Leaderboard

They had the light over the parking bay thing in a by the way car park in Martigny. Only stopped for a rare brocante shop where we managed to pick up some very cheap Swedish ( in Switzerland) Dala horses. In Italy tonight on the non touristy western shore of Lake Orta. Tractors park in the square outside our window and old men chat in the shade. Nebbiolo and steak with lots of local mushrooms. Yum.

I understood from my Lexus salesperson (and then later confirmed through research) that the NX, IS, CT etc. were all using 3rd-gen Toyota/Lexus hybrid tech, and the UX was the first with their new 4th-gen tech. Hence higher-efficiency motors and generators, higher speeds in electric mode, all that good stuff. I found a few tricks for getting maximum juice into the battery, at which point I could trundle through 20-30mph town sections in almost exclusively electric mode. Ironically I find the battery never gets very full driving in town, probably because I'm not doing enough regenerative braking to refill the battery. The engine running will top the battery up only to a relatively low level if there are no other reasons for it to run. Fire it up on the driveway with the climate control set quite high and it'll run just to warm the engine up in an attempt to heat the cabin. Because the engine doesn't need to move the car while this happens, it dumps everything into the battery, and you can almost get a full charge. I quite enjoy playing with the hybrid system to get as much distance as possible each trip in EV mode, averaging 25% of my mileage over the last year. On motorway trips, it's low (single digits), but on trips with more town work I can easily beat 50%. The CT I drove as a courtesy car I had to work much harder to get it to drop into and then stay in EV mode, but I daresay it's all about familiarity with that particular system! Honestly, it's all pretty incredible tech. No power steering pump, no engine-driven air conditioning compressor, no starter motor, no belt-driven alternator...in a lot of ways it's a very elegant design. I'm a big fan. Nick

I'm disappointed now. I was going to pick up a couple of tyres when I go for my fish for tonight's tea at Marks and Spencers

So here is my plan after going through many threads and speaking to the installers who are charging ridiculous amounts for these security systems which aren't foolproof. I am going to take delivery of the car on Saturday and have ordered a Stoplock Pro Elite and Automatrics 4+ tracker as if anyone is so determined to take the car after getting rid of the steering wheel lock then tracking is possible. I am going to get the keyless entry disabled at the dealership so that key cloning/relay theft is not possible. Getting the car ceramic coated from a professional detailer Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light + Exov4. I liked the idea of the loud 120db siren inside the car and may go for that too if the system is cheap. I am thankful to you all for your suggestions and advice on the forum and I look forward to enjoying the ride in my new car.

Doing my usual LOC browse I realised I hadn't shared any info on my latest purchase. 1999 MR2 REV5 T-Bar. Let me know what you think

I remember an old squeeze of mine having a white Mk2 MR2. She also had a Mk1 MR2, a car which I had lusted over whilst at Uni. After graduating I had a choice. Stay at home and have an MR2 or get a place of my own and stay on my mountain bike. After only a week back at home, the bike option won. Anyway, I digress slightly. My old squeeze asked me to move the Mk1 for her one day. I was ecstatic. Well, until I got in and realised that my size 10 feet in their Doc Martens shoes made driving the thing impossible. It was a very sad day. We split up shortly afterwards.

Make sure you don't touch the glass with your fingers, as the grease from the skin will stick to it and can shorten it's lifespan.

And in Geneva airport car park they have an indicator light in the ceiling over each bay. If the light is on it means the bay is free; if the light is off the bay is already occupied. Makes it much easier to find an empty bay when looking down a long line of parked cars.

Fair point - well made.

We have all been there in our past Piers. Money wasn`t always so easy to find.

As Piers says, as long as they're not too hot then it's fine. If they're illuminated then the bulbs will throw out some heat, plus it's a confined space behind there and the electronics will also generate heat.

Don't even be tempted to try it. I never let mine get to less than 1/4 full. If you do run out of petrol then you'll need at least 10 litres (preferably 15) in the tank before trying to start the car. If you have more than 3 failed attempts to restart it, the hybrid system could lock out and you'll need the dealer to reset it.

I agonised over this one a few weeks back. I’ve a 2017 GSF and got the 12 months relax warranty with the last service in early August - I was exactly half way through the 2 year extended warranty (EW). There are a few things excluded from relax (multimedia, exhaust/cat converter, shock absorbers) so I was going to keep the EW until I had it confirmed it definitely won’t be available for renewal. I figured that, the older the car gets the more chance of a warranty claim so there’s not a lot of point hanging on to the EW for just another year when the car is still relatively young - I may as well get a refund and bank the money towards any problems. In fact what really swung it was by the time I’d dithered around there was only 11 months left but I was still refunded 50% of the 2 year premium! Looking into both of these warranties also made me realise that the ‘wear and tear’ clause even of the EW would make a successful claim of some of the items covered (compared to Relax) very subjective. I also asked myself, if I had Relax cover before the EW, would I have paid to take out the EW for the extra cover. The answer was almost certainly not. Anyway, hope this helps, but if you do a search there has been a plethora of posts on this.

Northern Italy tomorrow and the un-painted car parks. Running out of our French supermarket supplies. Cheaper to spend a night in Italy than shop in a Swiss supermarket!

Here again. Still getting some brake judder down hill but only when the hybrid battery is fully charged. Suspect a slightly warped disk.

A quick list of what to look out for .... don't let this put you off ... all the faults I can remember are listed below (some are common sense), maybe there are a few more that owners can add Seized rear calipers - cost around £300 each - Easiest way to check is to take the car on a test run and then when parked back up again feel the heat on each alloy - should be warm and not excessively hot. No squealing. Also, if discs are still rusted looking after driving then there's a problem. Obviously pulling to the side is noticeable Brake pad shims - some members reported missing brake shims from the rear calliper - probably from when pads were replaced and the garage or dealer forgot to put them back on. Its not something you can easily check on a test drive but if missing they are very hard to source except from a scrap dealer if they will sell them at all separate. Seized front calipers - as with the rears, around £300 each. Both front and backs can be freed if not too far gone, re-greased and put back together again but once seized they may need looking after more than ones not having been seized in the past as pitting and ill fitting rubber seals may be an issue. Why does this happen ... last owner not looking after the car or using the wrong type of grease in that it attacks the rubber boots letting dirt and water into the caliper moving parts. If it was looked after by the dealer then new calipers would have been fitted if seized. Greasing is not a part of the service schedule from Lexus so be aware. You may not experience any warnings that they are seized. Its the most common fault on these cars so get an assurance from the seller to replace if found to be seized or have him check them first. To be honest If it was me i would also check them myself when I got home with a new car just to be sure. Easy DIY job to both replace and maintain (grease) I do mine every 6 months but a lot of owners do it every year. Black oil - A sign the cars not been looked after - the oil should not be black. It will go dark in colour but not black. Again, an easy DIY job - I use Magnatec and an oil change, including the filter will cost you around £60. Takes a bit over 6 litres. Oil filter cap seized - If you can, ask the dealer or garage to ensure the cap housing thr filter will move. A lot of garages, including dealers put these on far too tight and some owners have experienced cracked housings while trying to remove the caps to change the filter. An easy DIY job White crust around front water pump area - an indication the water pump is on its way out - costs around £200 for a new one (inclusive of fitting) Exhaust shot - Black soot around the welded joints - check the centre section around the middle resonator as this is a problem area. Get this checked out at an exhaust centre. Pay for the inspection as you wont get a lot of change back from 3k for the replacement parts (back box and centre) if it has gone or is on its last legs - the pattern parts have not been released to 3rd party manufacturers so the replacement parts are only available from Lexus unless you are going bespoke and going for a stainless one - a Cat back system will cost around £500 - if you have the time and want to get your hands dirty then you can put together a bespoke exhaust yourself for around £100. Tyres rotated wrong way - Ask why have they done this? un-even tyre wear so look around the shocks / springs to see if theres any issues - maybe nothing Tyre choice - A good choice of branded rear tyres will serve well. Remember its a rear wheel drive car - Do not go for cheap brands as while they may last/wear well, the performance in the wet will be hazardous. Read through the forums for owner experiences on brands. Leaking shocks - Expensive replacements but not a real issue - some owners have reported replacing them and hard to find Wheel locking nuts seized - Put on with a tyre dealer air hammer. Will come off with specialised tools and a lot of patience - I think this is common cause on all cars - happened on 3 in our household over the years. Check this out before buying if possible. Wheel security locking nut missing - check this is available when buying the car. Without it you wont be able to take the tyres off easily or replace if you get a puncture Alloy wheel corrosion - this is apparent across the Lexus range - corrosion on the alloy happens and noticeable by bubbles under the alloy coating - will eventually lead to pressure loss if not tended to as it will break the seal between the tyre and the wheel itself Tow hook missing - only handy when you need it so check its there - located in the boot of the car Spare tyre - it houses a space saver wheel - make sure its inflated. If it looks like its been used then take out and inspect to make sure its inflated. DVD sat nav extraction tool missing - only handy when you come to update the sat nav DVD - the tools for this should be in the black tool kit in the boot of the car CD/DVD head unit fully working - take an original CD / a DVD and an MP3 disc with you and test each one out - they should all work without messing with the settings. (you will need to select each disc to play and it should) Noise from front speaker cover - a cracking noise from the speaker cover on the front centre dash board - not experienced this myself but its apparently quite noisy. Also a rattle has been reported, again not widespread. Noise from driver door area - don't know If this is a common area. I originally thought it was the door seal but narrowed it down to the handle above the door rattling slightly - I oiled the hinge and the noise disappeared Coolant level low - check the heating is hot when on. Check for a "gurgling" noise which will indicate the cooling is low - if its low then there could be an issue with a leak or possible indication the pump is on its way out Front headlights - will become "cloudy" over time - no more than any other car and can easily be restored with a bit of elbow grease Corroded wheels - a common issue with the Toyota wheels - bad ones will eventually lose air and deflate due to the corrosion not creating a good seal. Uneven wear on tyres - indication there's something a miss with the alignment / shocks - to be honest this is not reported as a problem on the cars. Maybe more so from owners using non OEM wheels Cams are chain driven - no worries there but they can stretch (very extreme though) Rear blind working - read a few posts on here that its stopped working or stuck in the up position - check its operation Front discs - They are heavy on discs and front pads. Check the wear on the discs on the front - not expensive to replace and an easy DIY job Lights not bright and flickering - an indication that the bulbs are on their way out - check both are the same colour. If not, one has been replaced and other will need to be done at some point. Check all front lights as they are quite fiddly in replacing the bulbs Aircon works - should be cold - if not then check coolant level, if ok the system either has a leak or may need re-gassing Squeeky steering adjustment - has been reported by a few members. Mine squeeks in hot weather when automatically adjusting. Not all the time and has not caused any issues. Mirrors dip when in reverse - the mirrors should dip towards the road when in reverse, a feature on the cars to ensure easy viewing of where you are going. If they don't then its most likely they will just need to be cleaned internally. Again an easy DIY job. Parking sensors - with the engine running have someone walk within a foot of the sensors at the front and the rear of the car - it should start beeping when the person walks past them. Not seen any issues with this reported by the owners. O2 sensors - PreCat (within engine bay) will go around 70 to 80k easy DIY job - cost around £180 for OEM Denso ones - don't use 3rd party ones as they will not last Rear brake shoes - Cant easily be checked on a test drive - changed mine at around 90k last year and they still had a bit of meat on them, probably on the car from new so more than likely will need changing or inspection at least. Easy DIY job Main engine plastic cover - centre engine cover can become loose from removing and re-applying it. there is a push button tab that breaks off and it can in some instances be heard rattling over lumpy roads. Mine has broke - not a real issue as the radio at low volume masks any rattle. I expect some strong glue would fix this. Engine idle - make sure its constant at tick over when cold (quite high) and when hot (around 700revs) - if erratic it could indicate a carbon build up - not an issue with an application with cleaning liquids Valve Rattle - VVTI may rattle from time to time - the oil will drain in some cases from the resoviour for the valves after standing for a bit and as a consequence there is a rattle noise (similar to a dull machine gun noise) but will disappear in a second or so. Happenned on mine a few times when I first had it. but not come back for a couple of years now. Regular oil changes and I do an engine flush each oil change and in my opinion it has helped a lot. Exhaust smoke - no smoke from these - only condensate when in cold weather which is normal for most cars Cabin carpets - check the drivers side has clips anchoring the carpet down (if it has one) if it doesn't then the carpet can creep under the pedals Boot - Its a fair size boot but the opening does not give good access to large items - ideally it could have done with split seats but its not that kind of car I guess. Audio - Make sure the spec includes a Mark Levinson branded head unit which is the better of the head unit specs on these models.(indicated on the front of the stereo on the bottom right of the unit) Rear seat room - its a bit cramped in the back with passengers on the seats - leg room is dismal, maybe that's why I have never sat in the back when its been driven. Wife wont drive it due to the size of the car which I don't mind at all. Reliability - looked after its bullet proof, best make of car I have owned. Running costs are petrol only. Put in the time to do the services (oil, filters etc) and it will serve you well. Parts availability - Had my 250 for 3 years and an IS200 for 2 prior to that - the only time I was unable to get a part was the exhaust for the 250 - I could get one from the dealer but at nearly 3k I thought no way and went down another route. Parts are available from Eurocarparts / ebay / online easily enough and are not expensive. Speed - People forget these are not sports cars - they are quick in manual mode and can keep up with the best of them but are not made for that purpose. Its nice owning one for the individuality of having something different from whats sitting on the neighbours drive or in the works car park. I only know of an IS200 Alteeza and a IS220 local to myself so its my bit of exclusivity. Don't care how old it is, its still better than a new model medium city car. Mileage - mines on 93k - no issue and having has a high miler is200 and this one then I would consider another high miler but with the knowledge of what to look for. I don't think there would be any problems if you are careful in what you are looking at - gut instinct in a lot of cases. I guess there will be very few low milers available now on these cars now but you may be lucky in finding one. Keys - Ensure it has a minimum of 2 keys and they both work - if not then its definitely a bargaining chip to use as a replacement one will cost you around £350 and a trip to Lexus. Corroding windscreen wiper arms - these seem to bubble quite a bit under the paint on the main body of the wiper arm. No issue but it will break through the paint at somepoint. Check front windshield, if non-genuine check if wipers defrosters and auto sensing wipers works OK. As well windshields mouldings sometimes gets gets loose (broken clips) - about £80 to get new mouldings. (Courtesy of Linas.P) Main ground cable - In wet climate it was reported that main ground cable sometimes gets corroded and it is very hard to troubleshoot it.(Courtesy of Linas.P) Squeaky seats reported for the manual option (Courtesy of Vintagesixtysix) DMF issues (Dual Mass Flywheel) for the manual drive option (Courtesy of Vintagesixtysix) Paint - the paint is soft on these cars so are prone to scratching easier than other makes if not careful Cat failure - there has been a couple of reports of the cats failing on these cars but only a few have been reported at relative low mileage for the car (around 80 / 90k miles) not common though. There are 2 cats on these. Service milestones - consider cars around 60k miles require a spark plug change - or so Lexus recommends although they are good for 100k. This is an expensive job at around £600. Not done mine yet, planning on doing them at 100k. I would state at 100k then you will need to get your hands dirty and give the car a good going over, fluids etc just for peace of mind. Lexus service interval report does not state any excessive requirements, mostly checks to be made. Recalls - that I am aware of: cabin carpet mat required securing / airbags / fuel sensor washer. there may be more but these are the ones I know of. Spec - I would personally recommend the top spec SE-L Auto box at 2007 / 2008 as I believe when the face lift came along then the models lost a few features that were on the older models. A sunroof would be brilliant but like gold dust at this spec. Quite a bit of points above - don't let this put you off at all - the exhaust nearly saw me pack the car in when mine went but I went down the stainless route so alls not lost. Best to go into a sale knowing all the points to look at before making your mind up. Best car I have ever owned. One last consideration - in the 7 years I have owned the Lexus brand we have by far spent more money during this time in maintaining a fairly new Vauxhall !! One last point, if you have an ODB error code reader then take along and scan the ecu for any stored fault codes unless the dealer has cleared it down

Thought I'd post my experience on now using super unleaded petrol. Since I filled up last Saturday morning I've driven nearly 600 miles. 70% motorway and 30% A and B roads. No I've not driven those miles sensibly either lol. Yes I've red lined it loads of times and hardly stuck to speed limits. My car tells me my average MPG is 35.8. I'm chuffed as a chuffed thing. Mind you the Shell service station on the A591 is on the dear side. V Power 152.9p a litre yikes.

Having decided to reside in sunnier climes, my girl just isn't getting the use she deserves and spends most of her time in Henrys Dehumidified Car Barn, or being painted, polished and preserved by Logic VPC. https://www.henryscarbarn.co.uk/ https://www.logicvpc.com/ It is MY15 (64) Obsidian (Starlight) Black with the Circuit (Rose) Red interior, the car is immaculate (and I don't say that lightly) both internally and externally. It has, fitted at new: Premium Pack - which includes the Triple Beam LEDs and the auto tilt in reverse. It also has the Navigation Package and the Mark Levinson Audio Package (include the clear sticky plastic on the ML logo at the rear-view window). The car has completed only 29,000 miles, and has a full Lexus Service History (Notts, Dublin, Notts, Cov), including the recent 60K service at Lexus Coventry, it also has a full MOT renewed on August 13th. The car comes with the remainder of a 3-year Lexus extended warranty (including roadside), but clearly this is less relevant now, given the one-year extension after every service (don’t think this includes roadside). The car is also fitted with a NextBase Dash Cam, which was a fit at purchase at Lexus Nottingham 20/06/2019 The leather interior gets re-polished every year using ColourLock, coded leather polish and is perfect with no marks, blemishes or press marks (yes, OCD). It has the darker carbon fibre application. The wheels are also professionally recoated in Anthracite, mid gloss by Logic VPC and the car has recently undergone a full detail and ceramic coating by the same. Finally, this year the brake callipers were recoated by Logic VPC using a colour match process against the rose red interior of the car. Tyres were renewed all round at 2500 miles ago, between 6 and 7 mm so practically new. The car will be sold at a fixed price of £28500, I am not going to dance around the handbags on this as I am aware of what she is worth. I will only accept CHAPS or Faster Transfer, no cheque or Escrow. Once funds are cleared, I will sign over V5 and all three keys (including credit card key) If you are interested in owning this perfect example, then please email me at rkenny@tsaeurope.co.uk Thanks Richard

Hi everyone I currently got a 2010 lexus rx450h had it for 5years now best car ever. I am thinking about changing to a lexus is300h f sport or a nx300h f sport I do alot of driving commuting to work I love the power and comfort of my rx450h but it's just time for a change Is it worth paying so much for the facelift version of the lexus is300h and a lexus is300h.??

Kia Stinger 3.3 GTS (recently updated model). Test drove a couple of the first gen model before I spotted my GSF - although around 100bhp less, the max torque numbers of the stinger are pretty similar but available from not much above tickover making for a rapid car. Performance (top speed and acceleration) figures are very similar to GTR and the stinger has a lot of oomph low down. Lexus quality and V8 sound won the day (I owned a 2016 RX450H at the time) oh and I loved the colour (Azure) and look of the GTR. The latest Stinger has apparently upped the anti on the quality front, has all the kit and more of the GSF and then there’s the 7year warranty. For non brand snobs it’s a cracking car and could well be my next. I like the idea of owning the GSF as a future modern classic, but do question the viability of this with all the technological wizardry to go wrong on such a car in the future (not like there’ll be a load of spares in breakers yards!!). Either way its a very hard act to follow.

Sideways it's not dissimilar to a Honda NSX?

I have a "RING" doorbell and 24hr cctv security cameras

+1 Lots of reasons to never get below 1/4 full. And indeed, why would you...

Interesting as I can report the same. Now on my 4th tank of E10, and managed 52.1 MPG (car computer) on my 12 mile trip to the office. Also showed 42MPG on a return trip from Winchester to Cheltenham, about 4-5 MPG better than on previous trips.

Thank you John, I thought it was serious!

https://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8141/~/if-i-run-out-of-gas%2C-can-i-use-electricity-to-drive-a-hybrid%3F

Was thinking the same...

Welcome 🙂 I don't think it is specifically worth going for a facelift IS, just get one within your budget. For the NX I'd recommend a facelift model, there were more noticeable improvements.

Big fan of this. That being said, if the driver(s) in front are of the more 'reactive' style of urban driving I find that the cruise control's inability to observe the cars further down the line means that it can become a bit more of a jerky affair. If the traffic is smooth enough it works well, but if it's a bit more jerky I usually find I'm better served by taking manual control. I also get better use out of the hybrid system then, as I can brake more smoothly and further in advance, and often avoid requiring the friction brakes at all. It also means I can start moving away sooner than the radar would allow, meaning that I can move away more slowly. The radar system will often wait, then seems to panic and accelerate more quickly than I would. At the end of the day's they are 'driving aids', not some sort of autopilot... 😉 Nick

On my older car, they do... ( I suppose it depends on HOW hot they get ?! )

Don't forget that Hybrids need a different oil otherwise it can get expensive so a generic regas can cause expensive issues (I'd assume a Toyota dealer should be fine). See this thread and Herbies comments

Thanks everyone for the advice. Looks like I will just have to put up with the stone chips for now but will consider a respray of the bumper followed by ppf.

Hey Ben, if you can afford to spend extra 10k, RC-F is the way to go. The sound itself is the best thing about it, nevermind the additional 200+ hp from a naturally aspirated screamer.. I was looking at 200T's before, but the fact they're only a 4 cylinder put me off. It's just wrong to have a lack of cylinders in such a nice looking sports car. It's quite a heavy car, so they don't particularly feel that fast either. Yes, you can get a de-cat downpipe and a remap to 300hp but even still.. RC-F is your winner IF you can spare the extra 10k or so. As for RC350. That would've been my ultimate winner, 330hp is a usable sweet spot. Basically a 370Z and they go well - I'd know, my dad has one. Problem with RC350 is the price.. Found the cheapest RC350 here for £24k + Shipping, insurance & registration cost etc.. You're talking almost 30k which is your RC-F money. Sadly it's not worth importing one yet. https://www.tc-v.com/used_car/lexus/rc/28461019/?isNew=1

The reason I asked was it has been brought to my attention that from 1st November 2021 about half of France will require vehicles to be fitted with winter tyres (M+S or 3 Peak rating) or carry chains or snow socks in the winter months. JBP

tried them and they rather helpfully didn't know! JBP

Michelin Customer Services might be a good place to ask John.

Oh my, I'm quite envious of your holidaying by car again, still during covid ...... did you have any apprehensions about it all ? I'm beginning to remember my trip a few years back thru' France, the Jura and Swissieland, Mont Blanc tunnel thru' to Italy and totally around there and up into the Dolomites, around and back thru' France etc and home .... 4/5 weeks and 4/5000 miles ......... much of that top to toe and back again in Italy Amazing memories of it all ... quite hard driving but oh wot an adventure ! ( age mid 60's then and the Ls400 never puts a foot wrong really ) BRILLIANT Malc

Leisurely drive this time, avoiding the toll motorways. No beats missed. Overnighted in Belgium and dropped through Luxembourg for fuel. 36mpg this time, keeping to 60ish. Only using super go go juice. Off to the Italian lakes for a few days tomorrow to grab some Nebbiolo 🍷. Top box does make the car less photogenic.

Tell us a tale or 2 about your journey Steve.

We got the car back on Friday. I spent a good few hours cleaning it on Saturday and swapping the winter wheels back to the summer ones. It was too late to take it to WBAC by then. So I've listed it using that motorway, although they need to speak to me first. After going through the history the car has done 3k miles in 2 years and in 2019 I also had new front discs and pads fitted so they're virtually brand new! I'll see what happens with motorway but I only have 10 days until the insurance needs renewing so need it gone asap!

Previous was an Audi. The Audi comes with a wheel at each corner, everything else is an extra. The first thing I told the saleswoman was I didn't want any car that mentioned the word 'sport'. At 70yrs old I want a smooth slow comfy ride, my sporting days are over.

I’d imagine Lexus techs are on the clock with regards to serving times/work time allocated, this is the issue on maindealers, I know each to their own BUT for me that’s why I always use an Indy specialist, complete opposite work ethic as it’s in their interest to do the job correctly….. the filter has probably been replaced with clips off and prising up for access, time saving exercise on a time and motion check which is what most corporate companies work to, another trick is to replace the oil filter and replace the 1 litre lost rather than the whole sump drained, gearbox oil change is another overlooked item (was with 2 of my IS’s with full dealer history)……oil is a hard one tbh, need to dip and wipe several times including rotating the head. Good luck with it

I've never had a CT or a UX so I can only speak from the perspective of an RX, but I think you've misunderstood the way these cars work. The traction battery in the RX is, if I remember correctly, 288V but the requirements of the car are varied. For instance: MG1 and MG2 are 650V 3-phase AC motors (the battery is DC) The aircon compressor is driven by a 500V 3-phase AC variable frequency motor The power steering is driven by a 48V motor The 12V system (lights, radio etc) and the 12V battery are powered/charged by a 14.5V system (the hybrid equivalent of an alternator). All these things are driven by the 288V DC traction battery in conjunction with various DC converter/inverter units and other boxes of electronic wizardry. These cars are amazing feats of engineering and incredibly complex, but one thing they are not, is electric cars. As you already know, if you were to drive on battery alone then you'd only manage a couple of miles at most, maybe not even that.

People seem to have no qualms buying a sandwich for £3, when they can buy a loaf of bread for less than a £,yet expect added value/increase economy when they fill up their tanks with a slightly more expensive fuel, if only life were that simple lol 😆

I'm happy to report that the horn issue has now been resolved and it turns out it was a dodgy clockspring all along, had a aftermarket clockspring installed and the horn and other functions work like a dream. Thank you all for invaluable input into this matter, if anyone needs any help or advice drop me a message.

I drive an IS300h. I can't afford a 1% reduction in engine performance....

Sadly there aren't many around. What jobs need doing? GS Series II owners can help for anything non-engine/transmission related and for those you are best to find some Supra TT owners.

Not sure what you are surprised about - Insurers are ****. It is not like one day I would say "I hate them" and next day I have suddenly forgotten about it. I think you digging far too deep, there are no hidden marxist agenda - the simple matter is that insurance in UK sucks. It is by far the worst value proposition product I use and that I ever had in my life. I will be very clear about this - if I had an option not to insure in UK I would 100% chose not to insure at all, the value of it is just so terrible that I would rather risk not having it. There are reasonable and logical ways of how to measure value and fairness of the service and even beyond my personal opinion it is still terrible. Secondly, this is based on my simple belief that anything that is mandated by law must be provided on the fair terms, indiscriminately and ideally by non-profit (to be fair that is the only way in which it could be done). So if by law I must have insurance, I expect the government to provide it at fair cost. Yes that sounds kind of socialist I agree... but I guess in this case unrestricted and bloodthirsty capitalism (greatly represented by insurance in UK) is not great either. Even in capitalist own terms when it comes to "free market" the way insurance is procured breaches all possible safeguards and red lines. Nowhere near as bad as communism (ask 200 million dead), but still fairly terrible. Finally, instead of attacking strawman I would suggest to read the actual points I made about the topic. Have I said something incorrectly?

Looks awful. All that scenery and stuff.

I understand that Dan but a £4k quote is genuinely taking the mick. If you guys don't want to quote, just say so instead of giving premiums inflated by 500%