DanD

Has your car got a manual gearbox? Also, what would happen with a RX400h, bearing in mind that at "wading speed", the car would be likely to switch to battery only power?

You can activate/deactivate the automatic locking and the unlocking separately. You can also customise it so that it is locks automatically over a certain speed, or link it to when the car goes into/out of PARK mode. It's all in the manual and I believe is standard on all 2nd generation RXs.

My car is a 2009 RX400h. I have set the tonneau cover to retract automatically when the hatch opens. However, on some seemingly random occasions, the tonneau cover does not slide back properly and ends up in a mess or altogether comes off its tracks. It is easy to put it back, but nonetheless a nuisance, and I am concerned that it will eventually get damaged. Dealer had a go at fixing this with some kind of lubricant. It was OK for a couple of months, but has started to happen once more. Any suggestions? - Thanks in advance. Danny

Check this website... might be cheaper: http://www.powerbulbs.com/

Lexus currently have two RX400h with colours I have never seen before and did not even know were available... Guildford have a red one (Mesa Red) Tunbridge Wells have a white one (St Lucia Pearl) Are there any other unusual colours out there outside the usual Oxford Blue, Tyrol Silver, Aleutian Grey, Cardoxton Slate, Platinum Ice or Brechin Slate

Beejay, are you happy with the results and do you recommend the swap? Also, can you confirm that the fading in/out of the lights still works? Cheers

Duncan - you never fail to make me smile. Always so blunt and to the point!

wow... talk about prompt response! - lol Have you installed the bulbs already and are you pleased with the result?

Beejay... Can you please tell us more about the LED interior lights? Is it just a matter of swapping bulbs? If so, which are you getting and from where? Cheers

Thanks HASSELBLAD. I think your response should have been directed to Intricateweb who I am sure will also be interested in your comments. My question was more of a general interest, and my comments below are not aimed at this post in particular, but all posts related to pertol consumption. My car averages 28.5 mpg. I am not particulary careful in my style of driving, have the aircon on all the time, etc, etc, and I am not overly concerned about fuel consumption so long as it does not drop below 28mpg. It does amaze me that some people have managed to achieve low 30's, but I have no interest in spoiling my enjoyment of a brilliant car in trying to beat this... although I admit that, in the right conditions, it can be fun to watch the info screen and see 99.9MPG on the display. Having said this, I have found the various entries on fuel consumption fascinating: it is interesting to see and understand the various factors that may influence consumption such as the obvious like driving style, and the less obvious like type of fuel, typre pressure and others. I think that, at the end of the day, it is difficult to make effective comparisons between cars and rivers because there are just too many unknowns. Ratio between urban and motorway driving, short vs long journeys, flat or hilly environment, weather, aircon on or off, number of passengers, number of electrics switched on (wipers, lights, phone or other chargers), how long since the car was last serviced, condition and inflation of tyres, etc. I suspect that, as the winter closes in, a lot of us will see consumption worsen as our cars will be relying on their petrol engine more and for longer to warm up. Given all this (and more!), I think that a variance of several miles per gallon is perfectly acceptable. The RX400h/RX450h are big, heavy cars full of gadgets. They will always struggle to compete - from a consumption perspective - with similar sized diesels, but will always be more economical than their petrol competitors. Personally, I bought my car because of its comfort, reliability, and the reputation of Lexus dealers (at least my dealer!). If low petrol consumption had been my priority, I would have looked elsewhere.

I wonder... would you also expect a noticeable difference in consumption depending on the type of unleaded used?

You really need to do a search on "corrosion" or "corroded wheels"... there are endless entries on this topic that has been extensively documented.

Tom, are you sure? it's just that the two times I contacted my dealer for possible claims against the 1 year warranty (once for the corroded alloys, and once for the fogged up headlight), they referred the claim to Lexus UK for approval...

I would argue that this is NOT normal, and I can't believe the dealer told you so! - For info, I had condensation in one of my headlights. Dealer investigated and found that the seal was at fault and replaced the headlight without discussion. You definitely need to kick up a fuss and escalate to the dealership manager if need be.

I have recommended Lexus Hedge End (Southampton) in the past and still do, if it's of any use to you.

There is no RH / LH adjustment I'm afraid. You have to use the stickers. You may also want to disable the AFS (Adaptive Front lighting System... or swivelling headlights) so as to not blind other drivers when going around corners.

Over the years, I have had a three warranty issues, each with with a different car manufacturer (nont with Lexus, but I don't think it would be appropriate to name them here). Each time, I wrote to the HQ / Customer Services, and sent my letter recorded delivery. In each letter, I expressed my disappointment as a loyal customer, and stated that I may consider moving to a different brand when changing car. Each time, I also made it clear that I would write to the Top Gear and the What Car help line. In all cases, the manufacturer offered either to cover 75% of costs, or to pick up the whole bill. Manufacturers are not keen to see this type of issues documented in the press... I would hope that a manufacturer such as Lexus, with its reputation for reliability and good customer service would follow that trend. I would suggest that this course of action may be more speedy, more effective and less costly that going through the small claimes court. Also, a small claims court case is less likely to attract bad publicity. Why not giving it a go!?

I believe the 208bph refers to the petrol engine only, the 276bhp refer to petrol + hybrid output.

Jack, I recommend you do a search for battery related threads. Possible issues are extensively documented, I am no expert. I don't remember reading about any major issue in relation to the hybrid system. The batteries are supposed to last the life of the car.

I do not think fitting the tow bar should be an issue. What I am saying is that whatever you will be towing might interfere with the parking sensors, in particular when going around corners, as this will bring trailer/caravan/whatever closer to the car and possibly within range of the sensors. Therefore you need to check that the sensors can be disabled. With regards to the satnav, you will find that it was not standard fit on the SE, but that most were ordered with it. If you choose a car with satnav, it will automatically have a rear parking camera... which may negate the need for rear parking sensors. I believe that the Mark Levinson audio was only fitted to the SE-L and the Executive Limited Edition, which was the going out version before the RX400h was replaced with the RX450h.

The version should not make any difference as only the trim level differs. Engine, gearbox, suspension and wheels are all the same. The only thing I can think of is that you may need to check that, if the car has been fitted with parking sensors these can be turned off.

Just thought... you say seat belt on, but it could be related to the sensor in one of the seats. Either in the driver's seat: you're in the seat, and have your seat belt on, but this does not get picked up by the sensor OR Passenger's seat: no-one is sitting there, but the sensor within the seat thinks there is and is asking the non existing passenger to belt up. From looking at my own car, the sensors in the seat are at the back for the sitting area. You can see 2 raised spots under the leather, in front of the back rest. You haven't put a heavy-ish back on the passenger seat by any change, have you?

hmmm... like the open tailgate, would it not show on the dashboard display?

Could it be that the tailgate is not properly closed? (although I think this would show on the dashboard display)

Mine is a Feb'09 model. If the mirror selection switch is left in the middle position, the mirrors do not move when selecting reverse. However, if the left or right mirror is selected, then the mirrors dip when reversing. I have a separate button to fold the mirrors in. I'd be interested to know if there is a way to program the mirrors to fold in automatically when the engine is switched off.