wildta

Has anyone tried this on their RX? http://www.isimplesolutions.com/CES/GateWay.asp Clip of how it works: The iSimple GateWay represents the ultimate iPod integration solution. By emulating satellite signal data, the iSimple GateWay gives you complete integration between any iPod or iPhone and your factory-installed car stereo. You’ll enjoy iPod browsing and song information through your standard radio controls, as well as battery charging on most iPod and iPhone models. Additionally, the iSimple GateWay offers an extra headphone-style input for use with other portable audio devices, and can also be upgraded with an optional iSimple NuRadio HD Radio tuner or iSimple BluStream Bluetooth module. The pinnacle of iPod-vehicle integration Excellent, CD-quality sound Battery charging for most iPod and iPhone models Song information on factory stereo display Song browsing through standard radio controls Audio content streaming from an iPhone connected to the Internet Secondary headphone-style input for use with other portable audio devices Upgradable with HD Radio™

I have the RX400h and my volume is annoyingly low too when listening to XM. Btw, I posted a killer deal for XM 1 yr subscription for $77, you can find it in the RX400h forum.

Hi wildta, First, saying "the rx400h isn't much different" is true, ONLY as applied to the basics of the HSD. Other than that the SUV version is VERY different from the Prius. The Prius was deliberatly made as light as practical, and it's low drag / shape was deliberatly made to defeat wind resistance. Not so, with the SUV. In comparison, it's a slug ... much heaver, and more drag, and 'over-powered' because it's market is to a buyer that expects more power. I too, wish Lexus' luxury RX sought to economize ... but you and I are in the minority. Then there's hacking into the HSD's hardware. The 400h's ECU's control how much electric power is managed / used / cooled / charged / discharged. The folks who do this, really have to know what they're doing. Done in a slipshod manner, it'll take you into the realm of irreversable trouble codes ... and at that junction, you can kiss your warranty good bye. That said, it HAS been done before. Dr. Andy Frank (U.C. Davis Prof) was one of the grand fathers of the plug in hybrid, and one of his first vehicles (that he had his students do) was a mongo Suburban sized land barge. And YES, it was averaging over 100mpg. But the whole 100mpg is kind of slippery. Sure, if you drive X amount of miles EV versus ICE, then you'll get 100mpg. But if you seldom recharge, your mpg may actually be WORSE than a standard vehicle. One of my favorite quotes of Dr. Frank: "This whole 'drill, baby, drill' thing is b*llsh*t" BTW, using synthetic oil, these early conversions (done over 9 years ago now, in some cases) have suffered NO discernable acidic / sludgy wear ... much less the later ones being done by commercial companies. Some have logged over 100K miles, along the way, doing stints from 20 to 40 pure EV miles. There's some pretty cool mod's going on. But for SUV hybrids? None commercially, when it comes to PHEV's. A few conversions have been done on the smaller Ford SUV, the Escape ... but the mod is not offered for sale. I checked. http://content.zdnet.com/2346-9595_22-18853.html Highly appreciate your discussion. Very informative!

And looked what happened today... hmmm no bankruptcy and I will continue on my happy listening. :D

Another interesting blurb I just read: "Sirius XM had amassed 18.9 million subscribers as of last year's third quarter, just shy of the 21 million active Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) BlackBerry subscribers at the time. Satellite radio's roll call is nearly double the 10 million subscribers at Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) today, and several times the audience size that TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) commands. Satellite television leader DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) closed out 2008 with just 17.6 million subscribers. Presiding over nearly 19 million people who are willing to pay for premium radio sounds valuable to me. How valuable? I guess the next few days will let us know." When you compare numbers to other household names, that's pretty impressive.

That's bad for bondholders and bad for equity holders, but should not affect their delivery of product. Exactly. So please note that they are CONSIDERING filing chapter 11, not chapter 7. They are trying to reorganize their debt, not liquidate the company.

No this isn't an ad and I did not post this 5 days ago. Do you see any kind of referral link? I signed up for this myself, why would I want to "trick" myself and others into doing this. This is a deal, a deal that I think is awesome. I just read that XM is in talks of filing for Ch 11 which means they haven't even filed yet, and even if they do file Ch 11--it only means they will be restructuring their debt, getting rid of ridiculous contracts like Howard Stern ($500mil/5yrs) and spinning off failing divisions. Ch 11 does not happen over night, it takes many months even years to complete. Even if I only got 6 months (the minimum time for a Ch 11 to complete) for $77 before they finally do pull the plug, that would mean I paid $13/month, which is the normal price. Sure it wouldn't be as good of a deal but I definitely wouldn't be getting ripped off either.

Just passing along the savings! I called XM @ 1-800-347-0600. Told the person that I wanted the $77/year promotion I "saw" on-line. They gave it to me with no problems! They didnt ask me for a promotional code. Also, if your car was never set up for the 3 month free trial, then ask for that to begin before your 1 yr promo offer (so 15 months for $77!). If you're really lucky you can inquire about the $12.95 credit for having a credit card on file, they gave that to me too! One slight warning: When my 1 year is up, they will begin billing me @ $38 per quarter unless I call them back to specify otherwise. Happy listening!

Just passing along the savings! I called XM @ 1-800-347-0600. Told the person that I wanted the $77/year promotion I "saw" on-line. They gave it to me with no problems! They didnt ask me for a promotional code. Also, if your car was never set up for the 3 month free trial, then ask for that to begin before your 1 yr promo offer (so 15 months for $77!). If you're really lucky you can inquire about the $12.95 credit for having a credit card on file, they gave that to me too! One slight warning: When my 1 year is up, they will begin billing me @ $38 per quarter unless I call them back to specify otherwise. Happy listening!

I just read this article about the Prius getting 80-100 MPGs. The RX400h isn't much different so I'm wondering if anyone will create a mod for our cars. Wish I had some engineering experience to apply this to my RX400h: http://www.autobeyours.com/HighSpeedStealth.htm

I have an '08 and have never notice an AC outlet. I guess I'll have to check if I have one. Where is it located?

Thanks SMooth1!

I have a 2001 Lexus IS300 and the plastic single trim piece that surrounds the map lights above the rearview mirror is somewhat falling off because the tabs that secure it in place broke. I'm not sure what this piece is called nor do I have a replacement part number but I'm hoping someone on this forum can help me out. Thank you in advance!