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Hi guys I was involved in a very serious accident last week. Driving home from Gymnastics with my girls a full fat V8 Mustang driving like an absolute lunatic came barreling towards us head on (in my lane,) it was a head on collision, it's still all a bit of a blur, my car was on fire when I came round, I had my daughters in back, the back doors wouldn't open so I had to drag them both out through the front. it was a mess! All 3 of us were eventually taken to hospital and released a week later. The whole ordeal has been a nightmare, one of the worst thing things I've ever had to experience! Needless to say the Lexus is toast (literally) I'm gutted about losing it and everything in it but more importantly I'm extremely grateful that all 3 of us are still here! The broken bones, emotional trauma we all sustained should heal in time, and we live to fight another day. The Police wont tell me much at the moment but did mention that the Mustang ended up worse off than ours in terms of initial damage and the driver of that car along with his passenger are still hospitalized The Lexus did its job! (in addition to the car seats the girls were sat in) I chose this car because I wanted something reliable, comfortable & safe, it fulfilled all 3 of those requirements effortlessly. Started at every press of the button, got us from A to B in comfort and when it came to it, kept us as safe as it could in a situation many aren't fortunate enough to walk away from. I couldn't have picked a better car for the budget I had, i'm very thankful for that. Just wanted to share this for anyone new here considering buying an IS250 or any Lexus for that matter, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone here sincerely for their help and advice to all the questions I had prior to buying this car and during my ownership period. I wouldn't have chosen it and maintained it correctly if it wasn't for the friendly advice and info I got from you all so again BIG thank you to everyone here from the bottom of my heart!! Not sure what I'm going to replace it with at the moment as well maintained ones are thin on the ground, prices starting to climb and I doubt i'll get much back from my insurer, but I guess i'll cross that bridge when I get to it... Please stay safe everyone, look after yourself and your loved ones, we just never know what's going to happen sometimes!

I went to the local East Coast Japanese car club meet at Ipswich yesterday, saw a few things which may be of interest (and possibly known) here...... I left the LS400 at home and took my Datsun, along with a load of spare/duplicate kits (I managed to sell a few). The Lexus can have a trip there next time. Had a pleasant chat with the long-term owner of this Mk4 DHP. The mesh grille was nicely done, similar to what Toyota/Lexus UK did on some of their home-grown Sport/SR models in the late '90s. For @Malc1, at least two Mk3s came along. Should have spent more time looking at this one. As a '93 I suspect it's a Mk2 rather than a Mk1 - despite owning one of the latter I can't readily recall the differences (if they're on non-standard wheels at least). VIP treatment is a natural look for these big saloons. A few examples of Chaser/Mark II and Crown to be seen, including this oddity: Blit is apparently the wagon version of the Mark II, it ran from 2002 to 2007. Nice use of the GS300 Sport type staggered alloys on this Crown Athlete. I've probably missed the boat now, but I do like the Sportcross. A shame Lexus didn't persevere with it, or any sort of estate version of the other saloons. Had a good chat with the owner of this GS-F, who kindly let me and my son sit in it and enjoy the V8 sound. He turned out to also have a Gen 3 RX450h, and he's in equal admiration of his. Hello and thanks if you're on here! A friend had this lovely Celica Liftback there. I had a chat with the organisers about how we could try to get more older Japanese cars to come along. Supra was LHD and looked like it might be US-spec. Great to see this rare Lancer Turbo. I had a couple of 1980s Accords and they were great to drive with a smooth, well-engineered feel. I can only imagine these enjoy the same qualities, I'd happily have one someday. The location of the show at an old RAF site which now houses an aviation museum made for an interesting backdrop. ECJ host the event 4-5 times a year here, well worth a visit with the museum as an added attraction. Thanks for looking!

https://www.carnoisseur.com/products/details/road-hero-spare-wheel-kit-to-fit-lexus-nx-series-rh093

Wow…. You're all blessed.

Ruddy ell. Glad to learn you got yourself and your girls out as best you could. Thanks for sharing what can only be described as a traumatic experience with us. Hope you mend well and soon. Hope your daughters weren't injured. As for replacing your car. Yes Insurance won't cover the cost of a replacement But since its the third party's insurance I'd kick off massively for the cost of an equivalent model and same make car. You'll get a good payout for injuries and the inconvenience caused by the dangerous driving of that idiot. Get well soon Lee and we look forward to seeing you back with another is250 soon.

What an appalling and traumatic experience for you all, Lee. Your actions in saving your daughters from a car on fire are surely nothing less than heroic. I can imagine that having survived such a violent encounter has served to reinforce your faith in Lexus build quality. But it takes time to come to terms with such a potentially life-changing event. I’m sure you’ll eventually be reassured to find yourself back in the familiar surroundings of another Lexus. All the best to you and your family.

so i took the plunge again and brought a 2002 off ebay requiring work , as i wanted to do quite abit . its a 144k car owned by at least one guy on here , so started with a new radiator (old one leaking badly as was the pas pipe ) then ordered set of meister R s as well as the front /rear anti roll bars and new drop links front rear ( off isf) then discs pads all round ...new rear abs rings ..lambda..the car came with aftermarket alloys and exhaust (one of the reasons i purchased it ) 1st & 2nd pic off ebay ..when it arrived it was ....well lets say the advert was not the way it turned up bonnet and wing and front bumper were awful the engine bay had been sprayed in ORANGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it leaked water in to the boot ...3rd pic is outside workshop after coilovers fitted ..its too low so i have to raise it yet and remove the v8 badges ..

Today, I've done 13 miles and range now showing 39, so the estimate was about right. Re-charged and tonight's estimate is 53.4/52.4

I had a Basic Pandora Storm immobilizer and not the Plus version fitted on my 2016 RX450h a couple of days ago following the fact that the RX is now in the top ten cars being stolen in the UK. I had it installed by a local car audio specialist who have a really good reputation. A little bit dearer than some for the installation but they did loan me a car for the day at no extra cost. This should stop Canbus theft and the tag which needs to be near the car to start the engine goes to sleep via a motion sensor when not in use.. I chose this one over the Ghost immobilizer as you don't have to press buttons in the car to deactivate and if the Storm unit is located by a thief (although hidden) if removed the car still won't start as cuts are made to the canbus wiring unlike the Ghost. The Storm does also offer a optional anti Hijack function but it is not able to be done on Hybrid or electric vehicles. You should never let your hybrid run out of fuel which entails a visit to the dealer so I guess this may have something to do with it. So far it all seems to be good as it is working although at the moment I haven't worked out how long it takes for the tag to go to sleep or the distance it will still operate away from the vehicle. I did contact Pandora UK support but it is pretty poor. Unless they fitted it themselves they just refer you back to the dealer and even if you opt on the phone and say it was fitted by them it says they are closed even though I rang them within their stated office hours. You are also supposed to be able to connect the system to your iphone via an app as well which I have yet tried yet but the reviews for the app says it doesn't work. I have learnt a tip which I had forgotten about that on your normal Lexus key fob if you hold down the lock button and press the unlock button twice it stops the signal from the remote being sent until you press the unlock button again so this will prevent key cloning and relay theft so you shouldn't in theory need to keep your keys in a faraday pouch although you might want to do anyway as a precautionary measure. I will update this post on my experience as time goes on. Any other owner comments and experience regarding the Storm immobilizer?

@DJT By now, I assume that you might have received some quotes and had the necessary work done. Could you provide an update on the cost of the work if possible, please? The replacement of my car's cambelt and water pump is scheduled for next year.

@eleveneleven great to hear you and the girls are safe! I recommend getting a claims management company involved - as they are typically no cost to you and they'll get a better outcome I haven't personally used one, but my brother did after a small incident in a car park and he got the car back and a good pay-out covering around 80% of the value of the car. https://www.autoclaimsassist.co.uk/ this company came up as the first results from a quick google search as an example.

wonder why she won't let you in 🤣 Malc

Unusual for the 4 pot callipers to seize but with little use possible, while you’re in there with the cam belt/water pump replace the radiator if not already done. They have an integrated transmission cooler which fails internally mixing coolant with transmission fluid resulting in wrecked transmission.

So good to hear you are all recovering well with no life changing injuries, at the end of the day a car is just a lump of shaped metal with a modern design to keep you that way. A car doesn’t have to recover just replaced.

Lee, glad to hear that you and your family are on the road to recovery. A car can always be replaced. Still sucks that it's now gone though through no fault of your own. I had a similar experience when my previous IS250 was written-off because someone, who was also driving on my side of the road, collided with me. It sounds like your accident was way worse and more dramatic though! I personally had enough time to steer away a bit and avoid a full head-on smash, but it was still quite a scary experience as the other vehicle involved (Ford Transit van) was considerably larger. The car took the impact very well though and I walked away without even as much as a scratch. These cars give you the impression that they are solidly built just by the general fit and finish - how well the doors close, or how well they insulate the outside noise etc. I'm happy to report that they are indeed solidly built. I had no hesitation in replacing my car with another (the one I have now). 😃

So the immobiliser chip ‘project’, tried reading the immo chip ‘in circuit’ or ‘on the pcb’ and no joy, even with shorting out the oscillators. Took the plunge and removed the immo chip from the pcb, easier than I expected. Inserted the immo chip into the EEPROM reader and hey presto I could read the data, promptly saved the data to a file on the computer and I’ll examine it tomorrow and edit it to ‘virginize’ it so it will accept 3 new keys. Before hand I practised removing the same type of chip on a scrap computer pcb to give me some confidence that I’ve not totally lost my previous soldering skills😀 By trial and error using a hot air soldering rework station I’ve realised I’ve not totally lost it.

Thank-you for a real-life story and not some made up one from Hollywood. Real heroes and really nice people are in abundance let's never forget. I salute your courage and your girls will have an experience never to be forgotten but always recounted. War wounds are better than medals for young people of that age 😎

Improvements continue! Tonight's charge results 52.7/50.1. Actual today was 44 from the previously indicated 49.8.

Oh well....at least the Guinness is still sold by the pint..

Lexus 2023 have look at my previous posting on costs. They are itemised for each item.

That’s a plan…obviously you’ve checked no one in UK could do an ecu rebuild…must be some magician tucked away…🙂

PS: Depending on where you're going and the route you plan on taking, a télépéage badge is well worth having. https://ulys.vinci-autoroutes.com

I live in SW France, and have done so for 15 years, so should know all the tips but don't think there's much to be aware of these days. Apart from the exception of 'priorité à droite' which can catch you out unexpectedly. It is still the norm in town centres that vehicles coming at you from the rhs have priority if there aren't any signs to say otherwise. On the outskirts of towns there's usually signage but in the old parts probably not. On main/departmentale routes it's very rare to encounter unsigned junctions (I can't recall any in recent years but they probably still exist). Junctions on rural roads are also 'priorité à droite' but most people don't push it as they're accustomed to the main road having right of way. My advice is to drive slower than you would in the UK and to treat all junctions with caution but there really isn't anything to be concerned about. MY ES is LHD, obviously, but I also drive my RHD TR4 and Alvis here too and, other than having to look past the passenger at junctions, there really isn't any difference.

Driving tip, make sure you are are driving near to the kerb, don’t drift to the centre of the road. Extra caution at roundabouts and of fuel stations exits etc. Have a great safe holiday all the best.

Clearly states fully comprehensive cover on their website https://www.dayinsure.com/guides/temporary-european-car-insurance/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpPKiBhDvARIsACn-gzBH6lvgo5RfXBuN8M3HM7ZZc56FPWZmC_hGX1nWEAZP1wv7EPa0DjUaAmZBEALw_wcB

No one is talking about replacing the headlight Dess. This is the self-levelling system and sits under the car somewhere around the rear offside wheel if I remember correctly - never had to replace one myself so not exactly sure. The self-levelling motor is on the headlight assembly but the OP specifically said "sensor". Just find a YouTube video about it.

Does It Not tell you in The Car Manual Tony ? And Why would you want to top up Oil On Such a New car..Just let the Dealership Service Check that when in for its annual Service ..If its not in the manual just give lexus a ring and they will tell you the exact type of oil for your Car.!!!! you could try Google..!!

I suppose the two tone effect helps to break up any "slab sided" effect caused by the lack of crease lines or adornments. It was used by Mercedes-Benz at the time, albeit with a satin finish to the lower panels. Stan, this might help: Apologies Kieran, I seem to have taken this completely off topic!

I suppose the two tone effect helps to break up any "slab sided" effect caused by the lack of crease lines or adornments. It was used by Mercedes-Benz at the time, albeit with a satin finish to the lower panels.

An awful experience. So glad you were all able to get out. Very rare I believe for a car to catch fire. A 2008 Lexus has lots of airbags including knee airbags. Wishing you all the best. I would buy another if budget is tight.

Hi, I can confirm that the Lexus ux250h 2019 Takumi (UK) edition or Privilege (Belgium-mine) was bought in September 2019 without Android Auto / Apple Carplay. The Android Auto / Apple Carplay software was installed, free of charge, as an upgrade, between December of 2020 to January 2021 (I can't remember when exactly). I can also confirm that it is working since flawlessly.

Thank you for wishing that everyone stays safe, and glad your family came through the accident. Wishing you all a complete recovery.

They are all genuine Lexus/Toyota parts bought either from Lexuspartsdirect or Lincoln Lexus, brand new in the original packaging, all for the Gen 2 LS400, bought for a 1998. Pair of rear discs (Currently £143 at Lexuspartsdirect) Rears pads (no longer listed, about £100 from memory) air filter (now discontinued, £20 for copy on ebay) cabin filter (£16) one valve cover gasket (£15) All together to buy from LPD would be around £290 if they were available, selling for £100 including tracked, insured delivery. That's less than Chinese bits from ebay would cost. I won't split the bits, if they don't sell I'll give to a friend who does autojumbles. Thanks for reading.

Yes Steve, a decent price I think. More and more parts seem to be discontinued from Lexus so it won't be long before it'll be aftermarket or nothing.

Gang might be able to tell you but if it helps a friend of mine drives a Tesla model S since 2015. He was one of the first and got it because of big tax breaks if he would set it at his company. No road tax. Those cars had supercharging for life as well so free electricity. He is now at 275k km and no regular service needed. Things he replaced are tyres, 2 shocks, wishbones, wipers. So for cheap motoring only biking will beat it..

Totally Agree Chris.. Better spending your Money on Preventative Measures.. Many Years ago chris i had a Car stolen.. When it was eventually recovered What a mess it was in..The B******S who stole it Ripped everything of value out of it Even removed the offside wheels and broke the steering column.. After that i couldnt get rid of it quick enough..Maybe that was just me but although i had spent a lot of money sorting it The car just was,nt, the same If you know what i Mean... Following that experience i rely on Croccy My pet crocodile who circles the car at night..Failing all else i just get my Good lady To sleep in The car.. Even Croccy won,t come near... GRRRRRR.. PS.. Croccy is Thatcham Approved......

I think the first thing I’d do - especially with a convertible - is go for the simpler, visible deterrent and fit a steering wheel lock. Apart from the well proven Disklock, these alternatives seem interesting. Turn the wheels hard into the kerb before fitting, and even towing the car away becomes a problem! https://geartekk.com/product/steerlock-steering-wheel-lock/?_gl=1*1pflxxn*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE2ODMzNzI0OTIuRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1JbTllcWo4dmdfZ0lWR2VydENoMG5XZ2d3RUFBWUFpQUFFZ0pjMV9EX0J3RQ..&_ga=2.33153662.1705044825.1683372492-785321425.1683372492&_gac=1.141240710.1683372492.EAIaIQobChMIm9eqj8vg_gIVGertCh0nWggwEAAYAiAAEgJc1_D_BwE I like the concept of the Ghost system. A car that appears to turn over but doesn’t fire up - or mysteriously stops after a few seconds - is not something a thief wants to be caught in and may well attract attention to them. Unless they know all about it, it will probably prompt a rapid abandonment! Ultimately - and given enough time - the best way to remove the car is to try to get it on to a low loader without triggering a motion alarm. This invariably means the car is a targeted theft and is when a Tracker system proves its worth. If chummy suspects a Tracker - and can’t immediately disable it - the usual action is to park it and see if it’s collected. Finally, basic elements of home security should not be ignored. But then I suspect you’ve already considered these! Considering the cost and rarity of the model and the time you’ve waited just to have it, I would have thought that the cost of all these measures represents a relatively small investment. But then it’s very easy to spend someone else’s money! At least you’ll know you’ve done everything practicable and can concentrate on just enjoying the car.

Here's a map of them Gang: https://www.glpautogas.info/data/hydrogen-stations-map-united-kingdom.html

Thanks, I am currently between a Scorpion and a Smartrack 5+ Imob, which seems to offer belt and braces type protection but at a price. Its not a subject matter which I can get excited about, my insurance has not requested it, but after waiting for a year, I'd be pretty fxxxed off if it got stolen and yes, I would probably want it back because, I can't just go into the used market and replace it. Still got another 7 days before I get it from the detailers, can't wait.

I think it fair to say that the poor Satnav/infotainment in the RX cars has been widely reported on going back for considerable time so this should not be a surprise for anybody who has done some research before laying out a considerable sum on the model. I personally prefer and use a large TomTom for the Satnav. There are some pretty steep hills in Devon and I have found my Cruise Control exceeds the set speed slightly on my 3rd generation but speedo reads 2-3 mph fast anyway (as on most cars), so this has to be factored in too and speed limits usually allow a small excess. I don't really need such a large car and have tried others but the RX feels so much more comfortable that I am always glad to back into it and that is before you take the overall reliability of the car into account.

Update for the thread, located a windscreen from Silver Shield Windscreens, based in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, confirmed via car reg, part number and tint! Went and picked it up today alongside a new chrome strip for the top of the screen, mega chuffed! Recommendation came from the LS owners on facebook and Simon who responded to my emails couldn't have been more helpful. The next hurdle of course is, getting it fitted (and will it?) 🤣🤞

Sorry was too tight to spend £6.99 on the magazine - I think it was autocar - but they had a shoot out between these two and I had a quick read. The AMG won, which to be honest I’m not that surprised about, although they both got 4 stars. The second most amazing part of the comparison was the cost, where there was about a 60k difference. I think the AMG was 170k vs 111k for the LC The most amazing part was the depreciation calculation, which had the LC convertible worth only £48k after 3 years. IF ONLY 🙂

Depreciation is extremely difficult to predict at the moment. Through Covid and the Ukraine conflict there have been extremes in terms of component supply restrictions, etc which has forced lead in times to extend and reduced availability on the used market. I suspect the Autocar figures are based on historical norms and reflect what we should have expected prior to the current economic mess. At some point I have no doubt that the current depreciation bubble will well and truly burst - please just don't ask me or any economist to say when!! Peter

The 360 is a definite omission for their halo sports car… but it’s got a rear camera and front sensors I suppose, both more than my last car had. To quote the desperate BMW salesman when we test drove an i3 with zero cameras and questioned the lack of them on a 30 grand hatchback “it’ll help you hone your driving skills”. Riiiigghht. Tech wasn’t even on my radar when I was looking at AMG GTs and LCs. Looks, noise, performance, heart over head 110%. You only live once.

"Thank you for contacting us about your upcoming trip to Europe in your Lexus LC500. Your headlights will not need beam deflectors added when driving in Europe. This is because in the past few years Lexus / Toyota have moved to fitting Projector Headlamps (halogen, HID and LED) and these light projectors have a flat beam pattern so that they can be used in Europe without the need for beam converter stickers. Only older style conventional lens headlights will need beam deflector stickers for travelling abroad as their lens design gives the lights a 'kick'. If you want any additional reassurance before travelling, you can always ask your local Lexus Centre to check the headlight beam pattern with a beam tester (as carried out in the MOT test), or you can even check the pattern yourself if the headlights are on at night, and when parked in front of a flat wall/garage door etc. I hope you have a safe and very enjoyable trip. Kind regards Lexus Customer Services" So that's definitely a win. I'll still check the beam pattern because I do think the left hand side is a bit high. Thanks for all the replies 😀

Shame they couldn't have gone for a smaller screen and a few buttons... touch screens are never a perfect solution

My trusty black, 5l, V8, coupe with red seats has left it's home of the last 10+ years. Some regrets at seeing her go as it's a stonking car and in Sport mode with the supercharger wound up she really pulls up her skirts and shifts with a glorious soundtrack to match. However, the eagled eyed amongst you might just spot a new black, 5l, V8 coupe with red seats lurking in the background :) Life, the universe and everything (spelt w-o-r-k) have conspired to severely restrict any time to get to know the new kid on the block but first impressions in the few hundred miles I've managed are suggesting that I'm going to enjoy my LC and I'm looking forward to spending the next decade or so in its company. FWIW, some first impressions/comparisons. The handling is very much better (even if the rear end did get out of shape a couple of times on a cold, wet road the LC sorted it all out before I needed to get involved) and the RWS really really sharpens things up much more than I expected. The engine, as everyone knows, is a screamer but needs the solenoids open or the ItGoesAutomotive exhaust gizmo (mine is on order but stuck in transit) to let the exhaust breath. The ICE and touchpad really is as awful as the reviews imply but an AAWireless device means I can pretty much ignore it except for the climate control which is... errr... curious and cursed with a truly awful UI. The whole ICE/UI thing really does amaze me. It's really not that hard to build a halfway decent interface; it's only software (I say that as a programmer). Maybe it's a cultural thing as I've seen equally awful software on Japanese motorcycles. As a place to be sat, the lC is as nice as everyone says. The Lexus dealership experience didn't live up to expectations but that might just be down to the particular salesman who's since been moved on to a different brand.

Good decision sticking with a sensible 5 litre V8. I think a better photo would be nice 😂

I haven't had a proper photo session but I've always liked this one taken on the drive.