BobBass

YES - it's a lug nut lock. The "key" SHOULD be in the vehicle somewhere (famous last words). To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure where mine is. I've been lucky, never had a flat, and my dealer has always rotated the tires. Good luck finding it. You might try calling the dealer where it was serviced and ask where the techs usually put it.

Sometimes on my '08 the rain sensor doesn't start unless I put the selector on the regular setting and let it sweep a couple of times. Then, when I move it back to rain sensor, it works.

I just want to rule out the possibility that it has something to do with the steering wheel/ignition interlock. Sometimes the wheel is in a position that the key won't turn unless you rotate the steering wheel slightly one way or the other. You're probably already aware of that...just wanted to make sure that's not the issue.

I'm going to guess that the 12V "ICE" battery is dead. If it's never been replaced, it's way overdue and if it's been over 4 years for the replacement, it could be shot. Mine started losing the ability to hold a charge at 3.5 years and was replaced under warranty. Someone else will hopefully give you specific directions, but there should be a way to "override" the "shifter lock" and slide it into neutral. THIS PROCEDURE SHOULD BE IN THE MANUAL AND MIGHT BE FOUND IN A SEARCH ON THE FORUM. I also found this on the other Lexus forum: "at the top left of the shift plate just above the "P" for park there is a little slot, take a small screw driver and insert it into the slot and it will release your park lock and you will be able to shift to neutral!" IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OUT OF YOUR GARAGE TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO STOP IT!!! My driveway is sloped down and it could be a real disaster if someone isn't in the vehicle to hit the brakes. PLUS, you will not have full stopping power on the braking system with the engine off. Finally, the battery is likely to be under a plastic shield/cover that is held in place by "pushpins." You push DOWN on the center of the "pushpin" and it releases. It's a little trickier to put them back in place. GOOD LUCK AND BE CAREFUL!

The other thing is when you tell people you have a HYBRID and then "break the news" that it only gets 23 mpg, they are always shocked. I just tell them that if it was the gas version, I'd be lucky to get 18 under the same conditions. Unless your powertrain is a de-tuned 4 cylinder engine and willing to put up with 0-60 times ~12 seconds, a 4,500 lb, vehicle will not achieve these 30+ mpg figures. That's how Mazda does it with the new SkyActiv CX-5. Every review I've read mentions how sluggish it is. NO THANKS! And, I don't know if the manufacturers use 10% ethanol gas for testing or not. That's another fly in the ointment. There will surely be others who will chime in and say they're getting high 20s/low 30s and I don't dispute it. Not in my conditions or driving patterns. Bottom line for me - this is one of the finest vehicles I have ever owned in practically all respects (not counting the handling) and I'd rather have it that way than be able to achieve high gas mileage.

The only way you're going to get even close to the EPA mileage is to use every hypermiling trick in the book. My '08 400h averages about 23.5 summer and 22.5 winter on regular and "mixed driving." i could certainly increase that by using premium and driving "gently," but I'm too cheap and impatient to do that. The members on here that claim high 20s/low 30s must be driving under different conditions and better high-mileage skills than me,.

I found this on the other forum but it's TEN YEARS OLD! Just picked my car up after 1K mile service and here's what they told me. Even though the manual says the beep can be disabled the current C-Best software only allows for three settings: 2 beeps, 5 beeps, and 8 beeps. There is no "disable" setting. I had my service techs change it to the lowest setting: 2 beeps - so now basically when I hold the button down on my remote it beeps once, then the hatch begins to open, it quickly beeps again as the hatch begins to raise and that's IT. It ain't perfect but it's MUCH better. My svc mgr says they will take this up with corporate to find out WHY the owner's manual states the beep may be disabled - if they're NOT given the proper software to execute it. Maybe by my 5K service they'll have a solution - I'll keep y'all posted __________________ <a href="http://photos.yahoo.com/digabitdeeper" target=_"blank"><img border=0 src="http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/data/500/16565lexsig4.jpg"><br><b>see more images</a></b> Last edited by jeffknet; 06-04-03 at 10:47 PM.. 06-09-03, 04:19 PM #8 jeffknet Pole Position Garage is empty, add now Trader Score: (0) Join Date: May 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 316 FINAL ANSWER spoke with my service manager today - he had finally received an answer from Lexus corporate - and he told me that the way mine is set now is considered "disabled" he says the manual is misleading and that corporate is considering re-wording that paragraph in future editions. In reference to what I explained prior - when the button is pressed the vehicle emits 2 short beeps - like when you lock or unlock your car - then that's it, no more beeps while the rear hatch opens and closes. So no matter which C-Best setting you'll always get 2 initial beeps, then beep settings can be made for an additional 2, 5, or 8 beeps after that.

Lemme guess...you're ticked off that it's the same beeper found on run-of-the-mill Toyotas. I know I am every time I hear one in a parking lot. ;-)

Can't say that I've noticed this on mine, but it's been awhile since I've run it on cruise at that speed. I assume you have it on cruise control when this is happening and that for the most part the gas engine is running. Sounds like a drive with a tech might be in order if you can find a place to recreate that near the dealership.

Just go to your dealer and have them do their 30K service. They'll be moar than happy to do whatever is necessary and take your $600+.

That is a very unusual "usage pattern" to say the least. Jim is right; the best solution would be a battery maintainer, however, not knowing the layout of your garage, it's hard to say if that is a practical option. Another one would be to just be sure to take it out and drive it Wed. or Thurs. whether you need to or not. Of course, that means you'd be burning gas unnecessarily. For what it's worth, I have an '08 RX400h and while on vacation, let it sit outside for >2 weeks at a time and never had a problem with the battery running down until after about 3.5 years when the battery finally gave out. Word is the OEM battery is not the greatest. Lexus replaced it under warranty no questions asked. For piece of mind, I'd get one of those small "jumper batteries" and keep it in the trunk. I always bring it when leaving a vehicle at the airport "just in case." The only hassle is, at least the '08, getting to the battery terminals is somewhat annoying. You have to remove the battery cover which is held in place by "push pins." If you're really concerned about this, when you take delivery, have someone show you how they work. It's easy to release them; getting them back is the tricky part. You can always just put the cover in the vehicle and drive it with the cover off. Here's hoping this will never be an issue for you!

I'll bet if you had some sort of custom shield installed and the part failed they'd blame it on the modification.

There's some other (or maybe the same) component on the RX hybrids that have suffered failure from road debris that has been mentioned before. You're right, there should be some sort of shield or something, but the bean counters probably decided it wasn't worth the extra cost to include. I agree with the others; contact your insurance company.

The spare tire has an active sensor as well.

40 PSI is WAY too high for your vehicle. Some guys are running 38 to increase mpg. Mine are at 36 right now. I'm not sure what the recommended tire pressure is anymore but should be easy to determine from the official sticker or manual. The other reason the TPMS indicator can come on is if the spare tire pressure is off. That happened to me once in the winter when it got abnormally cold. You should take care to never let the fuel level get too low on these hi-tech vehicles. That's asking for trouble. Not sure what you mean by "near silent whisper of the electric motor." It does make a sound when operating. If you're replacing pads and rotors you must have a LOT of mileage. Many people are experiencing virtually no wear on the front brake pads due to the regenerating power system. Spend some time on the forum looking for specific topics or do some searches. Practically everything you can imagine has been covered here. WELCOME and good luck with your '08 - I got mine new in 11/07 and it's probably the best vehicle I've ever owned. IMO, a case can be made that it is better in many respects than a 2013.

Occasionally I have to put more pressure on the brake pedal than expected to prevent the yellow lines from appearing on the display. But, I have always been able to "shut them off." Funny you should post this - seems like it's happened a little more in the last six months than I recall but it's still very rare. Mine is an '08 with 31K miles.

I had a similar thing last week. Removed a large box from the cargo area and in order to keep from marring the bumper, slid a furniture pad over the latch mechanism. Later on, I forgot about the pad and just closed the rear hatch with the remote. Didn't notice that it didn't close all the way. Two days later I open the driver's door and it didn't seem "right." Got in, put the key in the ignition and...DEADER THAN A DOORNAIL. I have to assume the rear cargo light was on the whole time and drained the battery. I just jumped it like a normal vehicle with a booster battery (already had done this a couple of times previously when the OEM battery gave out) and I was good to go after re-initializing the power windows. Lost all the radio and previous destinations in the NAV. It is ridiculous that Toyotas don't have an electronic sensing system that shuts down lights like this that are inadvertently left on. This also happened to us in an '04 Sienna when we left a map light on. As far as the safety issue goes, it would be interesting to test similar mechanisms in other vehicles. I see your point, but a "small" strap like this (I assume it is .5" WIDE) is a Murphy's Law waiting to happen.

I take it you do not have the manual. You can download it here: http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/info/my-lexus/resources/submit-owners-manual-search;JSESSIONID_LEXUSDRIVERS=2NJ0PpGPfyJvTWjKyh7X93HYlJkfGMMtGQpVT7cxnhzJWr9YjvyV!-1202305945 In the meantime, the AWD system on the RX400h is ALWAYS "ready-to-go" and "kicks in" whenever the system senses a need for it. Under normal circumstances, it runs in FWD. By "controlling mirrors," I assume you mean adjusting the outside rear-view mirrors. They are adjusted similarly to every other mirror system I've ever experienced. Here's the specific manual link for that: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM48657U/pdf/om07sour/2007om/frame/07rx400h/sec_01-04.pdf When the headlights are in the AUTO position, they come on automatically when it's dark enough outside and the ignition switch is on. Just leave it in AUTO and that's all you have to do. Here's the specific page on that: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM48657U/pdf/om07sour/2007om/frame/07rx400h/sec_02-03.pdf

Sounds too good to be true. I guess you lucked out big time. Hey - I have an '09 Coupe in Crystal Red Metallic. Is your C5 Magnetic Red? NICE!

Those early Tribecas got HORRIBLE gas mileage. Plus, they have that goofy grille. Your 400h gets better mileage in the winter? Where do you live, on the equator and have to run A/C all the time? ;) I'm looking forward to spring/summer temps here in SE PA so I can pick up another mpg or so. Wait - I just re-read your post. You have an unusual way of expressing your fuel use. Don't think I've ever seen anybody use a fuel amount used to travel a constant distance ratio before. Most people list the distance they are able to travel on a given amount of fuel.

You need to have the dealer turn off the "auto-recirculate" under "personalized settings." If you had this done before the 5K service, they would have done it for free. They will probably charge you to do it now. I HATE the way this function is programmed at the factory. I like to have control over this and don't want the vehicle's HVAC system to decide when it should be on recirc. We had the same issue with our Camry hybrid. When I brought it up with that service writer, he acted like they never heard of it before. The service manager had to "open up a case with Toyota" to figure out what to do, and this is a GOOD service dept. Apparently very few people think like you and I do on this. I'll tell you this; I will make sure this is done BEFORE taking delivery of my next Toyota. I'm also "old school" with the A/C compressor, ALWAYS turning it off a half mile or so before parking the vehicle if it's been on. I run with it off whenever possible. One drag about the third generation is getting to that "button" in the menu. I guess once you get used to accessing the screen functions with Remote Touch it's OK, but what could be easier than the touchscreen in the '08? Good luck and hopefully your Lexus service dept. will change the setting for free.

I agree wih Lemon...as far as I know, the only way to upgrade the NAV is with a new DVD. If they did that for free, it was worth losing your 97 previous destinations. It also may happen if the battery is disconnected...not sure about that. That happened to me as well when I inserted the new DVD. If they have a warning about it on the disc, I missed it. Besides, what would you have done? Written down the most important previous destinations? I can't imagine there's a way to save and reload them. It IS a hassle, though.

The 12V battery in my '08 "went" at 3.5 years and ~25K miles. It had dropped in voltage to high 11V. I had to "jump it" 2 times and when I took it to the dealer, they said it was somewhat unusual for one to go bad that soon, but not unheard of. They also said the electrical system really needs to "see" 12.5V or better to operate properly. FYI, my vehicle is parked outside and not driven every day. That may have something to do with it. Imagine my delight when I picked it up and there was NO CHARGE because it was still under warranty. Sounds to me like yours is failing. My recommendation is to get a new battery if Lexus determines it's "on the way out."

You are correct. The range of the key fob IS...less than desirable. I just chalk it up to the fact that it's so small. Since it's an all-in-one unit with the physical key as opposed to a separate electronic fob and key arrangement, it just CAN'T have that good a range. Best remote I ever had was on my '04 Maxima. That thing worked from inside a building thru the windows to my car at >100 feet!

LYNN, Sorry to hear of your problem. I had the condensation in the headlamp issue on my '08 while under warranty and the dealer replaced the whole assembly without batting an eye. They have been like that on everything I've asked about, even replacing the ICE battery at 3.5 years for free. Good that corporate will cover the cost of the unit, but NOT good the dealer won't "good will" the replacement cost. I agree, $525 is ridiculous to replace it, but so is $650 for the 30K service. Welcome to the world of LuxoCars.