JonathanIT

???

So it turns out our dealer (Longo, El Monte, CA) would only let us put $1,000 on the Visa. But hey, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick (as my Dad would say). So we wrote a check for the rest. When we bought the LS430 in 2002 they asked for a cashier's check, but this time just a personal check was enough.

Well, a week after taking delivery I finally had a few minutes to fool around with the RSES/DVD player tonight. And I still haven't figured everything out yet... it's way more complicated than even my home system! It does have some really cool features. For one, I didn't know you could operated the NAV system from the rear. The map/menus can be displayed on the rear screen. This could be really handy on the freeway for inputting an address, since you wouldn't have to pull over. Just let the backseat passengers take care of it! It takes some practice to use the remote (the RSES is not a "touch screen"), but that's what kids are good at anyway! LoL. Also, yes the DVD picture comes up on the front screen! I hadn't even thought of this, and it's awesome because the resolution on the front screen is fantastic! It looks way better than even the back flip down screen. The car has to be in "Park" and the parking brake must be set. Then, press the "disc" button on the front stereo console. When a DVD is in the player (the RSES/DVD player of course), a secondary "AUX" option comes up after the CD option. Just press the button twice, and the DVD picture comes up on the screen! Funny thing is when you release the parking brake, it just disappears and the NAV map comes up on the screen. The sound is pretty decent over the Mark Levinson too. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like true "surround" (5.1). Even though all the speakers are utilized; I think it is two-channel stereo. I will test this in the future. Overall, I'm happy with it and I think it is defintiely worth the $1,600 cost for this option. I'm also really glad we didn't go with the dealer installed system, the factory one is great and of course looks completely seemless in the car. :D

Well, I can't believe it was that simple! I was at the dealer yesterday getting the LS serviced and I asked my SA about the RX400h sunroof problem. He said the sunroof had not been "initialized" and it was a minor annoyance that was a simple fix I could do myself. I couldn't believe it was this simple: 1. Open the sunroof via the "slide" switch. 2. Press and HOLD the slide switch in the "close" position until the sunroof stops moving. It will go through the following "initialization" sequence: Slide close; tilt open; tilt close; slide open again; slide close; stop. That's it! It works perfectly now with the "auto" open/close working properly on both switches. Also, the remote/key auto open feature works from outside the car with both the sunroof and windows like it's supposed to. I wish all problems were this easy to fix! As for the RSES/DVD question... I did see your other post on the subject. Honestly, I haven't even had time to check out this system yet at all. I wasn't even aware that the DVD picture would work on the front console screen; that would be really cool. I will report soon on what I discover when I have time to fool around with it in the next couple days; I'll post on your original thread. :)

Well, we finally got our 400h last Friday, June 3. I put down the deposit in January. Went in for a test drive about a month ago, and ordered the silver with RSES. Our salesman estimated a couple months for delivery, but he called a couple weeks ago and told us it was on the boat... and finally we took delivery last Friday! :D Totally happy with it so far... too early to get any mileage numbers though (I've just been fooling around with driving styles entertaining myself with the HSD system). I'm not too concerned though because I'm not expecting Honda Civic mileage anyway. I am confused by the sunroof operation however! We also have an '02 LS430, and I was expecting the sunroof to operate the same way; indeed the controls look identical. On our LS: there is a low rocker switch labeled "slide" and an inset toggle swith labeled "tilt." Both have a "one touch" functionality, where to either open or close it's just a simple press, and it starts opening/closing automatically. On the new 400h, the controls look the same, but the "one touch" doesn't work! The switch has to be held to keep the sun/moonroof opening. But here's the real "kicker"... when closing, the movement DOESN'T STOP. i.e. It starts to open up to the "tilt" mode!! This ALSO happens with the "tilt" switch: when closing from an open tilt position, it does not stop when closed, but startes to SLIDE OPEN. WtF!!??!! This can't be proper; it makes closing nearly impossible because of the constant motion.. it only is fully closed for a split second before it starts to open the other way (there is no pause or anything!) I looked at the owners manual, and it describes the "auto" operation just like our LS430. The other thing I noticed, is that the "convenience" auto opening/closing feature with the key/remote will NOT close/open the sunroof; it only opens/closes the windows (also not like the OM describes) Has anyone else had this experience? Is this the way they all operate? Is it particular to the 400h in any way? I'm hoping it's only a dealer "programmable" function and can be fixed! :(

shudder shutter Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine. :)

See this thread from Saturday also.

Ok, thanks for setting me straight on this! Now that I think of it my knowledge was coming more from what I had heard (not read from any reliable source), and was also combined with my own assumptions (and hopes)! I just did some research (the abundance of which seems to be on the Prius, but from what I understand they are very similar). What I did not get before was that the the primary reason for the big difference in the "B" setting on the hybrids had less to do with hybrid aspect of the car than with the new-fangled planetary CVT transmission. It seems that the dynamics of the transmission would not allow it to have the traditional "1" & "2" low gear settings that would enable downshifting, so they decided to "simulate" the effect of "engine braking" with the new "B" position. The good news is that while the engine is freely spinning (without fuel usage) and the compression is used to slow the vehicle, at the same time the secondary electric motor/generator is also being used to recharge the battery. So, the kinetic energy that is dispersed is not completely wasted. This is why the power monitor shows the batteries being charged when "B" is used to slow the vehicle. The question I am still wondering is, what ratio of this energy is put back into the system? i.e., If the vehicle is about to descend a very long mountain downgrade, would if be more "efficent" (from a battery recharging standpoint) to "ride" the brakes all the way down? Or would "B" transfer just as much recharge energy (while saving brake wear)? Or perhaps would both methods used simulateously increase the recharge factor than either one by itself? I disagree with the philosphy of "just drive it like a regular car and hope for the best"... I'm totally into maximizing fuel efficency/battery usage with the most advantageous driving methods!!

See this line from his post:

Wasted!?? Are you sure this is accurate? Did it actually say this in the manual?? It seems that the entire purpose of this "B" feature on a hybrid vehicle would be to NOT waste the inertial energy while slowing down. In a traditional gas powered vehicle, with or without an automatic transmission, you can downshift to achieve "engine braking" also, but the energy there is totally wasted. I doubt the engineers would design an entire "engine braking" feature just for a hybrid vehicle (note the "B" transmission position appears only in hybrid vehicles) that would completely waste all the energy used to stop!! This was part of the fundamental concept of the hybrid vehicle theory, to allow regenerative properties from all means of stopping the vehicle. I think in the hybrids when using the transmission to slow down, the energy is used to recharge the battery more efficently than even the "regenerative" properties of the regular brakes. As I mentioned, I have not read the manual yet, but this is what I understood from past knowledge of the hybrid/synergy system.

I'm wondering from all you lucky RX400h drivers already on the road... do you use the transmission/engine braking lever very often during typical city/highway driving? I haven't seen much discussion on it yet. It's one of my favorite features on Synergy/Hybrid vehicles; I plan to use it all the time! It seems also that it would help keep the mileage up and save on brake wear. I haven't seen the Owner's Manual yet... do they give any tips/hints about this feature? Any do's/don'ts to be conerned about? TIA,

We will be writing a check... (cash takes too long to get out of the ATM :D ). I like this idea of using a credit card for partial payment though... I could get airline miles!! I'll see what our dealer's policy is. Thanks for the tip!

In California, there is an exemption to the TV screen law for "navigation systems," so in fact using a navigation system while driving isn't illegal (at least in CA). My BMW let's me enter addresses at any speed. Of course the irony is that the stupid NAV system by BMW is so user-unfriendly and attention sucking, it is far more dangerous to use while driving than the one in our Lexus! I think the decision by Lexus/Toyota to hobble their navigation system while in motion is more of a safety "liability" issue than a "legal" one.

Thanks for all the replies! This had my worried: But after I checked the website again, it looks like the Mark Levinson upgraded audio is included with the RSES DVD package. Whew! For a seconed I thought I was going to have to choose between the two! Yeah, the option list is funky--I especially like the fact that when "building" your RX400h at the website, when you get to the four option packages... you HAVE to pick one! What if you don't want any of them, and just a standard model? I guess your SOL! :D I guess this is why my salesman told me that the Mark Levinson and heated seats are "included," you just can't get one without them! So, I will double check again with my salesman tomorrow to make sure I got the right package with the Mark Levinson, DVD/RSES & heated seats. I do kind of like the fact that the option list is limited... it makes it much simpler. The anticipation builds...

Hello, I just came across this forum recently and decided to post some questions if anyone wants to help a newbie out... I test drove the RX400h yesterday at Longo here in SoCal. It seems to be everything I was hoping for, I thought it was sensational! My sales guy offered us a Savannah Gold 400h he had coming next week but the buyer had to postpone his purchase (which I thought was nice, since we are not exactly next on the wait list). This car will mostly be for my Mom and she and I both preferred the Millenium Silver, so I called him today to pass on the gold one. :( From our place on the waitlist he promised us a delivery date by this summer, maybe July. I don't mind the wait, but I had a question (since there was hardly any literature available yet). Does anyone know what the options/package list looks like for the RX400h? The salesguy told us that the ONLY option is the RSES (DVD player). Could this be true? Only one option? I just want to make sure that we don't miss out on anything important. I know the Navigation is standard (a must!) and I think the rear backup camera also... is Homelink included? Is there no "upgrade" to the stereo? It just seems strange to only have ONE option available. BTW, does anybody have the factory DVD system? Do you like it? He tried to talk us into the dealer installed "headrest" DVD screens, but they are a little too "Pimp My Ride" for my taste. I prefer the idea of a factory installed system anyway. Does the flip-down screen interfere with the rear view mirror? Also has anybody gotten any break in pricing? Did you have to pay a premium? He offered use straight sticker price, which seems reasonable, correct? I trust this guy pretty much, we bought an '02 LS430 from him, and he was referred by a friend of the family. So far I told him that we will go with the Millenium Silver w/RSES. I can't wait! :)