Jim Nazium

Would you agree that if you were in the middle of a ballpark, in the middle of the night in pitch blackness that you could find your way out from the middle of the playing field and into the parking lot to you car much faster using a 10,000 candescent flashlight vs using a single LED penlight? Would you agree? So you are saying I am correct, right? Or, are you saying that is incorrect because you would point the flashlight directly into your eyes while trying to walk out of the ball park hence "closing your iris" and completely blinding your field of vision? I suppose I would use the flashlight as it was intended, and, like the rest of humanity, and cast the light in the direction of my field of vision. But then again, that would only apply for those who are not complete morons and retards. Now, I'm not saying your a moron, or just a !Removed!, but I am saying... oh never mind hehe, you still wouldn't get it. Get it? I also suppose you could continue to make incorrect assumptions and base your utter pointlessness and complete nonsense in the hopes of trying to "lawyer talk" and "arm twist" into a "confession" of sorts in your jibberish and complete lack of automotive knowledge. But the fact remains you have no idea what your talking about, sorry to have been the one to enlighten you to the truth. MadloR

Not to be too much of a wet blanket but those brighter fog lights will result in your having less distance vision at night on low beams. Fog lights are aimed low and wide, below the low beams and so their "close in", CLOSER-IN, brightness will cause your eyes to close up more than with just the low beams. The effect is a lot like having the dash in front of you lit up from the courtesy/map light. Impressive, potentially blinding, actually, to oncoming traffic but raises the possibility of your being 6 feet under sooner than otherwise. A more creative use of your time, and a lot less money, would have been to revise the fog light circuit such that they can be used alone without the low beams to interfere when you actually encounter foggy conditions. Hmm, you sure make alot of @SSumptions without having experienced it, and my only concern is your lack of knowledge on the matter as you are trying to relay information that is completely inaccurate. Unfortunately some may read your "opinion" and base what you are saying as fact. The focal point has not changed, thanks to the quality and type of fog light projector. Therefore the fog lights do not interfer with the main headlamps... why would they? LMAO. Fog Lights are designed for the intended purpose to focus light wide and low, and not reflect back the "moisture" particles (i.e. snow, fog, rain) back into the drivers eyes. HENCE, the fog lights do just that, only much, MUCH Better in that they light up the part of the road due to inclement weather BETTER. No oncoming drivers are blinded because the fog light projectors are designed like the same pencil width aspect of the driving lights. Hence, there is no spurious light, much the way when a fellow enthusiats tries to take a conversion kit for a Halogen setup headlamp and stuff HID intensity bulbs and candescent power. Then yes, in this case one would blind oncoming traffic because the headlamp cannot focus the massive quantity of improperly focused HID light. Wrong again, buddy. Not to throw a wet towel again on another wrong assumption. The effect has nothing to do with driving with the console / dash lights at full intensity. Saying that is liking to saying that one should drive with all there lights off since one's intensity to light increases due to a lack of exposure to light. I would imagine one should drive using the "Force", eh LukeSkywalker? Modifying the driving lights to remain off while the fog lights on would be a benefit is some cases, yes, in inclement weather (fog, snow). But would be totally useless when needing additional light such as when driving in pitch black, and in remote rural areas. In that case you would definitely take advantage of much better driving conditions and hence you would see more of the road. Your analogy is really shortsighted, pardon the pun. Too bad you cannot see for yourself how wonderfully successful this mod happens to work out for the RX 400H. By the way, this is not my 1st, 2nd, nor 3rd attempt at improving or implementing «HID» conversions. Cheers, MadloR

I purchased this vehicle from Texas. I live and drive in pothole capital of North America, Montreal. I have no clue as to how this pebble found it's way inside the spare tire well. I do not drive off road, but we do have the spring season thaw coming into its own and the roads are littered with potholes, cracks galore, recessed undulations, and speed bumps (where the road surface has swollen up). Yesterday I did install my summer tires (255/55-18 GoodYear ResponsEdge) and boy-oh-boy what a difference in ride to the Bridgestone Blizzaks. Much quieter and smoother, like sucking up alot of the road imperfections and not bringing that level of noise and discomfort to the passenger cabin (must be the carbon fibre technology used in the sidewall). Pictures and report coming soon :) MadloR

Well I must say that I have managed to work out all of my shakes, rattles and particular rattles. The latest one, and the loudest was due to an act of god. Two weeks ago I brought my vehicle in to cure some rattles that were throughout the interior cabin. One was so bad, that it gave off a "ventriliquist" like rattle. You swore you heard it from inside the cabin while driving, yet there was none to be found at a standstill and would only occasionally reveal itself when closing the door. Hence, the ventriliquist like rattle, it was coming from underneath the vehicle and through the cabin floor. As it turns out a pebble was found inside the spare tire and the enclosure. Not visible to the eye and not found in the location of the twist off cover. Bravo to the Lexus mechanic who after initially diagnosing the rattle to be the muffler - spare tire heat shield, I told him to check again and duplicated the noise for him by banging on the rear passenger tire with my fist. I'm glad to say that finally this Lexus RX 400h can now roll in peace and I am no longer embarrased (for the times I take it out with some friends / families) as I can now drive squeek, rattle and clang free. Cheers MadloR P.S. If anybody else has experience "other" sources for noises and rattles not outlined above, please share them with me.

RATTLES yes, I do have to agree with you. For this level of luxury and price there should in no way be these many "squeeks, rattles and noise". Period. No excuse. But, I have owned many vehicles from many different manufactures and unfortunately at some point or another have experienced my fair share, be it when new or well after 1 year of ownership. The benefit in the case of the Lexus RX 400h is that Lexus warrants all these well beyond the traditional warranty period of all other manufactures. IOW, you only get 12 months to get all of the squeaks, rattles and groans otherwise your SOL, and your out of pocket expense. Not so with Lexus. ELECTRONICS I agree with the GPS, and the key fob 1 and key fob 2. Huge and Big oversight. Then again, my M5 doesn't offer that either, in fact all other vehicles I've owned in the past didn't either. You can get lexus personalised settings to adjust the dome light on and fade feature. Average speed and miles to empty, hmmm, personally I never really relied on that too much. In fact, I make a point to never run fuel low, especially since if it is my wife driving I always fill up the RX for her just in case. RIDE Hmm, I think your reaching on this one. Don't compare an engine to an 8 cylinder since nothing in it's class can ever be that smooth. Also, not alot of SUV's when floored sound exactly like a symphony due to the balance of torque and hp requirements as well as fuel economy and exhaust tuning and design. I've heard worse and heard better, but at least it doesn't sound like a diesel pinging every last ounce of hp as it tries to hurl 4k lbs beast while merging onto the freeway (exceptions are V8's). This has been the quietest SUV I've ever owned on the open road. I have had many SUV's and they simply do not compare... Pathfinder, Grand Cherokee Limited, Forerunner, QX4... Windnoise on the RX 400H is simply non existant. FUEL ECONOMY I do not know of one SUV that approaches the RX 400H and yet sacrefices so little in return. NONE. Own and drive a V8 SUV or and underpowered V6 SUV and either way you cut it, they both suck back gas like there's a hole in the tank. At least if you lay off the power in the RX 400H you can achieve remarkeable high twenties average fuel economy. Wow! You lose on this point big time. I've never, EVER owned a vehicle that achieved posted EPA, period. TIRES I have always pretty much been disappointed with all factory tires, because they are usually four seasons and they are neither efficient be it winter, summer, snow - rain - dry. I stick around that long with the factory Good Years, and quickly swapped them out for 4 full blown Bridgestone Blizzaks and 4 GoodYear Eagle Responsedge. I have been disappointed for way too long with factory equipped tires (except on my 99 Pathfinder SE that came with Toyo Transpath). As no car is perfect, if you compare what available at the moment in the marketplace I came to the conclusion like many other RX 400h owners here, that this is the Best All around SUV, period. Though not everyone can be satisfied, I believe you either do not own an RX 400H or you simply bought the wrong vehicle for you and you have never really owned an SUV before. Cheers, MadloR

Hey AWESOME write up, really usefull. Looks Really REALLY nice! Mega thumbs up. I have similar size but in the GoodYear Responsedge and can't wait for the roads in my kneck of the woods to be free and clear of salt. Back in 1999 I had a Nissan Pathfinder SE and it came factory equipped with Toyo Transpath and there were nothing short of remarkable, hope they last and drive as well as the previous Toyo's I've owned. Cheers, MadloR PS. Hey, I see someone else invested in the Lexus OEM mudguards. I think they are more a function of look and style than actually usefullness. What do you think?

I have always been of the belief, opinions (aka, complaining) are like belly buttons, everybody has one. But to offer "opinion" and solutions, well, that's priceless! Thread theft alert.... hehe MadloR P.S. no car I have ever owned has been rattle free, except my 300E back in 1990 but that vehicle was in a class of its own. Boring as heck to drive, but it was a true tank. Ran it till 389,000 km Cheers, MadloR

OK, I been through the front Dash fix, in fact there is a service bulletin to fix that annoying "tick-tick". You would think that a mid year 06 production they would of incorporated the fix at the factory given that the service bulletin was issued back in Oct 05. Anyhoot, all the dealers seem to know about this type of rattle and it involves disassembly of the front dash so as to line the front air defroster vent with some felt so that when the part sits up against the underside of the front dash opening the two pieces do not "tick-tick" under load. 2nd fix for rattle. Drivers seat, you might hear a occasional ticking or cracking sound while driving. Sounds like its coming from the footwell of the rear passenger seat on the drivers side. Fix for that is to place 4 little felt (I use the 1/2" round, soft part of the hook and loop ends only) pads at the four corners for the rear of the front drivers seat map pocket. 3rd fix for rattles. I got upset when the dealer said the rear cargo creak and rattle was due to a mis-aligned cargo door hatch (happy when they said that was the cure, not happy after the fact), damn, how did that sucker leave the factory like that. Anyhoot, it didn't quiet down the rattles completely. It may have been one of many sources for rattles, but in the symphony of creaks, rattles, and ticks, who could tell. Have the dealer none the less check and adjust the rear cargo door. Then, open both floor storage bins, and remove the plastic shells for each of the three doors. Then, underline each plastic bin on the bottom side (fwiw, the felt strips I used were once again the soft part of the hook and loop strips) that lies between the bottom of the plastic and the cargo floor. I laid down strips across all the lower portions of the bottom "chassis" of the plastic storage bins. Then I laid some strategic strips (fwiw, the felt strips I used were once again the soft part of the hook and loop strips) as well as some of the "hook" part of the hook and loop tape. The reason for this is to take up some of the slack that exist between the spring loaded doors and the bottom of the plastic bins. As well the male portion of the hook and loop tape actually sticks the to underside of the door bins which happen to be the factory fuzzy carpeting. Don't use too much, otherwise when you press the release mechanism for the pop up storage bin it won't pop lol. Also, there are three tools in the storage area that need some "stuffing", iow I put some material around the small socket used to lower the spare tire, as well as a couple of the extension tools and the prop used to hold up the bigger storage bin door. One last thing, get some bubble wrap and put some under the main tool storage bin on the underneath side, since there are two components for the vehicle mounted there that are made of stamped aluminum that resonate and "ping" like a golf club hitting a ball. The bubble wrap goes a long way as a damper, hence no more resonating. My cargo area is now quiet. 4th fix for rattle. The spare tire shell that sits against the spare tire, I lined around the 10 little openings some female hook and loop tape to the underside of the plastic shell, hence it is not visible. Also, where the twist off circular shell sits up against the main plastic shell, I lined that as well with 4 pieces of female hook and loop tape to the 4 spots that lock in to the main plastic shell. Spare tire shell is now quiet. 5th fix for rattle. The exhaust heat shield rattles. Take it to the dealer and have them tighten, replace or whatever it is they do to remove this annoying rattle. The heat shield is underneath the vehicle directly below the front passenger and rear passenger seat, hence it sounds like an interior rattle when in fact it is an outside source for noise. 6th fix for rattle. Have the dealer replace some exhaust bushing with newer rubber exhaust clamps. They became so loose that the rear muffler would bang against the exhaust shield found between the rear muffler and the spare tire. Fixed the clanging noise. Anybody else care to share, or require any more specific info on what I used or how I fixed those rattles let me know... Cheers, MadloR

I picked up this kit along with a good friend of mine who had imported accessories, both for automotive and home. The 50Watt Xenon conversion kit comes complete with Xenon Bulbs (3 temperature ranges / colors), ballasts, support bracket for ballasts, all cables and connectors are preconfigured (dummy proof, they are i.e. male - female, variable sizes etc) and water proof, screws, tie wraps, and auxiliary power supply cable with relay and fuses (not needed for install) to supply power to the ballasts (I guess the kit is somewhat universal, i.e. like retrofitting for applications where there is not the necessary load rated factory lighting cable for the lights). Price for this kit is approx $250US plus I would suppose shipping. I will try to get more information as to whether those interested can order directly from whoever will be the assigned "distributor". I had my first chance to test the lights last night and I must say I am duly impressed. What I look for in a Xenon kit, or Xenon lights in general is reflector focus and accuracy. The RX 400H fog lights are 100% HID compatible with respect to harnessing the 5x greater Xenon Luminance and outputting in a very controlled and extremely precise manner. There is absolutely no spurious light, the beam output is razor sharp and you see the cutoff (just like the factory Xenon headlamps). The road is lit up in exactly the same manner as was intended by the Lexus Engineers, only much more so (there is no doubt when turning on the fog lights that there ON now). In fact, the fog lights are about 2x as bright as the factory Xenon projectors (you notice this on the road, or against an object like a wall), 50W vs 35W. Oh, and colour is spot on, a point I really like. Now, all that is left is to upgrade the 9005 factory halogen bulbs to something more in tune with the 4300K colour/temperature range. I will be using halogen for this application for the obvious reasons. Cheers, MadloR

Completed Install for an HID Conversion Kit for the factory H11 fog/driving lights. I must say, these type of kits have come a long way. If you can replace a bulb, then you can install this kit. It really is plug and play beyond anything else in lighting. The factory socket for the factory halogen H11 bulb plugs into the ballast, this is where the ballasts get there power. Since the factory bulbs are rated at 55W draw, the ballasts are completely within spec (I opted for 50Watt ballasts and 50W HID Bulbs) of the Lexus factory wiring harness despite the fact the HID bulbs draw 50W vs the conventional HID bulbs (like the factory Xenon) which draw 35W. The ballasts have there own output wiring to supply power the H11 Xenon 50W bulbs. Here is pretty much the kit... Ballasts, bracket (not all parts are showing), 4300K bulbs. Here is the drivers side Fog Light (I've blocked the HID Headlamp with a very thick drop cloth) with the factory 55W Halogen. Here is the same drivers side Fog Light with the HID 50W 4300K. Here is a better side by side comparison, can you tell which is the HID kit? Exactly what I was looking for, perfect color match, extremely easy install, and much, much better performance. The most difficult part was removing the front tires and unbolting the front and lower part of the wheel well skirt so as to have access to the rear of the fog lamp assembly. This is where I bolted the ballasts (complete with there brackets) up behind the fog lamp assembly there is metal structure complete with predrilled holes. I made sure to tuck everything up and out of the way as well as install all the plugs so as to allow the water or condensation to dripp down and away from the moisture sealed plug and play enclosures. Cheers, MadloR

I rely on the backup camera and keep my eye on the rear bumper seeing as how you can get an excellent view from the camera angle. And, seeing as how the bumper is the furthest or closest point of contact if you do hit something, I use that as my reference point. Personally, I've driven worse vehicles... blind spots in locations while changing lanes. The worsest that comes to mind was my 1993 Toyota All-Trac 4WD, WOE!!!! Talk about needing glasses. You couldn't see squat on the passenger side if changing lanes from left to right. IMHO, station wagons are the easiest vehicles to back up in. Had a winter vehicle 1977 Pontiac Lemans (back in the early eighties) station wagon, could park that sucker on a dime in a spot no bigger than the length of the vehicle, plus one licence plate frame LOL. Though, most SUV's I've owned are not very friendly to back up, I have always purchased them with the tow hitch option (not so much that I tow as for the added protection they offer for those times I can only park on a public street). And I do agree with Gryphon the first attempt I made to back up (I didn't trust the backup camera) I was so far back that I swore I could of taken a taxi ride for how far off I was from where I wanted to be. I guess practice makes perfect, and getting used to it. Cheers, MadloR

Well, I was originally going to go that route but found the cost of the halogen pseudo look HID bulbs to be expensive. So, I started to look into HID conversion kits and came across one that is not only HID but of 50 Watt capacity. I will be installing them on Monday and will have some before and aft pics. Cheers, MadloR

Yes, thanks, I did read about possible problems and the past week we have been experience a mild winter week.... 44F and intermittent rain... I'm thinking problem is hardware. MadloR

Hmmm, adjustments, eh? That would make a lot of sense. I am not who needs a wipe at every possible droplet of rain, I manage just fine looking through the glass as opposed to looking at the window. I will look into this, but I don't remember seeing any info regarding the adjustment in the owners manual. Cheers, MadloR

D@MN! Too early to say, but if the creaks, squeaks, chirps, rattles, clanking, ticking, knocking.... continue, I'm not so sure. I did get my VW completely noise free, but then again it costs about half as much. MadloR

The RX 400h has Rain Sensing wipers, an option back on my M5 '03 that I did without (it was bundled with another luxury item that I thought didn't justify the options sheet) and later wished I had not. Now, I'm glad I did, seeing as how it is either a poorly designed luxo item (on the Lexus) or I do not know how to use it. The first notch down for the wiper stalk, is supposed to be for the Rain Sensing wipers, as long as you leave the adjustable swivel on the wiper stalk to "auto". Well, if this is in fact the setting for the Rain Sensing Wipers, then the system really blows. It pretty much triggers the wipers every 1.5 - 2 seconds regardless of the moisture. In that case, why have this feature since it uses ZERO fuzzy logic. My BMW comes with a really neat intermittent mode that when activated, and your at a stop light, the system actually deactivates the wiper mode intermittent and doesn't start up again until you start moving. Feedback would be appreciated... Cheers, MadloR

HEEEEEEEEEEERE comes the shaft. I knew it was too good to be true. Apparently, the 2006 RX400H never came with the wood interior option. My May 06 production model did, in the USA. As well, Lexus USA has confirmed this. Lexus dealer here in Canada has informed me I'm SOL. Great, just great. Also, they failed to find the rattle coming from the rear cargo area. Peachy. I'm trying to entice them by getting them to quote me for a 4 wheel alignment. Give and go I guess... MadloR

I remember this and thought the same thing when they did this. Absolutely, a real issue that manufacturers need to consider. Guess that's why the 2007 RX400H prominently displays the HYBRID tag on the sides. Lexus listened to the 2006 Owners! I'd love to know the part number and order badges for the side. Anybody know? MadloR

god darn it, a new squeek. Can you believe the rear seat of the drivers, where the seat pocket is for the rear right passenger, squeeks against the drivers seat. Unbelievable. MadloR

One of the things that was fixed on the service was a cross over bar for the roof rack that wouldn't lock in place (all other 3 sides would). So when I got the vehicle back I noticed that not only does it lock in place now, but it is completely slack free. Unlike the other sides which have some give, the next time I take the vehicle in I will ask that the service tech do the same for the remaining sides. I am not complaining that this is a source of rattle for me, but I do think the cross over bars should be tight so as to eliminate any possible rattle/noise. One other thing and this blows me away, has anybody else noticed how loose the housing that covers the spare tire is? Is it only me? Check it out the next time and give it a little knock and see how noisey that cover is. I haven't had time but I will be loosening it and put some hook and loop tape and report back when I do. Also, I find the rear muffler has way too much play, no way should the muffler have as much as 2 - 3 inches of slack from right to left or up and down. Cheers, MadloR

Hmm, prepaying for something you might not benefit from. IE 1, what if you car get stolen? IE 2, what if your car gets hit and is a total write off. IE 3, what if you sell your car after 3 or 4 years of ownership? As a rule of thumb, nobody will really clean, wax and detail a car as well as its owner. If you had to outsource it, I think the dealer would not be the best choice. Most people paid to wax and wash cars at the dealership are paid minimum wage. If you are not up to the task yourself, try to find an independant detailing shop where the actual owner(s) work there. No vehicle is perfect, but I have never owned a vehicle before where I have had such "synergy" with the actual powertrain. Being able to preplan my braking, coasting, speed, has such a beneficial effect. Congrats on your purchase and enjoy it in good health.

FWIW, my M5 has had a rattle from day one (sunroof screen) that was never repaired no matter how often I've complained, and my wife's previous '03 VW Jetta Wagon (made in Germany) had numerous dash rattles that I have had to take to a car stereo specialist and have him line all the individual plastic dash pieces with felt. hehe, german squeeks.

If the rear seats are FULLY forward, then yes there will be a gap. But, in all honesty, you will always want to leave the rear seats fully back to offer the maximum amount of rear leg room. And, that little extra you would gain by leaving the rear seats fully forward, will not make much of a difference. If you really nead the space you will be dropping the seats down in order to maximize the cargo space. Cheers, MadloR

RX400H Here is a copy of the original Lexus Personalised Settings: RX 400h I personally, changed a few things from the standard setting. Door Lock System I changed 3 , and changed 4 to the last choice. Moon Roof I changed 7 Lighting System I changed 8 to 7.5 seconds and 9 to the last option, and I changed 10 to number (4). The rest I left as is. Cheers MadloR P.S. link fixed.

Wow, car was delivered to Service Department yesterday at 07:15 am and car was completed at 3:30pm. 1. They are not sure about how to go about getting this part replaced. It is very expensive. They took piece apart and tried to snap it back and they were not successfull. Apparently the retaining or locking clips are broken. Who and how this happened is not known. Service manager has contacted head office about whether they can replace this part or not given the nature of the fact I am the Second owner of this vehicle they do not know the history and whether or not this is an actual defect or not. 2). Fixed. 3). Fixed. As per the TSB. 4). Fixed. Apparently it was the Rear Tailgate, it required an adjustment. 5). Apparently, there is nothing required for this, service advisor mentioned that the ECU will just self learn itself. Hmmm, I thought there was the TSB explaining the procedure. Apparently not according to Lexus Dealership. Oh well, we'll see once I hit warmer weather. So far in the 0F to 20F temperature range I can manage to pull off 24-25.5 mpg. 6). Dang, I didn't think I would get a freebie on this the way the Service Advisor was telling me "we do this within the 1st month of ownership for vehicles that we deliver to Our Customers". I changed a few things from the Factory "Standard" settings, and yes they did it for free. And of course with that they completed the 10,000 mile service. Personally, I think that was a waste of money / time, given the fact it's pretty much an oil change imho. Kind of a rip for an oil change, but I'm not complaining given the fact they covered most issues. I'm curious to see how the Dealer will go to bat for me and how Lexus Canada will serve they American Lexus vehicle. Cheers, MadloR