welland

Why not look out for a good second hand genuine Lexus liner? There must be plenty in the breakers yards?! 

On 8/31/2020 at 10:16 AM, welland said:

Wondering if another solution is to fit an additional small battery somewhere discrete - in the boot to boost storage capacity.  

Or.....

Jump starters are widely available and I believe that these contain a Battery which is connected the the car's own 12v Battery with jump leads.   Thing is, these jump packs are designed to turn a starter motor and we don't need that much power to start our RX400Hs, do we?

So, how much power do we actually need (how little could we get away with)?  Assuming that the 12v car Battery is not fully discharged, I'd think "not much" is needed as a boost.   I wonder what is the smallest jump pack available?  Could a small Battery provide sufficient boost through the cigar lighter........?

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

Pun intended Peter ?

Ahem, of course!  😂

It baffles me why an exhaust for the rx400h is not available off the shelf from after-market manufacturers.  It's not as if there are not many cars around: there are loads!

On 9/2/2020 at 10:41 PM, john.riminton said:

anybody recommend a supplier in the midlands for a complete exhaust system including cats, standard not stainless, thanks

I got a rear section made in Stainless from a place in Worcester called a44 exhausts.  

It was the first time I've ever bought a custom exhaust and there was one issue i found.  Although the new exhaust is good quality,  the silencer they made causes the exhaust to be louder than original.  Some people will prefer the louder sound. In fact, I like it a lot, but on balance, i may have preferred it to be quieter on THIS car.  So if you want to maintain the original quietness, you should specify this when ordering.  

On 9/4/2020 at 6:16 AM, Herbie said:

These are the ones that I bought and they work a treat, but you do need to remove the silly shrouds in the light fitting for best results.

 

Herbie, what is this shroud that you refer to? Is it the reflector behind the bulb, or is that a separate component?

On 7/23/2020 at 3:50 PM, Herbie said:

Then this chart may help you decide:

Is there a way to read the Battery voltage on any of the screens in the car (rx400h)? It is slightly tedious to get out my multimeter to read the Battery under the bonnet.  

12 hours ago, JSeaman said:

Has anyone changed the stat on an rx400 and if so did you need to remove all the hybrid system?

Is there a single thermostat, or two: one for each coolant circuit?

Wondering if another solution is to fit an additional small Battery somewhere discrete - in the boot to boost storage capacity.  

On 8/24/2020 at 3:14 PM, sylm_2000 said:

Agree and yes I learnt that the hard way! I checked using the multi meter and today it was 11.46v - not pleased with the charger and performance.

 

Well, in my experience with it, it definitely does extend the time taken for discharge to reach a level where the car won't start. However, it is very difficult to assess how much extra time one gets.  A week or two, depending on weather....?

On 8/24/2020 at 1:14 PM, sylm_2000 said:

thank you - this is great! I will check and update the post as I have my Lexus on the driveway with Solar ODB connected for over 5 weeks. Hope it starts 🙂

Let us know how you get on.

On 8/3/2020 at 3:27 PM, Herbie said:

The first two numbers relate to the diameter of the battery and the last two are the height of the battery in tenths of a millimetre, so the two you're looking at are either 1.6mm tall or 2.0mm tall - and I really don't think 0.4mm will be a critical difference, so either should be fine.

Just out of interest though, why would you even question it? If I took a 1620 out I'd replace it with a 1620 and it wouldn't occur to me to even think of anything else.

As for the key, I'll bet it'll be best part of £200 for key fob and coding at Lexus.

I've never had an RX400h so I have no idea what the keys/fobs look like but if it's like the RX300 then it's worth having a look at this guy here who will sell you a blank key and cut the blade from a photo for you. You then just swap your electronics into the new case, and all for less than £15.

 

Yes, I had various quotes for a new key for my rx400h from local key places and they varied a lot in the region of £20 to £50.  In the end, I tried a professional locksmith who did it much cheaper- under £10, I believe.   He even had a suitable blank in stock, although it was badged Toyota instead of Lexus, and the shank was a little longer than necessary.  The label has the following markings:

CMII ID: 2005DJ1379

Model:  12BBY-08

Denso 

Aside from the Toyota badge and the slightly elongated shank, it looks identical to the original Lexus unit, and the electronics transferred easily.  There was no coding of the key needed.

Hth.

In what way do hybrid Battery problems become apparent?  Does the car always display a fault condition on the dash when the hybrid Battery is experiencing a problem?

On 5/19/2020 at 8:06 PM, Herbie said:

I'd personally say it's a bit high but I'm not sure what's an acceptable figure for the RX400h.

As a general rule of thumb, anywhere from about 35-55mA is alright with around 100mA being cause for concern. However, you really must let the car go into sleep mode to get any meaningful readings.

I'd like to  know a bit more about the sleep mode in the RX400h.  Does anybody know the following:

1) When does it go into sleep mode? 
2) Does ignition key have to be off? 
3) Does car have to be locked? 
4) After how long does it go into sleep mode?  
5) if the car is unlocked and a door is opened, will the car be awakened from sleep mode even if the ignition key is not inserted and turned on?
I usually ensure that courtesy lights are off if I anticipate leaving the doors open for a while, but don't know if open doors cause other additional drain on the Battery.  
6) if the ignition key is in the ignition, but turned off, will that cause any more Battery drain that if the key is not in the ignition at all?  

On 5/19/2020 at 10:03 PM, ColinBarber said:

Yes that is normal.

Every time you let the battery get flat it will lose some capacity so will take less time to go flat the next time and so on.

You possibly aren't using it enough - if the battery gets to half capacity you will need to drive it for a few hours to recharge it to full. I'd get a trickle charger if you can, if you can't get mains electricity near the vehicle then maybe a solar charger would help.

Thanks Colin.  And thanks as well for your advice on the other thread I made about the solar charger 

On 5/20/2020 at 7:03 PM, Herbie said:

 

 

Thanks Herbie - good video.   

I've ordered it now.  

17 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

You are correct, use the OBD port at it has a permanent 12v feed.

It seems a good price, Halford do ones for a similar price but don't come with the OBD connector as standard.

 

Just remember that the power it produces is very low. It won't charge your battery but hopefully will maintain it with 12+ hours of daylight - so make sure it is fully charged first.

Understand, Colin.  Thanks.  

14 hours ago, Chris Pritchard said:

During this Covid malarkey I tried an Oxford Oximiser 888 to keep my LS430 fully charged. Having been a Biker for 50 plus years, these are common with bikers. I was a little unsure as to the difference in amperage resistance  between large car batteries and the much smaller motorcycle batteries, as these Optimisers are designed to be left on indefinitely with no danger of boiling a battery, which would happen with a regular battery charger. However after a few days measuring the input and retained voltage, everything was fine. To the point that I ordered 2 more for wife and daughters car. They retail at £25 each including delivery from Sportsbikeshop.Co. They show the voltage constantly on the tiny screen, and they monitor and top up the batteries constantly. Hope this helps.

This sounds good, but I was trying to achieve the convenience of not needing a 240v power supply.  

I have a 2006 RX400h and am fed up of the weekly flat Battery caused by not using ut enough.  So, I'm going to get a solar panel trickle charger.  I believe that all the cigar lighter sockets are disconnected when the car is locked, but the OBD port remains connecte to the Battery - and thus is a suitable place to connect the charger.  Am I correct?  

I've seen this one on eBay for £22.90:  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AA-Essentials-12V-Solar-Powered-Car-Battery-Charger-Solar-Panel-OBD-Version/233409015194?hash=item365842ed9a:g:pMsAAOSwnGld1P36

Has anybody got this one?  Is it satisfactory?  

Can it be beaten on price - or on performance for similar money?  

What is the best way to test the current draw from the Battery? Is it necessary to disconnect one Battery terminal and measure the current between the Battery terminal and the disconnected lead?

On 4/4/2020 at 10:43 PM, Sukhi Saatchi said:

If you want to clean leather interior in your car then spend £0.99p on Pears transparent soap. Get a soft shoe polish brush and lather the soap and apply, rinse off with a wet colth. Then get a leather feeder balm and cure it.

Interesting. Last time I bought soap was about a week ago, and the only one left in the supermarket was Pears, at 50p a bar.  

Interesting... I have a 2006 rx400h SEL, with rear DVD screens connected to a DVD player under the driver's seat.  Mine doesn't play dvds in the front screen though.   I think that the front system changed in 2007, but don't know if it links in any way to the rear screens.  Don't know if your rear system is different to mine.

I have to say that it does feel complicated getting my rear system started, and I usually defer to the kids when using it.  

I suppose that you have checked that all the plugs under the front seats are connected?

Connoisseur,

Any idea what sort of trailer electrics you had fitted? My Rx400h already had a tow bar when I bought it, and the electrics were a bypass kit. I have not come across a proper plugin canbus system for our cars, maybe one doesn't exist?

On 3/5/2020 at 9:04 AM, Delphius1 said:

The rear anti roll bar bushes are easily accessible at the rear of the car and are easily replaced. 

In theory, yes. Unfortunately, my bolts were so rusted that I had to drill them out.  😕