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I retired at 58, moved to the country with an acre of land and have never been so busy. My only regret is not doing it earlier! I guess you have to enjoy gardening but the pleasure it brings is immense. My guitars keep me busy during winter months!

Just had my first proper long distance trip in the 2012 GS250. Totally legal as 'support bubbles' became legitimate in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. Have to say what a fantastic car for the long haul. Turned out to be 11.5 hours in the end but the car was a joy to drive on the A roads North of Glasgow. Plenty of hills, tight bends, overtaking trucks etc. Glen Coe was truly spectacular. Have never considered this car fast in any way or form but it easily had enough power to cope with what was thrown at it even if you needed to work the engine a little harder than normal from time to time. I think the venerable 2.5 V6 thrives on being worked and will come back for more and more. Journey home included a break in Edinburgh and a trip down the classic A1 route. Again, plenty of opportunities for overtaking on the single carriageway sections of the A1 of which the impressive sounding 2.5 V6 was more than equal. Arrived home relatively ache free. I guess this car was built for journeys like this. One thing which is apparent though. The days of being able to get away with liberal adherence of the speed limit are surely coming to and end. Average speed cameras on large sections of the A9. Loads of cameras on the A1. Ditto on the Scottish winding roads. M1/M6 relatively camera free but only because none of the variable speed limit indicators were on. Its been a topic of conversation in the past (think it was regarding the engine options on the ES) but you do have to wonder whether the days of higher powered 'ordinary' cars are coming to an end.

Hi Adam Congratulations on your road trip and your great post, nice pictures too 😁 It brought to mind times in my childhood when my Dad would drive us all from our home on the Solent coast up to central Angus to visit my grandparents. We’d start out very early in the morning to arrive there around teatime; luckily my Mum can drive, so they would take turns at driving after each rest stop, so neither of them got too tired. My sister and I would have toys and things in the back to try and occupy us, but they never really worked!! You’re dead right about the cameras!! I flamin’ hate them with a passion!! I can honestly say I have never ever seen a camera at an accident black spot, only hidden round curves in nice stretches of “fast” road, so all the tosh put out that they’re there to promote safety is utter bollaux!! They’re just another way of taxing the poor blooming motorist ☹️. On your point about the future of more powerful vehicles, I think there will always be a market for them. In my own case for instance, I don’t often drive huge distances on motorways and I don’t get much chance to “open her up” to top speed, but I need a car that can accelerate quickly to overtake lorries or tractors and then pull back into lane swiftly over short distances with a limited length view of the road ahead. Your standard small c.c. family car or 4x4 can’t do that safely, so you end up with queues of frustrated drivers following slow moving road blocks, that’s when accidents happen. When I buy a car, I’m not looking for top speed, but instantaneous “squirt”, I may not get past 60 very often, but I want to get there in fractions of a second, not minutes 😁. That’s one of the big pluses of the hybrid Lexus drivetrain; the instant boost you get from the electric motor as you stomp your foot down gives you the confidence that you can overtake easily and safely. Sadly, when my hybrid died I went back to pure petrol (I’m a GS250 driver too now), but on occasion I have regretted that choice! I agree wholeheartedly with what you said about the 2.5 V6, the torque doesn’t really kick in until around 4500 revs, so she responds best when you keep her at the top end of the rev band, but that can get noisy and expensive if you do to much of it. Without doubt the GS is at her best as a cruiser and you just proved that 😁 Having read your post, I now just want to get in the car and drive!! Just head off into the distance and see what’s out there... All the best Si

Don't forget if you see numbers on any service sheets that look like dates with high numbers, that will be written in heisei years so take 12 years off For example 19 is 2007 as pictured Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Bit of a translation of auction sheets, Doesn't look that clear zooming in so here's the original, scroll down in the link https://prestigemotorsport.com.au/auction-guide/ Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Hi J, I live in North London and just this week I have bought an RX450h after looking on and off for a few months. As well as saloon and estate cars, I have previously owned a Range Rover Sport, a Freelander and a Honda CRV. None of them have been an issue driving around London, even in central London. Here are some answers to your questions: Common issues / factoids I've read 1) Brake bark I have not come across this 2) 2011 and later have timing chains (vs belts) - this is better right? 2009 onwards is the 450h which has chains. The pre 2009 car was the 400h whch had a cambelt. This needed changing every 100k miles or 10 years, whichever is sooner. 3) Lexus maintenance costs can be pricey I don't imagine they are any worse than other luxury brands such as Mercedes or Range Rover. In fact, Mercedes are not too bad but Range Rover are quite pricey. Lexus offers service plans that allow you to spread the cost of the servicing over 12 months if budgeting is a worry. Alternatively there is always the independent network of garages. Questions 1) Issues from buying from 3rd party dealers vs Lexus dealers? You would normally expect a Lexus dealer car to be better prepared and generally a better car otherwise they should put lower quality cars through an auction or sell it off to some independent dealer they know. Also Lexus dealer cars will come with a good 12 month warranty that is as comprehensive as the new car warranty. I would always treat a second hand dealer car like a private sale in terms of the checks and inspections I would do on the car. Any recourse via the warranty may offer is a bonus but not be relied upon. 2) Is there a sweet spot on age/depreciation vs road tax / MOT concerns? If it is a 450h, make sure it has had the 6 year service where the spark plugs need changing. If it is a 400h, make sure it has had the cambelt changed as all will be over 10 years old now. 3) Generally I like to keep my vehicles for a long time but my wife tends to bumper bash a bit and I'd expect the Lexus to take a bit of a beat over time. How does body damage affect the MOT approvals if at all? Scuffs and bumps won't fail an MT. The MOT is mainly mechanical safety and structural safety eg rust which you shouldn't expect on these cars. Other MOT areas would include lights, seat belts etc 4) We'd have off street parking and a tiny garage - Is this size of vehicle appropriate for on-street parking (going to the shops) / this part of London? As mentioned at the start, no problem at all - Is this a real bad idea from a theft / vandalism perspective? The only thing to worry about in London is theft. Vandalism not so much unless you are unlucky. I am not sure how popular Lexus are with thieves but I don't imagine they are worse than Range Rovers which are highly targeted. My main worry about these cars is not theft of the car but theft of the catalytic converter. Apparently they are worth quite a bit of money and quick to steal so are a prime target. - What about insurance costs - garaged vs off street? Insurance is highly variable so you should get some insurance quotes beforehand using comparison sites such as confused.com, moneysupermarket.com etc Try variations of on street, driveway and garaged. Garaged should be cheaper but you may find that on street is cheaper than driveway. What I will say is that I have found these cars more to insure than saloon or estate cars. 5) Any issues with drive-train? I cannot find anything on repair costs / frequency of the CVT or the hybrid/batteries I believe these cars are pretty reliable hence not much information on failures. I would imagine a failure is quite rare and therefore you would be unlucky if it did happen. A Lexus extended warranty would cover it though. 6) Is there a way to diligence the hybrid system before purchase? Can I tell if the batteries are in good nick? If the car is serviced by Lexus it will automatically undergo a Hybrid System Check. If it passes, it receives a certificate and the batteries are then covered under warranty for the next 12 months. Alternatively, you can pay just for the Hybrid System Check at any Lexus dealer. I believe it costs £75. Should we find a couple of good candidate cars - can someone pls recommend a good shop for a pre-purchase inspection in the area? Many thanks I would imagine your best option for a pre-purchase inspection is Lexus Edgeware Road/Jemca

My 2015 RCF and 2020 RCF Track Edition

We had a CT and the same issue, was an exhaust heat shield in our case. Wouldn't be surprised if that's your issue.

This phenomena is caused by the way batteries, and most chemical reactions work. Heat increases chemical reaction rates, and with a battery increases the cell voltage slightly by around 0.1 volts per cell depending on the type of battery, and the temperature rise. After driving the car in the heat the battery temperature will rise more than usual, and since the battery is made up of 240 cells the overall voltage increase is raised by 24 volts or more. This in turn shows as a higher state of charge "more blue bars". As the battery cools this effect disappears lowering the battery voltage, and the number of bars shown. Even lead acid 12 volt batteries suffer from this effect, and is why the charge voltage should be adjusted to account for temperature. John.

Also the number it shows doesn't actually mean the currently selected gear, it's a limit. If it says 4 then it won't go above 4th gear (unless you hit the redline). By default the limit is 4th, this is so that if you're travelling up a hill you can pop it over into S mode and keep it in 4th to help it up the hill and not have it shifting up and down a lot. Same for descending steep hills if you want more engine braking.

Great to hear a positive result during these negative times, thanks for the video and update 😀

Morning, Just in case anyone is interested 🙂 Just over a month now since I sold my beloved ISF and bought an FK8 Civic Type R so thought I would post a quick things I like, dislike, miss, regret and so on.... Historically, I have been a massive Honda fan which started when I was a kid in the 80's... Senna in a McLaren Honda, the dirt bikes on Streethawk (and Streethawk ofc) and then sat in a Honda NSX in 1989 as a 10 year old at the motor show with my Grandad which sealed the deal... At 21 I bought a 1998 DC2 Integra Type R which started my Honda ownership journey... I replaced the Integra with an S2000 at 25 which went well but didn't handle anywhere near as well as the Integra. The S2000 was replaced by a DC5 Integra Type R which was ace but I sold it to raise funds to move house and swapped it for cash my way plus my friends 1998 DC2 Integra Type R which reaffirmed what a great car the DC2 was (I was too young and not a good enough driver to appreciate my 1st one). Eventually, I went for something different, a Nissan 350Z. I loved the looks and the noise but it wasn't fast enough. It handled well but always felt like it needed another 50 - 100bhp to make it the car it should have been. A baby due meant the time for a bigger car... Queue the BMW 335i M Sport. Great car when it worked. Unfortunately this "Approved Used BMW" spent 11 weeks over the course of 12 months at BMW having turbos, injectors, fuel pumps, waste gates & lambda sensors replaced. Suffice to say, I am weary of BMW's. Went to replace the BMW with... shock horror... an FK2 Honda Civic Type R... Took the Mrs to see it and she wasn't happy... "You can't spend 33k on a Honda" was the response... queue my friend mentioning the Lexus ISF which I hadn't thought about and found one for 22k (I think it was) which the wife said was "much more reasonable" until she found out it was a 5L V8 but deal was done and it was on drive so 1 nil to me. 4 and a bit years and some 50k miles later, I longed for an FK8 Type R (possibly to do with Honda winning in F1 again) and one turned up at the dealer I purchased some of my previous Type R's from. A quick phone call and a socially distanced viewing at my house led to me placing deposit on an FK8 subject to test drive (I had driven one on an extended test drive before lock down so just had to make sure it drove and stopped). Put my ISF up for sale on here and Facebook for a fairly low price which took into account the TLC she needed. A pleasant chap from the Facebook Lexus group was in contact with me from the start and when I mentioned when it was due to go sooner rather than later, he drove down down about 260 miles the following day (in a pimp old school LS400 I might add) and bought my ISF for £200 more than Honda offered me in part-ex which I didn't mind as genuinely wanted it to go to an Lexus fan (he has an SC430 as well). So... Cutting a long story short... Few I like about the FK8 1 - Looks - I know they are subjective but I really like the look of it and always find myself looking at it when it's near 2 - Reaction - Good or bad, it turns heads. 3 - Handling - For a car that is the same size as the ISF (I think it's 5 cm shorter but wider than the ISF) it's a lot lighter and changes direction superbly. The diff is a masterpiece and I know it's a bit of a cliche but it feels more like a 4wd car than a Fwd car with the amount of grip it manages along with how it gets the power down. The adaptive dampers are great as well, comfort for when the wife and kids are in. Sport day to day. R for a track day 4 - Braking - The ISF brakes are great... the FK8 brakes are another level. I have also got the floating discs from the 2020 model to go on it before the annual Ring trip next month 5 - Tech - It's got all the gadgets being a GT. The head unit gets some bad press but using Android Auto it is fine - Spotify and Waze on main screen plus Google Assist works a treat 🙂 6 - Performance - Once moving.... it pulls and pulls and pulls. Not as quick off the line as the ISF but once moving, it is very rapid 7- Seats - They are great and the driving position is perfect. One thing I didn't like in the ISF were the seats. They weren't racy enough for me compared to an M3, RS4 or C63 that it was competing with. 8 - Running Costs - Tax is £150 a year compared with £580 or so, Insurance for me is £200 a year (ISF was 290) and obvious one is MPG (25+ around town and 40+ on motorway) 9 - The rear seats fold down so managed to blag it as being practical with the wife 10 - Best until last... The Gearbox... It's obviously a manual but it is a joy to use. Things I dislike about the FK8 1 - Noise (or lack of). The turbo spool and dump valve noise is quite cool but nothing compared to a V8. Exhaust note is non existent which is disappointing as there are plenty of cool sounding 4 pots out there (i30N, RS Megane, Golf TCR and so on). Exhaust on the shopping list. 2 - Niggles - Luckily under manufacturers warranty but she is going back in soon due to a few faults (all rain related). The auto wipers don't work, when it rains heavily the collision warning sensors can go off and I noticed condensation in one of the side lights by the front. 1st 2 issues are common faults. She was probably built the day they announced Swindon closing 3 - Interior (seats aside) - Not as plush as the Lexus in terms of materials and feels a bit more fragile than my ISF did. Also not sure I am a fan of the digital dash yet compared to some good old dials . Only one cup holder as well.... I am starting to sound old 🙂 4 - Wheels - 20 inch wheels look cool, but you have to avoid potholes like the plague for risk of cracking a rim. May have to invest in some smaller wheels in future 5 - Engine - It looks like a lawnmower (as in the actual engine). Did I mention lack of noise? It sounds like one as well Regrets 1 - Probably let the ISF go for too little money bearing in mind the price they are on AT but still got a fair amount more than WBAC 2 - I wasn't as bowled over on day 1 with the Civic as I was with the ISF but that was probably due to relief from getting away from the BMW. This was cleared up at Thruxton though where the Civic came into it's own 🙂 3 - The RCF - My buddy with an ISF keeps sending me links to RCF's which are now in budget.... I can't return yet surely 😉 Anyhow... it has been an absolute pleasure owning an ISF. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. In fact, a late one is on my list along with the RCF and GSF as things to replace the Type R with 😉

NSX-R... Yes.... 🙂 All I have done for now is a drop in air filter and intake pipe (similar to the HPS pipe and Tom's filter I had on ISF). I have the 2020 floating discs to go on to improve braking although the standard drilled discs were fine on track. I also have Dixcel pads to go in before Germany Only major(ish) thing I want/need to do is change exhaust but it's one piece so I have nowhere to store an 11ft long exhaust at the moment and it will be a faff to swap it back if I need warranty work done. Before I take the plunge, I need to hear some exhausts 1st hand as most the YouTube videos sound awful. I may just have to accept that it's gonna sound awful and make V8 noises as I am driving 😉

Cool, have you any plans for it or keeping stock although it sounds as though its good enough as is. love the colour by the way got to be the best shade for these saying that every type r looks good in white and then there's the nsx id absolutely love one but there a bit overpriced now. https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/honda/nsx/honda-nsx-type-r-49-500km-one-of-five-in-the-uk/10538167

I assume you have the standard rails on your vehicle? If so then bars that clamp to the rails are readily available. e.g. https://www.halfords.com/motoring/roof-bars-roof-boxes/roof-bars/halfords-raised-rail-steel-roof-bars-set-r2-726319.html Thule do a number of different types, but are quite expensive. If you plan to keep the bars on all the time then it is worth getting the more aerodynamic ones to cut down on wind noise. e.g. https://www.thule.com/en-gb/roof-rack/car-roof-racks/thule-evo-wingbar-_-711xxx?car=lexus-rx+300%2f400+(mk.ii)-5dr-suv-_-h5kr

It sure is a wonderful V6. The photographs are stunning--you didn`t meet any flies then Adam?

Yes the GS250 is one of those cars a lot of people in the current era don't 'get'. Its very much a sentimental throwback to the days of 'Granada V6 man' etc. Ie a big reliable comfy cruiser that is brisk but not fast. It seems anything these days that has a V6 in needs to be sub 6 seconds 0-60, suspension like an F1 car, recaro seats etc to have an ounce of credibility. However where the likes of us really 'get' the GS250 and Lexus in General is that the immense reliability and willingness to come back for more. Apologies for the shameless showing off of photographs but here's a selection from Skye if anyone fancies a trip there. Really is a lovely place.

Nice; A few Jagermeister decals would be the icing on the cake

I had a honda lawnmower for about 15 years ran without fault so you should be good to go 😉 nice review ive seen a few about about the styling is starting to be a little easier on my eyes, one thing i noticed when i was behind one was the spoiler does it affect your view at all?

This is absolutely gorgeous 😍

Looks lovely and well done for buying it. I see another orange one has popped onto the market in Fordingbridge.

So many things to do Doog. So many people to meet. So many assists to give.So many friends to make. So many opportunities to learn. And so little time in which to do it all. Now, just where did it all go wrong ? Take care.

Thanks Shahpor. That redresses the balance somewhat,but it seems that Sidcup service is a bit like the curate`s egg!

Hey. I have had nothing but worries with my previous car, E46 M54 engine. It's spent more time with the hood open than on the roads. Will take some time to get used not checking temperature or engine lights not popping up hah. Thank you!

No worries Hem. It’s yours when you can make it.

Welcome to the club 👍

Thanks for the welcome. Well, 3 days in to RCF ownership and I can confidently say that I absolutely adore the car!

Hi John Thanks for the feedback i have actually joined the Lexus technical web site and down loaded most of the SC430 technical manual for 2001 for a fee of 4.6Eu Might have to spend another 4.6EU to get the complete manual Will probably be asking for more help when i start the refurbishment lets see Cheers Peter

Whereabouts are you? Lexus breakers in Oswaldtwistle are good for parts.

I’ve only been to Skye once for a power distribution incident, as I crossed the bridge at Lochalsh I thought the sat nav had failed when it showed a 32 odd miles to the destination of Dunvegan..... I thought wrongly it’s just a small Scottish island. No it’s a rather large island and did take me nearly another hour on those twisting hilly roads in the dark. I think the worst job ever was in Wick it took something like 10 hours from Derby, I got to Glasgow and it was still showing several hundred miles to go and it was! I also attended another incident on the Isle of Mull...ferry across from Oban then onto Tobermory. Once you leave the ferry terminal the road follows the coast. I was soon being overtaken by everything most of which seemed to be rally spec cars. Once I finally arrived I was told by locals that speed limits were virtually unenforceable as there was just one police car on the island. If I ever return I’ll let the train take the strain.

Welcome back 🙂

You don't necessarily just want to have wheels the aligned to standard spec - which is why you need someone who knows what they are doing. Lexus have been known to get it wrong before, especially with the series I IS200 where Tony at WIM came up with corrected settings which Lexus GB then adopted.

Yes it is grey with almost new Michelin cross climates all round. Here are some photos:

Hi Piers and welcome to the Club. I retired at 58 some 5 years ago and it was one of the two best things I have ever done. It was my decision and I had decided that it was time to "look at all of the other rooms in my life" I had occupied a senior position for the last 30 years and had sat in every chair,looked at every picture and fixed everything that needed fixing in that room. I then saw a door I had not noticed once during my time in that room.I peeped inside and thought, wow! I have often wondered during these past 15 years how on earth I had found the time to go to work. Do whatever interests you.Be with whoever you wish to be with and importantly, read. Read anything and everything.Read from as many different perspectives as are available. Be available to those that seek your advice and give it freely. I enjoy driving and drive to Spain twice yearly. I garden, play Golf, meet friends and watch Sports and filmsvia the Internet--it`s free, no need to pay silly and expensive subscriptions. My Grandson has just introduced me to Harry Potter and I am trying to get him interested in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo ! It is worth remembering something along the lines of what the 35th President of the U.S.A. said......."ask not what your life can do for you, but ask what you can do for your life! Once again, welcome to a whole new world of opportunity.

We had tyre wear on the inner edges of our tyres on a previous car. Had it tracked and all was within tolerance. I then read an article regarding speed humps (The ones where they blob about a 4ft square lump of raised tarmac on the road). It was said that straggling these wears the inner edges of tyres down as all the weight of the car is on the inner edge of the tyres as you drive over the centre of the humps. As we used to drive over about 8 every day to and from work, this probably explained the wear on the inner edges. This just may be an explanation of your wear if tracking proves it is okay.

£10k all in and felt like I had stolen it when I drove it away. T'was right interior colour scheme for me but I finally wrong exterior colour (wanted black!). I'm suprised by how much silver is growing on me! Thank you for making the forum so much of a community, the commeradery here makes the purchase so much more worthwhile! 👏👏👏

Any pics of the car? I've looked at your old posts from 2008 with the one pic & noticed you got it a few months after I purchased mine, I used to be on aristo site before it suffered a melt down And because we all like pics here's mine ( broke for parts last year) Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

‘OCD’ I prefer ‘CDO’ it’s a lot neater alphabetically!😂

Cairngorms in between Grantown-on-Spey and Aviemore, heading back home after visiting my kids whom I hadn’t seen since lockdown...extremely pleasurable 614ml trip on Monday just gone

Stow-on-the-Wold yesterday. Not the best pic as I used my wife's phone.

Are you sure that the chamber is NOT the right part? I think it is, as the sensor fits in it as it measures air pressure so if the chamber is depressed or deformed it will send a signal to the piston/rams.

Got out today in the Cotswold's. Yippee

Congrats and welcome to zee F club 😉 I see you are reside in Hampshire, hopefully local to me, be nice to see another Lexus F around my parts!

Welcome, there are a few RCF owners down here in Hampshire.

Hi, I’ve just bought this car, wish me luck! First-time Lexus owner. Pick it up next week - cannot wait - especially as I’m moving from an 8-seater MPV 😂

Just your casual trip to Tescos. Needs to be ceramic coated but applied Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic Wet Wax.

I’m in a similar situation, which became more apparent recently when I took it for its service and when checking the book realised I’d done just under 1000miles in a year. Although it seems a shame I can justify it in a petrolheads way that I have a young son (1.5yrs) another little one on the way so not much spare time and also suffer from carowner virus 😂 So for now it will be staying. One thing I used to enjoy was going for a blast later at night towards the end of the week after a long week at work. Maybe worth a try to rekindle some of your enthusiasm.

Got up early this morning with the camera while the light was good and the car clean.

Wouldn't it be useful if there was a pretty comprehensive list of recommended Lexus independents in the UK? This can prove particularly helpful if you are a long way from home and have a problem. In the circumstances, I have started to make a record of any such recommendations as you never know when/where you might have a problem apart from normal service requirements.

I think it's the rarity that I like, which is probably why I get a kick out of owning a Celsior!