RX400h

If you're referring to posting a picture in your signature, try this: 1. Click on your use name at the upper right-hand corner of your screen. 2. Select "My settings" from the drop-down list. 3. Under the "Your Options" heading, select "Profile". 4. Click on "Change signature". 5. Click on the "Insert image" button. 6. Type in the web address of your image. If you don't have it hosted somewhere, find a picture-hosting site, upload the picture and copy the path that leads to it. You probably know that you don't have to do this when uplading an avatar (150x150 pixel) image - that is inserted directly into the Profile section, but for having the picture show up after every posted comment, you need to have a "path" to the picture. Dave

Rey, Go here: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58929 and click on the link in #8. Dave

I went to doodle with the CD player, yesterday and what-do-you-know, it was working perfectly! You just gotta love electronics....... Dave

I would tend to agree that it's either the strut mounting hardware or a bushing. My daughter's Protege does the same thing and a mechanic told me the strut is fine. He suffested that I wait until the strut was worn before doing anything. However, that's a Mazda; you have a Lexus and that sound may be unacceptable. KYB makes strut/shock mounts for the RX400h that are under $30 but I'm not sure what the labor charge would be for installation.

Welcome back, C-man! We thought you were involved with final exams......

Fortunately, the fix is simple and eliminates the need for carrying a hammer. Simply buy a tube of powdered graphite and squirt some in the ignition key slot. I did that many many "starts" ago and have not had a problem, since.

Bob, can you elaborate as to how you did it?

How cold is it when this happens?

Rey, that worked for me the first time but does not work, presently.

I need to try the tweezers trick, myself. I'm getting the same error.

I believe my manual calls for a coolant change at 90,000 miles. Coolant changes in older vehicles were far easier than what is required for many newer vehicles. There are (newer vehicles) normally quite a few air bleed ports that if not bled properly, may lead to engine over-heating. Think of it another way: Is $300 every 90,000 miles alot of money? I think not.

To me, this is not normal. I would ask the dealership to find out why a battery would fail that quickly. It's hard to believe that two batteries were defective. Simply changing the battery every year is not an acceptable solution.

It looks like they are made by Johnson Controls, so they can't be all that bad. How much does one cost? If my $60 Kirkland battery lasts as long as the OEM, I'd be perfectly happy.

If you have an 06 with the OEM battery then I advise you to replace it, especially with ambient temperatures as you describe. I bought and installed a Costco Kirkland for $60. That is very inexpensive insurance.

There have been very few issues with the RX400h, so there's not much you need to know. Here's what I know: The 12V battery typically needs replacement after 5-5.5 years so if yours is original, you should replace it. I bought my battery at Costo (Kirkland battery) for about $60 but I had to install it, myself. The Walmart MAXX is a good battery as well and they will install it for you. If you don't have some already, get some powdered graphite and squirt some into the ignition key hole. That should prevent an occasional no-turn situation. It happened to us, once but after using the graphite powder, everything is fine. There was a steering component recall a couple of years ago; see if yours was performed. A free alignment is included. A couple of folks have had a small inverter gasket coolant leak but this seems to be somewhat rare. One member had a water leak after 6 days of almost constant rain but it appears this, too is very rare. For a 5+ year old vehicle those issues are so small in number that I am very impressed with our 2006 RX400h. It averages 25 MPG and is very powerful at the same time. Oh, and one more thing: Read the manuals thoroughly. They contain lots of information about this very sophisticated vehicle. Most of all, enjoy!

Rey, Our house is now over 16 years old and up until last week, has never had a roof leak. The rain we (and you) experienced recently was the most your area of the state has had since 1954. My guess is that we won't likely have anything that severe again in our lifetime, so while I will have our roof leak inspected and patched, I think that chances are if I were to do nothing about it, I'd never see that leak again. For those who didn't hear or read about the rain storms we've had - 6 days of almost nonstop rain really shocked everyone in this area. Many of those who live in older/low-lying areas had serious flooding problems. I felt like I was in Seattle :) Dave

By the way, with the $2000 federal tax credit we received, our RX400h is now providing "payback" after just 5 years of ownership. The high gas prices have certainly been a factor and word is that they will be reaching $4.00/gallon by Summer. Our relatives, friends and aquaintences who purchase non-hybrid RXs are averaging more than 8 MPG less than we are.

Well, there was a beautiful gold CT200h on a platform at the opening day of the San Diego car show, today. From what I could see, the interior is very impressive. I think 20-30 additional horsepower would be nice, even if it meant fuel mileage suffers slightly. I do look forward to driving one when it is available.

While I don't have a 450h, I can offer my opinion of the NAV on a 400h. In short, I find it to be better than any of the Garmin NAV units I own or have used. And having the unit built-in is a major convenience. Bluetooth works well and some of the settings options are appreciated. Our 400h came loaded with everything but the DVD entertainment package and I have never regretted having those add-ons. I feel the same way about all the options that came with my Corvette, like heads-up display, 12 CD changer, 12-way adjustable seats, etc, etc. Over the span of ownership years, the cost amounts to very little per year and at my age, I feel that I deserve to have them. Dave

We've done that a couple of times and I think it was a matter of not holding the key in the start position long enough.

Also, what does the dealership charge for this?

Coney, One of the posters in the forum linked in Lemon's post stated: Apparently, a new cylinder did not cure the problem. I did lubricate the cylinder with graphite and will give my wife my set of keys as a backup, just in case her key is the culprit.

This just happened to my wife about 5 minutes ago. She used Lemon's method of popping the key with the palm of her hand and the key was able to be rotated. I guess I'll be looking for my tube of graphite! Dave

While taking the number 2 spot (Parada Spec-X is the top choice among the Tirerack folks to whom I spoke and users of these two types of tires)among the Yokohama high-performance all-season tires for the RX400h, the Invigors appear to be good alternative tires for those who want to spend a bit less and who value treadwear over all-weather ability. According to the people who are using these tires, the Paradas perform better on dry, snowy, and icy surfaces but without a doubt, the Invigors are pleasing many of their owners as well.