Herbie

Not you John, the other John, the OP

Private message sent to you just now John.

Don't even think about the hybrid battery yet. First of all you need to read (or have someone else read for you) the OBD2 fault codes and see what that tells you. Again, don't jump in with both feet straight away - these codes are only a starting point for further testing and diagnostics.

That's because they seem to have placed the batteries in the 'Engine' section instead of 'Electrical' so just go back there and look in the engine section.

Good job Paul, glad to see that it's sorted. My only 'concern' is why you would go and order new brushes from a Lexus dealer for £26 when you could have got a set from eBay for less than a fiver? There's nothing 'Lexus-specific' about alternator brushes.

The timing belt should be done at 100k miles or 10 years, which ever comes soonest. I'll send you a private message tomorrow about the manual, I'm off to bed now 😊

These cars don't just have A/C, they have climate control, the whole idea of which is as Peter says above, you set the temperature you want and the car maintains it for you. It is designed to be on continuously.

You didn't say you were looking only for parts. It must just be that no one is currently braking any 2009 cars for parts.

If you've got an RX400h like you imply in your other post, hybrids do not need to have any emissions test at all.

Sadly not John but that would have been something eh? Very exciting times.

This is actually impossible to do because the hybrids don't have a starter motor to crank the engine. When you press the power button the 12V battery boots the computers and gets the hybrid system into READY mode, at which point you can drive off on battery power alone. When the hybrid system thinks the petrol engine needs to be used, it will energise MG1 and use it to spin the engine up to 1000rpm before the ECU applies fuel and a spark to fire it. The engine comes on a lot quicker during winter because it's the only source of heat for the cabin, so if you have the climate control set to, say, 20C, it will fire the engine up ASAP to attain that temperature for you.

No, but I'd like to know too. In theory, it shouldn't. The 12V battery in any car, conventional or hybrid, is only used to start it. Once the engine is running/READY light on, the alternator (or DC/DC converter) then supplies the whole electrical demand of the car and keeps the 12V battery topped up, so the 12V battery shouldn't even be in the equation.

Oh well, good that it may have helped you but bad in that the motor looks like it needs replacing. It may be worth looking on YouTube for other videos that demonstrate the sounds of a failing motor, just to confirm, before spending money - starter motors aren't exactly cheap things.

I'm a bit sceptical of coincidences but when you say "a bit like whirring and then conks out" does it sound like in the video below? If so, it may be worth watching the video from the start - it would appear to be the starter motor at fault.

I don't know about Toyota but I do know that Lexus dealers charge about £135 + VAT for labour. This is an electrical problem so why not just go to a decent auto electrician who'll charge about half that or less. Alternatively, try to narrow it down a bit further yourself by reading the OBD2 fault codes with Techstream.

Great results here with a Karcher. I can't remember what brand of snow foam and it's too late to go out to the garage now, so I'll post it tomorrow.

@Bounce75 - just to add to what William said here, if you think you'll be off fairly quickly then that is good advice. If you think it'll be a longer stop, say at a level crossing, you can put the car in 'P' and apply the parking brake, but the crucial bit is never to put the car in 'N' because the hybrid system won't charge the batteries in neutral, only D or P.

The engine is the only source of cabin heat so if you have the heating turned up then the petrol engine will be running more than usual to provide that heat, but it will still cut in and out as normal - it'll just spend longer on petrol. Also worth noting is that they aren't electric cars and if you were to run out of petrol then the most you'd get on battery alone is a mile or two. The 12V battery, the petrol engine and the traction (hybrid) battery all work together to give a 'working' car. If any one of those three are giving problems then the car doesn't work.

I really have to say that that is not good practice at all William. The parking pawl is just a very small finger of metal that locks up the transmission. I know it must be a rare thing to happen but if there is some problem with the pawl such as metal fatigue, manufacturing defect or whatever and it breaks off, not only is there the risk of the car moving off from where you left it, an even bigger problem is that you now have a small piece of metal rattling around your transmission causing thousands of pounds of damage. Parking brakes are there for a reason and absolutely should be used.

Just remember that it's a hybrid, not a conventional car, and as such you need to alter your thinking and do some research about driving it and what to expect from it. For instance, hybrids don't have a starter motor or an alternator. Anything that would normally be belt-driven in a standard car, such as aircon compressor and power steering etc., is driven by electric motors instead, because the petrol engine isn't running all the time. DO NOT run out of petrol - if you do, you need at least 10 litres, 15 is better, in the tank when you try to start it again and be aware that if it fails to start three or four times in a row, the hybrid system can lock out and needs to be reset by the dealer. Oh, and if the aircon ever needs regassing, make sure to take it to a proper aircon specialist or to someone who knows what they're doing. The refrigerant gas is the same but the lubricating oil has to be a certain type, ie, ND11 instead of normal PAG oil, or you could end up thousands of pounds out of pocket. Just clue yourself up and enjoy the car. I've had an RX300 and now have an RX450h and they are fantastic cars!

In the engine bay next to the fusebox.

You'll have to be a bit more specific - does it get better or worse as speed increases? Straight lines or only when cornering? When braking or not? Dull thuds or loud bangs? What's wrong with the ride? Wallowy or harsh? It's a Premier so I assume air suspension? EDIT: - What tyres are on it? I believe Dunlops are horrendous for 'stepping' and cause lots of noise.

Aha, right, cheers Colin. I sometimes think that time alone should mean that some stuff would be fitted as standard, ie, some of the 300s had a camera but the 400s, being newer, should all have them. Thanks for putting me straight 😊

Yuasa all day long. Bosch used to have a good reputation but not now.

Got to be honest and say that as I've never needed to look for one, I'm afraid that I haven't got a clue. I'm sure that Google will be your friend though Kettle. If you see something but want a second opinion before buying I'm sure someone will be able to help. EDIT - scrap my earlier thoughts, I was getting mixed up with the RX300 where there is sometimes only a small display that shows things like airflow and so on. Now that I think about it I'm sure all RX400h's should have a camera with the display showing on the same screen where you see the energy flow and so on. Of course, the camera only comes on when you select reverse so could you put it in reverse, with your foot very firmly planted on the footbrake so that the car doesn't go anywhere, and take a photo of the screen for us to see? The first photo shows the sort of display that definitely will not have a camera, second photo shows a screen where a camera is a distinct possibility: EDIT No. 2 - forget all this rubbish (I'm blaming it on being locked down for so long and too much beer) and just look at the bottom photo. You'll just about see the location of the camera in the top left of the number plate recess so that's where you'll find yours if you have one