RX400h

Rey, Your first post was very informative - thanks! I had to reread Chicago Girl's post before I replied, since initially, I thought she was looking for design-related issues. Dave

Hello, Chicago girl, Just to clarify - you are not asking us what Lexus should do as far as future model upgrades; rather, you are inquiring as to what a dealership such as yours can do to make our ownership experience even better. Is this correct? I have had good experiences with my dealership, but here's a couple of things I would like to see: 1. The availabity of computers and access to the internet, primarily for short stays (tire rotations, oil changes and the like). There is a Mazda dealership in my area that offers this and it really comes in handy. 2. Picking up customers' (at least while the warranty is active) vehicles and then dropping them off when they are done. I've heard of one or two people mentioning the availability of this courtesy service, but as far as I know, it's not available in my area. Now THAT would wow me! Of course, #1 would be a moot point if #2 were available! Thanks, Dave

You forgot to mention unsprung weight. When you add unsprung weight it makes a big diffrence in ride in handeling. Also the change in diadeter will effect the indicated speed so the speedometer will not indicate the correct speed. This may cause the computer select the wrong gear ration. I am assuming that even with the CV transmission the computer must still select a ratio based on speed. I guess I assumed that if he bought 17s, he'd also get a higher-profile tire so that the overall diameter would be the same. Still, I'd hesitate to go from aluminum to steel wheels, just for the ride quality reduction.

Are you looking to save money by downsizing? Steel wheels will most likely add a significant amount of weight (even in 17-inch wheel sized), resulting in a harsher ride and accelerated wearing of the brake pads. Why not buy a new set of 18-inchers?

It's incredible that someone would turn off their vehicle when its power steering and brakes rely on an engine that is running. Of course, we hybrid owners don't have to even think about turning off the engine. I have found that average speeds on the highways here in San Diego has dropped, noticably. I'll bet we will see a trend of fewer accidents as well.

Thanks for the links, Silver and everyone else for your comments. I too, have done plenty of brake jobs on my 68 Corvette, from installing brake lines and calipers to a complete silicone fluid replacement. I've flushed by gravity, Mity-Vac, and venturi vacuum pump that used compressed air to generate vacuum. None worked as well as a professional pressure bleeder, but the nice apart about this ultimately messy job was that the silicone fluid was harmless to my painted garage floor, my hands, and the car. Maybe if I were retired and had tons of time n my hands, I'd buy one of those pressure bleeders, but right now, with work and other hobbies, I'll leave it up to the dealership. By the way, Car & Driver estimated RX400h brake pad life at over 100,000 miles. I think the key to long life (as Silver mentioned) is to use momentum that our 4600 lb vehicle has. I coast as often as possible - it makes it easy to justify rocketing past those X5s and Cayennes! Dave

I noticed this while scanning the owner's manual, the other day, and I now have 33,000 miles on my RX, putting it past the recommended 30,000 miles for a brake fluid flush. While I used to flush brake fluid, years ago, I now leave that up to the pros. I'm just wondering what the cost will be. I also noticed that long life coolant isn't recommended to be changed for many, many miles. Personally, I don't think I want to wait more than 5 years. Thoughts?

WWest, would you honestly go into a Porsche Cayenne forum and belittle its design because you didn't agree with the manufacturer about how they went about it? Do you really think that if you did do this, and the Cayenne owners knew you didn't even own a Cayenne, that you wouldn't generate animosity? I don't care for Jeeps, but I wouldn't think of going into a Jeep forum to degrade them, mercilessly. Can you not understand this analogy?

The door sticker (at least on my 2006's door) incorrectly shows 30 psi. The correct pressure is approx. 35 psi. We average 25 MPG, even with my weekend lead foot!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...24221732AAQvpFK

I agree with the silver one, The tires and driver make the most difference, although having 4-wheel drive really helps when traversing steep hills. (I drove in Connecticut for more than 11 years.)

I've seen both 112 and 124 MPH top speeds published, but here's something you may not know.....(from a Car & Driver article after an acceleration run on a full battery) Now THAT's impressive, given the HUGE disparity of fuel mileage between these two vehicles! And by the way, using Car & Driver's calculations and the current price of gasoline here in the US, it will take a new RX400h owner less than 46,000 miles before the increase in efficiency starts paying dividends. For many folks, that's less than 4 years of driving. And the more traffic you encounter, the faster the payoff. Just today, we were stuck in I-5 traffic for more than 30 minutes. During most of that time, the engine was off. It sure is nice having a hybrid!

To be honest, I never noticed this, although I always look at the front fog lights as an RX is heading toward me, or the model designation if I am behind one. Usually, if the RX is a 350 model, I can't help but think that the owner is kicking him or herself, every time he or she has to fuel up. I am certainly glad we chose a hybrid vehicle, more than four years ago when we placed our downpayment for our 400h.

Okay, folks, I believe this topic has run its course. WWest, until you actually have wheel time behind an RX400h, quit bashing them here on this forum. There is a big difference between someone's pointing out "issues" after living with the vehicle for even a short period of time, and bashing a vehicle because of "paper" discrepancies. Dave

WWest, You can be sure that if I, as an owner of a C5 Corvette, continuously posted in a C6 Corvette forum that a Mustang Cobra is much better than a C6 and how awful the C6 is on a racetrack (despite not having one, myself), etc, etc, I would be banned from the site for starting a flame war. Well, this situation is not much different. You were banned before for doing a similar thing (yes, I remember), so please, if you are a fan of Mercury, you might find a less irritated atmosphere in a Mercury forum. You do present some excellent technical details and we appreciate that, but going into a biker bar and insulting Harleys is not the best way to change the occupants' minds about that particular brand. Dave

Congrats, Laura! I, too, have a Bamboo Pearl color and it is probably the only color that changes noticably as ambient lighting shifts. The other huge advantage of having a light color vehicle is its incredible ability to hide dirt. Darker color vehicles show dirt much more readily and I'd rather be doing other things besides washing my cars for hours. I was able to use a Garmin NUVI 660 for many hours, last year and I still prefer the Lexus NAV. I like the way it reminds you to stay on a particular interstate, just before a split to an alternate route is possible. The Garmin just isn't good with such instances.

This is the key statement that suggests Ford products are out of the loop. Yes, the Mariner may have more options than the Escape, but it can't compare to the RX400h. WWest, you certainly have no problem bashing a vehicle with which you have no direct day-to-day experience. Theoretical criticism will get you only so far before it becomes very annoying to people who actually own a hybrid Lexus. As an old tool&die maker used to tell me, "Quit yer belly-achin!" In other news, there is a vehicle called the XH-150 that is made by a company called AFS Trinity. According to this company, the XH-150 gets 150 mpg and can travel 40 miles on battery power alone. Currently, AFS is taking its "extreme hybrid" on tour in an 18-wheeler. Who knows how reliable this vehicle is? I certainly wouldn't buy one until I see some actual long-term test results. Dave

Admittedly, the Mercury Mariner is not, can NEVER be, upscale as in the Lexus "class" nor likely as relaible. But...BIG but... Rather than encumbering the FEH/MMH with the horribly wasteful V6, touting the equivalent of 400 HP as does the Lexus and HH, the FEH/MMHt gets along "just find thank you", with a small (2.3L..??) I4 Atkinson Cycle engine. Also, if you need/want AWD the FEH/MMH does that with only ONE HSD electric drive "set". Now, just what, which "geeky" components can be had on the RX400h that cannot be purchased as add-ons, possibly of better quality, more relaibility and certainly less expensive than the Lexus factory supplied ones. Hint: My 2001 Ford E350 based Four Winds MH has grey leather '97 ES300 heated seats with full memory positioning and an aftermarket sound system that I would put up against your ML system any time. Ha, I'll put my factory ML system up against your factory Ford land barge stereo, any day! The fact remains that Lexus vehicles are far more reliable than Ford vehicles - THAT you cannot deny! ...not a significant issue with Lexus!

...comparing a Mercury to a Lexus??? C'mon Doubleya, that's ludicrous! The RX would almost definitely be far more reliable over the years. We've got almost 3.2 years and 33,000 miles on our 06 RX400h and it has been flawless. Our Nissan Quest, which is identical to the Mercury Villager, was far less reliable, costing us many thousands in repairs over its 10-year life in our hands.

In other news: Chicago Transit Authority testing new hybrid buses. The Chicago Tribune (6/18, Hilkevitch) reports, "The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) on Tuesday began testing a lighter-weight hybrid electric-powered bus that may achieve double the fuel efficiency of current hybrid buses." The Tribune explains that "[t]he key behind the technology is a jetlike turbine that delivers electricity to a battery pack that solely powers the bus." The ECOSaver is said "to get seven to eight miles per gallon (mpg). Regular CTA diesel-powered buses average two to 3mpg, while the CTA's current hybrids get about 4mpg, officials said." The maker of the bus, DesignLine International, said, "The bus' body is built with aluminum composite materials, making it 6,000 to 10,000 pounds lighter than traditional stainless steel buses." The buses "have only 20-gallon fuel tanks, a fraction of the standard 125-gallon tanks on conventional buses."

One only has to look at any BMW X5 forum to see the biggest difference between the X5 and the RX400h - reliability. If you want autobahn-burning-dang-the-fuel consumption, look at all the whizz-bang gizmos motoring, by all means get the X5 or Mercedes SUV. You certainly won't be able to duplicate the near complete absence of problems that I've experienced with our RX - 3.2 years of absolutely flawless operation. THAT's why I bought a Lexus. Is it perfect? No, but I'll take reliability over gadgetry, any day!

I, on the other hand, would like to see a smaller, lighter truck (like the first Tacomas) that averages 35 MPG (unloaded).

Neon, your religious slurs are offensive to me. How about keeping them to yourself? Tom Original post was altered. Neon, I don't want to warn you again - please tone down your language! Dave are you guys serious? im not cursing i dont see whats the big problem here Believe me, go around starting sentences with almost any religious figure's name and you will upset many folks. Maybe you didn't realize this, but I advise you not to get on a public forum and do this. Generally-speaking, Christians are peaceful people; you can't assume the same for some people of other religious affiliations. Be aware. Thanks, Dave

Neon, your religious slurs are offensive to me. How about keeping them to yourself? Tom Original post was altered. Neon, I don't want to warn you again - please tone down your language! Dave

Toyota's upcoming pickup: http://www.motortrend.com/future/concept_c...ruck/index.html