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This is Sarah Williams, John’s daughter although I think you all knew him better as Roy of the Rovers. Thank you for allowing me into the group and for all your messages of condolence which are hugely comforting at this very sad time. This community was an enormous part of Dad’s life and was very very important to him. As his health deteriorated and he couldn’t do much physically he spent longer and longer with his online friends. Being able to contribute to the group and help people out with their cars brought him so much joy - not least because his own children would regularly disregard his advice and buy totally unsuitable cars which he would then have to chastise us about! My husband (his son in law) has a mini. You can just imagine what he thought of that 😂. my mum, sister Liz and brother Andy and I are all keen to hear any stories you might have about him and find out more about the time he spent in this community so please do share your memories. We would be eternally grateful for them and they will help us get to know a different side of the totally wonderful amazing once in a kind human being we called Dad. I thought you might all like to see a photo of him - will try and share some of him with his cars in later days. if anyone would like to know about the funeral let me know and I will share details in here once we know. The staff at his local Lexus dealership have all said they are coming so I think we might need to arrange a Lexus procession to the service!

That's a wonderful tribute to your father Sarah, well said you. He and I had many enjoyable exchanges especially as he knew my overriding affinity with Greece and the Greek people. They have a saying, (one of many) which roughly translated says, "don't walk behind me as I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me as I may not always follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend". This for me sums up your father exactly. Warmest of wishes Philip

Thank you David, for sharing this very sad news with us. Like many here, I feel I have lost a friend that I never had the pleasure of actually meeting. I joined in June 2020 and it soon became clear that John was one of the stalwarts of the LOC. I appreciated his wit and wisdom - and in exchanging PMs discovered that we were not dissimilar in backgrounds and age. He was what we used to describe affectionately as a ‘Gentleman and Scholar’. In the last PM we exchanged exactly one month ago, he shared with me the news of his deteriorating health. I too extend my sincere condolences to Margaret and his Family and very much hope that they see this Post and thus appreciate how much he was admired by strangers whose only connection was that they owned a Lexus! One thing that amused us both - and that John would gently point out - was that the answers to many of the questions raised could be found in the car’s Manual. But that didn’t stop him from helping a fellow owner. I - and the LOC - shall miss him greatly.

Like many, I am very sad, to hear of John’s death, I feel a great loss and a sense of shock. My heartfelt condolences to all John’s family. I am sure that here, John will be remembered ( and indeed WILL always be remembered ) for his advice, guidance, interest, kindness and way with words. There is a certainty, than when I’m faced with a car related question, John’s ‘voice’ will pop into my head, “Read the Owner Manual”. And he’ll be right! John, I salute you. Thank you for your help and support, by forum and personal message. Rest in Peace, my friend.

Apologies for my somewhat delayed response. So sorry to hear this news, my sincere condolences go out to his family. Life as we all know is finite, be grateful for every day and live it to the full. RIP John. Steve.

RIP John. I really enjoyed our messaging and our emails. All be it he knew all about Lexus's. He also had a very astute business brain... And helped me with some of business problems... My sincerest condolences to John's family

Sadly.. It Is At Times of Great Loss we Realize just how Much Our Lives Hang In The Balance And our Health can Change in A Heartbeat..I Only Knew John For about a Year But Found him Inspiring Very Knowledgeable And Quick Witted But Most of all A Kind and considerate fellow...You Will Be Sadly Missed my Friend..God bless you and Till We Meet again..Condolensces to his Wife Margaret and Indeed all The Family..R.I.P

Our deepest condolences to John's family at this time. He will most certainly be missed within the forums

I'm surprised by how shocked I am by this news.. Like many of you, I had come to know John as a very friendly, helpful character on here and it just won't be the same without him. A prolific contributor, always ready with a great reply, and a reassuring presence. RIP 😞

My sincere condolences to all the family, Sarah hoping you and your immediate family have the strength and fortitude to bear the loss in the knowledge that he was much loved and appreciated 👍

I am a fairly recent convert to Lexus and the joy of owning such a fantastic car . Very soon after I got the car I joined this forum which made me aware that Lexus is a very special brand with lovely owners who have all sorts of opinions on cars and everything else but one thing in common is a love and respect for the brand Condolences to you Sarah, Margaret and all the family.

RIP John, may you enjoy your Lexus and Rioja on the other side.

Sad news indeed. It won't be the same without him.

Very sad news of a Lexus devotee. Condolences to family and friends.

Very sad. RIP John.

That's shocking news. I remember that he was the first to welcome me when I joined the forum and since then I quietly kept an interest in his posts. In my thoughts tonight.

My NX 450h+ Takumi which was ordered on 30 June '22 has just been built last week. It was initially scheduled as March '23 delivery but in line with all NX and particularly Takumi it was delayed until potentially June/July. I'm pleasantly surprised that it's now actually been built and has 'Left the factory' so it should give hope that things are starting to move quicker. I tried to get the vessel name but my dealer was not remotely interested in helping, however Lexus UK customer relations were more forthcoming, although still didn't have the shipping detail but will in a few days. The really good news is that the detail provided did contain one key nugget below.... note the MY24 designation! I know this is covered in another thread, but unless the system descriptions have been updated before the actual production, then MY24 is being produced with the additional security features and some minor interior changes. Likely delivery is May so 10.5/11 months from order. Line off date: 9/03/23 Specification: NX Plug-In Hybrid MY24 - Takumi grade

This is very sad news and sincere condolences to you Sarah and your family. I remember the kind and friendly messages that John sent after I'd joined the LOC. He gave helpful advice and guidance to so many and will be very much missed. RIP John.

My sincere condolences to his family.

Very sad news indeed. Sincere condolences to John’s family and friends.

Many years ago I had a convertible sports car ( I am too ashamed to say what it was ). It had such a fantastic anti theft device that even the police could not tow it away when once parked illegally in London. It was a key in the footwell immediately under the clutch master cylinder. When this was on it locked the flow of fluid and set the clutch absolutely solid. I have no idea what it was and have tried to research it without success. The second line of defence was a set of Maserati air horns linked to a selmar "motion" anti theft system. One evening some scallys in Liverpool tried to molest it and I heard the alarm going off from inside the Cinema. It was SO loud. They disappeared due to all the attention it was attracting.

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments Len. A real shocker and for me it follows on last weeks news of a similar fate for a fellow Jaguar XK owners club member, Keith Fox, who will be missed in equal measure. As my dear Mother would've said "whatever is the world coming to"?

I'm very saddened by this news, John was a great contributor to this forum. His posting dropped away quite a bit recently and I was becoming concerned... My sincerest condolences to John's family Sleep well John

Like many of us, I'd never met John, but always valued his experience and advice. I am sad to learn of his passing, and, of course, offer my condolences to his wife, family and friends.

This is very sad news. Condolences to all of John's friends and family, he will be a much missed member of this forum.

If you are questioning if you can afford the vehicle still, I think you've answered your own question.....

R.I.P John

Surely releasing the order with the dealer is the cheapest option to go for? with the demand for them at the moment I can’t see them keeping any deposits. if you take delivery and then sell it you’ll lose the VAT at the very least. it’s better to put that money into a different car rather than paying the tax which you won’t get back?

It is down to how deep your pockets are of course. In terms of economy most cars will see poor MPG in traffic conditions simply because of continuous stop & go. The key is maintenance. If your genuinley worried about long term reliability rest assured you have bought the right car. You Just need to look at Taxis in service Prius etc. Lexus/Toyota will do mega miles providing you maintain it. Without getting all scientific as long as your changing the engine oil & filter to the manufacturer recommendation under 'Severe' conditions If im not mistaken it is 5000 miles rather than 10,000 you will have no problem. Engine oil degrades with continuos warmup cycles. Keep the oil changed regularly if your doing strictly low miles or short runs you will not or should not have a problem I have stuck by this rule & havent had an engine cause me any issues yet. When I was in the trade I have seen examples where owners are more likely to corrode the brake discs, & exhaust systems because of extremly short runs because they dont get upto temperature regularly before the engine gives you trouble. Not to mention carbon build up but this engine is not known to suffer from these issues as yet. Get it upto temperature & give it a regular Italian tune up keeps it running beautifully.

Regards John “Instructed and inspired by Britprius” He always had this at the end of his many wonderful and thought provoking Posts RIP John Malc

Oh dear. Gone but not forgotten. RIP Roy of the Rovers.

Very sad, RIP John. Condolences to family and friends.

really sorry to hear about john. Massive part of the community and will be missed. RIP John

This thread has reminded me of an episode from my past. I was going to see a client with my boss. At the time, I had a humble 1.2 Vauxhall Nova (the "Antibes" edition - so it wasn't anything hum-drum) but he had an Alfa 164. He decided he would drive. His Alfa was a meagre 2 litre one, not an exciting 3 litre model, but having never been in an Alfa before, I was excited. On the way back, a fog started to come down. "Nobody is going to run into the back of me!" my boss said as a finger on his left hand hit the front fog light and another hit the rear fog light button. I had to stifle a chuckle when he simultaneously removed his fingers and the button for the rear fog light pinged off somewhere in the driver's footwell.

I bought a car once and there was a little green light symbol on the dashboard when I switched on the headlights, I assumed this was an indication for the headlights being on, took a few months to find out it was actually for the front fog lights 🙂

Yes John perhaps the CO2 that would come out of the cars still be the same as of fossil fuel cars But the point is they'd be true CO2 neutral which can't be a bad thing I feel. Maybe even the CO2 out of the cars running the efuel might be less than fossil fuel cars then ruddy hell its a win win for petrol heads like me 😁

So, I had the same issue with my 2018 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. After having the battery tested, that was the problem and a boost allowed me to drive it so I could take it in for servicing. A full check revealed that indeed was the problem and replacing the battery was the solution!

As I understand it, in Eco mode the heating and air con is reduced in capacity (for want of a better way to express it as it will still reach the temperature set on the climate control just not as quickly) to save on energy too - in Normal (or Sport) mode it will heat or cool more quickly and maintain temperature better (at the expense of some additional fuel consumption either running the ICE for heat or to recharge the HV battery for the additional air con load). Using the S-flow button on the dash to stop hot or cold air to the rear seats when not carrying rear seat passengers can also help with the heating / cooling of front seat occupants and save some fuel.

I’ve never heard of one failing yet, assuming it is the front water bridge it should be a reasonable job once the plastics are removed, hoses off, 4 nuts. If you want the gasket part numbers let me know 😀

Nice one Herbie! Learnt a few things there for future reference especially about the aircon regas. I'm no DIY mechanic! Other than changing bulbs that's it! The rest is at my local dealership Lexus Birmingham. I'd be too apprehensive to do anything else! Your explanation is why I think joining LOC is a must for all Lexus owners to help increase their knowledge of ownership 👍🏽

If you use the heating or heated seats you will notice the engine will come on & stay on regularly more to preserve and recharge the battery recharging slowly using the engines power & to give you heat from the engine. The reason its switching the engine off when in Eco is because the 1st opportunity it sees based on specific parameters being met its switching to EV (Electric) as soon as it can its reserving power/fuel when idle same as any other car equipped with stop start tech. Petrol engines will generally warm up well within 2-3 miles, depending on how long your sat idle & how cold it is for the temp to drop is quite normal. The petrol engine will automatically kick in as & when it needs to.

I'll sometimes use my front fogs when it isn't foggy if visibility is very poor. Like, on country roads in dark, stormy weather where standing water, tree branches etc are a hazard. This is at night of course. In actual fog, it has to be pretty thick before I feel the need to switch them on. I do most of my driving at night, or in the dark, so I'm acutely aware of light-related issues or behaviour by other road users. Someone having front fogs on in OK weather is pretty low on the list. I would sooner face that than an idiot with an aftermarket HID kit inside reflector headlights.

Doesn't bother me personally, although I only ever use my fog lights when there's fog. What does bother me though is people who put on all their lights in rain or poor visibility and think that then enables them to drive faster than the conditions allow.

I know Malc, it was awful she gave me a “list” and I had to go to multiple shops for various items, 2 cash machines as the first one was broken and walk over 100 yards from the nearest car park. I’m convinced it was this that stressed me out more and I snapped. 😀

Irritating though this encounter may have been, Steve, I think you’ve just presented an excellent case for the fitting of a dashcam. At the very most, the Police might have interviewed the other driver and possibly issued a Police Caution. But in the absence of independent evidence of this incident, a Prosecution would most likely fail. As such, it would indeed be deemed as not being in the public interest. I have personal experience of this in that I did have occasion to report an incidence of potentially dangerous driving and was able to supply corroborating video evidence. A PC took the trouble to pay three visits to the driver’s address before finding him in and then presented him with the evidence, before issuing a Police Caution. I was then contacted to see if I was satisfied with that outcome - or did I wish to persue it further. As it happens, I thought the other driver seemed sufficiently contrite and might be more considerate in future. Or at least aware that their actions could be being recorded! So that ended the matter. There is a facility for supplying video clips to Police Authorities to support prosecutions and I think they welcome valid contributions. After all, they can be a very easy way to improve their conviction figures!

They kind of are and they aren't - and this is huge problem. Because the law and order is based on premise of everyone being equal against the law, but lack of actual enforcement and lottery like odds is what undermines the whole system. As you said the sentencing could be joke, I would argue 90% of the time case would be lost, but if certain police officer takes it personally, then it could be "driving without due care and attention" - 6 Points, £1000... not small... or it could even be "dangerous driving", which is 6-12points, driving ban for a year and in some cases even prison sentence. And again that is huge issue, because police officer have NO RIGHT to treat it personally, but they do and if one would have done this for officer in plane clothes who has a bad day, it could be "dangerous driving" charge. In my view - sending a warning for 98% of offenders without fine achieves more than putting 2% in the jail and specifically UK police is horrible at it.... they let people go because of ignorance, laziness, maybe lack of resources, but at the same time they let many people to develop very bad habits which one day end-up killing somebody. And it is not very good for offenders either, instead of getting petty punishment for petty crime, they get nothing nothing nothing jail. So I wish the burned of evidence would be lower, that police could warn people without going to the court, sort of adding 0.5 point on the license which does not mean anything, but second warming will take it into consideration... sort of create atmosphere of responsibility. Because now what we have - burden of evidence is so high that only most egregious crimes are prosecuted, so as it happens police basically ignores the issue until it becomes big.

Even the cases that do go to court and result in a guilty verdict the sentence is usually a joke.

Toyotech Oldham. Very good reviews.

I am really just speculating here so don't read much into it, but I suspect this going to be issue with some sensors. Maybe lazy MAF or lazy O2/Lambda, or some other of million sensors in this car. Not to the point where they throw the code, but to the point where in colder weather they have delay responding to ECU and as result less than ideal air/fuel ratio get's sent. If it would be carbon, or hotspot in the cylinder, or even spark-plugs or injectors then it would be more likely to have engine running rough all the time, or particularly in higher revs, not in lower revs. I know this isn't much of help, but I am just trying to think through it logically in the process of elimination.