Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


BGLister

Members
  • Posts

    84
  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Forums

Events

Store

Gallery

Tutorials

Lexus Owners Club

Gold Membership Discounts

Lexus Owners Club Video

News & Articles

Everything posted by BGLister

  1. I am glad someone else has mentioned this. Yes, I have this on my 2009. It seems noticeable when coming off the pedal after firm braking. Dealer did not have an explanation, but did not seem concerned. I am guessing maybe something to do with the brakes and regeneration system, but its only a theory.
  2. Interesting. I have had an RX300, 350 and now a 2009 400h on just over 20,000 miles. They have all seemed to suffer from knocking at the front end. With the RX400h, the rattling became increasingly worse. The off side (driver side) drop link was replaced, and the car was better. But I could still hear rattles over coarse road surfaces and pot holes. They then replaced the damper and top mount. To be honest, no change. Still knocks/rattles. It is difficult to say whether it is now the (new) suspension still, or something in the dash. It is also difficult to guarantee reproduction of the noises when taking it to the dealers. You get to know which roads mainfest the problem, but may be they are too far away from the dealers. I have to say, the dealer I used has been excellent. It is getting to the point now though where I feel like a moaning mini because my car sometimes has a rattle at the front, they do loads of work, and the noise occaisionally re-presents itself. I agree though, that a car of this 'quality' should not make these kinds of noises. My cheapy Jeep Cherokee is 5 years old, has similar miles, and does not rattle like that.
  3. UPDATE Just had a CT as a courtesy car for 4 days whilst my RX was in dry dock. Absolutely loved the CT in the end! Its a good drive. Whilst it may be a bit of a bland looking car from the outside, the interior is spacious, homely and up to date. Not a rattle or squeak, nice sat nav system. My only gripe is the electronic "gear selector". It takes a little getting used to because of its return to home position, and only being able to tell what "gear" the car is in from the lights on the dash. That is counter intuitive to me. Otherwise a great little car - returned 46 mpg with a mix of town and motorway driving. The range topping car is alot of money though. If spending £32K on a car like the baby Lexus, I would rather spend the extra £8K to get more car around the £40K mark (Jaguar XF 3.0D is better value for that extra for instance). I think if you get the bottom or middle range models, they are better value. WOuld I have one? Yes.
  4. UPDATE. Looks like the problem has been finally solved thanks to Lexus Manchester (RRG Group). It was a drop link on the anti-roll bar that had play in it. Not sure if the part was a little out of spec, or 20,000 miles wear and tear on West Yorkshire roads, but diagnosed and replaced under the warranty. First class service from the dealership. Finally - rattle free driving again - and not a dashboard rattle after all!
  5. Car serviced, everything checked underneath (allegedly) - nothing reported back - but STILL rattles. May be a case of TADTS (they all do that Sir). I think it could be the undertray, which they say comes off for the service, but I will probably never know. The 60 reg RX450h loan car rattled rather more than I expected from the back and the driver door. Rather disappointing as they have been making them around 2 years now. Pursuit of Perfection? Hmmm...
  6. I have seen a CT200H at the dealers today, still with plastic wrapping on the inside and the wheels, just off the truck. First impression is that of blandness and a sore disappointment to the eye compared to the concept drawings. It was black with black interior and looked very boring indeed. My advice to anyone getting one of these is get it in a bright colour and have a little fun. Big cars don't suit bright colours, but this would. It is not very striking at all and needs all the help it can get IMHO. Interior has cues from the RX450h with the display and mouse combination. Passenger room in the back is adequate rather than generous. I'm probably in a mood today though - as I don't feel that enthusiastic about the 60 plate RX450h loaner I have today. Prefer my RX400h for the money. May have a play with some more later on and see if I can feel more warmth towards them! It not really a fair comparison from me though as I have not driven any BMWs, Mercs or Audis for years, so no benchmarks. However, I can't really see a reason to buy a CT over a hybrid Auris to be honest - they fulfil the same niche to me.
  7. I have owned them both. You can't really argue with the extra power of the 350 over the 300 (270 bhp against around 201 bhp respectively), but with equivalent economy. Not saying the 300 is bad, but I do think that it is worth paying the extra and going for a 350. As said above, there were some extra 'behind the scenes' refinements also made to the 350 with sound insulating windscreen, and more sound deadeding material, thicker carpets etc. It makes sense.
  8. In the UK we have had RX300, RX350 and RX400h (Mark 2 RXs that is). I have owned all of them and report back that the boots are identical as far as I can tell. The Lexus boot mats are certainly interchangeable, so any other pattern made by a 3rd party will fit across the different models.
  9. Thank you both for sharing the information. Although I am a little behind you both on the mileage, the roads here in West Yorkshire have been severely affected by the last two winters and have at times become very pot holed. I suppose the effect these can have upon suspension components and fixings could cause them to work loose. Likewise, I will take a look under the car over the weekend, other than that, I will ask the service technicians to make an inspection of the area. If that it was the problem is, at least it is easily solved. Funny you should mention tyre pressures as I checked mine recently and they were low. After adding air, the rattling/knocking seem to be less frequent - but then again, it may have been a placebo affect!
  10. Thanks for the update and fingers crossed that has solved the problem for you. My car is 09 vintage with 20,000 miles - how does that compare to yours for the wear and tear stakes? I would hope that checking the suspension and occaisional bolt would be something covered on a service. Thanks Bryan
  11. That is interesting. Is that (as far as you can tell) the same rattle/knocking or another one? I will have to check out which mode the vehicle is operating in and see of that is the same. What kind of mileage are you on? Did you notice when it started to happen? Thanks Bryan
  12. Thanks chaps. I am not sure whether it is good news or bad news that you are both encountering the same. I too was wondering whether the cold weather was precipitating this. I did not notice it quite so much with the warmer weather yesterday, but saying that, its 11C outside this morning and the rattle came to haunt me. These things are difficult to describe, but the noise seems to happen when the front end of the car is "bouncing" on its suspension, albeit it only has to be slight. I will try and take a look from underneath this weekend it it if dry. If either of you find out more before I do, please let me know. With thanks Bryan
  13. I have had an RX300, then an RX350, then the current RX400h. OK, the fuel economy on the 400h does not blow my socks off when looking at mpg figures of 28mpg (winter) to 32 mpg (summer). However, my wallet does notice the difference compared to the 350 (which was a lovely car too). I get around 100 extra miles to a tank in the hybrid. With the way fuel prices are going, I would lie awake in bed at night of I still had the 300/350. The driving conditions and style of driving do make a difference to the 400h's economy. Examples 1. On battery only - drove around 10 miles at between 30-40mph, flat road (no gradients), no other traffic, no stop/start due to lights and still had some battery power left 2. On battery only - traffic jam on motorway, crawl a few, stop, and repeat. Probably 1 mile. I live in West Yorkshire - it is hilly. The hybrid system works for me as half the time I am going down hill. The second motor effectively doubles the charging capacity of the system of course. It is not just a traction unit for when conditions dictate to use it. Having hybrid power also helps heave the car up hills in tandem with the petrol engine for some of the time. In a standard petrol RX, it would be costing me more going up hill, and not giving me any benefot back when going down hill. This is all driving at around town speeds. On a motorway and doing alot of miles, there will not be so much in it between say an RX350 and RX400h, or a diesel 4x4, as the hybrid system will not be giving so much back. Every little helps though. Overall, I think the benfit of a hybrid depends on several factors. These are: type of driving, length of journey, terrain, and style of driving. For me, I win out on the hybrid and it is a good all rounder as a business/family vehicle, comfortable, well specced as standard, good residuals, low RFL (£210 last year if I recall correctly), great on snow. It may not suit everyone, but it is nice to have a choice.
  14. I don't know what the problem is per se, but it may be worth ruling out poor connections at the back of the unit before doing anything else. Sorry if that sounds obvious or you have already done it. If you haven't, pulling the radio out is a fairly straightforward job. I would be tempted to pull all the cables off, then refit them, then give it a try. If that does not work, then it sounds like the head unit may have developed a fault. Fingers crossed that you get it sorted out to your satisfaction. B
  15. My RX400h is coming up to 2 years old and 20,000 miles now. It is booked in for the 20K service next week. I have recently noticed an intermittant rattle/knocking when I have been driving, but it is difficult to say where it is coming from (these things usually are difficult) except to say it is coming from deep down under the dashboard on the driver side. This rattle/knocking noise seems to happen when driving on a coarse road surface, driving over road markings, or a cat's eye for instance. Sometimes it happens on rougher terrain such as pot holes etc, but not necessarily. It is difficult to reproduce at will, but I hear it on every journey now. This is something that I have only recently come to notice, so wondered whether something has loosened with time. I have checked under the dasboard in the footwell area and can feel various bundles of cables and pieces of trim. Where I can find something that has the potential to rattle or knock against something else, I have wrapped butyl tape around it (anti-rattle tape). No change in that the rattle/knocking sound still happens. As good as Lexus technicians can be (no, not always), I am hesitant to let them start pulling the interior trim to pieces as they will no doubt get scuffed/scratched/stressed and various clips would have to pulled out and go back in, probably not getting replaced. The car is in mint condition, so don't want it getting spoilt - although the knocking is getting annoying. The other possibility is that the sound is getting transmitted up via the suspension or chassis from under the car. It does not really sound that way, but know that these things can be deceiptful. Amongst the possibilities are things like the suspension, exhaust mounts, heat shield. So would like to ask, has anyone here encountered a similar issue with their RX, found out what the problem was, and managed to get it solved? With thanks Bryan
  16. Hi, No, there is no folding shovel as standard, just the bits as outlined above. The tie downs are the 4 metal hinged loops in the cargo area. These allow attachment of cargo nets to secure items being carried in the boot. These come in two flavours: horizontal - a small central net big enough to secure say a briefcase; vertical net - this strings across the rear of the boot using the 2 loops near the boot opening - but requires the addition of two additional lugs which drill in near the bulb access panels on either side (all comes in a kit with a template). Hope that helps, Bryan
  17. I disagree that the 400h is overweighted, 'poor balance, not sure footed in bends'. Quite the opposite in my experience of owning the 350 then a 400h, I would say that the extra weight of a 400h is not noticeable and actually irrelevant. In fact, I would say the 400h has the edge in handling due to slightly stiffer suspension, lower centre of gravity, weight balance from front to back. Ride comfort is excellent too. Resale will be miles better. Any way, I copy my comparison from a another recent post: "I wanted to replace the 350 with another 350 when there were deals offered on the run out model. However, I was offered a surprisingly good deal on a 400h instead for much the same money. My family is no stranger to the 400h with my uncle already having owned two of them. I was persuaded by the dealer to test drive a 400h and see if I could really live with it. On balance the 350 and 400h are both fine cars, but with slightly different focal points. I think that if you were doing alot of motorway miles, the 350 would deliver pleasing fuel economy (for a 3.5 litre), with great performance. However, I live in West Yorkshire, and alot of petrol goes down the tail pipe from climbing hills, and bills roll in for wearing out brakes. I can say hand on heart that the 400h has been a really good all round vehicle with significanly lower running costs. I have averaged 31.1 mpg from new, with a bias towards round town driving and the occasional 150-200 mile motorway round trip. In comparison the 350 would have given me more like 25-26 mph, and much high road tax of course. In real terms, I got usually 250-260 miles on a full tank with the 350 with a best ever of 300 miles whilst driving in Holland (flat!). By contrast, the 400h gives me 360 miles with a best ever of 400 miles from brim to brim. The RX350 has full time all wheel drive and the RX400h part time by virture of being front drive with auxilliary support from the rear when necessary, This kicks in when moving from stand still, accelerating hard or in slippery conditions. Although the 400h gets some criticisim for carrying the weight of batteries, it has no prop shaft to contend with. Handling wise, I prefer that of the 400h which has a more even distribution from front to back. (The RX350 did try to kill me once when I hit ice on a bend at 50 mph and did a 180 degree spin!). In terms of off road performance, the 350 was disappointing and very nearly got me stuck in mud once despite being a full 4WD (though not designed as a focused off roader of course). With the 400h, I have had no cause to take it off road, but in the last winter, it was superb at tackling deep snow (12") and snowy/icy hills. It was quite sure footed setting off on slippery conditions, but putting good traction down courtesty of the torque coming from the motors at low road speeds. In fact, it was practically impossible to wheel spin it. So on balance? The 350 is great, but will cost more to run than a 400h in terms of petrol, brakes and RFL. I would also say that it will depreciate more than a 400h as it will not be as desirable to as many used car customers as the hybrid. That helps it become better value for money if you get a good deal, that can help off set the extra running costs. The 400h is also good, but the smooth power transition through its CVT transmission will have you smiling that it can deliver rapid acceleration, but incredibly smoothly, and surprise and shame other cars out there, whilst keeping the fuel bills in check. This may be even more of a factor in the future with expectations for increased petrol costs in the future, as well as the 20% VAT rate. The choice is yours, but the 400h delivers (for me) the better proposition, confirmed after enduring experience of all the RX range as an owner." What I would say is, does it really need to be a Lexus anyway? What is the main use of the vehicle going to be and what kind or roads will it be running on? If you have a breakage, will there be a facility within reach who can effect a repair. I would not go for an LPG conversion on a Lexus either (personally). Japanese engines have soft valve seats that would require an LPG system which adds lubrication. All bit of a faff, and if the engine wears prematurely, you will have a big bill to fix it on top of the £2000 for the LPG kit (a decent one will cost that inc VAT). It could be an expensive way of trying to save money. If you are going to do alot of high mileage motorway work - may be think of a robust 4x4 diesel alternative with may be more carrying space too. I think this boils down to what you want the vehicle for and how you are going to live with it.
  18. Have you tried a different key (just incase there is a problem with the immobiliser from the key end)?
  19. I'll throw my 2p worth in then. I have owned Rx300, 350 and now a 400h. I have enjoyed each car, but I would say that the 350 and 400h both represent a marked improvement over the 300 in more ways than pure fuel economy. I traded the 300 in for a 350 and noticed a significant difference in performance with the 350 being very quick off the mark, more confidence inspiring in overtaking, all round better refinement, and perhaps a slight imrpovment in fuel economy. I had each car for around 15 months. I wanted to replace the 350 with another 350 when there were deals offered on the run out model. However, I was offered a surprisingly good deal on a 400h instead for much the same money. My family is no stranger to the 400h with my uncle already having owned two of them. I was persuaded by the dealer to test drive a 400h and see if I could really live with it. On balance the 350 and 400h are both fine cars, but with slightly different focal points. I think that if you were doing alot of motorway miles, the 350 would deliver pleasing fuel economy (for a 3.5 litre), with great performance. However, I live in West Yorkshire, and alot of petrol goes down the tail pipe from climbing hills, and bills roll in for wearing out brakes. I can say hand on heart that the 400h has been a really good all round vehicle with significanly lower running costs. I have averaged 31.1 mpg from new, with a bias towards round town driving and the occasional 150-200 mile motorway round trip. In comparison the 350 would have given me more like 25-26 mph, and much high road tax of course. In real terms, I got usually 250-260 miles on a full tank with the 350 with a best ever of 300 miles whilst driving in Holland (flat!). By contrast, the 400h gives me 360 miles with a best ever of 400 miles from brim to brim. The RX350 has full time all wheel drive and the RX400h part time by virture of being front drive with auxilliary support from the rear when necessary, This kicks in when moving from stand still, accelerating hard or in slippery conditions. Although the 400h gets some criticisim for carrying the weight of batteries, it has no prop shaft to contend with. Handling wise, I prefer that of the 400h which has a more even distribution from front to back. (The RX350 did try to kill me once when I hit ice on a bend at 50 mph and did a 180 degree spin!). In terms of off road performance, the 350 was disappointing and very nearly got me stuck in mud once despite being a full 4WD (though not designed as a focused off roader of course). With the 400h, I have had no cause to take it off road, but in the last winter, it was superb at tackling deep snow (12") and snowy/icy hills. It was quite sure footed setting off on slippery conditions, but putting good traction down courtesty of the torque coming from the motors at low road speeds. In fact, it was practically impossible to wheel spin it. So on balance? The 350 is great, but will cost more to run than a 400h in terms of petrol, brakes and RFL. I would also say that it will depreciate more than a 400h as it will not be as desirable to as many used car customers as the hybrid. That helps it become better value for money if you get a good deal, that can help off set the extra running costs. The 400h is also good, but the smooth power transition through its CVT transmission will have you smiling that it can deliver rapid acceleration, but incredibly smoothly, and surprise and shame other cars out there, whilst keeping the fuel bills in check. This may be even more of a factor in the future with expectations for increased petrol costs in the future, as well as the 20% VAT rate. The choice is yours, but the 400h delivers (for me) the better proposition, confirmed after enduring experience of all the RX range as an owner.
  20. I take it you do just mean the radio/cd player, rather than the navigation screen too? Its a very simple job once you know how. Google and you shall find (I'm not sure I want to present this kind of info on the internet myself, so a PM would be better). If you look for instructions on how to install an iPod kit, such as the Vaistech SLi, you will find out how it is done. £595 sounds reasonable I suppose, as the only alternative is a dealer and I'm sure it would cost more. Why not call a dealer parts department to get the as new price? If it is not too different, you may get a guarantee as well as knowing that it is brand new and unmarked. Some cars have the Mark Levinson system as opposed to the basic system - which do you have?
  21. I did exactly the same thing last year. Bought full set from Lexus in Dallas - exactly the same part as UK, but made in Mexico. Only thing to be aware of is that they are suprisingly large items when not on a car. They came in a box which I threw away. Then packed my suitcase around the mudflaps (or splash guards as they call them there). You need a right angle drill bit to put them on (requires drilling the wheel arches in several places). Its a bit of a faff, and much easier if you take the wheels off first. Good luck though - quite a saving. Bryan
  22. I have an RX450h courtesy car at the moment whilst my RX400h is in for a service. Its nice, really nice. It has all the toys (still). Its comfortable, quiet and economical. However, the 450 in my possession has more rattles than my 400. If you get one, I would wait a little longer still whilst they examine the warranty reports and address any reported shortcomings in the build. Lovely car, but would I spend £15K (currently a 50% premium) over a 400h? Sorry, no. I break into a sweat leaving my 400h in public car parks and supermarkets in case someone damages my P&J. That's why I have spent £6.5K on a nearly new (sacrificial) Jeep - that has a transfer box (low ratio gearing) for dealing with serious mud, deep snow and slippery hills. So you could get a RX400h, 2 Jeeps, and a holiday somewhere hot - for the same money as the 450h! I don't know what Lexus are doing with their price strategy. They seem to be pricing at the very top of the market (exchange rate aside) with that new LFA sports car. It may make for exclusivity, but I doubt they will sell many.
  23. You are right. It is normally 2WD but 4WD on demand. In normal conditions, the rear wheels are sent power to assist with acceleration such as setting off from a standing start, or booting it hard on the motorway. All wheels can also be called upon when there is a lack of grip such as in snow conditions.
  24. IIRC the car has a 'drive by wire' throttle. The Snow Control changes the throttle response so more pressure is required to reach higher revs, therefore (allegedn;y) giving finer control for the driver. That's probably 'bout it.
  25. I think there are 2 important considerations: traction, grip. Traction - ability for your car to put the power down. The RX400h seems to be pretty good at this. You can get power down through all 4 wheels if necessary, and the car decides that for you. Of course with a 2WD car, it cannot get so much traction when on a snowy surface. Our experience of the RX is that it is actually very good on getting power down and keeping the car moving. I had difficulty on a very steep hill covered in ice, but got well beyond where a front wheel drive car would have got before coming to halt as there was ice under all of the wheels. Got there in the end though after scraping the road. Grip - on this one, I think the same applies to pretty much any car. If you are coming down a steep icy incline, it matters less whether you have 2WD-FWD, 2WD-RWD, or 4WD. You need to keep speed down, so its a matter of how much slowing down on each wheel can be achieved prior to a wheel locking and the car sliding. In this respect, I doubt that the RX has much of an advantage other than its weight. 4WDs with low ratio gear box would probably fair better in that engine braking can be used over all of the driving wheels to keep speed in check and keep a car under control, prior to needing the brakes. On 4x4 course, they can show you the effect of coming down a slippery slope (all feet off the pedals) and the car will let itself down gently, until you hit the brakes and then the back of the car may try to overtake the front, spinning it into a difficult situation. As you say, there is some engine braking in B mode, but its not as strong as say a first gear, or low ration box, but its better than nothing so that's what I use. My advice would be to get your RX out on a snowy car park away from other cars, and have a play. You will get a feel for how the car behaves and what the envelope is. Also get a feel for braking and from what speeds the ABS kicks in. On descending hills, I stop at the top, select B mode, and just let the car roll with no accelerator, and gently holding the brake on but trying to avoid changing the braking pressure. It takes a bit of nerve, and mistakes will be expensive, but so far so good. Its down to your judgement, the conditions, and your feel for the car that should dictate whether to attempt a descent, pick another route, or just stay at home with a cup of tea and watch an old film on the TV.
×
×
  • Create New...