vadre

Do you have front sensors?

I have a similar switch to isolate my front sensors but its in a different place. Dealer fit I believe.

I rarely turn them on so it has caught me out when I have left it on.

I have front and rear sensors fitted to my 400h, rear sensors only active when reversing so no real issue when towing.

Main Hybrid batteries should be trouble free for the life of the car as stated. Normal car Battery has proved troublesome for some who have left their cars parked up for a week or more. If this Battery is dead, the hybrid system cannot be energised so the engine cannot be started (engine starts from hybrid batteries)

Worth getting a new Battery fitted if the age of the current one is unknown, they are not especially expensive.

I tow a 1400kg caravan with my 400h. The car is very secure and pulls very well with the van on the back so I don't hang about as I like to keep up with other traffic.

Fuel consumption drops to about 22mpg but I am sure you would see more with a load of 700kg and less wind resistance.

At low speeds the 400h will even tow on the batteries alone which never fails to produce a few admiring glances when driving around campsites.

If you are a Lexus man, don't go messing about with anything else.

Any Lexus/Toyota dealer will sell you a top-up can of oil if you feel happier to carry one.

The recommended grade is SAE 5W-30 semi or fully synthetic. Take your pick from your local Motor Factor.

Further to my post, while the electrics socket folds up fine with just the one 13 pin socket fitted to the plate, a twin socket setup would foul a bracket attached to the bumper.

Hope this helps.

I have a detachable towbar fitted to my 2006 400h and it sounds like the same model as yours.

My electrical socket is the new 13 pin type and it does fold up behind the bumper.

I cannot see why a twin setup should not do the same.

I too had it fitted by a Lexus dealer for around £1k. Didn't get the scrap of paper though, should I go back for it!!!!!!

Never really felt the need to open the tailgate without unlocking first.

I have moved the internal tailgate opening/closing button up from its awkward position next to the fuel flap, to the blanked switch position adjacent to the exterior mirror adjusting switch.

A 10 minute job well worth doing.

I have had my 2006 RX400h for 2 years, previously had an RX300 Mk2 for 2 years. The 300 was my intro to Lexus and was for me the top of the tree, I could not have wanted more, a luxury car with a superb driving position and a good tow car to boot.

The 400h was a logical step up for me, providing all the qualities of the 300 with the added bonuses of improved fuel economy, much better performance and an even better tow car. Back at the top of the tree.

I have driven the 450h on a few occaisions, very smooth and technically brilliant but I prefer the 400h.

Both of my cars were uterly reliable with service costs reasonable. Yes they use a bit of fuel but if this was a big issue I wouldn't own one in the first place. There are those who say the 400h doesn't make sense, dragging heavy batteries around for a couple of miles of electric propulsion. I would say us 400h owners don't really care very much about such things, we leave all those concerns to those who don't actually own one.

All I say is, have a good test drive, if it suits your needs, buy one from a Lexus dealer and you are unlikely to regret it.

Hankook Ventus ST are good value if you can find them. I have them on the back of my 400h and they seem fine.

I couldn't get them when I wanted new for the front so fitted Continental Contisportcontact 5. A bit more money but probably a better tyre than the Hankook.

Too early to comment on wear but the car seems quieter than when it had the Bridgestones.

Sounds more like an Inverter problem than Battery. Was the car subject to the recent Inverter fault recall?

Search the site for Inverter probs. If it is this, then its the thick end of £2k!!!!!

Well just spoke to Ipswich Lexus for a service quote, my RX400h 2006, has just done 37k so thought i would get a price for a service. They have just come back with £729.85 !! + extra £54.85p for an M.O.T., They say as its six years old they would do the 60k service.

Well looks like i will be taking it to my trusted independant dealer "Roys Motor Company " again. May give Norwich a call to see what they are asking but not that Lower pricing i don't think.

Phil.

I put these cheaper figures to my local centre and to my suprise they agreed to match the price, no questions asked.

Service and MOT now booked at my local centre for £100 less than previously quoted!!

Hello Forum, not sure if this sould be in the maintenance section or not.

Can anyone suggest a supplier for brake discs and pads that are more cost effective than the Lexus brand items.

I've alwasys fitted Mintex brake parts to my previous cars but cannot find a listing for the RX 300 in their products.

Many thanks

I haven't tried them but there is a good choice on eBay including Mintex. Would have thought that a local Motor Factors could help.

The 400h requires an Intermediate service every 10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first. Also a Full service every 20,000 miles or 2 years WCF.

The engine has a cambelt which should be changed at 100,000 miles.

Other replacements:

Spark plugs 60,000 miles

Brake fluid 2 years

Engine coolant 100,000 miles

Inverter coolant 100,000 miles

Air filter 40,000 miles/4 years

pollen filter At full service

The 400h requires an Intermediate service every 10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first. Also a Full service every 20,000 miles or 2 years WCF.

The engine has a cambelt which should be changed at 100,000 miles.

Other replacements:

Spark plugs 60,000 miles

Brake fluid 2 years

Engine coolant 100,000 miles

Inverter coolant 100,000 miles

Air filter 40,000 miles/4 years

pollen filter At full service

Best of luck with this one, it certainly sounds like an Inverter failure. I am sure many will be interested in the outcome.

My 2006 400h IS subject to the Inverter recall but so far I have only heard from Lexus UK, nothing from my local Lexus Centre. Anyone had this recall work done yet?

The load bay retractable cover is a known rattle source. Try leaving it out for a while.

My RX400h is the same. No matter how hot it is inside the car, cold air is only delivered from the face level vents in Auto mode.

It does switch to floor level if the temp required is increased to demand a much higher temp.

I have not checked the manual, but assume this to be normal. Happy with it though.

Hi All,

I have been offered a July 2003 RX 300 SE with Nav for £5K - 66K on the clock and owned by one family from new. Mostly Lexus service history and it had the 6 year service (new plugs) at 45K miles. The car is mechanically sound (my mate has had it on a ramp today and no signs of any leaks or suspension wear. The interior is a bit grubby but cleans up really well (I did a test section) and it drives well. The problem is that it has a few scrapes and dings in the body. No rear bumper scuff pad so the top of the bumper is badly scratched. The front bumper is scuffed and needs a re-paint as do most of the body panels. All the wheels have started to corrode (surprise, surprise!) and the advice from the paint man was to get them powder coated. He gave me an all-in quote of £1200 to get the body looking nice.

One tyre is feathered on the inside edge so I suspect the tracking may need looking at. I know my friend kerbed a back wheel at some point

The tax is due and it needs an MOT but it essentially had that today so will pass without problems.

Any thoughts on the vlaue of this thing? I am prepared for poor mmpg!

Many thanks in anticipation!

Did you get the tatty bodywork sorted? If so, how does it look now?

Hi everyone, yes its another newbie with a stupid question,looked at all the other threads about this prob and didn't get my answer, bought a 54 plate RX300 with 57k on the clock 3wks ago great stuff only problem is when I went to plug my phone charger into the cig lighter socket it had no power, tried all the other sockets and much the same, I know my way around a car so went straight for the fuse box (the one which everyone can see under bonnet) that didn't help, looked on google which said second fuse box drivers footwell, I've been all over, only thing I can see in drivers footwell is, above the pedals is an airbag cover, nothing much to look at near accelerater peddle but did noticed a couple of removable clips either side of surround centre console under gearlever, is this where the other fuse holder could be, I don't think so because they are supposed to be easy access, can antone help to find the elusive fuse

Kayli.

On my RX400h the fuse box containg the fuse you need is in the passenger footwell. It's well tucked up behind the panel under there, certainly not easy to spot or get to once you have located it.

I had to lie on my back to reach it and the fuses within are of the micro type.

Hope this helps.

Vadre

I haven't had this poblem, but sometimes the blade can be detached from the fob making a switch into an eBay item easy and cheap.

I checked my 400h key but the blade looks to non detachable, possibly the same with yours.

Shouldn't be a problem getting a blank cut though, then just swap over the electonics part.

Hi Everyone,

I've currently got a company car (Audi A3 Sportback) that I'm giving back in order to swap onto a car allowance scheme. As such I'm looking for a car I'd actually choose rather than one I'm given!

I've always been a fan of SUV's - the Range Rover in particular but I can't afford one that won't be a complete lemon and cost a fortune to keep on the road (Read - any more than 6 months old lol) My research has led me to a few candidates, one of which is the Lexus RX. I really like the specification (The more toys the better!) and the luxurious cabin/ride - if I go for an SUV I'd take comfort over off-road ability any day.

Today my wife and I went out for a road trip to look at some cars - not with a view to purchase yet, just to sit in an example of the model and give it the initial thumbs up/down. The Lexus was definitely one of the hits of the day along with (Very suprisingly) and 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland which was also a very pleasant cabin although not as luxurious as the Lexus (Also I'd question the Jeep's reliability in the long term)

So we know that the RX is definitely on the short-list so now it's down to the nitty-gritty. Which ones to avoid and which ones to look out for. From reading here I see there are 2 versions of the RX300 MK1 and MK2 - can anyone tell me what year the switch happened as I have read about gearbox problems on the MK1 and am obviously keen to avoid that.

Next up RX300 or RX350... there few thousand pounds between them and I don't know it's worthwhile. The only real factor for me is reliability - am I better off sticking to the 350 over say a '55 / '06 / '56 RX300?

Also SE or SE-L - from what I've read the major differences are air suspension (Which can be expensive) Mark Levinson CD-Player (Which can be expensive) and automatic tailgate (Which is just plain cool!) so is it a safer bet do we think going for an SE?

It's the 300 vs 350 bit that's got me stumped - do all 300's have gearbox issues or just the MK1 and if so when did they change over to the MK2.

I'm sure I'll have loads of questions and thank-you in advance for all your help!

Cheers,

Dan

Hi Dan.

The Mk2 RX came in 2003 at the start of the 03 plate. The RX350 superceeded the RX300 at the end of 2005 I believe.

RX350 will give much better performance and very slight increase in fuel economy. Also more sound insulation and updated satnav.

SE models come with remote tailgate, leather and electric seats. Most have satnav/reversing camera fitted, definatly worth getting one of these.

If buying from a Lexus dealer, you will get their 1 year warranty, well worth it.

Not much goes wrong really. I have had an RX300 and now on an RX400h. Both have been faultless.

Go for it Dan, if you are happy with the running costs, high for any big SUV, then I am sure you will not regret it.

I've had a 2006 Lexus rx400h for a year and its the best car I've had. However, I've had to get a jump start a couple of times recently so am thinking of investing in a portable jump starter to leave in the car boot.

The engine is 3.3l, which seems to be a larger capacity than anything specified in Halfords or EBay (I've found chargers which specify up to 3 litres).

Has anybody had experience of using portable jump starters with a rx400h? I don't want to buy a charger for up to 3 litre cars if it won't work for me.

Any thoughts appreciated

It doesn,t take much to flatten the relativly small Battery in this car, there have been a number of posts on this subject.

It is not this Battery however which actually starts the engine, it only energises the system, ie 'System Ready'. The main hybrid Battery then comes into play providing the power to start the engine via the Power Split Device and Planetary Gearbox.

It is most unlikely that your hybrid Battery could be flat, so all that is required to get things running is to provide a boost to the auxilliary Battery located in the engine bay. Any of the Jump Starter devices on the market should manage this.

I would however get your auxilliary Battery checked out to ensure that it does not require replacement. Any decent garage should do this for free.

Anyone noticed when braking at low speeds, the brakes "slip" for a split second just after engaging and then engaging properly after?

if so, any ideas why?

Yes I have noticed this recently. I believe it has been covered on this forum previously, and is caused by the re-generative braking system.

Nothing to worry about apparantly, though I intend to raise the subject with my dealer at my next service.

Mine is much the same. I do find the RX400h engine to be generally less refined than the RX300 previously owned.

Anyone agree?

Can anyone tell me how to wire up a 2004 RX300 for a 13 pin tow socket?

Thanks

Frank

This is quite a complex job. Patching in to the car's running lights is fairly straightforward, but providing switched supplies through relays to power the vans' fridge and to provide Battery charging is much more difficult and risky to the cars complex wiring. Also finding somewhere to patch into the reversing light circuit is very difficult.

Obviously I don't know your abilty to tackle this job, but if you have to ask the question in the first place, you would probably find it too difficult on this complex vehicle.

Best left to a Lexus dealer I fear or a good independant towbar installer.