vinovelo

I just don't get it. You would have put gas in your car anyways, why would you expect to have free gas in the loaner?

It won't cost you anything to get your vehicle repaired under the recall...its gas you would have normally used in your own vehicle...

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

There is no doubt the oem battery is small on the 400h and does not have alot of reserve, mine would not hold a charge after three years, and i drive mostly on the freeway. Like the previous poster i went to costco, their battery that is the same size replacement for our 400h has more power, and i believe they will give you a new battery at any point in the three year warranty, not prorated. it was $59.oo and i installed it myself. remember, when you disconnect the battery for any reason, the dealer has to reset the icu ( i hope i have the term correct) or your mpg will suffer.

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

/Steve

After owning many different brands of vehicles and speaking to many owners of other vehicles (including Toyotas), I can say without a doubt that Lexus is the most reliable. We have not had one issue in over 52,000 miles. That being said, I must also mention that should something happen now, especially something that incurs no charge to us, I would never say that I would never buy a Toyota or Lexus again. I can't imagine why you would feel this way unless you've never owned a Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Land Rover - all having far worse reliability.

What brand other than maybe Acura (and it is certainly not free of issues) would you switch to?

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

Here is my mileage for the last 2000 miles on my 2008 Rx400h – 32.5 mpg.

I think my mileage success is related to having hybrid-friendly driving patterns and also to good driving technique. This 2000 miles included about 75% city driving and 25% highway - freeway driving. I use the cheapest, lowest octane gasoline that they sell.

My work commute is about 20 minutes on country and city roads with a maximal speed limit of 55 mph. I only have a few stop signs and stoplights so I don’t have a lot of stop and go driving. I rarely need to take 5-10 minute trips, which reduces mileage considerably. My usual 20 min commute is ideal for getting the battery charged up and then being able to maximize the use of the electric motors for the last 10 min at the end of the ride.

My driving technique is quite different now than it was in the past with non-hybrid vehicles. You definitely have to earn good mileage with a hybrid. The dealers won’t tell you this.

For example, I almost always have the energy screen on and am conscience of maximizing efficiency. I would guess that I am able to spend about 15-20% of the time running entirely on the battery system (with 99 mpg on the monitor). I always try to run the battery down as far as possible at the end of every trip. My goal is to get the battery charge indicator down to 2 bars (the 2 purple bars) when I park the vehicle. When you restart the vehicle the next time, the engine is going to run anyway for the first 5 minutes so it might as well be charging the battery also. I can usually get 1-2 free miles at the end of every trip by forcing it onto the battery system as much as possible before I park the vehicle.

I also just try to drive the speed limit as much as possible. Anything over 65 mph is a mileage killer. I live in central Wisconsin so the traffic is usually pretty light so I rarely need to speed just to keep up with traffic. I also rarely have anyone behind me on my routes (if I do, I increase my speed to about 5 mph over the speed limit). Driving the speed limit is a big change from how I drove in the past. From a practical standpoint though, on any trip under 2 hours, I only spend a few extra minutes and it makes a dramatic difference in mileage.

This summer, I only needed to use the air conditioner for a few days (fairly cool summer in WI). The AC reduces mileage quite a bit. On hills, I also try not to use the cruise control. It reduces mileage when the engine revs up to maintain speed on the uphill and then doesn’t take maximal advantage of the downhill. At stoplights, I accelerate at a normal, moderate pace up to speed and then try to get on the battery as soon as possible. I don’t do any of the more advanced “hypermiling” techniques – pulsing, etc..

There are a couple advantages to “hybrid-friendly driving” that I would have never anticipated. First of all there is the fun factor. It is kind of fun to try to manipulate the car to maximize efficiency. It makes driving more interesting for me to watch the monitor and try to maximize the time I spend on the battery.

I also am much more relaxed driving a hybrid. I use to be the aggressive driver – trying to get there as fast as possible, pushing the speed limit to the limit, aggressively passing slower vehicles, fast starts from every traffic light, trying to always be in the fastest lane, etc.. Now I have a much more relaxed attitude about driving. Maybe I get there a few minutes later but I don’t care anymore. I have a fast paced, hectic job. Driving can actually be relaxing. It took a hybrid to teach me this.

The bottom line is that it is definitely possible to get very good mileage with the Rx400h is you drive it properly and if you have hybrid-friendly driving routes. Knowing what I know now, I would not buy another hybrid if I spent most of my time on the freeway. I would also not buy a hybrid for my wife because she wouldn’t be interested in driving it properly. I bet the dealers get lots of complaints about poor mileage from people that haven’t figured this out. Even for me, the financial payback for the hybrid is pretty long with current gas prices. My mileage also drops to about 26-27 mpg for about 3-4 months in the Wisconsin winters. I will be very satisfied though with the vehicle if it remains dependable and if the batteries last 10 years or so.

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

Hey guys. I'm afraid to test this out, hoping someone has experienced this before lol.

Let's just say you are driving along and the tank runs out of gas. Is the car DEAD or will it take you along on just the electric alone?

Thanks for any insight!

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

Wait, the laser cruise was optional here in the US?? I want it! lol

And i remember hearing about the panoramic roof coming out for the 07+ ES's, but i've yet to see one driving around here in the US...

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

Good luck getting most of them to work. It's a bit like talking to an oak tree.

Tom

"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

Steve, that is an option that can be changed by your dealer.

Tom

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

I still can't figure out why Lexus hadn't built in an owner-changeable capability. My Corvette allows me to not only change any of many settings such as door locking, seat movement rearward upon entry, and twilight lighting functions, but it also allows me to extract fault codes (very necessary when you have a GM product) and reset them with a push of a button.

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

It is an STO edition in dark metallic blue with ferrari style tan leather. I had a red 99 vert corvette for a while but the tickets were getting crazy! With the LS400 I never get pulled over even though I drive pretty fast. The miata gets a lot of attention because there are not many foreign sports cars here in the motor city.

The only thing that can turn faster than my little miata is a porsche 911 or lotus IMO. I take 90 degree turns in third gear! Set up for the corner with late braking while keeping the car in gear and hammer the throttle to set the suspension as I enter the corner and feather it to control the four wheel drift from apex to exit.

I'm a bit addicted to the british show 'Top Gear', it is the best, most honest, car show out there. They do not play up advertisers products like american shows and tend to be more fun about motoring rather than ultra serious gear heads like NASCAR or NHRA programs.

Here is a pic of my the miata with the LS in the background. The Isuzu has a V-6, 4WD and 220 hp. Love winter storms with that truck!

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

I am planning to buy a used RX (2008 or 2007) soon. I am unable to decide between 350 and 400h.

I have been researching at various websites about the comparisons between the two models.

My only motivation for buying a 400h would be the fuel savings. Since I live in Texas, so AWD is not necessary for me.

I am sure some of you current owners of RX 400h must have faced similar dilemma and done your research.

I would appreciate if you can share it with me and also tell that why did you go with RX 400h in the end.

Also is RX400h really cost effective? How long does it take to break even on the extra cost.

Thanks

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

Lets try and keep this discussion together, here's the thread in the general forum:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=55038

Please try and respond there.

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

OOH!

I was just there in October! We hiked from Glacier Point all the way around to Half Dome and climbed that beast. First time up Half Dome for me and that whole cable climb thing shook me a little. Fun!

There is nothing like Yosemite in the Fall...

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

Never heard of this situation. Glad they found the issue for you. Hopefully you won't let this shake your confidence.

We live at the top of a 3-4 mile long hill with 10-12% grade and it is rare for us to get fully charged even using the "B" position.

After doing some reading, I try to avoid fully charging like the plague. They say that overall life of the battery is significantly reduced by it being fully charged or discharged. I used to run down our hill in B for the extra brakeing to maintain under the speed limit, but I shift in and out of "B" now so I don't fully charge. I have read a poll on here I think where people have NEVER seen the battery fully charged, ever.

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 have a 2006 model RX200h which I love. I've found that it gets the best mileage when I use the middle grade of gasoline. One thing I find puzzling is that when I fill up and do a manual calculation of the mpg, I consistently come out with a number about 2mpg less than what the car says I'm getting. I know it's not a huge thing, but I do find it mildly annoying.

Is anyone else seeing this? What grade of gasoline does everyone else use?

Julia

San Diego

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

Although I don't have direct experience with our RX400h in 0 degree weather, I have used the electrically-heated seats and they certainly heat up very quickly. As far as the heat produced by the heater core, you should know that when the engine is cold, it will start almost immediately when you turn the key. In all likelyhood, the gas engine will stay on for many miles before the oil is hot enough to allow the engine to shut down. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences........

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

Another response to myself....

I haven't been online in a while (except for at work), but I've done a bit of work on my 400h. Last weekend the VaisTech SL2i I ordered arrived, and I returned the Peripheral Electronics adapter to BestBuy and installed the SL2i. My verdict is: It sucks less.

The SL2i, when used with a Gen5 nav system, lets you pretend that your iPod is a CD/MP3 changer. The 6 different "CDs" let you pick different modes: #1 lets you browse playlists, #2 browses artists, etc. The browsing is fairly reasonable: you see a bunch (10?) on the screen at a time and can use the up and down arrows to jump to the next batch. If you're browsing artists, then pressing that artist's name on the touchscreen shows you all the songs by that artist. If you're browsing playlists, then pressing the playlist shows you all the songs in that playlist.

The common them here is "songs", which is why I'm still not 100% happy with the VaisTech interface. Ideally, what I'd want when browsing all the artists on my iPod is to touch the artist's name and see all of their albums. Then I'd touch the album's name and see all of the songs on that album. For some artists it doesn't matter too much, but for artists where I have 10+ albums (e.g. The Beatles), it's a pain. And for later, more album-oriented rock music (think Pink Floyd or Yes) or classical music, I really want to be able to play a whole album, not just individual tracks. This is why I say the VaisTech unit still "sucks" a bit.

Another downside of the SL2i's interface is that the nanny software in the Lexus nav screen doesn't let you browse MP3s while the car is moving. If an album or playlist finishes playing, I have to stop before I can select another one to play. This is going to be seriously annoying on long road-trips, which is when I use the iPod the most because of the lack of good radio stations out in the middle of nowhere. I may try one of the Coastal Technology "lockpick" kits to see if they fix this, but I don't know if they unlock the audio system screens or just the nav and bluetooth ones. If anyone has tried this and knows whether it works, please let me know! I'm going on a long road trip in a week or two and am thinking of installing one of these gizmos real soon now.

The display from the SL2i is much better than from the other unit, though. You can see the entire Artist, Album, and Track name on the Audio screen, not just the first 6 or 10 characters. I'm pretty sure it displays that even while the car is in motion, unlike the radio, which hides the info on the "message" screen while the car is moving.

The SL2i is good enough that I'm going to stop experimenting and stick with it. Hopefully the VaisTech people will eventually upgrade its firmware again to allow multi-level browsing of Artists -> Albums -> Tracks. (I'll ask about this on their forum.) Since it's fairly easy to control the iPod with this unit, I decided to put the iPod in my glove box. I put the SL2i down by the passenger-side kick panel under the dash. Fishing the iPod cable from there up to the back of the glove box was a bit tricky because you have to go around a corner. I ended using electrician's "fish tape" that I've used for home wiring and networking projects in the past. Then I drilled a 3/16 hole in the back of the glove box, up near the top left, cut a slit down to it with a utility knife, and used that to thread the iPod cable through the hole. That way it doesn't have to bend over the top of the glove box and there's no danger of it floping around in the glove box or falling back behind there and getting lost.

Still, if anyone has info on the real Lexus iPod adapter, let me know. My dealer claims not to have any cars that have it installed and says there's no manual for it, but says that since it's made by Lexus "it must be good". Right. I'm certainly wasn't going to buy it with that little info, so I ended up with the VaisTech unit instead.

The other thing I did to the Lexus last weekend was install a tow hitch. My dealer wanted $600 (parts + labor) to install one, but they sold me the part for $275 plus tax. Installing it took maybe 2 hours, part of which involved learning how to use the new torque wrench I bought. (50 ft-lbs is a lot less torque than I thought it was.) The install was pretty easy, except for getting the first bolt holding the hitch in place on each side. The friend who was helping me had to leave just before that point, so I struggled a bit trying to hold one side in place with my feet while bolting the other side in place with one hand while holding it with the other. That didn't work so well, though it was a great upper-body workout. Eventually I figured out I could prop one side in place with a milk create, put in a couple of bolts on the other side, and then take out the milk crate and bolt that side. Then I put in the rest of the bolts and torqued them all down. If I'd known what I was doing, all this would have been very easy, so the ~$300 that the dealer wanted for installing it was way too much.

Installing the wiring for the hitch was fairly easy too, though you have to disassemble half of the interior of the back of the car to get to the socket where it just plugs in. There are excellent photographs and instructions for this elsewhere on this forum. If you're thinking of installing a hitch, spend a bit extra for the Toyota/Lexus part: the wiring is very easy to hook up and has pre-attached clips and grommets to keep it in the right places.

-- Laura

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

You did not mention the 2 side mirrors. Did you like them?

Now that you mention it....I DO like the side view mirrors! :D

...but those valve stem caps gotta go! :P

/Steve

Years ago, stereos in vehicles were fairly "light" when it came to power draw, and they didn't compete with a myriad of other electronic features. Those days are gone and to be honest with you, I wouldn't advise anyone to listen to a high-powered stereo that is drawing off of an OEM battery, no matter what make of vehicle. If I were you, I'd listen to an MP3 or Ipod when the car is off. They are far more efficient, power draw-wise.

Dave

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

I don't like it at all. I'm quite disappointed, actually. We have an '06 400h, and the lease ends late next year. Good thing we're planning to buy it as opposed to trading it for a new one. I got an e-mail today from Lexus with a link to the official photos, and they match the ones in that Japanese brochure.

2010 RX official Lexus photos

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 - Check out the width of the shifter gates!

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