eXOBeX

The nav controller would normally live in the boot, but needs the cabling as well. Non-nav cars didn't have the nav harness, so if you have the cabling there but no nav unit then it's been taken out. Certainly if you have the widescreen nav screen then at least some other stuff has been fitted as it requires a gateway ECU to allow the AVC-LAN and BEAN networks to talk to each other, without this the heater controls don't work. I retrofitted the full widescreen nav system to mine, details at http://www.ult-search.co.uk/gsnav/, you may be in luck with a LandCruiser 100 or Prius nav unit.

Should be a pinned post I reckon. Probably one of the biggest questions regarding hybrids is "what happens when the battery eventually packs in?" and it's good to see that depending on what's actually failed you could be looking at a fix with a double-digit price tag instead of a four-digit one, also worth considering that even a smashed battery pack can be useful as a parts donor if you can find a scrappy who doesn't know its value. beercan's addition regarding scrubbing up the busbar (and also being careful not to overtighten the nuts) is also very useful.

Can you run the battery down to force the engine to kick in? I know the guy who LPG-converted my GS also converted his own RX400h and had a fun job calibrating the gas ECU, which expects you to get the engine up to a certain RPM and hold the pedal there, not much fun when the main ECU decides to shut the engine off. I think he was able to run the battery down, forcing the system to keep the engine on.

Interesting, I'm getting the same symptom now on my 2002 GS. Almost at a stop and you get the buzz and a slight drop in braking pressure (so you've got to put your foot further down). Due for MOT very soon, will be interesting to see if that picks anything up (besides the borderline emissions check - even on LPG - due to one empty cat and one suspect cat).