lemon

I had my transaxle replaced under an extended warranty exactly one year ago (and 25000km). See here and have a look at the pics in my first post - http://us.lexusowner...showtopic=69097 Please note the exact location of the pink coolant residue - I now have oil leaking from the same location on the new transaxle (see pics below) Having had that leak, I had been checking that area occasionally, but obviously not enough. A few months after getting the new tranny, I noticed a small stain starting again at the seam that can be seen in the post above. However, since it wasn't pink, I knew it wasn't coolant and after wiping the stain off, I pretty much neglected to check again. Fast forward to today. I was thinking that I had a one year warranty on the replacement part, so I had a look again and found this. Obviously, it's leaking oil this time, not tranny fluid. I can only guess that there is a gasket where that seam is that separates the cooling circuit from the oiling circuit and it's failed TWICE now. Anyhow, of course the dealer looked at it today and said 'maybe it's overspray from your oil rustproofing'. Umm..no, I said, the car was sprayed in September. I've wiped the area clean after September and it's obviously oily again. "Well maybe it's coming from the engine, how do we know it's the tranny?" Umm..no. The engine is nowhere near that part of the tranny. If there is oil on the tranny, it has to be coming from the tranny, and before you come up with another excuse, directly above that oily spot is the inverter, and there is no oil of any sort in the inverter, so don't tell me it's leaking from above!!! I actually said that to them. I swear I know more about my hybrid than the dealer, which is kind of sad. So anyway, their suggestion was to clean the area and watch it and bring it back if the leak returns. I went home, wiped, degreased and gently sprayed everything off. That oily spot was shiny like new (see the pics!!!). Went for a 15 MINUTE drive and the result can be seen in the second pic. I swear, it's unbelievable that I have to do my own troubleshooting on this thing. The car is going back to Lexus on Monday, along with these pics. Now I'll have to battle them because I'm 5000km over the 1 year / 20000KM warranty. My own fault really, as I should have stayed on top of this when I noticed it way back in the fall last year. And, I've said this before, but if you own an RX400h, you REALLY SHOULD check this area on your own vehicles.

Ouch...did you check your sunroof drain tubes as well?

I'd contact Lexus head office and/or get another dealer to look at it. I've never heard of normal seepage either.

Don't forget the 12 volt outlet at the very bottom of the console...by the tray at floor level. Could you plug it in there?

I change mine every 48000 KILOMETRES. The fluid is cheap and the process is relatively easy. Fluid transfer pump required.

OK..here is the section I mentioned from the service manual. DC/DC converter. The power source for auxiliary equipment of the vehicle such as the lights, audio system and the air conditioning system (except A/C compressor), as well as the ECUs, is based on a DC 12 V system. Because the THS-II generator outputs at a nominal voltage of DC 288 V, the converter is used to transform the voltage from DC 288 V to DC 12 V in order to recharge the auxiliary battery. The converter is installed on the underside of the inverter. So the wording confuses me....does the converter transfrom 288v to 12v and everything 12 volt based runs off the converter, or does everything run off the 12 volt battery, and the converter is used to recharge the 12 volt battery? From reading that section of the manual, I'm thinking everything runs off the 12 volt battery and the converter is used to charge the battery. When the THS system is off - READY light not on - I can run the stereo, the lights, the power door locks, windows, sunroof, door, the A/C (inside portion, not compressor) - all off the 12 volt battery. When the THS system is on - READY light on - am I still running all that stuff off the 12 volt battery or does it somehow switch to power from the converter?

Other than providing power for the door locks (unlock) various lighting aspects, power for the hazard flashers in case the HSD system fails, the only reason I can think of is listening to the radio while watching the submarine races. And, it also powers up all the computers prior to starting the hybrid system? Pretty sure I've read that in my service manual somewhere. I also wanted to post something I found in the manual for your opinion Jaswood, but I'm not at home. Could just be bad wording, but I read that all the 12 volt accessories were powered by the battery, which was in turn recharged via the hybrid system. The wording makes it seem that the battery is powering everything and is being kept topped up by the traction battery. I'll post the exact phrase when I get home.

If the computers are needed to regulate and control the THS (Toyota Hybrid System) and the traction battery, wouldn't it be dangerous to power those same computers using the traction battery. What if there were some sort of problem with the battery pack? If the computers were powered by it, and not the 12 volt battery, one could be looking at serious trouble if there were some sort of problem with the traction battery (for example, if it was putting too much power out, it could damage the very computers that are supposed to be controlling it). With these computers powered by the 12 volt battery, they can power up first, check the status of the THS and the traction battery etc. etc. before activating the hybrid system.

I tried to like the Pilot, but I find it terribly ugly both inside and out. AWD minivan...would love a Sienna AWD, but with kids, it's all about appearance...lol. They just don't look cool arriving at school in a minivan...

Hmmm...why don't you just phone Lexus USA and give them the VIN and ask if the recall was done. If it wasn't, and Lexus Bulgaria will do it, then you get a whole new rack anyway, which should include the new steering sensor. Can't Lexus Bulgaria check Lexus records to see if the recall was done?

My 10 year old already said she 'won't be seen with me in a minivan'. I personally like minivans, having had a 1999 Grand Caravan and a 2006 Honda Odyssey, but I don't want a mutiny in the house. When it comes to midsize SUVs with third rows, some are better than others. I've read favourable reviews regarding the third row in the Highlander and the CX-9. The others, yes, kid sized or very temporary adult size. The Suburban and other full size...don't want to pay for the gas on those.

Don't know what he means by demolished..I didn't read the article. I just know from www.fueleconomy.gov (and from having a hybrid) that the FE will be much better. What's your reasoning on the winter aspect with the MDX?

I think it's obvious....your car hates you.

And that probably explains why mine stayed in RECIRC when I tested it - it was 5 celsius out. Judging by the weather, I don't think I'll be able to test this in below 0 celsius weather till next winter....

I have the MDX on the short list, but it can't touch the 400h, 450h or HiHy for fuel economy. I've been in an MDX third row and t's not very big either (but bigger than the Subaru), but I haven't actually seen the third row in a HiHy so I'm not sure how it compares.

Yes, there was an internal "campaign" at Lexus regarding the electric power steering. It involved replacing the entire rack. I don't know where you are, but wherever it is, I assume Lexus has corporate offices. Call them, give them your VIN and ask if all the outstanding recalls have been done. I haven't heard of too many EPS systems failing, so I hope for you that it's just the defective rack that will be replaced for free under the recall.

Yes, overall, I prefer the Metric system, except for mileage. I have also seen kilometres per litre before, but rarely...usually it's litres per 100km - so the lower the number the better.

Well, I've been looking for a seven seater to cart kids and their friends around (mostly snowboarding in winter). I found a 2007 Subaru Tribeca, Limited with DVD/NAV - similar to my 400h but with the third row. It was going to be almost a straight swap, my 2006 RX with 180 000km being worth the same as the 2007 Subaru with 115 000km. I drove it, it was decent enough, and I'm actually a Subaru fan, having had no problems and many happy motoring miles on my Outback with the H6 (previous vehicle to the RX) However, I ended up keeping the 400h. Why? Several reasons - 1. The third row in the Tribeca was really really small 2. No bluetooth (really, Subaru??) 3. Fuel economy. I've been royally spoiled by the fuel economy of the 400h. I get 8.1 l/100km in the summer and 9.1 to 9.5 in the winter. There's no way the Subaru can touch this. I've decided now to look for a Highlander Hybrid with the third row.

Yes, there is the AUTO button for the climate control, then there is one button for fresh air/recir. Push once for fresh, push again for recirc, push again for AUTO (which is the smog sensor setting). I'm pretty sure we don't have any sort of smog sensor linked to the RECIRC on the last generation RX.

I flipped therough the owner's manual for the 2011 ES350 loaner I had and the AUTO position for the fresh/recirc button is for bad smell/exhaust. I suppose it switches automatically to recirc if it senses bad things(exhaust? carbon monxide? hydrocarbons? cow manure???) We don't have that feature/sensor in the 400h.

Was that a typo or was backwards intentionally...? Don't ALL modern day systems switch AUTOMATICALLY to FRESH when you activate defrost/defog/demist, or even partial windshield flow...? Ack...lol. Backwards. I mean too clueless to switch from RECIRC to FRESH if the windows start to fog up. Yes, that's my point. The car does it automatically now because most people don't think to do it themselves. Every winter I see older Toyota Corollas and Honda Civics with all the windows fogged up and I can almost guarantee that they are driving around with RECIRC on.

LOl..even worse were the fingerprints on the non-touch screen in my loaner and in my friend's MDX as I kept trying to touch buttons on the screen instead of using the controller. Seriously though, the fingerprints don't really bother me as I can only really see them when the screen is off, and when the screen is off, I'm not using the vehicle. I'm sure if I had a joystick type system, I'd end up liking it once I got used to it. I'm a gadget guy at heart, and it's another gadget.

That's a good point (resting wrist and forearm). Also, I'd imagine the touch screen is more expensive to replace should it break. I can't remember - how close is that joystick thing to the cupholders? That's probaby a few $ should your Big Gulp tip over into it...

I had the retention clips done a while ago. The inverter recall I had done a couple weeks ago (turns out I didn't need the repair, likely because I had a whole new inverter put in under warranty in 2009). Today I took it in for the pulley recall, and it turns out I did need that repair done. Was given an ES350 loaner - nice car, but kind of boring...and oddly, I found the front windshield too small for my liking (when I had the seat adjusted how I like it, I couldn't see traffic lights because I was too high) Free car wash I always get, but I have NEVER been given any gas. Wonder if I should check with Lexus Canada about this..maybe it's a U.S. thing only...? Also off topic - I guess it's personal preference, but I prefer the touchscreen, fingerprints and all. I found it much faster to use than manipulating the mouse, although I only had my RX350 loaner (when I had the transaxle replaced) for about four days. I suppose if I had it longer I might have become more comfortable with it. A lot of the car reviews I read it seems like the reviewers prefer a touch screen too. I will say that the mouse control was much much easier than the dial contraption in a friend's Acura MDX that I borrowed for a day. That dial/button setup was maddening.

My RX was in today for the pulley recall (turns out I needed a replacement). I had an ES350 (I think that's what it's called..lol) for a loaner. Sure enough, it wouldn't stay in recirc for any decent amount of time (I was driving so I didn't time it). One thing it did have for the recirc button was ON, OFF and AUTO. I have no idea why they have AUTO when the damn thing does whatever it wants anyway...lol. I have no idea why my RX stays in RECIRC (except mine is a 2006 and Cduluk is a 2008 - software program changes??) On another note, isn't kind of sad that the majority of the motoring public are too clueless to know to switch from fresh to recirc if the windows start fogging up. Why else would car manufacturers need to program the recirc to switch off automatically...