Gryphon

I have a new in plastic 2006 RX400h Owner's Manual that I do not need. I'll ship it post-paid for $10. Perhaps a spare reference copy for the office? Tom

Skyfish, I watch Costco's technique, which involves nothing more than removing the valve stem, letting the air out until it's flat, reinstalling the valve stem, and fillng with nitrogen. No purging at all. FYI, the Discount Tire's stores in Arizona evaluated nitrogen and rejected it for various reasons, icluding cost and the added work load of customers coming back every time they need nitrogen added (or checked). Tom

Bump...... No one has had to jump start a RX400h? Ever? Tom

Jim, I tried the Costco nitrogen thing on two RX400h's and my Porsche 968. All lost about 4 psi over two months. Given the inconvenience of going back to Costco to have them topped off, requiring about a one hour wait, I dumped the nitrogen and refilled them all with good old air. I can once again check and adjust my tired pressures with nothing more than pulling down my air hose from the garage ceiling. Tom

Spacers also put additional load on wheel bearings. Tom

Better not ever need to repair one of these out of warranty. It'll cost the equivalent of a summer home. Tom

Just teasing, RX330driver. Nice day. Tom

I'm looking for a reputable plastic chromer. Any ideas? Tom

Surely that practice is confined to RX330 drivers and not hybrids. Tom

Thanks for the responses, guys. I normally check my spare tire pressures about twice per year and inflate them to the maximum allowed on the tire. I agree that it's unlikely to have a flat tire, but it has happened to me a few times over the years. I also take my Lexus to rural areas to inspect real estate so don't always expect roadside assistance to be reachable or prompt. I may investigate an extension hose, similar to those truckers use, so I can check the pressure without dropping the tire. Tom

I was a good boy today and faithfully checked the tire pressures in my RX400h. But the spare puzzles me. Do I really need to remove the spare tire to check pressure? If so, what a worthless design. I'd rather not have a flat and try to replace it with another flat. Tom

I suspect that some automobile manufacturers do prevent parts diagrams from being made available to the public. I have found that some motorcycle diagrams are conspicuously missing while others are easy to find. Tom

I have a 1991 LS400 that downshifts from 4th gear to 2nd gear when the headlight are turned on. I can't afford the diagnostic charges so only drive it during the day. Tom

Laura. Formula matching is not a good idea on a 12 year old vehicle. Scanning the paint is the right way and the method that any decent paint shop should/would use. Tom

I patronize Discount Tire in my area exclusively. They have treated me very well for years, and they will match internet prices. Tom

Soooooo, how's the weather in New Jersey? :) Tom

Mine lasted about 500 miles before I yanked it out--lousy fit and design. Tom

DCFISH, can you show me the link to owner's manuals on the Lexus site? I'd like to look for a 2007 manual. Tom

I left the dome light on all night a last week and found a dead battery the next afternoon. I tried the usual jump-starging procedure I've used on may cars and had no success. The facts: A. The "good" battery was fully charged. B. The "good" vehicle was running at about 2000 RPMs. C. My jumper cables are high quality and clean. I first used the normal positive-to positive and negative-to-Lexus ground and got nothing--no sound, no clicking, no start. (I did later notice that the recommended ground point appears to be painted which may have given me a poor ground.) I then tried a positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative (battery to battery), again with no result. Is it remotely possible that the Lexus is "smart enough" to know that this is not a recommended connection and disables the starter somehow? Eventually I charged the vehicle with a conventional charger and it now runs fine. The problem is, I'd like to know that I can successfully jump start the vehicle away from home should I need to. What can I be missing on an extremely basic procedure? FYI, the Lexus service writer and the "experienced senior tech" he consulted had no advice. Tom

bump... DCFISH, are you still around? Tom

That is really tacky.!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the Kelley Blue Book on the car is: $30,800 wholesale $36,700 retail I'll take it you don't. Tom

Do future customers a favor and report this to Lexus Corporate. Tom

Here's the reason that the Mexican government makes no effort to control illegal immigration into the USA: $60 billion dollars are earned by illegal aliens in the U.S. each year. One of Mexico's largest revenue streams (after exports and oil sales) consists of money sent home by legal immigrants and illegal aliens working in the U.S. Economists say this will help Mexico reduce its $17.8 billion defecit and may bolster the peso. $10 billion dollars (as of 2003) are sent back to Mexico annually, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, reported in an Associated Press article, up $800 million from the previous year. ($9 billion dollars were previously sent back annually, according to a September 25, 2002 NPR report). That figure equals what Mexico earns annually from tourism. This is a massive transfer of wealth from America - essentially from America's displaced working poor - to Mexico.

I suspect that the tires may be sized a bit on the small side to enhance fuel economy (at the expense of handling). Tom