davetroup

The first couple of times it was the Lexus battery but since then it's been third party brands. The last couple have been Kirkland arteries from Costco. I did buy a trickle charger and that helps - but surely a new battery should last more than a couple of months. And even though I may only drive it 2-4x/week, they are long enough drives that the battery should get well charged. And the trickle charger only helps when I'm at home. Back in November it died on me after parking at the airport for two days even though it had been fully charged on trickle charger the day I left. I don't really understand the charging system on this car, there's no alternator and I guess it gets recharged through the hybrid system somehow, I fear that means a lot of expense and labor if I go to the dealer for diagnosis as its so complex. Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.

I have a 2006 RX400h which I bought new. I drive it regularly, but I don't commute in it and so it doesn't accumulate huge mileage (35,000 or so at this point.) Occasionally it will sit in the garage for a week without being driven, but that's fairly rare. The only real problem I've had with this car is the 12V battery. I'm probably on my fifth battery, they just don't last. In early November I replaced a year-old battery (got a free replacement under warranty) and today I discovered the new battery was nearly dead (didn't have enough juice to start the car.) I have heard that the '06 hybrid has an undersized 12V battery, and my experience bears that out. But this latest situation, with the battery dead after only two months, makes me wonder if I have a charging system problem. Anybody else having this problem? Any ideas?

The Yakima Kingpin 2 (or maybe 4) is what I have been leaning toward. It looks well designed and made. I've never seen anyone use the roof-mount on a 400h or RX330, and I'm wondering if everyone decides the same thing... that it's just too hard to get the bikes on and off. I think I'd end up damaging the paint on the roof or doors... but I'll wait a few days for more responses, maybe somebody has done it and it's not as bad as I fear.

I need to add some sort of bicycle-hauling capability to my 2006 RX400h. The options are basically the Lexus-branded solution that goes on the roof racks (seems to be two different parts you need to buy, the bike rack and the "bicycle rack adapter" or something like that) or a third-party solution that attaches to the trailer hitch. I'm wondering what people have found to be the best solution. My first cut at the pros and cons: Lexus Roof Rack: PROS: Cheaper, don't have to buy hitch hardware Somewhat less obtrustive CONS: Harder to load bikes (gotta lift them way up on top of the vehicle) More drag/noise/wind resistance Can't pull into garage with bike(s) on top Third party (Yakima?) hitch mount: PROS: Convenient bike loading Minimal extra drag/noise Can park in garage with bikes attached CONS: Expensive ($300+ for hitch alone, plus cost of bike rack) Kinda ugly hanging off the back Somewhat inconvenient for back hatch access (though most swing down or away) Other comments? I'm leaning toward the third-party hitch mount option, but I'm interested in what others have done and how satisfied they've been.

I learned the hard way that you really have to be careful about accessories left plugged in. The power outlet down below dash, near the "tray" almost at foot level goes off when you turn off the ignition. But the socket up higher on the dash, near the radio, etc. is powered all the time. I left my cell phone charger plugged in to the "always on" socket, without realizing that it was always on. No phone was connected to the charger, but it apparently still draws some power. Then I went out of town for a week. When I got back, the battery was dead as a doornail. Had to call and get jumped. I've just learned that there's a service procedure that needs to be performed after a jump start, which probably explains part of why my mileage has been lousy since then.

I've been getting between 23 and 24 mpg, but I live in San Francisco and so I traverse a lot of hills. On longer freeway trips it seems to average around 25. My biggest gripe is that it's basically impossible to use the full potential of the hybrid system. I'd like to be able to drive around town (on flat terrain, at least) and rely almost exclusively on the electric motors. But the acceleration is so painfully slow until the gas engine kicks in that other cars have actually honked at me in impatience. I finally have given up on trying to drive economically and I just drive. Of course, this makes the mileage even worse. I really like the car, and I've put a couple thousand miles on it at this point, but I do feel that Lexus sold people a bill of goods on the mileage claims. Having said that, I'm sure the mileage is much better than a comparable non-hybrid SUV, which is what attracted me to it.