Jim Nazium

day two... Hmm... gr8t the service manager is on vacation til the 2nd of February. So I followed Lexus Canada's recommendation to call back the service manager and leave a voice message. The colleague of the original service advisor, called me back to request what it is I wanted to do. These people are unreal. They want me to respond today ASAP, because they want to get the car off the lot. I have requested that Lexus Canada investigate the matter (they said, it would take 3 - 5 working days), there is some serious coaching needed on the part of the dealers service advisors. OH, the 2nd service advisor did reveal to me that the dealerships deductible is $10,000 dollars. to be continued...

I have a 2006 RX 400h with 38,000 miles and runs like clockwork.... has never missed a beat.... I took my vehicle in to a Canadian Lexus Dealership (Lexus Spinelli Pte. Claire) to have an oil change and perform the recommended 35,000 mile Factory Required Maintenance. I asked one question, can you replace at my cost, or see if the following item is covered under warranty... the rear strut mountings for the rear hatch, have rust on them. Before the rust for the base of the strut mount gets rustier, and leaves rust colored streaks along the back of the rear bumper, I wanted to have the base of the mounts either repainted or replaced. The dealer informed me that the following struts were covered under a factory recall from Lexus and would be replaced under warranty. But, I would have to book another appointment during the xmas to new year period (I brought my vehicle in just before Xmas, the 2nd week of December). I said fine, call me back and tell me when to bring the vehicle back in (I had my Father do me a favour and take my wife's truck to the dealership for service for me. The dealer was nice enough to give my father a loaner). I had the vehicle back in for the service to replace the rear struts. My father picked up the vehicle the next day and brought it back to me, where it sat in the garage. The next day, I took the vehicle in to work, and immediately noticed that the steering and handling of the vehicle were completely off. The steer was wobbley and loose, and the vehicle had an incredible amount of dead play at center. I looked at the repair work performed and to my surprise noticed that the entire rack and pinion was replaced under the Manufacturers recall. Updon further inspection, I noticed that the mechanic who worked on the car also left grease prints all over the rear hatch assembly, while he was working on the strut replacement. I called that morning the dealership to explain to them that I never had a problem with my steering, and why I wasn't informed about the recall for the Power Steering. They insisted I was told about the work, but apologized none the less and said if I could bring in the vehicle back to address the steering looseness and grease marks. My father once again brought the vehicle in to address the problem, and this time the dealership called me at work to explain the situation. They said the looseness of the steering wheel was due to the fact that the vehicle dash on my vehicle was taken apart by another Lexus Dealership and that they put the dash together all wrong (I did have a recall for the Dash to eliminate a squeeking problem that was performed at the time the vehicle was purchased 30,000 miles ago). As well, the service advisor informed me that the mechanic who is working on my car noticed that the alignment was off and that a wheel alignment was in order. Now, since they performed a wheel alignment on my vehicle when they replaced the rack and pinion 4 days ago, they questioned me if I hit a curb or went off the road and threw the wheel alignment out of whack Unbeleivable! I put them in there place and said to them that for over 30,000 miles I never had a problem with my steering and that the dash and/or steering was never loose before by the work performed by the previous Lexus dealership. Also, that I didn't hit anything or go off road throwing my wheel alignment out of whack. The advisor said she would not charge me for the second wheel alignment. Whatever, I thought to myself. I got the vehicle back that night, and to my horror, I found once again, that the mechanic who was working on my card, left grease prints over the headliner under the vehicles A pillar. As well, the A pillar bracket was forced and put on crooked, as well, the rubber liner running around the drivers A pillar door was installed incorectly, causing the gasket to pinch the molding. I called the dealer back to inform them of there "customer call back response voicemail" and explained to them what they had done. The next day the Dealer called back and apologized and asked if I could bring them the vehicle right away. I declined and said I was busy and did not have the time to trouble someone once again and have the car back at there dealership for the 4th time in as many weeks. They insisted, and said they would have someone come over to my house and pick up my vehicle and leave me a courtesy car in it's place (completely useless to me, since I am at work and park inside a secure parking lot that is not easy for someone with an unregistered vehicle to access). They were persistant and wanted to make good, so I agreed that if they wanted to do this, they could the following week (the day, being today 10/01/19). So today (10/01/19) I drove my vehicle over to a friends house and asked him for a favour, if he could receive the valet driver and give him my car keys. Later on in the day, I get a call back from the dealer asking to call them back immediately and whether I could call my insurance company or have them call my insurance company for me. I called the dealer back in the middle of the afternoon, to find out that the valet driver, while driving the vehicle, a rock hit the middle of the windshield and blistered the front windshield to the point that it required replacement. Accidents happen, but this was complete and utter stupidity on the part of the valet driver. The roads are crystal clear, and the time of day he picked up the vehicle was during non rush hour. But the most frustrating part from all this, is the fact that the dealership had the gall to ask that I call my insurance company and claim the front window. Unbelievable. I called back the dealership and let them have it. I told them to own up to there complete and utter incompetance. I said to them, that if I took there loaner car, and wrapped it around a tree, would they be calling there insurance to claim the repair? I informed Lexus Canada of this situation, only to be blown off and be told that I had to deal with the dealership service manager (who happens to be on vacation, oh how nice for him). I do not think that at the very least, they owe up to the repair, and replace the windshield with a Factory Lexus Window and cover the cost on there part 100%. Lexuses are great, but their dealerships are lacking (in Canada anyways). Makes you think, they are real wannabe's. I always got outstanding, over and beyond service with my BMW's (and still do for that matter). Stay tuned...

Well, I hope it is of better quality than the rubber refills I purchased from NAPA (Trico rubber only refills) that I used to replace the front wiper arms. They are better than the used factory rubber (they started to rip and streak lol) but they are no where near the quality of a nice fresh set of BOSCH (or the factory versions from Lexus from Japan). I hate when new wiper rubber leaves streaks, it just goes to show you, you get what you pay for.... Will be investing in a new set of BOSCH. Cheers, MadloR

I have attempted in the past, to see if I could ever fully charge the battery packs. I am always intrigued by why things are what they are. I have tried in the past to drive down a very long hill, had the transmission in "LOW", as well as gingerely having to ride the brakes (aka, the regen.brakes) and only noticed the following... The kw/h indicator would for the most part, shift to the neutral position after a certain point. I.O.W., it was like the ECU was over riding any further ability by the Hybrid system to charge any more. I understand fully, the reason why to not have the NiMH batteries charged to 100% capacity. I was just kind of taken aback, it was the first time ever (for me), and I did not try to do anything specific (I gave up on that). Cheers, MadloR

A couple of days ago while driving along, on the highway I noticed the Hybrid System Lite up all the available LCD Indicators GREEN. This is my preferred display setting, and I did a double take, just to make sure I wasn't seeing things. In fact, the battery full indicator remained full for quiet sometime. STATS (techie information): - Temperature approx 32 F - Vehicle is always parked indoor heated garage. - Left for work, and driving along my usual route, mainly highway. - Mileage 36,000 miles. - Heating and Ventilation System was off, and no other electrical load (not even radio). - Had my last service performed at 35,250 miles (standard stuff, oil and filter change). I do know, that the hybrid system likes to NOT completely charge up the NiMH batteries, usually backing off at about 80% charge. But, I did find it interesting to see this happened for the very first time (to my knowledge... can't exactly log this stuff), and am curious if anybody else has noticed this before. If this has occured to others, please chime in with as much techie information as possible... Cheers, MadloR

I have had more success speaking mandarin to the 400h voice recognition system, than speaking english. Don't worry, if you don't speak or understand mandarin, neither do I, but apparently the Lexus Voice Recognition does. It works flawlessly. Cheers, MadloR

Not to "dis" you back, but... if you ever get to put 30,000+ miles on your Nitto, come back and post. I know for a fact, the Good Year ResponsEdge are AMAZING. So the bonus to me, is that they do look Awesome. I know the Factory Good Years were not very good, but then again, they were a factory tire (and as a rule of thumb, most oem vehicle tires are on the low end in terms of quality). I personally think the thread layout on the Nitto's you purchased, look "odd". I hope for you, they serve you well and do wish you luck with them. Personally, Nitto tires do come from the bottom of the gene pool, when it comes to the tire jungle. Cheers, MadloR

The Message I received from Gregor001 B, back on January 2009 in pm....

I speak with experience, when I say... When I got my RX400h they had the factory good years on them. And, after the first dealer oil change (I changed the oil twice, prior to the factory recommendation), I decided to scrap the factory good years, and went with the GoodYear Eagle ResponsEdge. I have presently (close to 30,000 miles on them) and they look about half worn. More importantly, I am extremely impressed by them. To date, (it will be three years come this Feb 2010 since I replaced the tires) I have followed tire rotation, and checked the wheel alignment just recently, and they continue to impress. No noise, that was my number one criteria. Wonderfull in the rain, that was my second criteria (I do not drive them for winter, I have a spare tire rim setup for winter). Great handling over factory tires, that was my third criteria. Very high tire wear rating, that was my forth criteria. Price, was my final criteria, I believe they are very fairly priced given the technology and quality of the tire. And the bonus, they are a very stunning tire to look at, compared to what was available at the time (and even now, for that matter). I went with... the following size and spec. I have experienced ZERO touching, rubbing, or abnormality of any kind. I find the vehicle to come with factory undersized tires, given the weight of the vehicle. I find the vehicle on the factory 400h rims, looks a whole lot better. The only way I run the factory size, in on my winter tire and rim setup. Size: 255/55R18 Sidewall Style: Blackwall Serv. Desc: 105VLoad Index 105 = 2039lbs (925kg) per tire Speed Rating "V" = 149mph (240kph) UTQG: Treadwear: 440 Traction: A Temperature: A 440 A A Cheers, Jim

"apparently" seems to be the understatement of the year... Cheers, MadloR

I got porked at 25k, for the famous brakes and resurfacing. I must admit, I was surprised. I drive very gingerely, and in the summer easily attain 32-33mpg (just to give you an idea). I had brought the vehicle in for the usually 25k oil and inspection, but was surprised. I should of asked for the old brake pads, as proof. I always get excellent service, but for some reason I didn't quiet feel that day, to question there integrity and honesty. But, I should of. As a bonus, though, the lexus service technician (aka, mechanic) did take the time to resurface, clean and spray paint the rotors flat black, as well as the calipers. They look a million times better than before. getting 47k I believe is awesome, for brakes and pads. Of course, it depends on driving style. I believe the driving style has alot to do with it. I figured, if you are using regenerative braking, the physical application of pads on rotors is zero, and the electrical motors resistance is used as friction aka braking. Apparently, the service advisor said no, that brakes are always part of the equation. I find that counter productive, but logical in the sense of safety. Anybody care to chime in? Cheers, MadloR

What? lol, You mean you actually like the way the voice recognition works? And the fact, you are locked out of most functions while the vehicle is in motion? Have you driven an ACURA / BMW / MERCEDES Lately? The Acura in my opinion, has the best Navi system on the market. With Voice Recognition that actually works on 1st attempt, even with the sunroof open. It just makes no sense how p!ss poor the vehicle Navi is for the Lexus products. Cheers, MadloR

I made the hybrid disc, from a 6.1 and a 7.1 iso that I found on the net. The hybrid discs work, the problem with both discs though, is that I can't choose map locations. Yes, the gen 4 7.1 over-ride will not work, that is a fact. But the 6.1 works with the over ride. Coastal Tech confirmed, that if you upgrade to 7.1 you will lose the over ride of the lock pick. But, on a side note, anybody who has burned the hybrid disc, have they experienced to loss of the map location choosing capability? Cheers, MadloR

What dealer, in your right mind, is going to install dynamat for you, for FREE, just because you purchased the product? That's like asking the dealer to install a part for you for free, just because you purchased it for your vehicle. Cheers, MadloR

I have the wiper noise too, but, it only begins after using the wipers for 30 continous minutes. Then, on the wipe down it makes kind of like a squeek groan, hard to explain it. It is not mechanical sounding, but more like when wipers squeel on the windshield, only much lower in pitch. I had them look at it, and they lubricated something, but to no effect. I mentioned to them, the problem only occurs after sustained use. Been twice. Next time, I will burn out the motor, this way, they just go ahead and change the damn thing. MadloR

I have the factory Lexus Hitch. Hence, I waited for the weekly specials in my area (especially now, that August is approaching) and picked up a sale on a 4 bike holder. I purchased last year, it`s a name brand hitch (forget the name, I think it is a BIC) and it fits on the rear factory trailer hitch without a "hitch" (pardon the pun). You cannot open the rear trailer with the bikes in place, yet this is in my opinion the prefered location if looking for a bike rack for a SUV. For a vehicle or station wagon, I like the bikes on the roof (roof rack), but on larger vehicles, i.e. SUV it is a real pita to load or take down bikes (especially mountain bikes) from the top of a SUV. Good Luck with your choices... Cheers, MadloR

The seatbelt chime that always rings if you backup your car from the driveway, or simply move your car from one side of the street to the other, is quiet annoying. Everyone buckles up and most everywhere it is the law. Turning it off was one of the most rewarding things I did to my 400h. Cheers, MadloR

Boy they really suck... once again, I endured the past month or so, with the "I will wipe whenever I feel like it, even double wipe or triple wipe even though there is no moisture or rain on the windshield" sensing wipers. It's off to the dealer next week... Cheers, MadloR

My 0.02 cents worth... I liked the Hybrid (italic) on the chrome centre trim, big thumbs up. The rest of the "addon" hybrid badges look too busy and out of place for me. I really do not like the very "add on" look to the wood trim. Not only does it look tacked on, but the colour is not even a match. Hence, it screams of "add on" and does not integrate nicely as if it was a factory option. I obviously love the bigger tire look, mega thumbs up (hehe, I did that first I believe on the board :D< The front bumper I neither dislike or like, I find the factory front end looks right. So on a positive note, it was well integrated and installed. For those in winter climates (unlike yourself) it would be slightly less practical. The nerf bars look factory installed. I personally do not hate them, but find the need for them on "mini SUV's (like Jeep Grand Cherokees, RX350/400h etc...) less of a "need need" then on obviously Big @ss SUV's where the step in is rather high. The DVD is obviously not my cup of tea, and simply because it is not in a practical location. If I were to go the rear seat DVD option, I would definitely go with some screens integrated into the rear head rests along with a lockpick to unlock the front end screen and allow movies to stream by Ipod Video. I think that would be the bomb. I am not bashing you RxRey, you are a great guy to have on this board. You are always positive and always look forward to your posts... Cheers, and keep modding... MadloR

I am very disappointed with my rain sensing wipers on the 400h. On the next oil change / service interval, I will be making a point of this to the service manager. In my particular case, there is no logic to the swiping. I find the system swipes when it wants to, way too often, way too much, very much like having it on slow mode... Cheers, MadloR

OK, Now that starts to make a little sense. I have a (highly) modified 94 Mazda Miata with a supercharger that I installed and am quite aware of the value of the boost gauge. Come to think about it if I stomp on the RX400h the power meter does seem to respond in much the same way as the boost gauge I installed on the Miata does. This tells me that the electric motors may be contributing quite a bit of power/torque under heavy acceleration. It certianly feels that way. Unfortunately the owners manual doesn't help you to understand that. /Steve Also, a Tachometer with a powertrain using a CVT transmission is rather disinteresting as well, seeing as how the CVT really maintains the rev's at a constant level throughout the acceleration process... i.e. 2000rpm from start to 55mph or so... Cheers, MadloR

In the case of the RX400h, it is not to me a cost issue, it's more a case of oil filter location. The engineers missed the boat on this one. I find the location difficult to get to, and worse, makes a mess no matter what you do. So, for the grief and frustration I have given up on doing it myself. What I do is go to the dealer but at the midway point of the mileage point, I dump just the oil and refresh with new oil. Cheers, MadloR

That worked for you? I could not enter the "menu" system for the bluetooth, so thought it was not possible. I will try it again. Cheers, MadloR

Nope. For what its worth, not all cellphones offer the same voice quality in Bluetooth mode. The worst phone I used in Blue tooth mode was the LG Chocolat. Putrid voice quality, beyond comprehension. The best voice quality I had was the Blackberry Vs 1 8703e. My present Blackberry is good, just not as good as the original one I had. The motorola Razor was not bad, not great, but very decent. The richness and fullness of the sound was very phone related. Cheers, MadloR

You might be more a candidate of using a vehicle broker. They offer turn key importation of vehicles and take out all the leg work. Otherwise, if you want to save the G-note or so, you will have to do a little legwork, preparations, and googling. Cheers, MadloR