Leaderboard

............said Methuselah !! :):):)

There's a door lock switch on the door console - if you lock with that I don't think the doors will open from the outside, even if the fob is in the car.

Yes we all bought diesels because Blair and his cronies told us they were better for the environment. When I was a small boy I stayed with my Uncle in Ireland. He owned the local garage. I vividly remember him saying that one puff of diesel smoke from a bus or lorry was worse than smoking a thousand cigarettes. This was around 1967. Wasn't he ever a wise man.

I'd check fluid levels and condition (specially differentials). I'd also check front brake calipers. You'd probably have a different set of symptoms if the transmission was slipping. The way you describe it is more like the front wheels needing an extra push to get going.

So recently my IS250 became much thirstier then before. There were few changes so it was hard to attribute it to the engine, obviously colder weather, but as well after fitting Michelin PS4s I noticed the tyres to be the reason to at least some extent event though they were rated same as the ones I have replaced (Dunlop Sportmaxx RT2s - C for fuel). However, after running the car for some time now it is clear there must be something more... my Tank MPG used to be in 28-29MPG range. End of summer after tyre change it dropped to 26, when colder weather hit it was 24 and now I am approaching 20s. Engine feels fine, starts fine, idles smooth, no misfires, last MOT all pollution figures were 0.00 (I was even wondering if have forgotten to put probe in), but the fuel consumtion indicates not all is rosy.. . There is one obvious job which needs doing - the spark plugs overdue, not 80k miles whereas it should have been replaced after 60k, so I will address it during next service. Secondly, I feel that 183k miles motor now has quite a bit of blow by both petrol leaking into oil and vice versa. Even few years ago after ~150k miles I could smell petrol in the oil and I do 5-6k miles oil changes + I have noticed car likes to burn little bit of 5w30 (or blow it in the cylinders). Now both of those things are normal for DI high pressure engines so I am not overly worried, but with the miles I am starting to suspect it now reached level where blow by recirculated via PCV and now starts to gunk-up intake valves. Anyhow, going to take off intake manifold of and try to see how intake valves are looking, replacing spark plugs is planned anyway. Other thing I found - engine likes 0w40 oil (or should I say dislikes... doesn't even sip) - probably makes sense thicker base oil, less blow by and at the same time less carbon build-up from PCV. Now I really would like to have an option of 350.... Finally, just accidentally found this video by savagegeese specifically for this topic - preventative maintenance for DI (wondering if there is good reason to consider oil catch can). Have you considered any preventative maintenance considering these DI engines will most likely surfer from similar problems?

My car thankfully doesn’t need brakes at the moment, however initial research seemed to suggest that only Lexus parts were available. just had a look on the Brembo website and it seems that OE discs and pads are now being manufactured for the GSF and RCF. Used the replacement Brembo discs and pads on my isf and never had any problems, so should save a few pennies when the time comes. Happy days. link to the Brembo page:- https://www.bremboparts.com/europe/en/catalogue/lexus-gs-l1-f-url10/000117800-1

Did you only look at the plug/socket? It could be the inner workings of the sensor (springs and contacts) so you really need to take the cover off and check continuity and/or resistance with a multimeter before you can rule the sensor out.

I think the NX is pretty quiet for a large-ish SUV. In particular there is very little drivetrain noise unless you accelerate really hard, and it's whisper-quiet around town. Occasionally I find wind noise noticeable at high speed, but that's a reflection of the quietness of the rest of the car. Tyres are a factor - as soon as my original Bridgestone front tyres were worn I switched to Michelins all round (CrossClimates) and they've reduced road noise still further. In its road test of the original 2014 NX, Autocar found that the cabin was as quiet at 70mph as a diesel Jaguar F-Pace at 30mph, so objectively it's a quiet car. In all other respects, I think the NX is outstanding, and its combination of sharp looks, reliability and low emissions is hard to beat.

Rear diff - The European schedule states every 4 years. UK may be different, should be stated in your service book. Oil grade is 75W-85 GL-5.

That is the air temperature sensor. The wires are down inside the tube - those are what need cleaning.

Plugs won't cause that amount of a drop in economy without you also noticing poor running or a misfire error code occurring. Clean the MAF Check your brakes aren't binding Possibly poorly performing O2 sensors, not enough to trigger a warning but will cause over fuelling. Need an OBDII reader to check your short and longterm fuel trims - other sensors should also be checked, e.g. coolant temp sensor.

I was pondering whether the DAB setup is as poorly designed as I thought it was, or whether I'd just missed something obvious that makes things easy. It turns out it's just badly designed. On this pistonheads page there's a comment half way down that explains that the setup is modelled on early DAB radios. To quote Tobeman: So that explains it. You have to pick an Ensemble (Multiplex) first and then choose from the list of stations. As I understand it an Ensemble combines several radio stations into a single stream of data. I've never come across a DAB radio like this. The one I have at home just displays all available stations from all Ensembles alphabetically. I can't thing why you would want anything else. To leave the Lexus design in its current roughshod form is just unfinished programming. It shouldn't be allowed on a car that has the most elegantly designed transmission on the market. The solution to this bad design, however, is to use Presets. Once they're set. this saves you the effort of switching from one Ensemble to another. There are only six DAB preset slots available, which isn't many. But there are another six on FM. In total that's enough for most day-to-day requirements. And most of the rest of the car is a delight, which makes it worth tolerating this bit of poor design.

I got rid of my MB E Class last year when it was 18 years old. I always have annual European cover. The last few years I've found it convenient to use the insurer's own cover. Elephant, Aviva, LV are companies I've used who didn't mind the age of my car when taking out cover alongside the insurance. In addition, do a search on net for breakdown cover. You'll find companies like AXA offering European cover for older cars. One or two suspect looking offers as well so do search for reviews if you don't recognise the company. The only thing to be wary of is that more and more everyone is putting in a caveat stating they won't repatriate if the cost is greater than the value of the car. But their cover otherwise is comprehensive enough (usual stuff of taking it to a garage, onward journey costs, etc).

Thanks for that Herbs, I can assure you that the plug has not come out or even looked like it may be working loose in the 18 months of so that I have had it plugged in there. In fact it takes quite an effort to remove it! Also my dashcam has a nice red (when it's charging) and blue light when it's recording that I can see in the rear view mirror so should it ever fall out I would notice it not working. Bri

Thanks Colin

"" goodness only knows what we will do then. "" At MOT time Pace up and down, biting your nails and praying to whatever godly figure works for you like the rest of us...... cheers paul m.

Good call on the front brake calipers - well worth checking. If the vehicle is making a grinding noise and it's holding back you could have a sticking one.

That's a good video that, as are many of his. I fitted an air/oil separator last May when I replaced the pcv. I've been monitoring the results and emptying the can every now and then. My vehicle hasn't covered your mileage and I couldn't find any useful info on what is an acceptable amount of blow by. Rather than a catch can, the air/oil separator feeds the clean vapours back to the inlet. To do this you'll need strong walled hoses that can cope with a vacuum. What catch can are you looking at? Mishimoto do a nice one but it's expensive. I opted for a similar design but a much cheaper version/knock off. I'm quite surprised how good it is actually. Finding a suitable place to mount the can wasn't easy in my engine bay and I currently have a long run of hose. Which flows downwards to help drain the oil and pull the vapours back up. I'll get some details online later. On a related note, were you aware that F1 cars were/are deliberately feeding oil into the combustion cycle, to boost performance.

Hi all, I started getting this flashing AFS light on my 2006 rx400h today. I found that the position of the AFS switch made no difference after the flashing began, but if I parked and turned everything off, the problem must sometimes have reset, because it did not always come on again straight away. I've made several journeys in the dark this evening and found that when the light was not flashing, the headlights did turn sideways as normal when cornering. When the light was flashing, the beams did not turn sideways. The dipped beam height did not seem to be affected all, though I have always felt that it was too low. I see that some have said that the warning light means that the height sensor is faulty - or the linkage is broken. However, the handbook shows that there is a separate warning system to warn when the self levelling system is faulty, and this system has not been triggered. I have not yet checked the height sensor as it's been dark outside, but I will have a look tomorrow, weather permitting. Is the diagnosis of the height sensor definitive, or could it be anything else?

Just driven from Bristol to central London and remembered to 'have a look' at this button after reading your first post, and yes as above can confirm that the top section of this switch is illuminated but not the white lettering. paul m.

Illuminated, yes.

you can get wiring diagrams and repair manuals from Lexus - around £3 per hour to access them https://www.lexus-tech.eu

Hi Darren, I do have a rear facing dashcam that I found pretty easy to install. Rather than try to write down a description of how it was done I have taken some pics showing the routing for the wiring. The only slight problem was prising the plastic trim far enough to get the wires behind but with a bit of care it went ok. Just make sure that you leave enough spare cable to allow the tailgate to open. Hope this helps. Bri

Not heard of this issue before, I wouldn't say it is common. Maybe not related but I would recommend you drain/fill the transmission pan every couple of years to help keep the transmission fluid in good condition - the series I transmission, whilst not weak, can suffer issues. Only use Toyota T-IV fluid.

Yay, i managed to get the offending bolt free! My teeny ratchet and some slim drill driver attachments gave me just enough height and leverage to free the blighter. Look how puny the rachet is! I bought it to work on the heater servos in the tight spaces under the dash. If my allen socket were an inch longer and narrower then it would have loosened easy.

Up until last October my wife was having treatment, followed by regular checkups at a Chelsea hospital. This went on for over five years. We used to drive from Sussex to Putney where we could park and get the bus from there. That became such an ordeal that eventually we would just drive all the way. Parking in Chelsea was always a challenge but we always found somewhere. It just became so much more convenient, and so much quicker. And with pay by phone the cost of parking was easy to get just right without paying more than we needed. Thankfully that's all behind us now but I would never do it by bus again, especially after being on it in 34 degrees at one time.

My little beauty a few years back.... loved it 4.0 V8 GT limited

Worst car without question was my P38 Range Rover. Abysmal build quality and woeful reliability. Awful thing. The British motoring press is FAR too forgiving of the shoddy nature of Land Rover products in my opinion. Also poor was my Smart Roadster Brabus. Looked fantastic but rubbish build quality and frequent problems. Best car was probably my Mercedes CLK, mostly because I had it for eight years and 120,000 miles and it went with me from being a bachelor right through to when my first child was born.

Holy Thread revival! I've not owned many cars... 1998R Mitsubishi Galant GLS 2.0 Auto Estate 2001X Mitsubishi Galant Elegance GDI 2.4 Manual Estate 2003 53 Honda Accord Tourer Executive 2.0 i-VTEC Manual 2011 Volvo V70 D5 SE Lux Polestar Geartronic 2015 Nissan Leaf Tekna Now the 2015 GS450h Premier is coming in to replace the V70 and will reside alongside the Leaf. As you can tell, I've always had a bit of thing for Japanese cars. I hate the spec stinginess of european cars, gouging for things that should just be standard - One time I had a VW Passat B6 hire car - R-line bodykit, Alloys, parking sensors, 2.0TDI with DSG gearbox..... and wind-up windows in the back!!! So of my 5 cars there's one worst and 4 best... The worst was the Galant GDI - it was a mistake to buy and I only kept it a year. Everything was on the verge of collapse with that car, and it was a shame because my previous Galant was great. The GDI engines were a nightmare outside of Japan, the gearbox was awful, suspension was dying (in worse shape with half the mileage than my previous), etc. The other 4 are all the best cars I've ever had, in their own ways. My R-Reg Galant was my first car and so it holds a special place for that. It had its mechanical foibles but it never let me down. Mitsubishi were an underappreciated brand I think, and back in the 90s they were doing some great engineering - sadly it all rusted away far too quickly. My Honda was great - great engine, amazing gearbox (rifle-bolt precise, never mis-shifted, never reluctant to go into gear), bombproof mechanicals and it was incredibly cheap to run as I could DIY service it. The Volvo is a great car because it's extremely comfortable with lovely seats and ride. The interior design and quality of materials is much nicer than the 5-series and E-class, and there's a lot of things where you feel that Volvo actually design cars to live with, rather than for the motoring press. The Leaf is great because being EV it's so zippy and responsive, even on very basic mechanicals (macstrut/torsion beam). Interior is pretty naff and the infotainment relatively infuriating, but the EV side is so good that it makes up for it. It's like my Canon EOS D30 was - very early digital SLR camera. The focusing, metering, framerate, viewfinder, etc were all awful - it was a terrible Camera compared to my EOS 3, but it immediately demonstrated the crushing superiority of digital to film (And I never felt that I had a camera that matched the EOS 3 as a camera until many years later with the 5D3). In a similar way, the leaf is not a very good car compared to what I'm used to (first thing I've ever owned without independent rear suspension for example), but it demonstrates the crushing superiority of EV over ICE.

I think you'll find it is the adaptive front lighting system afs. Best get it plugged in to a diagnostic tool to read the data. It may be linked to your condensation problem in a headlight.