About to buy an RX450h

T Sport 1978 · June 22, 2016

Hi all,

I have frequented these forums in the past, but I am only about to take my first plunge into Lexus ownership with a used RX450h now. The car in question is 60 reg with 60k on the clock and sourced from Lexus, so I have a good peace of mind.

What I want to ask you guys is whether there is anything specific to look for when I go view the car next Monday, and any specific questions to ask on these cars. I have owned Toyota hybrids in the past, but obviously not as powerful as the RX nor as expensive. Are there any known problems with this hybrid setup? I know the 12v Battery could be a problem, would a simple voltage readout give me a clue as to the health of the Battery?

How have you seasoned 450h owners found the car? Any problems during ownership? Reliability etc?

Many thanks for now and I look forward to your contributions.

June 23, 2016

Hi and welcome to the forum,its the usual stuff really including full service history especially as the 60k is an expensive service.As its coming from Lexus you should have some warranty.You will enjoy the effortless drive with more than enough power when needed.Hope it goes well and don't forget the pics.

rayaans · June 23, 2016

As above, make sure its had the 60k service done as its one of the expensive services. however, if its a good price then you can always get it done yourself but just factor the cost in.

Check the tyres - some have budget tyres on like Nexen - shouldnt be on the car IMO, especially if you're paying dealer prices for it.

12V Battery was a problem on the 400h, not the 450h! Nothing to worry about there.

No issues with the hybrid setup, as reliable as they get - somewhat more so than conventional engines from other brands.

No issues during ownership, mine is 4 years old with 40k miles. The only thing to remember is, if you have the RX parked outside, keep the parking brake off in winter, tends to stick a little bit, same when parking the car after washing.

Check the brake calipers, some of them have surface rust on them, OFC get the dealer to refinish these.

Make sure the colour of the wheels are the same on each side as well, the paint is quite hard to match.

DanD · June 23, 2016

Worth checking which model you are being offered. The SE-L has more toys than the SE, but also has air suspension as opposed to the more conventional set up of the SE. Some say the air sprung car is more comfortable, others that it is unsettled over anything less than smooth roads... others still (including myself), can't see a huge difference. In any case, the air suspension can be costly to put right if it goes wrong, although it seems more reliable than it was on the 300/350.

PCM · June 25, 2016

On 6/23/2016 at 3:07 PM, DanD said:

Worth checking which model you are being offered. The SE-L has more toys than the SE, but also has air suspension as opposed to the more conventional set up of the SE. Some say the air sprung car is more comfortable, others that it is unsettled over anything less than smooth roads... others still (including myself), can't see a huge difference. In any case, the air suspension can be costly to put right if it goes wrong, although it seems more reliable than it was on the 300/350.

I guess if it's coming with a Lexus Warranty - having air suspension is not so much of an issue/worry...

T Sport 1978 · June 25, 2016

Many thanks for the replies so far.

I specifically wanted a car that already had the 60k/6yr £800+ service, which this car has. I still have a hard time getting over Lexus' service costs to be honest, am I over simplistic to think that Lexus just use Toyota parts?

I also specifically looked for an SE-I trim car, because I didnt want to have the air suspension and not too overly bothered about the LED headlamps, but the Mark Levinson would have been welcomed ;)

Its good to hear about the 12v Battery NO LONGER being a problem for the RX450h, but I will be probing that a little bit more on my test drive.

I am likely to go for a 24 months extended warranty for £995 along with a service plan which will give me 3 years of trouble free motoring, which i think is not unreasonable. Incidentally they are giving 24 months for the price of 12 right now.

The dealership and the salesman have gone beyond what I call a great service already, as the salesman in question is going to come into work just for my test drive on his day off tomorrow because all the slots are booked for his colleagues! Not to mention the personalised video, which is always a nice touch.

Its great to hear from you guys about your experience, its reassuring to say the least. Its a lot of money for a car this age, but then it is a lot of car and a Lexus!

rayaans · June 25, 2016

8 hours ago, T Sport 1978 said:

Many thanks for the replies so far.

I specifically wanted a car that already had the 60k/6yr £800+ service, which this car has. I still have a hard time getting over Lexus' service costs to be honest, am I over simplistic to think that Lexus just use Toyota parts?

I also specifically looked for an SE-I trim car, because I didnt want to have the air suspension and not too overly bothered about the LED headlamps, but the Mark Levinson would have been welcomed ;)

Its good to hear about the 12v battery NO LONGER being a problem for the RX450h, but I will be probing that a little bit more on my test drive.

I am likely to go for a 24 months extended warranty for £995 along with a service plan which will give me 3 years of trouble free motoring, which i think is not unreasonable. Incidentally they are giving 24 months for the price of 12 right now.

The dealership and the salesman have gone beyond what I call a great service already, as the salesman in question is going to come into work just for my test drive on his day off tomorrow because all the slots are booked for his colleagues! Not to mention the personalised video, which is always a nice touch.

Its great to hear from you guys about your experience, its reassuring to say the least. Its a lot of money for a car this age, but then it is a lot of car and a Lexus!

The service prices are on the expensive side but it's theoretically cheaper to get a service plan. Although the prices are the same you'll get additional benefits such as 10% off parts, free loan car, one free full valet each year and a monthly wash if you want one as well as other bits like free puncture repairs for the family although this depends on the dealer. You can also pay monthly interest free with service plans and prices won't go up for the duration of the plan.

I believe the 60k service is £745.

Also, yes the parts are mostly from Toyota. There are some bits which aren't and some cars have their own parts.

The 2 for 1 "offer" has been going on for almost 3 years so don't worry, you can get it at any time!

T Sport 1978 · June 29, 2016

Right,

I will be taking delivery a cadoxtan grey RH450h tomorrow but this is not the car that I viewed initially, that car turned out nice but had a few corrosion sites (gas strut for boot lid and wiper arm and see attached). That put me off some what. Has anyone seen this in their cars?

The car I ended up going for is higher mileage but in better Nick in general, and better priced. I took out the extended warranty which makes it 3 years in all, and a 2 years discounted service plan. Also a reduced supagard + scratch/dent insurance for a combination of £350. Which was all offset by a rather favourable part ex against my 8 year old Accord (they paid me more than what I would have got via WEBUYANYCAR). I think this was a good deal for what should be a relatively trouble free 3 years of motoring (fingers crossed).

I have always wanted a Lexus, let's hope it's as good an experience as I have imagined it :)

Spacewagon52 · June 29, 2016

Out of interest what age and mileage is the 450h you are buying?

rayaans · June 29, 2016

2 hours ago, T Sport 1978 said:

Right,

I will be taking delivery a cadoxtan grey RH450h tomorrow but this is not the car that I viewed initially, that car turned out nice but had a few corrosion sites (gas strut for boot lid and wiper arm and see attached). That put me off some what. Has anyone seen this in their cars?

The car I ended up going for is higher mileage but in better Nick in general, and better priced. I took out the extended warranty which makes it 3 years in all, and a 2 years discounted service plan. Also a reduced supagard + scratch/dent insurance for a combination of £350. Which was all offset by a rather favourable part ex against my 8 year old Accord (they paid me more than what I would have got via WEBUYANYCAR). I think this was a good deal for what should be a relatively trouble free 3 years of motoring (fingers crossed).

I have always wanted a Lexus, let's hope it's as good an experience as I have imagined it :)

Those are very rare - Ive checked mine and they're pristine, as good as new! Dont really know what could have caused that kind of corrosion really

Ahh you should have asked us about the Supagard - its crap!

ronnaybarkay · June 29, 2016

I recently put a deposit on a 60 plate 450h and will be due to pick it up in a couple of weeks. Supaguard was offered in the sale as an offer along with a saturday morning car wash "club"..., There is no extra cost. Rayaans, why is it crap? I guess if its at no extra cost I wont be losing anything.. I wouldnt have paid extra for it in any event.

ronnaybarkay · June 29, 2016

I am also looking to source a pair of roof rails. The dealer has quoted 372.84 as "cost price", with them normally being 495. That seems expensive to me. I remember a post from several months ago that Lexus Birmingham were selling a few sets off at 159.00. I have a set of Thule aero bars so just need the rails to attach these to. Does anyone have any knowledge of any dealers offering the rails at a better price?

cheers

T Sport 1978 · June 29, 2016

48 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

Out of interest what age and mileage is the 450h you are buying?

Hi spacewagon,

It's done 71k miles and 60reg.

T Sport 1978 · June 29, 2016

36 minutes ago, rayaans said:

Those are very rare - Ive checked mine and they're pristine, as good as new! Dont really know what could have caused that kind of corrosion really

Ahh you should have asked us about the Supagard - its crap!

Hi Ryaans,

I went for the supagard more for the interior as what they promised was an "hygienically cleaned treatment", and a strain resistant coating. We have a2 year old and that sounded like a good idea. As for the exterior i thought anything to make it look nice and keep it nice can't hurt. Add for the price, it included the dent/scratch insurance which for living in London will surely come handy.

But in hindsight, i know i could have pushed for more off.

rayaans · June 29, 2016

41 minutes ago, ronnaybarkay said:

I recently put a deposit on a 60 plate 450h and will be due to pick it up in a couple of weeks. Supaguard was offered in the sale as an offer along with a saturday morning car wash "club"..., There is no extra cost. Rayaans, why is it crap? I guess if its at no extra cost I wont be losing anything.. I wouldnt have paid extra for it in any event.

The roof rails you may be able to source from eBay

The supagard is a £30 product that they apply. It lasts about a week or two as they rarely apply it properly. Comes with a warranty for 3 years which, when you go and say "oh its stopped working" they'll say "should have followed the maintenance routine".

19 minutes ago, T Sport 1978 said:

Hi Ryaans,

I went for the supagard more for the interior as what they promised was an "hygienically cleaned treatment", and a strain resistant coating. We have a2 year old and that sounded like a good idea. As for the exterior i thought anything to make it look nice and keep it nice can't hurt. Add for the price, it included the dent/scratch insurance which for living in London will surely come handy.

But in hindsight, i know i could have pushed for more off.

The scratch repairs are handy but the supagard won't last long and it certainly won't counteract any 2 year olds "stains".

I generally just protect the car myself and it's coped better than my 05 RX which was supagarded. I didn't know any better then!