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Very interesting thread, glad you seem to have sorted out the issues with your car and now you can hopefully look forward to many happy hours motoring. I had a mk3 GS450h which developed some problems I simply couldn’t afford to put right so I ended up cutting my losses and flogging it. I’m now having to slum it (some might say) in a mk3 Ford Mondeo 2.5 Ghia X. The reason I say some might say is because I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by this car after the Lexus. I find the seats much more comfortable and supportive than the ones in my GS, especially as I suffer with a bad back and sciatica, there was quite a few creaks and rattles in the Lexus, the mondeo has none!!! It has more leg and especially headroom and yes it still has a sunroof. Being Ghia X spec it still has all the toys and heated leather seats which work brilliantly. The mondeo has a nicer ride than the GS but still handles well. It isn’t as quick as the Lexus but it’s still no slouch and the 2.5 V6 engine makes a lovely sound. Perhaps one of my favourite features which is the icing on the cake on frosty mornings is the heated windscreen!!! It cost me £1500 and I’m quite smitten with it!!! The only issue I’ve had was the radio didn’t work very well but I found a replacement on eBay for £30, fitted it myself in 5 minutes and it’s fine now. I still like Lexus but I’ve had 6 of them, the only one that didn’t have any real problems was the LS430 I bought off Phil on here. I’m just now beginning to ask if they really are all they are cracked up to be and worthy of the reputation they have? I’m sorry if I’ve put a downer on this thread and I really hope you enjoy your new car, it looks great by the way!!! If you look back at my previous threads and posts you’ll see I’ve had more than my fair share of problems with Lexus, maybe it’s just me that’s unlucky!!! I’ve decided it’s time to give other makes a chance... Here are a few pics of the mondeo if anybody is interested lol!!!

Morning! Newbie here from the south Midlands; I've posted elsewhere before the introductions! I've lurked around the forum before, having previously owned a 2001 IS200 manual, a 2006 IS250 manual and a 2006 IS250 auto but didn't, thenot, contribute. Have loved being a Lexus owner previously and have been desperate to get back into ownership again, especially after a couple of unreliable BMWs and VWs. It's hard, in my eyes, to beat the whole Lexus ownership experience, not just for the car/brand but the customer service/dealership relationship also. Nothing else out there seems to compare. So, after much research I opted for either a 4 or 5 year old Mercedes A class diesel or BMW 1 or 3 series diesel. At this stage I discounted the CT200h due to so many negative reviews and being unable to afford an IS300h it looked likely being a Lexus owner again would need to wait. The German offerings turned out to be bland and uninspiring (and diesel!) so I reconsidered a CT, read some real/owners' reviews (far more positive than those from the motoring media), called up the same salesman whom I dealt with before and called by on the off chance for a look at their stock. As I pulled in, there sat on the forecourt a gorgeous 2014 (facelift) Advance Sport in Fiji Red ... it was cheaper than the 1 Series, had more kit and, well, it was a Lexus ... and just within budget. Despite having slightly higher than average mileage it did have full service history and recent new front brakes and 3 new tyres, and all at a competitive price. After a test dive and a pre-delivery check she's now on my drive and I've got a big smile on my face again ☺ Impressed, as always, with Lexus's customer service levels and the car is a dream to own. In the last week of ownership I have only seen one other CT (whereas BMWs are as common as muck). I find driving my first hybrid incredibly satisfying and very relaxing. Driving out of my housing estate each morning in electric mode feels great and, conversely, so does slotting it in to sport mode for that extra boost of power. There's very little to fault the CT with .. the infotainment system is a little dated and fiddly (and I can't see why having the heating system displayed on there when it's quicker and easier to use the standard controls). No voice commands for the satnav is a little disappointing yet is about the only mild niggle really. I don't quite get why there's an EV mode button when the car choses EV automatically when appropriate, anyway? I love how the windows slow before closing and the ambient blue or red overhead LEDs to match the chosen drive mode. Small but pleasing touches. Until you've owned a Lexus it's hard to get across to non-owners (heretics and heathens that they are!) how great the brand is, further endorsed by owner surveys' results consistently keepong on winning for refinement, reliability and great customer service. I've now learned that the only decent reviews out there are from the owners. Clarkson's scathing review of the CT just further goes to show how much he is out of touch with reality. The RAC one however was brilliant. Delighted to be back in a Lexus and for joining this forum. Very helpful and friendly folk here. ☺

Getting them fitted on a Friday so pics this weekend! 😎😎

Had a little clean up and photo shoot today, here’s the results;

THAT`S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY A FEW POSTS EARLIER ALAN.THANKS

Thank you all. Just a test upload for now

Stove paint for wood burners works very well on discs especially in the fin vents where temperatures get high. I have found delaying the painting for a few weeks after fitting new discs seems to make the paint adhere better possibly due to any anti rust oil being burnt off first. John.

in my previous car (Avensis), you could disconnect the rain sensor, and the control function returned to a manual intermittent, with variable delay ..... better than auto in my view. ... might be worth a try.

AS I've referred to before....The old ad for a 2CV had a list of (othercar's) features that the 2CV didn't have. At the bottom it said "nothing to go wrong"!

Apec seem to be abit behind compared to other manufacturers - i've had Pagid discs on mine for 3 years and they are as new due to the anti rust coating - there are some signs appearing on the edges between the fins - I've just bought a small tin of silver hammerite which I intend to use on the rust. I also have bought a some rear discs costing £60 and they also have a anti rust coating.

Looks like an update to the maps database has been released on the tech site. I’ll try it out later this week.

Ever since I bought my RX back in May, it's had an annoying dash rattle that appeared to come from the very front of the dash by the demister vent. I've had a couple of goes at quietening the rattle down. The first few attempts I attempted to secure the front of the dash to the demister vent with different thicknesses and strengths of double-sided tape. I got some improvement, but there was still a rattle on certain bumps. Today I decided I would silence the thing once and for all. This time replicating the vibration of the dash by pulling the demister vent up and down. By using pads of material stuffed into random places, it became apparent that the rattle was coming from the very front of the dash where it butts up to the windscreen. The tongue of dash material between the vent and the dash seems to have shrunk so it can move around and hit the windscreen and the support brackets underneath. By stuffing a pad between the dash and the windscreen the rattle was silenced. All very good, but stuffing pads in between the dash and the screen is pretty unsightly :-). In the end my solution was to strip the black outer sleeve from a satellite coax cable to give me a black crushable tube to fill the space. The material was a bit plasticky which I thought might rattle on it's own if it was allowed to move, so I wrapped black tape around it to bulk it out and deaden any rattle. I then stuffed it down the gap between the dash and the screen. The tube easily squashed into the gap and being black blended in so well you can't see it. But being a tube it conformed easily so there should be no danger of it putting excessive pressure on the dash or screen, it just filled the gap. Taking it for a run on my worst rattly road, the rattle has gone. Hopefully for good. Obviously this solved my rattle. It may not help with other rattles, but it's a starting point for anyone being sent spare by dash rattles.

When the battery was changed did you keep a 12 volt source on the leads to keep the systems alive during the change or did you do a complete disconnect? If it was me then I would be tempted to disconnect the battery for half an hour or so and reconnect. I know that there are certain resets that need doing on these cars like the windows and sunroof but worth giving it a go. Which sensors were showing fault codes and do you know what the fault codes are/were?

Tesla also have a pretty ropey reliability record too whereas Lexus are at the other end of the scale. I would rather drive round in a car that is a few years behind the curve technologically that is well proven than being at the cutting edge of gizmos that is forever going wrong. I admire what Tesla is trying to achieve but to berate Lexus for not copying them is a bit unfair. Lexus make hybrids and Tesla makes fully electric cars so they're not really comparable. As for technology that can self-park, read road signs and look for parking spaces then I'm just not interested. Over the last few years more and more technology is being fitted to cars which dumbs down the role of the driver and technology like this will only make things worse.

Welcome Martin to the world of Lexus motoring. Better not tell any of your Audi, BMW or Merc pals as they will laugh at you. Remember however that the minority are the best informed and 99% of what Journalists write is not to be believed.After all their task is to merely fill column inches. Let`s see some pics when you can and a full review after a month of ownership !

Hey martin, welcome to LOC! It's good to hear you still enjoy Lexus, congratulations on your purchase. How is your mpg so far? Add some photos of the car, we all like these! Vlad

On the reversing camera screen,is there not an area or button in the bottom rh or lh corner which you can press to make the lines change ?

Not sure if this will help but , my 2011 RX450h whilst reversing on the Camera Screen has a Yellow Box with a horizontal Red Line and this box curves either way as you turn the steering wheel showing your limits as for instance reverse parking between 2 white lines in a car park , at the same time there are also 2 Green Lines on the camera screen which stay in a fixed position at all times and once you are reversing straight these Green Lines disappear under the Yellow Lines indicating you are going straight backward May be worth a quick call to your Lexus dealer and have them check it out .. doubt if you would be charged for a bit of advice As for your connectivity my RX will not download Audio from my phone what I have is a lead from deep inside the glove box , this I plug into my phone and can then play music from my phone when I press the AUX /USB Button on the Dashboard (see attached photo) Hope this helps

I think we could all come up with ways that are better than how the bloody Government calculates it.

True dedication Mark 👍 I can't abide rattles and have spent many an unhappy hour trying to track them down. Usually on BMWs.

That would be the on very rare occasion that the hybrid battery had completely discharged, at which point the only thing the AA would be able to do is transport your vehicle to a Lexus dealer. If you have a flat 12v battery then the procedure is no different than any other vehicle with a 12v electrical system, other than you don't need to really worry about large duty cables as the current drawn to get the vehicle 'Ready' is very low.

I guess if you specialise in a certain car you have your fingers in all the advertising pies and auctions. I once spent a week on a narrow boat and quickly discovered the merits of a barge pole, but still I wouldn't use it to touch one of his cars!

My perspective will mirror other Members I am sure, but will not reflect the views of all. I bought my GS just over 5 years ago from Lexus Chester which has completed all servicing (via a Service Agreement, costing £34 per month fixed, during that period ).I also purchased and continued to purchase an Extended Warranty which ran throughout that period and the current one still has the best part of 2 years to run. The Dealer is 6 miles from my home and I knew of Lexus Dealerships at Liverpool (10 miles away ) and Bolton (30 miles away). Indeed Lexus Bolton offered to collect the car from my home and return it to me after servicing, stating "that`s what we do". I bought the car for the long term (still having my 16 year old W210 Merc Estate). The principle reason for my choosing Lexus was their reliability, perceived quality and famed Customer Service,. both of which have been first class. I have had no problems whatsoever with the car (servicing and consumables only) and customer relationships have been all that I would have wished. I did not and still do not, see the logic in investing in a Lexus, to then "spoil the ship for a halfpenneth of Tar". Having invested as I did, it is not necessary for me to worry about Dealerships being x miles away, or expensive for servicing or repairs. As I stated at the outset, not all will agree with my views, but I can claim to have been pleased with the outcomes of my decisions.

Well, its been back a few days now and driving is great again Not too bad so far; the vibration and squeak have gone, as has the off centre steering wheel. Aidan, the after sales manager, also showed me pictures that proved the seats were both getting up to 25C, and the oil on the shock was mostly dirt. Lastly, they appear to have done a good job on the bodywork repair as well: The damage was on the C pillar above and a bit to the left of the fuel filler door. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the damage before it went in. I am not an expert by any means, but no matter how hard I look I can't tell it has been painted. So, overall, I am a happy man. Hopefully, with any luck, I will now be able to spend many hours driving it

I used to be a bit irritated by the amount of attention the RC gets and must confess that to some extent I still am. But then again, I have noticed that it is the sort of car that puts a smile on the faces of its admirers, silent ones and talkative ones alike. I have rarely come across the sullen envy or reverse-snob dismissiveness that nice cars sometimes inspire. I suppose this is because people know that it is not a wildly expensive car despite its looks. Perhaps they regard it as an example of champagne on a beer budget while acknowledging that the beer is obviously a premium one.

Hi, Here are some pictures from my LS430 recently bought. I sold my GS300 sport edition to taste the V8 from the updgraded 2004 model. From now i do not regret at all, as It is much much more confortable and quiet. I paid it very cheap price, and decided to refurb it as totally new. - paint - leather - wheels... (I have already done leather + front lights ; not on pictures) However, i have few options not working, and i might need some help to find solution. I am also french, (used to live in London years ago) but hope to not make so many mistakes 😉

Great Move! I changed from an is300h F Sport to the RC F Sport 2 months ago and love it.has really suprised me on how many people stop and comment on it being a great looking car.

Small update, my valve covers are finally back! Good things come to those that wait, they have turned out fantastic! The pictures really do not do this colour justice at all especially the far away shot of the bay, the finish is flawless. The work was done by maldon shot blasting and powder coating http://www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk/ there colour range is outstanding with alot of wild colours. Now i know its looks a bit disjointed at the minute but once its all done it will look great (in my opinion of course 😎) Brake calipers will also be this colour or very similar so it wont be the only orange bit on the car. Roll on black friday for some more parts

I agree with Phil. Tyres that old could have suffered some internal damage which isn't obvious to the naked eye. When you speed up, the tyres can go out of shape and cause a wobble.

If all of your bushes and ball joints are sound, I can't help wondering if the clue is in your statement "the tyres are quite old and worn"