cduluk

Rx400h, i couldn't have said it better! There have been many situations where i've "tested" X5 drivers out and none have ever been able to get by me. There aren't many SUV's out there that can "out-pass" the 400h. If you're cruising together at 30mph and you floor it in the 400h, goodbye everybody else! The extra torque alone IMO is worth the extra cost. It might sound like "overkill" but for someone that does a lot of highway driving, being able to merge with ease is a big plus.

Haha, can you imagine how scary this must be? The car could have very easily flipped over and killed a LOT of people. Did Toyota/Lexus ever find a fix for their problem?

RXREY, i was agreeing with you! ^_^ From my experience with the RX300 and RX350, both are much faster off the line than the hybrid. Without a doubt, the hybrid has a delay that annoys the crap out of me (at least). I'm pretty confident that if one were to race an Rx300 and Rx400h, the Rx300 would make it past the 100ft line before the 400h. I think Lexus created this delay on purpose for the hybrids, but i can't for the life of me figure it out. But you are totally right, the gas-only versions do "pounce" better than the hybrids. But in terms of passing power... the gas-only version just seems to, well, creep along. Oh i have no doubt my torque numbers are messed up, believe me! LOL. I literally searched Lexus' PDF's for HOURS looking for COMBINED torque curves but none of them provided any difference between the AWD and FWD models. I'm thinking Lexus has controlled the total output for each. And to be honest, it all depends on the road conditions, terrain levels, and most significantly the charge of the hybrid battery. I don't think anyone can produce a torque number that's consistent, because it's completely not. It's very frustrating while driving because i never know which "mood" the car's going to be in if i want to pass. If it's undercharged, man it feels slower than my old Rx300! But when charged it feels faster than the GS350. I wish Lexus would put a switch on the dash that could be activated for 50 seconds at a time, for those rare occasions when you just want the max 500+ lb-ft of torque and all the power the car can make. Heck with breaking the car, i want my power!! And i agree that the max speed of the Rx400h can vary. I've seen my needle go past 115mph before. Someone should try taking it down hill and putting it into neutral, maybe that would confuse the computer?

Not only that, but the '06-08 Rx400h is quicker to 60mph than the '10-13 RX450h or any other SUV that Lexus has ever made to this day. The '06-08 Rx400h AWD is the quickest due to it having 2 electric motors, yielding 0-60 times from 6.9sec-7.3sec based on the charge of the hybrid battery. The '06-08 Rx400h FWD with only 1 electric motor to aid the engine has a 0-60 time ranging from 7.2sec-7.5sec based on the charge of the hybrid battery. Although the '10-12 Rx450h has more total horsepower, due to the extra weight of this generation over the previous, it still produces longer 0-60 times. Also noteworthy is the fact that the '12-13 RX350 is slower than the '10-11 RX350, after Lexus reduced the max hp rating. Lexus did this also with the '11-12 ES350. The lower hp rating reduces the 0-60 times by a few tenths of a second. What i find disturbing is the fact that the '12-13 RX350 is just as slow as the '04-6 RX330 with the same fuel economy. And this is barely faster than the '99-03 Rx300. Here is a chart comparing data for the RX's from 2004-2013. The big "unknown" is the combined torque values for the RX hybrids. The issue is that the electric motors produce INSTANT torque, while the engine itself can't acheive max torque as quickly. Adding the foot pounds generated from the engines and electric motors together, we'd be getting thousands of foot pounds of torque which would rip the car apart, so Lexus controls the output from each system. Lexus designed and branded the RX hybrid as a "performance hybrid" rather than an economy hybrid, similar thinking as that applied to the GS450h. The advantage of electric motors is the fact that torque is instant. From a start, the electric motors are working at max capacity. The extra torque is most evident while "passing" other drivers from speeds between 30-50mph. Having experience driving a 2003 Rx300 AWD for 4 years, my own 2008 Rx400h AWD since 2009, moderate experience in a 2009 Rx350 AWD, and test drives of both the '10-11 RX350 AWD and RX450h AWD, i can tell you that the gas-only models give more of a "push" from 0mph, yet idol out a few seconds later. The hybrid models have a visible delay from start, and take a few seconds for the power to kick in. If the two were to be "raced", the gas only versions would appear quicker from a start, but the hybrid models would catch up and pass within a few seconds. If both models were side by side cruising at 30mph and both drivers told to floor it, the hybrid would absolutely blow by the gas-only version. The torque at high speeds is amazing. What i find so interesting is the variation in acceleration abilities of the hybrid models based on how "charged" the hybrid batteries are. If the energy monitor is showing a low charge (1-2 bars) the acceleration is pathetic. However if the enegy monitor shows the battery charged or nearly charged, the acceleration is vey brisk, often resulting in the tires to spin and the skid control to be activated. Although this is probably not healthy for the car, you can force the battery to fully charge by holding down the brake, putting the car in D and holding down the accelerator pedal for 30 second incraments. Very slowly, the battery will begin to charge. This is outlined in the ICE reset. Another issue with the hybrid concerns the "delay" of acceleration once the pedal is depressed. To overcome this delay, when at a stop light, simply place your left foot on the brake, and right foot on the gas at the same time. Once the light turns green, let go of the brake and off you go! With no delay. However do not let this happen for more than 30 seconds as this can damage the car. This procedure charges the battery, and removes the "delay" in acceleration. Your tires WILL scream and you'd better hold the steering wheel!

Hey guys, I saw this in the news tonight and thought i'd share. Apparently Toyota/Lexus isn't alone! This lady's Kia had an issue with the accelerator getting stuck and she couldn't stop the car, going up to 115mph! Here's the video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r11p8ZNzSA What do you think happened?? Why wouldn't the gear not go into neutral? In the end, all she had to do was manually lift the accelerator (maybe the floor mat was stuck?) I can only imagine how scared this lady must have been... i'm so glad she's OK!

THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AUTOMOBILE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! I love it!! :D They took the best of the '07-12 design and just made it better. And they did the same with this interior, similar to that of the new GS and ES. Everything i HATED about the '13 GS and ES interiors they changed for this one! This is honestly one of the best looking interior's in a car today (IMO). I'm thrilled! I hope we see this for the next 5 years before another re-design! Still not sure about the Mitsubishi front grill though...

thanks for posting this!! Can a mod sticky this? :)

My dad's 09 Rx350 radio does the same thing, especially the thing you mention when the radio's sitting in the sun. The radio i my 08 Rx400h (same radio as the one in the 350) switches stations whenever i hit a bump, and the LCD goes on and off, too. Both problems seem to go away by pushing the face of the radio with my hands. In the past, just pushing on the black face (around the LCD), returns power to the radio. After taking the radio apart, i realized that the face of the radio can separate from the main portion of the radio, and the contacts can come undone. Hope it helps!

Here are some pictures of the new tires!

Thanks for the compliment! :) Do you have "at least" one master key for your RX? To make a new master key, your dealer needs at least one old master key (with the buttons, not just the valet key). If so, you can buy a used remote from ebay (one for the 2004-2009 RX330/350/400h only) which you can bring to your dealer. For $35 they can re-program it to your car. Then, you can purchase a new "shell" which can be cut to your car. Also caution that there are a LOT of fake key shells online and on ebay. The plastic on these aftermarket key shells are poorly made and they may break easily. I would buy a shell from here: http://www.factorylexusparts.com/servlet/the-276/LEXUS-KEY-SHELL/Detail While purchasing the key shell from here, e-mail them your car's VIN number and they will cut the blade for free (you just have to ask)! I've bought several from them and they're 100% original Lexus key shells. There are some key remotes on eBay right now. You'll note that they come with the old shell and blade which is cut from the car they came from. When you buy one, just open the shell (there's a small screw you'll need to remove) and remove the remote itself. Here are a few auctions on ebay with remotes that should work for your RX400h: http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-RX330-RX350-RX400H-KEYLESS-KEY-REMOTE-ENTRY-FOB-OEM-HYQ12BBT-HYQ-12BBT-/120974446887?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c2aa39127&vxp=mtr And this one looks like the cheapest! http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-RX330-RX350-RX400H-KEYLESS-KEY-REMOTE-ENTRY-FOB-OEM-used-/170902563338?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27ca962a0a&vxp=mtr So, with shipping, the new "shell" comes to about $61.90, you can get a remote for $35 and Lexus will charge $35 to program the remote. The total would come to $131.90 which is about $100 less than a new one would cost from the dealer. Hope this helps!

Woah, that looks awesome!! I really like the radio LCD screen with the blue tint! I tried to "invert" it like i did with my gauge cluster LCD, but since we see it on an angle, it didn't look that great.

Hey guys, i've had my new tires for a few weeks and needed to update! Like i said earlier, i have two sets of rims/tires: one set for summer and one for winter. The winter set has the factory Michelin's which we all know are awful, and my summer set "had" what were called the Dunlop Sport 270 which was only available in the UK. It was these tires that needed to be replaced. I had been driving on the Michelin's since last Fall, and have now removed the Dunlop Sport 270's on my summer set to the Dunlop Signature CS. What a difference!!!! They're AMAZING! The biggest difference with these new tires is the "stability" while cornering. With my old Dunlops and especially the Michelins, the car would roll substantially while cornering- but with these new tires, the car doesn't "tilt" at all when cornering. It feels like a sedan rather than an SUV. Another difference is the SILENCE! With my old tires, i'd hit around 80mph and you could "feel" the speed and hear the noise. But you can't feel the speed with these tires, and they're a LOT quieter at high speed. Last night i "found myself" doing 105mph and it felt like i wasn't even pushing 75mph. There is a substantial difference in ride comfort and noise with these Dunlop Signature CS tires. And the tread looks MEAN! While looking at them you'd assume they're loud and good in snow, but they're rated very poorly in snow. There's no doubt that the tread life will be good however, the tread is so deep! I'll try to post some pictures this week! So if anyone gets in the same boat as me, finding that all the other tires are on back order, definitely consider the Dunlop Signature CS! They make a HUGE difference.

like lexirx330 said above, it's supposed to do that ;)

don't let the dealer use their own body shop- get your own! They just outsource the cheapest shop they can find, and depending on how picky you are about your car, you might not want to trust them with it!

I never understood the necessity of having ipod integration in the car. This was a "big thing" but in the end, it's just too much of a pain to use.

I guess this list looks good to me, but it's surprising that Porsche made it so high on the list. I always thought their tech was a little "primitive".

I'm here!! Can you describe the faults in your cluster? Is the backlighting still there? Needles out? Unfortunately, if either a portion or the entire length of a needle is out, the needle itself will need full replacement. The needles themselves are miniature florescent tubes called CCFL's. They're pretty much just ultra-small fluorescent lamps that you'd typically see on an office ceiling. And unfortunately Lexus won't sell the needles separately; you'd have to buy entire new clusters. I have a lot of experience with 1997+ Lexus gauge cluster technology, but not much on the early LS model clusters. There are companies online that can repair these, for for a cost. There are also people on ebay offering a service to repair them- this is where i'd try first. Read the descriptions clearly and make sure they are aware of the issues specific to your cluster (needles out/not, backlighting out/not, needles sticking/not, etc.). Sorry i can't be of more help But report back when you have them repaired!

Well guess what, guys!? I finally got new tires installed!! I didn't end up getting the Parada's, or the Pirelli's, or anything that was on my original list. Calling around my local tire shops, it appeared that the Parada Spec-X tires were on back order for 30 days and i wasn't planning to wait that long. The price for 4 of the Pirelli's came to $1100 for the set, so that was clearly out. Then another check on tirerack introduced a different tire, the Dunlop Signatire CS. It didn't come up on my original search, but the stats on them were very impressive, as well as the price. http://www.tirerack....0h&autoModClar= These tires were given the highest "tread wear" rating of 9.2/10 (which is good since i don't want to replace these for a while) and the noise comfort 8.7 was only second to the Goodyear Assurance. The ride comfort also beat everything except for the Pirelli's. The treads are VERY aggressive looking and are surprisingly very quiet on the highway- without a doubt quieter than the factory Michelin's i was running on my winter set. If i had the time to wait, i would have liked to have gotten the Spec-X tires but it's the summer and i wanted new tires so i could enjoy them this summer! I'll update as i drive them a little more, but so far so good!

Here's a picture of the gauges in the '06 MDX. They're beautiful!!! I'd be staring at them all day...

Can you post a picture of your key and the spot where you're missing a part? I have a lot of spare lexus key parts, various years and models. I can send you the part you're missing if i have it. ^_^

Enter the car, close the door. Make sure your speedometer trip odo reading reads your true mileage, not either of the trip mileage. Turn car off and remove key. Press and hold down the trip odo button on the left of the steering column (the button you use to toggle between true mileage, Trip A and Trip B ). At the same time, insert key into ignition and turn to ACC. If you look at the gauge cluster you should see the mileage turn to a set of dashes that will blink. Wait until the dashes disappear and you're done!

Oh good good! I did call a local shop the other day and they said the Spec-X tires were on back order, and that i should call them back the next day. A week later and i've forgotten again... Maybe this week! In the meantime my Rx400h is covered with a good 2mm of yellow pollen... I've never seen so much pollen in my life! The poor thing hasn't been cleaned since the body shop did it when i had the bumper repaired...

God i'm lazy... For the past week and a half i've just driven without the A/C on. I need to make an appt at the dealer and i've been so busy lately. I will say though, that my mileage has been incredible without A/C (i usually average 23mpg in the summer but now i'm averaging 29mpg). i'll update whenever i get it to the dealer... Damn, i need an inspection sticker (it expired in April) and i've gotta take my license plate frames apart to put my new registration stickers on... I better not get pulled over.

I've got the thundercloud grille on my Rx400h too, it looks really nice! I only got it so it would fit my laser jammers (the factory grille didn't have any room to slide them in). I got it on eBay i think... It was about $275. You can see the links in my signature for close up pics of it! The grille is part number PZ32748022 and i found it on parts.com (usually the cheapest for oem parts) for $374... kind of a lot but i can't find it cheaper! Keep in mind you can sell your oem grille once the new one comes in. Just do a search on here for that part number for a 2005 Lexus Rx330. http://www.parts.com/parts/index.cfm?make=Lexus&year=2005&model=RX+330&submodel=&searchText=PZ32748022&action=oePartSearch&siteid=2

That looks beautiful!! I LOVE the color! If i'm not mistaken the gauges on that year are beautiful; using the same optitron tech as the Rx400h. I wish you the best of luck with it, and be sure to check for any transmission leaks!!