Grumbles2

My understanding is that all Toyota Hybrids have always had a brake over rides the throttle strategy since the beginning.

Yes it works, I have tried it. My mom has a 2008 ES350, I went over last weekend and my dad and I test drove her car. The dealer did the update last week, I checked out the pedal it looked good to me, she has just regular floor mats. We drove the car, I pushed the pedal to full throttle and took off, I then pushed the brake to slow down with the pedal still pushed to the floor. Within between 1 and 2 seconds the engine rpm dropped way down but the engine kept running. We drove the vehicle and performed this procedure several times, every time it responded the same. Every time the RPM dropped back and we slowed down. Interesting observation, when the pedal was fully pushed down and brake was pushed the RPM would drop way down, as soon as I let off the brake the RPM went back up. So if the pedal did really get stuck you would have to hold the brake on until completely stopped, continue holding the brake when stopped, place vehicle in park then shut it off. If you stopped this way the engine continues to run at the low rpm giving you full control of the vehicle, power brakes still work, power steering still works. If you decide to test this please do it where their is no traffic. We did this out on country roads where no cars were around, we picked a long section of road with no curves and no other cars.

Outstanding article, I often describe it like playing Chess, you must have a strategy. I recently drove from Houston to Dallas at 65 to 70 mph, got 30.0 mpg on entire 270 mile trip. Picture is at 100 miles, the entire trip was from fill up and getting on highway, in other words 30 mpg all at highway speeds. Using strategy tactics makes it like a game so the trip is more fun and goes by in no time.

Want to try an intresting experiment? The ICE does in fact run more duting colder ambient temperatures. First reason is to keep the coolant above the magic 168 degrees that being the min temp that the engine has its most complete combustion. If the temp drops below that when the ICE starts it would put out excessive air pollution because it would go back into fuel enrichment mode like when its cold on first start up. When its colder out the engine must run longer to keep the temp up. Second reason and the intresting experiment. Next time its cold out and you are sitting still, mess with the inside heater temperature setting. You will notice that when you move the temperature up and down the ICE will turn on and off. Reason? As the A/C Heater control unit sees your temperature input it will turn the ICE on and off because the heater core removes heat from the engine to heat the interior of the vehicle. I was waiting to pick up someone, outside temp was 40 degrees, I noticed that when I would adjust the temperature above 71 degrees the ICE would come on and when I adjusted it below 71 degrees it would turn off. Yall check it out and let me know what yours does. :)

The 7.1 update will only remove the "I Agree" screen on Generation 5 equipped vehicles, 2007, 2008 and some 2006 models (GS). On the older IS or RX300 mentioned above are Generation 3 systems, thats why the "I Agree" screen did not go away.

WOW thanks for the post, I use Optima batteries in all of my vehicles. I did not know that they had one that would fit the RX400, I am getting one next week.

Yes I would get another RX400h, I absolutely love it, its the best thing since sliced bread. I love sitting at a stop light when the gas engine is off, I look over at my wife and say" were are using zero gas right now and putting out zero polution" I do it all the time on the highway "we just drove the last mile and used no gas at all and put out no pollution" I also like driving around mall parking lots looking for a parking space on electric only. I notice people all the time looking at the car that is not making any noise as it drives by.

You are correct, the jack rated at 2425 lbs is more than adequate to lift one wheel of the RX400h, LOL on the line #5 date comment.

When you use the jack are you lifting the entire car up or one corner with only a few hundred pounds? The reason it fell over is because the car was not balanced. So after the first time it fell down it bent the jack as the car was slipping back. You have to block the wheels if you are on an angle to stop the car from moving or of course it is going to bend the jack and keep falling down. It was no surprise that the car fell down as you watched it slowly move and the jack bend each turn of the handle. I have destroyed mine doing the same thing , so i know what it looks like and why it happens . I was too lazy to do it properly and the car dropped as it kept rolling back . Come on now....... stop trying to blame someone else for your own mistake. Your 100% correct on the blame someone else comment.

Actually, no, I didn't anticipate that Lexus would replace the rims. In fact, I never asked them to. It was their suggestion during my original visit that led me to believe that may be their eventual solution. One of their techs suggested that at a minimum, they could transfer rims from a new car who's buyer had opted for upgraded chrome wheels. I was also open to the possibility that they may have the wheels refinished, which isn't terribly expensive. The possibility of replacement was a path taken by the dealership at the very beginning. I simply followed it - to its dead end... You may have also noticed a number of other Lexus owners that have had a similar problem, some of which were corrected by Lexus dealer replacements. Ultimately, I expected Lexus to stand behind their product - one way or another. If the finish on the rims isn't able to stand up to typical driving on the paved streets of the Dallas suburbs, or an occasional pass through the local car wash, or for that matter - any wheel cleaner I may or may not have bought at a local Autozone - then it isn't the quality I expected when I parted with $60,000. It's not like I mixed up my own special brew of Muriatic acid from my pool and dishwashing detergent and tried a wheel cleaning experiment. The bottom line is that these rims weren't exposed to anything extraordinary and the finish didn't hold up. My local Lexus dealer, and the regional service manager showed no interest in correcting the issue - (outside of me purchasing some new rims from them...) but were more interested in trying to convince me that it must have been something I did, that it was an isolated ("we've never seen this before") problem and that the fact that my car costs $60K really wasn't paricularly relevant. In any case, my next $60K car will probably be a BMW... Enjoy your BMW, I will monitor the BMW forums when you arrive. Your unhappy I hate this car post count will be in the hundreds. Good Luck. This guy hits the nail right on the head. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;#entry286715

Standing ovation for you sir! Talk about hitting the nail on the head.

The bypass was never intended for public use, it was a diagnostic back door to test the system. Someone leaked it out and the back door was locked. Sorry every one but our ambulance chasing society is out of control and restrictions on everything are going to get worse. I dont like the lock outs but like the manager SW03ES said and I agree with, a petition or class action is not going to make it change.

First advise, is everyone needs to realize that the tire pressure systems on all Lexus vehicles are not the same. I read that they are in the process of standardizing the systems across all models but at this point they are slightly differant. Reason I say this is that some peole with differant models sometimes give advise based on their specific model. Ok, now on the GX470 a tire sensing system was not installed until the 2004 model like others have stated. Lexus has a great TSIB # PG008-03 that was revised December 2006, it goes over in detail one of the concerns that most people have with the system. That concern is related to seasonal tempature when the tire pressure is set. For example if you set your pressure at 32 psi during the summer when it is 90 degrees come fall when its gets down to say 50 degrees in the morning the pressure in the tires may drop below the 26.5 psi that will turn on the light. As you drive if the tire get warm enough for the pressure to exceed 29 psi the light will go off. In other words tire pressure maintenence is not just a set it and forget it process. Actually Lexus has several TSIB's that address and explain the tire pressure systems on all of their models in detail. Where does this info come from? https://techinfo.toyota.com

No its not the fuel filter, that line is for the Evaporative Emission control. That circled item is a Vacuum Surge tank (turbo is correct), the line goes up to a Vacuum Switchin Valve (VSV) located above the Vac Surge Tank. The green cape farther down the line is a service port. I think that the fuel filter is located in the fuel tank, attached to the fuel pump assembly.

Try this: Buzzer Reminder Cancel Mode Setting 1) Set the LCD on the combination meter to the ODO display. 2) Press and hold the TRIP meter reset knob for ten seconds or more within six seconds of turning the ignition switch to the ON position. Fastening the driver’s seat belt while holding the knob cancels the buzzer reminder. 3) When this occurs, the LCD displays “b-OFF”. The buzzer reminder can be switched between ON and OFF each time the TRIP meter reset knob is pressed. The LCD displays “b-ON” or “b-OFF” according to the buzzer reminder ON/OFF status. The display changes to the ODO or TRIP meter if the knob is not pressed for ten seconds. 4) Performing steps 1) and 2) again when the buzzer reminder is off exits cancel mode. 5) The cancel mode will also exit when the battery or combination meter connector is reconnected.