Hello From South Wales

RAB327 · November 15, 2015

I have just paid a deposit on a 59 plate RX450 SE-L Premier and I'm collecting next week. I was impressed with the vehicle and its extras on the test drive and was wondering what everybody's opinion was.

I would appreciate any advice on anything that I should be aware of etc

I am changing over from a Mercedes e320 although a nice car I think the Lexus was that much better plus all the gadgets

Thanks for any replies

gareth1902 · November 15, 2015

Hello from South Wales also. Welcome and enjoy your new car!

bluenose1940 · November 15, 2015

Welcome to a great club. Enjoy your new car. I'm sure that you will get lots of info if you ask your questions in the 450 forum.

Bluesman · November 15, 2015

Hi Ray and welcome to the LOC, we are a
friendly bunch and some of us even know how to pull them to bits and
put them back together again, with of course the one bolt and washer
left over.

We recommend you spend a couple of mins
looking over the rules of the LOC, we will be asking questions later.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/terms-conditions/

Regards Mike.

ColinBarber · November 15, 2015

Welcome Ray. Good choice of vehicle :)

At this present time there have been very few issues reported with the current, third, generation of RX.

Air suspension has historically had some reliability issues on other models, not sure if the lack of issues on the RX450h is due to improvements in the design or just they aren't yet at an age where failures may occur.

The brake callipers move in and out by sliding on pins. These pins can corrode which somewhat seizes the brakes. This is compounded on a hybrid as the brakes are used less so are stationary for longer periods allowing corrosion to take hold. The end result is braking only on one side of the disc, or not at all, which allows corrosion to occur on the friction surfaces of the disc causing a grinding noise when braking and the need to replace the discs. Worth checking/re-greasing the pins every couple of years as preventative maintenance.

The small 12v "aux" Battery is quite small and therefore if you leave your vehicle for 3 or more weeks it could go flat. Your vehicle will be of an age where the original Battery has lost some of its capacity so that maximum standing time could be reduced. This issue plagued the previous generation 400h but a large Battery is fitted on the 450h. Avoid just having the ignition on for more than a couple of minutes, for longer periods make sure the vehicle is in 'Ready' mode so that the hybrid system is powering the vehicle and not the small 12v Battery.

Sat Nav map updates are quite expensive so you may find owners haven't updated and you still have the original disc that came with the vehicle from the factory.

Worth opening the sunroof and pouring water around the frame to make sure it drains away. The pipes exit under the vehicle and can get blocked.