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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/27/2019 in all areas

  1. I recommend a aftermarket AGM battery . I paid 135 £ Self discharge much slower, accept charge much faster hence ok with short trips. Longer life and better cold start performance. Survives deep discharge better. 760 Cold crank amps and 70 Ah worked fine for me in winter here in sweden. I get 4 year warranty on it, Had to adapt fixation to fit though. Saved a few kilos.
    3 points
  2. "Their whole reason for being is to serve customers;" .....and to make a profit Herbie. I believe that you and Shahpor are both correct given your respective perspectives and I admire your respect for your personal computer customers. You are amongst an increasingly smaller breed, sadly.
    2 points
  3. Good points. If it's low, I might be the air strut - if it's high it ma be something else. LOVED my Soarer.
    2 points
  4. That's when they roll up into a prickly ball.
    2 points
  5. Well as a precaution I fitted a new Koyo radiator today. I must say the original looked in very good condition. The thing is, you just don't know what's going on inside with those four rubber o rings, so is it worth the risk? Still, at least it gave me the opportunity to replace the rubber transmission hoses, and discover the fluid is a nice bright cherry red. Not too much skin removed from my right arm either! £114 for the radiator, £26 for Toyota red coolant and £10 for the hoses.
    1 point
  6. Lovely blast today in this, different to my 911 but in a good way, the sound on start up was magnificent. Wasn’t sure on the colour but even that started to grow on me. Lexus Hull as friendly and helpful as ever.
    1 point
  7. Some interesting opinions here. One issue I'd like to raise is the demand for an ES to be fast. Lets be frank how many of us really want to put a motor about these days?? Britain's roads are crowded, full of speed traps, full of speed calming measures and have an increasing amount of unpredictable and incompetent drivers being allowed onto our roads. Last year I'd driven my girlfriend's Focus ST for just 20 minutes on Stornoway and received an SP30 for the privilege of having a bit of 10-15 over fun on a very open road. Also received a speed awareness course the same month for roaring out of Luton Airport at 8 over on a dual carriageway. Then only a month later got a warning from TFL having done 25 in a 20! My own fault and stupidity of course but its made me totally rethink the need for having an almost indecent amount of power in what is first and foremost a luxury car. I loved my test drive of the 450h....but seriously...that car was going to get me into a trouble I reckon. Point taken that rapid acceleration is NOT against the law. Plus a car designed for performance is likely to have superior handling and braking thus safer when driven sensibly. However, having power in reserve does increase the chances of speeding unless you are very careful I'd say. The urge and all that! Its not as if the ES 300h is a slouch anyway. As pointed out on here, 8.1 seconds to 60 was seen as pretty brisk around 20 years ago. Has our expectations over 20 years really increased that much?? Do we need to get to 60 quicker on a more congested highway anyway? Does a large comfy car really need to hit 60 in 6 seconds flat and be able to top 150mph? Of course if you want some Autobahn storming then there maybe becomes some justification for more power. Glad the LS running costs issue came up too for those looking to 'upgrade' from a GS250 or 300h. I have to admit its something that would have been a nice option but have questioned my own train of thought with the posting above. The LS is a BIG step up when it comes to total cost of ownership. Is a bigger jump from a GS than a GS is from an IS. Dread to think what a set of discs or even tyres would cost. Was the same going from a 5 to a 7 series BMW. Totally different ball game in fact. The GS/ES on the other hand is still within the realms of just about 'reasonable' I'd day.
    1 point
  8. Right understood so I will just wrap it up then. Thanks for the heads up guys u literally saved my life 😅
    1 point
  9. Those are not hoses they are high voltage cables carrying around 300 volts dc. If the cover is split it can be repaired with electrical insulation tape. Only work on repairs with the safety orange connector removed in the boot. If you do not know what you are doing leave them well alone. John.
    1 point
  10. Well, I bought this car two weeks ago and it’s my first Lexus. I am very happy so far (1,000 miles!), everything seems to work fine and there’s very little wear. It is the basic model and has few extras, just parking and the power boot lid and is notably missing the Mark Levinson audio. The paint has been touched up in a few places and the car has been frequently washed so there are some swirl marks and some lime scale deposits, but it’ll respond well to a proper detail once the weather improves. It has been serviced by Lexus 11 times and though I have yet to access the detail on the my Lexus app, I’m very much hoping everything has been done as required. I was a bit disappointed that the tyres were old (two were dated 2007) so I’ve already put on a set of Michelin premacy 4. There is a bit more wind noise than I expected so I will try the sealant fix shortly. Also, I’m struggling a bit with the cable tie glove box fix but the only other real interior problem is a compression mark on the steering wheel rim, about which I think there is nothing I can realistically do. I like my cars to be perfect and keep them a long time and experience has show me that buying the best and paying a bit more on the way in pays dividends in the long run; I don’t think I struck too bad a deal considering my trade in. But it wasn’t £8k 😊 Anyway, just saying hello and (fingers crossed) I look forward to a long and trouble-free ownership!
    1 point
  11. Or you can use ' man maths' to justify the £555. Wife's Aygo, £0.00. My Prius shopping etc car £10.00. The ISF, £555.00. Total, £565 divided by 3. £188 each. Not so bad then!!
    1 point
  12. Yes,I suspect on this occasion, cleaning it might have fixed my controller. The problem with air suspension is that so few people know what to do with it. I'm no expert but experience with the Soarer, LS430 and the RX has kept me floating on air okay so far. If a strut fails, usually the pump will be going full time to get the air back into it and the air leak usually traced to the low corner. Struts don't usually fail in pairs. Unless it's something obscure, a dealer that knows their stuff should be able to diagnose the problem and explain it properly. The rear height controllers cost £200 new. I vaguely remember cleaning a Soarer controller that worked for a while but I need to keep 2 cars on the road ready to go anywhere so prefer to fit new and accept the cost. Electrical component cleaner like the cleaner used for MAF sensors I think is what I used. There's a tutorial somewhere in the Soarer forums. A sticking (or broken) controller rod linkage is another possibility, I think this may have been the case with mine the other day. I've known this happen following vehicles being jacked up for tyre fitting, new brakes, etc or going over very rough terrain with the controller rods being extended to the maximum. (I've only seen them actually break on a Soarer and it's very obvious)
    1 point
  13. That looks pretty good to me, nice colour, and I really like the upholstery. And great MOT history!
    1 point
  14. The funny thing is , the tyre s looked ok at 25. ! , you would think they would look a bit soft ?, ! .; when i drove back from Kwik Fit the steering and ride felt so much better 👍
    1 point
  15. You can turn the flicking between screens off. I forget how, but I was being driven spare by it flicking back and forth and eventually found the setting. It’s called “last screen” or something like that. The random opening of the map when you push a button is apparently “as specified” I even booked mine in to the dealer for it and there was nothing wrong, “it’s just what it does” was essentially the report back. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  16. Now with a dealer at £1500. Am negotiating delivery -maybe! After 2 LS 400s, I thought a small (er) car but Lexus quality. Seems to have been Lexus maintained, so hopefully up together. Slight peel on lacquer, which I guess can be sprayed Just need to find a cheap Satnav. Are the £30 ones any use? It'd be my 'occasion(al)' car lI like the colour and the unusual seats, which AREN'T leather! Most cars in Japan used to have velour. Ever seen the anti-macassars in big limos? Prices really are crazy-as in, low. In comparative terms. You can find videos of US dealers selling 150K mile cars avidly!
    1 point
  17. Could I suggest you take it to any battery retailer and have it tested under load free of charge. I have such a tester and have used it only a couple of times over many years so would not advise buying one. Have just realised my CTEK intelligent analyser/charger although not applying a load does analyse and gives a verdict on the condition of a battery. Have two of these and definitely recommend having one especially as they are designed to be left connected long term and the battery does not have to be disconnected from the car's circuit.
    1 point
  18. not on hedgehogs but on Saga .......... just renewed mine with them ( Saga ) and seeing a 10% increase in premium from last year I called and offered them to give me their best price rather than me chasing round getting quotes. After 15 mins and declining their first offer of just a 5% increase they settled on a 0.3% increase ( @ ) up from £328.28 to £330 dead BUT they said one reason for the increase was possibly the underwriters claims experience in the area recently ........... nothing to do with me being a 5 year established client with them ( and my Honda Legend too being covered with them ) AND I remembered whilst I was away for my month touring Ireland there was a drunk crashed into three cars just where I park my car usually ( in the road ) and wrote off two of those cars Thankfully not my neighbours Bentley nor his Audi Q7 SUV thingy nor his Jensen Interceptor that parks in the road too when it's out having an airing . so i can sometimes see where they might be coming from with the postcode lottery concept... oh and last year his Audi thingy was crunched parked out in the road in front of our properties too .......... so maybe being an innocent in all this doesn't help when you're being penalised by any insurer Heaven forbid if i actually ran over a hedgehog eh ! Malc
    1 point
  19. Having checked the "Compare the market" site my renewal is £50 cheaper than any other company listed. I may ring Chris Knott for a quote, but I think I will have difficulty getting the price down for the same cover. My excess is also low at £50. I think living in Herefordshire helps with the premium as it is the leased populated county in England. John.
    1 point
  20. A far cry from "modern security" systems where Brand new cars are being stolen in a matter of minutes with minimum fuss.
    1 point
  21. The strange thing is in the past quotes from Saga have been high. It was only last year that getting the usual enormous rise in renewal premium and searching around that I found Saga to be very competitive. At £260 with all the bells and whistles including breakdown cover for any vehicle I was travelling in, and now just under £280 I felt this was still a good price. I will do a quick search to see what is available, and come back. John.
    1 point
  22. Went direct Shahpor, just out of curiosity, but I'm 61, no points or convictions and I live in a decent postcode area so I really don't fit their target demographic at all. And I know that the new business fee is only £10 (and like you, if I was getting a significantly lower premium I'd pay it) but it's the principle of the thing. Their whole reason for being is to serve customers; without customers they would be out of a job so you'd think they'd be happy with that. I repair computers for a living and charge my customers for the job I'm doing, but I don't stick an extra tenner on because they chose to come to me.
    1 point
  23. John, for such a meager increases I can see why you stayed put and saved yourself the hassle of calling around. I was also with Saga last year and their renewal increased just £8 this year. I was tempted to simply renew but felt I had to check elsewhere. After seeing folks using Chris Knott I gave them a call and like for like, their premium was £47 cheaper [emoji106] Once signed up they did need more paperwork tho [emoji848] I hate the process of re insuring each year.
    1 point
  24. For the first time in my memory my renewal quote on my insurance was reasonable only rising by £19. This is with Saga, and still keeps my premium well under £300 for my GS450H. I will be renewing with them as it is not worth the hassle to try to find a better deal, but I will keep an eye on next years quote. When are other companies going to follow suit. John.
    1 point
  25. “We think we can nip in and pick up some of the underserved bits of the market to give customer s what they want and hopefully make a profit out of it too,” he said ." Yes, right up to the point the claims start rolling in and they realise why the other insurers won't touch them!
    1 point
  26. If the car is high, it's usually a fault with the height controller in the highest corner. I would get another opinion unless the dealer explained why the car is high and why the front struts are 'solid.' As a quick check, park the car on level ground and measure the wheel arch lip to tyre gap for each corner. If it looks high at the front, is one side higher than the other? Coincidentally, I had to replace the rear offside height controller on my RX300 last night. It took 15 minutes and fixed the issue immediately, no special diagnostic equipment required. I replaced the rear near side controller when that one failed some time ago. I first encountered air suspension through owning a V8 Soarer. Height controller faults usually result in the car being higher. When the car goes very low in one corner then that tends to be a strut failure.
    1 point
  27. I do know the early RX is susceptible to rust on the top of the shock absorbers. I saw the conversion that was done in Brighton, it was very impressive and seemed to sit nice and level.
    1 point
  28. Hi, Thanks for your input. I have now emailed the local Lexus Dealer asking questions, also incorporating the points you raised. When I first purchased the car in 2016 my garage, who look after my other cars, advised me of 'more than the normal' amount rust around and behind the front suspension and suggested that the car had been in some water at some stage, for example driving regularly through a ford or a flood. Of course I have no knowledge of this and have since had the car professionally waxoiled. I will keep you advised of progress
    1 point
  29. So here we are exactly a year on from this post and I picked up my GSF this morning. Black with black interior, 2016 demo + 1 owner car. Quite taken by it. First impressions are very good, similar in so many ways to the ISF, built like a bank vault, great driving position but in terms of the driver interface and tech. It’s chalk and cheese, it’s amazing how much has changed in a few years. I’ve only driven it 15 or so miles and have the run from Stranraer to Newcastle later to get to know the car a lot better, but the most notable point on the car is the seats. Possibly the best of any car I’ve had, awesome, hold you well, and extremely comfortable. not sure if it’s as quick as the ISF though.... no doubt will get the opportunity to find out later if the weather behaves. As it’s seems with Lexus dealers across the UK - they’ve been easy and a pleasure to deal with, even though they’re part of the lookers group.... and they’ll no doubt have a well loved ISF up for sale in the next week or so. Looking forward to the drive home, just hope it dries up a bit!
    1 point
  30. Get a cheap little econo box for commuting and use the ISF as a toy turns out way cheaper than paying for fuel on a V8 everyday plus if your running something boring everyday, every time you take a journey in the ISF it'll never disappoint and feel like your launching a rocket!
    1 point
  31. Interesting question and one I weighed up heavily when I bought mine in August. I had a Mondeo st diesel, which did about 40mpg in the city. Desperately dull, never felt the urge to just get in it and just drive. For an extra £30 a month tax, I can drive something that makes me smile every time I start it. My fuel cost has doubled from about £80 a month to about £160. As for resale, I've been watching the prices on this forum since about 2014, and I'd say they've stabilised. You could probably buy one and pretty much get your money back a year later. I would say that the Lexus ISF is probably the most reliable V8 around. No rod bearing issues to deal with, no carbon build up to worry about, no head bolt issues. About the worst thing you may have to deal with is a water pump leak, which would have probably been addressed if you're looking at an 08 plate. V8s are a dying breed, I'd advise you to scratch the itch whilst they're still around and relatively affordable.
    1 point
  32. I think it depends on how much you value the experience of owning something like that. I’m trying to get as many V8’s under my belt as I can before the world stops producing these masterpieces of engineering. If you’re worried about running costs and tax then maybe it’s not for you. I think more often than not, owning performance cars comes from the heart rather than the mind. You only live once, so if you can, do it! We may all be driving milk floats within the next 20 years!
    1 point
  33. @wibzo I guess if / when you accept the valuation payment the vehicle becomes the property of the insurance company and that will be in the small print of your policy. They will sell the salvage at the highest price possible to offset "their" loss. That could be to you for the minor categories or an authorised salvage agent for vehicles that shouldn't be repaired, which they then make a profit on the parts that can be sold. Call me a cynic but the second opinion provided by and paid for by the insurance company is highly likely to arrive at the conclusion they want it to. I have always had the view that there is an unhealthy relationship between insurance companies, inspectors, approved repairers and the salvage industry as between them its potentially just a massive cash generating machine. If you truly believe it can be safely repaired I would think you need to get a private inspection if they would allow that and fight them if it goes in your favour but at what time and cost? On reflection and along with the other advice, why bother? Maybe channel your energies into justifying the highest value settlement you can with all the evidence possible that it was the best ISF in existence. As always, good luck.
    1 point
  34. There could be, and probably are a number of reasons for that. One being that the over 50's have more disposable income for spending on luxuries, such as expensive cars ? They are more likely to have inherited money from parents or relations, or have very good pensions. They aren't worried about the badge on the front, or how quickly their car will get to 60mph. They just want a comfortable reliable car.
    1 point
  35. In 5 years of ISF ownership, the ISF seems perfectly happy with any fuel which will go down the hole in the back.
    1 point
  36. My next car so very interested in this tread I have a 2007 GS300 love it , but road tax 1499 euro GS450H 2008 on 750 euro.our car taxation is a disgrace a 2006/7 GS450H will set you back 1809 euro in tax go figure .
    0 points
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