Is it any good?

[Burroo 67]

Hi,

I am looking at buying a used RX400H but due to financial circcumstances and being only part-time employed with a small pension I would be looking at a 2006/07 model most probably.

Can you please advise what the life expectancy is of these vehicles, engines and Battery wise as I've read some conflicting views on both.  The cars I have been looking at all appear stunning body and interior wise but I don't want to buy one with 100K miles on it then start to get large repair bills.  Some have said that at 100k miles thye Battery packs should have been renewed but if they have not been I could be looking at a bill of £3000 to replace?

I previously owwned a Lexus 220d, but like SUV type vehicles, hence my interest in the 400H. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.....

[rayaans]

Batteries should be OK even at that mileage. Hybrid health check each year costing £59 gives you an extra 1 year warranty on the hybrid system. 

But overall, these things are much more reliable than other vehicles, so its unlikely you would get a bill to do with the hybrid system

More likely itll be the standard items at that mileage - bushes, maybe waterpump etc

[Rutlandlex]

Hi Burroo.  I spoke with a Lexus dealer at a business event recently because they were exhibiting some of their latest models.  I asked him about the traction batteries and he said that they had never changed one due to failure of the Battery itself.  They had changed a couple that had failed due to "external forces" like an IS that had been driven through a deep flood which also knackered the engine and another car which had developed a small fire and the fire brigade assumed that it was the traction Battery so they just cut through the wires.

I asked how much new batteries were and he asked me to guess.  I suggested about £3,000 and he said "No, you're nowhere near."  Anyway he said that for the smaller cars like the Prius and CT they are about £650 and the larger cars such as the GS and RX are about £750.  I don't know whether that included VAT or not but it's clearly nowhere near £3,000 odd.

People get hysterical about the cost of replacing these Battery packs but they happily drive round in diesels which have many expensive parts to go wrong which don't last 200k but they're more than happy to take that risk.  There are also a few specialist companies that refurbish them for similar money so maybe Toyota/Lexus have dropped there prices in the face of competition!  I hope this helps.

[ColinBarber]

Battery prices are all over the place on the web - ranging from £1k to £6k, depending on exchange refunds etc. Second hand ones go for around £600 on eBay.

You would never purchase a new one from Lexus - just get the individual cells replaced by an independent.

[Burroo 67]

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the responses re Battery life and costs, that's certainly put my mind at ease.

Could you please now concertrate on the engine side of my original post?  A appreciate that a car with 100K miles on it is gonna suffer from wear and tear, I've had used cars all my life so know the script there.  What I worry about with the 400H is not so much the petrol engine, at 3.3L it should be robust enough to last 200K easily if looked after, it's more the electric engines as I don't know much about these beasts.

Have you any thoughts about reliability and what kind of mileage I can expect from a 400H?  I would expect a Lexus to be very well put together so hopefully should not require the sort of mainenance that inferior makes and models might need, as I mentioned I am partially retired so this might well be my last decent car and I need to know it will last for a few years (I only do around 7K miles per year)...

Mant thanks in anticipation.

[sorcerer]

The permanent magnet motors used in Toyota/Lexus are probably the most reliable part of the car and are designed to last the life of the car with very little maintenance, if any at all.

I read an interesting article about them just a few days ago but Sod's Law has come into play and I can't find it now. I'll keep looking and post it if I find it.

[Burroo 67]

Cheers Sorcerer

[Rutlandlex]

I've seen a couple for sale lately with about 211k and 235k miles on the clock and they weren't being sold as spares or repairs.  The RX's don't tend to do as many miles as the smaller hybrids due to the extra running costs but there are plenty of Prius's still running round with 400k on them and still climbing and they use the same technology.

If your mileage will only be 7k p.a. then you have nothing to fear on that score.

[Burroo 67]

Fantastic news, many thanks guys.....