lemon

Sometimes the blade itself wears out. By that I mean the 'springiness' of it, the way it conforms to the glass etc. New rubber won't help in those cases.

Again, as mentioned earlier, winter tires these days are useful in more than just snow. They remain flexible in colder temperatures enhancing traction and stability. Rule of thumb is anywhere below 7 celsius, all season rubber starts to harden, while winter rubber stays flexible. Also, as already mentions, there are many winter tires out there where you don't have to suffer a noise penalty. Only very aggressive winter tires (Nokian Hakkapellitta come to mind) will have very loud tread noise. I'm still shaking my head wondering how you can spend so much money on interior (and exterior) cosmetic mods (most of which I like by the way..haha), but won't pony up some cash for something SAFETY related. Mind you, many many people make it though winter on all seasons only. I just think that the one time my vehicle stops shorter on winter tires than on all seasons or I don't slid into the ditch, they've just paid for themselves.

There are no symptoms. Your steering will just fail (I guess) - something to do with magnets in the steering rack. The rack is electric on the hybrid. Just call Lexus, give them your VIN and ask if it's been done (might as well ask if there are any outstanding recalls while you have them on the phone. Alternatively, you could ask the dealer to check your VIN (depends on how much you trust your dealer to not give you the run around).

Maybe the car in front of her was a Pinto?

The craziest was the lady that bailed out of her car as it slid down the hill. What the heck was she thinking??!!

Thundercloud shift knob... http://cgi.ebay.ca/LEXUS-RX330-RX350-RX400...=item2a0409696b http://cgi.ebay.ca/RARE-Lexus-IS-ES-GS-LS-...=item2a03e3c58c

RXREY, you need the Thundercloud shift knob now. Nice grill. I've been looking at them on ebay for a while too. However, I noticed there are different styles, but they all say Thundercloud. Like this - http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-LEXUS-RX330-RX350-R...=item27ad1d672c I kinda like the looks of the black one (assuming it's legit) as it matches the black rear spoiler thing, and I think black looks good against my colour (savannah mist I think it's called) Did the grill change during the years or is it just some seller who doesn't quite know what he's selling?

So I noticed the other day that after about five minutes with the ignition on (but the car not running) my 12 volt battery was too weak to start the vehicle. I had been playing around with the blue gauge mod as discovered by RXREY. Plugged in my electronic charger and it showed around 12 volts, but the % display only showed 45%. Kinda figured the battery was on it's last legs to only have 5 minutes of capacity. However, it still showed good voltage, so I left it in the vehicle. Anyhow, charged it, went through the ISC learning procedure and went on my merry way. Immediately noticed that the ICE didn't run as much and I could stay on electric for much longer (this is what happens when you do the ISC learning IF your battery has dropped below 7 volts or if you disconnect it). However, I had recently done the ISC learning before killing the battery, so it was weird that doing it again improved the efficiency of the ICE. This morning, the car started up fine, but I noticed again that the ICE was running too often and too easily (just a dab of the gas and the ICE was running and this was after reaching operating temp). Did the ISC learning procedure and all was fine again. Took the battery out and to the local auto parts place. They threw it on a diagnostic tester which revealed good voltage (12.4) but the CCA were down to 200 (and the battery is supposed to be 450 or 500). The machine recommended 'replace battery'. Now I know the CCA doesn't mean a thing on our vehicles since the battery doesn't turn a starter. I'm no electrician, but I guess the low amps were somehow affecting the computers (memory?) and I was losing the Idle Speed Control setting overnight. Or possibly, the voltage was dropping overnight when it was cold out, but still had enough to start the computers? Anyway, a new battery is in as we speak (no I didn't get the Optima yellow top). I had a store credit at Canadian Tire which brought the cost of their Eliminator top of the line battery down to $45. Also they had a coupon on the battery - for an extra $9 I could triple the replacement warranty. So I now have a full replacement warranty for NINE (yes 9) years. I'll follow up on if the ISC resets again with the new battery, in which case, the dealer may need to dig deeper with their special Lexus diagnostic computer.

Oh yeah. That looks like it's in a bad spot. They'd have to replace the entire black plastic piece (if it can even be had separately) then do paintwork on the rest of the bumper. When I bought my RX (it was bought used) the bumper was ripped (and I mean it was flapping in the wind) basically in the same area as yours, but higher up (so the black plastic was not damaged). I asked the dealer to deal with it or no sale. They actually had it patched from behind (I could see the patch when I took my bumper off to fix my front wiper sprayer pump) and then painted the entire bumper. Can't even see where the tear used to be. Don't ask me how (maybe they melt the plastic??).

Without seeing it in person (and knowing exactly how bad or where the tear is) I can tell you that any decent body shop can repair plastic (as long as you're not missing a piece of the bumper). If they're good at what they do, you won't even be able to tell it was ever damaged. If you go to the dealership (or insurance is paying) you'll be told that it can't be repaired and you need a new bumper 'skin'. Let the body shop know it's coming out of your pocket and you want the plastic repaired.

No idea about the bluetooth issue, however, make sure the ISC learning procedure is done after replacing the auxilliary battery. See the TSB's stickied at the top of this forum. You can ask the dealer to do it (if they replaced the battery, hopefully it was done) or you can attempt to do it yourself (it's relatively easy - do a search here for ISC learning).

I was going to guess at warped rotors, but I think you would feel the pulsating all the time, not just when it's cold. Do you find this happens when slowing down from high speed, like when exiting a highway. That's usually when warped rotors make themselves known. Still have warranty? See what the dealership has to say..

I was actually going to ask if you'd been through a car wash before this happened!!! A lot of those automatic car washes spray under the car as you go through. When it's freezing out, the water can get into the cables and/or the parking brake drum (assuming the 350 still uses the small drum in the disc for the parking brake) and freeze up. It's good to see that you actually use the parking brake though. Most people don't.

What I mean is did you use the parking brake when you parked the car? Now you go to leave, you take it off, but it's frozen and releases when you give it a bit of gas? Just thinking this because you're saying it happens when it's cold.

Sticking parking brake? Do you use your parking brake?

Yes, it's the yellow top Optima. Believe me, I like the Optima, it's different technology etc., never leaks or outgasses, but the price is ridiculous - I could buy three Kirkland batteries for the price of one Optima (the 51R size is also used in the Accord and Civic amongst others). I still don't see the need for a deep cycle battery in our vehicles, unless you intend to run it down on a regular basis (buy why would you?). Can someone educate me otherwise? ***edit*** Just read more at the link above. The reasoning for the deep cycle battery is the parasitic drain when the vehicle is parked (clocks, memory chip, security system, keyless entry, blah blah blah. I guess this would be good for someone who doesn't drive the vehicle regularly, but for a daily driver, it's not going to get deeply discharged, since the traction battery (via the engine I guess) will be charging the auxilliary battery every day.

That's why I like using polarized sunglasses. It greatly cuts down on the reflection of the dash in the windshield. I've noticed that it distorts the radio as well, and also the lcd display at the gas pump. They're great for use on water as well if you fish go boating.

Hahah..no my commute is about 100km round trip, and I work 21 days out of every 35 (shifwork). So work alone should put on about 21000km/year. Hmmm..times 5 years... I should be at about 105000km. But factor in some personal use of the vehicle and it gets up there. The average (so the insurance companies say) in my area is about 24000km year. Keep in mind, though, that I bought the vehicle used just this last June (the end of June) with about 115000km on it. So I've put 10000km on it about 6 months. So I'm actually doing a bit less than the average. Part of it is I use the wife's company vehicle when she's not working and I am. Totally unrelated, her company vehicle is a new 2010 Chevy Equinox (the new redesigned model) and while it's no Lexus, I think it's probably the best in that class of vehicle - a lot to say considering I've never ever ever been a GM fan. This thread, btw, is now officially off topic... ***edit*** OK, now I see the typo...hahahaha...and still on my original traction battery...gotta call Toyota about that one...

It was probably just a slip of the tongue ... but fyi anyway. The little 12v battery is not a starter battery, in the sense of 'cranking-over' the ICE ... rather the aux battery simply boots up the ECU's, that in turn, signal MG1 (electric motor) to turn over and start the ice. Our aux battery too, just croaked at 35K miles ... so the dealer ploped in a new one under warranty. I'd have rather put in an optima yellow top, like we did for our Prius ... it's the same size/power battery as used in the Miata ... so it actually has 'cranking amps'. Now, if I sit in the car with the sterio on cabin lights on ... programming settings etc ... I don't have to worry about the under powered OEM any more. Sorry to bring up a post from last year, but I think I may have to replace my auxilliary battery sooner rather than later. I found this interesting tidbit about batteries.. "Reserve capacity is the number of minutes a battery can maintain a useful voltage under a 25 ampere discharge. The higher the minute rating, the greater the battery's ability to run lights, pumps, inverters, and electronics for a longer period before recharging is necessary. The 25 Amp. Reserve Capacity Rating is more realistic than Amp-Hour or CCA as a measurement of capacity for deep cycle service. Batteries promoted on their high Cold Cranking Ratings are easy and inexpensive to build. The market is flooded with them, however their Reserve Capacity, Cycle Life (the number of discharges and charges the battery can deliver) and Service life are poor. Reserve Capacity is difficult and costly to engineer into a battery and requires higher quality cell materials." Now, the Optima website recommends the yellow top D51R. The CCA are 450, but for the 400h, this is a meaningless stat, as the battery does not have to crank a starter. Of more importance is the reserve capacity, which is a measly 66 on the D51R. So I'm wondering what the benefit of the Optiman would be? The Energizer battery I looked at at Wal Mart, had a CCA of 500 and I think the reserve capacity was the same. The Exide website shows a battery for our vehicles with 510CCA and a 70 minute reserve capacity. Varta makes a battery with a 70 min reserve capacity as well. Is the deep cycle of the Optima of benefit in our hybrids? I think the larger reserve capacity would be more meaningful for our purposes. Just as an aside, it looks like most 'regular' sized car batteries (i.e. not the tiny thing in our vehicles) have reserve capacities of 100 and upwards. Just doing some research and it appears that a lot of the different brands of batteries are made by Johnson Controls (did you know they also make seats for some vehicles - Honda and Toyota I do believe). Anyway, I have a friend who works at Johnson Controls up here in Ontario, Canada. I'm gonna see if he can get me a battery cheap cheap.

Didn't matter what direction (or what side - i.e from the front or back) I looked at the film with. All that mattered was if the sheet was held in portrait (where it was dark blue) or landscape (where it was light blue). It was weird...and like I said, with the naked eye, and regular sunglasses, it looked the same shade of blue no matter which way it was held. Only with the polarized lenses did it change shades.

Roughly 780000 miles. (1 mile = 1.6 km). Bought it used, though, so can't compare to how it felt new. Aside from the $7000 CDN leaking inverter (covered under they hybrid warranty luckily) and a bad driver's side rear wheel bearing, it's all been good. Serviced the brakes when I bought it (I'm anal like that - just cleaned and lubed everything up) and was amazed at how much pad was left. The regenerative braking really takes a load off the mechanical brakes. ***edit*** That is 78 000 miles. Not 780 000 miles.

Went out to pick the kids up from school and discovered something odd. With the naked eye (and in my pics), the gauges look the same, but when I put my polarized sunglasses on, the power gauge (which had a piece of acetate film from a different sheet than the other two gauges) got darker blue, but the other two gauges got lighter blue. Regular sunglasses didn't do this (I tried a non-polarized pair) Weird, and unfortunately, I didn't cut the pieces from one piece, which I might have been able to do if I cut more carefully, because I had two sheets. Anyway, I kinda liked the look of the lighter blue when I had my sunglasses on (since the sunglasses were making everything darker and the acetate already darkens the gauges). Unfortunately, the piece I had left over was the sheet that was coming out dark with the sunglasses. Just to maintain some symmetry, I cut a new piece for the fuel/temp gauge so I have the outer two gauges a darker blue, and the speedometer a lighter blue. Again, without the polarized sunglasses, they all look the same. Might have to head back to the art store and try to pick out the sheet I like and do it all over again. ***Edit*** Went back to the store, put on my sunglasses (weird looks - it being dark out and me being inside) and started holding up sheets of blue acetate film against a white wall....nope, nope, nope, nope...oh here's a light blue one - put it aside..keep looking..nope...nope..nope. OK, I guess I found the only one. Picked it up to double check and mysteriously it's dark blue again. Hmmm...did I take LSD today? Nope. Finally figured out that if you hold the sheet with the 8.5" side at the bottom (portrait way I guess) it's dark blue. If you hold it with the 11" side at the bottom (landscape) it's light blue. But you can only see this with polarized sunglasses on. So if you're doing this mod, and you have polarized sunglasses, you may want to make sure you cut them all the same way - obviously I didn't, but it's all fixed now.

Fill my tank and buy a new battery.... Thanks again, Rey. I really like the look of my gauges now. I was even debating trying to trim a piece to fit over the stereo display to give it a blue tint, but I think it would look to obvious unless I can take the stereo out and get a piece behind the plastic window....The NAV screen is an obvious no-no as I think it would interfere with the touch screen.

Ok..cheapest and easiest mod ever. Good Work RXREY. The acetate film cost me 97 CENTS each. I bought two red and two blue. The red ended up looking pink, and the gauges appeared darker than with the blue. Didn't like so went with the blue. I didn't use tape - instead I cut the pieces in the shape of an arch. This way the flat end of the arch sits way down below the rings and the film won't slide down. One thing I'd suggest is use gloves to avoid fingerprints and the acetate film scratches and creases easily, so don't make the pieces so big that you have to bend them too much to fit them in. Here are some pics I took without the car running so you can see all the warning lights. I even manage to get the low fuel light for you cduluk...haha. The first pic is with the dash illumination dial turned back 'ONE' click, which is how I usually drive (don't like the glare of full illumination when driving at night). The second pic is with the dash illumination dial at full strength. In the second pic, you can see a little bit where the film is missing. I just moved it over a smidgen and you can't see it now. One thing totally unrelated that I found out is that my auxiliary battery is likely on it's last legs. Just leaving the light on for about 5 mins while I fooled around, drained it enough that I couldn't start the car. *sigh* Time to shop for a new one that will hopefully have a bigger reserve....So now that I think about it, the mod actually cost me $104.46. (guess $100 for a new battery, and 0.97 x 4 plus 15% tax).

You can see in his pic that the green P light is still green and the red on the coolant gauge is still red.