cduluk

I've always replaced the oil and filter twice a year (Spring and Fall) with synthetic (Mobile 1), and always used 93 gas with either Mobile or Shell... at least since i've owned it since 2009 (it had 44,000 miles on it when i got it; all previous service intervals were completed at Lexus). The only maintenance item that i didn't do was replacement of the transmission fluid. And i didn't get around to changing the spark plugs till now. Dealer still has the car. I'll call later today to get an update. I have my eye on another car in NJ that i'm thinking of trading-in the RX400h for. Right now my Rx400h's inverter is leaking. Since my 400h is out of the hybrid warranty, if the inverter goes, i'm out an apparent $7,000. For the moment, i can just wipe off the pink "foam" (dried up fluid) and it won't come back for about a month. I want to get the car back and dump it quickly before more problems arise. It's turning into a money pit.

In the winter, it gets into the teens, and in summer months can get into the high 80s/low 90s. My car is always garaged though (over night). I live about 37 miles from work. The first 3 miles are residential and the remaining all highway. I've been making that cummute since September. Before that, i was going to college so i was driving ~7miles to and from school, twice a day for morning and evening classes. It's safe to say my 400h was abused... And i can't say i was the type to let the car warm up before i'd be giving it full throttle. To be honest, i'd purposfully run it hard the first few minutes of driving to warm up the engine to get hot cabin air.

I got a call this morning from the dealer. At 10am they still hadn't diagnosed it. They accused my prior mechanic of messing it up, and accused me of using bad gas (even though i have used 93 from shell or mobile exclusively). I cleared that up for them and they went back to work. They called a few minutes ago.They believe coolant is seeping into cylinder #4, but couldn't tell me if the issue was a blown head gasket or a crack in the head. They said they won't know until they get it apart (how they made this diagnosis w/o taking it apart is beyond me). They've already charged me for 2 hours labor to diagnose (even though they've had the car 3 days now), so i'm already out $240. They're now quoting me another $2500 (15 hours labor + parts) to fix the problem (assuming it's only the gasket) but advised me that it would be MUCH more if the head is cracked.

Thanks guys. I don't know how to diagnose any of those things... This car is too complicated! The car is with my local Lexus dealer now. They've been tinkering with it all day, and thus far can't figure out what's wrong. All i'm seeing is $ signs... yikes

Well, my mechanic thinks it's a bit more serious. The check enging light came back on, but gave a different code than it did the first time; according to the mechanic, it's now giving them a "random" misfire indication (whatever that means). But they already replaced the bad coils and replaced all 6 plugs, and the problem is persisting. They think there's a mechanical problem that's causing the code to come up as this "random" misfire. They've localized the shudder's location to somewhere below the inverter, next to the engine (see sketch below) They believe that it has something to do with the transmission and/or something hybrid related. This shop has little experience working with hybrids, so they suggested that i take the car to my Lexus dealer. What stumps me is why the shudder occurs most often when the engine first kicks on when the car is in PARK. I'm going to drop the car off to the dealer today. Any ideas as to what it might be?

Hi all: Last week, my 2008 Rx400h starting giving me trouble. Whenever i tried to start it (~90% of the time), the engine would "shudder" for ~10 seconds then idled out normally. It didn't do it every start-up, but did it more often when the engine was cold. I could also shorten the shudder duration by applying a little pressure to the gas pedal. After a few days with no improvement, it started shuddering for longer periods of time. One day, i was at the drive-thru with the ignition "ON" and in D (engine off, as i wasn't moving) and as i pulled away, the engine started to shudder, and continued to shuddder as a was driving down the road. At that point, the check engine light came on and i dropped it off at my local mechanic. They called the next day and told me me that i was having misfires; that two of the rear spark plug coils were bad. They changed out the three rear coils and all 6 of the spark plugs; so i had them do it. $750 incl. labor. I picked up the car and it seemed to run fine; for a day. Then, the symptoms came back, but not as severe (and no check engine light). Dropped the car back off at the mechanic. Today they called and said that since the car isn't showing any codes, they're clueless. They "think" it has something to do with "fuel trim" (whatever that is), but without a code, they don't know. They want to keep it another day. Any thoughts as to what might be going on? The shudder feels very similar to the feeling of the front wheels spinning when you floor it in an ES350 from a stand-still. I've always used 93 octane from either Mobile or Shell. I've noticed a loss in mpgs lately, down to about 19mpg vs what i used to get, around 21mpg. I've also noticed a loss in power. All fluid levels are normal; engine oil, coolant). No leaks from the engine nor inverter that i could find. And i did the ISC reset when i installed a new battery a few months ago. Any thoughts/ clarifying questions appreciated!

Try holding the bulb in place with one hand (pressing with one finger) and secure the spring clip with another.

Here's a picture showing the backs of the projectors. http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/bmwboyee/RX330/IMG_4795.jpg The notch in the bulb base (black plastic base) goes "up".

Those are junk... They'll work for about a month and start to flicker until they're all burned out. LED bulbs are sensitive and easily damaged by un-regulated voltage sources like that of the rear bulb lighting circuits. I found a retailer that only uses the best LED bulb manufacturers. Look on v-leds.com

Does your stock GS have the HID type headlights or are they stock halogen? I don't believe Lexus offered the halogen type headlight for the 06+ GS. Aftermarket HID type headlights (intended to replace stock HID type headlights) never really existed for any Lexus. Most (if not all) aftermarket HID headlights are designed to replace halogen type headlights. There are companies that will do custom mod headlights and install angel eyes, etc. I did heavy headlight mods on my RX400h and old Rx300. (see my signature for the links)

1990LS400 is correct; the "auto-leveling" feature was only present in the HID type headlight available for the '00 GS400. The halogen type does not have the auto-leveling feature. Does your GS have the HID type? Did they self-level before the accident? If they were the HID type, they can only be replaced with the HID type; the HID type and halogen type are not compatable in terms of wiring. The part number for the drivers side OEM HID headlight for the '00 GS400 is: 811503A472 The part number for the passengers side OEM HID headlight for the '00 GS400 is: 811103A152 You can cross-check these with the ones your body shop installed. If any wiring/plugs to either the leveling motors and/or sensors was disconnected or loose, you'd get an amber warning light on the dash in this location: If you don't have any warning lights on in the dash, then all wiring must be connected properly. I'm stumped.

I concur with curiousB above; there must be something wrong with the leveling motor itself on that headlight. If it was as simple as a loose connector, you'd see a little error light on the dash. Luckily, the leveling motor is easy to get to. It's external, on the back of the headlight. You'd need to remove the headlight from the car, remove the motor, disconnect the headlight projector itself from the piston of the motor, re-attach the piston of the new motor to the projector, and attach the motor to the headlight, and plug it in. Here's a diagram showing the motor on the back of the headlight. I have many, many of these exact spare leveling motors (from doing customization on my Lexus' headlights) if you'd like one; i can send you one!

Taking that center console apart is a real b!#(h... Removing it is easy, but getting to it (and removing) the mechanical springs and gears inside for that cover requires a lot of patience!

Hi all: I know there's a LOT of debate concerning the value/benefits of using the "B" mode for braking, but do any of you know how "healthy" it is for the 06-08 Rx400h? I use is on a daily basis, and very often to acheive the effect of downshifting as i slow down or stop. When i leave my house i have a 2 mile decent down a hill, and i leave it in "B" for the entire ride down. I also use it religiously when exiting the highway (from ~80mph-30mph) and during turns when applying friction braking might be "too much". I have a few questions... Is this use of the "B" mode causing any damage (or quicker deterioration) of the engine/transmission or any other components of my Rx400h? Also, when putting it into "B" at a high rate of speed while slowing down off the highway, i can hear "something" spooling up.... what is causing the noise? Is it the engine? Transmission? Something else? Thanks for the input!

That makes sense. So does the 400h have BOTH an electric water pump AND an engine coolant pump run by the timing belt?

Hi all: Do any of you know how the heating system works in the 06-08 Rx400h? Is the source of the cabin heat ONLY from excess heat off the engine, or is there a separate electrical heater to provide additional heat? I only ask because of how quickly the heat comes on in the Rx400h, at least when compared to most gas-only vehicles. When i had my RX300 before my 400h, on cold days (by cold, i mean outside temps below 40 degrees F), i used to drive the first few miles in the "2" gear so the engine would run harder to heat up the cabin quicker... For the past couple days i had to drive my parents' ES350 and '09 RX350 (mine was at the mechanic), and it's crazy how long it takes for the air to blow HOT in both. Thanks for any input!

PM me your name and address and i'll ship it out :)

I would purchase a used set of the 2014 IS350 "HID type" headlights. They'll fit, you'd just need to wire the ballasts to your existing wiring.

These "replacement" headlights will be re-designed versions of our current headlights. Most likely different vent ports, etc. I'd do whatever possible (hint hint: buy a used damaged set on eBay to install, then have Lexus replace) to get the new re-designed version, to prevent failure in the future.

ebay for sure

All '07-'12 Lexus ES headlights (both HID and halogen) have adjustment screws on the rear of the headlight that you can turn to adjust the beam up and down. The HID version headlights on the 07-12 ES350 have what Lexus calls "auto-leveling" (a solenoid with a rod attached to the headlight projector pushes in/out to adjust the height of the light beam) and "AFS" (alternating front lighting system; a motor turns the projector left and right to aim the beam around corners). With this system, the leveling motor adjusts the height while driving when the brakes are pressed too quickly (to avoid the beam shooting down as the nose goes down) and while accellerating hard (to prevent the beam from shooting up and blinding oncoming drivers as the nose rises). It also compensates for the rise in nose due to excessive weight in the trunk, etc. However, the halogen version headlights lack all of these motors. Simply, there are adjustment screws behind the headlight that you can turn left and right to raise and lower the light beam; the headlights are hinged, and on the other end are the screws that act like the "solenoid rod" in the HID version headlights.

I had the recalled part replaced on my '08 rx400h over a month ago, and my mileage is just as poor (still around 20-22mpg) as it was before i went in; no change. When i picked the car up, all my settings had been lost (telling me they did remove the battery), and i know they didn't do the ISC reset on it. I've done the ISC reset multiple times on my 400h (after the battery is removed, etc) with no change in performance or mileage. Don't know what that means, though!

Haha, maseace has the immediate solution! ^_^ The holder operates with two "tabs" that (when worn down) can prevent it from holding up. The following pictures show the two tabs. Do any of these appear to be worn down? Is your interior color gray or black by any chance? I have this spare (shown in the pics) in the gray color (for gray and black interiors; not tan) that you can have.

Does this letter give any identification details we could all "look up" to find out more? A lot of us pre-owned owners won't get a letter.

The dealer would simply order a new dash (yes, the entire dash; not simply the vinyl covering) and replace it. There's no way to re-finish the dash... Once the vinyl covering (poorly designed) begins to crack, any and all fillers/coatings would fail to prevent future cracks. Not to mention you'd always see the cracks no matter what fillers/coatings they use. The entire dash is very expensive... Not to mention a PIA to remove.