vinovelo

If my car weren't recalled, I wouldn't have to drive the 45 miles back and forth to the dealership. But that's not the only gas I had to use; the gas in the loaner represents another 45 miles, so the total number of gallons of gas consumed because Lexus had to fix their mistake amounts to almost 4 gallons or about $10. Of course, since I wanted to have the brake fluid flushed, I had to bring the RX there anyway, so the expenditure to get back and forth to work was only $5.00, but still......... If I recall correctly, the Lexus dealer fills your fuel tank to FULL after any recall work. This is true! Blew me away. I just had my 2008 400h recalled for a hybrid power system module replacement and not only was that done but the vehicle was washed and detailed and the fuel tank topped off! Dang, had I known that I would have run her dry before the recall. :^) I was also treated to a nice 2013 450h as a loaner. Very nice vehicle. Not enough to make me want to jump out of my 08 but some nice features. Overall: - 2013 was quieter, especially the engine under moderate to heave acceleration. - The Nav system is MUCH bettter. Voice regocnition actually seems to work now. Real time trafic alerts are nice. Helped me avoid a jam. - Rear view mirror warning lights for close vehicles in potental blind spots is very nice. - Key FOB system is better - Gas milage seemed about the same (but I only drove it about 40 miles. So, there are a lot of technology features that have been introduced in the last few years. But I still ove my 08 (and it IS a bit faster). /Steve

I have never heard of having an electrical harness needing replacement because of batrtery terminal corrosion. The problem you describe at the battery posts is common (to all behicles) and can usually be eliminated or at least severley reduced by applying spme terminal sealant / conditioner that is available at most auto supply stores. Having it completely eat up the battery cable is pretty extreme in sucha stort time. I would check on it every 4-6 months and keep it cleaned. Moisture maybe? /Steve

Is there a way for the owner to reset the ICU? /Steve

That certainly IS true. My Acura 01 TL tranny failed at 49995 miles. It failed in a VERY dangerous way too. At 45 MPH the tranny went into failure mode and downshifted into 2nd gear. Nearly caused an accident. Acura treated me well with the repair and loaner but the engineering flaw remains. It will most likely fail again in the future. If you research Acura tranny failures for 01-03 it was a big black eye for Honda. I still keep the car because it is more economically feasable to replace the tranny one more time in the life of the car than to replace it. Other than that (yeah, it's a biggie) not one other item has failed in 10 years of service. /Steve

This is an excellent post and accurately describes conditions vs results for this vehicle. Myself I have gotten as low as about 22-23 hot footing it in stop & go traffic or at high highway speeds and as high as 33.5 once when caught in terrible traffic over a 100+ mile trip where there was not a lot of stop and go but very slow and rolling speeds. Yes, short trips kill mileage just as a non-hybrid vehicle. You are right about the feeling as well. The combination of the CVT tranny and the engine switching off does indeed have a calming effect under bad traffic conditions. In my other vehicles I get steamed knowing I am grinding my tranny up and just wasting fuel in traffic. There are some things that bother me about the hybrid system such as no economy mode, but it does give reasonable fuel mileage and the smooth power delivery is very good. I have nick names for my vehicles. My Miata (old 94 HIGHLY modified) is named Sparky, the RX400h....Prozac. /Steve

Oh sure! It'll getcha home, for CERTAIN . . . IF: Your ICE is warmed up to S4 (157 degrees f.) Your traction pack is on the top blue line, or in the green, and, You're less than a half mile from home, and, Your drive is on level ground. Now, do you REALLY feel any better? Run the traction pack down to where you get a (red triangle of death) full on shut down, and your recharge will NOT be covered by your warranty. And there's always that embarrasing phone call where in essence you have to call for assistance, in essence admitting to being a couple sandwitches short of a picnik. So true! I live 1.5 miles from a Costco and on the return to the house if the vehicle is warmed up SOMETIMES I can drive 98% of the way on batteries if I am REAL careful. I will have 3-4 bars left after. Normally on flat and level roads I can go about 1/3 - 1/2 mile before the engine wants to kick in at about 32-35 mph. But, it's flaky. Sometimes I cannot get more than 1/10 of a mile and the ICE keeps cutting in. Even after a long run to warm up the coolant, catalyst, etc. Sometimes it's quite frustrating. I am hoping stronger batteries and a different algorithm on the hybrid control chip might be available a few years down the road. Aftermarket perhaps. /Steve

If I remember correctly the laser cruise option was only available in certain configurations. I have the towing package for instance and it was not available with that. Too bad as I would have liked that. THE only feature I am sorely disapointed in is the voice recognition NAVI. Useless. /Steve

Has the voice recognition command list changed in recent years? I took the above posted docs (again, thanks for posting them) and found that there were entire classes of commands that would not work at all. For example: The A/C commands would not work. There is s list of commands for turning it on/off, raising/lowering temperature or setting it to "n Degrees" that not only would not work but seem to get misinterpeted as other commands. Every time I tried to set the temperature by saying "75 Degrees" for example the NAVI wound turn on random icons (ATM, gas stations, etc...) on the map. Quite frustrating. If I look at the screens "help" voice command list none of these are listed. /Steve

"Remember that the mighty Oak was was once a nut like you" I have always found voice command, entertaining!! I agree with GRYPHON. Sometimes it easily recognizes names and other times not even close for even easy street names. Try seeing if you can get it to recognize "Grove" st. in San Fransisco. I have no regional accent at all and this thing was so far off it was silly. /Steve

FWIW, I did not see this listed on the personalized settings sheet. But, I notice the sheet had a 2006 date. Was this added as a setting recently (i.e. 2007-2008 models)? /Steve Lexus_Personalized_Settings.pdf

Yes, I'm with you there. I believe Lexus should have included the ability to change many of the settings by 'code' for the owner via some of the buttons such as the info. buttons. I do not have experience with many other car-makers, but unfortunately BMW has the same approach: any change of settings must be done by the dealer (and here in Miami Braman Motors - which I highly recommend avoiding - wants to charge $60 per change of settings EVEN ON A NEW CAR!!). So, in a way, Lexus dealers are kind to offer change at no cost. But not all changes are available: for instance, I would like to 'delete' the automatic re-setting of the avge. fuel consumption whenever you refill the gas tank. The old RX300 had a continuous 'avge' irrespective of refills, and that made a lot more sense, particularly since you can 'reset' the counter/computer whenever you want. This confuses me. My 2008 RX400h does not do this at all. I have to manually clear the mileage every time I fill up. One thing that drives me nuts personally is that the doors do not auto lock if I forget to lock them. All of my other cars both with OEM and after market systems do this as default. There have been a few times I have been shocked to find out the next day that my vehicle has been unlocked all night. Here is a scenario. Shopping, hatch filled up. Exit vehicle. Open hatch, close doors. Unload hatch area. Carrying in last load of groceries, close the rear hatch with the remote. vehicle doors are now left unlocked (as I forgot to hit the lock button after the hatch close button). This drives me NUTS! /Steve

I also have a Miata as a fun car. I once drove a Boxter-S that I thought would give it a run for it's money as well. Mine is a 94-b Laguna blue, HIGHLY modified: - Jackson racing supercharger - Toyo (wider profile) performance tires. - Jackson sway bars - Custom shock towers - Brainstorm low profile headlights - and...tons of small mods. The nice thing about the Miata is you can easily modify the hell out of it and have fun. It's noisy and you feel every bump in the road but, you just cannot drive it without a smile on your face (or you don't have a pulse...) My other ride is an 2008 RX400h. I love it but am afraid to tough the thing. (actually it's amazing how well the RX handles for it's size, height and weight). /Steve Newark, CA

If by breaking even on costs you are mean the savings in fuel costs it will take a long time (unless gas goes to and stays at $5 a gallon). The biggest advantage with the 400h is not so much the fuel savings but the difference in the drive trains. If you do a lot of driving in traffic the 400h is much more calming because of the CVT transmission. The feel of acceleration is markedly different as well. Climbing mountain passes for example is effortless. Under normal throttle (not wide open) it is also quieter. /Steve

Looks like an RX400h alright. No mention as to the model and year in this article: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/04/doctor.car.blast/index.html /Steve

Been there as well. Yes, the cables to the dome top are something else. Standing on top of Half Dome is an experience you do not forget. /Steve

I do see a fully charged (all bars colored green) on occasion. Only after considerable time coasting down hill for example. Not all the time. I've notice it happen in warmer weather and during periods of long operation (everything warmed up). When it happens it doesn't stay in that state long. Normally it is one or two bars lower than full. /Steve

Premium in of itself will NOT give you more MPG. However under certain conditions the engine computer will pull back the timing with lower grade fuels to prevent pre-ignition (pinging) which lowers the MPG. This is more noticeable in hot dry weather.

I too find (as most people seem to) that the computer is a bit optimistic. Manual computatins can be misleading as well as I find that the tank will stop filling with most nozzle switches 1.5 to 2 gallons of being full. So unless you are filling it to exactly the same level manual computations can vary as well. You would have to average several tank fillups. As far as the mention of coasting in electric mode I find it varying and sometimes frustrating. On level roads I can get it in electric mode at about 35 mph. If I pulse to 40 and then glide down to 35. All it takes is a slight bit of uneven pavement that is not level for a few feet and the ICE kicks in. Then I have to pulse to 40 and back down to 35. It's like a game. Sometimes even at 20 with the engine hot and a near full battery level the ICE seems to engage way too easy. If I am VERY careful I can get 27 - 28.5 MPG in fair (60-70 degree) weather. If I dont't drive with an extremely light foot it will drop to 24 - 26 easily. If I have fun with it....22. This is with 70% or so highway and 25% traffic jams or city traffic. Where it excels is long trips with rolling slow traffic with few stops. Such as a bogged down highway for miles. In this situation I once (only once) got 33 mpg on an 85 mile trip. /Steve

I suspect that is is not much worse than any other vehicle with regard to warm up. I have noticed that while warming up if I stop at a light the engine will stay on unless I turn the heat off in which case it will stop the engine while the car is stopped. So, it appears the system is smart enough in that if you have the heat on and it is not up to temperature the engine will keep on running to warm the vehicle up. Now, one quirk I have noticed is that if I have thew heat in DUAL mode with a great difference between the right and left temperature settings it has some trouble. The hotter side will get too much cool air. If I turn the dual mode off the problem goes away. The previous poster is quite correct. The seat heaters seem to work well and very quick. I have an Acura as a second vehicle and it's seat heaters are very slow by comparison. /M

Laura: Just read through your posts. Now that you've had your SL2i for a while would you buy it again? Also, I saw on a YouTube video that the SL2Vi has a 117 limit on the number of files it will display on a play list. Was this also a problem on the SL2i? Finally, did you get the LockPick from Coastal and does it work? Hey Laura, You sound pretty cool. I'm just down the street from you in Newark, CA. Geez, maybe I should have YOU install a trailer hitch on my 08 RX400h. :D I haven't got around to that yet. One thing I have a problem with in regards to the stereo in general it it's poor bass response. I'd like to fix that before I go for an iPod interface. I only have the 4g Nano though. Might not be worth it. I look forward to hearing about what unit you finally settle on. I've had my RX for a year now. When I was shopping I would not find a Levinson stereo with an AWD unit with the tow package. The lack of satellite radio and iPod interface was just a little annoying. /Steve

Now that you mention it....I DO like the side view mirrors! :D ...but those valve stem caps gotta go! :P /Steve

I can't believe you are serious. That's your advise... listen to my iPod? Am I being punked here or what?:chairshot: Sky, This what I've found in more than a car or two. My Corvette has a high-powered Bose system (factory) that will drain ANY battery in short time if the car is not running. My 89 Mazda, with its puny stereo system, can last for hours and I'm sure you can reason why - cars made 20 years ago did not rely on nearly as many electronic widgets. Car manufacturers would love to incorporate 24V or higher power but that probably won't happen for a while. In the meantime, the best battery out there is the Sears Platinum - a $180 super-heavy powerhouse that trounced all others in Consumer Reports' latest battery test. Of course, as you mentioned, finding the right size from any manufacturer is another matter. Dave There was a previous thread that talked about adding an auxillary battery. This is one from Black and Decker: http://www.tylertool.com/blackbecker.html I believe that one person said that it fits nicely in the space below and in front of the console between the seats. Perhaps if someone has high power draw stereos, etc, this mightnot be a bad way to go. /Steve

Well I finally saw the 2010 model on display at the San Fransisco auto show last Friday. Seeing it in person is a little different than photos. The new integrated bumper front end looks just.....OK. It does look smoother but there is something about the lines on the previous model that I like better. I did like it better in person than the photos. The rear end is a disaster. I do not like the new lights at all and seeing the hatch shape in person is worse than the photos. The old hatch was distinctive and had good style. The new looks non descript. The dashboard and center console is absolutely horrible as compared to the old one. What were they thinking! Overall it's still an RX and the front end and roof line remain unique but I am SO glad I bought an 08 instead of waiting. This reminds me of a few other cars I have had that underwent design changes for the worse. Years ago I had an 87 Toyota Camry. Beautiful design for a small sedan. Loved everything about it except it was just a little underpowered. The next generation went to this bulbous shape and while I did drive a 94 for a long while I never really cared for the style. The drive train was fantastic (V6 XLE, same as the Lexus ES300 at the time). The other was Acura. My current second car is an 01 Acura TL. Beautiful style. The newest redesign I saw at the auto show was the most hideous body styles I have ever seen from Acura. They look like they were designed by a bunch of high school drop outs. Something out of a bad Sci-Fi movie. I would never buy any of there current line up. One sales geek that asked me if I was in the market openly admitted that most people do not seem to like the new designs. Why do companies do this? I realize it's hard to improve on a model that is near perfect but geez, why do they mess it up so badly. Look what BMW did. They nearly destroyed the 5 series and Z roadster. Fortunately they corrected it and stopped the disease from spreading to the 3 series. And ANOTHER thing (while I'm ranting... :D ). What's with all these new dorsal fins on the roof lines in recent years. I hate that. So as not to be completely negative.....I did see a few VERY nice design changes. The new Ford Mustang has been freshened up and looks GREAT. Also, the Camero concept vehicle looks downright sinister, better than the original 69. If it only retains the style when / IF it ever is produced. Who knows.....GM may not be around much longer. /Steve

Wow, your right. You could lose a subway sandwich in there. IMHO I think the exterior is just OK. In their defense it's hard to mess with perfection. Some of the body lines improve a muscular appearance. The rear tail lights do look like the ES. I think the old ones were better. It almost looks like change for the sake of change in most areas. At least the overall style shape of the RX icon was not lost. The new front end with the integrated bumper looks fairly nice but I shudder to think of what it would cost to repair if someone simply backed up and tapped it. One thing I absolutely hate is the new center console design. Yuck. Too many useless swooping curves. Too much asymetry. I'm glad I got an 08 400h. If I hadn't I might still by one but would favor the 08. What is with this "eco mode" thingy??? /Steve

Pardon if this is in the wrong forum but I post this here because I want to know any specifics that might apply to the RX400h. One area of the vehicle I am fairly dissapointed with is the stereo system. I do not have the ML system. Couldn't find an RX with it at the time and it appears to be over priced, etc. anyway. The biggest area of dissapointment I have is with the bass. There are certian frequencies in the mid to upper portion of the bass range where I find I get REALLY irritating buzzing sounds. At first I thought that the front door subwoofers were damaged but I traced it to many plastic pieces in the door vibrating at certain frequencies. (I actually have one Jazz CD that sets off so much buzzing even at low volumes I cannot listen to it without setting the Bass to -3 with the volume down low!). So my question is: Has anyone had good experience with improving the bass on the 400h? (probably applies to the RX350 as well). I searched forums and found a few threads on the BassLnk unit which look promising (and fairly inexpensive) but some things the poster said do not make sense: The unit was mounted in the rear on a board (sounds OK) and fed off the rear speakers. This doesn't make sense to me as the rear speakers apppear to have the bass filtered out of them. If I set the stereo on the rear speakers I can't hear any bass at all. If I tap the front speakers instead wouldn't I need to install a pass filter to take out the bass to the front speakers? The poster mad no mention of that. This person also installed a rather nasty looking capacitor next to the BassLink unit to guard against voltage drops. Is this neccesary? I would think the BassLink unit would have that capability internally. It seems like if I simply try to replace the front door speakers while I could easily put in a higher quality speaker I would still have the door materials buzzing, negating any speaker improvement. Any other options out there? Anyone have some experience to share? Seems like if I fix the bass problem that the unit would be at least acceptable albeit not a great system. Thanks /Steve