Leaderboard

Just had my new exhaust fitted by Tony Banks Exhausts in Leeds. The old one was shot anyway and needed replacing, so thought I'd go for something a little more sporty. They got it just how I wanted. It's not loud at all (actually idles quieter now it's not leaking) and just sounds a bit meaner. Also fitted my new interior LEDs. They're very bright. Only change I had to do was put the ones for the front vanity mirrors in backwards so they face the wrong way, otherwise they just blind you.

GOOD NEWS! Rx400h passed its CT on the original UK headlights, no problems. The flat top beams are acceptable. I used the AUTOSUR station in Chabanais, the guy doesn't speak English but that was not an issue, he was very thorough and very helpful.

Internet pint on it’s way to you Sir !! Half a can of easy start later and it spluttered into life spitting clouds of fuel out of the exhausts (took a minute or so to clear). No real diagnosis of why, other than maybe change the plugs if they’re getting old - I guess it’s one of those “time will tell” moments as to whether it was a one off or something else is going on. Hats off to the RAC though, phoned them at 09:00, man and a van on my drive by 10:00 - can’t grumble at that! Thanks All, Jim

I think we're both half right Dan because it'll obviously depend on the age and condition of the 12V battery. A new one will obviously hold charge longer than an old one will.

UPDATE: Coolmobile, for that is her name, was yesterday rushed by private ambulance to see a specialist. She is currently in intensive care. We await news of her (hopefully) speedy recovery 🙂

A condenser is the coil which is typically positioned close to the radiator. the HP pipe is one of the pipes which feed the condenser coil. So, one of the condenser pipes needs changing and the condenser coil needs changing. This process will commence by recovering the remaining refrigerant gas from the system and disposing of it in an approved manner...typically sending it to a registered disposal contractor. Having done this,the old condenser coil will be removed and a new one will be installed. Due to the close provimity of the cooling radiator, it is often necessary to remove the coolant and radiator along with large pieces of body work in order to acheive this. ( I am telling you about a typical installation rather athan a lexus specific installation). Having fitted the new condenser coil and pipework along with the cooling radiator, it is then prudent to pressure test the instalation with dry nitrogen and leave it overnight in order to ascertain whether the newly installed equipment is gas tight. Having established that the refrigeration system is gas tight, the car mey then be re-assembled and the refrigeration system then needs to be connected to a vacuum pump in order to remove air, nitrogen, small traces of moisture. ( the vacuum allows the water to boil out of the system and so the longer the vacuum, period , the less chance of the system being contaminated) Finally, the system will be re-gassed with new refrigerant and tested. If you can find out the cost of the coil, the gas charge,scrap gas disposal and the pipe, most of the rest of the price will be labour. The task, if done properly, is labour intensive. I would be worried if the cost were to be less than a thousand pounds since this would point to labour savings created by corner cutting. If I were to be doing the job myself I would "triple vac" the system while I was re-assembling the bodywork/ radiator and bleeding the engine cooling system. Triple Vacuuming is a process during which one vacuums out the system in the normal way and then breaks the vacuum with the introduction of dry nitrogen three times on the final time breaking the vacuum with the introduction of refridgerant. "Triple Vac" in simply a method of ensuring that any potential system contaminants are removed. Since the car system is a comparatively tiny system, it it possible to complete the work relatively quickly over the space of two working days since some aspects such as pressure testing asre best done overnight and the longer the test, the better the chance of finding any potential leakages of the newly installed equipment ( or previously undetected leakage of existing equipment). Hope this helps to shed some light on your dilema.

Hey guys just dropping this in here before I go to the next step. I have a 2003 LS 430 off the road just now in need of some tlc it can start I just haven't got the time or the space to do the work myself, and to be honest it needs looking after. If anyone wants it you are more than welcome to come pick it up you would need a trailer as the suspension is down on one side. txt for further info 07808816888 ask for Ian.

There’s a lot more to it than that. This was discussed in another thread a while back, the German car companies are still riding of the back of very successful marketing campaigns that go back to the 80’s and 90’s. To be honest I’m not sure I would like Lexus seen In The same light as the German stuff, part of the reason I bought it was because it didn’t have the reputation that the German cars do (or should I say their drivers) Lexus are aiming their designs at the US market, that fact they enjoy success in the UK is a matter of convenience. Yes when they launched back in the 90’s we were one of the desirable markets but the US yields so much more profit than the UK market. That’s why the Lexus range is so SUV heavy and sadly that won’t change Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Apology accepted, but really I am at a loss to understand why you would say such a thing. Anyway, matter closed.

Thank you Herbie.

Welcome - another Scot here

When I got into my new RC last Sunday morning I was mightily impressed to see the clock automatically put back. Or so I thought until my wife informed me that, not having found the traditional +/- buttons, she had switched off the DST in the Settings ten minutes before. Clever girl. Cleverer than me, at least ....

But have to been relacqured? As I understand it, you'll be removing another layer of plastic in a year or two and so on.

On my RX I mount Hankook Winter Icept2 (available in 235/55 R20 size).

400h will be fine, just take one or more of the precautions I mentioned above, just in case.

I also recommend Cross Climates.

I don't agree with you Herbie. Low mileage in itself is not an issue, as long as the car is used frequently with the occasional 10-20 mile trip. You are more likely to have an issue with the 12V battery is the car is left unused for weeks on end.

Ok, point taken. I correct my statement by saying my comment applies to 40% of cars manufactured by Lexus. Don't get me wrong, I know that build quality and service provided by Lexus is good hence I have owned one for 15 years.

Yes, a jump starter would be the solution for me, I will not put the car in my garage as it's full of stuff and I need the storage space. I'm convinced by now that a 400h might be the better choice for me. Thanks very much again Herbie.

Thanks lads will have a look at the top of the seat for the indent. nothing in handbook as regards to where button control is and it’s defo not Manual like the passenger side as the passenger side has a manual press button on the end of the headrest. thanks lads

There are steps you can take to keep the 12V battery in shape, such as keeping a trickle charger connected if it's parked in a garage with mains power, or even connecting one of these solar chargers if your car is kept on the driveway overnight instead of being garaged. If the battery did go flat then you could keep one of these in the glovebox like I do. I've not had to use it yet but I know they work well so I'm confident that it'll get me out of the mire if ever it's needed.

James, I had written a Sticky Note - not quite certain how they work, just about to send it in response to you and it disappeared. In a nutshell we have a friend who has moved to Telford, so could try to pop-in to chat over a cuppa mid-november. Once we have a cunning plan sorted will make contact. Keep the faith with the Lexus. Stan

Finally got around to doing this. Used Tintex in Portsmouth. Price was below £80, and includes application of fresh lacquer. I'm very impressed with the results, and hope (indeed, expect) that they will last for years to come. I've attached a picture for the curious.

i have just done a search for lexus independant garages in london and here is the link :- https://www.approvedgarages.co.uk/mot-servicing-and-repairs/car-brands/lexus/london/ you may find an independant will be more affordable and possibly closer to you as well.

Do you mean the condenser is leaking as well as the pipe or just the pipe? If it's both, that price may well be right because they'll just replace the condenser. I'd enquire at an aircon specialist before making a decision.

Incorrect, I'm afraid. The manual also says that you should have the donor car's engine running but that's incorrect too. That jump start terminal under the bonnet is only for convenience, just in case the boot is full of stuff, but there's absolutely no difference between the two and certainly no harm in connecting directly to the battery if it's easier to do so or you just want to. All you're doing is supplementing a dodgy 12V supply by piggy-backing a good 12V supply on to it and it doesn't matter if you do it at the front or the back, 12V is 12V.

One other thought …. do you tow? is the relay and control wiring OK for the trailer socket?

Best possible result! My brief experience with Lexus Dealership so far is that they will be as 'helpful' as they can because they want you to go back to them for servicing. However, it does seem from response that this armrest component is a potential weakness and extra care needs to be taken with it.

Well folks, I'm happy to report that the armrest was indeed replaced under warranty! Andy Pedersen at Lexus Teeside wasn't very hopeful but I asked him to just put the claim in under the premise of "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" so, with nothing to lose he submitted the paperwork and it was authorised, so a great result and much kudos and respect to Andy. We took the car up there today for its 60k/6-year major service (spark plugs etc) and, even though he was only notified about the success of the claim this morning, he managed to get one in and it was fitted this afternoon while the service was being done. Very impressed, to say the least.

HI Brendan thanks for your reply This has been sorted after and 02 sensor change

At only 4000 miles a year you may have problems with the 12V battery going flat in the 400h as they don't take kindly to being stood around for any length of time. Probably best to go for a 300 instead.

No suggestions from the dealer, no thoughts at all? My first would be a faulty nearside radar sensor, possibly dodgy connection or chaffing loom. The headlamps not dipping, gotta be something with the front screen mounted camera, either adjustment/alignment or possibly a screen blemish. Any or all would throw up some error codes, or be fairly easy to check. I'd suggest taking the car to another dealership. Exactly how new is the car, how many miles on the clock?

Look similar, but it’s easy to spot the Lexus, it’s got indicators fitted....

Hi Scott, welcome!

Welcome back 😁

Hey Scott, newbie myself. Welcome back the forum [emoji3]. John from Dublin. Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Hi Scott, welcome back to the club!

First one to notice the different wins...... USDM syle side markers! Don't ask me why, but I've always been a fan of amber marker lights. I like the ones the US cars have, but they were not available here. I would have only needed the bottom bracket from the inside of a a US set of headlights where the indicator and marker lights are held. It's held in with two screws and could we swapped into a UK set. But I could only find full sets of headlights for lots of money. LHD headlights would have been useless so I'd be paying a lot of money for just the small part I wanted. So I took it upon myself to modify my existing headlights to look similar. As you can see, I also wired in some amber running lights into the empty section of the fog light housing. I'm still undecided on these. I took enough photos to do a write up / how to but I can't bring myself to do that right now. This took all bloody day. Taking the bumper off, headlights out, removing the lenses, moding the insides, re-sealing, re-wiring etc. I'm knackered, sore and dirty but I'm happy with the results. The camera on my phone makes these seem quite a bit brighter then they are, but in person they're just right. This is what the car looks like with just the sidelights on. They are all Osram LED bulbs. The ones in the headlights are white and behind amber reflectors. The ones in the fog lights are amber. I was originally going to use regular bulbs (which I actually prefer), but quickly realised that changing one of these bulbs would require taking the headlight apart again so opted for the longer lasting option. Also, because of the lower current draw of LEDs, I didn't have to use a relay like I was planning to. 3 of the bulbs still use less current than a regular bulb, so they're all just spliced into the original sidelight circuit. And this is what it looks like with everything going. I replaced the fog lights with a set of Osram Fog Breakers - yellow fog lights. If anybody is actually interested in a write up I can do that, but right now I think I'm going to take some painkillers and get in the bath 😂 But on a lighter note, I acidentally pitched my soldering iron and heat gun in a battle. The soldering iron won. Brand new she was, taken too soon.

I would still arrange a meeting and have a look at the car.. These cars are not easy to sell with idiots ringing you all day asking silly questions, tire kickers etc.. and winding you up over time.. You will be able to tell straight away if he's a dealer or not.. who's name and address is in the logbook? How much does he know about the car? How is the advertisement put together? It's not the sellers personality you are interested but the car.. so give it a go 😊

Personally, having done it, I would seriously consider a recent import Celsior, you'll get low mileage and no rust, plus some unusual extras!

Just buy a dummy cat of ebay and have that fitted you have another two cats below the exhaust manifolds . It will be fine no you won't get into trouble no it won't fail its mot no you won't go to hell yes you will be frowned upon by the Lexus massive .one love

The Lexus brand has worked hard over the past few years to redesign it’s lineup in accordance with a bold new design theme. The ES is now the latest model to receive a full redesign, effectively turning the look into that of an entirely different car: and for the better. The ES offers a refined ride, quiet interior, and a hybrid powertrain if you'd like to add some electrification to your drive. It competes with cars like the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, and while those models are arguably a bit sportier, neither can match the calming ride of the ES. Attractive New Exterior Design The new ES is built on the all-new Global Architecture – K (GA-K) platform, which Lexus engineered to make vehicles more agile, comfortable and striking. There is no doubt that the all-new ES is a visually appealing vehicle, and it is easy to spot even in a long lineup of Mercedes and BMW's. While some people have criticized Lexus for such a daring new design standard, I commend them. Brands must take big risks to set themselves apart from the competition, or risk fading to the middle of the pack. Thanks to the adventurous decisions Lexus has made, the ES stands out with both instant brand recognition and an iconic look… and that's exactly how it should be. Read more details from https://docsbay.net/2019-lexus-es-350-f-sport-3-things-you-need-to-know

Picked up the deep blue Takumi this afternoon from Lexus Teesside. Presentation was very good and it came with nice surprises. Yes, I went for G3 ceramic which they applied to the wheels as well as the bodywork. The G3 case and goodies inside is very nice. Got another interesting box which was jammed packed full of first aid kit, fire extinguisher, flare 😈, high viz vests, ponchos, etc. Never seen this before but it’s very nice. Plus a nice wicker basket full of yummy goodies. Also found that the car does have a windscreen wiper de-icer. The button is located in the HVAC concierge page.👍

Not sure there’s much that’s new in this one.

Sod the car.......congratulations on the addition to the family.......😀

Hi herbie. Been back to dealer three times in fact it’s still there been in 10 days this time.I don’t expect this sort of treatment from lexus. This is my third brand new Lexus if they don’t sort it it will be last