Jim Nazium

Well, my vehicle is a 400H, and I've read on the prius forums how the gas tank have a bag or balloon inside of them. And, as the vehicle is refueling the bag is squeezed. As the fuel is used up the bag takes the "empty" space of the fuel so as (I would assume) eliminate the liquid vaporizing in the empty volume left over by the size of the gas tank. This is why, I thought the RX400H suffered from the same bug that seems to cause Prius owners to complain about refueling problems. But if others here, with the RX400H have not experienced this, I will wait for the fuel tank to drop to about 1/3 empty and I will try to refuel at another gas station to see if this problem is occuring again. Thanks MadloR

I got the mud flaps (OEM Lexus) and will probably install them this weekend. They are very low profile with respect to what I was expecting them to be. In other words, they will never get in the way of obstacles like driving through deep snow (like my GCL and Pathfinder). At the same time, I question there effectiveness, being that they are so small. The front mudflaps install without any drilling, seeing as there are already locations for existing screws that fasten the trim and plastic rocker portion to the vehicle. The rear one's are another story, they do require drilling. The plus side is that the rear drill into plastic only (the rear bumper is all plastic), the negative is that I specifically asked the dealer if they required any drilling and the parts guy informed me no (which is not the case). If I didn't have them and I knew then what I knew now, I would of not gotten them. Because I got them as part of the deal (and I didn't want the dealer installing them) I can't really complain and return them. Perhaps, I will only install the front one's, perhaps I will install the rear one's as well. I will try to post pic's of them on Saturday. Cheers, MadloR

OK, well, it goes like this. I've refuelled a second time... same gas station and when trying to refuel the gas pump clicks off (like when the tank is full) but it is only perhaps 1/8 of a tank refuelled. Then you get back on it, and again, 10 seconds later it clicks off as if to say the tank is full. So, you release the handle and rengage and I try to refuel a third time at only 1/2 flow, and 10 seconds later or so again the handle clicks off. IOW, it can take a frustrating 10 minutes or so to fill the tank. Somehow the pump is picking up (I'm guessing fuel vapors through the gas tank neck) return fuel pressure and is disengaging the pump prematurely. Is there some kind of trick to refuel this rig? MadloR

Does anybody else find it extremely difficult to fill up the gas tank when refueling? Holy smokes, I've heard the Prius Owners mentioning how difficult it is to refuel, but I would of never thought the RX 400H suffered from the same. Feedback would be appreciated, or better yet, tips on refueling... it's like -15 -> -25 outside.

FWIW, I purchased a 2006 Vintage RX 400H loaded (tow package, wood interior, NAVI, XENON, Heated Seats, Lexus Winter mats w/ cargo liner, Chrome factory 18" wheels, w/ extra set of Chrome Factory 18" wheels), with 8068 miles on the odometer (Lexus certified, super clean inside and out), production date was May 2006 and was dealer PDI'ed in June, only one owner prior to my purchase, and got it for $42,995US. I got the color and interior I wanted. To me, it made perfect sense and was a deal I couldn't pass up. Car was from Texas, hence no winters either. Good Luck.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/a...&vid=009776 Available tires for the 2006 RX 400H according to Discount Tire... Cheers, MadloR

I have not installed the GoodYear Responsedge on the vehicle yet. I purchased the vehicle in January and took delivery in February. I have in my Garage the Responsedge and side by side, next to the Bridgestone Blizzaks (factory side) they are obviously wider. Not enormously wider, but a little similar in look when you notice a Mercedes ML350 vs an ML500. This vehicle is a real "porker" on the weight scale. I do believe given the girth of this vehicle that the additional 20 mm will really help out with tire wear and performance over the life of the tire. When I get a chance, I will see if I can get some photos uploaded. Cheers, MadloR

I always buy tires for a particular vehicle, based on the type of vehicle. For the RX 400h I purchased the following tires based on... a) Wear. I have read and spoken to owners who have complained of poor wear, as well as "under inflation" type wear. So the tires I chose have a wear rating 440. I didn't want something with the highest wear rating as the only or most important criteria. B) Ride. I wanted a quiet riding tire with low in cabin noise. So the tire I chose had to have ride qualities high up on the list. c) Choice. Unfortunately the 235/55-18 tire size leaves very little choice in the marketplace. From sources, you can plus zero your available tire size. So I plus zeroed my choice to 255/55-18 for the summer. Yes, I do have factory winter 235/55-18 on factory wheels. The plus zero size really opens up your available choices. I did take into consideration the the slightly taller tire as well as the additional 20mm width. To me, this is not a tradeoff, but all benefit. d) Overall. Traction in Wet, Dry, Cornering, and out on the open road were all part of my choice as well. As well as new tire technology. I can't wait to get back with my feedback in a couple of months. Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdge - Grand Touring All-Season tires http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...es&place=18 That's my choice. Cheers, MadloR

Honda is going to perform the coup de grace... Hybrid (electric - diesel) and the emission will be 50% cleaner than a conventional powered gasoline engine. Of course if you compare a 82 Volkswagon diesel engine to todays gasoline engine, then yes it's no contest. But I was referring to modern day technologies, like the Toyota hybrid. MadloR

Well, not sure about the UK, but don't you measure fuel economy by litres per kilometer? Take note that if you converting litres to gallons, we have the US gallon and the Canadian Gallon. Cheers, MadloR P.S. fwiw, I would think the sedan would get better mileage than the SUV's Hybrids. Perhaps, you are still within the break in period. I have also heard that disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it without going through a dealer pre-configuration can cause adverse economy.

In many parts of the country, that is the case (diesel costs more than regular unleaded). Even though, it costs more (it actually requires less, in terms of costs to refine diesel fuel vs unleaded gasoline) it is much more efficient. You can expect two comparable vehicles, one diesel engined the other gasoline, the diesel engine would be 20-35% more efficient (better fuel economy). Let's face it, the RX 400H was never "geared" to be a boy racer. When one thinks diesel, truck comes to mind, as well as better fuel economy, and torque. The diesel engine has come so far in the past 15 years, that many are now FASTER in terms of raw speed, super quiet (no more clatter clatter clatter at idle or under load), and run greener than there gasoline counter part (catalytic converter design has really helped keeping the pollution levels down). If I had a choice between the two, it would be a no brainer. And besides, even if diesel costs were 20 cents more, I don't believe that should be an issue given the fact that the RX 400H costs an arm and a leg to start with. Cheers, MadloR

LiON batteries have a serious drawback, they lose alot of there potential in cold weather, hence lending them to being less efficient. This can be offset by adding more cells since they create a much lighter cellpack than NiCD or NiMH, but the drawback would then be packaging... More cells require more space. The best technology to date, and still remaing affordable is NiMH. I believe the real trend in hybrid technology would be to replace Gasoline with Diesel as the component for the engine side. Diesel technology has come a long way, and it surprises me that Toyota has not taken advantage of this for automotive use. Cheers, MadloR

Hey Buddy, I hear ya... The real benefit, is if you have expensive wheels. Nitrogen does not have the "moisture", and hence, you will not get oxidation from the inside of the rim. A side note, I did purchase a long time ago a spare air tank. I got them to fill that with nitrogen for me, for that very reason. Yep, I too have a compressor, and for my expensive rims I go to that trouble. For my winter beast, well, I don't really care if I mix regular air with nitrogen. Even if costco is offering DRY nitrogen you will still have mosture in the tire unless they PURGE the volume somehow... I can't imagine how they could perform an effective DRY NITROGEN PURGE operation on an automotive tire. You need to have a flow in one end out the other... hard to do on a round thingy. Besides, the oxidation you are worried about has already occurred on an alloy wheel... it only take a few hours of exposure to the atmosphere for the surface to oxidize. I think you are talking about trying to prevent CORROSION. This is a more detrimental problem than oxidation (which actually helps prevent corrosion because it forms a protective skin). I would be more worried about corrosion on the OUTSIDE of my wheel than what is covered by the tire. I've had a set of rims for about 8 years on my '93 mr2 w/ 3sgte and I was surprised (summer driven only) to find that the amount of corrosion inside the wheel, was the cause of my constant low tire pressures. Outside the wheels were mint, inside they looked like hell. Anyhoot, if you are a real stickler you could always have Costco (or whoever) fill the tire up completely and then release and refill a second time. Honestly, if you want, you could find fault in anything. But, in a nutshell Nitrogen is superior to conventional air on all levels. Cheers, MadloR

So do rims with 5mm offsets... no difference there hehe.

Hey Buddy, I hear ya... The real benefit, is if you have expensive wheels. Nitrogen does not have the "moisture", and hence, you will not get oxidation from the inside of the rim. A side note, I did purchase a long time ago a spare air tank. I got them to fill that with nitrogen for me, for that very reason. Yep, I too have a compressor, and for my expensive rims I go to that trouble. For my winter beast, well, I don't really care if I mix regular air with nitrogen. Cheers, MadloR

Changing the Rim offset, or adding spacers, would put EXACTLY the same amount of "stress" on the vehicles suspension. In essence, you are creating the same thing. Extrapolating on your point, I too would prefer a wheel that has the offset vs using wheel spacers. BUT, I much prefer the factory look verses the aftermarket wheel choices. Hence I'leaning towards wheel spacers and I honestly believe the 5 mm addition will not cause a "risk". If you don't mind and having the occassional wheel hitting the inner wheel well liner (THAT of course, depends on the tire choice you make for the given 255/55-18, as not all wheels are the same width) then you don't have to go with wheel spacers. On another note, the factory specs for lug nut torquing is.... 79lb/ft. Your kidding me, right? (that's what I thought). Nope, it's in the factory 2006 manual. I would be much worried about having my factory wheels torqued to 79lb/ft. Cheers, MadloR

Quick Fix... My Costco offers to refill my vehicles with nitrogen free of charge, and many of the local garages now have this as well. Give the tire a "fin" and lower the spare tire and refill it with nitrogen. Hopefully down the road if you ever need to use it, the "fat" nitrogen molecules won't bleed through and you will have plenty of air in the spare. Cheers, MadloR

My RX 400H is model 04/06 production and I must say it is very, very subtle the transition from a dead stop. I am the only one to notice, since I can feel it in the accelerator. Also, given that it is extremely cold the transition occurs almost instantaneously from a dead stop to about 1-3 mph before the engine kicks in again. I hope, come warm weather, the transition will be just as smooth. Cheers, MadloR

Discount Tire offers 0 plus options where they list a 255/55-18 tire. I called and spoke with a representative and he stated that the 255/55-18 tire size was an option offered by Lexus for RX 350 & 400H owners. I am only reiterating what the Discount Tire Representative informed me. Personally, you have alot more tire choices for the plus zero option, than for the factory 235/55-18. I have also read by a fellow RX 330 owner who installed 255/55-18 tires on the factory Lexus 18" wheels and he stated that the only drawback to NOT installing 5mm spacers is the possible touching of the front tires to the inner fender well plastic housing. That being said, he did install spacers on all the wheels and the 5 mm offset was within spec to the factory wheel nuts (the alternative would be drastically more expensive). Personally, I think given the weight of the vehicle, and all the complaints of premature tire wear, I would prefer opting for 255 instead of 235 as a factory tire. Also, please note that not all tires that are 255 mm are all the same width with respect to one tire manufacture to another. Cheers, MadloR

What do they say? "The squeeky Lexus gets the ...." Shmear a little silicone grease or spray, or slimy leather spray ... what ever suits your fance. Boom. Your done. To the dealer that says, "that's normal" ... I'd say, "I think I'll write to customer service to coroborate weather this is normal. See if he (while pee'ing his pants) changes his/her tune. HMMM.... I purchased a demo RX 400H and it didn't come with the cover and was looking to purchase one on ebay etc.... perhaps, knowing that the rear cargo cover is a poor design and / or a culprit to squeaking noises from the rear hatch I may just pass. My biggest pet peave is creaks, rattles, or any kind of noises from the inside passenger cabin. Cheers, MadloR

My 0.02 worth... I have had my last three vehicles, equipped with a roof rack. The only one that initially made some noise was back on my 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. The roof racks are movable, and after adjusting the distances for the crossover bars, I was able to alleviate noise out on the highway. Why didn't my 2003 JEEP GCL and Passat 2003 Wagon make the same kind of noises? Who knows. I would suggest playing around with the distances. Perhaps, ask another member on the board who is not experiences noises and ask them where, with respect to the front and rear of the roof, there cross bars are situated. Good Luck Cheers, MadloR P.S. My rx 400h arrives in the next couple of weeks... ;)