jashev

I traded in my RX for a GX after 3 recalls on RX. (05 GX for 05 RX) My wife used it for bidness (republican spelling) She parked it this morning and took my 7 year old LS, said she is done. I now will use the new GX for grocery shopping. (I love the GX) I am 71 retired. The reviews on the hybrid RX are awful, so I am stuck, driving 5 blocks back and forth every day to the grocery store. Worst thing is that all her hillbilly CD's are in the GX, and my classical CD's are still in my old LS.

Her GX complaints are; hard to steer, can't see out the rearview mirrors because of the headrests in the back, hard to get in to our narrow door garage, passenger seat doesn't have multiple settings for her bidness contacts. jerky transmission at times, clunks; can't operate her hands free V710 phone while in motion easily.

hard for a 5 foot 7 woman to get in and out of the car, the only thing she likes is that her coffee and bottled water don't spill, like they do with the old LS.

I Need some suggestions on what to do. I want a reliable 4 wheel drive for winter, but can't see re-trading back to an RX. The GX has under 5000 miles after 8 months.

I'm not sure where you have heard bad reviews on the RX400h. Consumer reports rates it as one of their top SUV's (hybrid or not). I have both an RX400h and an '06 GX470. I love both cars. My RX400h has 8500 trouble free miles on it. Smooth as silk, quiet, great acceleration, super transmission (CVT) and superior gas mileage for a powerful luxury SUV.

My wife however is a BMW lover. We traded in her '04 BMW X5 for the GX470 (the RX400h was my everyday car). Well guess what? I now drive the GX470 and she is driving my RX400h. She has already informed me that we are buying a new X5 next week. (For the record, her old X5 had 22,000 miles on it and had only seen the dealer once at about 13,000 miles for regular service (paid for by BMW). Given the choice between the RX400h and the GX, I have decided to keep the GX, but only because I need the additional seating (I coach youth sports, basketball and baseball, need I say more). So it looks like I will be trading the RX in, but through no fault of the car.

I am supposed to pick up my new 2006 GX today. I have been waiting for the dealership to transfer a car from Tuscon to Phoenix as they didn't have one with the DVD system on their lot. During my wait (2 days) I have been reviewing this forum and I am a bit apprehensive about proceeding with my purchase because of the "the clunk" that is so prevalent in these posts.

Consumer Reports does show a "Poor" rating for the Drive System on the '03 models. It improved to "Average" in '04. They list the '05's as "Very Good".

Is it safe to assume that the majority of you who have had the "clunk" have '03s and '04s? I know some of you have reported your '05s with the same problem, but I am just wondering if the frequency on '05s is less.

For those of you with '03s and '04s, how miles did you have on the car before your experienced the "clunk?"

I decided against the X5 and ML350 because I didn't want problems, but it almost seems like the GX isn't a better alternative.

I have on '06 with no clunks.

lexme that is the antenna next to the review mirror for better reception you need to have them take out that antenna and put a antenna on the roof of the truck work 100 times better.

Jashev I dont know if you noticed my profile or not but I live in New Jersey.

I did see your profile, I just wasn't sure if this is what you do or if this is a hobby. Can you email me with a phone number where I can reach you and we can hook up. I will also email you my number.

Thanks,

Jon

I called the dealer to make an apt for my 06 RX400h to have the data dots installed and they said it was only for the 04-05 RX. Is that true? does any one have a TSB?

Thanks

IF you dont know what data dots are:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=25150

Just had my data dots installed on the '06 RX400h two weeks ago. The dealer called me to have me bring it in as part of a Lexus service call.

That is the right part number but the dealer is probably not the right place to get it done. The reason I say that is if they dont have instructions brackets and a specific place to put the unit they are lost.

I figured I would try to do it myself, unless you know someone in NJ who does this stuff. I have a 6000 sq ft heated garage with lifts and all sorts of good stuff. It does whoever sound like you may be the one I should be talking to about getting it installed. I'm a collector of classic US cars from the 50's and 60's so I feel most comfortable in that world.

I have a RX 400h on order and want to have xm radio, just wondering since it is not available factory as yet, what my options are. I am not too excited about having a Rhody hanging on my dash. Are there any built into the radio options out there and what is the approx cost? And who installs them?

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I just noticed your question about installation. If you are at all handy the installation is a snap. If not, I would venture to say that any car audio place that knows it's stuff would have no problem at all installing the unit.

Regarding price, I think the unit is about $400. I got a better deal because I drove up to him and played guinea pig to see if his stuff worked okay so I don't know the exact price. His name is Jon August.

jashev, I've already contacted Jon about the RX400h application of the Sirius XM unit and I'm awaiting his response. In the meantime, do you have any photos of the finished product in your 400h (e.g. main unit installation and power wires, antenna pass-through to the interior, connections to radio) so I may know what the install should look like?

I am leaving tomorrow and will be out of town until Friday AM, however I would be happy to take some shots then and email them to you. In reality, there is not much to see. The xm unit is located under the rear floor near the right rear tire well, the antenna runs through the hatch and to a low profile antenna mounted behind the GPS antenna.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

- gogetter

"Quality is never an accident"

The 06 lx kit requires you to hook up to the rear seat audio display. In 05 it didnt. So the kit you need to use in a gx is 05-06 es kit. But you need to get creative with location of components.

Jashev you should of asked me first did the dealer charge you for the 2 hours labor.

Yea, but the sales manager gave me a credit towards my next vehicle service. Sewell online shows the es 05-06 part for xm as 86100-0W100. Is this the one you are talking about?

Thanks again.

Make sure he installs the '05 LX kit, NOT the '06 kit.

My dealer installed the '06 kit and it did not work in my GX470 ('05 model).

He pulled it out, and replaced it with an '05 kit - works like a charm.

I'm not the only one who's found this to be the case.

-Adam

FYI - The '06 Landcruiser kit doesn't work in the '06 GX

you dont want a lx kit for your gx if you getting xm you want a es kit

lx xm kit is specific to lx cause of the the rear audio controls

Does this mean that even though my '06 GX has rear audio controls I should install the es kit (and if so, which es kit (what year)? I just bought my car and told the dealer to install the Landcruiser kit. After 2 hours of labor we discovered that the '06 Landcruiser kit does NOT work in the GX.

As always zube, thanks for the email and thanks for the right information. Let me know if you have an xm kit for sale that will fit my GX. I'm there.

I just purchased a new 06 GX 470. Asked the dealer for a price on an xm installed and approx $800 for xm only. Got the previous answer to my xm request from someone who has installed a Toyota Land Cruiser kit for xm. It would seem to me that if you could install both of the interfaces that would use your existing audio screen would be nice. So my question is has anyone done this? How was it accomplished? And my past experiences is the fewer times someone takes the dash pieces apart the fewer rattles etc. I would like to have this done once and be able to play both xm and ipod without a bunch of junk around the dash. Thanks for your reply and ideas Jerry

I just got an 06 GX470. At my request, the dealer tried to install an XM kit for the LX470 (PN 86100-0W140) and this did not work. Did you ever get an answer to this question? The dealer tells me there is a w120 and a w100 unit also. HELP...

You will need a small flat head screw driver, a phillip head screw driver, a 10mm socket and a towel to protect the navigation unit.

Will this procedure also work on an '06 GX470?

The airbag is not as much an issue as running the wiring in the column and through a clockspring harness to be able to be wired in and allow the wheel to turn without stressing and breaking the wires.

The cost is really unimportant as compared with the bath I will take if I have to get her another X5 and trade/sell one of the '06 Lexus'

Since a number of other manufacturers provide heated steering wheels, I don't think there is a technical hurdle. Just whether or not somebody thinks there is a market for such devices.

good one

Hey Zube,

Do you have a similar bypass for the GX470. Just bought one for my wife. I found this link on the forum to bypass stuff for a GS300 but don't know if it's the same.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...99entry157699

Have a Happy New Year!!!

jashev

After buying an RX400h last summer, it took a few months of convincing to get my wife to leave her X5 behind for a GX470. Her only issue (so far) is the lack of a heated steering wheel. She has a circulation problem in her hands and can't tolerate a cold steering wheel. This was a key feature on all our BMW's (also available from Mercedes, Audi, etc.).

Does anyone know of an aftermarket steering wheel (or product) which could meet this need? Without it, I'm afraid that she'll be back in an X5 in a few months.

Thanks....

this happened to me last week also. i hit some buttons on the nav system changing screens and it came back on as suddenly as it stopped.

I've tried different nav screens, trip menu, service menu...nothing. It's like there is an invisable mute button. I'll keep trying, worst case, the dealer will just have to figure it out next week.

If you are bold enough, you could try going into the service tech's menu. It's the same menu that's used to overide the navigation system's motion lockout. From memory, I believe that there are a few icons on there which are related to the voice command system. There is also an error log, which if you can read bits and bytes might mean something to you. The instructions for getting into this menu can be found at this link:

http://hybridcars.about.com/od/ownership/ss/navigation.htm . Basically, you go to the volume icon (under the nav menu button). When you are in the volume control screen, touch the top left and bottom left corners. Repeat this a second time. You will be presented with the service menu. One of those items says something about voice command.

That's the best I can think of unless your phone is stuck in the on position

Good luck.

I would go for the rx400h as well. Being an owner of the 330, which i love, i sometimes wished that i waited a year just to get the hybrid. Long term use benefits is obviously the gas money you save, but also in 2006, (this is from the lexus website itself) theres suppose to be an IRS tax deduction of up to 3K for california. Check your state as well. But the hybrid may also need more maintenance and probably cost a lot more is something happened to the battery etc. Either way both cars are great. I personally dont think that you can get much more off the OTD price because 3 K is a lot already. happy choosing.

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Actually, with the 8 yr 100,000 mile coverage on the battery, I don't believe that your maintenance costs will differ significantly from the 330. I would also venture to say that the 400's resale will be considerably better in the first 5 years. Thereafter the impending battery replacement may affect it's resale, though I would also think that the cost of battery placement will also drop dramatically in the next few years.

I know I filled up because the indicator was slightly past the full line when I started up the car.  Even if you're getting 15.2, thats still 2 extra gallons in the tank, approximately 50-60 miles left in your mileage. 

All other cars that I have owned, which measured miles till empty, would usually flash the light with 10-15 miles left. 

I'm thinking they still have the RX330 gas indicators in these cars, which would have about 30 miles left with 2 gallons remaining, which would warrant a flashing gas light.

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Every car I have owned began fuel warnings with 50 miles to go.

Jashev I did Two RX 330's yesterday one with XM one with Sirius I used the factory ES 330 kits. And what is funny I was just posting it in the RX330 section and I put in it that the only weird thing was that the display spelled out TAT instead of SAT and then I seen your post .

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Yup. It's pretty strange, but since I like three letter acronyms so much I gave it a name. It stands for Toyota Audio Technology (TAT) :whistles: .

Did you make changes in the radio wiring harness? Do you do this stuff for a living?

We notice the same thing others have notice regarding the gas mileage going down recently, most believe because of the cold.

We were consistently getting 27+ until recently.  That was with AC off.

Since winter our mileage has dropped into the 23 mph range or less.

Just noticed with “auto” climate off mileage jumps back to 27+. 

With “auto” climate switched on we notice we can barely keep the engine off.

With “auto” climate off we can keep engine off up to 40 mph like we were able to in the summer.

What give?

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I have noticed that the A/C light stays on as long as the system is set to auto climate. When you use the manual adjustment, you can shut the A/C down and that seems to help.

Follow this link to the MB site if you want to see how MB compares their ML to the RX. Pretty funny actually......

http://www.mbusa.com/models/comparisons/co...torTrimID=16824

To be clear, the Zube's Nov 17 2005, 10:52 AM post won't free up the NAV, and only the Bluetooth phone lockout?

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That is correct. Zube's wire cutting fix solves the phone issue, the NAV gets freed up from the hidden service screen.

I agree with the posts after my first one.  The service menu override only affects the NAV and not the Bluetooth phone.  The motion restriction on the NAV does not appear to be related to the phone somehow.

Zube's Nov 17 2005, 10:52 AM post explains why; the baby blue wire only sends VSS to the display to shut down the bluetooth keypad.

So if you want to dial the integrated phone and also use the NAV in motion, do you need to do both procedures??

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Yes

hi guys,just wondering,,does the xm work exactly like in the prius,do the voice commands work and do the all the stations show on the nav screen,,,does it require alot of taking apart?

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Unlke the prius, the rx400 radio controls are not integrated into the touch screen, but appear on a seperate digital display lower in the console. The voice commands do work with the unit, though personally I find the voice commands a waste of time. I find it easier to hit the channel or volume button myself.

I have a RX 400h on order and want to have xm radio, just wondering since it is not available factory as yet, what my options are. I am not too excited about having a Rhody hanging on my dash. Are there any built into the radio options out there and what is the approx cost? And who installs them?   

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I just noticed your question about installation. If you are at all handy the installation is a snap. If not, I would venture to say that any car audio place that knows it's stuff would have no problem at all installing the unit.

Regarding price, I think the unit is about $400. I got a better deal because I drove up to him and played guinea pig to see if his stuff worked okay so I don't know the exact price. His name is Jon August.

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The local Lexus dealer in Portland Or refered me to a guy who installs a xm with a small mounted screen not included in the Nav screen. Where is your screen is in incorporated in the Nav or radio screen? Does it have the capability for preselected buttons for preset stations? thanks Gerald

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Gerald,

My unit uses all the existing radio controls. I get 3 satellite bands with 6 presets available for each band. It works exactly like the fm or am tuner. In fact, you hit the am button to scroll through the satellite bands. This is a toyota manufactured satellite unit and is fully integrated into the car. The antenna is a small black square which is mounted behind my existing GPS antenna and is virtually invisible.

Hope that answers your questions.

I have a RX 400h on order and want to have xm radio, just wondering since it is not available factory as yet, what my options are. I am not too excited about having a Rhody hanging on my dash. Are there any built into the radio options out there and what is the approx cost? And who installs them?   

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I just noticed your question about installation. If you are at all handy the installation is a snap. If not, I would venture to say that any car audio place that knows it's stuff would have no problem at all installing the unit.

Regarding price, I think the unit is about $400. I got a better deal because I drove up to him and played guinea pig to see if his stuff worked okay so I don't know the exact price. His name is Jon August.