RX400h

I guess I am curious as to whether the replacement is actually improved, such that this issue won't surface again.

That is the key......

.02 cents?

Now THAT'S not worth much, these days...... :chairshot:

Great find! Thanks for letting us know!

What buyers are willing to pay for a corvette, no matter the year, with miles over 50,000 goes way down. There are plenty of C5's 'verts in the Detroit Metro area going for under 30 grand. They are all high mileage cars.

Considering how much we spent out the door and in financing, that is a pretty heavy hit.

One of my friends has an XLR and he cannot get anyone to give him more than 40 K for it. 75,000 miles.

You might look at used-car values of 7-series BMWs. They tank far faster than do the C5's values. Remember one thing, when you buy a new car, it is NEVER an investment. The largest value drops happen to vehicles that start out high to begin with. Even LS400s that cost over $50K when new are selling for half that after 10 years.

But let's look at a 97 Honda Civic. Out the door, you could've bought one for $9000 or so. Today, one in good shape will fetch $4500, a 50% drop. This is why so many people buy ONLY used vehicles. I was one of them until I bought the Corvette in 01. It was my first new car (after 27 years of driving). Today, it looks and smells like a brand new car (thanks to Zaino leather conditioner)and I will never regret buying it, despite its current "value" to anyone else.

There was no such thing as "UOA 101" when I was going to school! By the way, one of the Corvette forum's UOA oil gurus found that European formula Castrol 0W-30 synthetic oil is among the top UOA oils, although many of us feel that even though this is good info, few of us will have our cars beyond 200,000 miles, anyway. I will be about 84 years old by the time that happens......

Worthless at 50,000 miles? Who told you that? You may be thinking about the old, old Corvettes, but the C5's hydro-formed frame pretty much guarantees that the car will remain relatively rattle-free for a long, long time. My 01 has about 32,000 miles on it and it rides as good or better than when it was brand new. I don't want to stray too far off topic, but since you are a C5 owner, here's some enhancement tips I compiled over the years:

http://www.conceptualpolymer.com/corvette_c5_corner.htm

Okay, back to the topic: Perhaps WWest can provide further explanation......

mburn,

Please, either slow down or take some grammar lessons. I'm getting a headache when I read your posts! <_<

:P

Has anyone attempted to put a remote starter in a 400h?

Jim

I read a thread on priuschat.com where it has been done on the Toyota hybrid HSD, but at a HUGE cost (hundreds & hundreds of dollars). So perhaps it would be less costly, since LEXUS DOESN'T SEE FIT TO BLESS THE 400h's WITH A STINKING SKS IGNITION ! ! !

Not that I'm bitter about the RIDICULOUS 75 year old mechanicle key type ignition technology on a luxury Lexus SUV :P

Hey, how come very few other high-end vehicles have HUD (Heads Up Display)? Corvettes have had this feature since 1998. Certainly, we can make a list of have-nots, but better-yet, let's be thankful for what we HAVE!

mburnicus,

You sound as if you actually believe that car manufacturer's don't do any testing oils/oil changes and their effect on engine life. Corvettes, as many other vehicles, have oil life monitors that display the percentage of remaining oil life. The algorythm that is used to calculate this life is based upon number of startups, length of driving time, and engine oil temperatures, all of which are monitored. My Corvette manual states that oil should be changed when the remaining oil life percentage is zero or 12 months from the last oil change, whichever occurs first.

Let's say you are a design engineer for GM and you tell your boss that using this algorythm will pretty much guarantee that the engine will last more than 200,000 miles. Your boss responds that he would like for you do replicate your year-long testing, only this time, using Amsoil. You ask, "Why would I do that when I know that this oil, at a much lower cost, will allow these engines to last 20 years or more?" Your boss replies, "Well, based upon my own OAs, I believe the Amsoil-protected engine will last another 20,000 miles!"

Is this a reasonable scenario in any business? ....quite simply, never. It makes no business sense to the company or the consumer.

By the way, bobistheoilguy.com tested quite a few oils for longevity (yes, using OAs every so many miles) and found that Mobil 1 5W-30 in LS-1 engines lasted more than 12,000 miles before needing to be changed. Obviously, your ash fear is unfounded.

How can you explain how the LS1 engines are surpassing 200,000 miles, using Mobil 1 only? All the data in the world means nothing unless it includes a direct correlation between the "poor" oils/relation to engine life and the same for what is considered a "good" oil and its relation to engine life. I can assure you that almost ANY engine can last over 200,000 miles with proper care. I change the oil in the Corvette once per year and I have no doubt, OA data or not, that my engine will last longer than I do. It just doesn't make sense that I would spend more money to get better oil analysis numbers, when real life results show Mobil 1 is more than adequate.

But seriously, as Gryphon mentioned, you do risk warranty coverage by extending your drain intervals. And by the way, let's not get carried away with another super-lengthy oil discussion. You like Amsoil; that's great. Try not to get upset when others choose to use another brand of oil.

Dave

By the way, one of the supporting race shops in the corvette forum commented that while they have tried various synthetic oils in their race cars and found at least one that couldn't hold up, Mobil 1 has never given them a problem. Among the big names in synthetic oil, it is the most readily available and in most cases, the least expensive. Why spend more for other oils if extended drain intervals is your goal?

That being said, I should mention that I have used Amsoil universal ATF and their severe gear differential lube. They do make great stuff; it's just that when it comes to synthetic motor oil, Mobil 1 is a better choice, IMO.

Again, there are many thousands of petroleum-based oil users out there who are getting 300,000+ miles out of their engines with no sludge. A good majority of them change their oil and filter every 5000 miles or less. It really isn't rocket science. If you follow the owner's manual, you can achieve the same result and it won't cost you more than spending the big bucks on synthetic oil unless you really pile on the miles.

I have to use Mobil 1 ($23/5 quart container) synthetic oil in my other two cars, but because neither gets past 5000 miles in one year, I change the oil and filter only once during that time. But the RX400h manual lists the oil change frequency as every 5 months or 5000 miles and I think it is a good idea to stick with this schedule if you are at all concerned that any kind of engine failure may be attributed to longer change intervals by Lexus. Why take the risk?

Still, getting an oil analysis to extend change intervals once the warranty is over may save some money; just be sure the oil is actually analyzed with black and white info, not merely broken down into component concentration numbers. Most of us wouldn't know what to make of this, anyway.

I edited your post and here's a future congratulations!

Dave

2 Week Update - 1400 miles ... 900+ this weekend.

Took the RX on a weekend trip from SF to LA. Averaged 24.7 mpg for the entire trip traveling at around 78 mph on Interstate 5. Mostly high speed highway driving. Very pleased with the handling and comfort of the ride. Performed great a highway speed... no trouble accelerating quickly, passing and climbing the big grades in and out of LA. The B gear worked very well coming down the big grades.

A few little negatives I noted...

--You are locked out of making adjustments to the navigation while you are driving. Wish there was an override so I can turn on the trip routing without having to stop especially when a destination is already programmed in.

--The interstate exit information only showed when a trip was being routed. Could not figure out how to get exit info when not in routed trip mode.

--The estimated time to your destination is based on preprogrammed speed settings and not a real-time calculation based on your actual speed.

--The radio does not autoscroll text so you have to hold down the text button to get the full song information. Wish it autoscrolled as it is safer than messing with the text button while driving.

--The Sirius sat radio performed well but the text msg is limited to 10 characters and you cannot scroll to see the rest. A real limitation. You would think for the money they charged, the unit would be able to handle this.

--The cruise control did not do a good job holding the speed constant coming down the big grades. Had to switch to the B gear and use the brakes as necessary.

--There is not enough storage compartment space in the drivers area. I am used to larger storage areas especially on a long trip. I will have to rethink how I organize everything for the next trip.

--Wish it had the double sunvisors like the Land Cruiser so you can flip one over to the side window and still have a visor to flip down in front. It was a pain having to shift the visor from the side window to the front window as the position of the sun changed while driving.

I know these are real nits. I am very pleased overall with the RX400h. I was greeted back to SF with $3.64/gallon premium gasoline prices. Can $4.00/gallon gasoline be far away?

I used my father's Garmin NUVI 660 NAV for quite a while and was very happy to get back to using the one in the RX - much better, IMO. And yes, gas prices are rising through the roof!

They do not know what they are talking about.

It's OK to mix the two (same grade and wt, of course). And there is no compatabily issues between them. Perhaps they were confusing this with to fuel blends, or the move to CFC free refigerants. There were plenty seal issues with those in the past, but even those have been resolved for some time now.

I agree. The two types are fully compatible. I feel that synthetic oil is of benefit if an engine tends to "stress" the oil, if you will. For example, some turbo engines, like that in my Mazda, may allow coking of conventional oil at the turbo bearings. Synthetic is well worth its extra cost in this case. The same holds true in my Corvette engine, since I've seen 260 degree oil temps during mountain runs. However, the RX400h engines are not stressed at all, primarily because they are "assisted" by the electric motors. My brother-in-law sold his Toyota minivan with over 300,000 miles on it. The engine was still in perfect running condition and was passing all smog tests. He always had petroleum-based oils used in it, so obviously, there was no need to spend 2-3 times the amount for synthetic oil changes.

Uh, no offense, but Goodyears and Michelins have been receiving accolades for many years now. Various models of each brand consistently end up at the top of performance reviews, whether they be in Car & Driver or Consumer Reports. OEM tires are quite often NOT the best choice, but that certainly doesn't mean ALL of that manufacturer's tires are "crap".

I used to work at Uriroyal's world headquarters and have kept up with tire performance fairly well throughout the years.

Dave

Also keep in mind, that I think DRL's are even MORE important for Hybrid vehicles. On many occasions when driving in public places such as parking lots, the 400H is being propelled on battery power, hence SILENT. Hence, pedestrians, children, elderely, have to rely solely on sight, due to the very quiet nature while cruising on Battery only. This is not to say that accidents won't happen, but you have to believe that the Highbeams "on" cannot hurt, especially when driving on battery power alone, it can only help.

I tend to agree. Even with the lights on, some pedestrians are startled when they notice a large vehicle moving without any noise. And I believe the lights are LEDs, which last almost forever while drawing very little current. Surely there are other, more important things to worry about in life....

Dave

Congrats, Sloop,

We've had our RX for more than 2.5 years and are still loving it! (about 25 MPG)

Dave

:chairshot:

I think some of his comments make sense; it's just that they are on a level that is a bit beyond most of us.

Actually, according to Car & Driver, the 2006 long-term RX400h that they have IS faster than a Porsche Cayenne S. The RX accelerated to 60 in 6.7 seconds.

It sounds like she'd be better off with an all-electric car. Not driving a long enough distance is certainly not good for the oil and battery. How about the Camry Hybrid? - quiet, comfortable, and 36 MPG.

I think moving on to an Audi 8 is probably the LAST thing you should do (well, expept for moving to almost ANY Mercedes). Lexus is and will continue to be the most reliable brand you will ever find. Many of my coworkers have had it with Mercedes and Audi reliability issues and have moved on to Lexus vehicles. Read any Mercedes or Audi forum posts and you will run away from both brands.

...my 2 cents....

No SKS makes the Sport a non-starter though and the better half really wants a Hybrid.

There is a very real possibility we'll be replacing the Prius with a Highlander Hybrid next spring.

The memory seats are a real bummer, especially since we'd both be driving the Highlander a lot.

I certainly don't blame your better half for wanting a hybrid. Many RX400h owners are getting at least 50% higher gas mileage than does the typical SUV owner. We are saving $20 per week, which means in the 10 years we normally keep our vehicles, we will save $10,000+. That easily pays for the hybrid's extra cost over a non-hybrid, such as the Rx350, Acura MX, or BMW X5.

Dave

C'mon, the price increase isn't THAT much, is it?

Great review - thanks! We were one of the first owners in San Diego, way back in April of 2005. After 2+ years, we are averaging close to 25 MPG with a light foot during the week (wife) and heavy foot (at times) during the weekend (me). I really enjoy driving right by the gas station instead of having to stop every week to fill up the tank.