RX400h

If this were the case where the OP lives, that would mean his car is worth a mere $7500. If his car is really worth, say $30,000, then the loss amounts to just 20% of the car's value. Something just "aint" right! No wonder why there are so many "salvaged" vehicles out there.

I suggest you get a phone with a real keyboard, then. As I tell my kids all the time, Just because you CAN do something, doesn't always mean you should! Most virtual keyboards are garbage - the I-phone, included. I use either a real keyboard or the stylus if using the touch screen on my Wing.

Our Alenzas now have about 32,000 miles on them and they are just starting to emit some howling. It's not enough to be extremely annoying but nonetheless, it is there. I'll let you know if it gets any worse.

Hello, Peter, So your dealership cannot order this disc? You may want to call Lexus customer service to inquire as to whether one can be sent to your dealership.

Hey, his last name is Dangerfield - gets no respect!

Let me get this straight: You're a computer systems engineer at 16 years of age, yet your grammar is at a 6th grade level? C'mon, kid, we all seem to have a hard time believing that you are capable of creating proper sentence structure, let alone coming up with a fix for a very complicated problem. However, I admire your determination!

Yes, if percentage hydraulic braking vs. regenerative braking increases, we'll all be replacing our brake pads far sooner. What will probably happen is that a more complicated system will be developed to know ahead of time when rough roads/no propulsion conditions are immenent. Regerative braking will be disabled and the former non-adjusters will be happy.

In all the years I have been perusing this forum, I have never seen anything this bizzare! The dealership should contact Japan to find out what could cause this type of thing. Obviously, if it happens only every 13 months, the chances of the technician experiencing it is very low.

Well, I guess we can say the same thing about carburators, ignition points, drum brakes, roll-down windows, no air bags, manual steering, and hand-crank starters. Nah, I'll take at least some of the modern stuff, thank you!

Personally, I think the complaint by Prius owners of "insufficient braking" is highly exaggerated. It is a quirk of the regenerative braking system, but as was mentioned, is not a safety issue unless many accidents are being reported. I remember having a loaner Nissan Maxima in 2005. The throttle was touchier than what I was used to and for a brief while, it was disconcerting. Was it a safety issue that should have resulted in a recall? No, but it was different than the "norm" and thus was subject to customer complaints.

That's a good analogy, RC, We have recently discussed this: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=62220

Hey, SOMBODY's got to soak up this sunshine! :P

When I lived in CT, a friend was horrified after taking his car through a car wash - millions of hairline scatches throughout the clearcoat. That is when I swore off car washes, FOREVER! Seriously, now that I live in San Diego, there is never reason for me to take any of our vehicles through an automated car wash. Besides, hand-washing is good exercise.

If you are moving in a straight line, it is certainly far easier to stop a car that was in a full-throttle condition, if the engine is off - even if there is no vacuum boost to the brakes.

Here's the latest news from an article in Design News magazine:

Have you tried www.tirerack.com?

I'm really sorry that this happened to you, Jim and I understand your bitterness. Believe it or not, my wife once had a lemon Honda Accord. For years, I swore off ever buying a Honda. "They're junk!" I'd tell everyone. Eventually I realized that no one else was having the same problems we did. In fact, year after year, car & driver and Consumer Reports rated the Accord as the best or right near the top. My son has a 97 Civic that is a model of efficiency and reliability. It puts all German cars in its class to shame. Another true story..... I worked with a girl who always drove MB vehicles and ALWAYS had issues - no engine or transmission problems, but many irritating electronic ones. When it was time for her to buy a new vehicle, I suggested the new RX400h. Instead, she opted for the ML320 SUV that averaged 16 MPG on premium only. As gas priced rose above $4.00/gal, I asked her why she would continue to spend $60/week on gas expenditures. She told me she was always treated like royalty at her local MB dealership and that was worth more than the thousands of dollars and countless trips to the dealership over the years. ....very odd, to say the least. Car and Driver recently completed a long term test of the BMW M3. The transmission was making strange noises and like most German vehicles, other issues were beginning to surface. The bottom line in my book is that you can always switch dealerships, but switching vehicles because of quality issues is a far worse scenario in almost every way. The general saying among car enthusiests is that if you buy German, make certain you own the car ONLY while it is covered under a comprehensive warranty.

I change the oil, myself but have never noticed this. However, I will scrutinize the oil more closely when I change the oil next month. If you really wish to know exactly what is in your oil, you can send it out for an oil analysis. Before that, here is a quick and dirty way to analyze used oil: http://members.themotoroilevaluator.com/index.php?id=162

This just goes to show us that there are bad dealerships of every brand vehicle. Fortunately, most larger cities have more than one, making your chances of finding a good one, much better. Our dealership has been great.

....this coming from a guy who is trying to convince us to mod our RXs????? We are all in BIG trouble!!!

I wonder if it's because you live in beautiful CA where the roads are perfect. We here in Winnipeg Canada have pretty bad roads. I would say I encounter this more often than not. Well, I wouldn't call them perfect, but they surely beat the roads in many cold climate areas! Regarding the weather: We are currently experiencing the most rainfall I can ever remember. So far, it's been raining every day this week. Last night, it was raining so intensely that my neighbor's two plastic garbage cans were picked up by a stream of water and slammed against my son's car. Bizarre sight for San Diego.....

After driving our RX400h for almost 5 years, I must say that this scenario occurs very infrequently, so I don't worry about it.

We bought our 2006 RX400h in April of 2005 and the battery is still doing well. What was wrong with your brakes?

I'm a bit surprised you feel that way about red. My daughter's Mazda also has red gauge illumination and in most cultures, red signifies "warning", "caution", or "danger". I find it somewhat distracting compared to the soothing blue color which for most people signifies "cool" or "calm". Also, I think Lemon found that a red tint results in a pink hue, not red. If you're not female, having pink gauges can easily be misconstrued....

I believe GM's been including the volume boost for more than 13 years now. I have it in my 01. However, it may not mean much if the tone is changed in a sportscar that doesn't have much insulation in it. Now a luxury vehicle - makes alot of sense.