RX400h

C'mon, Luke, with all the dash dissassembly you've done over the years, you don't think a wire shorted somewhere? :chairshot: Honestly, that'd be my first guess.

That is a very rare occurence around here. However, it did happen to this owner of a different model Lexus: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=52976

From what I understand, if the noise occurs when you turn right, the left bearing is to blame. Traditionally, you could determine which bearing was bad by jacking up the vehicle, grabbing the tire at 12 o'clock and 6o'clock position and rocking the tire. Any play would indicate a bad bearing.

I think your diagnosis is correct - bad wheel bearing.

This is one of the very few problems with RX Lexus models (and maybe others as well). Ours displays an error message whenever we switch to the CD player. Really, this should never happen within 5 years of ownership (when it started for us) and I feel that Lexus should replace the unit with an upgraded one at a sunstantial discount to the owner. I am glad I don't have an Acura NAV system, though. My sister-in-law's unit failed and now she can't use the heating and air conditioning.

My Paradas came from Tirerack as well and a local tire shop installed them. They have been great on dry and wet roads but as you may imagine, there's not much of the white stuff here in San Diego. By the way, Continental makes some great tires, too. I think either brand is a great choice.

When that happened to our RX, last year I squirted some powdered graphite in the ignition switch slot and never had the non-turning key issue since.

If you want ultimate traction on snow-covered hills, consider snow tires instead of all-season. The Parada-Xs are excellent all-season tires but if you can afford two sets, that's what I'd do if I lived in an area that is both hilly and cold during winter months. By the way, 255/55/18 tires each is .8 inch taller than a 255/55/18 tire. I believe those who run the taller/wider size have not had rubbing issues although mileage will suffer somewhat.

I believe all hybrid all components are covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles (150,000 in CA). Consumer reports recommends against buying an extended warranty. Their advice is to put the money where you can access it when needed.

Again, Mobil states that their oil can last that long. Not all filters are designed to hold that much dirt. I think it's safe to say that most oil filters are not.

Actually, many of the folks who calculated that it would take 10 years to overcome the extra cost of buying a hybrid had based their calculations on fuel prices in the $2.50/gallon range. As we all know, those days have been long gone and it is now much easier to recoup your extra $ spent on a Hybrid. At one time, I calculated a payback period of 5 years using $4.00/gallon as the fuel cost and 12,000 miles per year average usage. When we bought our 2006 RX400h (in 2005), RX330 owners who experienced similar driving conditions were averaging no more than 17-19 MPG, whereas we were averaging 26-28 MPG. All of us experienced times of very heavy traffic which is typical of big city commutes. Keep in mind, too that RX450 owners are averaging 28-30 MPG - significantly higher than new RX350 owners' 20 MPG real-world averages. In summation, how long it takes to reach a payback period is directly proportional to your driving conditions. The lower your average speed, the faster the payback. Owners who live in big cities can easily reach that payback far before those who live in Montana or other states having wide open stretches of highway.

Are you referring to synthetic oil? I doubt that synthetic oil degrades after 5000 miles. I still maintain that it is the oil filter that should determine whether your synthetic oil can last 10,000 miles. I have noticed recently that there are now more than a couple of filter manufacturers out there who clearly claim their filters can hold up to 10,000 miles of dirt. Also, as I mentioned previously, I spoke to a manager at an all-German repair shop who told me he has seen many a Mercedes or BMW come in with heavy sludge buildup. Owners were waiting 15,000 miles (as touted by the manufacturer) before oil changes, not realizing that there's no way that short trip-type drivers can wait that long, given the higher levels of moisture that accumulate in their engines.

You know, after reading that wheel bearing post, earlier today, I started to think it could very well be a wheel bearing, based upon mention of reports by Highlander owners that their bearings were failing. It's good to see you have that issue resolved.

I know this article concerns an LS model but it contains lots of good info regarding control arms and worn bushings. http://www.lextreme.com/bushing.html $1500 seems very excessive and this is something that I believe most local shops can do for less dinero.

Thanks, Steve. I think I'll order a set. The rains are accummin! Dave

Based upon those facts, I, too think one or more tire is at fault.

Katz, I once had Sumitomo tires on our Nissan Quest. They started humming at around 8000 miles or so. My Bridgestone Alenzas that were on our RX400h started humming before they had much more than 30,000 miles. Every single time I've heard this kind of sound it was because of the tires, not necessarily because they were worn out, although in one case, it may have been because the tires were wearing unevenly. An alignment that is out of wack could very well cause this to happen. Hitting a curb hard enough can do this or damage a wheel bearing. I'm assuming this hasn't happened to you but if it has, your alignment could need correction or bearings replaced. How did your Goodyear tire wear? Did you ever have an alignment done? I'd be surprised if Costco has a rule about replacing tires with OEM models only but I never had my tires replaced there so I'm not sure.

Very seldom is choosing OEM tires your best bet when replacing worn out tires. Most will not last as long as good replacement tires (as explained to me by a Discount Tire manager) My guess is that your tires have internal issues - probably a rarity among Michelin tires but entirely possible. I would make a bet with the Costco manager - if replacing the tires with a different model solves the problem, you walk away without paying a dime. If it doesn't, you pay for their remounting cost. Odds are that you would win the bet.

I am considering ordering silicone wiper blades and am wondering if any of you has tried them. Technically, they should last longer by not degrading from ultraviolet rays, although I'm not sure what kind of wear rate they will have. Thoughts?

Jim, do you know if any major tire stores have this equipment?

Isn't there an aftermarket part that will allow the override?

Many "Long life" oil filters have 40-70% more dirt/contaminent-holding capacity. Some of those long-life filters (like Fram Extended Guard) claim that they can last up to 10,000 miles. Now, if that filter can hold 70% more than the average filter, you may be pushing your luck if you think an average oil filter can last 10,000 miles. I suggest that if you do go 10,000 miles between oil changes that you make sure the oil filter you use is at least advertised as a long-life filter.

That's good to know about the extended life filters. My Corvette has an oil life monitor which is much more sophisticated than a miles driven setup. The Corvette's monitor algorythm takes into consideration engine operation length of time, oil temperature data, and other factors. Of course, it assumes all OEM air and oil filters are used. The maximum length of time between oil changes, regardless of the monitor's oil life remaining percentage is 12 months. But I agree that synthetic oil may not be finacially justified if changed every 5 months or 5000 miles (in our Lexus vehicles).

Correct me if I'm wrong but most oil filters, if overloaded with contaminants, will allow oil to bypass filtration to avoid overpressure conditions. If this happens, the oil will indeed contain significantly large particles that could accelerate engine wear.This would certainly be evident in oil testing data.

Don't forget the oil filter. Most oil filters are not designed to hold 10,000+ miles of dirt in them. That is why I'm sticking to a 5000 mile interval, even with synthetic oil. The only way to know for certain whether your filter can go the distance is to have an oil analysis done.