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These types of wheel supposedly allow more space for beer bellies, and for this reason are said to be especially popular in German cars.

Perhaps it's time to conduct a blind test similar to those they used by washing powder advertisers. Personally, I have never been at all bothered whether it is supermarket or branded fuel. This largely because I've physically watched tankers from all brands, supermarkets, et al being filled from the same storage tanks and notably at what used to be the Shell, then Mobil, then BP, then Petroplus, refinery at Coryton, Essex. In itself, petrol is a powerful solvent and I struggle to accept the marketing claims this fuel is better than that fuel. Perhaps a slightly different story with the advent of E10, but modern engine systems will and do adjust their timings according to the octane rating of fuel. When did you last hear your engine "pinking"? Essentially, if your engine was designed to run on a particular octane then that's all it needs and a higher rating will not magically improve performance because your knock sensor will adjust the engine timings accordingly. As for the detergents put into fuels, then I'd like to know what these are given they must be pretty potent when diluted by 6000 gallons of petrol held within a tanker. As ever with these debates one's experience is purely subjective, but I'm quite content to continue to fill up with Sainsbury's fuel given my mpg will only vary according to how my right foot feels on the day.

I would assume it is from scratching the dip stick tube when pulling it out.

So some of you probably saw my RCF up for sale recently, well I drove it to Lexus Reading this morning and handed over the keys. I've replaced it with something lightweight and mid-engined. A very different car, but I was just hooked from the moment I first drove one... Alpine A110 GT

Well folks, today is the final full day of owning my 2020 UX250h F Sport. I promised a few months ago that I’d give it an overall review before it was traded in, so here it is! The upsides? I still think it looks ‘fresh’ in terms of design. I think Lexus done a decent job with it personally and certainly one of my own favourite designs they’ve come up with for a good number of years. I’m also glad I have an earlier F-Sport without the colour-coded wheelarch mouldings - which make it more distinctive than the colour-coded jobbies you get now - but that’s just down to personal taste. My particular example also has the red leather, which I think really suits the car and does a lot to brighten up the inside (as it doesn’t have a sunroof). In a way I’ll miss this as it’s always looked welcoming and made me smile. As soon as I saw it in the showroom, I knew the red leather was going to have to be a non-negotiable part when it come to ‘wants’! Whilst the ride isn’t perfect thanks to run-flat tyres, it’s actually been softer and more compliant in terms of suspension than the car it replaced (an Audi Q5) which come as a pleasant surprise. If it wasn’t for the ‘skittishness’ of the tyres over bumps, I would have happily given it ‘five stars’ given the size of the car. It’s still very, very good though. Speaking of comfort, I’ve never had any notable issues with the seats. Another impressive feature about the UX is it’s refinement given it’s size, thanks to it’s hybrid system. The only real noise that comes from the car are from the run-flat tyres as the engine is either not running or very quiet! At launch, the press criticised it for it sounding ‘harsh’ up the rev range. All I can assume is that they were using two thirds throttle or more everywhere they went... Basically, driving it like a race-car rather than treating it as a road vehicle on public roads. I’ve always been happy with the quality of the radio and speakers. It’s been one of the better cars I’ve had in this respect. Certainly in the top three. The salesperson at the time certainly wasn’t wrong in saying the standard system is decent. It really is. Whilst I know the touchpad infotainment system comes under criticism for being a bit fiddly and confusing to use, I was alright with it after a couple of weeks of using it. It’s just what you get used to. Sure, it’s not perfect and there are indeed some bits on it I have to think about where ‘such and such’ a feature is, but overall for the bits I need to use of it, it’s found easily enough. The downsides? Not that much, I’m pleased to say. Whilst I still very much love the look of the UX inside and out - the interior door panels could do with being a little less ‘plastic’. Especially given it’s premium price. The boot is too small and it’s by far it’s biggest Achillies heel. Right from day one it’s something I’ve not liked (I thought I might just about get away with it - sadly not) and it’s the main reason I’m changing it. It’s fine for just me and going back and forth to work. Unfortunately, whilst that’s what the car is ultimately used for, including the odd day-trip out, there are times where it’s been left wanting if there's been more than two passengers and/or needed for a night/two night trip away. The rear seat has had to be utilised as additional boot space. The rear cabin is a little short on ‘window space’ so I’m told it can feel a bit claustrophobic on longer trips. Personally, I don’t have an issue with it but then again, I don’t think I’ve travelled in the back of it (with my father driving it rather than me) for more than about ten miles! Would I recommend one to a family? No. I wouldn’t. That boot space really does limit it’s market and I only hope this is significantly improved (certainly in terms of depth, rather than length) for the second generation. If the boot space was about 20% bigger, I would have seriously considered simply replacing my outgoing UX with another one. This one is just a minor point, but I was disappointed to find it didn’t have any hydraulic bonnet strut(s) and has to be held up with an old-fashioned stick. I’ve not had to do that on any car I’ve owned for about ten years prior to the UX... Finally, whilst it certainly looks like a characterful car, it’s always felt rather ‘soulless’ to drive. There’s nothing wrong with the way it drives - it just lacks unique qualities and sounds I’ve had from other cars in the past. It does feel very much like a Japanese machine. Run flat tyres also make it rather skittish over bumps if you’re not pointing the wheels ‘dead ahead’ too - something that did take me a while to get used to. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, that pretty much wraps up what I’ve felt about the car over the last three and a half years of ownership of my first Lexus. The sun is now setting on it’s time with me. It’s been an ultra-faithful companion and whilst it’s not been my best or favourite overall car I’ve ever had, I do sincerely hope it’ll go to a good second owner who’ll take care of it. It’s given me happy memories. Whoever takes it on will get themselves a thoroughly decent, reliable and well equipped car. I hope it's an insightful look for anyone who is looking to buy one.

Well I can't say this was easy, but today I replaced the spark plugs on my RX450h. It took me about six hours, having watched a You Tube video on the subject, I could have done it quicker but was having a good clean up as I reassembled it. I think it would be a four hour job if you just got stuck in.

A couple more pictures:

Introducing my low tech solution. 39kgs of muscle, teeth and claws that does not tolerate strangers, unless of course I tell him to. KIng.mp4

Suddenly it all becomes clear!

You don't say what trim level you have, vinyl or leather seats etc.. The owner's handbook usually give basic cleaning recommendations for the various materials. On my leather seats I just gently vacuum and wipe with a damp cloth. If I feel it needs a deeper clean I would use Dr Leather wipes. Lexus recommend a dilute solution of wool detergent in water. On the dash and door trims I dust regularly with a microfibre cloth and a spray of Meguiar's quick interior detailer spray. I would avoid using leather conditioners as any leather would be sealed and impervious to these conditioners and simply leave the surface coated, attracting dust and grit.

i have the Terrane Khaki, which is a very striking when the sun is out and even on overcast days still excellent

The above is available on Amazon for £109.64,in the unlikely event that anybody is interested...

Picked this up from the RAV4 forum. It's a detailed read but worth it if you're interested in the technology associated with CAN bus thefts. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/04/crooks-are-stealing-cars-using-previously-unknown-keyless-can-injection-attacks/

At least you checked your oil level 😀 Probably most people don't bother anymore.

Alfa Giulia from the seventies. Now that's a steering wheel. Drove it for 4 months some decades ago until it had a flat tire. Could not jack it up as the jack simply went straight through the chassis.

Sue then? Why she is the sister of Nowand of course 😅

Austin Allegro comes to mind Malc

Interesting variety of views here! Well, I have just filled up with V-Power and later in the week I have a 500 mile round trip planned so I will see how it performs. If I have any interesting observations to make I will share them on here. In the meantime, many thanks for your comments and advice.

Never used anything other than bog-standard supermarket unleaded, or E10 as it's now known, in any car that I've owned and never had any problems whatsoever. If people are that bothered about keeping their engines/injectors clean they should convert to LPG as that's the cleanest fuel you'll get. If you have a super-duper engine then yes, super-duper petrol makes sense. If, however, you have a standard engine that isn't tuned to use the super-duper petrol, then it's just a waste of money.

There are always stories circulating about “dirty” and inferior fuel sold by supermarkets. Generally it’s “I was talking to a taxi driver recently …” I can only relate my own experience. I’ve owned many cars and motorbikes and driven a few hundred thousand miles on regular supermarket fuel without an issue, with one exception. That was a 1,690cc Harley with high compression pistons and high lift cams. It needed premium grade. Lexus hybrids are very understressed and generally in a low state of tune. Imo premium fuel is throwing money away. I have a friend who loses sleep over his fuel “going off” if he leaves his motorbike for a couple of months without riding it. I rode my motorbike yesterday for the first time in 12 months for its MOT. It started immediately and ran perfectly. Supermarkets sell around half of all fuel now. If it was bad I reckon there would be emperical evidence rather than bar room stories. Just my two penny’s worth.

To be fair the old app is saying the same now! And I’ve had an email from Lexus saying the car is at their ‘UK hub’ which I assume is Derby. Fingers crossed on the home straight now

@Rob RCF that looks lovely mate. Look forward to seeing it at a future meet up

yes... Your Absolutely Correct in what you say Doug..Insurance companies will use any excuse Whether the incident is your fault OR NOT to hike up your premium The following year and this will be recorded with the central bureau Claims department and will be held on record even although you had no part in the incident..Terrible !!!!!!!!

That's a certainty Mark Before i renewed I got a quote from Adrian Flux who tend to insure top end cars ..The price didnt seem too bad but when i read all the negative reviews about them i had a change of Heart and Stuck with my original Provider.....

I went on a comparison website to sort out the comprehensive insurance for the New to Me Mk1 Ls400 I bought last month They mirrored the NCD earnt on existing Saga policy for my Mk3 Ls400 and Honda Legend ...... max 16 years it seems . bit odd that but there we are ...... Full NCD mirrored Then I had to make some adjustment to the quotation status ..... bigger wheels, 16" rather than the OEM 15" . I just wasn't able to do that on the Comparison site with the Insurer they reckoned I should use SO I simply went to the nominated insurer and bypassed the comparison site and WOW WOW WOW exactly the same insurance with the same insurer ( Sterling / Adrian Flux/ Trinity ) but about £100 cheaper than thru the Comparison site ( Supermarket summat or other ??? ) Maybe an idea for others to pursue with their new insurance .... I'm sure they all make it up as they go along and try it on for sure ! Just to get what they think the punter will bear to pay eh ! Malc

When I asked to trade in my Volvo XC60 they offered me £23000 so I sold it via Car Wow portal to a Volvo dealership for 30000. Might be worth a look for your Honda. I sold it in a couple of days by the way.

Deb, this I just bad wording by Lexus, the old app was the same, yes it is on its way to Derby. With luck at your dealer in about 2 weeks from arrival at Portbery

It's the colour I wanted my UX in to start off with and I'm delighted I've finally been able to get it in the NX. A truly stunning colour in the sunlight and it's already had an admiring glance (plus comment) from a passer-by a few days ago. I know what your wife means by a 'green car being unlucky' thing! I had two people at work mentioning just that when they found out I'd gone for it. It's not something which bothers me personally. My brother also once owned a green mk4 Fiesta (Jewel Green) and had that for about three years without any problems.

I can only speak of my own experience, that being that I notice no change in performance between fuel brands and E5/E10. I do however notice a difference in mpg bewteen E5 and E10, with E5 giving me anywhere between 3-5 mpg improvement. The worst I've found for mpg being Sainsburys, and the best being Esso E5.

Those L centre emblems ….. I’ve one missing from my 4 wheels …… can you please send me the link ? thanks Malc

I'd go with that too its got a bend

Mine is exactly the same nothing at all to worry about. These engines run super clean, if your really bothered try & engine oil flush at your next service. Even doing regular oil changes you never fully get oil out from the sump the dipstick is dipping into the bottom of the sump hence the slight pick up of darker oil however it will generally mix & get drained out anyway at a service. As long as the dip stick is not gritty or chocolatey you can sleep well. Even with neglected long oil change intervals these engines wont give up too easily. Just to give you reassurance we have another car with a diesel engine & the oil turns dark within a space of 500 miles after an oil change using good quality (branded) oil.

Not sure if anyone else has had this issue. I swapped out both rear dampers on my Rx400h last year, brand new items ordered from Lexus parts direct. Unfortunately one of them has failed, the car has done less than 5k miles in that time and the part is only just over 12 months old. Lexus aren't interested, they told me the warranty is 12 months on all parts, so tough. The fact it had probably been leaking for some time but I've only just noticed is a bit annoying. So, if fitting new dampers your self, take note of the bought date, install date and mileage and check them before they have been installed for 12 months.

I bought a Ring RSP600 6W Solar Trickle Charger and connected it to the permanent 12V feed in the ODB 2 connector, with it mounted on the dash it supplies enough power to keep the auxiliary battery topped up.

steering wheels that are NOT round but flattened at the bottom as it looks fast. The word says it it needs to be round.

Ohh see you got your alloys from LK performance in Cleckheaton 👍🏻, ive purchased two sets of alloys from them and my Armytrix exhaust system for the RCF Huge range of alloys at this place and performance parts and great bunch of lads who feed and watered me for a full day as i waited whilsted they fitted my exhaust system along with a extensive tour of their other businesses and cars next door at TUX autos and Rivera

Hi @MrB Does the "Registering a Driver" section, page 42, of the UX Multimedia manual help? This is one of the two manuals available for download using the Lexus Link app or owners section of the Lexus Website. The printed manual supplied with the car is only a short summary of the information contained in the 900+ pages of these two manuals!

2002228

Lexus V8s are probably the least expensive of any V8 Marque to run Must be right coz I’ve been running mine for some 25 years on “ being nigh on broke “ 🤣 Well, maybe not but most other cars in the family and friends non Lexus marques seem to cause them financial angst ! Lexus V8 forever ! Malc

Generally speaking not much, but enough to cover all intake system in fine mist of burnt oil and petrol, and it is just nasty. I am sure somebody on here had catch can installed and after half of a year it was like 80ml of oil, less than quarter of catch can but as you can imagine, that is 80ml less dirt going trough the engine. And just generally, 80 ml does not sound like much, but imagine throwing a cup of dirty oil on intake manifold and how that would look.

I’ve finished the job…applied paint. I had another look at Lanogard and see that it has to be applied annually. So I’m happy with my choice. Kurust is very good and a good brush into and onto areas difficult to brush that do have heavy rust scale works very well. The suspension bars have the most rust with everything else in good shape.

I could not agree more Ron. The poor reliabilty and finish would put me off. I do not need to race about, and to be frank it is very difficult on our busy roads. Wafting along at legal speeds in a 4 litre V8 is an experience you should have before they become extinct! I have nothing against electric cars - just any car that is poorly made and unreliable. hence my choice of Lexus/Toyota/Mitsubishi (in the past)

The hare and the tortoise 🙂 I do wonder if we will see increased accidents with the roll out of electric cars, as many drivers may not be sufficiently experienced with this level of acceleration or accidents from people just pressing the throttle too hard or inadvertently.

Ha, yeah I like the white too. I almost chose white for the A110, but I've had quite a few white cars so I thought I'd go for a change this time. Don't get me wrong I will definitely miss the V8. I'm glad I got to experience it and the RC(F) is a really nice car overall. I won't miss the fuel bills and the road tax though! V8 aside, the The A110 GT does manage to make a decent noise, they've used a sound tube so you get a nice induction growl inside the car.

I have had the same experience in my brothers electric BMW, frightening and actually hurt my back, but I went to visit him recently, on the way there stopped at services at Telford where there are 8 tesla charge points, all full and 6 cars waiting, my sc430 did the round trip just under 400 miles without filling so which is quicker???

Rowley: All I can do is sympathise, I'm sorry!

No problem @gdamorini! I've replaced it with an NX350h Takumi, which I collected earlier today. I've not long updated my profile and picture to suit.

Yes, they do polish up nicely.

I am drooling🙂

I,ve Seen The day where I would be have been Impressed with The speed and Acceleration of the Tesla,, But Not Now.. It Reminds me of the phrase " Never Mind The Quality Feel the Width " But good luck to the guy with the Tesla Would much Rather have a Slower More refined Piece of kit Like the Lexus.. Just my opinion of course.!!!