katzjamr

the us government only allowed the first 60,000 hybrids of that model year to be eligible for the credit. this was done to prodect the us auto industry as toyota was the only manufacturer who would go above that figure in a given year. there are about one million prius hybrids on the road, since the first one came out of the factory. also the govt developed a formula based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and its body type for the amt of the rebate. one thing to check, some states are allowing hybrids to be exempt from sales tax (9%) in washington, so it does pay to see if your local government has a program to help locally. again i am a 400h owner, however in washington i know this is true for the prius i will check on the 400h

i am also in seattle, in sales and never had a problem with entering addresses and i use the nav system everyday. with all due respect lazy, why do u have so many incomplete addresses that you dont know if it is a street, ave, or where the n or s goes? my system is also set up that the upcoming street is displayed at the top of the screen. also with the nav you have a better climate control and energy consumption screen. the screen is large enough that i can split screen it and have a close and far view at the same time to my destination. the next gen navs in the loaner 400h i have driven are even more crisp in display. i do agree tho that rerofitting is to expensive and not worth it. the base bose system is adequate for a stereo and your needs will be served with an aftermarket nav, that you can also use in more than one vehicle.

also, dont different states use different additives and blends of fuel? could it be that the fuel blend in colordado provides better gas mileage? it is well documented that premium fuel results in higher mpg (about 3 mpg) than regular, in the 400h. what is the octane rating of the fuel u buy in colorado vs your hime state? is there more ethanol in one than the other. it seems to me all these things would affect mpg all other things being equal. dave

to i love lexus, i think in the coldest weather the ICE had to run all the time just to keep the catalytic converter to its 800 degrees F or so. With the Prius toyota was concerned about the small atkinson cycle engine taking time to warm up and not staying warm as it sat, so an engineer came up with the secondary heater that sits in the lower left corner (drivers side) behind the bumper. that thing is easily damaged in an accident and the part alone without install goes for $1,000 or more. The RX400h with the v6 engine doesnt need this accessory as people here have posted.

so since the prius platform is about to be updated will this be the lithium ion battery set to go into the next gen prius, and will it get factory plug in capability? did u see the prius owner in cali who wired his prius with an inverter and used it as a generator for his house during a blackout? powered what he needed for three days using 5 gal of gas. the prius engine turned on every half our to keep the battery charged.

we have had a week of snow here in seattle with none of it melting overnight as it usually does. my 400h came with the goodyears and i replaced them this fall with the oem michelins. i know they are not everyones favorite here but the improvement in snow handling was incredible. (yes i know the goodyears were the worst in snow with thier low profile) i drove hundreds of miles this last week up and down our hills and did not get stuck or feel out of control ( well out of control once,) of course in pc seattle the city refuses to use salt, only sand and some kind of dairy product (really) on the bus routes, however i was able to travel side roads as easily as the sanded arterials. just my two cents

do you think it has the camry hybrid chassis with a lexus style body, similar to the highlander sharing the 400h system? your picture shows a vehicle that looks smaller to me than an es 350

i think there are some braille like dots u see on a small part of the headlight cover after it is installed. the dealer charge for the 3m cover is usually double what u can find at a shop that specialises in that product so do shop around, and ask the guy how many 400h he has done.

there is another well known rattle on the inside curve next to the rear hatch on the drivers side, your dealer will be able to fix that with a piece of sail cloth inserted behind the panel. this should be no charge. you can have someone ride in the back and push on that area and the privacy screen latch locks that rey mentioned. also the middle arm rest in the back can make a rubbing sound, and check for a metal clicking sound as the front. passenger seat belt clip rattles against the door pillar when it is not in use. the dealer also did something to my rear hatch on one visit that stopped a rattle, i tried to time these repairs with lube intervals and they never charged for the repair. how many miles and what do u have for tires on that 400h? get the 3m almost invisible plastic on the front bumper and hood, and on the head lamps, they are all rock collectors big time. the headlight assembly is over a grand (each) to replace if there is damage. also the dealer has a kit that prevents theft of the lights that can be installed no charge. (not sure if that applies to second owners) it takes a coupla hours and bumper cover adjustment.

Shaft, thanks for the advice on the optima, i think that is the way i will be going if santa brings me extra money for xmas, otherwise with cheap gas ill just leave the ignition on 24/7 and let it charge itself. (just kidding)

thanks for introducing me to photobucket and getting the pic posted here. now that i think about that tape on the cell cover, dont you think toyota took a regular battery and stuck the tape on there to make it the same as a maint free battery? the Maintenance Free battery in my 2007 E250 cargo van has covers on the top that cannot be removed as far as i can see, the instructions there say dont try to remove them they are just there to vent the battery. just a random thot.

i uploaded a pic to my photobucket acct. it is the only pic there here is the link for the battery pic there is probably a better way to do this however this is all i know for now

it is black mylar plastic with holes smaller than the top of the cell cut out, big maintenance free letters on the top. i can take a pic with my iphone, can someone walk me thru uploading it sorry for the lack of skills there. also am interested in what lexus says and if people really think a more expensive battery is better, my oem battery has no reserve and has left me stranded a couple times the last week. (yes i do travel with jumper cables now and a portable starter) i have a new van for work so with cheap gas ive been driving that more, it sounds like im part of the cheap gas use more problem too! thanks, dave

my starter battery is also getting hinky at 44000 miles, it tests ok but has little reserve. if i am waiting in a parking lot with the radio on, i now leave the ignition in the ready, (normal on position) with no other accesories running so i dont excessively discharge that tiny battery.

before i could check the fluid level in my 2006 400h battery, i did have to peel off the plastic tape that covered each set of three cells. on this tape it does say maintenance free. i could not screw out the plugs without removing this tape. inside the cells seemed much deeper than batteries i am used to but there was water in each cell with no core exposed. How high should the water be in each cell, i didnt add any thing being unsure what the correct level is.

can you get it on a lift and inspect the area to see if a critter has crawled up there. in three years of reading forums on the 400h i have never seen a post about the battery emitting an odor.

not crazy about the console either

this is the fuel system venting itself automatically. the first prius hybrid has a bladder for a gas tank which can be very frustrating to fully fuel, the next gen prius and toyota/lexus hybrids came with an automatic system that vents the fuel system allowing a normal gas tank to be used.

my 400h will make the adjustment any time the headlights are on. have you looked at the display button on the center stack?

its also likely you have mold growing on some part of your ac condensor, especially if you have the ac on all the time, and do not shut it off for a period prior to turning off the vehicle to let it dry out. the dealer can clean that out and apply a fungicide.

44,200 miles 2006 400h, its been alot of fun. reliable and i would do it again, dave

good news on the wiper, ill have them check that. no the steering is not locked up when my ignition locks up, the tumblers inside get stuck in the wrong place when i pull out the key randoomly

yes mine seem to be louder at times, the motor noticably whines more. it doesnt do it all the time, and this is only audible with no radio and heater fan. when it is 'loud' its definatley somthing that wasnt there when the 400h was new. not to hijack the thread but im having intermittent trouble with my ignition locking up, when i take out the key it is totally stuck in the off position randomly, and no the steering anti theft is not locked up its the ignition. i have to push in and turn hard about twenty to thirty times to get the tumblers to break free. then it works normally for about thirty to fifty startups then bingo its frozen. im trying to make it fail when im at the dealer (ok i can hear the snickering)

my dealer in the pacific northwest wanted $450 for the 30K. When i told them i only wanted work done that toyota recommends to keep the warranty in effect they skipped the brake flush (i think 30K is way to early for that) and the fuel injector cleaning, mine work fine and i got it done for $179.00 including their $42.00 cabin filter. They have been fair since i use them for lube jobs and developed a $75.00 lube price if i dont rotate tires or have the car washed. I recently complained about them using a cheaper chevron oil instead of the usual castrol synthetic blend, and the service manager sent someone to the auto parts store got my castrol, and drained out the new oil and replaced it. They do try at this dealership.

I was at the dealer today for my 36,000 mile lube oil and filter. (and to fix the rear door rattles that had returned) As i waited for my service my salesman dropped by to say hi and we talked about the 2010 RX update comming up in summer 2009. He mentioned that the spy photos he has seen do not reflect what the factory people are telling him. He said the 400h will have more than a facelift, making it more masculine in styling. He also said he was told the 2010 model would jump 'two generations' in hybrid design. Whatever that means it sounds interesting. According to him Lexus will not provide the third row seat option on the 400h, they dont see much demand, it takes up alot of room and they are not comfortable. Also he said a Lexus hybrid sedan will be out next year with a 35 mpg rating. No word on what engine that will have. Off topic, this dealer has done all my service and i have rarely had a complaint, they even developed a $75.00 lube oil filter charge for me when i dont rotate the tires or have it washed, and i think that is very fair for a lexus dealer. Of course the 30,000 mile service cost about $250 after i declined the brake flush and fuel injector cleaning. They did give me a new rx350 loaner with nav with that visit because it was a longer than normal service. After that service there were things on the invoice that the technician said he did however i couldnt tell if they were performed so i called them on that. After assuring me that everything was indeed serviced even tho the tire pressures were all off i let it go. Today when i went to pay for the 36000 mile lube the whole thing was no charge, they said it was because i was not 100% happy with the previous job. Im just rambling on about this to say that i feel it was beyond what i expected and i appreciated it.