Looking At An Rx 400H 3.3 Se Help And Advice Please

[Stevie C-D]

Hi,

My wife and I are thinking about the purchase of a Lexus
RX400h 2005 with 90k, it is at the local Lexus dealership. Anything we should
look for with the RX any known issues, anything to look for on the test drive.
Any advice on the subject much appreciated.

We will only cover approx. 5k a year and we need a bigger

car for out golden retriever and having owned an SC430 in the past we know a Lexus is a
nice place to be, plus the local dealership have been in the past a very
helpful group of people.

Thanks for your help and let’s hope we can make this work. ;)

[ISJason]

hello

Everything has really been covered in detail here in this forum, but mainly:

Ask the dealer if the car you want to buy has been subject to recall for inverter checking.. It was only some chassis numbers, not all RX400h's.

Otherwise you will have a fine car with excellent feul economy (if you go easy on the pedal) i get 33 MPG around the town, 35- 37 on the Mway.

Fantastic comfort too and loads of space.

marvelous.

Enjoy

Jason

[mikesands]

I have just bought an 09 but haven't asked about the inverter checking. Would 09's be affected, and if it hasn't been in for recall, are you suggesting that they won't do it now even under the Lexus approved car warranty?

Thanks

Mike

PS It's good to see Lexus dealerships still prepared to retail an RX with 90k on the clock

[ISJason]

Hope your pleased with your purchase sir.

If the dealer did not mention about the inverter, more than likely it did not need to be done anyway. As i said, only certain cars were recalled.

enjoy.

[ColinBarber]

The only thing to consider with a 90k 400h is that the next service is a big one as the cambelt needs to be inspected/replaced.

[ColinBarber]

I have just bought an 09 but haven't asked about the inverter checking. Would 09's be affected, and if it hasn't been in for recall, are you suggesting that they won't do it now even under the Lexus approved car warranty?

Thanks

Mike

PS It's good to see Lexus dealerships still prepared to retail an RX with 90k on the clock

The recall was only for 2004 to 2006 vehicles.

If your vehicle was affected the dealer would have actioned it before putting up for sale.

[mikesands]

my lexus dealer has quoted me an all-in price of £600 for the 80, 90 and 100k services. And I checked that he was including the cam belt on the 100k one. At an average of £200 that doesn't sound too bad does it?

Mike

[ColinBarber]

my lexus dealer has quoted me an all-in price of £600 for the 80, 90 and 100k services. And I checked that he was including the cam belt on the 100k one. At an average of £200 that doesn't sound too bad does it?

Mike

that sounds pretty good to me. I was quoted around £850 just for the 100k service about 11 months ago. I think dealers have dropped their rates due to lack of business since then and it does vary quite a bit region to region around the country but just a minor 10k service costs me more than £200.

Lexus are now giving fixed prices for service items which the dealers cannot increase on:

http://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/lexus-servicing/#/FixedPricePromise

The RX cambelt change is £275 but that is without a tensioner. To be honest I'm not sure if the tensioner replacement is as necessary on a hybrid as the engine should have certainly done less revolutions compared to a conventional engine.

[Stevie C-D]

Thanks Guys for your advice, but after going to the local
Lexus dealership, I was majorly disappointed
with the presentation of the vehicle, filthy dirty, wiper blades falling apart,
wheels looked like they had been at the bottom of the Mersey for the last few
years, bumps and scrapes. The salesman told me it had not been through the
valters dept yet (really? :tsktsk: ) and it would
be this week. Well I’m glad we viewed it the condition left by the last owner,
and it’s no thanks from us.

But it’s not all bad news; my wife drove her on the test
drive and loved the smooth ride and power. Just sitting in on the run and I
knew we had to have an RX in our lives, just not this one, thank you. The
search is on now and I have located a lovely one an hour away, I go in the
morning to strike a deal.

Very disappointed with the Lexus dealership showing a vehicle
in such bad condition, if it's not ready, then it's not ready.

[lurch]

Thanks Guys for your advice, but after going to the local

Lexus dealership, I was majorly disappointed

with the presentation of the vehicle, filthy dirty, wiper blades falling apart,

wheels looked like they had been at the bottom of the Mersey for the last few

years, bumps and scrapes. The salesman told me it had not been through the

valters dept yet (really? :tsktsk: ) and it would

be this week. Well I’m glad we viewed it the condition left by the last owner,

and it’s no thanks from us.

But it’s not all bad news; my wife drove her on the test

drive and loved the smooth ride and power. Just sitting in on the run and I

knew we had to have an RX in our lives, just not this one, thank you. The

search is on now and I have located a lovely one an hour away, I go in the

morning to strike a deal.

Very disappointed with the Lexus dealership showing a vehicle

in such bad condition, if it's not ready, then it's not ready.

This seems to be a common theme with dealers, I drove from Lowestoft in suffolk all way up to lexus derby to look at a RX which they told me was excellent, when got there the battery was flat, had trouble even opening doors, been painted every where and was £22k. Also went up to lexus Leeds and was there 10 mins before came away another shocking car. Ended up going to Hatfield after putting down deposit and when got there asked for deposit back as was another bad example but they did do me a deal on a newer RX for same price as an apology, why they don't present cars in a decent way is beyond me.

[lurch]

This seems to be a common theme with dealers, I drove from Lowestoft in suffolk all way up to lexus derby to look at a RX which they told me was excellent, when got there the Battery was flat, had trouble even opening doors, been painted every where and was £22k. Also went up to lexus Leeds and was there 10 mins before came away another shocking car. Ended up going to Hatfield after putting down deposit and when got there asked for deposit back as was another bad example but they did do me a deal on a newer RX for same price as an apology, why they don't present cars in a decent way is beyond me.

[teejaybee]

I have to say that I have had no complaints with Lexus Bristol, Lexus dealers are renowned for their service and the ones mentioned appear to be letting the side down. Lexus UK should be made aware immediately. let's face it you do pay premium prices and you should get premium service for it!

[lurch]

Lexus uk were made aware and the response was very disappointing to say the least. They were not interested in that I drove for 5 hours to Leeds and was there only 10 mins, I did get the manager of lexus derby phone me and ask if I would like them to find a car for me, which I declined as the one I had gone to see was poor and they wanted to find me one ! Lexus policy to display cars on forecourt as is until sold then do the work if required, that was there answer, no compensation for petrol or loss of time, never mind still bought one in the end from elsewhere.

[mikesands]

I had the opposite sort of problem with Lexus Teesside. They must have bought in a minging RX400H from Liverpool way and spent a lot of time doing it up before putting it on the forecourt. This has dawned on me as I have subsequently discovered that it has had a substantial respray, and all the wheels have been refurbished. And the seats look new. The reason I suspect it was in poor condition when they bought it, is that there are a couple of lexus Liverpool service bills in the car including the checklist they are supposed to do. They contain the note 'Car too dirty to perform checks'

I don't have a problem with this as they seem to have done a very good job.

From what you say I'm glad I didn't go down to Leeds in the end.

Mike

[Duncan Roberts]

I have fortunately not bought second hand for many years but there is some merit in seeing the car as acquired by the dealer surely to see how it has been used by its previous owner?

Presenting in show room condition hides a great deal.

[Stevie C-D]

Well after the bad first experiance, we loved the RX so much we went back and got ourselves an 09 Excutive Limited Edition in Tyrol Silver with Oakham ivory leather, paid a little extra but we feel it's worth it. Pick it up once the DVLA sort out the plate change (so next year then :winky: )

Let you know how it goes when we do and I will post some pictures when we pick her up

[Vmax666]

Bought my rx400 2 years ago. It was very dirty when I went to see it. The dealer assured me if I wanted it he would have it cleaned. If I was not happy with the clean I could pull out of the deal. I was very satisfied with it when cleaned and have been very happy with the car in general.

[mikesands]

I must admit that the dealer can get a scruffy car in pristine condition if he wants to. It's the same with motorbikes. Often you have to look very closely at a bike to see whether it's actually a used one.

Surely there must be a market for this kind of cleaning, as it's so much more thorough than your typical valet. I suspect it's a specialised service and there are freelancers who spend all their time going round dealers doing the work. I'd pay those people a big chunk of money every now and then to return my cars to showroom condition.

Mike

[DanD]

'090 Exec Limited Edition? - Good choice!

I am always surprised how service varies so much from one dealership to another.

I have in the past recommended the Southampton dealership - Lexus Hedge End - and continue to do so unreservedly. They have no forecourt as such, and they have an indoor showroom for their second hand cars. The cars and the showroom are absolutely spotless... in fact their second hand cars don't enter the showroom until they have been valetted.