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julian1969

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Everything posted by julian1969

  1. Rx400h, 10k miles personal and business, breakdown cover, legal cover £307. 50 with loads of ncb and off-road parking. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  2. Not actually changed the speakers on an RX but have on other vehicles. Hardest thing is finding speakers that will fit unless you want to get into custom door / panel building. Once you have speaker dimensions (and fixing positions) you can find new speakers, however this is not the way i'd proceed. Speakers are probably the last thing i'd replace. 1st If there is an external amp in the system, replace that as this is usually low quality in standard kit. If there is no external amp, replace the head unit with one with a good internal one. Also, ensure the amp and / or head unit have a crossover facility. 2nd Fit a sub, this doesn't have to be a big box taking up half the boot, there are plenty of subtle slimline powered subs that can be fit discreetly - I had a seat alhambra and fitted a blaupunkt slimline sub in the passenger footwell for example. This is also where the crossover facility is useful, this allows you to direct low frequencies to the sub and higher frequencies to the factory speakers. This will probably give you your best improvement as most issues come from small speakers trying to reproduce low bass and distorting. 3rd Fit new speakers, either all in one coaxials or if you can split the mid and tweeters with a passive crossover. This will give you a bit of a bump too but not like 1 and 2. I know it seems a bit of a faff but this is probably your best route to improved sound.
  3. windscreen seals can be fitted incorrectly - when was the windscreen last replaced? Washer tubes to rear washer can split / become disconnected. Sunroof drains can become blocked. There are reports of welds and seals failing but this is more common at the rear.
  4. The satnav is indeed bobbins - i use my phone in a holder in the bottom right of the screen with a permanently installed charge cable running under the floor mat and up the door seal. at 100k miles the following should already have been done 80k - spark plugs 100k - timing belt. these are the big ticket items and if they have not been done or cannot be verified as being done then they are definite bargaining points. Note lexus' fixed prices are ok unless you need the water pump doing as well in which case it suddenly gets very expensive. Hybrid health check is worth doing if you get the extended warranty. Other than that it's only normal things that can start failing at that mileage... exhaust, radiator, bushes, suspension, cv boots, etc. all being the luck of the draw regarding rust and prior road debris damage. The 400h will eat brakes and tyres if you are 'enthusiastic' in your driving, it's heavy old lump but can build speed quite rapidly, learn to find the point where regen braking ends and mechanical braking begins and brake early enough to keep it in the regen zone. Better MPG and longer lasting tyres and brakes are the reward.
  5. I had my exhaust sleeved and a new radiator fitted for around £500 by a local garage (57 400h) the bill from lexus would have been in excess of £3k. My philosophy with these cars is - if it's the electrics or hybrid system then bite the bullet and take it to Lexus initially if it's to do with the ICE or other mechanicals then any competent, trusted mechanic will be able to handle it. Unless of course you are still under warranty - then it's probably in your best interests to get lexus to do the job.
  6. Whenever I've run a nice car i always park miles away from the 'crowd', preferably next to an 'end' and if i feel i can get away with it (i.e. carpark is empty and likely to stay that way) on the wonk. Or i'll just take the wifes runabout. 8¬D
  7. Well known 400h issue, the battery is minute, seriously, take a look at it, apparently it's the same size as for an MR2 roadster. If you are doing anything with the doors open or sitting waiting with the radio playing, etc. have it in 'ready' otherwise the tiny 12v battery will die and you will get scary 'check hybrid / vsc' messages. Personally when taking mine in for a service I turn off all interior lights and the auto headlights etc. as I've been handed the car back a couple of times with a severely depleted 12v battery causing starting issues. Last time I had to replace the 12v battery.
  8. Can certainly recommend LXMK as a nice place to sit and have coffee while waiting for a walletectomy. Seriously though they were incredibly friendly and informative when I had my 400h serviced there. If it's routine servicing though i'd take it to a good independent, if it's anything hybrid, electronic or more deeply engine related I'd certainly consider a main dealer or specialist Lexus shop. If you find the latter in northamts, buck or beds, let me know as I'd love to give them my business...
  9. I had exactly the same experience when I had my 100k service, cam belt and water pump (1k in itself) done. Unfortunately I had a leaky rad and as you have a blowing exhaust as well. I found a local garage who replaced the rad and 'sleeved' the bad bit of the exhaust (cut out the bad bit and welded a larger diameter piece of tubing over the existing exhaust to bridge the gap) this cost me just over £500 with only £100 of that being for the exhaust. Eventually I'll get a new system probably from one of the custom manufacturers in stainless steel dotted about the place but for now i'm very happy with the 'stopgap' repair I have and as long as it holds i don;t see the point in paying money on a 10 year old car that i don't have to.
  10. As an ex smoker i can see the use for when you want the window open to flick your ash out of but it's teaming down with rain and doing so will make you soaked. As I no longer smoke I don't feel the need but I can see the use. Interested in the bluetooth cassette thing. Is there any conflict between the built in BT phone answering on the car and this for audio or does it 'just work' if so what phone are you using?
  11. So it’s 100k service time so I book the Rx400h in to Lexus Milton Keynes for service and cambelt. They do this in their usual wonderfully professional yet wallet wrenchingly expensive way and oh yes your water pump has gone so that needs doing too. All in it’s just under a grand. Which is expensive but I wanted it done properly as I don’t have a trusted mechanic any more and there are no local Lexus specialists. They also discover a slow leak on the radiator and the exhaust has a blow. Fixing this would cost an eye watering 2.5k. So I politely decline their offer to carry out the work and go into minimal use car mode. A mate recommends a garage so I take it along and ask them to sort the radiator and if they can do anything with the exhaust that won’t cost a good proportion of a months salary. The bloke is more used to working on astray and focus’s but he says he’ll have a go. A few days and £478 later I have a car that doesn’t drop and is now quiet as a Lexus should be. Unfortunately this morning I get in the car to go to the gym and it doesn’t start. It’s been slow to ping up the ready light for a couple of weeks. I suspect LMK left the door open as it’s been roughly that long. So long story short a ****** off lunch time drive back to LMK to give them anothe £82 for a battery and then fitting the thing. Hopefully now it’s had its little tantrum my Rx400h will go back to being the iron fist in a velvet glove it was before this started. Bloody expensive month though.
  12. Before I bought my 400h I looked at 300/350's after a couple of test drives I rejected the 300 as just being too slow and thirsty. The 350 was quick but boy did it like a drink. The 400h was right in the goldilocks zone, able to lift up it's skirts and go for it when needed but if you've got time to just amble along it'll get 40+ mpg. Yes there are worries about the hybrid system / battery but find a good one with service history that's had any recalls or warranty work done and it'll be fine. Mine is approaching 11 years old and just sailed through yet another hybrid health check with no issues. Be aware though that parts and servicing can be expensive Lexus wanted £2000 for a new cat back exhaust system. My local garage fixed it for £120 so there are ways around this.
  13. I try and do 3 fills of supermarket to 1 fill of shell V-Power. Most tests I've seen say this is the better 'posh fuel' out there but I'm sure a shot of redex would do the same thing to keep my fuel system clean, it's just easier to pop into shell and fill 'er up. Never really noticed much of a difference whatever petrol I put in, maybe a tiny amount of extra oomph and a bit longer between fill ups but certainly not enough to warrant the cost of a constant vpower diet..
  14. my money is on tyres or wheel bearing good luck finding out which it may be. I'd say replace the tyres first but keep the old ones if they have decent meat left on them to re-use if the noise is still present. Another idea may be to find some very cheap part worn tyres from a decent make and have them fitted (again keep the old ones if they are any good) just to see if the noise goes away. I've had mystery road speed related noises in cars before and it's a nightmare, my sympathies for you.
  15. a good proportion of warning errors like this - especially those that appear and disappear on the RX400h can be traced to low voltage in the 12v battery. Temperature, how long the vehicle stands idle (1-2 weeks seems to be the start of issues), listening to the radio without the 'ready' light on can all cause the 12v to run down and throw this kind of error (usually check VSC). I had my RX400h in to Lexus yesterday for a service / cam belt / water pump and they obviously let the battery drain as I started it, pulled into the petrol station next door and it popped up with that very message, tuned off the auto lights which were on for some reason and it started fine. After a quick blast home down the a5 it started no problem this morning. If it happens often the battery may have become nonviable and need replacing, this is a common complaint with the rx400h as it's really a small battery for the size of the car and drain the systems put on it. there are some higher capacity batteries that will fit and the same battery can be sourced cheaper from a Toyota dealer as it's the same type that they fit to the last model MR2 i believe.
  16. The trim at the bottom on the inside of my tailgate is coming away from the tailgate.. Looking inside it looks like there are some plastic catches held to the tailgate by adhesive tape and this is failing. I'm sure there is some sort of correct release mechanism for this whole piece, otherwise how do you replace the real light bulbs. Can anyone suggest a fix or link to a how to on youtube or somewhere? Editied to add, it's a 57 plate RX400h
  17. Most groaning on a 400h is due to rear brake calipers, they need cleaning and regreasing or if you take it to lexus, replacing, every 20-40k miles.
  18. Given the date of the original post it's a moot point but worth noting that this is actually misdirection and half truth on the part of the original seller. There is no such thing as a trade sale (or sold as seen) between a Registered business selling a car and a member of the public. Your statutory rights are unaffected (i.e. fit for purpose, right to reject, etc.), if you choose not to buy a warranty that's fine (none I've found cover the hybrid system anyway so useless on a 400h) but certainly in this case the car was not fit for purpose at the time of purchase and the buyer would have been well within his rights to return the car for a refund.
  19. Overall voltage - istr 350v or something like that... Battery is charged by running engine or regenerative braking - running the motors in reverse driven by road wheels on coast Stop start - this is difficult to describe - I've run on battery only at 80mph (slight downhill) and I've been doing 5mph and had the engine running (cold - need engine warm to run heater or traction battery low) range on pure battery is 1 - 2 miles. Driving a hybrid or electric car is all about anticipation and gentle inputs to get the best out of the battery side. Accelerate slowly, coast lots, don;t accelerate uphill if possible, etc. and the battery will be your friend with high 30's low 40's mpg. Drive it like you stole it and, although fun, you'll barely brake 20mpg.
  20. my rx has a weird heater 'issue' it's almost as if the temperature i set is 5 or so degrees too low when heating. setting to 22 will still blow cold air and to get warm air out i have to up it to the 25 - 27 range. Not really a problem more an aesthetic issue really but if something is deteriorating towards failure I'd be interested to know.
  21. I recall seeing some hardware that could be put behind the dash like a usb / bluetooth adaptor that would bypass the i agree screen - I had a quick google but couldn;t see anything definite - plenty of service menu 'hacks' that you might want to try but it's hit and miss with those as they depend on year, country and software version. I'm still trying to get the doors to lock and unlock when i go in and out of park on my '57 rx with no joy so good luck with timing and pressing just the right invisible button on the screen.
  22. Personally I never encounter the 'i agree screen' as I leave the main screen on the energy monitor and use my phone in a holder with a concealed charge cable for sat nav duties. I find my phone has much more up to date maps, is much easier to enter destinations and interfaces with my watch so I only have to look at it when my watch vibrates and lets me know I have a junction, turn, etc. soon. I've also programmed the 'speed dial' settings on the car with my most commonly called numbers so I can just press the steering wheel button and then select a speed dial name to call someone , also without any nannying. Audio, ac, etc. all work fine on the move and don;t need the 'i agree' screen to function. I've never bothered with the maintenance screens as I just get it serviced every 10k miles / 1 year and check my tyres regularly and change them if necessary.
  23. Necrothread: Yeah these are crap - one broke yesterday 200 meters from the MOT station I was taking it to to be MOT'd, luckily the MOT place was able to replace it and I passed. I'm buying some Bosch ones next time.
  24. my advice would be to buy the Tiguan and flip it immediately and stick the money in the bank or an isa or buy lego, whatever. Then if / when the Mrs becomes pregnant decide what to do. The biggest problem areas with vw's are the diesel engines and the dsg gearboxes and this has both so i'd not keep it.
  25. never hear of Oponeo but I've had positive experiences with Event Semita budget tyres on my 400h. Bit more expensive than yours at £70-80 (can;t remember exactly) a corner but they ride and grip well and are Lexus quiet - only a few months old so no idea about wear rates yet though.
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