New to RX450H .. have maintenace questions
04-15-16, 05:29 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
New to RX450H .. have maintenace questions
Had a GX470 years ago. After four years of absence I am back in the Lexus saddle. Kinda broke also. LOL !! ... but love the RX.
I have a stick shift FJ Cruiser, a Sequoia and a old beater stick shift 1998 RAV4 for my work. I wanted to replace my wife's old Camry with a 4x4 and she wanted all luxury. She drove a stick shift Camry for years and before that all stick shifts she was sick of it. She drives 50 mins to work everyday so it had to be a fuel efficient 4x4 SUV. When we get snow in Kentucky Tennessee area we don't really get salted quickly so I had to make sure she gets in a nice 4x4. There was only one choice. Love the vehicle. Brought it from Indianapolis last weekend...
The fuel economy is AWESOME!!!!
Now my TLC begins. I am OCD with cars and want them perfect. The vehicle is clean and doesn't need much... except a few things..
1) GPS update (270 dollars Lexus quoted) - Ouch !
2) Tires... In another 6 months once I am over the shock of spending so much money.
3) There was a front end minor collision when the car was only 6 months old with a DEER. Airbags did not deploy. Anyway the front bumper from the wheel well corner slips out after a while and I have to pop it back in. Thinking about taking it to a body shop so they can fit the bumper back in properly.
4) There is a rattle that is coming from the front passenger door. Who knows who did what to this car. I plan to take the inside panel off to see what is rattling inside. It is very minor but the car being so quiet that noise is driving me crazy.
5) there is a Green P> light on. Not sure what it is for. Will have to read the manual.
The hybrid battery is shown empty in my dash lights when the car starts and charges with time. This is my first hybrid so that freaks me out sometimes. I guess it charges when the car drives. Will have to read up more on that. Somebody told me that as long as the check engine light is not on we are fine. Even if there is a battery issue the whole battery probably doesn't need replacing ($5000) .. only a part of it.. IF it happens... as you can guess this is my first hybrid... LOL !
Oh............. 79k miles..
I want to do as many things at home as possible. My wife 45-50 minutes every day to work one way. Oil changes come quick and I don't want to pay anybody for oil change.
Is it easy to change oil myself at home?
I do all my cars at home always.
I have a stick shift FJ Cruiser, a Sequoia and a old beater stick shift 1998 RAV4 for my work. I wanted to replace my wife's old Camry with a 4x4 and she wanted all luxury. She drove a stick shift Camry for years and before that all stick shifts she was sick of it. She drives 50 mins to work everyday so it had to be a fuel efficient 4x4 SUV. When we get snow in Kentucky Tennessee area we don't really get salted quickly so I had to make sure she gets in a nice 4x4. There was only one choice. Love the vehicle. Brought it from Indianapolis last weekend...
The fuel economy is AWESOME!!!!
Now my TLC begins. I am OCD with cars and want them perfect. The vehicle is clean and doesn't need much... except a few things..
1) GPS update (270 dollars Lexus quoted) - Ouch !
2) Tires... In another 6 months once I am over the shock of spending so much money.
3) There was a front end minor collision when the car was only 6 months old with a DEER. Airbags did not deploy. Anyway the front bumper from the wheel well corner slips out after a while and I have to pop it back in. Thinking about taking it to a body shop so they can fit the bumper back in properly.
4) There is a rattle that is coming from the front passenger door. Who knows who did what to this car. I plan to take the inside panel off to see what is rattling inside. It is very minor but the car being so quiet that noise is driving me crazy.
5) there is a Green P> light on. Not sure what it is for. Will have to read the manual.
The hybrid battery is shown empty in my dash lights when the car starts and charges with time. This is my first hybrid so that freaks me out sometimes. I guess it charges when the car drives. Will have to read up more on that. Somebody told me that as long as the check engine light is not on we are fine. Even if there is a battery issue the whole battery probably doesn't need replacing ($5000) .. only a part of it.. IF it happens... as you can guess this is my first hybrid... LOL !
Oh............. 79k miles..
I want to do as many things at home as possible. My wife 45-50 minutes every day to work one way. Oil changes come quick and I don't want to pay anybody for oil change.
Is it easy to change oil myself at home?
I do all my cars at home always.
Last edited by fj40drm; 04-15-16 at 06:03 AM.
04-15-16, 07:49 AM
#2
Lexus Champion
Congrats on your purchase!
To ease-off your mind, hybrid battery is never fully charged. Its actual operating range is somewhere between 40% and 80% of capacity for longevity purposes. So even when you see a "fully-charged" battery, it really is not.
That is nothing to be concerned with. It is there to work as a buffer. When you slow down, it gets charged. If it was always charged-up, it would have no more space left for the extra energy.
To ease-off your mind, hybrid battery is never fully charged. Its actual operating range is somewhere between 40% and 80% of capacity for longevity purposes. So even when you see a "fully-charged" battery, it really is not.
That is nothing to be concerned with. It is there to work as a buffer. When you slow down, it gets charged. If it was always charged-up, it would have no more space left for the extra energy.
04-15-16, 08:39 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Congrats on your purchase!
To ease-off your mind, hybrid battery is never fully charged. Its actual operating range is somewhere between 40% and 80% of capacity for longevity purposes. So even when you see a "fully-charged" battery, it really is not.
That is nothing to be concerned with. It is there to work as a buffer. When you slow down, it gets charged. If it was always charged-up, it would have no more space left for the extra energy.
To ease-off your mind, hybrid battery is never fully charged. Its actual operating range is somewhere between 40% and 80% of capacity for longevity purposes. So even when you see a "fully-charged" battery, it really is not.
That is nothing to be concerned with. It is there to work as a buffer. When you slow down, it gets charged. If it was always charged-up, it would have no more space left for the extra energy.
My wife showed me empty battery on her way out last night. She works night shifts and I didn't sleep all night !!
04-15-16, 10:56 AM
#4
Moderator
Welcome to the forum, and note there is a separate hybrid sub-forum. Changing the oil is not difficult, but it has a canister oil filter so more work is involved than spinning on a new can. The Highlander is a mechanical twin, except we do not have to remove any under body stuff to change our oil. See this link to the Toyotanation forum as they have a lot of great how to instructions, including oil change. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/12...fications.html
I also own a hybrid, a HS250h and recommend you change your transmission fluid with that many miles on it. The hybrid is different than a regular transmission and is a simple drain and fill up to the fill bolt hole, like a manual transmission. It only takes 4 quarts. You can only use Toyota WS automatic transmission fluid. There should be more information either in the hybrid forum or at Toyotanation,
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...ial-plugs.html
or http://www.greenhybrid.com/forums/f4...-change-26791/
or
You can find instructions for almost anything on youtube!
I also own a hybrid, a HS250h and recommend you change your transmission fluid with that many miles on it. The hybrid is different than a regular transmission and is a simple drain and fill up to the fill bolt hole, like a manual transmission. It only takes 4 quarts. You can only use Toyota WS automatic transmission fluid. There should be more information either in the hybrid forum or at Toyotanation,
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...ial-plugs.html
or http://www.greenhybrid.com/forums/f4...-change-26791/
or
04-19-16, 05:04 AM
#6
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
LOL... Thanks.
GREAT INFORMATION. Thank you !!!!!
This will for sure help out saving the dealer fees.
Well, the light in the dash that shows battery charge.. the bottom is lit but as car drives it starts filling up. At early morning starts it is not shown as filled. From what I understand that is normal.
There is no check engine light.
It never seems to be ever FULL... there is always space on top of + and - symbols.
Welcome to the forum, and note there is a separate hybrid sub-forum. Changing the oil is not difficult, but it has a canister oil filter so more work is involved than spinning on a new can. The Highlander is a mechanical twin, except we do not have to remove any under body stuff to change our oil. See this link to the Toyotanation forum as they have a lot of great how to instructions, including oil change. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/12...fications.html
I also own a hybrid, a HS250h and recommend you change your transmission fluid with that many miles on it. The hybrid is different than a regular transmission and is a simple drain and fill up to the fill bolt hole, like a manual transmission. It only takes 4 quarts. You can only use Toyota WS automatic transmission fluid. There should be more information either in the hybrid forum or at Toyotanation,
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...ial-plugs.html
or http://www.greenhybrid.com/forums/f4...-change-26791/
or
Toyota Hybrid Transmission PSD Fluid Service - YouTube
You can find instructions for almost anything on youtube!
I also own a hybrid, a HS250h and recommend you change your transmission fluid with that many miles on it. The hybrid is different than a regular transmission and is a simple drain and fill up to the fill bolt hole, like a manual transmission. It only takes 4 quarts. You can only use Toyota WS automatic transmission fluid. There should be more information either in the hybrid forum or at Toyotanation,
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...ial-plugs.html
or http://www.greenhybrid.com/forums/f4...-change-26791/
or
Toyota Hybrid Transmission PSD Fluid Service - YouTube
You can find instructions for almost anything on youtube!
GREAT INFORMATION. Thank you !!!!!
This will for sure help out saving the dealer fees.
Please define "empty battery". Mine (a '13 AWD) has never been shut off, nor was prior to starting, without the bottom two of the eight bars lit. I've run it down to only one bar on occasion; and I've seen all eight (I think there are eight, right?) - or at least them all lit (full) on about a dozen times in 49,000 miles in 28 months.
As others have/will told/tell you, it resists fully charging - and/but it will, on occasion, appear to top it off when on long decelerations or down long grades or at times when it's regenerating.
If you are truly seeing no bars lit upon starting the car, you may be well advised to have the battery's health checked before the 8/100,000 battery warranty expires.
Otherwise, if you're seeing at least two bars full at all times, and two or more top bars empty most of the time, you're going to enjoy the infotainment that it and the other electronic goodies have to offer.
Have fun!
As others have/will told/tell you, it resists fully charging - and/but it will, on occasion, appear to top it off when on long decelerations or down long grades or at times when it's regenerating.
If you are truly seeing no bars lit upon starting the car, you may be well advised to have the battery's health checked before the 8/100,000 battery warranty expires.
Otherwise, if you're seeing at least two bars full at all times, and two or more top bars empty most of the time, you're going to enjoy the infotainment that it and the other electronic goodies have to offer.
Have fun!
There is no check engine light.
It never seems to be ever FULL... there is always space on top of + and - symbols.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
t70 supra
SC400 / 300 Classifieds
2
02-14-11 08:14 AM