katzjamr

Your 400h comes with 24hr roadside assistance good in the 48 states alaska, and canada. They are there 24/7 365 days a year. They will tow you to the nearest Lexus dealer or an "alternative repair facility". I hope that would be at least a Toyota dealership that could service a hybrid. In addition there is a trip protection clause that gives u a rental car for up to five days and $200 a day for lodging (3 days max) and expenses if the problem is covered under warranty, and it cannot be fixed. Depending on where u break down either the local AAA will be called or perhaps a Lexus dealership with roadside assistance if you are near one. This is good for four years from the date of purchase, i dont know if there is a milage limit.

My salesman told me at the first oil change, service, that is no charge, they will be using a synthetic blend, most likely Quaker State 4x4 oil. I use this oil in two other vehicles, it has cut oil consumption by half in an older Ford V8 truck. Since it is a blend of regular oil it can be changed over from conventional at any time unlike full synthetic. I do not work for any oil company btw, however its been a good product for me, and I like the extra lube features of the synthetic especially for this crazy vehicle that starts and stops so frequently.

Thanks to your posts i took a tire guage with me when i picked up my 400h. Sure enough all tires were at 40. I asked the otherwise helpful salesperson why tire pressure wasnt a part of dealer prep. He said he would look into it. I think pretty much dealer prep must be taking off the plastic and washing the vehicle. I also checked a flint mica 400h next to mine that sold and ready for delivery, all tires were over 40.

Thank you both for your replies. I will probably start with a barrier and work back into crating. The accident advice is true and we have been lucky so far. My springer spaniel is a smaller 38 lbs and has only seen a crate in the SUV when he is about to be boarded while i am away. Hence crate = me gone in his mind. Im sure it will take alot less time to train him than me. Dave

I plan to do a 1,000 to 1,500 oil change initially, its just a habit i have with new vehicles, also i have had cars with improper fluid levels from the factory that were adjusted at those early oil changes. I know its not necessary however it gives me piece of mind.

I finally settled for a millenium silver w/gray rx400 that will be ready this afternoon. Also added the headlight chip guard and leather protectant and extended the warranty, who knows how much these will cost to repair. My seven year old Springer Spaniel is used to sitting up front and he goes to work with me and out on estimates to customers homes. What is the best barrier for keeping him behind the front seats with the back ones folded down. (I think hes wishing we kept the old explorer where it didnt matter).

I too was chagrined by a system where i gave a deposit to a Lexus dealer south of seattle last July and did not hear anything unless i called them. I did get updates from Lexus online and all of us were informed of the delivery of the first cars, ( i was #28 on the list). Once i drove a hybrid demo at the dealership i felt the service improved, they spent alot of time with me and allowed me two long drives in their black on black demo vehicle not commenting once as we hit speeds of 90 to 95 mph on one freeway stretch. My initial salesman passed me on to another one that had intimate knowledge of the car. The first thing he established was if my driving was mostly freeway, i might be just as happy with an rx330 that could approach 24- 25 mpg. He was very honest about the initial gas mileage not being 30 mph, with the hybrid and they had been tracking six customers to see where the actual real world mpg would be. He also told me if i fell in love with Bamboo Pearl, they seemed to be comming in slower. I am confident that a millenium silver, or flint mica rx400 will find its way to my driveway in the next month.

I think the fact that your neighbor will sell it to someone they know also makes them feel confident about the car, there is no gurantee with any used car that old. Im told that 75,000 mile service can be expensive however especially if they are doing the timing chain, my neighbor who is an auto body mechanic was quoted over $2,500 for that service alone on his wifes 99 rx. good luck

Alot of people, who live far from a lexus dealer use Toytota dealerships for their service, often toyota franchises have lube specials and generally lower prices for the same service. My Lexus salesman offered this advice when i asked about $100 oil changes (even if they do rotate the tires LOL)

Pennzoil makes a blend of synthetic and regular oil that gives u the benefits of both and it has cut the consumption in my older work vehicles by half. They call it 4x4 oil, have used it for years, my local quick lube station has it.

My salesman said that the 400h will not run if it runs out of gas. Once more gas is put in the tank, it should start fairly easily. However, if the driver tries continuously to start the engine, say more than 3 times, when there is no gas, there is a type of disabling which occurs and the car will be much more difficult to start. This is my understanding and I don't pretend to be an expert on this. This is different from the Prius. If you run out of gas, you can force the car to run on battery alone but this ruins the battery which would be disastrous. So, I suppose the rule with all hybrids is to never run out of gas. ←

I went to a Lexus dealer outside of Seattle. While they have a waiting list that i am on, they also find some people on the list unreachable for what ever reason and offer these cars to the next people on the list. At this time there are two cars on the lot, one white and one bamboo pearl. The white one is unusual in that it is a grand cheaper because of the regular sound system rather than the mark levinson. They sell them at sticker with no additional markup. thanks for all the info on this site, dave