Hello from newbie RX400h owner.

Farnham Dave · October 23, 2018

Hi everybody,

I'm new here, and new to Lexus ownership... Although I did have a Toyota Crown many years ago, if that counts.

I bought a 2005 RX400h yesterday with 125,000 miles on the clock.

I had a pre purchase inspection done, which just found the two tired tyres that needed replacing, and highlighted the dodgy rear brakes.

Driving it home seemed ok at first, the display showed the Battery to be charging, when it was running on electric only, and so on.

Then it displayed the dreaded "Check hybrid system" and "check VSC". It still seemed to be running ok, and hybrid status still looked ok.

Stopped for a coffee on the way home, and it displayed the same thing, and wouldn't start.

The Greenflag man checked the voltage on the aux Battery, which was good (over 12v), and it got taken to a local Lexus dealer.

I'm now waiting to hear from them.

I'm hoping to be an RX driver for more than half an hour...

Dave

rich1068 · October 23, 2018

Welcome and I hope your luck improves. The 400h is a great car.

I assume you have some comeback if it's anything pricey? Either from the seller (trade or private) or from the pre-purchase inspection.

NemesisUK · October 23, 2018

What was the service history on this car like? Any hybrid health checks done?

Rutlandlex · October 23, 2018

Oh dear Dave. That's a rather rude welcome to Lexus ownership. Hopefully it will just be a bad connection or a bit of corrosion that needs cleaning up and won't cost too much.

Farnham Dave · October 23, 2018

Thanks for the show of support. I was told I was getting a warranty, but nothing seems to exist in the paperwork.

No guarantees are given by the inspection, either.

If it's something major, my only comeback might be through consumer protection laws.

The-Acre · October 23, 2018

Did you buy from a trader?

Farnham Dave · October 23, 2018

Yes, I did buy from a trader. I normally bit privately. Every car dealer I've ever dealt with has been a con artist, and I always fall for it. Must be that tattoo on my forehead that reads "take my money, it's all yours!"

rich1068 · October 23, 2018

If it comes to it I think a fault on the way home followed by a report from a main dealer will be more than enough to get redress from the trader. Warranties from these people are usually pretty worthless but you can't beat "fit for purpose".

That's if it comes to it though. If it was me and it was a cheap fix as Rutlandlex mentions I'd just get it done and put it down to experience.

The-Acre · October 23, 2018

40 minutes ago, Farnham Dave said:

Yes, I did buy from a trader. I normally bit privately. Every car dealer I've ever dealt with has been a con artist, and I always fall for it. Must be that tattoo on my forehead that reads "take my money, it's all yours!"

As Richard says, it must be fit for purpose so you do have the full weight of the law on your side. They must by law rectify any faults or refund you. I assume you have a receipt?

Farnham Dave · October 23, 2018

Yes, it's got one of those "sold as seen, sold as scrap" lines in it which, AFAIK, doesn't protect them. It was clearly sold as a going concern... Why else would it come with AA membership?

I don't want to have to jump through hoops, what I want is for the car to be sorted without costing an arm and a leg.

Farnham Dave · October 24, 2018

Still waiting to hear from the Lexus dealership. It's been a nerve wracking couple of days.

BachelorDays · October 24, 2018

I know how you feel. I bought a car around 10 years ago and had the dash go crazy with lights on my way home from the dealer! It had a blown CAT and a couple of sensors but thankfully the other parts were in good order. I got it fixed and then actually enjoyed it for many years, although the event itself left me with a bad taste. The guy had knowingly sold me a car not fit for driving.

Let's hope Lexus can give you good news. The inspection you had done should give you a comfortable feel about the suspension and general state of the car, so it'll be easier for you to decide once you have the diagnosis from Lexus.

I hope you've got in touch with the dealer. They should know you'll pursue it, although I have a feeling they probably have been in this situation before.

Farnham Dave · October 24, 2018

Thanks for the kind words. Lexus dealership has had the car for the best part of two days, and not even had a chance to look at it... Apparently they're overwhelmed with work at the moment.

My gut instinct is telling me it's a good car. My optimistic side is hoping this is nothing major, like the Battery, but is backed up by the fact that the display showed the Battery taking charge on the way home. The pessimistic side of me is currently giving me a headache.

I am not sure about the dealer, this could be something he wouldn't have been aware of, or that was the result of the car standing for a period. But I'm also aware that there are cheats available to hide just about any warning light that's ever been invented...

Rutlandlex · October 24, 2018

Just a thought Dave - have you actually reported this to the trader you bought the car from? I'm aware of consumer protection laws and all that but you have to give them the opportunity to put things right. They may say "Let's see what the diagnosis is from the dealer" but the longer you leave it the less likely are to believe that it happened on the journey home. You also have a limited time to reject the car if that's the best course of action.

Farnham Dave · October 25, 2018

That's a good point

Farnham Dave · October 25, 2018

Had some feedback from Lexus dealership. The mechanic thinks the condenser and pump have the wrong fluid in.

If I understand correctly, this is the A/C system. I did try out the air con just before the problem developed. Seems odd to me that this would throw a hybrid error. The A/C compressor is electric, but anyone else heard of aircon causing "check hybrid system"?

Farnham Dave · October 25, 2018

Excellent advice, thank you. The dealer has agreed to fix or refund. Lexus dealerships have some steep prices, don't they? 😨

Farnham Dave · October 25, 2018

For anyone who's interested, here's a list of problems...

Aircon suspected of being filled with conductive fluid... Requires flush and refill: £500-600

A couple of pipes and an underbody seal: no idea

Brakes and tyres (I knew about these)

Rear motor wiring loom corroded: £3,500.

Anyway, 4000 plus over what I was expecting... So I'm glad the dealer appears to be honest.

Herbie · October 25, 2018

2 hours ago, Farnham Dave said:

Had some feedback from Lexus dealership. The mechanic thinks the condenser and pump have the wrong fluid in.

If I understand correctly, this is the A/C system. I did try out the air con just before the problem developed. Seems odd to me that this would throw a hybrid error. The A/C compressor is electric, but anyone else heard of aircon causing "check hybrid system"?

Hybrids have the compressor motor windings submerged in the oil for cooling purposes or something like that, so a special non-conductive oil has to be used. The compressor is driven by the hybrid Battery so any short-circuits of the motor windings will throw Check Hybrid System errors.

I think I'd be inclined to get a refund as there will be better examples out there.

Quote

Lexus dealerships have some steep prices, don't they?

They do indeed but at least lots of things can be bought from other places and/or breakers yards for a car of this age, that "rear motor wiring loom" being a good example. I've never known a full loom to be corroded so under different circumstances I'd think a good auto-electrician should be able to sort that or just get the whole loom from a scrapper.

Farnham Dave · October 25, 2018

I'm inclined towards the refund. It's a real shame, because the basic mechanics of the thing seem good, and the bodywork/interior are also pretty damn good.

The-Acre · October 25, 2018

47 minutes ago, Farnham Dave said:

I'm inclined towards the refund. It's a real shame, because the basic mechanics of the thing seem good, and the bodywork/interior are also pretty damn good.

I think a refund is the right choice, and as you say, having an "honest" dealer is good and makes the whole process less stressful.

BachelorDays · October 25, 2018

1 hour ago, The-Acre said:

I think a refund is the right choice, and as you say, having an "honest" dealer is good and makes the whole process less stressful.

+1. I'm sure the dealer can get this fixed a lot cheaper. I'd be concerned about keeping this car (unless it was fixed by Lexus) since something has obviously got it into the condition where these fluids had to be changed.

Bit surprised to see the dealer owning up - lucky!

rich1068 · October 26, 2018

14 hours ago, Farnham Dave said:

I'm inclined towards the refund. It's a real shame, because the basic mechanics of the thing seem good, and the bodywork/interior are also pretty damn good.

Indeed. If the 400h fits the bill for you then don't give up on it. It's a great car (I got mine about 6 months ago) and there will be better ones out there.

Rutlandlex · October 26, 2018

A corroded wiring loom sounds like water ingress to me which might mean other problems further down the line. £3,500 is out of this world expensive but that's main dealers for you. They will probably replace the whole loom with a brand new one which probably means dismantling half of the car hence the price. As someone has suggested it could probably be repaired quite cheaply without replacing the whole loom but dealers don't repair things they replace them.

I think that given the issues highlighted then I would get a refund and let the trader do want they want with it and look out for a better one.