SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME

Hi cduluk, Regarding your MPG issue, Lexus seems to be listening. The new atkinson ICE in the 450h is WAY more efficient than our old, antique 400h models ... to the tune of over 25% improved ... even though it's higher in HP. That's the drag about buying last year's model I suppose. :( The up side? Well, the price ... YOU saved a boat load by not getting the 450h. In fact, the difference between the stripped 450h and the fully loaded 450h is OVER $17,000 & change. MAN! The difference in cost of accessories is more than I could sell my Gen II Prius for! .

Poor little guy: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10249567-48.html I check this out & it seemed relatively decent ... price & features. But not much mentioned here at the ownersclub. Thoughts? .

Nice combo, eh? ;) Our next door neighbors have a Gen I (2002) Prius, with the Highlander hybrid for a 2nd vehicle ... and yep, your right, our Gen II Prius is the 2004. Here's a picture of my best tank full of gas (from just last month) ... showing both the range, as well as average mpg: http://usera.imagecave.com/w4abj/HybridStuff/9-14-09mpg.jpg But in the 400h, the best tankfull average was 31.0mpg

1) Most Lexus original owners don't keep their ride for over 100,000 2) Some states (following CARB rules) carry the hybrid warrany out to 150,000 miles 3) Recouping the "hybrid value" ?? um, how long 'till you recoup the "value" of a porsche ... a harlery ... a jacked up chromed up 4x4 that never gets off road ... etc 4) Years ago, folks bought cars with only a 12,000 warranty ... and now that cars are 500% more complex, and the warranty runs for 100,000 - 150,000 we whine about "what may happen" after the warranty (that many never see the end of, because we move on to the newer model ...) 5) Folks keep buying & buying & buying regular ol' ICE vehicles that sometimes break down and magically the population doesn't stop buying them, causing sales to dry up. 6) The point of #5 above is this: It'd take the kind of regular, consistent, poor workmanship of a large segment of a manufacturer's inventory to be bad ... and ONLY then, if the manufacturer failed to step up to the plate, would sales go away. Take the 1972 Chevy Vega for example. 100% went south. Ours went bad just 500 miles after the 12,000 warranty expired. The GM folks just laughed. THAT's what it took to make the vehicle fail. Ford Pinto would EXPLOAD on rear impact. THAT's what it took to make the vehicle fail. A little fluid leak? Bad, yes. Unexceptable, yes. Inconvenient? Yes. Fatal to continued success of the Name brand / Model brand? You'll have to decide. ;) .

Thanks for the p/n lemon ~ I'll give our neighbor a call that wanted it. And yes ... those dang females ... got mine from a store north of L.A. - but what a crazy swing in prices comparing the cheep stuff for example to Snap-on's: http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P6...amp;dir=catalog Naturally the ones I bought are on sale now (great) http://www.anytimesale.com/servlet/the-49/...w-Holder/Detail Just like flat screens ... you can never get the best price :P EDIT: omg! what a coincidence ... we bought this little ipod radio/boombox with battery backup ... the access door to replace/install batteries has an odball triangle torx round head so we're locked out! the nightmare continues (shaking head) ... .

sorry about the ordeal lemon, I was about 20 when I first experienced torx. AMC used 'em for a time on the Jeep CJ5's windshield back in the 1970's. Rather than buy a set, I welded a giant stainless fender washer to the top of the windshield fasteners and simply wrenched 'em out ... switched the fastener to a standard allan flathead, and life was good. Those 1st experiences with ANY new mechanical experience can be a drag, when there's no one to help. Same with buying torx. An entire set can be had for only $7.99 and the nice thing about that is, you can buy 3 or 4 different sets ... for only $25. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=91310 Just what you want, right ? .... 100's of different torx bits ... that you'll use maybe once in your life. Our EBH took maybe one hour ... but I'd previously installed one on our 2004 Prius ... which was maybe a bit easier (but for getting large hands into small opening). BTW, anyone in the U.S. wanting to do this ... forget about trying to get your Lexus / Toyota dealer to find the part number ... I had to call the Canadians ... who know what REAL cold is all about ;) I don't have the # any more, but perhaps lemon can post it? Edit: Even nicer then getting higher mpg's during the 1st 10 minutes of driving with the EBH use, is the effect a pre warmed block has on the 400h's heater. Sub zero temps cause the heater to be slow to warm up. But with the EBH it's much quicker. We run ours on a timer, and set it for about 90 minutes prior to leaving in the morning.

Sorry ... Don't know - didn't ask - but a good question.

+1 ... and way to go jrober !! Yes, we too have achieved over 30mpg (AWD version) in our 400h. The peculiar thing imo, is how Lexus drivers think about mpg. Most don't care about that, compared to power ... comfort ... amenities, etc. Yes, lots of gripes when EPA estimates were over stated, but (unlike many Prius drivers) it's not so high on the list, in comparison.

It was probably just a slip of the tongue ... but fyi anyway. The little 12v battery is not a starter battery, in the sense of 'cranking-over' the ICE ... rather the aux battery simply boots up the ECU's, that in turn, signal MG1 (electric motor) to turn over and start the ice. Our aux battery too, just croaked at 35K miles ... so the dealer ploped in a new one under warranty. I'd have rather put in an optima yellow top, like we did for our Prius ... it's the same size/power battery as used in the Miata ... so it actually has 'cranking amps'. Now, if I sit in the car with the sterio on cabin lights on ... programming settings etc ... I don't have to worry about the under powered OEM any more.

Tough crowd :P Actually, if I'd have had to guess, I'd have thought the coolant leak was from the ICE ...

Um ... maybe you should hang up? ;) Actually, ours came set up that way. When a crucial turning point comes, the gps voice chick overrides the phone call, cutting out the ability to hear the phone conversation. But realistically, if it WERE important, I would simply hang up. Alternativly, one could disable one's bluetooth feature on their phone ... and that way you'd only hear the gps chick's voice.

Yes, and that presumes one buys a hybrid for some esoteric recoup rational. I say, "what's the recoup on that harley?" ... "what's the recoup on the '58 impalla" ... or the vette ... or (put your favorite here) ... etc. Point being there's lots of other reasons to go hybrid ... or pure EV. There ya go ... "what's the recoup on the Tesla" :P but to stay on topic ... if you think the 450h is seldome seen ... I've only seen one 600h in the wild. Now THAT's got to be low production.

I think I get it. It appears the issue is with "ALL WEATHER" oem mats. Some of these are rubber, and other are carpet material. People fail to follow these directions (see paragraph "B" in the link) o Do not install another floor mat(s) on top of an existing driver's floor mat. http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/...nstructions.pdf And another warning in paragraph 1. above that: Warning: Do not stack the floor mats in any vehicle. The retaining hooks (clips) are designed to accommodate only one floor mat at a time. But folks don't read the directions ... and the all weather mats can sometimes slide forward. Seems to make more sense.

I've been in the same tough spot. Finishing a semester at Cambridge & getting ready to return from the UK to the U.S. I found a beautiful antique side board (piece of furnature) just west of town. I couldn't find anyone to help me with shipping. There are companies that specialize in that sort of thing, and they'll handle the whole process. My custom harley was purchased by such a business, then shipped to Germany. Working with customs internationally, I'd suggest searching on line for companies to handle the transaction. good luck!

According to Toyota, the HDD (and usb integration) is only available in Japan. Later in the fall this year, it will be made available to U.S. markets. When it is made available, live satelite map updates will only be available on those models with the "safety connect" feature ... similar to GM's on star system.

See here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota-to-re...738225.html?x=0

fyi: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota-to-re...738225.html?x=0

+1 btw the 'danger' / reality seems to have just got upgraded as about 100 instances have been documented / announced by toyota ... I don't get out from the hybrid section much ... but for those who do: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota-to-re...738225.html?x=0 Please post the recall notice as it applies to Lexus as well

hmmm ... it must be different from the Prius then, because as a tall person, I've knocked into neutral w/ my knee on way more than one occasion.

I had no issue either . . . until our '72 Vega fell apart just after the 12 month warranty expired. That cost us a half year's wages back then. Things may be better now, but why take a chance when Lexus often fixes stuff just for good PR ?

Meanwhile, WAY too much GM stuff is outsourced ... side view mirrors, seats, door assemblies wiper motors, whole engines, etc are made in Canada, Mexico, China etc. Often it's because running factories 'in house' creates headaches besides high U.S. wages ... by outsourcing our manufacturing, we ultimately outsource our pollution / toxins / environmental headaches to other countries too. Then we say we're green, because the 16mpg land barge now gets 19mpg. what a bunch of hogwash.

He probably felt he could stomp the brakes hard enough. For many years fighter pilots, for example were dead set against a "deadman" switch, that levels out a jet, if the pilot goes unconscious. The bravado fighter pilot logic was that if a fighter pilot is turning so hard that they lose consciousness, the deadman control won't help, it'll just mean the enemy fighter pilot has an easier target. I'm just saying sometimes the cop mentality of "I can handle it" may have played into not switching to neutral. But equally bizar; a driver or passenger that calls 911 during 'out of control' acceleration? assuming one DID call 911, what were they expecting a 911 operator to do ... have you ever talked to one of these people? All too often, 911 operaters are just low paid folks who takes a LOT of info down (even in a murder/home invasion situation) asking names, number of people involved, location, addresses, license numbers, etc ... frustrating, though I suppose necessary

Um, then I guess my steel wheels must be what ... :P

We get some nice slick ice patches in the Flathead Valley, MT. Took the RX down to Big 'O'. They installed studs all around, mounting 'em on cheesy steel white buggy wheels like you'd see on cheep trailers. Works great, & priced great.

It's easy to 2nd guess what "ought" to have been done. My knee jerk reaction? Throw the knob into neutral ... but when you're talking fly by wire controls ... who knows if that element went south on the rental car as well. But hey, mechanical linkage fails too ... it's the nature of the beast ... right along with human error. It'll all have to be sorted out. .