Leaderboard

The rates are published here: NHS mileage allowance rates | Royal College of Nursing (rcn.org.uk) In summary for the NHS: The national guidance in England is 59 pence per mile for the first 3,500 miles and 24 pence per mile thereafter. This compares to HMRC published (tax free) rates of 45p per mile for first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter. For the NHS rates there would be tax due on the excess payments over the HMRC published rates, but depending on mileage this would tend to zero for higher mileage drivers as more miles would then be done at the lower rate, and their overall compensation would fall within HMRC guidelines. The RCN are trying to get the rates raised, which I agree with as would any other person using their own car for business mileage since HMRC have hardly changed the rates for many years, but this should be the same for anyone that is using their own car for business mileage and not for any one particular profession.

AFAIK the NHS actually pays for private car use over the HMRC rate of 45p per mile first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter - I think something over 50p per mile now. It's the only organisation that I know of that actually pays more then the HMRC rates. I assume that the nurses getting paid that will pay tax on the excess over the HMRC rates... HMRC really need to review the figures for everyone with the significant increases in recent years running a car (not just fuel but everything else).

No they haven't. For older vehicles they are installing trackers and immobilisers and newer ones have updated firmware in the main body ECU to detect hacks - that isn't anything like implementing encryption across the entire CAN bus.

Found this on a local FB page 😀 “So my car needs to pass an MOT to make sure it’s safe to drive on roads that aren’t safe to drive on ?”

could be worse, apparently land rover & range rover owners cant even get insured because of all the theft.

I wanna think in this paragraph you're referring to the Royal family? They've been on benefits for a long time too, refusing to get real jobs. On publicly-owned utilities, I'll just say you should look up what happened with the privatised water supply in Paris for example. Also, it is not "the government", it is us (as a group of humans forming a society) who need to help those who aren't able to help themselves. A younger society (with children) ultimately benefits everyone.

Nurses are also punished when trying to park their cars at their workplace and charged and fined for the privilege. One friend has racked up over £500 in fines for parking at the hospital. They, and others are refusing to pay.

as above. It should only be used to avoid fumes in your garage or being quiet as you arrive/leave your house in the early hours. Forcing EV mode normally results in worse fuel consumption compared to just letting the vehicle do its thing. The cancelling of the mode depends on throttle, temperature, battery state of charge and speed.

I have the Levinson one in my Takumi and to be honest it is wasted on me. I have always wondered if a high spec sound system in a car is a waste of money anyway unless you are stationary, all the background noise even in a quiet car must drown out all the discrete tones and quality. Bill D.

So how did we go from Insurance companies to Banks? Look I expect this level of naivety and lack of understanding of commerce from some people. I just did not expect to find it here amongst people who are equipped to find themselves behind the wheel of a Lexus. I shall refrain from further participation .

Roll on 30th March I will take delivery of a new Lexus LC500 Convertible ULTIMATE EDITION at Lexus Swindon attended by Lexus CEO Chris Hayes. There are a total of 165 cars worldwide and only 4 Convertibles for the UK market. This will be my third LÇC My question for the forum is "Do you think this will prove to be a good Investment?" Similar to the LFA.

For those interested Car magazine has just started a long term test of the RX450h+ in Premium Plus trim.

It was a short chime and a message on the dash appeared saying "key battery low".

It is an unfortunate reality with hybrids / electric cars. The 12v battery is a small one only meant to boot the computer and power the security systems when locked. Maybe keep a jumpstart pack in your boot. Theyre essentially like a powerbank which you connect to your battery and can jump start it yourself if you get stuck. Maybe learn how to access the car if the battery dies. Calling the AA everytime will be very inconvenient.

Oh also spent some money at Lexus parts direct for a set of wheel locking nuts ( the current ones looked nasty and the box has seen better days) so a new set with new box, also replaced brake rubber as the old one was worn , got a set of carpet mat clips and replaced the broken ones driver and passenger side. Small things but looks better. Also bought leather cleaner and protector , gave the seats a good old clean and have come up really well...

I reckon the government should do more in regulating and keeping insurance companies in line - since it's a mandatory requirement for motoring. Not that it should be 'free' or anything - it absolutely should not be. Motoring isn't mandatory, but as a first world free country, the right to travel freely is important and as some have mentioned, let's face it, most people on the road aren't 'car people' or enthusiasts, but simply have no better or more economical way of transporting their families or self across long, tedious routes and distances. So owning a car isn't always a nice to have luxury although it is for some of us. As for the NHS charging its staff.. that is awful, but I have to wonder how useful the unions are [ever] [in general] that despite making a lot of noise and money from membership, haven't achieved much in that very real, everyday issue that costs a lot of hard working key workers a tonne of money and frustration in simply trying to come to work everyday. But if you are publicly funded and have no obligation/motivation to make a profit, or be accountable for poor management decisions (such as outsourcing everything for sheer convenience) then what do you expect? Their biggest problem is putting healthcare people in charge - who are experts in health care and high in empathy, but not experts in balancing books, strategy or a business mentality. They shouldn't mix the two, or you get people over spending in the wrong areas out of 'empathy' with no real concept of the impact down the line and that's what we see all the time. No amount of government throwing money at the NHS will make a difference (before someone inevitably blames the tories). It's a structural problem and until they can straighten it out, I hate to say it, but it's only continuing to make a case for privatisation. And I don't say that as some stuck up rich guy, I'm definitely a beneficiary of the NHS and would probably be screwed without it. But service user or not, my need and want for 'free healthcare' is no reason for highly skilled key workers, in stressful jobs, to have to keep turning up to be treated like crap, paid too little or laid off..

Had a free-ish weekend so spent a few hours fitting some new rear discs/pads and wheels to the Lexus. I picked up some Tesla Model 3 wheels with 4 almost new Michelin Pilot sport 5's on for a steal, I quite like the design of them without the standard wheel covers, fitted the style I was after on this car. The tyres are 235/45/18's slightly bigger than I'd have wanted, but couldn't pass up on the deal. The ET on the wheels are slightly better than standard, the rear may benefit from 20mm spacer to get them perfectly in the arch, but for now I feel they look far better! Reason for doing the rear discs was after a trip up to my brothers I noticed the rear left was very hot, thought it must be the slider pins. Turns out the slider pin that usually causes issues was perfectly fine, fortunately someone has definitely looked after the car in the past. I left the bottom pin in place, cleaned and applied plenty of new grease, the top slider on both sides I replaced with a new pin and boot. The left caliper piston had been pretty tough to push back in, I attempted to free it up as much as possible without actually taking it out, after a short trip with the new set up I noticed the disc still get very hot, so the piston's definitely sticking. New rear caliper is on its way, gives me a reason to change out to rear lines for a braided set I got with the car and to get some new fluid in the lines, hoping to have that sorted this weekend. Fair to say the old discs had served their time 😄 The next issue to sort with be a CEL I've sporadically had since owning the car. Of recent its been a P0420, but has also been a P0137 both for Bank 1, sensor 2. After doing a bit of research it could well be a leak prior to or around the downstream sensor and my mid pipe to cat exhaust flange isn't looking great at all, for how well preserved the underside of the car is, the exhaust flanges have taken a beating haha. Thinking it may need to go to an exhaust shop to get them to cut and weld on 2 new flanges and the cheaper option, or I get a custom mid pipe made at the same time. That being said the cars driving well with the new alloys/tyres on, it's already eliminated a pulling to the right I had with the old alloys. Still going strong at 157,000 miles!

Ordered CMS C27 (8X18, ET35) in "Titan gloss" so now its a waiting game...

Thanks Brett. I didn't want to put a bright yellow metal on the steering wheel. But, it seems a visible physical deterrent is needed as my Ultimate Edition coupe will be only 1 of 1 in the UK.

And no doubt Lexus could do something similar if they could be bothered....

Is this one of those self drive cars? 😉 Looking very nice indeed.

Find some local to you in your budget range and go test drive them. I did 6 years ago and of those I tested I preferred the one I bought, but I test drove LS400s, LS430s (pre-and post facelift) and LS460s (pre-facelift). Personally I found the electric power steering in the LS460 to be "numb" and I found the LS400 too floaty. The facelift LS430 was the sweet-spot for me with excellent comfort, quietness, but still fun in the twisties (for a 2 ton behemoth).

I agree owning a car is not mandated by law but neither is having children. Also you can't argue against the fact that it is a necessity for some. I personally know people who serve as community nurses and physios who literally need to own a car to do their job and make ends meet. The NHS does not provide them with a car or pay for their insurance & associated costs. The NHS only pays a fixed rate for fuel used and thats it. Even that has been the same for several years now and has not risen with the rising cost of energy. I know some of these people personally and they struggle to make ends meet as their salaries have not gone up commensurate with the cost of living. This is just one example I am sure there are 100s of people out there with jobs like these. These are not people slacking it off and living on benefits that just expect the govt to bail them out. And it is these people that are squeezed the most. And yes the government is there to regulate and solve these problems. Else your argument about poorly run nationalised companies should apply to education and helathcare as well. Would you rather pay for education and healthcare too? If not the government then who should be solving these issues? What else are we paying such high taxes for? Bailing out banks?

Educating your children is mandated by law. Owning a car is not, and therefore insurance isn’t mandatory and shouldn’t be state provided. The problem is we’ve been too generous bailing out those making unwise life choices (e.g. those on benefits see a financial increase if they have more kids, courtesy of other taxpayers; whereas those earning & paying their way typically see a big decrease in their household finances if they have more children) that it’s now become expected that the government will solve all problems. Any sense of personal responsibility is sadly gone. I fear too many people aren’t aware of how bad nationalised companies were. I suspect we all may have a refresher course in the next few years.

Calle me deluded, that's fine. 🙂 I have been called worse by others who can't grasp the basics of what it means to own (or not own) capital and the pressures on ever-increasing profits driven by an economic model favouring shareholders above all else. With all due respect, this thing you call free market is not free, nor a market (such belief sounds disingenuous), and whatever that thing may be, it is essentially at odds with the concept of democracy itself (but may be going a bit too off-topic here). The bit about price fixing being prohibited made me smile: once you learn a bit of history of economics & the financial sector as a whole, surely you cannot be as naive as to think it plays by any rules you & I have to abide to. 🫠

A firmware update is highly unlikely because the system as a whole, and the multiple ECUs involved, aren't designed for signed communication and would likely require hardware replacements, not just software. Going full encryption will never happen on these old models - Toyota/Lexus isn't even using that on current models).

Ooh the level of judgement. You shall refrain from further participation? Ooh no! we're going to miss out on all the condescending comments. Its laughable that you think you're better than others because you drive a Lexus. Goes to show the size of the peanut where your idea if your "expertise" comes from. Also since you're such an award winning expert on commerce you should know these business are all intertwined. The best example is AIG that tanked and was bailed out at taxpayers expense. But you already know that since you're a baller award winning, lexus driving, rolex wearing commerce expert 🤣

I would want to visit the Isle of Skye someday I used the Wynns Specialist E10 Protector. I can't say anything about it except I hope it did something in there. But like Linas said, can't see how a few tankfulls would do any damage. It's long-term use of the stuff that builds up the water. Vlad posted some stuff from Millers. Just used Millers oil in the IS250 and I think the oil is meant to be top-notch so probably can trust this brand. I probably would not waste money worrying about a 2-3 tanks of E10 so don't waste your money buying protection.

Some injector cleaner, quality 99ron petrol and an italian tuneup might help but I'd guess using the Relax warranty and getting Lexus to check the injectors would be the best option.

Well, nearly two years later we've finally reached the 'mid-40's' point I reckon, if you're looking outside the dealer network. Cheapest petrol, silver, base model, 36,000 miles is just under 43k, and there's a couple of others around 45 to 50k. The engine, the build, the warranty - all seem to be helping the LC keep it's head above water in a tough market. Still can't think of anything I'd replace mine with.

The RX series IV should be less prone because it has both direct injection and port injection to keep the valves clean - the IS250 engine was only direct injection so valves never get washed and cleaned by petrol and its detergents.

I had the same. Was an injector. Causes the car to shake a little intermittently at idle

Hi all This has now been claimed Thanks

According to the online brochure the NX 350h has a 10 speaker Pioneer Audio System.

I had an IS250 with a pioneer system which was excellent - I then tried a normal NX300h Lux with the standard speaker system and found it underwhelming. I have the ML in my NX300h which is good, however, I remember having a 300h on loan from Lexus whilst my IS was in for service and being totally blown away by it.

Well….I do Stephen! I never let my tyres get below 3mm. Apparently that’s the point at which performance deteriorates rapidly. On the other hand, my annual mileage is so low that the problem of new tyres may not be my problem!

I fitted tyres for a while when I was a lad and plug repairs are perfectly fine. I would actually prefer this repair method over a normal patch since the stem of the plug also fills out the entry wound. Meaning there's less chance of the steel belts inside the carcass getting corroded from water ingress.

Aircon drainage blocked?

Are the drains at the bottom of the door blocked?

I don't think there's anything missing. Mine looks exactly the same.

I have real problems after the update. I allowed it to update while I was on a journey away from home. I'm now away from home, but it's deleted my home address. How am I going to find my way home?

They are correct - It either has a fault and throws up an error on the dashboard or it is fine - there isn't any health status like a smart phone unfortunately. As part of a dealer service there is a hybrid health check which will warrant the battery for 12 months / 10k miles (whichever happens first). Even if you don't purchase from the Lexus dealer, or doesn't have full Lexus history, get a HHC done as part of the sale and your battery will be covered, which you can renew yearly until the vehicle is 15 years old. https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-hybrid-health-check-2/ Not much else to look out for - if it's been sitting on a forecourt for a while the 12v battery may need replacing. High oil consumption due to cylinder wear - difficult to check for when just viewing a vehicle. If you purchase one then consider getting the EGR valve cleaned to avoid any future head gasket issues.

It's a worldwide common issue, although not seen as much in the UK. There are two issues, one is the EGR can become blocked, the other, which is likely your mate's issue, is the piston rings which get coked up, cannot rotate and cannot drain oil correctly. It ultimately wears the cylinder bores so even if you free the rings it will still consume oil. It's a design issue that has affected several engines - my son's 2012 1.3 Yaris suffers the same issue - possibly because the previous owner didn't do regular oil changes with quality oil. In 2014/15, Toyota fixed the issue with resigned pistons and oil control rings which have larger holes and different tension. He could try using engine flush before each oil change, and possibly move to 5W30 oil which may help consumption but will increase petrol usage somewhat - essentially manage the issue. Otherwise it needs more major work to decoke the engine - provided the bores aren't damaged. If they are damaged then you need a new block as I don't believe you can successfully rebore that engine. If you search for the issue against the Prius, which uses the same engine, you will find more info as the number of those sold is much larger and hence more cars with the problem.

Definitely not a milk float and definitely looks lovely. Congrats and welcome to the Lexus forum (if you weren't here already) @MedicalFlyer

Excellent, thanks for that I've been levering the dam fob the wrong way, mines type A yes it slides forward, great stuff.

UK government “You must buy an electric car!” UK Insurers “We don’t provide cover for electric cars” What time is the number 15 bus due?

No it wouldn't but it is part of the service (at least in my experience). I wouldn't be surprised if the dealer would replace it FOC. That said the handbook shows two types of key

Gs450h 2018, in 32k miles in 2 1/2 years, I have had 2 issues, rear brake calliper seizing (replacement covered by relax.) Tyre valve leaking, not covered £149.

Only if wear and tear items need replacing - e.g. wiper blades/rubbers, bulbs, brake pad/discs, tyres etc. Anything that is covered by Relax and found during a service would be covered (provided you have Relax coverage to start with - i.e. you cannot have no warranty, take it for service and expect existing faults to be fixed, only once you have a clean bill of health would the 12 month warranty be issued).

Not sure if the F-Sport is the same as my SEL...but. I'm thinking maybe it is correct....ish. Press the button ( top LH side of screen cluster) and if you were on Climate the Map will now be displayed. If you touch your finger on the screen it will set that point as a destination if you choose to accept that point and 'start' the guidance. I did this purely by accident in Wales a couple of weekends back. Quite useful if you just want to get to a general area and leave the detail until later. I posted on both yours hoping you'd see one!!