RX400h

Did they at least do a good job?

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Yes. We really scrutinized the color match, bumper fit and finish. Our RX was actually the third (including the wrong RX330 bumper cover) Bamboo Pearl bumper they painted within the last five weeks, so they certainly had some practice. I'm anxious to look at it under full sun, as it was overcast when we picked it up. Still, I'll bet the color is perfect under the sun as well.

I attached a picture of some very luxurious wood I found in my RX400h  :D

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Why were you disassembling it - mods already?

Well, we finally picked up the RX400h last night. After a $1000 rental car bill, a noticed screw sticking out of one of the front tires (RX400h), and a $500 deductible payment, we were on our way. Boy, does it feel good to smell that new leather again! One of the things that irritated me the most about that rental Maxima was the dang air vents - the wouldn't pivot left to right, just up and down. What were they (Nissan) thinking?

Anyway, we're anxious to continue to put more miles on the Lex (only 3000 miles at present) and enjoy the NAV once more! Thanks again for the advice and support, everyone.

Dave

There are quite a few "Dent-fixer"-type companies around here. However, they don't paint, so any damage requiring repaint must be repaired by a body shop. Minor or paint damage-free dings could be fixed at the dealership. They would simply call one of the mobile services and have it done.

Believe me, batteries go DOA more often than you think. Even Optimas, the preferred battery of Corvette owners, sometimes die after only a few months. I'm sure Toyota doesn't actually make its 12 volt batteries. Rest assured though, that the warranty fully covers the battery (and almost everything else).

We went from a Nissan Quest that was averaging about 17-18 MPG to the RX400h, which consistently delivers 25 MPG. The paint, fit and interior finish is superb and electric motor noise occurs only under heavy load. 28% better fuel milage and 110 HP and 450 lbs-ft of extra power is no compromise at all, and the way fuel prices are rising, even simple payback calculations show a time period that is reasonable. (....well, except for Lexkid!)

Wow, I can't believe all that!  That would make me really frustrated.  I am doing some research for my uncle before he buys a 400h, and I always thought it was great that lexus gives you a lexus when your car is in for service.  paying $50,000 for a car to get a $15,000 (that smells like smoke, gets less mileage, and who know what other abuse that car has had) when you need repairs always made me mad!  I hope something works out for you to either get that damn bumper soon, or at least get a nice lexus w/navigation to use in the meantime!

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Actually, the Lexus dealerships around here do not do body work repairs. One sends its customers to the Chevy dealership, one to a Mercedes body shop, and one to the nearby Toyota Collision center (which is where we brought our 400h).

The body shop doesn't provide a loaner vehicle, so we had to rent one from the local Enterprise.

Finally, I received a call from the body shop yesterday, telling me that the bumper is in (after 2 weeks of ordering it). Our RX has been in the shop for more than three weeks and we are VERY anxious to pick it up tomorrow. However, we WON'T be looking forward to paying for the rental Maxima up front.

Thanks for the support, everyone. Remember, don't let that front bumper get damaged!

If for some reason you kill your batter by leaving lights on, will the Hybrid battery start the engine to charge the regular battery.

Or does the main 12v battery also start the engine?

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Our old 1994 Nissan Quest would shut down electrical power (after a period of time) if any light is left on and the ignition is off. Even my Corvette will do this to protect its battery from being drained. Wouldn't you think that a 2006 high-end vehicle would have this feature?

The manual looks quite normal for a jump start. So, you can (according to the manual) jump start the 400h. I used my 400h to jump my RX 300 recently. Getting to the 400h's 12v battery is a simple matter of removing the cover by popping several pins -- all spelled out in the 400h manual.

Having said that, I accidently left my 400h's dome light on one night. I had done this before on my RX 300 and had to jump it the next morning. On the 400h, it started with no problem. I can't claim that the electric motor's batteries were what helped here, but I was sure surprised when it started with no problem. It could have been because the 12v battery was so new that the dome light wasn't enough to drain it.

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I was under the impression that most new vehicles will shut off power if a light is accidentally left on for more than a certain time period. Even our old 94 Nissan Quest had this feature. I know my Corvette does as well. Why wouldn't a 2006 Lexus?

As I tell people all the time, if you take a leisurely drive to work, either on an empty highway or down a lonely country road, you will gain nothing in fuel mileage if you choose a 400h vs a 330. Unfortunately, the majority of working folks have to put up with a tememndous amount of daily traffic, five days per week, 47+ weeks per year. I have two coworkers who drive RX330s, both are achieving no more than 16-17 MPG on average. Our RX400h, on the other hand, is averaging 25+ MPG.

Okay, now let's look at some other "real world" mileage numbers taken from Road & Track:

Acura TSX: 24.3

Acura RL: 18.4

BMW 530i: 21.1

Chrysler 300C: 18.3

Ford Mustang GT: 18.0

Honda Accord V6: 23.3

Lexus GS430: 17.6

Lexus IS300: 23.3

Mazda 3s: 26.6

Mercedes ML500: 18.0

Nissan Maxima 3.5SE: 21.0

Porsche Cayenne Turbo: 12.8

Toyota Celica GT-S (2500 lbs): 24.7

Volkswagen Toureg V8: 14.8

Volvo XC90 AWD T6: 17.0

Needless to say, hybrid technology WORKS!

I was checking out the dashboard of 400h's today, and saw that there isn't a tach.  Why is that?  Only a gauge to show the use of the hybrid system.

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Does any of the hybrids have a tach? It may be totally unnecessary if the vehicle utilizes a CV transmission. The KW gage is like a boost gage - more entertaining than necessary.

I would definately be looking for rental re-imbursement either from lexus or from the guy's insurance company. Talk to your insurance agent about it.

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I agree with Steve, et. al. 100%. You shouldn't be out 1 penny for the rental vehicle.

Is it not possible for the body shop to put the damaged bumper back on and give you YOUR car back until a new bumper cover is located?? No offense to anyone but, at this point, that would seem to be the sensible thing to do. Who knows how long it will take to get the necessary parts.

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Actually, this is exactly what I intended to do last Monday. Before I did, I called Lexus parts and the guy there insisted that the bumper cover was due to arrive on Wednesday. Upon hearing this, I canceled my plan to retrieve the RX. Of course, every day since Wednesday has been sending my blood pressure up. The two things that bother me most is that our RX is not being driven (startup battery is slowly losing its charge and engine fluids are not being circulated - never a good thing) and for the time being, we are being reimbursed only 85% of the rental fee (which we have to pay up-front) Should eventual arbitration deem that we did NOT have to beep at the guy as he suddenly veered into our RX, then we will receive the other 15%. However, that may take months.

What I don't want to do is drop off the rental car, pick up the Rx and hear two days later that the part is in and we will need to drop off the RX for two or three days. Murphy's law says that this is what will happen. In the meantime, we drive a Maxima that smells like smoke, gets worse gas mileage, and has no NAV!

I WOULD SEND THE RENTAL CAR BILL TO LEXUS if your insurance doesn't cover it!!!  No way I would pay it myself.  Not your fault Lexus didn't plan ahead for replacement parts!!

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I called the bumper-basher's insurance company today and their representative agreed that it is certainly not our fault that we've had the rental car for so long. The RX is very drivable, but we and the repair facility were duped into thinking that the bumper cover would be in soon. Of course, the repar facility's listing of damaged parts, including a 2005 RX330 bumper cover couldn't have helped matters, either. When I asked them about this, they replied that the RX400h "isn't in the system, and we HAD to list something". So, the dealership could've been duped as well! What a mess!

At least the agent is not going to withold payment to us for use of the rental vehicle. But I agree that Lexus should pay for some of it.

One tip:  check your tire pressure monthly.  I actually increased my tire pressure to 35 (factory is 30 psi).  Less rolling resistance without much difference in handling.  Maybe this is the reason for my high MPG.

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Unfortunately, keeping your tires at 35 psi will likely result in heavy wear at the center of each tire and little wear around the inside and outside of the tread. Your tire life will be reduced significantly and I'm betting that these tires are NOT inexpensive.

My god! The rental bill must be insane...

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It is and getting worse by the day. The other thing is that we were getting spoiled by the NAV. Now we feel like lost nomads in the Sahara!

"If you can determine the part number for the bumper or any other Lexus part then you can search the parts inventories of Lexus dealers nationwide at http://www.partsvoice.com/partsvoice/conte...part.html"

The Lexus parts guy did scan the country and found zero - nada front bumper covers for the 2006 RX400h. Ours is coming from Japan.

Well, our RX400h has been at the collision center for 9 days now and Lexus cannot come up with an RX400h bumper. So far, two RX330 bumpers have been sent to the collision center and I'm hearing that there are NO RX400h front bumpers in the US. In the meantime, my wife is renting a Maxima and getting a bit upset.

Does anyone know the  Lexus corporate phone number?

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....18 days and no bumper yet! Everyone, please, do not allow anyone to damage either of your bumpers. Boy, do we miss the 400h.

Wow! That was some of the best stock investment advice I've ever read. Sadly, most people will read savy advice and just continue to live their lives as they have. I once worked with a woman whose husband invested in apartment buildings here in San Diego since the early 80s. During the early 90s, he advised me to start buying apartment buildings. Boy, am I sorry I didn't persue this form of investment! As most of you know, real estate has skyrocked more in California than almost anywhere else in the nation.

It should've been a no-brainer for me at the time. But, as RX in NC stated, you have to make a commitment and persist.

You have more confidence in Lexus Customer Service than I do LOL, seems every story I hear about a customer reporting an issue with a dealer to Lexus they get "thats between you and the dealer".

Of course you can't just use any shop, you have to find a good one. Ask your friends who are as picky as you who they use, look at their cars, tour the shop it should be clean and have the latest equipment, they should be thrilled to let you see everything and see the cars they work on. Don't be too married to high dollar cars, IMHO people with more modest cars care more than people with expensive cars...

A good body shop is something you need like a good mechanic, a good accountant, a good lawyer, a good dentist...

The dealer is good at what they're usually good at...costing a lot.

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Well, since I have initially called Lexus Customer Service last week, they have called me at least four times to let me know that they are working with the dealership and collision center to get the bumper cover in as soon as possible. Certainly, it is possible that some independent body shop wcould work as closely with Lexus parts and Corporate headquarters, but in all likelyhood, this wouldn't happen.

Here's an example of why I usually stay away from small shops for auto repair: We took our old van in for new brake padsand fluid flush not too long ago. After driving the van for a short distance afterward, we noticed that the brakes were very mushy (scary). When we brought the van back, the technician took it for a drive and announced that the master cylinder was bad and needed replacement ($200). Upon questioning the technician, I found out that they didn't have a pressure bleeder (the type that dealerships use) and pumped the brake pedal manually. When I explained that by extending the master cylinder further (during manual brake bleeding) than it normally travels during normal braking, the shaft seals can become scored/torn, resulting in fluid leakage past the seals (and mushy brake feel), the technician and owner admitted that this could be true. My proof was that other than thin pads, the brakes were fine before I brought the van in for service. The shop owner ended up replacing the master cylinder, but had they bled the brakes correctly or with tools that eliminated manual pedal bleeding, I wouldn't have had to go there twice, wasting many hours of my time.

This is just one reason why I tend to pay a little bit more at a dealership. Others like yourself may have different experiences, but until I have a good experience with a mom-and-pop shop, to the dealership I will go!

Actually believe it or not, you'll probably get a much better job by an independent body shop than by the dealer. Usually dealer shops do volume work not quality work. They have a steady influx of business from the dealership and don't have to worry about making a name for themselves or having their quality stand on its own. Find a shop with high tech color matching equipment (Lexus doesn't make paint) that has good references and you'll be fine.

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I believe that there are some good independent shops out there, just as there are some good independent auto repair shops. My experience, however, has shown that the body shops that repair any type of vehicle are not always the best choice for repairing a very expensive vehicle. 20 year-olds who have their 1983 Civic body damage repaired are normally not as picky as a 50 year-old executive who is having his or her 745i BMW repaired. I made the mistake twice of bringing my old Corvette to a local, family-owned shop.

As I mentioned, the Toyota Collision center that we chose has plenty of Lexus-specific experience and must answer to both the owners of those vehicles and Lexus Customer Service, both of whom tend to be very meticulous when it comes to receiving high quality of work.

I recently was front-ended by a guy who decided to back up without looking at a gas station. Upon calling the three Lexus dealerships in my area, I found that one refers customers to a Chevy body shop nearby, another, to a Mercedes collision shp, and the third, to a Toyota collision center. Now I look at body shops the same way I do auto shops. How often does the local repair place work on a newer Lexus? How experienced can they be with my vehicle if they service 10 other makes of vehicles? The Toyota collision center was getting ready to repair an identical (even the same color) 2006 RX400h when I arrived for a quote. To me, they are likely to be the only body shop in town that has repaired an RX400h and are accustomed to doing the job right.

So, I recommend that you not skimp on repairwork. Go to a place that knows your vehicle. You'll be happy you did many years from now.

Good luck!

I think the noise may be coming from the electric motors, not the engine. High-powered electric motors tend to be very noisy. Fortunately, the noise surfaces primarily while heavy throttle is being applied. Cruising is very quiet.

I got a flat via a puncture in the sidewall of my tire. The dealer put the spare on (glad Lexus has full size spares), but he told me that the Michelins that my 400 has are on back order. Its been two weeks and he still doesn't know when they will be in.

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Until then, hope that you don't get another flat!

Apparently, Lexus thought about having enough parts to ship RX400hs but forgot about spare parts!

I may have to have the collision center reinstall the old bumper. Letting the vehicle sit for extended periods is NOT recommended.

The sad thing is that I purposely asked the appraisers if there would be much of a delay in getting ahold of the bumper, considering how new the vehicle is. I was told 3-5 days was sufficient to get the part. The good news is that more than a few people are trying to find a bumper. The bad news is that the rental car bill is piling up as we wait. :cries:

It is on the windsheild but i guess you don't have the car to know.

1-800-25-lexus

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Thanks. They are looking into the situation.

Well, our RX400h has been at the collision center for 9 days now and Lexus cannot come up with an RX400h bumper. So far, two RX330 bumpers have been sent to the collision center and I'm hearing that there are NO RX400h front bumpers in the US. In the meantime, my wife is renting a Maxima and getting a bit upset.

Does anyone know the Lexus corporate phone number?