SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME

It's just a modular wiring connecter. It doesn't really matter what it goes to. It's not supposed to just be hanging there out in the breeze. I'd take it back to the dealer & they can secure it where it belongs in less than a minute.

A ton of the 400h's parts are interchangeable with the Toyota hybird highlander, so don't forget to source those on the web as well. That'll knock another boat load off your costs.

Welcome DaRacerz, We seldom winter in Montana, but our 400h always runs great there, even in sub zero temps. However there's a catch. We too wanted 'instant heat'. No big deal, Toyota highlander part number CO140-00644. It's an enging block heater. They're somewhat of an oddity in the U.S. but easy enough to get from Canadian dealers. We have the extension cord on a timer set for about 90 minutes prior to driving. Nearly instant heat, BAM. Oh, as to the 'no big deal' I should clarify. The install took me over 2 hours, as I wanted to make certain I didn't screw anything up. It'd probably take the dealer less than half that time, but a buck here & a buck there, before you know it, it's real money.

+1 With the hsd doing regen (especially true w/ the AWD version which regens from 2 axles), it's easy to take your pads all the way out to 70K. Ours are over 30K miles w/ almost no signs of wear ... maybe less than 20 thousandths. But of course, gunning it to the next red light means you'll have to stomp harder than just regen depth on the brake pedal ... which is about 2/3 of the way down. Some have actually had light rust buildup on the rotors due to lack of brake / rotor contact. As for new rotors at such an early stage? That raises a red flag ... as in maybe the dealer is unnecessarily making money off the customer. Wouldn't be the 1st time that's happened.

Actually, we're nowhere near the level of the 30's depression. Unemployment went as high 24.9% back then. Heck we're still under 8% so we'd have to increase severity by another 300% to get near that level. I still see the local migrant workers around here driving brand spanking new Silverados to go out & pick strawberries. I pray to God it doesn't get as bad as it was 70yrs ago ... but w/ debt load ratios so out of whack ... who knows.

Both statements are very true. Much of curvy/hilly ice driving (that's really the worst that it gets) all depends on practice practice practice ... and excelent tires. Thank God Montana still allows studs. As for your 4-wheel drive getting stuck statement ~ put another way, I've heard "a 4x4 let's you get stuck an extra 30' farther down the road" :P I wish I still had the picture of my '76 jeep cj5 at the bottom of a shallow mine shaft ... it's a great illustration of that point.

Actually, it's the AC cooling radiator located right behind the bumper ... but yes, it looks like the radiator. The ICE radiator is right behind that.

Welcome brian. Good to see you saved a boat load of $$. The best we could do was wait until the end of '06. We wanted to unload our Range Rover before the warranty expired, as well as during a lul in gas prices. whew! dodged another bullet. Anyway, glad to have you on board.

Here's my take, fwiw. It wasn't but a short time ago, GM was singing a different tune: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/11/19/ap5717126.html Obviously, GM based their horribly bad guess on the pathetic idea that their giant land barges would continue to sell for huge profits, regarless of peak oil staring us all in the face. Now, for those who'll jump in and 'kneejerk' say, "what about $1.50 gas now days". Our current low fossle fuel prices are still simply a product of supply & demand. People loosing jobs right & left, less folks out in their RV's, quads, airplanes, toy haulers, commercial flights, less homes being built, and the rest of the world following suit. So that whole peak oil issue is still looming on the horizon, just waiting to raise its ugly head, should the global economy even think about picking up a lot of steem. Yet GM, still convinced in the wisdom of quick profits, went chugging along with guzzlers. Sure, other manufacturers did the same, but not to the extent GM did/does. So GM crunched bad numbers. Seems to me a boat load of *BLEEP* poor number crunchers / finance employees need to hit the road. The bankruptcy trustee will put better people in place, and get rid of THAT deadwood, as well as extinguish all GM's bad debt. Then GM will carry on. Airlines go ch 11, and the world doesn't end. So did AMC, Morris minor, Tucker, Checker, Rambler, etc. Heck for that matter EVERYTHING changes ... no more roman empire, greek empire, Egypt, and Great Brittin no longer rules the world too. Go with the flow. Our system can no longer be based on the model of the '57 Chevy, pulling into a diner ... roller skate waitress coming up to the car. Eventually, we need to get off the idea that our society must run on a stupid car as being everything. It's just transportation ... to get from A to B. The sooner we can dial that down to a super cheep science (a massive rail system like much of the rest of the world), the sooner we can go on with other things. Again, it just IMO, but so far, for me & many others, it still holds water.

Don't know about everyone, but that's like all the ones I've seen, including ours . . . ergo the big phillips

except you have to add distilled water That's got to be the biggest phillips screw driver in the world. I'll have to go borrow one from the Jolly Green Giant :P

You know, it just keeps getting better & better: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/19/autos.ceo.jets/index.html If you're going to hold out your tin cup ... begging for money ... best not to arrive via 1st class ... much less the way these inept clowns run their show. "It's not our fault ... it's those damn medical benefits, and retirement costs of the hourly line workers that caused our condition". Right.

They're not sealed?

Are you talking fog lamps? . . . or are you talking daytime running lights (DLR's)

Sorry, but battery disconect is the only thing that'll kill the memory at that point. We have the '06 400h and prior to making a new disk with only the new maps (not with a bios file, but rather retaining the older loading {.kwi} file) to replace our version 5 disk, we had to clear memory, and that's what it took.

Those L.A. people. They still have one. So it's only a 45ish mile trip, in stead of a 10 mile trip. Edit: Yep, web site says it's on Pico Blvd . . . or the San Diego dealer, which is a 60 minute drive to the south.

Yeserday, the local Lambo dealer here in south orange county CA shut its doors. They represented arount 10% of worldwide sales, which for Lambo, usually amounts to about 2,400 cars per year. Less wealthy folks forking over the benjamins. Signs of the times.

Next time, google it. There's a ton of suppliers, as low as $6.00 of you look around. We used ebay last time, but ANY place is way less expensive than your neighborhood Lexus dealer.

keep us posted! It'll be interesting to hear if the cause was cooling, regen, bad module(s), ECR, or something else.

Don't know about the ACURA, but the BMW SUV? Our neighbor whines about getting only 14mpg. At 1/2 the mileage per gallon as our 400h, a nicer NAVE seems like hardly a tradeoff IMO. As for lockout issues, the Locpic cured all that for us.

Welcome to the group! Have you checked alignment? The 400h is aligned at both ends (at least it is if you have the AWD version) and it doesn't take much of a 'ding' against a curb or whatever to knock it out. Then the tires (even Michelins) will start wearing quick. There are several threads mentioning this already. The search tool IS your friend. Several shops (but NOT Lexus for certain :D ) will give a 'one-time' price ... kind of high ... for a lifetime alignment. Then all you have to do is bring it in every 12 months. It's a nice deal if you keep your rig for more then 3 or 4 years. So check the alignment regularly. Sorry to hear your sad story w/ the Michelins, but ours DO wear great. With over 30K miles, ours still look new.

Here's a kinder ... more diplomatic way to say the same thing: Before you buy ANY car, (especially a 10 year old used car, BMW or otherwise) read what consumer reports has to say about it. Nuf said :whistles:

Entering the menues (on some models ... not all Lexus' allow this option) to change gain settings can be a time bomb, if you hit the wrong button. Make certain you hit the right function. That's all I'm saying.

Here's the concept to end all concepts. A GM ad, from the pages of a 1969 "Boys Life" Magazine. I'm certain GM would rather NOT remember how many years this ad shows that GM pee pee'd away their technology lead. Or, put another way . . . it shows how many years GM has NOT been able to deliver: http://usera.imagecave.com/w4abj/HybridStu...el-Lec-1969.jpg Had they delivered, they Lexus/Toyota hybrids would have just been 'Johny-come-lately's. (shaking head) In stead, GM focused on quick quarterly profits. Now, on the verge of bankruptcy, the exec's who made dumb decisions (like buying the HUMMER line) ought to be in hiding. Most concepts end up to be dorky when you look back at them 2 or 3 decades later. But on this one here? No. what a pity.

Not sure what this kind of repair / parts are: (from OP) " ... - the motor to change between internal and external ait is broken ..." What parts are you talking about? The filter box? Motor parts? Your avatar shows L.A. as your area ... curious ... why take a 60-90 minute drive to a dealer so far away? What year is your Lexus? Still under factory warranty? Extended warranty?