ColinBarber

yes, when it has got to the stage of being detectable.

Hi Hank. I'd recommend you post on our US sister site as this is primarily a UK only site: https://us.lexusownersclub.com Sadly we don't get the IS with a 350 engine over here 😞

The Prius was always designed to be different/futuristic so had a very different gear selector than conventional vehicles. The Auris/CT200 get most of their components from the Prius - cost saving if nothing else. The larger hybrid vehicles are made to look and feel like conventional vehicles to appeal to the broader market - hence you have a much more conventional gear shift and as John has mentioned above they now try and replicate the driving experience of a normal automatic by having 'gears' - probably to appeal to the motoring journalists that consistently object to the CVT hybrid transmission.

Sales have traditionally been around 10,000 a year for the last decade or so with that many dealers, and last year it was nearly 16,000, so I don't see any reason why the number would be reduced, or that they go back to a Toyota/Lexus dealership model that they initially started with 25+ years ago. Same could be said for every new vehicle. List prices have been sky rocketing for the last 10 years as vehicle leasing with ever increasing terms hides that price and fleet purchases are massively discounted to keep them happy.

attached is the spec sheet for 2013-2014 models. ISEquipmentSpecifications130517.pdf

even then it is £45 cheaper, but sanjb hasn't stated it is an essential plan.

5v isn't inherently provided by the vehicle so the ECUs have 5v and 3.3v regulators or DC-DC converters in them to step down the 12v to 5v and/or 3.3v needed for the computer electronics - those systems expect a certain voltage above 5v to work. As the vehicle is powered on there is often a surge in demand from other systems which pulls the 12v rails down well below 8v if you have a bad battery which affects the reset circuits on the computers and sensor reading, which is why you often get spurious error codes seemingly unrelated to the actual problem. The RX400h, being an older generation vehicle and hybrid system, seems to cope better with a lower battery voltage than say an IS300h but it is unpredictable. As well as the brake booster, you have auto lights that could come on if it isn't bright outside when you turn the key, the auto wipers may move if there is condensation on the screen, the steering wheel will start moving as soon as the key touches the ignition barrel - all of this makes it difficult to predict if you will be able to get into 'Ready' mode when your aux battery is at a certain standing voltage - and it depends on the battery condition and ability to hold a charge, not just voltage.

I didn't think SLLC was available as a concentrate, only pre-mixed?

ask them to have a good look around too - could be a leaking water pump.

John

If you have a volt meter measure the voltage across the battery - that will give you a good indication of whether you need a new battery or not. I highly suspect you do.

The NX seems to rev up the engine a bit more than the CT/Prius so can be a little noise. The current gen Rav (2019 onwards) has a better engine and hybrid system compared to the older generation system in the NX but interior materials are nicer in the NX.

Sunroof/Pano roof were optional on the Premier grade rather than standard as with the Takumi grade.

I'm sure Lexus will put a stop to that soon or take their franchise away 😞 They don't like people discounting.

your battery is looking a bit discharged - you may get the opportunity to test out your new installation soon 😉

It's no LS!

I get very intermittent issues now - clearly a problem with the backend servers being available. However I had all sorts of problems when I had a complex password - simplified it and it has worked for years on the IS300h and now my GS without issues. Not that I really use it - just for up to date traffic info but even then I normally just use Apple maps or Waze on my phone.

Certainly looks like salt corrosion. Are you getting your vehicle serviced by Lexus? I would like to think they would have told you about this before it got that bad.

There is an essential minor and major service, just like there is with the standard servicing. The essential major service includes a brake fluid change and should be done every two years. The essential servicing does miss out a few things, e.g. doesn't replace the key fob battery on the major service and only inspects the pollen filter rather than replacing (replacing if needed is an extra charge) but most things are the same - all critical things. The list of what is done, on standard and essential servicing, is all documented on the Lexus website.

Worth all ISF owners replacing their radiator, which means you are then good for another 8 years +. Transmission cooler within the radiator failure, allowing coolant into the transmission, is a problem that affects the LS430 too - several transmission failures because of this.

The temperature switch sensor in the radiator is for the cooling fans. Disconnect the wiring and short the two pins in the plug - the fans should come on (with ignition on). If they don't then you have an issue with the power to the fans - check the FAN fuses and the fan relays. If the fans come on then you know the power to the fans is ok and the fault is with the temperature switch on the radiator.

They have the 200t which came out at the same time as the 300h so I'd assume that pricing. The person updating the website probably assumed the IS 300h was already covered by the IS 300 - the website has been full of errors like that over the years. They don't seem to add vehicles to essentials until around 6 years old - they seem to assume you would get the 5th service done before it is 5 years old and you don't need another for 12 months.

??? Really, I didn't believe any UK Lexus has, or has had, that feature.

I must admit I would never put rubber mats in my Lexus - have always had the colour coded fabric ones.

Outside of the hybrid health check (which you can get a dealer to do on its own for £59), nothing on the hybrid system gets touched at servicing until 100k miles (inverter coolant replacement). There are some special procedures needed to change brake fluid, so you need an independent with access to manuals and correct equipment, but no special knowledge on the hybrid system is needed for general maintenance.