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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/25/2019 in all areas

  1. Maybe coming to this late, and can't disagree with anything at all that SH20 says. I use a DAS6 Pro (from the aforementioned CleanYourCar) and various products. I'm currently working over the Tesla - with soft paint and being brand new and not badly swirled I've gone straight for Carpro Essence on a microfibre gloss pad (getting much better results with that than with a foam pad with essence). Topping with reload and I might see how well 845 or 476 will play over the top of reload. I've previously had over 6 months of durability with 476 on top of autoglym EGP, so that seems a strong combo. Some useful products that I'd recommend: Farecla G3 Paintwork Renovator This is a very gentle polish that is appropriate to use by hand or by DA, and it uses diminishing abrasives (ie the scratchy bits get smaller over time as you work it, so they cut smaller and smaller to a gloss finish). I've never had a problem, even on soft paintwork, with this polish over-working (but have had cases of it bouncing off very hard (BMW) paint. It's fine on Lexus paint). Won't give huge correction of deeper scratches but great for gently zinging up older swirly paint. Carpro PERL General purpose for interior and exterior plastics and tyres. Nice satin finish and better lasting without "fling" or oilyness. This can replace several other products (eg bumper/trim gel, tyre dressing, interior rubber/plastic shine) Collinite 476/845 Paste (476) or Liquid (845) versions of Collinite wax. Superbly long lasting. 845 is much easier to apply, but in both cases the key is be sparing! You only need the thinnest haze and buff off. Bilt Hamber Clay This clay is so easy to work with as it is happy with water as lubricant rather than rapid detailer or anything. That speeds things up significantly, as you can put a clay stage in between washing and drying. I've also not had marring problems with BH clay. Only ever use clay before a polish/protect, as it will strip anything else you have off and all clays can mar to some extent. Gtechniq G4/G5 G4 glass polish is fantastic for getting contaminants, mineral etch and water marking off glass with minimum effort, either by hand or by DA (was great for doing the whole windscreen/roof/rear screen extent of glass on the Tesla). G5 is a brilliant rain repellent that works better and lasts far longer than RainX. G5 on the rear screen means a rear wiper isn't missed so much. Ultimately, however, it's much more about technique and time than specific products. There are actually very few bad products on the market, and the internet echo chambers simply make it seem like product X is massively better than product Y. A good example of how there's really not that much new under the sun is Collinite - still among the very best, and it's been around forever.... Here's a 1958 advert for collinite 476:
    3 points
  2. So I bought an RX450H last year as a family wagon which has been superb, my other daily driver for nipping around the city was my wife's 15 year old Citroen C1 which is pretty unsuitable for our young daughter so I was looking for a suitable replacement which could also double as a motorway car Originally I was intending to buy a polo but on Wednesday came back with this after buying it unseen from an enthusiast down south. IS300 Sportscross Nav and it is superb.
    2 points
  3. Funny story: Some time ago (and I had forgotten this until recently) I bought a new fuel cap from Toyota/Lexus. Dug it out today to see if it would resolve management light issue (possible EVAP issue). A couple of days ago I spoke to the main dealer's twelve year old service-techie about the possible cap issue, after all it is a well known fault. Really, no never heard of that, so not a common fault to this highly trained tech sort. Anyway I digress, hilariously as although the cap won't fit as they sold me a bayonet rather than a screw fitting, it has printed on it: "NOTE: Tighten cap until clicks, or Malfunction Indicator Lamp may come on." You couldn't make it up! Anyway I have a brand new OEM cap, part number 77300-33070 going spare if anyone wants it for postage and an optional fiver to the RNIB. UPDATE: Car's being trailered up north to a specialist next week. I refuse to scrap such a brilliant car without exploring every avenue That's all folks..... 🙂
    2 points
  4. My first Lexus was a 53 plate IS 200 SE. Great car had it for 13 years. I averaged about 34 mpg increasing to 40-44 on a long motorway run. Enjoy. What petrol company did you buy to go with it?
    2 points
  5. Just to complete the story, I got a confirmation text from ATS Euromaster yesterday, so I turned up at my local branch at the appointed hour this morning. When I arrived, I was told that they had not been delivered to the branch on yesterday’s delivery as expected and that the branch manager was unable to say when, or even if, they may arrive. After some negotiation, a full refund was eventually given, which will hopefully arrive in my credit card account over the coming days. I have subsequently raised the lack of any prior notification with ATS Euromaster via their on line chat and was told that chat cannot deal with complaints and I must instead email their customer relations team, from whom I have received a generic holding response but no more. This is a company who claims that "the following four values are at the heart of ATS Euromaster and help to make every visit or interaction with us an experience to remember Honesty - It's what sets us apart, builds trust and encourages our customers to return and recommend us time after time. Expertise - Getting it right matters. Demonstrating our expertise means customers are confident in our ability. Outstanding Customer Care - By putting our customers first we hope to be their number one choice. Easy to do Business with - By ensuring a quick and efficient service, our customers can be back on the road in no time." Personally, I think it's certainly an experience to remember, but that they have failed to deliver on on all 4 values. I shall await the arrival of new stock of CrossClimates at my friendly local independant tyre retailer. Fortunately, the fronts are not so badly worn that I can't wait a little while.
    2 points
  6. You pay more for noise Plate on today too. Much better.
    2 points
  7. I'm having my front pads replaced tomorrow, came up on the MOT as an advisory and was told by the tester the sensor is very close to being triggered. Gone with EBC redstuff pads after having them on a previous car and looking forward to reduce brake squeal 👍
    2 points
  8. This is how I thought my car would look on collection but alas it took 35 hours of reworking the paint before I was happy with it.
    1 point
  9. Herbie, thanks for your suggestion, I didn't know you could do that and £3.14 later (1 hour access), I can confirm that the NX has two Three Way Catalytic Converters, one in the engine compartment (the main one) and the other a much smaller one (it seems) on the very front of the angled front section of the exhaust system, and I suspect not easy to access at all as it's just below the engine compartment. The box that is visible under the car is not a cat, it's the main exhaust muffler. Useful exercise and I feel much better now 😉 Thank you very much for the suggestion. 👍
    1 point
  10. only you can make that decision go to your dealership and test drive the cars in the area you live and then make up your mind
    1 point
  11. If it's really bothering you so much, why not pay for an hour or two access to the workshop manual at https://www.lexus-tech.eu/ to see the whole exhaust system run.
    1 point
  12. Steve, Having also taken a look under my NX recently, Nicos' comments would appear to reinforce my ow,n, albeit unscientific, thoughts about the location of the catalytic converter. I'm by no means a mechanic but I couldn't see any part of the exhaust system (at least on the underside of the car that is accessible) that looked like the Cats I have seen pictured in related posts on this site's RX section and elsewhere. As Nicos stated, there is a box section visible but he says that it's not the Cat - something that I suspected too. Would be good to have this confirmed by a Lexus technician.
    1 point
  13. Thanks for the update. A Company I shall steer clear of.
    1 point
  14. I had one for a weekend some 20 years ago. It was a brilliant 6 cylinder job ,but the fuel gauge was faster than the clock !!
    1 point
  15. i dont think you got any problems with the nx300h as the catalyst is in manifold front of engine so they cant get at it unless they take the whole car as iv got a late 67 p-late and i have looked underside and its not visible the box running along the bottom is not the catalyst the rx400h is very vulnerable and ct200 which has the prious engine is also at risk
    1 point
  16. Did a 4 hour train trip across Portugal in September. I could see my GPS position on Google Maps zipping along at 170kph. Just using standard Google Maps, and no data enabled. I am also pretty sure the other day while out and about once my wife had selected the route the phone was still issuing instructions even though she had used up all her data allowance. To be honest I rarely ever use my in car Sat nav or phone, as being old school I learnt all the backroads along the M4,M5,M6, M1, and M25 corridors back over 30 years ago, so bit like a London Cabbie I will get you there. When I am new territory I will usually refer to my trusty dog-eared AA roadmap stuff down side of console. The only time I ever got truely lost was with Sat Nav, and whenever I go out with my sales team and they rely on their Sat Nav we do some interesting detours (seems like Mazda and VW Sat Nav seems to like driving you through center of Coventry regardless of any road conditions). And to cap it all my LS satnav seems to want to send me on a 2 mile detour when I get to about 400 yards from home???
    1 point
  17. There was a discussion on Twitter a week or two ago about the daftest mistakes you've made while doing something to a car. There were some absolute pearlers*, mainly stuff people had never admitted to before. Some serious, some not so much. So I did one this morning that I'm still thinking "**** idiot" every time I'm reminded. Took the front number plate plinth off to clean it and attach the sticky pads for the plate. Then I thought "Got to get this plate perfectly positioned" and I did. Went to attach the plinth and of course I've covered the mounting bolt holes with the plate. Speechless with my own numptiness I had to pull the plate off, ruining the sticky pads, put the plate in the window and drive to Halfords for some new pads. Idiot. *Mine was not tightening the wheel bolts after adjusting the drums on my '65 Beetle. Obviously the ns rear wheel fell off 200 yards up the road. Or forgetting I'd chocked the rear wheels on one of the Saabs when I'd got it up on ramps. Couldn't understand why the car wouldn't reverse off, gave it some beans and the ramps literally flew across the garage
    1 point
  18. I think you will find the radio has an automatic cut off timer rather than a device to turn it off if the battery is getting low. The 12 volt battery is not used for turning the engine it just readies the brake system, and boots the computers before issuing instructions for the HV battery to start the engine. With a hybrid it is difficult to tell when the 12 volt battery is getting marginal as the slow cranking normally associated with a failing battery does not apply. John.
    1 point
  19. Not to my knowledge no, after turning the car off it all reset back to the default max height. Maybe those with memory seats may have more luck.
    1 point
  20. Or get a Halfords £99 Garmin with lifetime maps of the whole of Western Europe. I find these miles better than my Lexus system. Why Lexus do not say......'just do our maps and do them better' is a mystery. https://www.halfords.com/technology/sat-nav/car-sat-nav/garmin-drive-51-lm-with-lifetime-full-europe-maps-5-sat-nav
    1 point
  21. Mystery has been solved. Took car into dealership to have a look at this and fix creaky centre console (which they did a great job, Lexus Cambridge are the best!) Anyway, turns out there is a hidden feature where if you click up 8 times, it will move the steering wheel rack to a higher position for those that need it. The dealership didn't even know this was a feature and it isn't documented, they discovered this by accident when trying to reproduce the problem. So guys, if you want the steering wheel higher than the max default, click up 8 times on the control knob, and it'll move up another inch. It will reset though once you turn the car off. The tech guy seems to think that the auto away does this sometimes just for its own maintenance to ensure the motors go through full range of motion
    1 point
  22. Also agree..just had mine replaced at 64k miles..front pads and discs although the pads were still good for about half life one of the discs was warped.. Rear discs and pads going strong still ..for now...
    1 point
  23. Thanks Malc, I will get it done and the thermostat. I’m not saying the thermostat is knackered but worth doing at the same time. I did actually do something today because I got home early, jacked the front of the car up, put it on axle stands, took the front wheels off, removed the calipers and pads etc ( they are meaty ‘proper’ callipers indeed!! ), cable tied them to the springs, removed the discs after drilling out the retaining screws, wire brushed and rust treated the disc back plate ( the one that is still on the car ) and that was it, it went dark and started raining. The retaining screws were a pozi head and were not coming out with a screwdriver bit at all! First bit of ‘not so good’ engineering but maybe the OEM original retaining screws were torx and the ones fitted were not the proper ones. I’ll find out when I buy new ones. Tomorrow when I get home it will be cleaning all the brake parts, spraying the back plate with a few coats of paint and then fit the new discs and pads over the weekend and probably remove the strut arms, press out the old bushes and in with the new poly bushes then refit. All weather permitting of course. After having a new car and not doing any mechanical stuff, I’m quite enjoying it to be honest. I’m in IT and it’s a nice change to do car mechanical stuff again and enjoy doing it.
    1 point
  24. Car play means that you are not restricted to using the car built-in systems. It allows you to use a satnav system of your choice such as Google Maps or Waze which offer more customisation options and are generally more accurate (you don't have to pay for map updates) and respond quicker to traffic conditions. Also you need to consider that, with AA or CP integration, you do not need to spent additional money for a built-in system if your car does not come with one by default. In addition, you can use Google Assistant handsfree and you can control Spotify without having to touch your phone (other music apps are available! ;-)) It's all about choice and functionality.
    1 point
  25. I'm looking to purchase one as a Christmas present to myself 👍
    1 point
  26. Totally agree @DanD I had this issue on my first NX Sport. The main beam was 'ok' but in comparison to the bright white light from the LED it was terrible. Luckily no such issues with my current NX Luxury - LEDs for both. Lexus really shouldn't penny-pinch on this imho. LED should be standard across the whole range.
    1 point
  27. Thanks all. I changed the battery (and reset the windows) and we are all good again. Not encountered battery dying like this before.
    1 point
  28. By way of update: I did an on line chat with Michelin earlier today. CrossClimates in the size for my 3RX are not expected back in stock for 8-10 weeks. However, she did say that if there are any available, then ATS Euromaster are the most likely to have them. Lo and behold, they are showing them in stock, so I have ordered and paid for a pair for the front of my car to be fitted at my local branch on a date of my choice (which isn't for another 2 weeks, to suit my diary).
    1 point
  29. We've had Crossclimate+ on our Leaf and our V70. When the GS450h and the Tesla need new tyres then they will be getting Crossclimate+ also. They are ideally suited to the UK climate. Most all season tyres (eg the Vector 4 season) start with a winter tyre and somewhat improve its summer capability. You can see this just visually, with the traditional jagged snow/ice siping on the tyre. That means these tyres will perform very well in snow and ice (better than the crossclimate), and are quite well suited to snow-tyre areas of europe (where snow conditions will persist for weeks/months). However, generally they are less good as a summer tyre. The Crossclimate isn't quite as good in snow/ice, but offers the right balance for the UK (where we might see a few days of snow per year if that - and I live up in the Pennines. Southern areas maybe a dusting that lasts for a few hours), with more focus on cold wet performance as well as summer performance. Another factor to consider is Michelin's current design ethos about maintaining tyre performance as they wear. Although the Goodyear is better in snow when new, when worn down to 2mm the Michelin will in fact out-perform it because the Michelin maintains performance better: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/New-VS-4mm-VS-2mm-All-Season-Tyre-Performance.htm As you said you'd like a quiet tyre, again I'll recommend the Crossclimate from experience - On our Leaf obviously tyre noise was a very significant factor (as it had no significant drivetrain noise on the motorway, and it had reasonably good aerodynamics for a hatch so wind noise wasn't a big factor - tyre noise was most evident), and the Crossclimates were very quiet (as they were on our V70 too, but the diseasel engine drowned out much of that benefit). The spectrum of their noise is different to other tyres, with less low-frequency energy (the stuff that carries through the body shell and booms) and more high frequency energy (that is more easily deflected/absorbed by the sound deadening in the car) - The crossclimates generate more of a white noise than a pink noise (if you're not familiar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_noise) Ultimately there are a bunch of really good all-season tyres currently on the market - The goodyear, the conti allseason contact (but I've never liked any conti that I've had), the bridgestone A005 and of course the Crossclimate +. Based on my experiences with the Crossclimate I have no hesitation in buying them again, and over the others for the reasons I've laid out above.
    1 point
  30. Tyre choice is a balance of attributes, compromises, and personal preferences. One doesn't normally get the opportunity to test many of the tyres available and in any event, ideally, this would be on your own car because some tyres are better suited to specific models. But in reality one has to base ones selection on comparative tests on whatever car was used by testers and also experience of other motorists. I narrowed my research down to the 2 models Herbie listed. The Goodyear's won one survey but the Michelin's have done well in others surveys. Lexus Cheltenham told me that they didn't have much experience of the former yet but a number of their customers had commented favourably on the Cross Climates. In the light of this I had the Michelin's fitted last Friday. Black Circle were discounting these with a further £40 off if 4 tyres were purchased. Lexus almost matched the price telling me they were making a loss on them but wanted to retain my business. They had to get them in and fit by arrangement. These replaced the Dunlops which still had plenty of tread but the side walls had begun to crack and the two rears had severe wedging, (glad to lose them!) The Michelin's are quieter and I have found give a more comfortable ride, although this may be down to softer/newer rubber and the Dunlop's having hardened up. I was also surprised how light the steering is with the Michelin's. Can't say how they will perform in very wintry conditions, although tests indicate should be good. I can say I was very happy how they performed in dry and wet on the couple of hundred or so miles from Cheltenham to my home in Devon. I don't mix tyres of different brands or even different models of same brand, so will be swapping tyres round in due course to help equalise wear. I run my tyres at 2.5 bar which is what Lexus set my new tyres at on my 3rd Gen RX450h.
    1 point
  31. The EGR cooler has a matrix that looks like it could easily crack and let exhaust gas into the coolant. See bottom right. A head gasket can fail just between a cylinder and a water passage and therefore you will have no affect on the oil.
    1 point
  32. Just had one installed by Lexus Sheffield - very pleased with it, both in terms of quality and price. It comes as a kit that Lexus/Toyota have put together which includes the following items: Nextbase 380GW (1080p Recording with GPS and WiFi) Link 16GB MicroSD Card NBDVRHK - Hard Wire Kit NBDVR380BAT - Battery Pack (to allow use of Intelligent Parking Mode - camera automatically starts recording if movement detected) All in, including fitting it was £275 inc VAT. The kit has the product code GBNGA-LEXDC-AM Considering the camera on its own without the sd card, hardwire kit or battery is £179 I thought the price was excellent. The quality of installation is great with no sign of wires at all. It fits flush with the windscreen so the image quality is really good - the camera doesn't get shaken about.
    1 point
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