RXREY

Oh no, I never take offense, everyone is always nice and respectful so that's the way that I take things. Most people don't know what the other RXes look like so they think everything's the way the car is. The DVD is low so that I can listen to a Seinfeld episode or anything that I can listen to without really watching. It is placed in the glove box more often than not since I don't really commute much. I don't have kids and rarely have anyone in the back seats so I didn't need a system in the back. I load up the back for when I teach anatomy, yes, filled with skulls and such, so the seats are often down. The two tone reads as different wood colors but it is in fact only two, as I planned since I bought two sets of wood, and does look good in person. I was really mad that I didn't have the option for wood when I bought my car. Yes, busy with emblems...I tend to over adorn but it makes me smile and that's what I aim for in life. Thanks for the input. Warmly, Rey

Yes Dave, thanks, and I did try but with no luck. It keeps finding the old image and putting it back. It's irritating. I'll keep trying different things. It's not that big of a deal in the scheme of things and no reason this should make the evening news but it's the little things that get under our skin....paper cuts, burnt bacon...but like those things, it's a matter of proper perspective and it's all OK. If this is the worst thing in my life right now...we should all be so lucky! Warmly, Rey

I have been trying ever since I changed the look of my 400h to change the personal picture that accompanies my posts but after following the seemingly simple step by step instructions nothing seems to change the current picture that you see with this post on the left. Any suggestions? I made sure it was the right size as I did with the current profile picture so I'm at a loss as to what more that I can do. As you can see, the current picture of my car is now very different and I would like to change it so suit. Rey

Lets see who at this point comes up with the most miles put on their RX 400h and what the impressions are after putting it to the test. I only put 10K a year on my 2006 that I bought new in Jan. 2006, so mine feels better than new right now. It has settled and smoothed out really nicely and I love it after a little over two years at this point of having it. Nifty new tires helped but I think it just rides even better than when I got it over all. I found out where a couple of the irritating rattles were very early on and conditioning the leather helped with the little friction sounds that the leather made when rubbing against itself... seat to seat mainly. But as I said, I have low miles on it, about 22k so I'm curious with the impressions of someone with...oh, maybe 80K? 90? Just curious, Rey

I've seen the wood steering wheels on Ebay, but WOW ... they get a pretty penny for 'em. I can hear my wife, "YOU PAID WHAT?". I'll have to wait for the steering wheel fairie to drop one off :P Yes, I found a wooden steering wheel, gorgeous, for about 300 bucks...oh, I'm not married...that's why I could buy it! Rey

What's the MPGs on the GS? Anyway, the rattle that I initially thought would drive me crazy when I bought my 400h was the little release tabs for the privacy screen by the hatch. They are supposed to be pushed in when you don't have the screen on. Easy fix. The other was that the backs of the seats have a backing that needs to be loose to not make noise so I keep the back seats forward when no one is sitting back there. So I never have ANY rattles. My roof rack NEVER rattled but since I didn't like it, I took it off. Just buy a different car if it's not what you want. That too is an easy fix. I love the RX 400h and I am planning on having it ten years more, I've had it over two years now and am nuts about it! Life's too short, be happy. Having money in the bank is a relatively new thing for me so I've never had a luxury car before so I guess it's all relative. I thought all cars rattled! They are machines after all. But, I understand your frustration, I didn't like that my 50k car rattled! For that kind of money I didn't like that at all. But I'm tenacious and I found what the rattle was and it turned out to be nothing...even the dealership didn't fix it, I did. They didn't know what it was. I drove with the hatch open and I noticed no rattle...so that's what told me it was the little tabs in the hatch area hitting the closed hatch. Anyway, I hope you'll have resolution soon. I haven't had any of the issues with batteries or anything. The one major irritant was the terrible Good Year tires that only lasted 11K miles! But even that was a blessing in that I got my amazing, and larger, TOYO tires and now the car rides even better and looks better as well. Anyway, as I said, I wish you well and hope all is resolved. Here's to peace of mind. Warmly, Rey

Yes, Dave, it is fun for me. I used to have a PT Cruiser and that was dubbed the "Mr. Poatatohead Car" because of all of the mods that were possible and available. I remember that was the case with the VW Bug....the RX 400h is a little trickier to do and it's not for the faint of heart. The car is elegant and for me, expensive, so I was really careful not to mess anything up. It may not be for everyone, but then...it's MY CAR! And now it really looks like my car and no one else's RX. I know I keep getting really nice comments. Some people already have asked if it's the 2009 model that I got way in advance! Actually the 09 won't look as good as mine,hehee.... To each his own and I just wanted to let others see what they might want,not want,or simply take a peek at my car and what I did. I know it would have been easier for me to have images to have seen to guide me so maybe it may help someone out there. It's the great part of being a part of a club like this, ey? Take care Dave and all of my Lexer friends. Rey in L.A.

OK, here it goes...since I can never leave my cars alone and unadorned....here's the lowdown: New front lip with wire mesh. Details and price on my post titled "New Front Lip" Took off the (to me ugly) roof rack Toyo Proxes 255/55 18" tires...amazing tires! added the wood trim not available in '06. I got two sets to make my nifty interior two toned! Looks great. I also felt that the space between the console and the dash, the movable area, was perfect for a DVD player. I made a stand for it that pulls in and disappears and the DVD gets thrown into the glove box when not in use. Pretty nifty! Wooden Steering wheel and shift knob, found on eBay. Chrome nerf bars (side, running bars), also found on eBay Chrome trim, very easy to add and accented the back hatch and rear bumper and on the front where the new lip joined the old bumper...LOOKS amazing. I have more "HYBRID" emblems than three cars put together... one ,chrome on chrome on the rear trim. Two on the sides along with the Hybrid Synergy Drive logos, one below the 400h on the rear and one more on the front license plate frame, also chrome on chrome...I love chrome on chrome! I hope this helps and if anything, I really have a great time accessorizing my "Princess"! Happy trails, Rey Bustos, happy Lexus owner in L.A.

OK, Now that starts to make a little sense. I have a (highly) modified 94 Mazda Miata with a supercharger that I installed and am quite aware of the value of the boost gauge. Come to think about it if I stomp on the RX400h the power meter does seem to respond in much the same way as the boost gauge I installed on the Miata does. This tells me that the electric motors may be contributing quite a bit of power/torque under heavy acceleration. It certianly feels that way. Unfortunately the owners manual doesn't help you to understand that. /Steve if you like to see some more information like engine revs. engine temp, charging voltage (for the 12V System), exact speed of car.... and some more you can use the SCANGAGE II. it works great in the RX400h. have a look here Scangage II Wow, Scangage looks pretty interesting...does it plug into the cigarette lighter or the other plug under the dash?

Yes, it's true, on the new Lexus hybrids there will now be the "L" in a field of blue. It's nice because it's all encased in clear plastic. I believe the front "L" is as well. Rey

It's not perfect but I added the chrome trim to blend the two together. The mesh come with the lip and I didn't think I would like it so I put it aside for a while. I placed it under there just to see how I might like it and I was pleasantly surprised and decided to put it on. It was easy and the screw holes are already on the back of the piece. With a good body shop let them know that it needs to placed just right since the fitment is a little off. Not bad and I made it look great on my own but I am pretty handy. Color matching should be easy and mine is perfect. They not only took down the color code but even took off the front cover to the headlight squirter to make sure that it matched perfectly. I am really happy with it but remember that all in all it cost about $1000. The $149 for the part was great but it's all of the other stuff that runs it up. Let me know what your body shop charges and how they do. After that you might want to add the chrome trim, which you get at any car shop like Pep Boys. I think that you can see it on the picture that I have here. Good luck and let us know all the details. I think more people will do this. It looks GREAT and it makes my car unique from the other RXes around my area. I live in a really nice area so there are many luxury cars and many RXes so I like standing out! Rey

I know I have this on my post "New Front Lip"..but just in case anyone wants to see the new front end that i put together, here it is. It is really nice and looks great in person. Rey Bustos

You are right, in that our 400h's aint much for running up the dunes at Glamis or Pismo. And not necessary for most L.A. county driving. But on iced over roads? That little extra bit of traction, coupled with a set of 4 studded tires (illegal in many states) can be the difference between making it up a steep driveway or not. You know what they say though. The difference between a 4x4 versus a 2x4 with a positraction rear end: The 4x4 will let you get stuck 50 yards farther away. :P El Gringo . . . nice pic's !! The Wood Trim wasn't available in '06 and no way do I want to have to replace the steering wheel ... air bag and all. Wish we had it though. I did replace the steering wheel, it was really easy for my mechanic to do. You keep your airbag, the steering wheel is separate! It makes a huge difference and when I had a loaner RX 350 I LOVED the feel of the wooden steering wheel and was mad that it wasn't offered in my '06, so I found one on eBay. It had the wood trim as well so I got the aftermarket kit, even though it's not like the factory trim, it actually looks great. I bought two sets so that I did it in two tones, dark wood and light wood, like a chessboard, and it looks amazing! I also found the wood shifter to top it all off. Rey

I found them pretty easily on eBay. I accidentally bid on two and had to buy both so I'm giving a pair away to a LexusClub member. I mentioned this last year and finally took me up on getting free running boards. They are actually called NERF BARS so when you look for them on ebay, use that term. Happy hunting. You can find them for about $300, I got one used pair, the ones I'm giving away, for about $200. At the dealership they are $900! It takes about an hour to put on so when you get them, do it yourself. Rey

Other than what's on the first page that I started with this post... I don't know how much more I can tell you. I took a few pictures but it's still not easy to explain. It's been a long time since I did it but I lifted the corner piece, revealing the yellow fastener and then I pulled it up to release the corner piece. It was hard and I thought that I was going to break something but I was determined to take that thing off. I hated the look of it. I saw an RX from Europe without it and wondered why they put it on at all! No one that I have ever seen loads stuff up there....anyway, there's a screw at each corner and voila, it was eventually off. Not for the squeemish! I really had to wrestle with each corner. No regrets, it's off and the car looks clean and sleek now without the roof rack. Rey

I had to actually look up "Avatar"! Thanks, I'm pretty jazzed. Right now I took off the tape so it's got the bars showing, or "teeth" as "RX400h" called them.

Thanks! So what do YOU think? Hmm? Bars?, no bars? Chime in. I took off the tape today so today I have the bars showing. If you saw the car in person, it actually looks pretty good with the vertical bars. But I can go either way, thus the confusion. Rey

rgray, Yeah, I think you're right...I have black tape over them so that I can live with it this way for a day or two...yes, I like the blacked out view....I think...Oy Vey! Thanks for the input, Rey

Well, here it is! Look at my post entitled "new front lip" and see the itemized list. The car is transformed and I love it! But please be aware that if you look at this lip and the one that is on page one of this thread you'll see that they ARE DIFFERENT. I actually like the one that's on my car a little better than the one in the ad, but please be aware of that fact. Mine also came with four vertical thin bars that were in the large center air scoop which I blacked out,which is why you can't see them in this picture. Rey

Well, here it is...ta-da! It looks great and I am pretty happy with it. OK here's the run down: Front Lip,found on eBay, direct from Japan, It took two weeks to have it shipped. $149 for the part, it was already primed but needed some more work as it had some rough areas. It also came folded in three sections! It wasn't shipped in a box, it was folded in two areas, right above where you see the two smaller air vents. The piece stayed folded but in a few hours sitting on my balcony, it straightened out! by morning you would not have known that it had been folded... isn't that wild? Anyway, as I said: The part itself, $149 shipping, $99 prepping, painting and installation by a good body shop that guarantees it's work and color matches exactly, $700 total $948 I found one place that would have done it for under $400 but they would have had to keep my car for three days and I didn't get a good feeling about them. The place that I went with did great work from what I saw, and they guaranteed their work. I hope this helps some of you...it's interesting at the least! Oh, and the lip IS DIFFERENT than the one on the ad! The one that you see here on my car also had four vertical thin bars for support which I blacked out. It actually looks good with them. I used wide black electrical tape to see which way I like it best. You are looking at the blacked out version here. I did the same with the factory bumper air scoop as well if you look closely you can't see the horizontal bars that go across the 400h's air scoop...see? Anyway, it is all so much fun,isn't it? OK, I just added the picture that I took before I blacked out the vertical bars... what do you think? Bars?, no bars? Rey Bustos in L.A. OK, one more addition!...as of today, Feb 23rd, I added the mesh screen to the larger center air vent and decided that the bars looked great with the mesh. I love it this way. I also added the chrome trim along the seam that connected the new lip to the old bumper. I hope that you can see this. I have already gotten some great comments from the locals! I am also including a picture of the after market wood trim, actually two sets so as to have it two toned, and the steering wheel and wooden shifter that I found on eBay. Rey

I will go along with what you guys are saying. I just took the original post literally and it didn't sound right. I didn't know that there were issues with certain members and felt that I might have been the one that was coming off strong or dismissive or even negative. Anyway, yes, lets wait and see what happens at this point regarding the steering issue and by all means, lets all be civil and respectful of one another...darnit! Warmly... and respectfully, Rey

Thanks for the response guys. It was both my keys as I said, and that's what made it a concern. It was weird because earlier the key wouldn't even fit as if I was in the wrong car! it was like a Twilight Zone episode...doodidooda-doodidooda.... OK, here's the end of the story and sorry if I made it so that you would have a hard time sleeping tonight wondering my fate...It's OK now! I later went out to my car, pushed the button, bing-bing....doors unlock, bing-bing...hatch opens...weird.... Everything works fine now! The Lexus guys told me it was weird to them also but to bring it in but now it all seems fine and as if NOTHING happened. Sorry for the scare, we can all go back in our homes, emergency is over and all is well in the land of Rey. Thanks for the quick response. I knew it wasn't the battery when I took my spare key and the same thing happened. I still don't know what it was, passing asteroid?... but I am just going to pretend it never happened. I get my front end customized tomorrow... pictures to follow..... Rey

Thanks, I decided I don't want to mess with the nice ride and just leave it the height that it is. With the slightly larger tires the car looks really good now. But keep leaving suggestions for others! I got my front lip and am going to have it put on soon so keep looking for me to post pictures of my new front end! Rey

Yes! I got it yesterday and it's in the shop now. I will have it all done by tomorrow and will be posting pictures soon! So keep your fingers crossed and hopefully it'll look great. I'll give you the itemized list, total price and all that jazz. I have seen the front lip pictured above but felt it would hit too many moderately sloped driveways. The one that I got looks ,to me, more like the way Lexus would have done it...if they took more time designing the exteriors that is. It's closer to hugging the same contour so that there won't be any issue with drive ways or too much additional drag if any. There are vertical cross bars though that aren't in the picture! They look cool but I just don't like it when I get something that isn't exactly like the picture in the ad. That's why I am glad to be the guinea pig and let all of you decide if it's something you might want to do. I don't mind. That's what these forums are great for! Rey