RX400h

Out of all the hybrids on the road, there has yet to be one with depleted batteries, and that includes Prius versions with over 250,000 miles on them. Unless you plan to drive 50,000 miles per year, you really don't have to worry about having to replace the traction batteries. Regarding reliability: Our RX400h is now more than 5 years old with more than 50,000 miles on it and we have not had one problem. That in of itself is truly amazing and a good sign of future reliability.

Yes, when most of us here list MPG, the gallons are US. 27.2 MPG is a very good number as average MPG.

There was a recall a while back that involved steering components. (not sure if that's the TSB you referred to) Have you had this service done? Ours has about 52,000 miles on it and we've never had any issues whatsoever.

I really like this car as well. I think Lexus created a vehicle that is aimed at the younger (<60) crowd that values handling over silky-smooth ride. The lighter the vehicle weight, the more I'll like it. Bring it on!

With most non-hybrids, a steady 30-50 MPH on back country roads will result in very good gas mileage. This would explain your 24 MPG number. My son's 1997 Honda Civic CX would most likely achieve almost 50 MPG under those conditions. However, the majority of the population in the US is in or near heavily populated areas (cities and counties) and as such, are severely penalized by driving non-hybrid/heavy vehicles. I know of a few RX330 and RX350 owners who typically achieve only 16 MPG under the same conditions under which we achieve 24-26 MPG or more. The gap widens as frequency of city and high traffic conditions increase. Folks who live in the Los Angeles area can see 30 MPG when driving RX400h and RX450h SUVs.

Chand3 is correct if the conversion includes US gallons. If using British gallons, the answer becomes 34.4 MPG (not likely).

For those who doubt that higher pressures reduce tire contact area, try this simple test. Inflate a tire to 42 psi and then drive over some moist dirt or clay. Look at the area of tire that is covered with the dirt. Now deflate the tire to 32 psi and repeat the test aftet cleaning the tire. I believe you will notice more dirt on the properly-inflated tire. This means that the tire will contact pavement with more rubber, making handling more secure. Think about this as well - If there was nothing wrong with inflating tires to the max pressures listed on the sidewall, why doesn't Toyota do that with their hybrid vehicles. Wouldn't it be better press for them to have customers achieve higher gas mileage? Another thought.....If each of us removed our intake air filter, we'd get better fuel mileage as well but that doesn't mean we should, does it? Now what if we could somehow reprogram our hybrids so that we could run down the batteries to 20%. We'd certainly get better fuel mileage but what are the consequences?

Okay, I had a good chuckle when I read the part about overinflation. First of all, I should mention that I have over 30 years experience with measuring equipment of all types and about that many years running radial tires on my cars. In fact, I worked for Uniroyal world headquarters for a time. I have measured many tires' tread depths with digital and dial calipers and I can tell you honestly that radial tires do wear in the center if overinflated. This is especially true of heavier vehicles' tires, at least from what I've seen. My Corvette's tires will wear out in the center if I keep them inflated over an optimum pressure by just a few psi. Really, all you have to do is ask the tire pros at tirerack.com. Here's what they have to say: Or how about this article snippet from USA Today: Note: Harold Herzlich is a consultant for the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Please, keep the proper tire patch area on the road by inflating your tires to no more than a few psi over the recommended pressure listed on the door sticker. You and your vehicle will be better off (and safer).

Please keep in mind that if you inflate your tires past approx. 34 psi (cold), they will wear out in the center, rather quickly. I had my tires at 35 psi for a while until I noticed that they were wearing out in the center. Currently, I have them set to 32-33 psi and their wear has evened out.

Uh Oh, it's BACK with a vengence! Steve, please check it out again. Thanks, Dave 7/9/10 update: All is well again.

I think I wouldn't be impressed, either if I drove only 7 miles to work. To get the oil hot enough, most vehicles need to be driven at least 10 miles, but as much as 20 miles on cooler days. As the oil gets hotter its viscosity decreases and fuel mileage increases. We average 24-26 MPG with more highway than city driving. I'm certain that if we spent more time in the city or during high traffic times, our fuel mileage would go up. We do not drive super conservatively and I've been known to blast by X5s every now and then. By the way, here's a post that includes a graph of RX400h owners' average fuel mileage. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21500

Thanks, Steve, It got to the point where I didn't want to log in from my work computer. I'll give it another try on Tuesday. Dave

Lenny, I have presented this question to the other moderators and owner of this forum. I and quite a few others are seeing the same message. My Windows 7 computer with Norton AV doesn't display any messages but my computer with Trend Micro does. I'll let you know what I find out when it happens. Dave

Congrats as well, We've had ours since April of 05 (We were on the waiting list for over 1 year.) and after more than 50,000 miles, have not had one problem - by far the most reliable vehicle either of us have ever had. You will most certainly enjoy yours for many years to come.

It looks like you won't be charged - gotta love Lexus' standing behind their products.

I use regular or midgrade during the colder months and midgrade during Summer - unless I venture to Las Vegas or Arizona where temps can get up over 100F. At those temps, premium is a must.

Wow! That type of incidence is as rare as a mint condition Chevy Vega! We now have over 52,000 miles on our 2006 and have never had even a hint of a problem. My guess is that if yours is at all related to the hybrid system, you are fully covered. Please keep us informed.

If you change your oil when you are supposed to, your PCV valve should last as long as your spark plugs last. Most likely, a close-tolerance engine such as that in the RX400h will not produce an abundance of oil-saturated blowby gasses, as did the cars of yesteryear. Therefore, PCV valves should function quite a bit longer than the PCV valves of old.

I, too coast down a long hill on the way home and almost always see a fully-charged condition display. Of course, if you don't live in an area that has its share of hills, you may not see this very often.

No matter how meticulously I clean that oil, there is always a few drops on the garage floor, afterward. Once I clean that up, no additional oil will show up until the next oil change. Since I reach up from underneath, with the plastic cover pushed out enough for my hand to get an adjustable wrench on the oil filter's welded-on nut, I really can't see much. Therefore, I can't see everything you are showing in the photo.

Oops, I forgot your age - that explains everything! :chairshot:

I was just kidding about the battery, since he did say that he leaves his lights on "24/7". Personally, I think having lights on while driving on a bright, sunny day is NOT going to make you more visible unless you have 10 million lumen lights. I plowed into a guy while I was riding my motorcycle (bright, sunny day) because he didn't see me and moved into an intersection, so I have my doubts about lights on a motorcycle on such days.

...and that's probably why you have to buy a new battery every 6 months...... :cries: Seriously, why would you feel as if your headlights should be on a sunny day? I could understand that philosophy if you were on a motorcycle, but a big SUV? - kinda overkill if you ask me.

It could be a loose or detached connector but assuming no behind-the-dash work has been done, you may want to take your car in to the dealership.

We were one of the first RX400h owners in San Diego (back in 2005) and after 5 years and more than 50,000 miles, I can say without hesitation that this is the most bullet-proof vehicle we have ever owned. Not one incident of any kind has happened and while we have a trailer hitch, it is used to attach a 4-post bike rack. Anyone who tries to convince you that the transmissions in these vehicles are unreliable really doesn't know what they are talking about. We average 24-26 MPG, even with my occasional lead foot and we can and do use regular fuel during the cooler months. Compared to folks we know who bought either the RX330 or RX350, (average of 16-18 MPG under similar driving conditions), our gain in fuel mileage is substantial.