RX400h

I think it may depend upon the number of hills you may need to climb and what tires you select. Generally speaking, more of the snow tires achieve much better than average snow traction than do all season tires. There are some exceptions like the performance all-season Michelin CrossClimate2 and Hankook Kinergy 4s2 tires. Source: Consumer Reports 2022 Annual Buyer's Guide

Are you referring to a tank filter or one that's in the engine bay? LEXUS ES300 / TOYOTA FUEL FILTER REPLACEMENT - Bing video

Les, I was very impressed when I read the Car & Driver review of the 2006 RX400h. Not only was it faster (0-60 in 6.6 seconds) than a Porshe Cayenne but it got superior gas mileage and would inevitably be far more reliable. Not too long after we bought ours, gas prices surged to record highs. I think that Lexus, like all other premium brand manufacturers, favored power and speed over all-out efficiency. The first Honda Accord hybrid followed suit. The Camry and lower cost Lexus hybrids veered toward higher efficiency. The GS450h was not one of these. It could do 0-60 MPH in 5.4 seconds and average 30 MPG, starting with the 2013 model. Now we have the LC500h that hits 60 MPH in about 4.7 seconds, not as fast as a BMW i8 but far less expensive and more reliable. By the way, I once owned a 1968 Cougar with the same engine as your Maverick. That Cougar probably got the same mileage.😃

Your speakers are now more than 16 years old. Could it be that some are exhibiting degraded sound? You may want to call the folks at Crutchfield to see what they recommend. After enjoying beautiful chimes by a magnificent Gazo grandfather clock for many years, my Dad started complaining the the sound quality was getting worse. The real problem was his hearing, not the clock. Stereo sound used to sound better to me until I attended too many concerts.🙂

Overall, Consumer Reports rates the 450H 3 points higher than the RX350. In some areas, such as California where gas is about $5.00/gallon, those who live and commute in larger cities will break even with a hybrid vehicle quite a bit faster than those who drive on non-congested highways most of the time. especially in other states where gas is quite a bit less expensive. We had a fairly generous tax incentive when we bought ours (as we did with our solar panel system) so payback over the RX330 (at the time) was less than 10 years. We now have had our RX for more than 16.5 years and it continues to excel in city driving. Highway driving mileage is about the same as a non-hybrid RX. Our brakes lasted 120,000 miles or so, partially because of the regenerative braking that rarely wears the pads. And because fuel prices are so high, hybrids do very well when being sold. So yes, there are other factors to consider before choosing hybrid or non-hybrid.🙂

Have you reviewed the information in the third post?

We may be able to tell by the code.

There should be a specific fuse that covers these. Interior Fuse Box Location: 1997-2001 Lexus ES300 Base 3.0L V6 (carcarekiosk.com)

It should be in your owner's manual. With our RX400h, you hold down the odometer trip button while the ignition key is on, I believe.

Did you see this?

Heated seats that are turned on?

You're getting there, Jeff. Yes, a gasket and an o-ring cannot be used together. By the way, for the tasks you do not wish to do, a Toyota dealership or good independent shop can do the work for quite a bit less than a Lexus dealership.

Les, take a look at the sixth posting here:

Based upon our RX400h owner's manual, the timing belt, along with the air conditioner filter should've been replaced at 90,000 miles. Les Lex, I would think that Lexus engineers would take hybrid operating specifics in consideration when specifying the maintenance schedule for hybrids. We had our timing belt replaced at about 90,000 miles.

This appears to be an electrical issue. Have you checked that the battery cable clamps are tightened sufficiently so that you cannot rotate the clamps by hand? Be careful when you are attempting to rotate the positive post clamp - do not simultaneously tough anything else with your other hand. You should also scan or have scanned for codes using an OBD reader. The code(s) should reveal clues as to what may be causing this issue. Another option is to see if there is an "Auto Electric" shop nearby. We typically have shops like this in or near major cities in the US.

Have you noticed any of these symptoms that point to a driveshaft issue? 5 Symptoms of a Bad Drive Shaft (and Replacement Cost in 2021) (oards.com)

So did the shop charge the battery? What happened when you put it back? Did your vehicle start? You can test voltage at the battery while your vehicle is running. I believe that if the alternator is bad your multimeter will show less than 13 volts or so.

You can get approximate values by: 1. Get private party value range at www.kbb.com (See below for a quick query.) 2009 Lexus RX RX 350 Sport Utility 4D Trade In Values | Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) 2. Check out autotrader.com for a comparison of similar vehicles for sale.

I'm full; where's dessert! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!

When I bought my new 2001 Corvette, the driver's seat would automatically move all the way back and the steering wheel, all the way up. I disabled that feature because I knew that eventually the motors would wear out. With our Lexus, the dealership had to turn off features that we didn't want to activate, automatically. Maybe the dealership can do this for you. It could be that the steering wheel is not receiving a signal to go back to its set position. However, since the person in the above video had to replace the motor, there is a chance that yours is simply worn out.

There seems to be quite a few selections on the Tire Rack site: Tire Search Results (tirerack.com)

John, how often was the steering wheel position changed? I'm curious.

Yes, I would say that this is likely, given that ours needed to be replaced, less than 2 years ago.

I had the local Toyota dealership replace our sparkplugs. They did a great job and saved us at least $200.

If you want the "best of both worlds", why not look at the RX450h hybrid. Its average fuel mileage (EPA-rated) is 29 versus only 20 or 21 for the RX350 of the same generation. So the RX450h is 45% more efficient, yet has plenty of power for towing.