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I haven't noticed wind noise @JeffL. Road noise was an issue in the F-Sport courtesy car I had, but that was down to tyres I think. Engine noise is an issue if you accelerate hard with a heavy right foot, caused by the CVT. Having had CVTs since 2004, and having known a few friends/colleagues with them, my observation is that 'enthusiastic' drivers don't like them and they don't really suit that type of driving style. Waft along and they are actually more refined imho but I do understand why some can't get on with them. If practicality is a necessity @sorcererthen you are quite right to steer away from the NX. The cabin is fine, but the boot is small. Far less practical than my previous CRV, and a bigger difference to an RX.

There are three contactors (relays) inside the HV battery. One connects the negative supply the second connects the positive supply. The third relay is the precharge contactor. The order of operation for the contactors is the negative and precharge contactors come in first supplying current to the inverter. The precharge contactor connects the supply through a resistor to stop high inrush currents from the battery. After a second or so the positive contactor comes in missing out the resistor to allow full battery current. The fault code POAE2 suggests that the precharge contactor contacts are stuck closed "they sometimes weld themselves together". You can check the contactor with your ohm meter to see that the contacts are open until 12 volts is applied across the coil. If the contacts show closed circuit at all times they are stuck. If this is the case you may be able to open the contactor and prize them apart to get you going, but it will need replacing. John

Post facelift has ML from September 2014 if I'm not mistaken.

Has your car been exposed to freezing temperatures recently and does the screen wash have a good dose of additive in it and not just water? As the wife's pump froze and split open your hose may have froze and split! Hopefully not... paul m.

All lead acid batteries use the same basic construction, and chemistry. There are three basic versions however. (1) The flooded lead acid battery "or normal car battery" uses lead paste based plates immersed in dilute sulphuric acid. These generally, but not always can be topped up with distilled water as this is gassed off in the form of hydrogen, and oxygen while the battery is being charged. (2) The AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery. Uses thinner plates than the flooded battery, and the acid is held in 95% saturated glass fiber mats between the plates. There being no free acid to spill if the case is broken. The cells are sealed with pressure releaf valves. When being charged some pressure is built up in the cells by the same gasses as in the flooded battery, but these gasses are turned back into water by a catalyst in the top of the cell, and returned to the plates. The maximum charge rate is usually lower than flooded batteries, but the life span is usually greater even with higher depths of discharge. These batteries are often used in hybrids "often in the cabin area hence the vent tube just in case the battery is over charged." where they are not used for engine starting, and the charge rates can be better controlled there being no alternator. They are also widely used in medical equipment, mobility scooters, wheel chairs, reclining chairs, and stair lifts where the release of hydrogen gas "explosive", and spilling of acid could be dangerous. (3)The gel battery has similar build to the AGM battery, but uses the acid in a gel form. This restricts the charge rate even more keeping it below the level of forming gasses. If gasses are produced by being charged to fast they cannot rise through the gel, and reduce the area of plate in contact with it permanently. This reduces the capacity of the cell. This type battery used correctly has the longest life span The AGM and gel versions have slightly higher charging and output voltages " 13.8 to 14.2 volts compared with flooded batteries 13.6 to 14 volts. John.

Still got my eye out for an ISF and this one appeared over Christmas - seems to be the same crazy shouty seller that had one on a few weeks back. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2011-LEXUS-IS-F-5-0-V8-AUTO-417-BHP-MAJOR-FACELIFT-MODEL-NAV-DVD-DAB/142643060991?hash=item21363060ff:g:TAUAAOSwVtZaPZbE Anyway, looks good in the pictures and is a facelift which is ideally what I'd want. Anyone know anything about the car? The last two services were non Lexus which is a bit of a concern and also I'd assume it's on the verge of the big 60K service too?

Forget Partridge With 400bhp to play with the Lexus IS F will get you from London to Norwich faster than Alan can say Ahaaaargh!!! Tomorrow 3 Jan isf article in Modern Classics. Lets hope its positive?

A rare occasion for me, I had to drive from London to the west Country on my own on Friday Night, to meet up with the wife and kids. My Lexus is 18 years old and has just tripped over a Hundred K. I am an old git staring sixty in the face and am mostly well behaved these days. Once I got past the road works on the M4,found myself cruising at 85-90.Then an occasional blip up to 110 just for fun ,then I heard this voice in my head saying" I can do 150 , Go on, Pleeeaaase!!" Common sense kicked in for a bit ,then I was reasonably well behaved until I got off the motorway and passed through Melksham.You then have a series of Roundabouts with a two mile stretch of straight between them. So obviously I put it into sport mode and floored it, talk about Jeckyll and Hyde!,It can fly!, Slow down for each roundabout, ( a bit), then off again I turned up at Trowbridge grinning like a loon, The Oldest Boy Racer in Town! The best and fastest car I have ever had.

I'm still thinking about changing my 2007 GS300 SE (65K miles) for a 3RX450H Luxury 2012 facelift onwards. I have the following queries/questions for which I hope I can get answers. 1. I read a while back about problems when starting the RXs after they had been stood awhile, say 3/4 weeks whilst away on holiday and sometimes when the car had had its doors open for an hour or two for cleaning etc. Can anyone comment on that problem regarding dead battery or whatever? 2. When buying a used Lexus from an official Lexus dealer, I believe they come with a 12 month warranty. a. If correct, what does this warranty cover? b. Does the Lexus dealer service the vehicle before the customer takes delivery or only if the vehicle is due for a service? 3. Because this is a hybrid (not had one before). a. Does the vehicle have to be serviced each year by an official Lexus dealer to maintain some kind of warranty on the hybrid system? b. Could some of you tell me what you've paid at official Lexus dealers for services over a similar period for an RX450H as I feel that I’m likely to go to the Lexus dealer for servicing if I get the hybrid? I currently have the GS300 serviced by my local independent garage and the annual costs including labour, oil, filters and the usual consumables, M.O.T. and V.A.T. have been as follows for the last 8 years. I bought the car when it was just under 2 years old. 2010: £269 (Mileage 22,078) 2011: £383 (Mileage 30,295) including parts and labour for front brake pads of £104 2012: £259 (Mileage 37,461) 2013: £227 (Mileage 44,558) 2014: £219 (Mileage 50,136) 2015: £290 (Mileage 55,769) 2016: £913 (Mileage 61,206) including parts and labour for rear brake pads and both rear callipers and calliper kit of £673 2017: £226 (Mileage 65,156) I imagine it will be more expensive at the Lexus dealer. 4. I’ve seen a 2013 RX450H Luxury for sale at a Lexus dealer for £26,500 (24K miles). a. Is this priced accurately? b. What sort of percentage discount do you think I could negotiate? (as most of the adverts on the Lexus website say ‘Negotiate on this car’) I might PX for the convenience factor so I do accept that agreeing a keen price on the RX450H will result in a low offer on the GS300, but there is always the option of selling it myself. 6. Last question. Am I mad to consider an RX450H (or any hybrid for that matter) when my regular journeys are mostly 4 miles each way plus the odd motorway run, and I'm only doing about 4K to 5K miles p.a. All comments very welcome from anyone who can help. Thanks. Edit: I'm a young thinking and fit 70 year old, not a boy racer, just want reliability and nice place to be when I have to travel on these crowded roads of ours!

Power mode definitely makes a difference to the throttle response and I tried it with ‘sport’ dampers today on my favourite back road. Seriously impressed by the way it goes and handles- it’s a big car but it’s great fun in the bends. My RX8 PZ is considered one of the best handling cars this side of a Porsche, and the GS, whilst not as nimble, definitely ticks the fun box. Genuinely surprised! Changed out the 12V battery for a new one today, the one in it must have been original, only giving 330cca. Climate control has definitely improved, although not totally solved, and the auto-dipping mirrors are much better and are now practical. Interior lights are now useful rather than being ‘mood’ lights, and pretty sure the auto-wipers are working better?! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There was a promotion on, which required a claim to be made via the Michelin web site, with a scanned copy of the invoice. All very straightforward. But I can't find the offer now, so I guess it was time limited. The cash back came as a pre-loaded VISA card, so I did 2 £50 fuel stops which seemed the simplest way of spending exactly £100.

I've found the seller, his name's Noel Botham and he also wrote this book...

Tell that to my friend, had his AMG stolen recently. Thieves smashed his front door open and threatened him and his wife at knife point. At least he could just toss them the keys. Had he fitted a Ghost he would have had to go with them.

Well not much anyway...

I guess if you write that much you'll want get the most use out of it!

It's not wind noise as such although this does affect some NXs. The vehicle overall is slightly louder which is to be expected. This includes road and wind noise. The engine noise is apparent when using the accelerator which you would have to do quite often and for a prolonged period of time compared to your current GS and the RX. It's particularly noticeable on hills. The RX is so quick that you barely notice any drone but the NX requires sustained effort so it can seem like the engine is droning on. Also worth bearing in mind that the NX suspension is slightly firmer and thr seats narrower than you'd find in an RX

That right up is exactly the same as the white one witch came from Ireland that was on e bay couple of months ago .

This advert made me laugh, some bold statements there.... Not necessary IMO.

Like it!! I'm assuming the tinting is on the outside of the lenses? Not a "bake them open in the oven and tint the insides" job?

Thank you lads...i was worried about the number of owners but as you said its ok as long as full service history is there

One of the images from the shoot @Toothy, I don't have the car anymore, I swapped it in for a GS-F.

The discounts should no longer be available as its now fixed price. But the member discount would still apply.

Just to add since i thought it was a fluke...my city mpg now averages 19.3 thats with the odd green light booting when some dope in his 318 thinks hes a badass...so not sure if the pcv made the diff itself but with a service is gone from 15mpg so impressed af

Got the headlights tinted today, happy with the results, just waiting on the plastidip and will post some more pics soon.

Thank you my friend. I can't tell the difference either!!!

Actually, I agree with you. My wife had a 1.6 Renault Scenic that cost us more to run than our RX over three years due to regular breakdowns!

I'd advise an older RX over a newer NX any time, as lovely as the NX is, and it's very jazzy inside, it is smaller, and not a patch on the power of the RX. I've had a couple of decent runs in the NX as a courtesy vehicle for 48 hours. I don't think the RX is an expensive car to maintain at all.

I reckon you are spot on with short journeys in winter, over the last four weeks I have averaged 27mpg, mostly short journeys in pretty baltic and wet conditions.In summer I average 33mpg. TBH no cars will excel in these conditions including filthy diesels....

I have always found it odd that Volvo, and previously SAAB, do/did not make more AWD cars, considering that their prime markets are/were Scandinavia.

For the record I concur with all comments above. The RX is the most reliable car I have ever owned and the service I have received from my dealership is the best I have received from any... to the point that I would not consider moving away from the brand. I cover in excess of 25k miles per year, I have not had any issue with the car, apart from expected wear and tear: it still drives like it did the day I bought it. Note that if you buy a car that is over 5 years old, service pricing will be lower that than of a newer car. This is Lexus' way to ensure that you have your car serviced within the network. Pesonally, I would recommend their service plan, which makes a lot of sense. It is inflation proof, includes a discount (I think mine equated to 15%), and spreads the cost of servicing into fixed monthly payments. (NOTE: if you become Member of the LexusOwnersClub, you will benefit from additional discount(s)). I would also recommend Lexus' extended warranty, which is excellent, although you may need to look into this more closely given your low annual mileage. The RX will definitely fit the bill, but if you generally do not cover more than 4 miles at a time, do not expect fuel economy to better 26/27 MPG, especially in the winter. Can you post the link to the car you are interested in?

Been touted on the Merc forums for some time https://autowatch.co.uk/products/security-solutions/autowatch-immobiliser-systems/68-ghost-product Certainly a step up in security but if they really want your car, they'll simply break in and threaten your family. For me, I'd rather some sort of remote or time delayed fuel shut off. Let the thieves get far enough away, then disable the car.

......................and got my car full of sh!t.......................

I was quite surprised how competitive Toyota were for a replacement on my IS. They did have to order it in (came in about five days) but the £89.42 was I though a good price compared to those I found on-line. For comparison, my old battery and new one had/has these labels:

Looks like the same one that’s in my engine bay!!! Thank you for confirming the part number. I will give Toyota a call and see how much they quote me before I try and match it to a halfords or Bosch one.

Definitely the water supply pipe for the rear washers - someone else had this exact problem a while ago.

For some reason the rear wash/wipe fluid supply tube on my wife's old Mondeo had a joint in it above the 'B' post in the roof lining and it came adrift at some point and she complained that the rear wash/wipe had no fluid coming out. On further investigation I heard the fluid trickling down inside the 'B' post when operating the rear wash/wipe without the engine noise. Turns out this joint come adrift due to a new wash/wipe pump being installed in the front resivour and the pipe that fed the rear nozzle being pulled too much. so has your wash/wipe system been touched in any way recently? Just my two penneth worth! paul m

Maybe roofrail drain

Thank you 🙏🏻

@Mark6pot Great write up and pics Mark no need for hang ups on owner numbers as like you it's all about condition condition, and yes matey in isF circles yours is a car with history in more ways than one, huge number of pictures and videos of her back in the day. Including this topical snow one ☝️ Big Rat

As I've got at least eight weeks to go before my NX arrives I get nerdy and keep looking at vids on the net as a substitute for the real thing, sad eh ! Just saw these official fuel figures for the NX300h in the states : EPA Fuel Economy & Specification Fuel Economy Est-Combined (MPG) : 31 EPA Fuel Economy Est - City (MPG) : 33 EPA Fuel Economy Est - Hwy (MPG) : 30 Which is far more sensible than the ridiculous official figures in this country of around 54mpg I think the conversion for US gallon is around 1.2 to 1 gallon , which I think would equate to the high 38/40 mpg which most people seem to be achieving. My apologies to anyone who has already posted this snippet.

I managed to get my roof spoiler on friday and fitted it yesterday, also added some tints (50% all round) and bumper wrap in satin black). Next week im going to get the front headlights ever so slightly tinted and the front grill plastidip (not the bezel). I seen the ISF on the vossen wheels and i love it. I got a few things i want to do in the next few months: Alloy refurb (same colour), unless i find the right offset 5 spoke 19" (without spacers) Blue Calipers (like IS250 f sport) with Lexus F on them. APEXI TC Spacers and 25mm fromt drop has been put on the end of the list for now.

Yep all RX grades bar the SE came with 19" wheels and the same size tyres. The above link has a lot of misinformation in it. The advance has ML system with 15 speakers not 9

1) yes I would presume they would cover it under warranty up to 10 years 2) yes once the hybrid battery warranty from the health check is over you would have to pay the costs. This is unless you opt for extended warranty before 10 years old as Lexus dealers will keep rolling it over year on year if you first took it out before 10 years of age. 3) There are many RX450Hs that have sold and as of yet, I don't think any have had hybrid system issues. They are bulletproof. 1) there is no difference issues an tyre size between luxury, advance, F sport or premier spec. They are all running on 235/55 r19 4) Few reasons. The tyres I wanted Lexus didn't supply. These were michelin latitude tour Hp. Also it was cheaper by £200 to get my own tyres and have them fit rather than getting the oem tyres from them. I didn't want scratches on the rim either. Lexus use the automated tyre fitting machines with no metal touch points. I believe £50 was an offer price. I think they usually charge £100 for 4 tyres fitting TPMS wasn't on my F Sport as it was an early 2012 car. I believe TPMS became standard afterwards.

Yes, I agree @paulrnx it depends on many variables. At some point you'll be behind an old fart in a grey NX swearing at his lack of pace. That will be me... More seriously, four or five years ago my employer paid for a few of us to go on a full day advanced driving course with former police drivers. It was a fantastic day, a real eye-opener. There was classroom based stuff first, then three 30-45 minute drives - one with the instructor driving - and then two assessed drives. I can honestly say my driving changed overnight and has never gone back. I was a cynic before, but not afterwards. My fuel economy improved as an added benefit of that day too!

I've owned every generation of RX bar the 1st so will try my best to answer your questions. 1) the dead battery affected the 2nd gen RX400h as it had a small battery. The 3RX appears to be unaffected. I left my 2012 RX F Sport garaged with the alarm on for 4 weeks frequently with no issue. 2) The 12 month warranty covers everything bar wear and tear. You can also exchange the car up to 30 days/1000 miles whichever is first if you're not happy. Tyres should be changed if they are under 6mm and the car should be serviced if it is due a service within the next 6 months. 3) The vehicle does not need to be serviced by Lexus. Anyone can service it. However, you would need a separate hybrid health check if servicing independently costing £59 to give you 1 more year of hybrid warranty. If you opt for extended warranty, you can only service it by Lexus. When servicing by Lexus they include the hybrid health check FOC I bought my 3RX new. It cost me £190 for 1st service, then I took a service plan for 2 full and 1 intermediate costing £990 and then £245 over 5 years. The price has recently changed last year and is now fixed. It can be found on the Lexus Website. I paid an additional £27 for half price MOT at Lexus due to having service plan. I had no other costs during this time bar wipers which I bought myself and tyres at 26k which I bought and got Lexus yo fit all 4 for £50 total 4) Seems a fair price and it's low mileage. The 60k service is an expensive one but it's miles away. Don't let the dealer talk you into getting a 60k service done at 6 years as they change the spark plugs which are mileage dependent, not time dependent. Worth remembering that the cars are priced on condition and desperate need to sell, how long it's been lying on the lot and tax breaks for the dealership. It's highly likely that a well priced one needs shifting quicker than one priced a bit over expected I would expect you to negotiate £500-750. You may be lucky at this time of year and get £1000. Don't expect any more. For the GS don't expect anything more than Autotrader valuation p/x price. The GS will be flung through auction so won't make much profit for them. 6) it's a petrol hybrid so will be undeniably reliable at those mileages which a diesel would get choked on. Having said that don't expect great fuel economy. I would imagine 25-30mpg which considering the engine and weight of the vehicle isnt bad at all.

With a bit of TLC these cars repair themselves! Keep us up to date how it is performing. Well done.

Sorry its been a few days...i wanted to test it out and its SOLVED all problems. I still need to clean the egr anyway but so far so good. I wanna thank everyone for their input its all been a major help. Now its time to see how everyone else is getting on lol.

I got Halfords to do it when putting my private plate on. They used sticky pads after cleaning the surface after removing the old plates. Insurance company was paying so cost no bother.

been looking at this with interest.... I have an F-sport, with 15.5k on the clock now in 10 months. I live in Milton Keynes and spend 2- 3 days a week working at home with the odd short journey around town.. It's a killer on MPG as it's 70mph dual carriageway for 1/2 mile then a roundabout.. repeat, repeat, repeat....! I also head into london a couple of days a week and do the M1, North Circular and then back roads into the office.. I'm surprised by some of the mpg figures being quoted also.. Around MK i get around the 40 mpg mark.... when i'm on the motorway consistently higher bringing my average to 48-52 in the summer, and 44-48 at this time of year. Interestingly if i fill up on my way out of MK into london i often get between 58 and 62.. 64 is the highest I've seen on arrival at the office.. I've done the brim technique and my on-board reading is very accurate, maybe 1-2mpg overstated tops. I'm no angel but tbh in commuting hours the cruise control is set to mid 60's as it's difficult to achieve more than that anyway! My car is almost permanently in eco-mode, apart from the odd flip into sport when i want an overtake out of the way.. after various BMW's and Merc's this is my first Lexus and i absolutely love it.. Andy

How are you two getting 50mpg+ in your F-Sports ?!? My best ever is 46.5 (tank to tank calculated - back in August), my running average is 41.3 and I'm doing 80% of my mileage on motorway's. Car is now at 12k miles. My fuel computer is consistently out by +4mpg. I've tried running in Eco mode and Normal, with and without cruise control and so far my best at 70mph on the motorway is about 46-47 on the car, which is 43-44 calc'd. This week I did get to the heady heights of 53mpg, driving back from Hayes to Leicester, round the M25/M1 through roadworks and traffic - i probably was only running between 45-55mph the most of the way, as soon as I could increase to 70mph, the mpg started to drop. At 70mph cruise - 50mpg is all but impossible for me.