RX400h

I recall back in the 60s and 70s when disc brakes were starting to get popular. May people continued to buy all-drum models, preferring the "wait and see" attitude to the trendsetter attitude. I think we see the same type of reservation, today as many folks are fearful that hybrids will be a fad and hence be hard to sell. While I understand the conservative nature of many luxury car buyers, I believe the days of $1.50/gallon gasolene are over. Yes, RX350s are much more common, but so were drum brake vehicles in the late 60s and early 70s.

Ah, those are much more rare. Thanks for clearing that up. Dave

Many vehicles use torx screws for one thing or another. Their design allows for higher torque potential and less chance of "cam-out" when tightening the screw. By the way, here's a neat trick that works well when you accidentally strip a screw head: Use a Dremel tool with cut-off disc to make a slot in the screw head. When it is wide and deep enough to get a decent-sized flat blade screwdriver in it, use that type of screwdriver to take the screw out. Dave

Someone, Was you battery covered by the battery warranty or the vehicle warranty?

...good point - didn't catch that fact!

How could an RX350 leak coolant from an inverter that isn't even under the hood? Isn't that a hybrid thing only?

I think for the same reason the Honda Accord Hybrid didn't sell well - not enough gain in MPGs for most people. By the way, I see at least 20X more RX350s than I do RX400hs. Most people don't think long-term or they honestly feel that it would take too long to recoup the hybrid's extra cost. Statistically, I believe the average length of ownership is about 6 years.

I agree; we need more details. It does sound a bit rediculous to bring a car in, just so the dealership can check the floor mats........

I believe that our mats are securely "hooked" to the floor. In fact, my Corvette mats have a similar feature to prevent the driver's mat from sliding forward. As I may have mentioned previously, the same sort of incident happened to me when I had a 1968 Corvette. There was absolutely no way that the brakes could overcome the torque that the engine generated. I was somewhat lucky to have jumped a curb, which allowed the engine to stall. (The car had a manual transmission, which helped matters.) It was a very scary ride and I have no doubt that Toyota is doing the right thing. However, I can't see why the RX400h would be recalled unless a non-OEM floor mat with no hooking feature was offered by the dealerships.

I believe this would be the last thing anyone would think, given the horrible nature of the accident. One thing is certain in my mind - no one ever rehearses this type of event. THAT tends to explain why even a CHP officer would not automatically do things that are easy for us to point out.

I use regular in the winter/cool months and mid grade during hot Summer months. Of course, "hot" is a relative term. If I were to drive to Las Vegas or Phoenix, I'd switch to premium. As a general rule-of-thumb, the colder the ambient temps, the lower the octane that can be used without adverse effects.

Nice pics! I'll have to check the one in my RX, this weekend.

Wow! I'd hate to have to pay for THAT out-of-warranty! It looks like you wouldn't know about the leak unless you pulled the cover? maybe we should all be checking that, periodically.

Yes, please upload a picture. I can't imagine how something like that would cost $7000 - a transmission, maybe, but an inverter? <_<

I believe the map is displayed but I can't remember which "buttons" are shown. Certainly, there are very limited functions available.

Things happen so quickly that often, unless an action is well-rehersed, it doesn't get done. this is why emergency personnel must train consistently for that one time when the real deal is "going down".

You are correct. I MUST start my RX before being able to enter an address into the GPS screen.

I would guess that the driver did not own a pushbutton start Lexus and therefore did not know how to shut the engine off. Shifting the transmission into neutral wasn't done, either, for some reason. Since no one survived the accident, we can only speculate as to what was attempted.

Congratulations! Those are some excellent tips. While we average only 24.5 MPG, I have to take some of the blame when I blast past X5s and Cayennes every now and then. Still, a new Volkaswagon Rabbit averages 24 MPG with just 170 HP and a lot less weight, so I don't feel too bad.....

I guess the questions remains - why didn't the officer put the transmission in neutral? If I were the passenger and the driver wasn't thinking staight, I'd throw that gear shift lever into neutral. Of course, hindsight is 20-20, as we all know.

The electric assist is typically used while accelerating, especially up a hill. While cruising, there is very little load on the engine, thus, no need for "boost". You will find that on highway cruises, there is virtually no difference in mileage between an RX400h and RX330 or RX350. However, around town, the RX330/RX350's fuel mileage will plummet to 16 MPG or so. The RX400hs mileage around town is 28-30 MPG, almost double that of its non-hybrid siblings. We average about 25 MPG for combined city and highway. It is unlikely that any non-hybrid RX will achieve that kind of mileage under the same conditions.

I checked my manual and couldn't find any mention of that, although personally, I've never had the need to turn on the door or rear storage area lights while driving.

Just be sure that the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combination is the same as that of the 18" combo.

Not just oil activates the message ... it'll activate for tire rotation, cab & ICE air filters, etc ... what ever you want to set it up for. What with all the different intervals, the light'll be on quite frequently, as it's difficult to schedule everything to need service at the same time. Our 06 was set up (when received, new) to show that message only when the oil needs to be changed, since we haven't added any other "reminders" using the NAV screen. I keep a notebook of all of my vehicle's maintenance requirements and activities, but having the option to let the RX take care of the reinders is handy.

The procedure for resetting the mileage timer and removing the message is in the owner's manual. If it HAS been 5000 miles since the oil was last changed, you should have it done, soon.