is recommending. It will be more difficult for him to shape but you will not have to worry about dissimilar metal issues. Considering this cover will only be a replacement for the existing plastic one and not an upgrade to a full skid plate installation... I would just replace the plastic part.

PVC plastic can take an enormous amount of impact and will do quite a bit to protect the gas tank from dents and punctures. So I would want to replace it if I were you. If you think $500 is a lot, ask them for how much to replace the gas tank :o That said, it would be nice if all these plastic "fig leaves" could be replaced with a real skid plate under the whole car that could protect the expensive electronic equipment as well as the gas tank and withstand high centering over rocks... But I digress. The 400h will never be any good for off-road until someone figures out a way to "lock" the rear axle to make the car a real 4WD vehicle. If the rear motor is used exclusively for backing up, as has been stated here, then it should be a simple hack to fool the rear motor into thinking it's in REV when it's going FWD and just stay ON even if the HSD is telling it not be ON. I'm just spit balling.

Something tells me that there is more damage to the car that just what the body shop will have to fix. Yeah, the $5-6K seems right, especially if there is any body damage under the car, but I fear there is $10K or more damage to the drive train and HSD system. Just look at the tilt on the front wheel. So I think there is another shoe to drop on this story.

I hope you will put up pictures of your aftermarket install so we can see how it looks as it goes in. Are the mounting supports inside the center console even DIN compatable? I remember them to be staggared fore/aft from when I installed my iPod adapter. At the time I remember telling myself that there will never be an aftermarket radio in one of these cars. Given the odd shape of the trim on the center console it will be a real challange to make it look like it belongs. Good luck, keep us posted.

I think a better understanding of physics will help in discussing the braking behavior of hybrid vehicles. It may subjectively feel like the car is speeding up or "surging" as you decelerate because of changes in the rate of deceleration. Much like you feel "weightless" when you drive over a rise in the roadway at high speed. You are not actually rising out of you seat, you are just feeling lighter in your seat, if that makes sense. If you were to actually go into negative g's the only thing holding you in your seat would be your seat belt. I doubt many of us have ever experienced that unless we were in an accident or we drive our cars like we stole them ;) So for braking: The car is not speeding up, it is just not stopping as fast as your brain and inner ear tell you it should be based on what it was doing just a split second before that. We have all become accustomed to steady brake pedal pressure translating directly into steady deceleration. When our vehicle's rate is managed by a computer and it has more than one system contributing to the overall rate, then changes that may occure during the hand off between one system and another may have our brain and inner ear fooled into thinking something is wrong when it isn't. Normally this would be a good driver instinct to have because it makes you sensitive to changes in the braking behavior that may actually be a problem such as fading brakes, wet drums, loss of boost, or loss of traction... but in the case of these hybrid vehicles this instinct leads to the perception that the car is not stopping well and can be alarming when you experience it for the first time. I say practice driving your hybrid vehicle in a wide variety of conditions so you can re-program what is now the new normal for braking behavior (and what is not, like losing traction and having the ABS kick in). There may be technological fixes coming that can smooth the experience back out again and restore our gut confidence in "steady pressure = even deceleration", but until then we have to live with what we've got.

I sure hope you are not planning on taking your modified 400h out onto the public streets where you may harm innocent people. Play with your car and your go-carts all you want, but do it on your own property. That way if anything goes wrong you will only damage your own stuff/family.

RX_LX_IS ... a troll.

It would not be a good idea to modify the braking controller or rewire the actuators in any way. The regenerative braking is an integral part of the HSD and a safety concern... not just for you but for the innocent victim you may run into when your little mod develops a glitch. Why not wait until we see what the recall does to correct this braking behavior issue. In the meantime, just being aware of the behavior has allowed me to compensate in my driving technique. I have learned to brake earlier and more aggressively than I would normally think is called for, especially when doing down hill over rough terrain. It's much easier to retrain your habits than to unilaterally re-design one of the most complex automotive systems on the planet. I'm just sayin.

Exactly. And the Powermaster is even better at packing in those plates... Where did you find the reserve capacity? Is it 90 min at 25 Amps? RC= minutes a battery at 80 degrees F can be discharged at 25 amps and maintain a voltage of 10.5 volts That would be the standard used to establish the RC, but I was unable to locate that spec for this battery when I was searching last summer. Or, the other thing you could do is just get a regular battery and always leave the car in "READY' mode whenever you are using it. That's what I do now. I just don't think these cars were made for tailgating, camping or just hanging out in... which is a pitty.

The volume available under the hood of the RX for a 12V aux source is VERY limited. The best energy density it going to be in a standard sealed lead acid battery like you can get a most auto retailers because the plates are rectangular and stack together without wasted space. The Optima uses a rolled cylindrical packing that leaves considerable volume unused. The alone is reason to avoid using the Optima in the RX. The deep cycle feature is valuable but this can be found in the SLA style battery as well. It is true that CCA is not a valid measure for the RX application, but it is the most readily available value. Better is to get the reserve power number or Ah delivery rate to compare batteries, but these values are harder to find. SVR 50-12 is a battery that I had identified for replacement but my OEM was replaced under warrentee, so I'll have to wait a while ;) This battery has the most volume and reserve power available for the form factor of the RX. The only better battery was a Powermaster D5100R but I could not verify that it would fit into the factory holder.

If CD starts playing around with the power cables we may not have him to kick around any more. :chairshot: Be careful under there CD.

I've been keeping my eye out for a battery pack for the RX but there is nothing in the offing at this point. Adding more batteries would tend extend the EV-only mode of operation but would also require a longer time to charge. The benefits are only realized with a new controller that maximizes the added storage. Since the RX uses a completely different controller than the Prius, that would be a new part that has to be invented/programed specfically for the RX, and likely different for the 2010 models.