lemon

Agree with everyone else. New 12 volt battery needed.

As far as I know, the only recall right now is for the seal in the master cylinder.

We don't have a traditional master cylinder with a brake booster (run off engine vacuum) because our engines are not always running in order to provide the vacuum needed for the boost. Hence, we are not included in the recall.

If you get an updated map disc, the override WILL NOT WORK, which means you will have to buy a Coastal Tech lockpick or something from Prestigious Society if you want to enter destinations while driving (or use the phone dialler from the screen etc.) When I say the override is gone, I mean that you can't do the process shown in the youtube video anymore. Lexus removed the override in later map discs forcing you to stop to enter destinations or go with third party applications like Lockpick or Prestigious..

Unless you have updated map disc. The override was removed from later versions (I don't know exactly which ones, but I have 8.1 and the override is gone).

You could close the centre vents manually to stop air from blowing through them I guess. I'm not quite sure what you are asking for here. If you don't want cold air blowing from the vents, leave the climate control OFF, turn on the RECIRC button and wait till the coolant is hot enough. With the climate control OFF, the fan won't blow, and with the RECIRC ON, you won't get cold outside air through the vents from air blowing in as you drive. However, when in auto mode, the fan won't even come on until the coolant is hot enough to prevent cold air from blowing. So, I'm thinking the air flow you are feeling is just from air blowing in as the car is moving (this is normal and will only be stopped if the RECIRC is on).

You mean the tire is hitting the strut? If that's the case you need a lower profile tire. The 400h came with 235/55/18. To go with a 22 in wheel you need a lot lower profile. Check here http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html to see what works. You could go as wide as 255 (someone on here runs 255, but on 18" wheels - the size you would need to stay within the 3% recommended would be 235/35/22 - I don't know if anyone makes a tire that size. In fact, checking that tire calculator, it looks like 235, 245 or 255 would all have to be 35 profile.

Since I assume I am the childish one. How on earth do you know what was asked! It is extremely frustrating that people do not do their jobs. And the adjuster is the one who screwed up read all of my post I never said that lemon was doing anything wrong. As a matter of fact the other poster questioned what he would have done if he had been asked about the damage not me. As I said I file many claims with many companies about 15 to give you a idea progressive allstate travelers farmers Penn national to name a few every single one of the companies in the claim reports specifically ask was there any existing damage to the car? That question should have been asked but because someone as you say was not doing their job it probably wasn't. The other thing that I suggested was simply that Lemon or his wife just didn't even think about it when asked. Was not trying to make a big deal of it. If I wasn't the childish one. My mistake. And just to clarify, I was never asked if there was any pre existing damage so I never had a chance to not even think about it when asked. The whole process was this - idiot driver rear ends my Lexus (wife driving) - Police Officer takes accident report and charges other driver - I call my insurance company to report the accident - they have 'recommended' bodyshops they work with - call my local Lexus dealer and it turns out the bodyshop they use is one of the recommended ones - I call insurance company back and tell them I'm using this bodyshop - almost all the bodyshops are online with the major insurance companies and the insurance company sends the claim number to the bodyshop online - when I drop the car off, the bodyshop already has all my infomation, the car information and the insurance information in the computer - I leave the car there, get a rental car and a week or so later, my car is fixed. At no time did I see an adjuster, speak to an adjuster, or hear back from the insurance company AFTER I dropped the car off, aside from them calling me AFTER the repair was done to make sure I was satisfied with the work the bodyshop did.

No, it's rust inhibitor. Says right in my invoice - RESTORE CORROSION PROTECTION. The fact that it was sprayed into the inside of the rear hatch through the drain holes and onto the rear underbody forward of the rear bumper shows it has nothing to do with overspray. I can take a picture of the goo if you want.

Now I'm curious. If you crash on the test drive, you have to buy it? Kind of like in North America, "you break it, you buy it" Lol...

I had a look at my headlights and noticed a warning sticker that adjusting the vertical screw would also adjust the horizontal aim, and to follow the directions in the owner's manual. On page 594 of my manual there are very specific directions. In fact there are two things to do. 1. Turn the Phillips-head screwdriver to either direction in order to turn the vertical movement adjusting SCREW. Remember the number of times you turn the screwdriver and the turning direction. (this is the screw on the black plastic arm thing) 2. When turning the vetical movement adjusting BOLT, turn the Phillips-head screwdriver to the same direction as step 1. To calculate the correct number of turns, multiply the number of times you turned the screwdriver in step 1 by 1.25. Turn the screwdriver this amount. (this bolt is tucked way into the fender - on my hybrid I had to remove both engine covers to see this bolt) So, if you now notice the right side higher and more to the side, you may not have done the procedure as laid out in the manual. It sounds like the 2nd step is somewhat important.

The system moves the headlights up or down while driving based on the vehicle's 'posture'. You can quite plainly see this if you drive the vehicle on any sort of hilly road, or brake suddenly so the nose (hence the ANGLE of the vehicle) dives, or as I said, pull into an uphill driveway and watch the headlights on the garage door and see them move down. It is not simply a system that moves the headlights up if the back of the vehicle is low due to cargo. The system actively monitors and moves the headlights as the vehicle is driven on the road, so yes it depends on the vehicle's angle. If you are driving up a hill, the angle at the front is high, causing the rear of the vehicle to lower. The sensor picks this up and moves the headlights downwards. I have a shop manual that explains this system and includes diagrams showing how it works. Here are a few quotes from the shop manual that may make it clearer - the most important one first.. "The automatic headlight beam control system regulates the orientation of the reflectors of the headlights in relation to the posture of the vehicle that has been detected by the sensor. Thus, it is a system that maintains the headlight beams to a constant level WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN." "The rear height sensor detects the amount of variance of the vehicle height WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, and output this amount in the form of signals to the AFS ECU/headlight beam level control ECU" "Based on the signals received from the AFS ECU (models with Intelligent AFS) / headlight beam level control ECU (mdoels without Intelligent AFS), each acuator moves the reflector in the headlight to vary it's beam." "The AFS ECU (models with Intelligent AFS) / headlight beam level control (models without Intelligent AFS) is input the vehicle speed signal from the skid control ECU and the posture change signal of the vehicle from the height control sensor. Based on these signals, the AFS ECU / headlight beam control ECU calculates the VEHICLE'S PITCH ANGLE and controls the actuator in accordance with that chagne amount, and operates the reflector of the headlight." The fancy diagrams that show the vehicle's "posture change" as it drives down the road are in the shop manual following the descriptions I just gave. So, no, the system does not just adjust the height if the rear suspension travels up or down from a load in the back, and yes, it does change due to the vehicle's angle.

OK...this begs the question...not registered, no insurance..how did you 'smash' it?

Do you notice the lights moving at all? Do you have the AFS system? I think that even if you don't have the AFS system (the lights that turn when you turn), the HID lights should still move up and down depending on the angle of the vehicle. For example, when I pull into my driveway, which is slightly uphill, I notice the headlights moving down slightly to keep the lights from pointing too high. At the rear of the vehicle is a sensor that measures the angle of the vehicle, that then causes the lights to move up or down depending on the angle. This sensor is know to fail occasionally, but usually the AFS light lights up on the dash to indicate a problem.

If you have to deal with lots of snow/ice/cold, consider a dedicated winter tire (mounted on their own set of rims if you can manage it). Now, for light snow conditions, a lot of tire manufacturers have an 'all weather' tire that is similar to an all season, but meets the criteria to get the snowflake/mountain symbol (a regular all season tire does not). The following tires spring to mind, though I'm sure their might be more from different companies now.. Nokian WR, Goodyear TripleTred, Yokohama W.drive, and Continental ExtremeContact DWS.

Actually, I have a really good independent mechanic who can work on any make, but Toyotas are his specialty. He's likely cheaper, and I've known him for years and more importantly I trust him. But, he's not a hybrid expert, and it would be nice to have the isc reset done after the battery is disconnected. I can do it myself, but just once it would be nice to have the official Toyota computer do it.

I can rent a car for $40, and still come out ahead. Don't need a loaner car anyway. And, it's not really a loaner car if it costs $100... lol

Called Toyota and Lexus dealers. $500 at Toyota vs $600 at Lexus. Toyota service guy said no problem working on Lexus vehicle. I guess the extra $100 pays for the ceramic mugs and fancy coffee vs Styrofoam cups and a keurig machine...lol

My mistake (and I apologize for any confusion I've caused), there is a traditional water pump for this engine driven by the timing belt. The electric pump that I'm thinking of (the auxiliary pump - see below) keeps the coolant circulating even when the engine if off (but the car is in READY mode) so that cabin heat can be maintained. Just did a quick online part search...there is a water pump for $97.80 and an 'auxiliary water pump' for $482.18. There is also the water pump for the hybrid side of things (the one that pumps coolant through the inverter) that is $392. The inverter pump is electric for sure and isn't anywhere near the timing belt.

Thanks. I'm just over 140000km now. The maintenance schedule shows 144000km for replacement (90000miles - I can't believe no one on here has hit 90000miles yet!!). The water pump is not mentioned at all in the maintenance schedule, but it would be really frustrating to not have it done, then it fails, then I have to pay for all the same labour to get to water pump that I just paid for to have the timing belt done. This is why traditionally the water pump is usually replaced when the timing belt is done on a non-hybrid vehicle.

Has anyone had their timing belt replaced by the dealer, and did the dealer replace the water pump at that time? I'm asking because I believe the water pump on the 400h is electric, and thus may not need to be replaced when the timing belt is done. In a traditional ICE engine, when the timing belt is replaced 'usually' the water pump is replaced as well, whether it needs it or not, since it's right there at the time, and saves having to pay for labour again, if and when the water pump breaks. A traditional water pump usually ends up with bad bearings and/or leaking seals, but I don't know if this would be the case with the electric water pump.

Can you post a pic of your NAV unit? Have you checked the unit yourself, or are you just going on what the mechanic said?

Just a suggestion to make sure that the noise you're experiencing isn't a bad wheel bearing. I had a bad bearing driver's side rear in my 400h that could have been mistaken for tire noise.

The transmission cooler should be on the driver's side. Just below the fog lamps, you'll see a small grill in the bumper. Look in there. If you have the tranny cooler, you'll see the little radiator behind the grill. It vents to just in front of the driver's side front tire (you'll see little slots in the wheel well liner). I was under the impression that all 400h came with the tranny cooler.

Lemon... You are right misread and thought your post was directed at Rey. But that is besides the point of telling someone to DIY, my point was just because it saves you money and it works for you that is great but it is not the same for everyone. And to my first point I am not sure who you think you are but if you don't want me to reply or post it is simple don't post on here and use email or PM's to say what you want otherwise I will post and reply to whatever I feel like! That's great. You do that. Feel better now? Posting and replying to whatever you want is probably why you're misreading posts.