jashev

Here is a copy of the posting I made on the XM thread on Sept. 20th: Well guys, I went up to North Jersey today and played guinea pig for the prius xm folks' xm radio installation. The bottom line is, IT WORKS GREAT. It is completely integrated with my existing radio (no outside controllers, wires, etc.). As I scroll through the radio bands, I now have 3 satellite bands available for storing presets. This company was very cool and did a great job on the install so if you are in reasonable proximity to the Morristown, NJ area I would recommend that you let them do the install, though I must admit that if you are moderatly handy, this install will be a piece of cake. In addition to the XM install, they also tested their Sirius unit and it worked perfectly. I am extremely satisfied and it was much more reasonably priced than the VAIS unit. The control unit mounted easily under a rear storage tray near the hatch and running the cable through the car was a piece of cake. The satellite antenna was installed right behind the GPS antenna and you can hardly tell its there. Any questions, let me know. You can check this guy out at the following url's. http://www.priusxm.com/ http://www.siriusprius.com/ As a follow up, after three months, no problems, seamless integration with my existing RX400 stuff and no issues. If you go to this guy's website, he doesn't advertise the rx400 setup so send him an email and he will ship you his setup. The unit he installs is a toyota manufactured unit.

This will enable your navigation functions, however your phone will still be locked when you are in motion. I've used this for awhile. Zube's wire cutting solution took me all of 20 minutes and works perfectly and affects nothing else. Jon

Sorry it took so long to answer this. Your instructions for enabling the phone were absolultely perfect. The sat unit I installed came from this guy on the web who had been installing them in prius'. His url is http://www.factoryinteractive.com/. I went to his place in north jersey to install the unit since he had never put one in an rx400 before. The unit we installed had a toyota tag on it. I think the price for his kit was reasonable. He had to make up a wiring harness to be installed in line with the radio plugs. To access the sat channels, I just hit the band button and it scrolls through 3 sat bands. The only glitch is the display says "TAT1" instead of SAT1. Other than that it functions perfectly. If you want more info, I can try to get some numbers off the unit itself. Jon

Hey Zube.... You are a GOD!!!! It works great and took all of 20 minutes to do. Can't thank you enough. That phone was driving me crazy. With this, the service screen that allows you to overide the Navigation system motion restriction and my XM radio installed the car is finally where I want it to be. Thanks again....

← Ditto. Rear armrest was squeeking until it was placed in the down position.

This has no effect on any of the Nav functions? I thought that the speed sensor was required so the Nav unit can continue projecting your course if the GPS signal is blocked for a period of time (e.g. going through a tunnel). I assume you have already done this to your car. Have you had any problems with it? Along with the hidden access service screen which enables all the nav functions while in motion, this would seem to solve all those stupid issues.

Youch!! Is that the antenna on your windshield?? The unit I had installed uses a small 1 inch square antenna that went behind the GPS radio on the roof in the back. See my previous post for details.

Actually, my understanding is that the cold weather makes it more difficult for the batteries to maintain their charge and that they also discharge faster when a load is applied.

I have been hearing various stories about how long the RX400h can sit without being used. Since I drive a few different cars and we travel for weeks at a time during the summer, I was wondering if anyone had a fix on how long the car can sit without being used before the batteries are affected? Also, are there any preventive steps that you would take if you were going to park the car for say a month?

Well now what? Finding a new transmission for my '53 BelAir ragtop had been quite a task, but I had located one in Kenosha, WI. The owner still had it attached to the engine and would only sell the two of them together, so for $250 I had gotten a great deal. The cost of shipping the stuff back to New Jersey was four times what I had paid, so I figured on taking the drive out to Kenosha myself and bringing the stuff back. I stood in my driveway and looked at my '04 Diesel GMC Sierra pickup and back to the RX400. Now which one would I rather be driving for 14 hours each way? So I attached my small enclosed trailer (5X10) and headed out to Kenosha figuring this 1800 mile trip over three days would be a great test for the RX. The car ran flawlessly and I barely noticed the 1000 lb trailer behind me. Strong acceleration, good handling, good braking, etc. What I did find is that my mpg dropped dramatically. On the first leg of the journey, with no thought to fuel usage, I found myself running low after only 200 miles. Checking my mpg, I discovered that at 70 mph with the trailer attached I was getting 14.6 mpg (significantly less than my diesel gets). So given the fact that I had 14 hours ahead of me (and at least 4 fuel stops each way due to the tank size) I would play around with my speed and see what happens. I decided to bring my average speed down in 5 mph intervals and observe the gas mileage (at least it kept me awake). At 65 mph my mpg went to 16.7. At 60 mph it went to 19.5 and amazingly at 55 mph (though on these interstates you take your life in your hands going that slow) it rose to 23.4 mpg. I also found similar results with the additional 700 lbs of hardware in the trailer on the return trip. Of course the best mpg moments were while I was stuck in typical Chicago traffic and watched my mpg jump to 29. The conclusion is that if you want a nice comfortable towing ride, the RX is terrific. The abundance of available torque and hp makes it effortless for the car. You might just want to avoid long stretches with no gas stations since if you get much over 250 miles between fueling points, you ain't gonna make it. Just thought some might be curious.

To my knowledge, nobody has added radio functionality to the RX400h screens. That would require a serious software change. All of the units I have seen use the standard radio display as the satellite radio interface. As you will see in the message below, I helped the guy do the installation and it is actually a very simple solution which is minimally invasive to your car. Here is a copy of the posting I made on the XM thread on Sept. 20th: Well guys, I went up to North Jersey today and played guinea pig for the prius xm folks' xm radio installation. The bottom line is, IT WORKS GREAT. It is completely integrated with my existing radio (no outside controllers, wires, etc.). As I scroll through the radio bands, I now have 3 satellite bands available for storing presets. This company was very cool and did a great job on the install so if you are in reasonable proximity to the Morristown, NJ area I would recommend that you let them do the install, though I must admit that if you are moderatly handy, this install will be a piece of cake. In addition to the XM install, they also tested their Sirius unit and it worked perfectly. I am extremely satisfied and it was much more reasonably priced than the VAIS unit. The control unit mounted easily under a rear storage tray near the hatch and running the cable through the car was a piece of cake. The satellite antenna was installed right behind the GPS antenna and you can hardly tell its there. Any questions, let me know. You can check this guy out at the following url's. http://www.priusxm.com/ http://www.siriusprius.com/

Yes I do. ← If you don't mind me asking, how much do you tip? ← Generally $10, but the guy who has been bringing the car back has been running it through the car wash so I've been throwing him $15.

Sorry, but the web page messed up and I don't think my reply to this post was posted. Here it is: "Does anyone know where to find this bypass module?" ← The url for the Prius modification device is: http://www.coastaletech.com/nav_kit.htm Sounds like they have not started shipping it quite yet. No indication of whether it will work with the RX400h or not. If anybody buys one and gets it to work please post here and let us all know... ← I gave these guys a call and after a number of minutes ringing the phone, they finally answered and acted quite annoyed that I would bother them with such a question as to whether this will work on an RX400h. The conversation went as follows: "Did you check the website?" "Well yes but with new products websites aren't always updated in a timely manner." "If it's not on the website we don't make it." "Are you working on one or planning to work on one?" "Yes, we're working on it." "Well could I give you my email address so you can notify me when it is ready to be sold?" "No. It'll be on the website." click..... There you go. Customer service at it's best.

Yes I do.

Hi from the UK:) I can't understand the problem. My 400h is 3 weeks old and I aam averaging 35 Miles per UK gallon when driving like my granny at around 40-45 mph. When I criused between 55 - 60 and towing a car trailer with a medium load for 70 miles I got 29.5 mpg UK. I can easily get 33 -34 mpg (uk) when driving normally, mixed highway and town ! Maybe it is the weather! It is Autmn here now and I use the cheapest unleaded petrol :) I am very pleased with it and it accelerates like a rocket when required (not very often!) BR. Billy ← Update from the UK: My workplace is 11 miles away on a country road withh very light traffic in North Yorkshire, which varies a lot in uphill and down hill gradients. It is somewhat lower (ASL) than my home. Today I drove very carefully both ways averaging 30 mph from 20 thru 30 even occasional 40 mph. The outward 11 miles gave an average of 52.1 MPG !!! :) But the return trip of 12 miles ( I had to call for petrol) reduced it to 40.5 and the maneuvefring/ reversing for 5 mins or so in parking in the gargae reduced it to 39.5 mpg(UK). I am very pleased with that :) BR. Billy ← I assume we are referring to Imperial Gallons here :) .

Having tried mid-grade in my last fill up I have noticed the same thing. First I am gaining a little over 1 mpg (which I believe when you factor in the increased cost of gas still may be a losing proposition), but I have noticed that the ICE starts are much more noticable. I agree that you are not imagining this. I will also try a second tank and see if it makes a difference, but the way I see it now, there is no compelling reason to use any higher grade than regular in the car.

When you tested the Sirius unit, was it their standard Prius package, or were the connectors modified for the 400h? Thanks! ← They had to make some changes to their Prius wiring harness, but they were minor.

Well guys, I went up to North Jersey today and played guinea pig for the prius xm folks' xm radio installation. The bottom line is, IT WORKS GREAT. It is completely integrated with my existing radio (no outside controllers, wires, etc.). As I scroll through the radio bands, I now have 3 satellite bands available for storing presets. This company was very cool and did a great job on the install so if you are in reasonable proximity to the Morristown, NJ area I would recommend that you let them do the install, though I must admit that if you are moderatly handy, this install will be a piece of cake. In addition to the XM install, they also tested their Sirius unit and it worked perfectly. I am extremely satisfied and it was much more reasonably priced than the VAIS unit. The control unit mounted easily under a rear storage tray near the hatch and running the cable through the car was a piece of cake. The satellite antenna was installed right behind the GPS antenna and you can hardly tell its there. Any questions, let me know. You can check this guy out at the following url's. http://www.priusxm.com/ http://www.siriusprius.com/

Actually, according to Car & Driver, the RX400h out-accelerates even the 8-cylinder BMW X5 [6.9 seconds(RX400h) vs 7.1 seconds(X5)] and trounces it in fuel mileage (the X5 achieves only 16/22 EPA numbers). Also, as you noticed, the RX400h has a smoother, more comfortable ride. From what I've experienced, most women prefer the smoother ride over ultimate handling. We weighed fuel mileage and reliability (the Lexus RXs are Consumer Reports top picks) over handling for our SUV purchasing decision and with gas prices soaring beyond what anyone had expected even last year, we're happy we made this decision. Still, if everyone thought the way we do........... ← Like everything else in life it always depends on who you ask. At the end of this posting are the URL's for two articles (one on the X5, the other on the RX400). Based on these guys the Lexus does 0-60 in 7.2 seconds, the X5 in 7.1. I would, however comment that when you get down to tenths of a second, it no longer becomes a mechanical issue but one of how good the driver is. We live in a fairly rural area and the X5 gets about 19 mpg around here (on premium fuel). But when you buy a BMW with a big V8, you're not really counting mpg, are you? Before the X5, my wife was driving a BMW 750 with a V12. She still tells me that she misses the great top end that the V12 had as compared with the 4.4 (she really knows how to push a vehicle ;). There isn't a BMW I have owned over the years (and I've had quite a few) that I could honestly say I bought because of it's practical advantages. The darn cars are just way too much fun to drive. The economy may be marginal, the backseat to small (or in my Z8's case, non-existent) or any of a number of issues, but there is nothing to compare with firing one up on a clear day, hearing the perfectly tuned exhaust rumble, and pushing the car's limits on some back road somewhere. In the meantime, as I leave the house, I will pat my Z8 on the back as I get into the RX400h for a drive into town. That should say it all :) . http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/suvs/0203_bmw_x5_44i/ http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/suvs/0503_lexus_rx400h/

I've been in touch with these guys. They haven't tested their prius system in the RX400h yet so I am about to be their guinea pig. I figured what the heck, they are in New Jersey also about an hour or so away from me and if it works, I get an integrated XM radio system. If it doesn't, skyfi here I come. I will post after this experiment to let you guys know how it all turns out.

I have also noticed a slight surge on the highway, however it is so slight, I can't tell whether it may be my foot on the gas pedal as the vehicle hits a rut or two. It doesn't appear to happen when cruise control is engaged, so I am thinking that the gas pedal may just a tad too sensitive. ← Jashev, so how would you compare the 400h and your X5? ← Great question. My wife and I stopped into the Lexus dealer on an impulse one night when we were out for dinner. I had done some research on the RX400h and wanted to check them out. I loved the feel of the car and bought one on the spot trading in my '04 Audi A8L. I was ready to buy two (one for the missus) however she wanted to try it for a week before making her decison (the X5 is really her car). Well guess what? She drove the Lexus for a week and said there was no way she would give up her X5. It might end up really costing me because now she wants a new X5 :P . In a nutshell, if you want a real high performance vehicle, I have to lean towards the X5. Acceleration and handling both go to the X5. I would also say that the X5 has the best AWD system I have ever seen bar none. BMW always cheats towards the rear wheel drive part of things and I like that feel better than the uncomfortable torque steering effect in the Lexus. If you stomp on the X5 it will seamlessly transfer up to 90% of the vehicles power to the rear wheels and you never feel a thing. In fact, the X5 will also transfer up to 75% of the cars power to a single wheel if the situation demands it. It's absolutely surefooted in the worst winter road conditions. That said, I personally think the X5's steering and ride are too stiff for me. I find the Lexus much more comfortable to drive in a leisurly manner. If I want performance, I also have a BMW Z8 which is more than I could ever want. For day to day driving, the Lexus has proven itself to be reliable and economical. An imminently practical vehicle.

With the price of natural gas this would not turn out to be a great advantage. The real advantage to using natural gas was emissions which is why there were so many experiments with CNG in urban areas. It doesn't burn any more efficiently than gasoline and in my experience (though this was a number of years ago working for a public gas utility in NYC) actually got worse mileage.

I have rarely seen the ICE come on just to charge the battery at a stop light. Generally the coasting and braking before the light has already given the battery an adequate charge. Your ICE however, will ALWAYS run whenever the A/C compressor is operating.

Hi Guys, I have been looking at DVD headrest systems for my RX400h. I am aware of the Invision system (which was offered by the dealer for $2300+). In doing some research, I have found a source for the invision at $1700. I have also found the Vizualogic system which can be purchased for about $1500, however they only list the RX330 as a compatible model. My question is twofold: 1. Has anybody had experiences with either of these systems? 2. Will a headrest from an RX330 fit an RX400? Thanks in advance.

I have also noticed a slight surge on the highway, however it is so slight, I can't tell whether it may be my foot on the gas pedal as the vehicle hits a rut or two. It doesn't appear to happen when cruise control is engaged, so I am thinking that the gas pedal may just a tad too sensitive.