A-Rod

I beg to differ because although my RX400h is epic in every way in the comfort department, my Phaeton's air suspension were far superior than of a car with standard suspension. I couldn't feel a single bump in my Phaeton, in fact, it felt like there were no bumps at all. Sorry but the air suspension on the Phaeton in comparison to any other car I've ever driven which was fitted with standard suspension is like day and night. I cannot comment on Lexus air suspension, but then again, those should normally be the same unless we're talking about something like BOSE suspension.

Thanks all for the input. I think it would be wise for me to go with their essential plan as it offers 1x minor and 1x major service. I am now due for a major so it would come in handy as the local dealer wants around £450 for it.

Hello All, Just want to get some thoughts / opinions from you all. As per the title, do you still continue to service your RX (or any other Lexus you may have had) at the main dealer after the 10th-12th anniversary / 100k+ miles? I'm in love with my RX400h, however I am not entirely sure how I'd benefit from continuing to utilise the main dealer for servicing, other than the 1 year battery warranty (correct me if I am wrong)? I have full history with Lexus with 12 stamps and cam belt / pump replaced at main dealer too, which was a very nice bonus and peace of mind. I am planning to own the car until it dies. Unsure if I should continue to use Lexus going forwards since the car is now relatively old and has 109k miles on the clock.

Thanks for response guys. As stated above, I bought Neissen's rad. DENSO is good, but their replacement products aren't on par with the factory built stuff - of that makes sense. People on here have vouched for Neisenn on their LS and GS models, so I've decided to go with that. Local garage is charging me £120 to fit the radiator. They also source Toyota's Super Long Life pink coolant at £27 per 5 litres. I don't currently have a drive so fitting one myself wasn't an option. I have lost about a size of a nail and a half of coolant since the issue was spotted. It is dripping from both sides of the radiator caps at the bottom. Inverter coolant seems all good.

Thanks for sharing. To be honest, I'm not too fond of buying something so cheap. Don't get me wrong, I obviously want to save money, however if it's so cheap then I always question its reliability and durability. I have further reviewed the EIS radiators and they seem to fail quite bad (works out £71 after discount at Eurocarparts), so I went ahead and bought Neissens for £124 after discount with p&p. I've read that a lot of the folks on here fitted Neissens rads on their LS, GS and RX models. I also read on BMW forums and other car forums that Neissens seems to last a lot longer and is on par with OE.

Can't seem to edit my post further. I got a quote for the radiator from a very good local garage. They want £237.95 + VAT for the part alone. They want £27.95 for the Toyota Super Long Life pink stuff and £113.75 + VAT for labour. They can fit my own part so I'll go via that route. I note that Eurocarparts sell EIS radiator for £110, Neisenns £182 and DENSO £328 - all ex-discount. I don't see how the EIS and Neisenns differ much in terms of quality. What would you recommend? I know people say DENSO was OE however I've read that their quality went down and a lot of the US folks had the DENSO changed 2-3 times within a space of 3 years, therefore I am not entirely sure that DENSO is as good as it once used to be.

Hello all, I've noticed a small leak on the passenger hand side of the car the other day, that seems to be coming from the radiator. Upon further inspection, I found that both sides of the caps were dripping a little. There is no record of the radiator to be ever replaced and I think it's about time. What are the reasonable costs associated with replacing a radiator (I don't believe it is a hybrid radiator that is leaking, but will monitor both levels and report back shortly)? What if, it's the hybrid radiator, how much would that set my back? Would you trust a good non-Lexus mechanic / garage to do the work for any of the above tasks? EDIT: the leak is definitely the engine radiator and not the hybrid radiator. I've checked the coolant levels last evening and now, and the level has decreased a little - dipped by about a nail size.

It has been 3 months since I bought my RX400h and I am glad to have gone ahead with Lexus. It is a joy to drive and feels as comfy as my Phaeton did. The build quality is very good, so I get no rattles and no noises. I live on the countryside surrounded by A/B roads, so charging up the batteries is no issue; likewise, using them in town has been great. To be honest, I don't pay attention (just like the manual suggests) to the battery consumption / usage as it just does its own thing - it never goes below 3 bars. I don't drive like a nun to save money on fuel, as otherwise it beats a purpose of buying a performance oriented hybrid SUV; as far as I'm concerned, both RX / GS hybrids were focused on performance rather than economy and I must admit, it is fun leaving cars behind. There are a few things I noticed: Misting of windows: this is pretty much a Japanese thing as I've owned a Lexus in the past, as well as 2019 Rav4, Subaru Legacy, Avensis and all of them had the same fate. Slight sign of rain and the windows mist up like crazy. This is obviously resolved with A/C being on, however I only ever had to turn my A/C in German cars when it really poured down. Also, if you park up on a rainy day then your windows will mist up and even with A/C on it takes a while to get your windows to clear. Acceleration: I am still getting used to my RX when I floor it. The torque steer is insane and you really have to hold the steering wheel with two hands. I am impressed by how it picks up speed! However, I expected the rear wheels to kick in to reduce torque steer but it only does so during heavy rain or when cornering. I loved my Subaru Legacy's AWD acceleration, however I do understand that the RX isn't really an AWD/4WD vehicle. It also feels a bit too soft when taking corners, but then again, it isn't a racing car so it I wasn't expecting it to feel planted. Braking: another thing that I am still getting used to. I understand RX400h is fitted with regenerative braking (Lexus Hybrid Overview Manual: "regenerative braking system which works in conjunction with its conventional hydraulic braking system. As a result, the brakes may feel different from a conventional vehicle") but I sometimes feel that I am having difficulty with assessing how hard I have to brake. It is a very weird feeling. I had a good read on this forum and this is what most people experience when they first jumped on RX400h. Don't get me wrong, the brakes are very sharp; as a matter of fact, I had to emergency brake twice and it was spot on. However, it is that weird feeling, almost feels like mechanical braking engages and then the other brakes engage and the mechanical disengages - or something along those lines. Otherwise, the car drives and feels amazing. I am very happy. Will give this to my other half in the future and probably get my hands on a performance Lexus, like an ISF. I love Lexus reliability factor.

Hi, thanks for letting me know. I've looked at GROM but it is way overpriced for what it offers. I'm reluctant to pay £140 for GROM's kit to listen to some music and based on people's feedback (YouTube link), the first choice is cheap and reliable + offers same performance.

Hi all, my first project: getting an AUX fitted as I'm not into buying CDs and rather play tunes on Spotify. I didn't want to buy the cassette adapters or the lighter socket "things". I have seen various posts on here about the dilemma of fitting an Aux and people using various adapters - there doesn't seem to be a lot of DIYs for proper Aux adapters and those that I found were a bit over complicated which involved rewiring. I found an easy DIY on Russian YouTube channel(s); believe it or not but I followed a lot of Russian channels as these guys had some of the best and very detailed RX reviews, including various off road challenges and so on - those videos have millions of views and are followed by everyone worldwide, thanks to translation captions! Anyway, I found this guy fitting an AUX cable within 5-10min that leaves no errors and everything works as normal, i.e. steering wheel controls and CD changer works as normal. I have checked for similar kits on eBay and these are only £38 from Germany. Has anyone fitted one of these before to their 2008-09 RX?

eBay is your friend, I've bought some custom made ones for my new RX the other day. They even have custom rear passenger rubber mats for winter that covers the middle section. I have seen tons on eBay for the RX450h models too, including the boot liners and so on for £30.

I've replied to your question on my thread so do have a read. One thing to add, you will more than likely need to travel quite far out to get a good example as these are very rare - in other words, people who have good example Rx400h don't tend to sell them very often. I travelled around 170-180 miles each way to get my car.

Hi, no offence or anything, but I think you're best to have a very good research on the net if these are the kind of questions you have in mind; they are not wrong questions by all means - there are tons of information on this forum which covers everything you may need to check when considering buying an RX400h. It is really a lot to list so I won't be able to cover everything but it goes without saying that if you don't check a car's history then you're in for a surprise. Just look for a car with full Lexus history and the one that had its cambelt / pump replaced as it may be an expensive venture. Also try to find one with very few previous owners and clean MOT, also check where the MOT has been carried out as it is common to issue fake MOTs (like in my example above). I paid a premium price but my car only had 1 owner since new with full Lexus history and all parts replaced at Lexus only, no advisories on the MOTs and all MOTs carried out at Lexus; pump / belt replaced by Lexus, battery health checked on every stamp and warranted for 1 year at each interval, bushes replaced at Lexus, new brakes and tyres and so on. Basically the previous owner really liked his car, the interior is simply immaculate! The guys on this forum are very helpful and the ones who commented on my thread helped me make up my mind RE go with an RX400h instead of RX350. Every component can break in any car so this varies, however Lexus RX scored, and still does, highest in consumer reports for reliability, e.g. WhatCar. I am a member on here since 2012, but I forgot my account details for the old account when I had a blue 2005 IS200 SE - this forum has tons of valuable info, just dive in with a search button. As in any forum, it is filled with issues and members trying to find a resolution, so don't get put off - I've owned an e60 520d and BMW forums all screamed that the N47 engine suffers from timing chain issue, mine never did and all the issues posted on forums, it never had. It died at 127k miles but due to rod bearing failure, which is a common issue on e60 M5 and not e60 520d models and this just an example for you. The battery can fail but it is a rare thing as most users are still driving on original batteries with 180k miles across the US and cars are sold on eBay with 200k miles in the UK on original batteries. I caught an Uber on Sunday and the guy's Auris Hybrid had 230k miles on the clock, so I asked him tons of questions and he mentioned that his old Auris reached 350k miles before he traded it in and it had an original battery which had no issues. Toyota's hybrid system is so reliable that BMW buys these nowadays and Toyota now gets BMW engines in return for their Supra models. Expect to pay around £7k-£8k to get a good 2008-09 example in good condition with Lexus history, few owners, etc. I hope this helps. P.S. driving this car is just a pleasure and I am not being biased as I have owned some of the most luxurious brands, including but not limited to, VW Phaeton, Continental GT, e60 5 series, A6 C7 Allroad, etc. The Lexus feels as premium as my Phaeton / Continental (obviously those cars had extra bling and nice touches, but seats in the RX are more comfy). Driving wise, I don't feel much difference from driving my other cars which had air suspension and were above 2 tonnes, it is as comfy; having no gears and slight nudge at gear changes is definitely a good touch and one that I did notice. Also, I was very surprised by its acceleration considering its size and it was definitely faster than my Phaeton. The hybrid kicks in straight away and you can drive it with aircon turned on but there are tips on this forum to help you preserve the battery by turning aircon off when stationary for long time, etc. My village has a 20mph limit around town so it drives on batteries and then switches between when necessary - RX is not an EV and hybrid is more of a performance addition than pure economy. I do notice that my previous driving style matches with hybrid economy though, in that I'm used to driving and letting the acceleration off so it costs a bit (I drove 6.0 Continental and Phaeton, so this was a habit) and in return it charges the batteries or drives on battery most of the time - to me this works in an economical way too.

Just to add, the car is fitted with a Mark Levinson system, I knew it sounded awesome the moment I turned the system on. Also, the car came with front and rear sensors which was a Lexus dealer added option, I saw a receipt with "LPA 800" with a "sensors" wording, but unsure if this is a parking sensor option after all; either way, it is something I wanted to have as it helps a lot when passing a tractor when you're around the Cotswold / Harrogate narrow roads. I couldn't believe how fast the car is - it is mighty quick for the size! To be honest with you, I've driven a lot of cars so I don't feel a difference with the gearbox / hybrid in terms of driving. I do feel that I'm more eco cautious as I keep looking at the hybrid battery screen haha. I've driven 7 hours and a total of 250 miles and I love it.

Hello all, I've posted a thread where I was looking for an RX350, but a lot of you have convinced me that the RX400h is pretty reliable. So I went and bought an extremely beautiful example - travelled 180 miles to pick it up. Before picking it up, I went to see another example at a different dealer and, albeit it was advertised as mint condition and FLSH, it was a bag of poo. The car was in bad condition, very dirty, there was a knock when moving off and a strange vibration when the car switched from petrol to hybrid; for example, when you were about to come to a stop and hybrid would kick in. I just walked away. Bear in mind that the car had full LSH and last serviced in June, but mechanic state was awful. Also, the car was MOT'd in June and had tons of issues, such as corroded fuel lines / pipes, ARB bushes and so on - the dealer allegedly MOT'd the car yesterday and when I challenged about those stuff he kept quite. Basically, a very dodgy dealer: Chadwell Motors in Romford. Avoid these cowboys at all cost! Anyway, off to another dealer. This time, the interior was simply immaculate. Not a single tear. 1 owner from new. Full Lexus history and camblet / pump changed too. Driving wise, not a single issue. It has done 106k miles only, so I took it. It is 2009 SE, but has all the bells and whistles (apart from rear entertainment screen). I noticed that it states that it is Mark Levinson system on the audio, but it doesn't have an embedded Mark Levinson on the speakers - is this norm or is it not ML? Welcome my new baby!

What amazed me is the fact that top level trim on the RX400h models, SE-L / Executive Limited Edition, didn't come with any sensors as standard but only a camera at the back. I just find this a bit odd, not a deal breaker but just odd that you'd need to ask a dealer to fit them for you at the time of purchase when new. If you'd pick the flagship trim on an S-Class, it would in fact come with all the bells and whistles, including front and rear sensors. Even Rolls Royce offers base models that do not come with many factory options (sensors isn't one of those) - but I'm talking about top level trims here. Sorry I should've mentioned I was after the SE-L trim that comes with ML audio system. I'm still looking for one and hoping to buy a good example by the end of next week. Just need to continue my research. The 08-09 models with 110k/120k tend to sit between £5.7k - £6.5k range. Is that the norm?

Thank you. I've just noticed a new advert on eBay for a 2008 RX350. Now that's what I call coincidence. Sadly, this model is very basic and doesn't even come with a satnav - not that I'm fussed about the nav, I'm more bothered about the cheap looking LCD display that looks like it came out of an Avensis / Corolla. May I please ask if there is much point in going for an RX400h facelift against pre facelift? I can only assume that a facelift is a lot more refined and has small tweaks to the looks, i.e. grille or what not. I'm just concerned about these pre 2008 models hitting 12-15 years now and the original hybrid batteries won't really last much longer as their official span was circa 12 years until cells begin to die off and lose its capabilities. I'm following another thread here about a guy looking to get a new RX and asked some questions there too. Thanks P.S. I've realised that it is your thread where I have posted haha

Hi All, Sorry to be hijacking this thread, but with 2008-09 RX350 being almost unavailable (one on eBay without nav) in the UK, I'm now going back on the RX400h researching route. I have seen a lot of complaints on US forums pertaining to the hybrid batteries fault codes and/or failures, setting owners back thousands of USD; one Brit commented on those threads saying he had to fork out in excess of £4000 to get one fitted. Having looked browsed on this forum, I note that not a lot of people are having issues with the hybrid systems - is it too soon and perhaps in another 3 years the below 2008 models will begin suffering low charge / issues? Has anyone had to replace their hybrid batteries? Also, I note that pretty much every single 2008-2009 car I have seen hasn't got both front and rear sensors but only comes with rear cameras. I'm used to driving big cars as owned a 2010 Phaeton, which came with front sensors that are a must for the car of that size. How do you guys cope without any front sensors? I have seen two cars on AT, one has had front and rear retrofitted, and the other seems to have it from factory being an 09 plate executive limited edition model (please correct me if I'm wrong). I was expecting some form of sensors / camera at the front for the vehicle of this size.

Hi, thank you for your message. I will begin browsing this forum for feedback about 400h as the ones that came up on Google were mainly within the US, who have experienced some horrible hybrid system failures on their 400h - I don't know whether their market may be in receipt of a slightly different model (?). I'm based in Cambridgeshire. I'm not fussed about tax as both of my previous cars were over £560 in tax p/a. I would of course liked to have paid less, so am looking into those avenues too. I will peruse this forum to see what people say about 400h models, as ideally I wanted to get an 08-09 model and was discounted in the UK after 06 reg then I'll leave it.

Hello All, I have been on these forums since 2012, when I first bought my 2005 IS200 Sport - Lexus have proved to be one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. Having done tons of research, I have decided to look for a 2008-2009 RX350 model but they are non existent on the net - only 2006 models. Is there a for sale section on these forums to find someone with an 08-09 RX350? The RX400h are very popular. More popular than the RX350. The reason I wish to avoid an RX400h is because I'm afraid of falling in the hybrid battery fault zone where I'd need to fork out £3k or more to fit new hybrid battery.

Do you mind sharing why you thought that this particular engine wasn't right for GS430? I'll tell you the truth, I didn't feel (and most on this forum said the same back when I owned the car) that the IS200 had the right engine in it. It certainly didn't work well in my opinion, 2 litres, 6 cylinder and 24 valves that produced 155bhp. It was very gutless and even when red lined, there was no power but noise. However everything else about the car was superb! I know that you could get the beams upgraded car, or an Altezza I think, that had 211bhp with a supercharger - that is a big difference. Also the 3 litre version (IS300) was a much better choice but rare as anything!

I don't think I could manage a 2500 trip with my super firm suspension on the M Sport. To be fair, throughout my ownership the lane departure has only been used once when I was going 70mph on motorway on cruise and tried to get a CD out of the drivers side door bin - that's it. The brake function is nice to have as it detects bends and brakes for you so that you don't enter a bend at 70mph while on cruise control, however I barely use cruise control due to immense traffic on motorways these days. The SE trim of the same 5 series I own is much more softer and executive like, however it looks ugly with standard body kit if you compare it to my 5 series with beautiful M Aerodynamic kit. I do love the body of the GS MK3 as it looks the part. I also love the fact that it is more reliable than my BMW, less complex in terms of engine, no turbo, no EGR and other diesel bits that constantly fail. I think I've made my mind up to go for the GS. My understanding is that a GS430 is a 4.3 litre V8? Or is that only in the USA?

My 5 series is from 2007 too therefore it's the same age, but does have somewhat better, or shall I say, newer tech (to an extent) which I'm ok to say goodbye to in order to get other equipment, such as cooled memory leather seats, sunroof for example. Also the idea of a fast hybrid strikes me more than owning a diesel. I also have to balance the reliability issues and to be fair, my BMW and nearly 7 out of 10 N47 engines are a nightmare to deal with. I've owned an IS200 and the only thing I've changed was oil, discs, called and pads. No faults whatsoever! Lexus for you and this is why I'm thinking of returning to this brand.

I was under the impression that a 3rd gen GS would offer similar or even better spec than my 5 series, which was produced between 2007-2009. I have seen reviews and read on forums + the option list shown above for the SE-L is somewhat impressive. Not only that, the GS450h is mighty fast and very economical for its size. My car get 0-60 in 8.2 and returns 50mpg. I can live with 30-40mpg and a low 5 sec 0-60 lol. For example, my 5 series doesn't have ventilated air cooled seats, nor are the seats as comfy as on the GS; my car doesn't have a sunroof, no dual zone climate control, no memory seats, it's not an automatic (believe me, my left leg is as big as Arnold's, considering the traffic I get stuck at on M25 and M1); also, if you've not sat in an M Sport then believe me, I feel every single stone and uneven road, which is amazing on A roads and B roads. But I'm tired of it. I want a bit of class now. I want to relax and feel comfortable. I'm most definitely intending to avoid diesel cars because of constant issues, such as DPF and EGR, oil leaks (N47 engine is notorious for this), turbo faults (on my third turbo now), etc. I don't think I can currently afford a 4th gen GS. Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

Thank you! This explains a lot of things, such as the fact that the car I like is the base model, which unfortunate I will now avoid as I want pretty much every toy available. My current 5 series that I'm planning on getting rid of has live traffic satnav (2017 maps), Bluetooth, front and rear sensors with camera, xenon adaptive lights, bmw assistance and BMW online (in car WiFi), cruise control with lane departure and auto brake... you get the picture, I want the same or better. Therefore I think SE-L is probably what I will need to focus on. Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk