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MrChemist

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  • First Name
    Neil
  • Gender
    Male
  • Lexus Model
    RX450H
  • Year of Lexus
    2010
  • UK/Ireland Location
    Yorkshire
  • Interests
    General Automotive
    Motorsport & Racing
    Travel
    Road Trips
    Computers & Electronics

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  1. My old GS300 used to leave myself and my wife creaking and groaning just from the 90-minute trip to my mum's. With the 2010 RX450H, we just get out and go!
  2. Today, my 2010 RX450H suddenly started turning on its headlights some minutes after stopping, leaving and locking the car. When running, they behave normally. It's just 10 or so minutes after... I thought it was "AUTO" playing up, but it does this when the lights are turned right off. Drove it up and down the road, no change. I remember the manual saying that the car should make noises even after it's turned off, but it's not noises... I wonder whether it's something wet or confused by rain, because here it hasn't stopped piddling down since October. I haven't been through any standing water, barely even any puddles, they tend not to gather on Sheffield hills. I can't get it in at the dealer before the end of next week, so I disconnected the battery because even LEDs will flatten the battery in time (they could be a symptom of something else that is also consuming power), nor do I need a steady trickle of my lovely neighbours coming to tell me I've left the lights on. Maybe being off for a few days will reset whatever it is. I did try to disconnect the bulbs, but there are so many awkward, sharp bits in there, I can't work out where to press each connector to undo them, and I have bad arthritis in both thumbs. (At least it's secure, I could lock each door individually, then the driver's door with the key. Yes, now I have to climb into the boot to unlock it, but better than leaving it unlocked.) So, any thoughts?
  3. I only looked at this thread because I thought it might give a clue to my VERY rough running for the first minute. Like, rattling everything underneath rough. No help there. I wasn't expecting capitals, Mr. "TOTALLY WRONG", gen 3 RX450H doesn't have a sport mode, either. The OP says 2012 model, gen 3 was 2009 to 2015, IIRC.
  4. I stuck a full tank of E10 in mine last month and it seemed fine, though it was mostly round town. I put a tankful of 97 octane E5 in this time and it also seemed fine. Currently 32mpg, a mix of motorway and round town (Sheffield, lots of hills).
  5. I got a flat 12V battery on my 2010 RX450H, (off road for over 2 weeks last March with Covid), so, as you say, a certain amount of squirming in the boot was necessary. Still, at least you can get in there, I have known cars when I was younger that would fail with the boot locked and that's that. I looked at the contacts under the bonnet and couldn't really identify them, (turns out I was still ill) so I went straight to the boot, which wouldn't open, no central unlocking, so then it was over the back seat, at my age! It's not ideal, but sometimes you just have to put up with the silly ideas. I think you and I would have put the emergency boot unlock in the centre console or somewhere where one could reach it, but it's not for that, it's for people stuck in the boot, Hollywood style. And I wouldn't put the USB socket right down in the centre console, I can't see it and can barely reach it and can't get the plug in and there's not enough juice to charge my phone....! I watched a Russian review of the 450H and the only word I understood was "contrabanda" when he was showing how deep the centre console goes. I got the car from its second user, so I inherited their Yokohama tyres, which wouldn't be my first choice, and they put a boot liner in, which preserves the boot floor carpet when I carry stuff to the recycling, but lets everything slide around even more in everyday use, but is too valuable-looking to just throw away, so I shall have the cleanest boot carpets when the car eventually goes to scrap. The first owner was happy with really dark rear windows and no sunroof, I don't like the windows but I'm happy about the sunroof, never used one for more than 5 minutes in my life, apart from once in North Wales, and then we got bombed by a seagull... Hope this reassures you, apart from odd daftness, they're good cars but we're always subject to other people's daft ideas. By far the best car I've ever had, though my old GS was faster, wooh boy, was it faster.
  6. My wife and I had Covid in March 2020, the car sat for over 2 weeks as my son brought us shopping. The (original) battery was down to 8V when I couldn't start the car, after a couple of hours (on my new Halfords charger) it was back to 13V and the car started, but it was down to 6V four days later and needed a day to fully charge (chargers are quoted at a maximum charge rate, mine is 6A, but they never just give full current for long, it's time that really helps.) I had the dealer test the battery at the service yesterday, but they reckon it's still OK (gave it an overnight charge first). It was also fine when I left the car in Southampton for 10 days last year, while we went on a cruise, but the 4-hour journey down there would have helped that. All credit to Lexus Sheffield for not picking the low-hanging fruit "You need a new one", but they know they can afford to wait, I have air suspension. Hope this helps someone.
  7. For a few pounds, I bought a Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the OBDII connector, it will tell you the voltage of the 12V battery. You need the Torque app on your smartphone to see this. It will tell you other things that you don't want to see when you're driving, like whether you're accelerating and the actual engine revs. I had occasion to need it in April 2020; after suffering from Covid for a fortnight, I went to the car and found the battery on 8V. It was clearly not charged much when the car was last run. The dealer has just checked it for me and found no excuse to take the arm, having already taken the usual leg for a service. (Like vultures, they can afford to wait for their meat, I have air suspension!) It's still the original battery, it's got code 09 on it.
  8. For what it's worth, My 2010 RX450H (Mk. 3? "Facelift"?) has an ML 6-CD player. You press "load" and after a couple of seconds an orange light appears next to the CD slot. If there is no space, then the light does not appear. Maybe it was an option? After having an old GS300, I thought all Lexus would have a sunroof, but mine doesn't (I prefer it not to, I never used it, even if fitted, on any car I've had). It's the nav system that frustrates me, click a button to show a numeric pad? Really? I could program a better user interface myself!
  9. Re: the smoked lights, apparently they aren't illegal, but it seems to be a grey area and our police service is short of 32,000 staff since the Tories introduced "Austerity". I Googled "smoked rear lights legal uk" and there they were, and worse. Oddly enough, one of the top sites returned is a MKIV Golf site. And I was just being prejudiced! Many a true word... I had a 760GLE, the 2.3 turbo, it was smooth and fast and then it got a fault that my little garage couldn't fix. Should have sent it to the dealer, I suppose, but I wanted a newer one, anyway.
  10. I get the same on my 2009 RX450H, there's a kilometre-long patch on the ring-road round Sheffield where the DAB goes very quiet and breaks up, depending on the car's speed and the weather. Rain absorbs microwaves, so my TV reception is crap on wet days and breaks up if it's windy, too.
  11. I find that the "clear" lenses on cars, yes, like the ones on my RX450H, are difficult to see in daylight, you can't see the little yellow or red bulb, you see the lens because it's in daylight. Then you get the Golf drivers who put smoked lenses on. Smoked lamp lenses? Really? Might as well just not have them, but it'll still be my fault if I run into one of these idiots. I used to have a Volvo 240, lovely car, I should never have got rid of it (until I could afford a Lexus).
  12. There is a YouTube video in which Jason Plato on 5th Gear tries to get all the horses back into a few-year-old Golf (or something), first thing he puts in is STP and it makes more difference than new air cleaner, oil filter etc. Nearest thing to an impartial test, I suppose. My 2003 GS300 seemed to go better after a dose of STP. I am not affiliated to STP in any way, just saying what I've seen and done.
  13. Thank you Colin. I bought the car hoping it would be as reliable as a 10-year-old car can get and that's just reassured me.
  14. Which model years does this apply to? I have a GS300 on '53 plate, for example.
  15. Update - I got the cambelt done, fixed price £300 at the dealer. It turned out that the water pump also needed changing, but there was no labour charge, because the engine was already dismantled. Wonderful service at Lexus sheffield. Only downside is that now they keep telling me about cars I can't afford. Now all I've got is a funny wheel wobble/vibration, it sort of goes wobble, WOBBLE, wobble, gone and cycles through every few seconds once you get over 75. Not that I do, of course, but if I did, it would do that. I'll start a new thread about it.
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