Burroo 67

Morning All, I went to see a (March) '08 RX400H on Monday, it's the version with the wooden steering wheel inserts and wooden facia inserts. It has 107K on the clock but is in pretty stunning condition throughout, especially the bodywork. This vehicle is in a Lexus main dealer and was literally just in the day earlier so it has not been through their workshop and I have not yet had a test drive, but I am VERY interested. Can you please advise of what you believe would be a fair asking price for this model and year with the stated mileage and could you also suggest things I should be asking the dealer about the vehicle? I've read somewhere that the cam belt should be replaced at 90K so I've asked the salesman to check this for me, but are there other important things I should be checking - waterpump etc.? From what I can gather so far the car has full Lexus service history apart from two stamps, one of which (80K) is missing and the other (90K) was an independasnt garage and was a bit "late" according to the salesman. However what I find a bit disturbing is that the last MOT was completed on 03/05/17 when the car only had 86,112 miles on it (with no advisory notes - details obtained via the 'vehicle Smart' app). If the Lexus data is correct that means it has done 21K in less than a year!!! I'm gonna chack with the showroom. As usual guys, your advice is invaluable so please do not hold back......

Fantastic news, many thanks guys.....

Cheers Sorcerer

Hi Guys, Many thanks for the responses re battery life and costs, that's certainly put my mind at ease. Could you please now concertrate on the engine side of my original post? A appreciate that a car with 100K miles on it is gonna suffer from wear and tear, I've had used cars all my life so know the script there. What I worry about with the 400H is not so much the petrol engine, at 3.3L it should be robust enough to last 200K easily if looked after, it's more the electric engines as I don't know much about these beasts. Have you any thoughts about reliability and what kind of mileage I can expect from a 400H? I would expect a Lexus to be very well put together so hopefully should not require the sort of mainenance that inferior makes and models might need, as I mentioned I am partially retired so this might well be my last decent car and I need to know it will last for a few years (I only do around 7K miles per year)... Mant thanks in anticipation.

Hi, I am looking at buying a used RX400H but due to financial circcumstances and being only part-time employed with a small pension I would be looking at a 2006/07 model most probably. Can you please advise what the life expectancy is of these vehicles, engines and battery wise as I've read some conflicting views on both. The cars I have been looking at all appear stunning body and interior wise but I don't want to buy one with 100K miles on it then start to get large repair bills. Some have said that at 100k miles thye battery packs should have been renewed but if they have not been I could be looking at a bill of £3000 to replace? I previously owwned a Lexus 220d, but like SUV type vehicles, hence my interest in the 400H. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.....

Hi Guys, Was speaking to a guy who had his 530 BMW remapped or "chipped" and was singing its praises. It makes about 35 BHP difference to then IS220d with around 45 increase to the torque. Has anyone had this done to their 220d and would you recommend it? Just feel the car is a tad sluggish thru the gears.... Burroo

Thanks for all the responses, they've given me food for thought.... Tow quick questions about snow tyres: - 1. Which make would you recommend (heard Falken are decent for a decent price?) 2. Would you put them only on the drive wheels (my mate is a taxi driver in Aviemore and he does this - certainly it's a FWD car) Thanks guys

Hi Guys, This will be my first winter driving with the IS220d. Spoke to a friend who used to have one and he said that winter driving is an absolute nightmare, especially in the snow. Can you share experiences and give any advice please? Cheers

Guys, Many thanks for taking the time to respond. My mechanic found the fault reasonably quickly, it was a bad earth on the battery so he created a new earth point and the car is running fine again. Thank the Lord

Today I returned to my car and it would not start. There were absolutely no electrical functions at all in the car. I called the assist company and they could not start the car - apparently there is a charge in the battery, but this is not getting to the required systems. I had to get delivered home, first time ever in 35 yrs of driving. Please help??????

Hi Guys, On Saturday I was driving up a steep hill and the car suddenly lost power, so much so that I had to drop down to 2nd gear to get me to the top. The Red Triangle warning light with the black ! in it came on as well as the engine management light and the light that shows you have the snow mode turned on. The computer showed "Check VSC). I ran the car by my mechanic today and he put it on the diagnostic computer and it came up with a fault with the EGR? Can anyone advise why "Check VSC" should show as the error??? Cheers

matt-c, is your insurance company actually gonna pay for it mate?

Guys, I have noticed that in strong sunlight (not that we get much of it in the West of Scotland) my windscreen appears to have hundreds of tiny marks on it, slightly bigger than pin pricks, which makes visibility a bit impaired and is a bit annoying to be honest. I have tried Autoglym window solution on it to no avail. Has anyone got any suggestions as I'm driving to Cornwall in 4 weeks for a holiday and expect to get loads of sunshine down there. This windscreen thing could be a problem????? Burroo

Thanks for the replies folks. Don't intend to drive with fog lights on unless it's foggy as Polis round my way are murder for pulling people traffic offences. I like the look of DRL's is all, but if it's gonna be a hassle I'll just do without.....

Hi Guys, Has anyone tried fitting these flexible Daytime Running Lights to their IS220d, or are they a waste of time? If they're useless can can anyone recommend a reasonable, decent DRL kit that is kinda easy to install as I'm hopeless with cars..... Cheers

Hi I've just had a Bury CC9068 installed in my 220d and had to spend a tidy sum buying a special wiring harness. The advice i gfot from every installer I spoke to was that the wiring starts at the back (amplifier) and then moves forward. I'm sorry mate but i did not stand over the guy installing mine, however if you didn't pay a small fortune for the extra wiring harness you have the wrong kit my friend....

Guess what, on my way home I tried holding in the display button again and hey presto - IT WORKED. Many thanks to all who contributed......

Dunno, Normski, will try when I leave work this afternoon and post later....

HI Guys, Tried holding in the display button yesterday and nowt happened! Seems strange that this cannot be reset?????? :megaangry: :megaangry: :megaangry: :megaangry:

..and here was me thinking it was stones hitting the windscreen!!

Very quick one guys.... Is there any way to reset the computer display average MPG when you start a trip? I know it aint 100% accurate, but will give an idea when completeing different types of trip. Cheers

Mouser, thanks for the link. I fully intend watching these YouTube clips before getting started (probably next weekend) and thanks for the advice Rayaan. One wee question guys....I am having to carry out this detailing in the street so will have to be careful of debris/dirt/dust blowing onto the car. Do you recommend washing and drying between the three stages (I intend polishing the car over one day, sealing over the second day and waxing on the third day)?

Rayaan, Here's the link to the kit I bought... http://www.i4detailing.co.uk/shop/Deltalyo-kestrel-das6-850w-power-plus-britemax-polish-seal-and-wax-kit.html To be honest I do not know how good or bad this kit is but it will get me started with detailing and I have a good Carnauba wax at home in any case, unused - bought it two years ago and never been opened. I have just fitted parking sensors and I am in the process of fitting a decent hands free kit so money was a tad tight. Hope i've done Ok with my purchase? Burroo

Right, decision made folks. I contacted various companies for recommendations and taking everything into account- especially the very helpful comments above - I plumped for the DAS6 Pro as it was the same price as the 500w version on the i4detail site. I went for a kit that includes polish, sealant and wax and the plan is to do the car over 3-4 days finishing off with a good coat of wax. I do not intend to polish more than once a year from what I have been told about car care, but will wax a few times to get a decent coverage. Many thanks again for the input

Epilogue.... Was told by showroom I bought the car from (in Sheffield) to run car by Arnold Clark TOYOTA in Paisley where a very knowledgable Service Manager confirmed what a couple of you guys had been saying. The climate control and aircon use a lot of electricity and the higher revs is the car's way of handling this, making sure the battery has enough juice to run things until the engine reaches full running temp. On the way into work this morning I turned off the climate control and the car idled at 800RPM. Stopped at the lights I switched it back on and the revs immediately rose to 1200 - problem (or what I believed to be a problem) solved and I suppose the £60+ I spent on fuel additives can only do the car some good. Many thanks again to all contributors, really looking forward to many happy years of driving with my new IS220d - especially the drive to Cornwall in July - comfort all the way..... Cheers for now guys Burroo PS: - I'll stick a pic of the car on the site once I get my own plates on it to finish it off...