Farnham Dave

There are numerous head units out there that do the full Bluetooth experience... Music and calls. And a lot of them aren't too pricey. I'm just wary that something else will stop working if I change it? Also, how am I going to play all my cassette tapes? 😂

Yeah, I just quietly deleted the previous owners address book. 🙂

Hello there. Well, I've got my 2006 RX400h (SE-L trim), and am mightily impressed so far. I'm currently working through my to-do list, two new tyres, wiper blades and so on. I've tried hooking my phone up via Bluetooth, but I can't 'see' the car from the phone, so I am a little puzzled because the car does have Bluetooth. I'm now also a little miffed because I've seen it said that the Bluetooth that's there doesn't support music playback. Incidentally, I've found some sort of dongle dangling around that appears to be wired into the car, but also looks like an FM transmitter. Why that's there I'm not sure (I'll get some pictures). I was pleased to see that getting to the head unit is easy, and a new surround to adapt to ISO fitting seems easy to get. I've also seen these adapters that use the CD multichanger connector to hook up a Bluetooth/ aux in adapter. But I'm also rather distressed by the posts I see here and there saying "I replaced the head unit, and now XXX has just stopped working"... Where XXX is just about any random component you can imagine. So, has anyone here worked out if the existing Bluetooth is able to play music, or managed to fit the Bluetooth adapter into the rear of the head unit, or even managed to fit a whole new head unit whilst preserving the rest of the car's functions? Sorry this has gone on a bit!

That's the great thing about cc... Components that don't seem to make any sense at all 😁

Yep .. Supersaloon. 2.8. I never saw one other than mine, then moved house... New next door neighbour had one too!

I now have a pretty good 2006 RX400h. A few odds and ends to sort. Just had two new tyres fitted. Next job is the front brake disks and cruise control... I'm hoping the latter is just the switch, since there are no fault codes registered for the cc. Everything else is more or less cosmetic... Like the alloys... Tyre man recommended a refurbisher on request, so that's on my list. Thanks for all the advice... Most helpful

Up till now I've had nothing but bad experiences from dealers! I see your point about the hybrid aspects not needing servicing... The moving parts are probably working or failed, and the non moving parts don't move. There are air vents and cooling, though... Not sure if those are things that can need a service

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Well this 400h SE-L definitely doesn't have air suspension. It also seems to be a particularly good example. It's a private seller... I'm getting the full RAC inspection done, including engine oil analysis. Fingers crossed.

Ok. Thanks for the tip. Life should be a bit easier now... I might have only driven one for about 40 minutes, but I do have a better feel for the car now. On a related note, I was looking for garages that can do hybrid servicing (my usual can do everything bar the hybrid system). My local hybrid specialist appears to be Halfords. Anyone had any experience? I've used them before for number plate (they screwed up) and windscreen wipers (just because it was a free service that day).

Well, I've received a full refund for this car. I'm seeing another one tomorrow, one year younger and the SE-L. So I'm hoping it's a good one. We'll probably use someone like the RAC to do the inspection this time... Might be more expensive, but probably worth it!

Yeah, hybrid health check can be bought separately, but normally once you own the car.

I asked Lexus dealer if they do pre purchase inspection...nope. I will find someone who can, even if it means the seller booking it in for a Lexus service!

Well it's on its way to the trader's preferred repairer tomorrow morning. I would imagine he'd have to admit it's literally a non starter. I asked Lexus dealership, and they don't do pre purchase inspections. Not quite sure how to get things checked properly next time.

I'm inclined towards the refund. It's a real shame, because the basic mechanics of the thing seem good, and the bodywork/interior are also pretty damn good.

For anyone who's interested, here's a list of problems... Aircon suspected of being filled with conductive fluid... Requires flush and refill: £500-600 A couple of pipes and an underbody seal: no idea Brakes and tyres (I knew about these) Rear motor wiring loom corroded: £3,500. Anyway, 4000 plus over what I was expecting... So I'm glad the dealer appears to be honest.

Excellent advice, thank you. The dealer has agreed to fix or refund. Lexus dealerships have some steep prices, don't they? 😨

Had some feedback from Lexus dealership. The mechanic thinks the condenser and pump have the wrong fluid in. If I understand correctly, this is the A/C system. I did try out the air con just before the problem developed. Seems odd to me that this would throw a hybrid error. The A/C compressor is electric, but anyone else heard of aircon causing "check hybrid system"?

That's a good point

Thanks for the kind words. Lexus dealership has had the car for the best part of two days, and not even had a chance to look at it... Apparently they're overwhelmed with work at the moment. My gut instinct is telling me it's a good car. My optimistic side is hoping this is nothing major, like the battery, but is backed up by the fact that the display showed the battery taking charge on the way home. The pessimistic side of me is currently giving me a headache. I am not sure about the dealer, this could be something he wouldn't have been aware of, or that was the result of the car standing for a period. But I'm also aware that there are cheats available to hide just about any warning light that's ever been invented...

Still waiting to hear from the Lexus dealership. It's been a nerve wracking couple of days.

Yes, it's got one of those "sold as seen, sold as scrap" lines in it which, AFAIK, doesn't protect them. It was clearly sold as a going concern... Why else would it come with AA membership? I don't want to have to jump through hoops, what I want is for the car to be sorted without costing an arm and a leg.

Yes, I did buy from a trader. I normally bit privately. Every car dealer I've ever dealt with has been a con artist, and I always fall for it. Must be that tattoo on my forehead that reads "take my money, it's all yours!"

Thanks for the show of support. I was told I was getting a warranty, but nothing seems to exist in the paperwork. No guarantees are given by the inspection, either. If it's something major, my only comeback might be through consumer protection laws.

Hi everybody, I'm new here, and new to Lexus ownership... Although I did have a Toyota Crown many years ago, if that counts. I bought a 2005 RX400h yesterday with 125,000 miles on the clock. I had a pre purchase inspection done, which just found the two tired tyres that needed replacing, and highlighted the dodgy rear brakes. Driving it home seemed ok at first, the display showed the battery to be charging, when it was running on electric only, and so on. Then it displayed the dreaded "Check hybrid system" and "check VSC". It still seemed to be running ok, and hybrid status still looked ok. Stopped for a coffee on the way home, and it displayed the same thing, and wouldn't start. The Greenflag man checked the voltage on the aux battery, which was good (over 12v), and it got taken to a local Lexus dealer. I'm now waiting to hear from them. I'm hoping to be an RX driver for more than half an hour... Dave