RX400h

I believe the manual recommends a brake fluid change at about 30,000 miles. That's when I had ours changed. That's good to know about the pump - thanks!

You're welcome, Rey! I really enjoy talking to those guys and gals at Tirerack - no slackers work at that place; they seem to be all very knowledgeable. Dave

It normally makes sense if the pump has to be removed. However, in some of the newer vehicles, this is not necessary. If you ask the service advisor how often he sees failed water pumps being replaced and he tells you "never", you have your answer as to whether you should have yours changed. Since the RX330 has the same engine and considering that RX has been around longer than the RX400h, Lexus service advisors should know whether the pumps can last much longer than 90,000 miles. My son's Honda Civic has over 130,000 miles and is still on the original water pump.

My question for you is: Have you experienced numerous issues with your vehicles - issues that are harbingers of trouble to come? I believe Consumer Reports advises against extended warrantees unless the above is true. Our RX400h has been more than stellar; it's been perfect. I couldn't imagine getting my money's worth out of an extended warranty for THIS vehicle. ....the Corvette? Absolutely!

I just had a fairly lengthy talk with Larry at the Tirerack. He explained that if you don't rotate your tires by 5000 miles, the wear pattern could be really tough to overcome. This may be the cause of our noisy Alenzas. Anyway, I asked him which tires he would recommend for the RX400h and after reviewing a slew of data, he selected the Yokohama Prada Spec-X. It should be a higher-performance tire than the Michelin Lattitude and Bridgestone Alenza, but should also be very quiet and provide a comfortable ride at the same time. We will see when I pick some up within the next 6 months or so. Dave

As Skyfish mentioned, whatever you plug into the outlet cannot draw any more than 1 amp. Most vacuum cleaners draw more than that. Even a hair dryer at 1000 watts will draw 9 amps of current - way too much for this system.

The reason why I change my own oil is that by the time I drive to the auto repair shop or dealership, wait a couple of hours for them to do the work and then drive home, I would've been able to change the oil/filter with 2 hours to spare. I pick up the oil while I'm at Walmart for other purchases, so it's not like I spend more time just to buy the oil. The same holds true for the filter; I pick up a few K&N oil filters when I'm at O-Reiley's. Granted, if the work required is more complicated or the correct tools would be expensive for something that is rarely needed, then I generally let the pros do it.

You have a Harley and don't do your own work? What is this world coming to???? :D

I don't recall seeing this requirement (at 60K miles) in my owner's manual but will check, this weekend.

While driving slowly on battery power only, I hear what sounds like an out-of-roundness that also bothers me. Within the year, I'll be researching tires again, that's for certain. The Alenzas were quiet for approx. 25,000 miles but became increasingly noisy after that.

The good news is that flats are far less common than they used to be, back in the days of bias-ply tires. And even if you do get a puncture in a tire, as long as it's not in the sidewall, the tire can be patched. I can't wait to get rid of these Alenzas; they are getting annoyingly loud but still have plenty of tread.

Hey, that's what happens when you order wheels from Somalia.......

I rotate my Bridgestones and end up with howling tires after 30,000 miles - go figure. My Corvette has different wheel and tire sizes from front to back so rotation is not an option. I've been running Goodyear GSD3 tires (best tires I've ever had) and now hear that they may not be making them in my sizes any more. Thus, I may be in the same boat as you! :cries:

Car & Driver tested both and the RX400h came out on top with a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds. Faster, better gas mileage and smoother-shifting. What else can you ask for?

I would call your local auto stereo/alarm installer and inquire. I'll bet that they can install one in your vehicle.

BMW X5s and X3s are good candidates, but also Porsche Cayennes (non-turbo) and Ford Explorers also get beaten quite easily! :chairshot:

Having battery assist is like having a bottle of nitrous that is automatically replenished (albeit a bit slowly) by a large tank. If you are going to race someone, make sure your charge (bottle) is full. Car & Driver achieved a 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds with a full charge. You couldn't beat that with an RX350 no matter how hard you tried.

Hopefully, solar power will come down in cost. Here in So Cal, the sun shines almost every day so the hope is that we can store some of that energy and heat for use in our homes and vehicles, economically. Perhaps midwesterners can produce electricity via wind-capturing devices as well.

The electric motor sound is very noticable only when accelerating rather briskly. Under most normal driving conditions, the RX400h is very quiet. Here in and around the big city, payback for a hybrid RX comes much quicker, especially since we were able to reduce our taxes by $2000. And since gas prices tend to average over $3.00/gallon, buying an RX350 makes sense only if you plan to sell it after 3 years or so or if you rarely drive your vehicles.

Regarding starting batteries: According to Consumer Reports magazine, the best battery out there is the Sears Platinum. Unfortunately, it costs $180 + tax. While our RX's battery is now over 5 years old, when it comes time to replace it, I will look into a Costco Kirkland battery (about $60) to see if its reserve capacity is beyond what the OEM battery has to offer.

Based upon what I have read, there has yet to be a hybrid vehicle made by Toyota that has needed a battery pack replacement. Some Prius cars have over 250,000 miles on their original battery pack. This is one of the reasons why NiMH batteries are still being used - extreme longevity, but also because they are relatively inexpensive (compared to lithium batteries) and can be recycled. At 60,000 miles, your RX has a long way to go before needing batteries.

Mix the potent V6/hybrid powertrain with a light-weight body and viola - fast hybrid that gets 33 MPG. I'll take one!

True, but if the previous owner did not have the vehicle serviced at the dealership, there will be no records to check - the danger being that you can't contact the previous owner to inquire about his or her maintenance records.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f33/guigiaro-builds-fastest-prius-17286/

This is true only if the dealership has service records of the used vehicle it is selling. There are many out there that do not. That being the case, I'd rather buy from a private seller who has records of all maintenence and repair work.