RX400h

I think the key here is that Lynn's car is OUT of warranty. If your CD player shows the dreaded error message, I would say that most dealerships will not replace or fix it for free. Something like this or a badly-sealed heatsight assembly should not happen in only 5 years but unfortunately, it does.

400, did you actually use tweezers to pull out the stuck CD?

I love it!

Just be glad Steve hadn't witnessed everything. He'd make darn sure the state police locked you up for good! :chairshot: Seriously, though, I've done far worse at your age - police chases, etc...... Of course, 30 years later, I ALWAYS drive responsibly..... :whistles:

Is this true for the 2006s as well? In any case, it's good to know - thanks!

Guys, the RX400h does 0-60 MPH in 6.7 seconds on a fully-charged battery. Nobody lists braking performance in time; they do it in distance.

Actually, you were both speeding and driving in the fast lane without passing anyone - both illegal. But the RX400h's credit, it does 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. That's faster than a Porsche Cayenne-S (of the same year) and BMW's X5, so although those vehicles may out-handle the RX400h, they are not faster and by a long shot, are not nearly as fuel efficient or reliable. Our neighbor's X5 has been nothing but a headache with constant issues requiring visits to the dealership. Porsche owners have their own big basket of problems, particularly after the warranty has expired.

I was trying not to throw my two cents in but I just had to point a few things out. Point 1 - Typically, the left lane is the passing lane, not the "high speed" lane (unless you're in Germany on the Autobahn) - if you were the only one on the road, you should have been in the right lane, irregardless of how fast you were going since you were not passing anybody. Point 2 - So you were in the passing lane and going 10mph over the speed limit - so what? Even if you were going 50mph over the speed limit, your duty (likely by law, as it is in most jurisdictions) is to yield to the faster vehicle. That means moving over to let him pass. It's not up to you to decide that 10mph over the speed limit is sufficient for the passing lane and everyone else be damned. I agree with Lemon. Here in CA, it is illegal to cruise along in the fast lane unless you are passing vehicles that are in the slow lane. If someone approaches you from behind while you're in the fast lane, you are expected to move over. However, I've been known to (after having this happen to me) move into the right lane and then gradually increase my speed until the other vehicle moves over to the slow lane. Of course, during all this excitement, I stayed well within the speed limit. :)

Personally, I would not take our Lexus to a local shop unless it's for a tire change/balance/rotation. I recommend that you take your car to a dealership to figure this one out.

Remember this is not the water pump driven by the timing belt, it is a seperate water pump for the hybrid cooling system. I looked in the maintenance book and nowhere did it say anything about replacing this pump...I agree on the timing belt (engine) pump, I replaced it when I did the timing belt along with the idlers.... You Have actually three water pumps in this car, one for the engine, one for the heater, and one for the inverter cooling. Understood. I was implying that the various water pumps are most likely similar in construction and that they DO wear out, eventually. It's hard to say how long the average pumps lasts, since many people have theirs swapped before they fail.

You may be feeling the ICE (internal combustion engine) kick in and a slight "nudge" is perfectly normal. Personally, I think using regular gas during colder months is less likely to result in a degradation of performance, so don't worry about that. I use mid-grade here in San Diego.

If the impeller shaft were ceramic, it's unlikely it wore out - now Teflon I can believe..... Regarding the average vehicle's water pump: Most folks have theirs replaced when the timing belt is replaced (typically at 90,000 miles), so those people don't often have pump failures. At your mileage, I guess the pump failure should not be entirely unexpected.

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.