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@Jon_B Pleasure Jon kind of you to say as well, if you should find something in the future give me a nod and I’ll send you my search information locations. In the mean time should you consider a GSF my mate has just taken delivery of a brand new one a few days ago....... Big Rat

That Tesla sounded Epic... Said no one... ever ;-) I was having a chat to my next door neighbour who is buying a Model S (He had a Prius) and I mentioned the noise to him. I likened it to comparing ACDC with those pipes you hang in the garden that make an odd noise when the wind blows (ISF being ACDC in case you were wondering) I then noticed he had a hearing aid. Which explains why I always hear his wife shouting at him. Mind you... I don't have a hearing aid and my wife shouts at me so not sure I have any logic to go on here.

LC-F, not that will be an interesting addition as and when it's finally launched. Didn't think much of the LC500 to be honest. My F in current spec is faster and more nimble. The LC500 seemed really wide to me, always worrying about clipping other cars or being over the centre line on the road! I'm sticking with my IS-F for a while, especially now I've forked out for a supercharger kit! Glad you're sticking with your IS-F Jon.

at all the garages i've worked at the mechanics always agreed with this. they said that one thing people don't think of when letting their car warm up(engine), is that when they then pull away, is that nothing else is at a similar temp, most importantly the gearbox. a little mechanical sympathy for the 1st part of the drive is a much more effective way of warming the engine and gearbox

There is a small filter hidden inside a banjo oil feed pipe "two on the V6 engines" that can become partially blocked reducing the oil flow to the cam timing gears. It may be worthwhile "since it is such an easy job" to check, and clean or replace this.filter. John.

@Flytvr Yes I’m inclined to agree already increasing my information data on GSF/RCF for future reference of us all 👍 🐀

Just one more thing..... "let me tell you about that car".....

That's the great thing about the F world, so few cars (comparatively) plus we have inspector @Big Rat (aka T-Bone)

@Flytvr Er no you have the wrong location that comes from here.... 😂😂😂😂 🐀

I saw that very car the other day -

I just love the colour of your car @Mark G. I'm also a big fan of your exhaust in the way that it is loud with little drone. Impressive!

Obviously performance is a major factor for me, that's why I own an "F" car, but the sound is a major factor for me, you take away the sound of the engine, especially a V8 and you remove one of the most involving aspects of a car, so what if it hits 60 in 3 seconds........in complete silence..............sorry not interested.

Haha! Anyone heard of irony?! But to answer the original question - it's better to go straight away - that warms the engine up more quickly, which is better. An IS250 engine will take a long time to warm up at idle with 10 litres of coolant. But drive gently until the engine has at least started to warm up according to the temperature gauge - use light throttle and keep the revs down. You may have noticed that the auto box doesn't use 6th gear until it too has warmed up.

Two very different cars.......But if this was a p85d/p90d or p100d the Lexus would have got majorly walked.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just a quick word on ball joints. I had a honda accord which developed stiff steering which wouldn't self center recently. Also had a slight clunk sometimes but I disregarded ball joints to my peril as I'd had them replaced withing a year. One evening as I pulled into my drive the front left ball joint exploded collapsing the suspension and smashing a drive shaft. I was fortunately only doing about 2mph but had been on the dual carriageway 5 mins earlier. Get it checked by a pro and don't buy cheap ball joints!

....a MK4 went past my house today (a very, very rare sight) with a modified exhaust, and it sounded fantastic, just like an American muscle car with a V8!

Hi, Folks, Just joined, but been a lurker for a while. To that end, I have today put a deposit down on a 2008 GS450h - this one in fact... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-LEXUS-GS450H-SE-AUTO-GREEN-/322799133127?hash=item4b2853e1c7%3Ag%3AkSQAAOSw8HBZLp4y&nma=true&si=u2VGKpQIvHT7G3amGE3uPYT0DBc%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Finally, Thanks to all the contributors on the site - you've helped me with the LS, and with my new-to-me GS!

Having research this further there appears to be a spring loaded plunger inside the timing sprockets that locks them in a retarded position until oil pressure pushes it out of the locked position. If the spring that pushes it into the locked position becomes week or brakes this could cause the mechanism not to lock when the engine is turned off, and to chatter until it is filled with oil. It would then work normally. I can see know other reason for the existence of the plunger, and know it should release at 21 psi oil pressure. This pressure could not be reached until all the space in the mechanism was full of oil. There is a video on the tube that shows this on a Toyota engine, but the guy doing the video could not work out what it was for. John.

Easily and RCFs < £30k

@Jon_B The ones for sale at the moment that are in the low £40k’s near Christmas a cheeky offer could get one for 39k or so me thinks 😏 🐀

Thanks guys, that’s it working fine now, thought it must of been something else as the same was happening with the spare key, changed batteries in both keys and both are locking and unlocking the car fine now! Dippy Debbie strikes again lol cheeers again

@Flytvr I hope to have one by then , not many years to go 😳 🐀

@doog442 Good point pictures videos, ultimately I don’t suppose they care that much and as @Jon_B has quite rightly pointed out these are performance cars they will have been ‘used’ accordingly but when you are just a bit more prepared for what you considering every little bit of info helps. 🐀

Yes agreed, a big thank you from me @Big Rat. Very much appreciated :-)

@doog442 Thnks very much, quite enjoy a bit of research if it helps others makes it all the more worth the while 👍 🐀

and cyclists At the moment the main threat is Nissan LEAFS driven by the natural customer base who appear to have poor eyesight amongst their armoury.

I found this quite fascinating but how someone can make an interesting technology sound so boring is beyond belief. I wish he'd show a bit of enthusiasm! However, the most amazing thing is finding out that I have a reindeer under the bonnet!

Great bit of work there @Big Rat From a neutral observer of course.

I have experienced this with mine (but not as bad as what was heard in the video you posted) and John & John in their posts above are spot on when stating its the oil. Its an obvious issue but not one to worry about and sound worse than what it is. You will sometimes have this when changing oil as the oil reservoir that John has mentioned is drained and the engine has no means to fill it without turning on - when turning on it will rattle a bit (for a second if that) I got rid of mine after regular oil changes using an engine flush (Wynns) each time - oil changes I do every 6 months but use the right oil (5/30). You will probably get it if the cars not had the necessary oil changes - check the colour of your oil and I will bet its black which is a sure sign it needs changing. 6 months use of Magnatec when changing the oil will see the oil a dark tea colour (still opaque but starting to change) Do an oil change with a flush regularly and you will be on the road to getting rid of the noise. By the way - no - there is no code thrown up by this and it is not your timing chain judging by the sound on the video

I bought these after they were recommended by a forum member and they fit well http://www.vehicleclips.co.uk/parts-by-make/toyota.html/ Below is a picture and part number for the correct ones from Toyota

This is not a particularly serious problem and it won't raise a fault code. It is annoying and a bit worrying though. It is due to the hydraulic valve lifters (tappets) being bunged up due to insufficiently frequent oil changes - Lexus service interval is 10K miles and oil needs to be changed more frequently - preferably 5K mile intervals. No point using a dealer for a 9 year old car. Go to a trustworthy indy and get them to change the oil to a good quality fully synthetic 5W-30 (I use Dexos2) and use an oil flush additive at every oil change. The noise will eventually get less and go away altogether, but don't expect instant results.

Hi all, New to the forum and new to RC-F ownership so Hi to all I've been reading a number of threads on here with a great deal of interest. I have to say I'm delighted that I'm now owning a car that polarises opinion! I've just come out of ownership of 3 years of a C63 and whilst some on here have already testified, it is a great car, yes probably is quicker from the low to mid range, but I've realised that I was taking pleasure in my C63 from the comfort of external opinions, nods, glances which were all positive, taking comfort in the fact it was widely lauded as being one of the best V8's you can buy, but as I've got over that excitement through ownership, I've realised it also is very much about the experience of the interior too and with that I was bored with the C63. Personally I think the interior in the Lexus is fantastic, and the build quality far superior to the C63. Equally I'd discounted an M3 due to a boring and lacklustre interior. The Lexus just has that little bit extra pazzaz that I've felt has been missing from owning a C63. I enjoyed the attention I got in the Merc, but having now moved to the RC-F can see far more interest from people in this car due to it's rarity. As others have said I see no reason why that wouldn't contribute to a stabilisation and potential increase in value, when most owners acknowledge the car grows on you. I'm bored to be honest with what I feel are journo's fixations on track driving, lap times round the ring, when we all drive cars on the road 99% of the time, and our experience of our cars is how they make us feel, and the emotion they generate both by their exterior but also interior look and feel. The driving experience is subjective, but any 450bhp coupe is going to feel fast up to "normal" road speeds. I've had just as much interest in the car, with the looks, glances and question marks in peoples heads over what it is, then reminded myself I'm also sat in just an exclusive and fresh environment on the inside with gasps when they realise Lexus made V8's. You don't get that owning a BMW or a Merc! As I say the pull for me is the surprise the car gives me and others on the perceived opinions of what a Lexus "is" Enjoying the experience so far! Cheers Matt

Dear All, dear Bob, Thank you for your comments and interest, those are now kept for Linas.P Kinds regards Gabor

Saw aTesla ‘X5 Sized jobee’ Clearly I’m not up on their model range, at the Prescott Hill Climb a while back, the way that thing got off the line was phenomenal. Still like whispering death to pedestrians in the right situations me thinks 🤓 🐀

We all have 1 so it's easy to forget but whichever way you look at it, the ISF is still a seriously quick car!! That being said, I'd still be nervous if a Tesla was chasing me, having been in 1 they are ridiculously quick instantly!!

Hi, Lee, Hoping to pick it up on Friday - will have new MOT and 12V battery. I suppose it could do with one new alloy (kerbed - ugly but safe) I am not 100% sure what options it has yet. After reading an online owners manual (USA / Canada version) I'm going to have a lot of checking to do!

The Tesla lost because it had the wrong batteries, I would have used Ever Ready Gold Seal..

Never noticed it before on an RCF but the Sunroof (Or Moon Roof as Lichelle reminds me when it's open and I open the door)... WTF? Talk about ruining the lines of the body. Tell me that's some aftermarket wing he has put on to impress the VW Scene Boyz ;-)

Very informative post, thanks

Actually, the transmission was probably one of the main things that persuaded me to get an IS300h. It just seemed such an elegant engineering solution to the problems of the petrol engine. I've read of conventional automatic gearboxes that have around 370 moving parts. By contrast, I think I've read that the hybrid drive on the first Prius had only 22 moving parts. (Don't quote me but the numbers are something like that.) Having few moving parts seemed like an ideal way to avoid breakdowns, which the Prius reliability record seems to have confirmed. Here's a random example of what an automatic gearbox looks like when it's taken apart. It's only a three-speed, from a Pontiac TransAm but it shows how many parts there are. Most people won't want to watch more than a minute or two but jump ahead to around 23 minutes in and you can see all the clutch bands. All these parts are potential areas for wear or breakdown. By contrast, here's a demonstration of the hybrid drive used on Toyotas and Lexuses. A very simple and elegant solution, where the electric motors take the place of the clutch bands in the automatic gearbox. (This lecturer explains things really well but as he talks very slowly I generally increase the youtube playback speed to 1.5 or double speed.) Here's a graphic display of the hybrid drive power split device. It's been mentioned elsewhere on this forum but it's really useful in helping to understand how the transmission works. Scroll down to the bottom and drag the sliders to control the speed of the gear wheels.

@Jon_B Jon most likely my route in the future as well, this me and a mate on a day out in Bath, well at least this his is last one he’s bought another now he rates em 👍 Big Rat

The side protection strips are a genuine Lexus accessory for the NX. I'm not 100% convinced by the looks, but my car is in a work car park every day, so I see them as an essential. I've had similar on every daily driver I've had over the last twenty years, and they've saved my bodywork on a number of occasions - and I'm very careful about where I park! @Rusty Crobar - I've never really believed in the 'new car wonder treatments' - Supaguard and similar - but the Williams ceramic coat was thrown in by Lexus for free, and it does seem to have been done well by the company they used. Having detailed many cars over the years as a hobby I'm a sceptic, but I'm interested to see how this treatment lasts. I'm topping up with CarPro Re-Load sealant so I'll never really know for sure, but I'll report back as the years go by. Reviews elsewhere suggest this is a good treatment if prepped and applied properly. We shall see...

No... that definitely includes "essential service kit", which is oil filter, oil, drain gasket and cabin + air filter "if required*" and finally top-up of all other fluids to the recommended level.. and and and cheapest wash&vac. That is why I think it is decent value, the oil + filter and gasket alone is ~£60 for parts. Do not expect filter to be changed unless you have rat nest in the air-box... but even then it is decent value for money. Standard price for this is £149 (same as £165 from Jemca), the plus is that Woodford gives courtesy car for free... just be careful with local "white vans" - they tend to attack CT's.

CT needs a redesign to look like a hatchback NX/RX. Its current design is boring and old. They main thing the CT has going for it is reliability, fuel efficiency and zero road tax. People are not buying the CT for its looks.

Mileage isn’t an issue if it’s looked after, I’ve a German friend with an F with 250,000 kilometres on it and it doesn’t miss a beat 👍

@BUG4LIFE Hi Rhys For me I always buy on condition many will say mileage is not so important and these cars do wear well, but the truth is mileage means wear ! So try if you can afford it if the car is a keeper look for the lower mileage buying the best will cost but it's more of an enjoyable ownership experience. There really are very few common problems, water pumps can weep they do not fail most would probably have been done by now, discs and pads from Lexus are expensive so check the life left in these. The front tyres wear on the inner shoulder another check point, there is an after market cure that some on here are starting to fit. There has never been a reported instanceof engine/gearbox failure or any major component the odd steering rack and radiator but again this is very rare. The whole car just seems to hold up very well indeed and they really are a wolf in semi sheep disguise, they are quick but still relatively economical, and to sum if you come across a really shabby uncared for example unless it's very very cheap walk away, parts are expensive as one would expect for a car that was £60K new. Remember there are only about 212 left in the UK so you may have to travel for the right one. If you find one I'm confident that someone on here will know something about the cars past. Big Rat

I used bp ultimate religiously in my previous is220d. Still had dpf and egr issues so it' a waste of money in my opinion. Different story with my current 250 petrol though. Due to the high compression ratio of the V6 it definitely performs better on shell nitro than regular unleaded.

Thanks for the welcome , Farqui , i cant remember the torque figures but the Honda certainly had some grunt when you stood on the go pedal, bullet proof engine , and only 1 headlight bulb and battery in 66000 miles and 10 years ownership .Hope the lexus is as reliable .