JimsGX

The Lexus Web site price comes with an asterisk. XM® Satellite Radio $486 [3] [3]Prices for options/accessories/packages are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) as of posting date. Actual dealer prices may vary. Installation fee not included. Lexus strives to build vehicles to match customer interest and thus they are typically built with popular options and option packages. Not all options/accessories/packages are available separately and some may not be available in all regions of the country. If you would prefer a vehicle with no or different options, contact your dealer to check for current availability or the possibility of placing a special order. Not all available accessories are shown.

Hmmm... My local dealer wanted $900. I called another dealer about 35 miles away and they quoted me between $800 to $850 and told me it was about a four hour install. The Lexus website lists both XM and Sirius @ $486 not including install labor.

The Volvo XC90 offers wide angle OEM replacement mirrors. The mirrors pop out and are easily replaced with the wide angles. I had them installed on an XC90 I owned and they worked great. I wonder if there are OEM or aftermarket wide angles available for the GX?

Won't Lexus or the dealer just mail it to you?

Mine is in a little plastic bag in the little black zippered hard sided tool kit next to the spare tire. And yes, if the tire/service tech does not put it back, you may be SOL to change a tire. For the GX, it's in a black plastic bag that hangs off the jack. When you open the tailgate, it's on the left (drivers side) behind the plastic door that's held in place by two tabs. Jim

They're even stealing catalytic converters these days... Thieves Leave Cars, but Take Catalytic Converters This company came out with a locking device for catalytic converters... CATCLAMP They target SUV's because they're easy to get under without having to jack up the vehicle... Jim

Don't forget to check the pressure in the spare tire as well. It has a sensor in it that will set off the low pressure light too...

My wife has an 08' ES350 that we bought at the end of January this year. I never drive the vehicle, but yesterday I took it to be washed and heard the dieseling sound your talking about. It did lessen as the engine warmed up but sounded just like a MB diesel (I'ved owned MB) when I first started it up, and for the first few miles of driving. The car has 5k miles on it. I called the dealer and I'm bringing it in this Thursday. It definitely sounds to me like it's the valves or timing chain. I've heard the ticking/tapping sound on other Lexus vehicles caused by the injectors. I'd be very surprised if that was the problem. This is much more pronounced than the injector noise and I'd put money on it being caused by either the valves or the timing chain. I plan to have them put Mobil 1 in it when I bring it in. If I make any headway with it, I'll post it here. Jim

I think Lexus should make that standard!

I agree with the others on the quality of the Alenza's over the Michelin OEM's. I think they are superior. I put around 4500 miles on them on my 07 RX400h before I traded the RX in a week ago. As for the buy again question... Since I had come out of a GX470 and into the RX400h, for the 14 months I owned the RX I was constantly comparing it to the GX. For me, the GX has it over the RX in all respects except for gas mileage and the lack of HID headlights (which I'll put in aftermarket). I would buy another 400h though under the right circumstances, but I don't think the overall build quality of the RX is as good as the GX. I'm an audiophile at heart and the RX stereo system quality is quite poor in my opinion. The lack of a true AWD system was also a real shortcoming and disappointment for me. Plus the cabin isn't really quiet enough at highway speeds to fully enjoy a good stereo system in the RX. Now I smile the whole time I'm driving the GX except when I pull in to fill it up. But an extra $20 a week in gas isn't going to break me. I also saw my average mpg fall over the 14 months of ownership on the RX. At first I could get 27 to 28 on average. That number had fallen to 22.5-23.5mpg (actual)when I traded it in. So the gas savings between the RX & GX (attaining 19.5mpg actual) had become less of an issue for me. The dealer couldn't identify a root cause for the mpg drop. My father-in-law owns a Prius (new in 2004) and lost 5-8mpg after Toyota performed an ECU flash upgrade to his car in 07. Not sure why the ECU flash was done in the first place though. Jim

Hi, I bought my new 2007 AWD RX400h in February of 2007, and have put 21,000 miles on it. I traded out of a 2004 GX470 that I had purchased new as well, and really liked. My primary reasoning for purchasing the 400h at the time was that it seemed to be a more practical and environmentally friendly choice for a daily commute of 50 miles round trip each day to work. I was also very impressed with the technology, and the smoothness of the CVT transmission. Unfortunately, for all the great features the 400h has to offer, I’ve missed many of the features, and build quality of my GX470. The day after I picked up the 400h, we had a foot of snow here. Its shortcomings in snow when compared to the GX became very apparent. Also, I know that many of you here are very impressed with how quiet the 400h cabin is, but I have found it to be an annoyance over the last 13 months of owning it. I’ve changed tires out on the vehicle to try and quiet it down, but I’ve seen little to no improvement. The standard and ML stereo systems in the two vehicles are also worlds apart in my opinion, and the MSRP and negotiated selling prices of the two vehicles are negligible. Anyways, I decided to trade the 400h in yesterday and ordered a new GX470. I know I’ll suffer a mpg hit, and I won’t be driving a vehicle that is as environmentally friendly, but I’ve continued to compare it to the GX over the last year. The pluses and minuses of the two vehicles weigh in favor of the GX for me. I don’t know if there are others out there that have owned both vehicles, but I’d be interested in your comparisons of the two vehicles. Thanks, Jim

Here are the 09' LPS's RX350_LPS.pdf

I think they could have done a better job with sound deadening. I currently have an ES350 and an LS400 in addition to the RX400h. Both of them, as well as a GX470 that I owned up until a year ago (regret parting with it), are noticeably quieter inside than the RX. I had seven rattles that I dealt with on the RX. Three addressed by dealer (in five visits), and the others I fixed myself. Very frustrating during the first few months of ownership. I think I put 1500 miles on the car just driving around trying to figure out where all the rattles were coming from when I first got it. Two days after driving it off the lot, I returned it for a dash rattle. With 120 miles on the vehicle, they had to take the whole dash out and install an insulation kit to fix the problem. Jim

Yes But the Lockpic operrides the override :P I got a post card from Lexus in the mail a few days ago stating that there was a NAV upgrade DVD available for my 2007 RX400h... Will this update allow me to access my full phone contact list and make changes to the NAV system while I'm moving? Thanks~!

Hi Tom, The product is Frost King Rubber Foam Weatherseal, 5/16" x 3/4" x 10' Roll. Black: Part #: R534, SKU: 77578 01222. If you go this route, you'll need two rolls. It took a 10' roll plus two or three feet of the second roll to go all the way around, which is what I did. I think the cost was $3 per roll. The package states "minimum compression" but I didn't find this to be the case. It's only 5/16" thick and compresses very easily. Frost King's web site describes the product this way: "Extremely tough, durable and long–lasting. So shock–absorbing, it also has many applications on car and truck hoods and trunks, etc." Jim

Hi All, Since I got my 2007 RX400h a year ago, I’ve always thought there was an inordinate amount of road/wind noise that comes into the cabin at the rear of the vehicle. I’d brought it into Lexus before, and they installed some type of insulating kit, but whatever fix they did, it wasn’t visible and it didn’t make any difference. I figured from that point on, that it was probably the tires (Michelin) that were transmitting the noise into the cabin, and I was going to have to live with it at least until I replaced the tires. Well, I had the tires replaced a couple of weeks ago at 16,000 miles, only because the Michelin’s aren’t that great in the snow. I replaced them with Bridgestone Alenza’s. The noise at the rear of the vehicle persisted, so I decided to look deeper into the cabin noise. The rear liftgate/hatch on these vehicles only has a single gasket, unlike the doors, which have double or triple seals in some areas. Using a rag, I applied a liberal amount of 3M polishing compound (the product is liquid but has a paste-like consistency) to every square inch of the rear hatch gasket, then closed the rear hatch (electric) and opened it again. I checked all around the perimeter of the hatch where the gasket makes contact with the door to ensure there was a complete transfer of the polishing compound. Low and behold, all along the top of the hatch, from one hinge to the other, there was absolutely no transfer of the compound! I bought a couple rolls of very thin, ¾” wide, highly compressible, self adhesive gasket material at Home Depot, and applied it to the rear hatch all the way around where the gasket makes contact with the hatch. This eliminated the wind noise that was obviously coming through where the gasket failed to make contact. The hatch still operates normally both manually and when closed using the electric closer. I would assume that my vehicle isn’t unique in this regard. I have other comments I can make about the windows, but I'll stick with this topic for now. Jim

Ahhhh, I sense an aftermarket opportunity. "Retrofit kit w/ larger rear electric motor new computer chip turns RX400h into a Porsche Killer!" Can it also please defeat the "I agree" screen?:whistles: No "I Agree" screen on our '08 400, warning screen comes up briefly and disappears. I'm still not buying 550+ ft lbs of torque for our cars (at the wheels). Are you all in some sort of fantasy world? I want to see credible dyno #'s. Unfortunately, our cars will probably shut down if exposed to a 4-wheel dyno so we'll never really know. From Road & Track: So one might ask, "How powerful is it?" and Lexus would tell you that the total system power is 268 bhp, with 208 of that produced by the V-6. But torque is another thing altogether, as the electric motors generate their peak twisting force at revs far lower than the gas engine's 4400 rpm…try 247 lb.-ft. at 0-1500 rpm for the front motor, and 96 lb.-ft. at 0-610 rpm for the rear. So there's no single, tidy torque figure here that's in any way relatable to non-hybrids. Instead, Lexus offers this interesting nugget — total axle torque at launch (that is, after torque multiplication through gearing) is 3500 lb.-ft. Yeouch! And another pertinent comment I googled concerning the 3500ft lbs.: Torque inceases with every gear reduction. If the differential ratio is 4:1 and low gear is 2.5:1 then the torque at the wheel would be 10 times the engine torque. Since the wheel speed would be 1/10 engine speed the HP at the wheel would equal engine HP minus friction losses in the drivetrain.

Hi, Has anyone had problem(s) with wind noise around the rear tailgate on their RX? Or wind noise coming from their side windows? If so, can you share your problem(s) and solutions. Thanks

Do the 2008 ES's have the same transmission problem as the 07's? Iwas planning on ordering an 08 ES350 for my wife tomorrow but after seeing some of these threads here, not sure if its a wise decision... Where are the 08 ES's manufactured? I forgot to look at the drivers door sticker when we test drove the vehicle. Thanks

I couldn't agree more... We've had a couple of 8" snow storms here recently, followed by freezing rain right after the last one that turned everything into frozen snow. Got stuck just this morning on the side of a snowbank trying to parallel park. Keep pushing the accelerator and nothing happens! Finally made it out, but I sure missed the 4WD system in my GX470. Jim

Here's a link about its use on the new Highlander Hybrid. Pretty limited with the NIMH, but I know some have wanted this switch just to be able to move in and out of their garages without having the ICE turn on. Highlander Hybrid EV Mode

Do you see your wheel on this webpage? --> http://www.primewheel.com/prime_wheels.aspx?size=15 It sounds like your wheel is one of the BBS look-a-like wheels that was very popular in the early 1990s. Yes, these are BBS look-a-like, replicas, that dealers were selling to unsuspecting customers at BBS retail prices plus a substantial markup. Be careful, some of the early ones had to be turned on a lathe to allow room for the brake caliper. Here is what the wheels look like on my 91 Did you have them chromed or did some get shipped from Lexus like that? Mine are painted OEM silver...

My point yet again; see all your thinks...See, most postings of people saying zero info on facts....No data to support anything. I also have yet to see an engine fail using Redline, Amsoil etc. If the engines fails I know manufactures do what, pulling of UOA since they trust the customer zero. Your clearly do not understand Amsoil's warrenty & UOA's. If you did, you would not have posted. But ha, if that gives you a warm fuzzy, great. I will again let the data show (no thinking, guessing like most) what I should do and why...and saved time, $$$ etc. Mburnickas, You can only push peoples buttons here if they allow you to. I could write a book about your response above. The topic would have nothing to do with motor oil though. If you can provide me with written documentation that Lexus will honor my warranty strictly by UOA, then I can forget about their recommended oil change interval of 5k miles and focus on UOA. Until you or someone else can come up with that proof, I'm stuck with 5k mile oil changes until my warranty expires. I have no doubt that UOA holds merit and is a much better indicator of when my oil and filter need to be changed. But it doesn't matter to me. This is all about risk management for me. And the measurement I have to manage to is the recommendation by Lexus that I change my oil & filter every 5k miles. Provide me with the proof above, and the UOA topic takes on a different level of importance for me. Back in the mid to late 80's, Quaker State had a big quality control problem with their oil. It had excessive amounts of parafin and wax, which was the cause of premature engine failures. The claims took years to process once Quaker State decided to own up to responsibility for the problem. I don't want to get in line on a class action lawsuit against an oil manufacturer when their oil causes my engine (and thousands of others) to fail. I want to have it towed to Lexus and have them fix my vehicle at no charge, since they were the one that pumped that junk into my crankcase. Granted, I haven't heard of these types of QC problems recently, but I have better things to do with my time than deal with these types of annoyances or to be messing around with UOA on my Lexus. Again, it comes down to risk management. I'll take my chance with Lexus and their 5k mile oil change recommendation. Oh and by the way, your comment about Lexus owners not even being willing to check the air in their tires tells me you have a skewed view of reality. In addition to that chip everyone here sees on your shoulder. Jim

The down and dirty issue here for me is keeping my warranty in effect. I'd say the only way to do that is to perform the 5000 mile oil changes, regardless of the information gained from an oil analysis. Just a guess, but under a warranty claim situation, I don't think Lexus would really care if I were using full synthetic and high capacity long life filters, guaranteed by a manufacturer to be good for 10, 15, 20, or 25k miles. And I don't think they would care either, if I ran my oil change out to 10k miles but had an oil analysis that proved the oil was still within specifications. If I don't have documentation that I adhered to a 5000 mile schedule as it states in the manual, I think any engine failure repairs under warranty could be in jeopardy. Which is a chance I'm not ready to take. I don't think anyone can argue that full synthetic or blends are more effective than straight dino oil at reducing internal engine wear under extreme weather conditions. This is the reason I've chosen to use full synthetic. I plan to keep my '07 for a lot of years. It may not be rational or cost effective, but I've made a decision to run full synthetic and change it every 5000 miles along with the filter. I might decide to extend the changes after my Platinum Warranty expires but that's many years out... If you don't want to pay the high price charged by Lexus for this service, find a reputable garage that you can trust, explain your anal retentive nature to the owner, get it done at half the cost, and save the receipt. Jim

Could this be the new 2009 RX?