RX400h

Ken,

Most modern-day vehicles are gas cap-sensitive. I've read many posts in other forums of this type of thing happening. One of the things I like about my Corvette is that I can search the exact code that generates the warning light. Then, I can peruse a list of codes (on-line) and determine what the exact problem is. I can also monitor oil pressure, oil temperature, system voltage, individual tire pressure, etc in digital readout form and for many, in analog gauge form. Monitoring processes is very valuable, IMO and I hope other manufacturers will add more info to their dashes, sometime in the near future.

Wow! If this is true, I am impressed! I don't know of any other vehicle that has this feature.

Actually, Car & Driver recently clocked the RX400h's 0-60 MPH in 6.7 seconds. They mentioned that this time is better than that of a Porsche Cayenne-S.

Of course, this kind of speed is dependent upon premium fuel and a fully-charged battery, but still, for the superior gas mileage it gets, compared to any other luxury SUV, the RX400h is among the fastest, even at 4600 lbs!

The hybrid system may not react well to a 4 wheel dyno. With the rears only being driven be the electric motor, if it shuts off during the run and the fronts continue to speed up, the car's computer(s) will likely go bonkers. You need to bring the dyno slowly up to speed before you punch it for the actual run. You would have to be able to punch it from the start to ensure the rear electric motor stays engaged and I don't know if you can do that, I'm pretty sure you can not.

It's possible our AWD cars can not be dyno'd. FWD could be done.

From a 2005 issue of Car & Driver:

At the rear wheels we find the rear electric motor (MGR), which is hooked directly by gear drive to the rear differential. This one is air- and oil-cooled, since it only functions intermittently (the other MGs are water- and oil-cooled), and it adds another 67 horsepower to the mix. Hermance says this motor cranks over 650 pound-feet of drive-axle torque to the vehicle’s overall tractive effort when it’s energized.

We believe him. Nail the RX400h’s throttle from rest, and you might hear front or rear tires chirping, depending on available grip. The V-6 growls with the usual determination when you’re hard on the gas, but the continuously variable transmission pegs its rotational speed somewhere near the torque peak and maximum volumetric efficiency, producing sound effects that are the opposite of a slipping clutch. Instead of a rising engine note as vehicle speed remains constant, the vehicle speed rises as the engine speed remains constant.

....a happy MBZ owner - a rare bird, indeed!

Are you referring to that which is generated by a dyno? I haven;t seen anything, yet.

Mmmmmm, based upon your multitude of complaints, earlier, I would be so bold as to guess that you are, in fact, a Mercedes dealership owner........ :chairshot:

Seriously, this type of problem is not uncommon with Corvettes and usually, the culprit is either a bad EBCM (Electronic Body Control Module) or a frayed wire harness in the driver's side door harness bundle.

This is the first I can recall seeing anything to this effect. Most likely, it is not a harbinger of things to come.......unless you really ARE a Mercedes dealer.....

I probably never compared to a Fujitsu or Runco because the stores here in San Diego don't carry them. What I can't see, I won't buy. I did look at the Pioneed Elite and although its picture was better that most others, it was just not as crisp as the Panasonic's. Besides, the Pioneers I saw had a temporary burnin of certain images. It was disturbing after seeing that the Panasonic had no such fault.

Regarding other cars: What makes you think I haven't driven other vehicles? Our RX was purchased because it is as smooth or smoother than any BMW X5, Acura, or Mercedes. It at least equaled them in quietness and trounced them all in fuel economy. It really was a no-brainer, at least to my wife and me.

Newsflash: SUV stands for "Sport Utility Vehicle", not "Go Anywhere Rock Climber Vehicle". The majority of modern-day SUVs are nothing more than family haulers. "Crossovers" are vehicles like the Dodge Caliber are not nearly as tall as the RX400h. Yes, sometimes the line between the two is blurry, but you can't argue with the success of the RX line.

That could very well be; it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they are!

Again, whether NiMH batteries or lead acid batteries are used, in order to allow the vehicle to reach highway speeds, you do need to incorporate a significant number of batteries in the vehicle in order to stay within the small range of charge that our current batteries require (to ensure long life, ie 150,000 miles). Assuming you do not agree with Toyota's battery life findings and believe that deep-discharging NiMH batteries will grant the consumer even 75,000 miles of life (6 years), do you also believe that this would be acceptable to the average buyer? I think not, considering the cost of a whole new set ($6,000+?).

Despite what many people think, an all-electric vehicle is not a slam-dunk when it comes to acceptance by Americans.

Height: Where do you draw the line? My wife wants to be sitting as high as the majority of the tens of thousands of SUVs on the road. She doesn't want a semi-SUV that is noticably shorter than all those MDXs, Tahoes, and such. A 2-inch shorter RX is YOUR version of how tall a vehicle should be, not that of the general public. There ARE vehicles that somewhat conform to your ideal; they are called "crossovers" - half car, half SUV. Lexus may someday produce such a vehicle but as you can see by the number of tall RXs on the road, tall is in much higher demand.

Good question, W; unfortunately, I haven't taken thermodynamics since 1978, so I'm a bit rusty.

Judging by the lack of responses, there are not many MEs who work with engines around here, either!

Remember that brainstorming is not nearly as difficult as bringing an idea to completion. I've seen far too many creative people go nowhere because they couldn't follow through. As they say, "The devil is in the details." Toyota is a pioneer because they conquered the details and successfully delivered what no other company could at the time.

If your quote read "Toyota is a pioneer because they conquered the details and successfully delivered what no other company would at the time" I would agree with it 100%. GM had a 100% electric car in production. Do you really think that a hybrid would have been that big a stretch for them? They already had the batteries worked out, and this was the biggest technical challenge. GM dropped the hybrid, not because they didn't have the technical expertise, but because big oil killed it and because they were afraid that if they pushed clean cars too much there would be a big backlash against their bread-and-butter gas SUV's like their recently acquired (at the time) Hummer line. I commend Toyota for what they did, but the main driver of their success was political, not technical.

The all-electric vehicle that GM leased utilized lead-acid batteries. Sorry, but simply adding electric motors to that car was not going to allow it to do what the Prius and Honda 2-seater hybrids did. Toyota has many, many patents - a good reason why the new Malibu hybrids cannot compete with the Camry hybrid in mileage.

By the way, the all-electric cars' battery longevity is not an easy problem to solve - run them down to a low percentage of capacity and their life suffers. Run them the way Toyota does with NiMH and you'll need far more to get sufficient range. People tend to think that Toyota never considered an all-electric car. Fact is that they have and chose the hybrid route, not because of politics, but because we are NOT ready for all-electric cars that require battery replacements every 3 years.

Regarding vehicle height. You are forgetting a very important reason for making the RX400h like an SUV, regardless of off-road capability. MANY women (in particular) prefer driving up high so that they can see ahead of traffic - a definite safety feature. If you lower the RX to sedan height, it will not be attractive to this customer base. Just get a GS450h if you want sedan handling!

Not to pile on here, but I watched the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" last night. It's a pretty sad commentary on GM, the state of California, and big oil, but one interesting fact was that when California first enacted the zero emmissions legislation in the late 90's GM began a huge hybrid program (which they sadly dropped as soon as the legislation was killed). Toyota and Honda, out of fear of being left in the dust on hybrid technology, then began their own programs as a response to GM's investment. Hmmmm, not so clear who's the innovator and who's playing catchup now, is it?

Remember that brainstorming is not nearly as difficult as bringing an idea to completion. I've seen far too many creative people go nowhere because they couldn't follow through. As they say, "The devil is in the details." Toyota is a pioneer because they conquered the details and successfully delivered what no other company could at the time.

The bottom line is that please stop raving about MB or BMW based on Customer Reports-guess what they all say that Panasonic is the best plasma while Fujitsu is crap-reality is that it's the other way around.

A little respect is not too much to ask.

I think you mean something other than "raving", which more or less means "praising". And regarding plasma TVs, I spent many an hour visiting store after store and studying picture quality, back when 1080i was the best (2 years ago). Everytime I compared the Panasonic plasmas to ANY of the competition, it was not a contest at all. The Panasonic plasma was superior in every way. I'm not sure why you didn't think so, but everyone else I spoke to who was looking for a big screen said the same thing - Panasonic rules the plasma roost. In fact, their current 1080P sets are even more incredible. Competion is very good, however - not as theings were 2 years ago.

As far as Consumer Reports goes. I am a long-time subscriber and can tell you that the "ratings" they publish are based directly upon consumer-completed questionaires that are sent to us, annually. A large percentage of German vehicles simply cannot be compared to Japanese vehicles when it comes to high-reliability, based upon thousands of "reports" by the very people who spend countless hours in their vehicles each day. You can try to deny this all you want, but the fact is that there is no other organization that is as thorough as CU when it comes to product information. The fact that they do not accept advertisements speaks volumes about their integrity.

Diesel engines are certainly getting better, but for many, the old stinky, noisey versions from MB and Volkswagen left a very bad taste in people's mouths. It still doesn't help that diesel fuel is commonly more expensive than premium fuel. Diesel engines are also very expensive to manufacture -another issue that cannot be ignored.

r6264,

Your last response didn't include any additional comments, so I deleted it. Perhaps you hit the "Add Reply" too soon?

Best regards,

Dave

I would therefore venture to say that your wife cannot fly on a plane for any significant length of time? Believe it or not, you are among a very small minority of Lexus owners who despise the RX400h's seats. I agree that they are not as comfortable as they could be, but I know no one else who is literally pained by using them. In fact, a coworker and his wife, who are over 65 years old, are happy with the seats in their RX400h.

And although Mercedes, Audi, and BMW all include super-firm seats in ther vehicles, their SUV sales are trounced quite often by Lexus sales. Lexus must be doing something right!

Look, every vehicle has its good and not-so-good features. (The BMW I-drive is definitely a not-so-good feature), but by all means, let manufacturers know how you feel. If enough owners recommend the same change, perhaps we will see future models that incorporate some of these suggestions. I would love to see HUD (Heads Up Display) and tire pressure/oil life monitors in every car I drive, but for now, I am very happy with the RX.

Intstalling Eibachs in my son's Honda Civic was $360 (including 4-wheel alignment).

Has anyone tried out this lowering kit? I'm very tempted to give it a shot however, as the RX400h has copious amounts of body roll :(

I can tell you this:

Yes, any change in height will require an alignment and knowing Eibach (I just had a set of their springs and shocks installed in my son's Honda Civic), handling (primarily, sway) WILL improve noticably.

where did you find this eibach pro kit for the rx400h? I'd be interested in buying one to firm up the suspension a bit.

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/Susptab...=&brand=all

I have to chuckle when I hear that someone is not concerned as long as the vehicle is "under warranty" because having to take your car (or have it towed) to the dealership is never much fun, even if you get a loaner car. The time spent doing this can be very significant, IMO. Personally, I don't care how great the dealership service is; if I'm always having to take time off to bring the car in, I'm not a happy camper.

I too have to chuckle when someone is willing to compromise on choices that impact their day to day lives out of fear of something that may or may not ever happen. Sure, having to take your car to the shop is a drag. Having front seats that are so uncomfortable that we can't take the RX on road trips because my wife's back gets too sore is a much bigger drag.

Seriously, if your wife is getting back pain from sitting in a Lexus, she needs to see a chiropracter or other specialist. I agree that the RX seats are not sportscar-like, but let's face it, Americans are getting bigger every year. A tight-fitting Recaro seat is just not an option for most 300-lb owners. In any event, if someone has serious discomfort when sitting on a plane or bus seat, it's time to see a professional.

One of the most important things we can do is make sure our tire pressure is correct. I just looked at the recommended pressure on the door sticker which is 30#, that seems low to me. I keep the Jeep Grand Cherokee at 34, the BMW 330 at 35-36, and had the Audi S6 at 37.

That door sticker number is way off. I recommend 34-36 psi in each of all four tires, regardless of brand.

"Chopping" or "cupping" as tire wear is normally due to worn shock absorbers, but the tire wear I saw was obviously due to a combination of misalignment and underinflation (due to an incorrect tire pressure recommendation), not worn struts.

I did find this explanation in "Allexperts" website:

Unfortunately, the term "cupping" is now commonly misused. It's supposed to refer to what you get with bad shocks, but it is now used to refer to irregular wear, which is caused by misalignment. Both are aggravated by low inflation pressure and insufficient rotation practices.

Here's some more opinions from Tom and Ray:

Dear Tom and Ray:

What is the cause of "cupped tires?" We drive a 1988 Chrysler New Yorker. We rotate the tires every 5,000 miles. At 23,000 miles the Goodyear tires cupped and were replaced by Goodyear. Now, at 45,000 miles, the tires are cupped again. Chrysler blames the tires. Goodyear blames the weak struts on the Chrysler. Your opinion please? We have driven for years and never had tires cup. Jane

Ray: Well, they're blaming each other, Jane, because they're really both to blame.

Tom: Cupped tires are usually caused by bad struts. The purpose of the struts is to keep the tires from bouncing off the ground when you go over bumps.

Ray: If the struts are really bad, the tires can literally bounce up and down like a basketball....badaboom... badaboom...badaboom... badaboom. And each time the tires hit the ground, a little bit of the rubber gets scraped off. Eventually, you get a lot these little scuffed spots, and that's called "cupping." And as you know, cupped tires make a lot of noise. It sounds as if a cement truck is on your tail.

Tom: So it's clear that bad struts can make this happen. But to be fair, cheap tires cup more easily than good tires. And while Goodyear makes some very good tires, they also make some real cheap ones. And unfortunately, most original equipment tires (the ones that come on new cars) tend to be of the cheap variety. So I wouldn't be surprised if the tires you've got on there are not all that great.

Ray: But Goodyear already kicked in a set of tires, so you really can't ask them to do any more. At this point, you probably need both tires and struts. And in both cases, it's time to upgrade.

Tom: The old Chrysler New Yorker is not known for its firm struts. So I would replace what you've got with a good set of heavy duty gas struts. You've got to spend a couple of hundred bucks to get a good pair, so don't fall for those $7.95 specials at Moe's Struts And Hair Care Center. With firmer struts, the ride may not seem quite as squishy, but the car will handle better, and your tire life ought to improve.

Ray: At the same time, I'd invest in a good set of tires. Goodyears are fine, but don't buy the cheap ones. Plan to spend 100 bucks a piece for above average tires. If you do that, cupped tires will no longer be what you runneth over.

Tom: Oooh...that was bad. Very bad.

I have to chuckle when I hear that someone is not concerned as long as the vehicle is "under warranty" because having to take your car (or have it towed) to the dealership is never much fun, even if you get a loaner car. The time spent doing this can be very significant, IMO. Personally, I don't care how great the dealership service is; if I'm always having to take time off to bring the car in, I'm not a happy camper.

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3) In my sample size of 1, yes I do. My wife has had an MBZ E350 Sport for over a year (a bit longer than I've had my RX400h) and in that time we've each had exactly 0 reliability problems. More importantly, we each purchased the 7 year 100,000 mi extended warranties so any issues either of us have are covered, so reliability isn't that big of a concern in my book. After having driven both cars for over a year and having a better sense for German luxury car feel vs Japanese luxury car feel, I'd gladly accept MBZ ride, handling, and cockpit accompanied with MBZ reliability. The RX just feels too soft and sterile all around for me.

I should hope that all is well in just "over a year" of ownership. Fact is, that according to Consumer Reports, Mercedes has the worst reliabilty history of all the German car manufacturers. Take a look at any of the Mercedes forums and you will not be inclined to buy one, afterward. I know many people who have had a Mercedes and are now driving Infiniti and Lexus vehicles. The story is always the same - very poor reliability, especially after the warranty has expired. Lexus vehicles are not flawless, but they are lightyears ahread of MB when it comes to reliability.

Lexus chose "soft and sterile" because that's what more buyers prefer. Look at sales figures in the US for Lexus SUVs vs Mercedes SUVs. I live in a very large city/county and I see 30 times the number of RXs compared to MLs. Even when compared to the X5 BMW, Lexus easily wins the sales war. Obviously, Lexus has made the right decision when it opted for smooth and silky ride characteristics.