uthorns1976

Mad Mike is the electronics guy. Another guy does the paint. Wonder what happened to Q, the manager. Guess Ryan, the owner, gave him the boot and took over??? While I don't care for their paint jobs, I have to admit that a lot of their interior ideas are pretty cool.

Here's something interesting regarding ebay. A couple of years ago, my cousin was selling a Corvette on ebay. Some guy contacted her about the car and said he would buy it. She was skeptical about the deal. Something didn't seem right. Sure enough, she was right. Somebody called her from the FBI or other law enforcement agency and told her that the person trying to buy the Corvette was a thief or scam artist and they were attempting to apprehend him. So, you have to be really careful. Of course, you have to be really careful when dealing with someone face-to-face also, not just on ebay.

I agree on the paint jobs. The guy always sprays some crazy color. The other night, they took an old Chevelle ragtop. The top was completely gone. Original color was red. They painted it some bright green color with stripes and made it look like an SS. If they had just painted it red, put on a new top and the SS stuff, it would have been a cool car. A real classic. But, they went for the serious bling. Too bad. That's really wild about the insurance thing. I never thought of something like that. Also, does one of the WCC guys really have spikes stuck through the skin below his lower lip. That's pretty hard core.

I get a kick out of watching Pimp My Ride on MTV. Anybody have any idea how much they spend fixing up those old clunkers??? I wonder how long those pimp'ed rides last on the street before they are stolen or stripped?? The rims and tires alone have to cost serious bucks.

Any thoughts on the Saab 9-7X or Volvo XC90??? You can buy the Saab at the employee price thru 8/1.

I read the entire Sabatini article. Sounds to me like he slammed the vehicle because he can't afford to own one. Where I come from, we call that sour grapes!! Those who follow this forum regularly know that his article is totally inaccurate.

Rather than creating a new thread, can these posts be moved to the other lengthy thread, "Question about Sprint Bluetooth phones"??? Just a suggestion. :D

I think that NY Times guy decided he didn't like the vehicle right from the start. So, he slammed it. You know what they say about opinions and a**holes. Everyone has one... It's no secret that the 400h is not delivering the mpgs that are on the sticker. That's nothing new. However, for Sabatini to say that the mileage is the same as an RX330 is, IMHO, bogus. My brother is tickled to death with the mileage he is getting from his 400h. It uses half as much fuel as his previous vehicle, a GM SUV. And I think when the weather cools off here in Texas, the 400h will do even better without the A/C on.

SW...you mentioned the Cadillac STS. Have you driven one?? Are Cadillac's SUVs any better than GMC or Chevrolet or just rebadged and a lot more expensive???

Right you are, Steve. Talking about metal grille guard, e.g. WAAG or similar.

Thanks for all the interesting suggestions. Whenever I see the word Subaru, I can't help but think of that ugly a*s B9 Tribeca. That is one ugly vehicle. The grille reminds me of an Edsel.

Maybe you meant the CLK? That starts around $55,000, while the CLS starts at around $65,000. But I'm sure if he wanted, IF could cough up an extra 10 grand to get the base CLS500. B) ← I've seen a CLS parked in the driveway of a local lawyer's office. It's a sort of gold color and very sleek looking. I thought it was a BMW. Doesn't look at all like a Benz. Personally, I wouldn't own a Benz. Too expensive to buy and too expensive to maintain and the reliability stinks.

I commented on the 400h's instrumentation a while back. I think the Kw gauge is a waste. I guess it was easy for Lexus to replace the tach with the Kw gauge and go on down the road. They could have come up with a lot more useful gauges than Kw (oil pressure, etc.). But, I don't want to start another thread on the 400h's shortcomings. ;)

I read a post somewhere from a 400h owner who was told by Lexus that installing a grille guard on a 400h would invalidate the warranty. Something to do with airflow to the HSD or airbag deployment. Comments??

I agree with Steve, et. al. 100%. You shouldn't be out 1 penny for the rental vehicle. Is it not possible for the body shop to put the damaged bumper back on and give you YOUR car back until a new bumper cover is located?? No offense to anyone but, at this point, that would seem to be the sensible thing to do. Who knows how long it will take to get the necessary parts.

Interested in comments from Cingular users in Texas regarding service. Good?? Bad?? Roaming?? Dropped calls?? Thanks.

That's why I've been consistent with the stocks that I originally bought. I'm not going to take any more risks as of yet that may jeapordize my success in the stock market so far; this means that I won't be experiementing with new stocks. I'm happy with my current stock's performance, and am confident that they will continue to thrive and increase in value, until I decide its time to sell. ← This is getting way, way off the subject and I hope I don't get my hands slapped. :P Do any of you guys and gals watch Mad Money with Jim Cramer on CNBC?? I have watched it a couple of times recently because someone told me about him. Is this guy nuts or what?? Wonder if he is ever right???

katz...Have you been happy with Cingular service??? Here in TX, I have heard that their service kind of s**ks. I'm asking because my brother has a 400h and he told me yesterday that he is going to switch to Cingular after his Verizon contract runs out so he can get a fully functional bluetooth phone as opposed to Verizon's partially functional bluetooth phone. :( I think he has at least another year on his Verizon contract so things could change obviously.

rockit...Suggest checking in General Maintenance forum. You'll have better luck there.

It is and getting worse by the day. The other thing is that we were getting spoiled by the NAV. Now we feel like lost nomads in the Sahara! "If you can determine the part number for the bumper or any other Lexus part then you can search the parts inventories of Lexus dealers nationwide at http://www.partsvoice.com/partsvoice/conte...part.html" The Lexus parts guy did scan the country and found zero - nada front bumper covers for the 2006 RX400h. Ours is coming from Japan. ← I WOULD SEND THE RENTAL CAR BILL TO LEXUS if your insurance doesn't cover it!!! No way I would pay it myself. Not your fault Lexus didn't plan ahead for replacement parts!!

I suggest looking/posting in Detailing forum. You'll have much better luck there than here.

katz...I agree with you. My brother was here today in his black 400h, ivory interior. The dash is dk. grey, not black as I thought previously. A matching interior would be really nice. Personally, I don't like the contrasting dash but it's not my ride. As has been discussed here at length, I think overall the color combinations on the 400h leave a lot to be desired. :(

I might be dreaming but I think I just saw a TV commercial for a Lexus September sales event. I'm sure that's what they said. Anyone familiar with this type of event. Will 2006 vehicles like the 400h be included??

The converter 82670-48050 is only required for vehicles without the tow package. The hitch PT228-48045 comes with the wiring harness. If you install by yourself you'll need a torque wrench and 12mm, 14mm, and 15mm sockets. ← Update: On 8/2/05, I contacted Lexus. I was told that the junction block assembly, part #82670-48050, is NOT required on the 400h because it is already installed at the factory. That "jives" with what I found on lexus.com. According to Lexus.com, the specifications for the 400h are as follows: > > Trailer hitch: optional > Trailer wiring: standard > Towing Prep Package: standard (listed under Luxury) > Tow capacity (max): 3500 Thanks to everyone who contributed.

RX...how about starting a stock tips thread?? Maybe in general discussion forum?? :)