katzjamr

my water pump began to leak at 77,000 and was replaced under extended warranty. my dealer is the only one who has worked on this vehicle including every oil change, and yes i will use the toyota fluid, just checking my options now that i am out of warranty and until recently could not see evidence of the leak. also i do not see many of these radiators failing this early so i was wondering about that. since the labor and fluids werer already covered at that time we did the timing chain and belts at 77K also

The radiator reservior was low for the first time even though i had no liquid on the ground and never overheating or the temp gauge registering above normal. My Lexus dealer says its leaking and cannot be fixed because it is plastic and metal and wants $1200. I have an appointment with a local radiator guy who will pressure test it, lexus did top off the fluid and i can now see a drip on the right side of the radiator. Has anyone ever repaired one of these? i am at 92,000, my extended warranty ended last july. thanks all for your help as always, dave

somewhere in this forum or online i remember a post where an owner with the fogging headlight issue found the best place to drill vent holes and solved the problem, i have one that is fogging on my 06 400h and have been considering venting, the lights work fine. Also some model years were more prone to the seal failure than others and it seems to me it was the 2008, it would not hurt ot call lexus corporate and ask for help with this even if they provided the part, (it has to be the whole headlight assembly). Lexus knows this is a common failure and the squeaky wheel may get some help.

also people forget that the engine must keep the catalytic converter heated to its optimum tempurature also for lower emissions

now that i am out of warranty i guess i could also use the full synthetic for longer than 5K, if i do that should i use a different filter than the toyota dealer provided one.

thanks for your replies, i used the castrol synthetic blend because at first that was what my dealer was providing at oil changes, when they started using bulk oil i stayed with the castrol, although i should have gone full synthetic as you suggest. what do you think of the new high mileage oils that chemically expand the seals to curb consumption.

my 06 400h has 92,000 miles, has always been maintained since it was new at the dealer, and we have always used Castrol synthetic blend at each oil change. At this point it uses about a quart of oil every 5K between changes, i know everyone considers this 'normal' however i am considering keeping this vehicle longer and i have other higher mileage vehicles that use no oil at all. My question is how many miles do you have currently and what is your oil consumption if any. Thank you to all for your replies.

i purchased a 400h new in 2005 and it now has 92000 miles. my previous vehicle was a ford exploder that was almost completly rebuilt with the use of the normal, and extended warranty i purchased. Being new to lexus i did buy the extended warranty. It did cover a failed front wheel bearing ($400) at 60,000 and a leaking water pump at 80,000, ($800) so it paid for itself. I agree with most here that the vehicle is reliable. Also i would read a third party warranty policy carefully to see what is excuded. None of these warranties cover the hybrid system. they cover the engine, 'transmission', and driveline and some surrounding parts as if it was a non hybrid car. Also many dealers get paid a commission for selling that policy, and will negotiate the price. Also find out if there is a deductible for each claim and what that amount is. Enjoy your 400h. Finally check with the dealer to see if you need to transfer the hybrid warranty to your moms name to make sure coverage is in place as the second owner.

I also wanted to mention that i think this is partially a gas issue also. back in 2005 when the whole idea of this model was alot newer we were experimenting with regular gas, rather than premium in these vehicles. The regular fuel results in lower mpg, and a less responsive engine, however i remember the startups being noticeably smoother. I use premium because the engine was designed for it, i like the quickness, and the better mpg makes the price difference amost nil. do you always use the same brand of gas? If so you might consider three tanks (it takes 3 to notice a change )of another brand and see if that helps. Just a thought...

I waited until the tech showed it as an area of concern when they rate the condition of the components on the car on the lube oil filter report. My dealer has a green, yellow, red box that they check when they look everything over. You can ask your dealer about covering it however i think it is normal maintenance. They clean the fuel injectors and throttle body, it runs about $300 in seattle. My guess is that the randomness of the lurch on startup at rest is a result of the postion of the engine internally when it shuts off. My dealer says the new models do it as well

I have had this issue with my 2006 400h that has 91,000K on the odo. I describe it more as a lurch or more rough startup that shakes the vehicle, but it is random and usually starts and stops smoothly at rest. At 60K my dealer wanted to clean the throttle body but since it was not warranty work, so i said no. At 90K it was clearly dirty in there and i had it done, it helped make the engine starts smoother when starting at rest. Your spark plugs should go well over 100K in the 400h and i dont think that is the source of the problem. still in love with this car seven plus years later.

I have every once and a while heard the engine rattle when it starts up from idle, always from a parked position, it is random and so infrequent i dont worry about it. Do you think you got a bad batch of fuel with your last fill up?

I say this not as an rx 400h owner but in general, how can anyone tolerate that bucked tooth hillbilly front grill that Acura refuses to get rid of.in my opinion it ruins what otherwise is a capable vehicle. it is amazing to me why on the one hand Honda wonders why they cannot keep up with other luxury car sales, and connect the dots that the front of those vehicles is so repulsive. btw, still love you all you acura owners.

it is generally accepted that there are three gallons in the tank from the moment the light goes on, if you are aware of it right away. at that time i glance down at my average miles per gallon and my trip mileage and make a mental note how far i can go still keeping a gallon in the tank or so. this is not a vehicle that should be run out of gas as you only have a certain amount of attempts available to restart it after adding gas, the system can shut it self down completely, to protect the main battery and require a tow to the dealer to restart. Also i am told since most fuel pumps are now located in the fuel tank, gas in the tank actually cools the pump during operation and constantly running very low before fill up can lessen the life of your fuel pump.

Welcome John, as others have said enjoy your 400h, and this forum which has been a constant source of support and information for me. Did you get the Millenium Silver color, that is one of my favorites. Is yours the 2wd or the 4wd? My water pump was replaced under my extended warranty around 75K and we did the timing belt and some pulleys and hoses then too. All the labor to reach the timing belt is already done during a water pump replacement, so it makes sense to do it then. So far (knock wood) my hybrid parts have been performing well. Check to see that the recalls have been done on the vehicle, someone in Canada i think got a CPO vehicle that had not had warranty recalls done on it. The front steering rack should have been replaced, and more recently a transistor board in the hybrid system. The 60K service on the 400h is one of the more expensive ones so hopefully that was done also. Premium fuel will average three mpg better than regular, it pays for itself because of that and makes the engine more responsive. I have also heard that it helps to stop premature failure of the O2 sensors. Keep us posted on how your vehicle is doing we look forward to hearing from you.

cduluk, in washington state if the parked car was there illegally, i.e. they left less than three feet from the edge of your drive way to the front of their car, you are not liable. Also do you want to sell the black step bumper cover from your old bumper, or are they reusing it? I never replaced mine after the last person backed into my bumper, ;)

what is the difference between the soundfly sd and the soundfly aux, that costs a little more, can both be used in our 400h's? and is the sound quality better on the more expensive one? thanks dave

my right front failed at 81,000 miles, replaced on the extened warranty

my car is a 400h however i can say that 70 mph (a speed i often use) does not give the best mpg on the highway. if you can stand it, do that same longer trip at 55 to 60 mph with the cruise control set, i will bdet money your mph will be better. anything above 60mph on the freeway (unless its all downhill, like a mountain road) cuts down on mpg, the ICE runs much more than normal to keep up the speed. also premium fuel will give you better gas mileage, at least on the 400h, and warmer weather is also more efficient for the hybrid battery i.e. better gas mileage in warmer weather. Also in seattle i am able to get 3mpg better mileage when i turn off the AC.

cduluk is exactly right, i have this on one headlight out of warranty. ( also i beleive this was a known problem on certain RX years that were more prone to failing than others, the dealers are well aware of it) I seem to remember someone posting a way to remedy this inexpensively by drilling new vents delicately in a certain area, anyone remember that post? sorry it looks like i posted this in the wrong topic

took the 400h in yesterday for an oil change and the module work. they gave me the loaner and called two hours later saying yes the part needed replacing however they were out of replacement boards, and just keep the loaner it would be ready wednesday, (today). Picked up the car today, work is done. Had to ask them to do the ISC reset since they disconnect the battery for this work, and was on my way. They did provide a full tank of gas as is customary with all Lexus warranty work.

I got the notice yesterday, and they say they will inspect the inverter, and replace the module if 'necessary'. I called my service manager, made an appointment and he did verify that not all will be replaced if they pass inspection. He said it takes twenty minutes to figure that out, and i would get a loaner vehicle if they go ahead with the replacement. I told him i wanted mine replaced without question, and he said in all likelyhood a 2006 would get the IPM replaced. As our vehicles age and fall off warranty it seems to me we would want as many of these electronic parts fixed before its on our dime. I will check in tomorrow with what actually happened at the dealer. In the past i have been treated very well there.

have you figured out which wheel bearing is bad, they say the right front goes first usually possibly due to hitting curbs.

Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show Lexus shows off a new Hybrid sports concept coupe, what do you think

My vehicle is the 400h purhased in july 2005, so i dont pretend to know all about your newer vehicle with the atkinson cycle engine, and i will have to take the dealers word regarding the bad gas. What i want to point out is you purchased your vehicle in the spring going into warmer summer weather. The hybrid system, (i.e. battery) is more efficient in the warmer spring and summer months. This is the first time you have experienced your 450h in the winter, typically in seattle i have a 3 mpg PENALTY during cold weather driving in the winter vs what we call summer. This is the reason the first 400h were shipped to Hawaii for their press introduction. I imagine your winter back east on average is much colder than ours. Also premium fuel will result in better mpg. I wonder what fuel the dealer put in when it was changed out. Also did the 'bad gas' plug up a fuel injector, or is that just another way of saying, water in the gas.