Jim Clark

I have a new '08 RX400h. I'm thinking of installing the Eibach Pro Kit springs. There were some older threads in 300/330 sections. Anyone done it on a 07-08? Please provide as much detail about ride and handling as possible. Pictures would be great. I don't want to put something too stiff on there.

I have a 12 year old opener that is not Homelink. I was able to get our '08 RX400h to work. When the salesman was briefing me on the car's functions, he pointed out the three opener buttons. I told him I didn't have a Homelink opener and he said it didn't matter and that it would work with virtually ANY remote. He was right. Then I decided to try it in my BMW which I had for over two years and, sure enough, worked there too, DOH! Follow the instructions carefully and try again, bet it will work. If your opener is a rolling code one, you might have push a button on the opener at some point during programming, check the manual for your opener. If you don't have the manual, you can probably download from the manufacturers website.

Nick: Thanks for doing that little bit of research for us. As I stated in an earlier, I seriously doubted Lexus would eliminate the mechanical link from the steering wheel to the rack, it would be too risky, the potential for total loss of steering or reversed steering could have dire consequences.

From the Detailed Specifications section on the Lexus RX400h website: Steering Electronic vehicle-speed-sensing, power-assisted rack-and-pinion Then when you click on rack-and-pinion you get the following pop-up: Rack-and-pinion steering A steering system that uses a pinion gear at the end of the steering column to move a horizontal rack, which steers the wheels. All Lexus passenger cars use this type of steering because it provides good road feedback. I thought I had read somewhere that the 400 steering was electrical and did not have a traditional steering column. As I think about it, it would be REALLY dumb to introduce ANY risk of losing steering ability even with a total electrical failure in the car. The steering is electronic speed sensing which makes the steering "stiffer" the faster you go. Our last Audi had that same feature but the Lexus is not as pronounced as the Audi was.

exactly, I use mobil 1 fully synthetic 10-W30 and the highest quality oil filters on my supra, and I change the oil every 2000 miles!!! 13k? thats ridiclious, unless your looking to ruin your engine. Then again, your engine doesn't make over 150 hp/liter If you're changing the oil with full synthetic every 2k miles, you're just wasting money. You can easily go 6-10k with Mobil 1. I use Amsoil in my Bimmer and go 10k. An Amsoil dealer told me I was wasting money doing it every 10k. you obviously have no idea how a turbocharged car works. My turbo's only protection against seizure is oil, so im going to change my oil as often as possible. besides I run insane amount of boost that doesn't really help either,. I've owned a turbocharged car and understand quite well how they work. The most important thing for your turbos is to make sure the oil supply and return lines are sufficient to put as much oil as possible through the turbos. More oil equals lower temps coming out of the turbos. Audis had problems with burning up turbos because the return line was too small and could become clogged because the oil coming out of the turbos was too hot. If your turbocharged system is adequately designed, you can easily go 6k with a good full synthetic.

exactly, I use mobil 1 fully synthetic 10-W30 and the highest quality oil filters on my supra, and I change the oil every 2000 miles!!! 13k? thats ridiclious, unless your looking to ruin your engine. Then again, your engine doesn't make over 150 hp/liter If you're changing the oil with full synthetic every 2k miles, you're just wasting money. You can easily go 6-10k with Mobil 1. I use Amsoil in my Bimmer and go 10k. An Amsoil dealer told me I was wasting money doing it every 10k.

When I first read this thread, I thought the cause could be the elephant ear mirrors. It's the wifes car and I don't drive it much, I'll listen more carefully when I drive it in the future.

One week? WTF? I guess any charger that will automatically "maintain" the charge, one that recognizes when full charge is reached and then just keeps it there. I think I might be a little nervous about leaving a charger hooked up while I went away. Even if it is an automatic one that supposedly can not overcharge.

I dont know why but the Matador Red looks off in some pictures, I think this is a better representation of the color. only too bad it wasnt a littel brighter the day I took the picture. That is a better representation of the color than my pic. As I said, the bright sun the day I took the pic made it look brighter than it actually is.

If you want a wagon with the best AWD system, then it's Audi, the Quattro system beats everything else hands down, it handles well and has reasonable power. If you want the best driving experience, with a smooth power curve and great handling, then it's BMW, apparently their AWD system is pretty good. If you want the most room, reasonable power and handling, and an OK AWD system, it's the Benz. If I were choosing between them I'd probably go with the Bimmer, I love the way my 330Ci convertible drives. Your average mileage with any of them will fall way short of the RX.

Nope. After having lived with it for a year, I wouldn't buy it again. Sure it's reliable (or so RX400h tells me- mine's been in the shop more than my wife's MBZ), and sure it's a hybrid. However, it's many shortcomings now outweigh those benefits. If I had to do it again I'd definitely buy something else. What problems have you had and what shortcomings are there? Most of what I've found through research is that they're very reliable. The biggest shortcoming I can identify is the useless AWD system. These are really FWD cars with occasional rear wheel assist. From what I've read, the whole hybrid system basically shuts down if it encounters slippery conditions it doesn't like, particularly deep snow. Previously, we had Audi wagons that have one of he best AWD systems on the planet. My '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee also has an excellent AWD system.

We've only had it a few months but so far we love it. We probably would not have spent the extra money on the hybrid except that the wife gets to use the HOV lanes. Saves a LOT of commuting time.

Regarding the steering wheel, I seriously doubt there's any way to modify it.

When we looked on the website before we bought, I thought I'd like the Brandywine best. When I got to the dealer and saw both in person, it was the Matador Red hands down. The Brandywine is a deep red burgundy with a brownish hue. The brownish hue is what I didn't like.

If the other Samsungs work, the 737 should also work. Does Costco have a booth with demo models? Just ask to take one to the car to verify compatibility.

Wow! That is nice. It's hard for me to distinguish color from pictures. Is yours different from the Matador red MICA ? ... does yours have pearl / metalic in it? Or are we talkin' the same color. It is Matador Red Mica. It's hard to tell based on the lighting in the photo but it is a metallic paint. It also looks like a brighter red in the picture than it actually is. It is a fairly bright red but not obnoxious. We've had many compliments. It's also the fastest color!

Our '08 400 is Matador Red. As soon as I saw it at the dealer, I said WOW, that's what were getting. Fortunately the real decision maker agreed.

This happened with our Audi wagon when the sunroof was opened all the way and all the windows were up.

As others said, 2420 is plenty to lift one corner of a 400h. BTW, I've had way worse jacks than our scissor jacks. But still, if the service guy said he's seen it happen before, that's not good.

That is hard to believe. IT'S FRIGGIN' DANGEROUS!!! What the Hell were they thinking?:chairshot: After reading that I'll never try to use the friggin' thing! I'd file a complaint with the NHTSA. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

That's sick! Keep it at reasonable levels or start saving for hearing aids.

You're nuts! But I do admire the effort!

Haven't noticed any unusual noise. Actually, at highway speeds, the 400 is the quietest car we've ever owned.

Ahhhh, I sense an aftermarket opportunity. "Retrofit kit w/ larger rear electric motor new computer chip turns RX400h into a Porsche Killer!" Can it also please defeat the "I agree" screen? :whistles: No "I Agree" screen on our '08 400, warning screen comes up briefly and disappears. I'm still not buying 550+ ft lbs of torque for our cars (at the wheels). Are you all in some sort of fantasy world? I want to see credible dyno #'s. Unfortunately, our cars will probably shut down if exposed to a 4-wheel dyno so we'll never really know.

First that isn't ft-lbs.. it' newton-meters and the conversion factor is like .7375622 I believe. However this is why the wheels on the RX 350 aren't suited to the RX400h. So 751 newton meters equals 552.55 ft-lbs of torque.:whistles: 550 ft lbs of torque should give you whiplash. Our 400h's have a good amount of power but I don't see how anyone can claim they have 550 ft lbs of torque. I won't believe it until I see some credible evidence. The best evidence I have so far is driving the car. There is NO WAY our cars have 500+ ft lbs of torque. Well you would have to take that up with NeoN it's his data i am only telling you the data he posted is equal to 553 ft-lbs of torque, no as an engineer myself, I must say you have to consider how the torque is applied and how the computer allocates the power for the Toyota hybrid system. for example just look at the GS450h vs the Rx400h. It depends on how the computer program is designed to apply the torque and how much is possible from all three sources at once. The programming of the system for power,acceleration and performance, or more reasonable performance and better fuel economy. It is entirely possible that the way the system is engineered that the full 553 ft-lbs is never available all at once, actually I would be willing to bet a sizeable sum of money on that point. It's not a Porsche Cayenne Hybrid geared toward performance primarily, it's a Lexus Scorer Mom/Dad type vehicle and probably programmed accordingly!!!!!! :chairshot: I have to say and thankfully so, I have a Porsche Cayenne S and I bought my Lexus RX400h for the decent fuel economy and decent performance it gives in an SUV size vehicle. 4365 lbs curb weight, 4 wheel drive version!!!! I have to say 6.9 sec 1/4 mile aint bad considering you can get 26 to 30 mpg highway, my Cayenne S only gets 16 to 18mpg highway and doesn't perform that much better in the 1/4 mile!!!!! The 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S only does 5.9 sec 1/4 mile what do you want? You're saying the hybrid system is "capable" of 550+ ft lbs but we'll never get to use it? 7 sec 1/4 mile?:whistles: Now THAT's impressive ;) I know what you meant. I guarantee the maximum torque at the wheels is less than 300 ft lbs, probably closer to 250. IF our cars can be dyno'd, and I still don't think they can because the hybrid system will go crazy and shut down, it would show that. What i am saying is the maximum torque of all three added together, the two electric motors and the ICE is 553 ft-lbs of torque, however that does not say that the hybrid system programming allows the combined use of all the torque at once. Nor does it imply even that the maximum torque is even available from all three sources at the same RPM and therefore not available as maximum torque (at the tires) at the same time or road speed. Bottom line is the maximum torque of all three is 553 ft-lbs, but the programming of the hybrid system I am convinced regulates and limits how much can be applied (combined) at once. For example I seriously doubt the the front electric motor and the ICE produce their maximum torque at the same output level RPM wise. I also doubt that applying the maximum torque to the front wheels would even be advisable from a mechanical point of view. I doubt the CVT is designed to handle it all at once. If you add the front motor and the ICE, the therotical front end maximum torque is 458 ft-lbs, if you applied all of this at once the torque steer effect would be a bigger complaint by owners than what it currently is. Anyway just my 2 cents worth, while I am a retired mechanical engineer I am not an automotive engineer. My expertise is large jet engines and pipeline compressors, so I am used to fluid torque. I do know however that applying torque mechanically you have to design the hardware to handle the maximum output you plan on applying plus a safety factor. Well in my opinion the Lexus RX is not designed to be a street racer and therefore not designed to apply all 458 or 553 ft-lbs of torque all at once. The key being the front drive mechanism where in theory 458 ft-lbs is available for use. OK, good write-up. BUT, even if the maximum torque was available from all three engines, wouldn't they cancel each other out, at least to a certain extent? This question is from a non-engineer. The rear electric motor is RARELY used. Even under heavy acceleration from a stop, it shuts off quickly. I assume the CVT is only used by the two front engines. When you floor it, the kilowatt gauge gets pegged and I assume the CVT in conjunction with the computer(s) regulates the RPM of the ICE and the front electric motor. What regulates the rear engine? I guess what I'm asking is: "HOW DOES THIS DARN THING ACTUALLY WORK?"