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I can hear Roy of the Rovers in the distance 😎

The first few lines caused my eyebrows to contract. Brand new car. Yes leave it in the road. Battery flat. Grease all over. (Or have I missed something ?) My first call would have been to Lexus to come and pick the car up ASAP & not get a mate to start doing this & that.

I’ve never heard such a garbled account. The smell of burning doesn’t get mentioned near the top of the list, but the radio does and a safety concern with the steering is an afterthought. A new Lexus with damp in the wiring or a major ECU issue doesn’t exist. The car is showing all the signs of a flat battery - it will do all of the things listed and it’s a well known fact that the battery will go flat when not used right. It could be a fault with the charging system but even that is unlikely, it’s more likely user error.

I've always admired owners with affection for elderly cars that deserve it, as is undoubtedly the case with the LS400. Few would dispute, however, that affection can occasionally be taken too far, as happened with an uncle of my wife's in Denmark, who kept his 1959 Saab 93 GT on the road for the best part of four decades and 600000km. Of course there can be no general or specific comparison with the LS and its owners, but I though I'd offer the story as a sort of cautionary tale. My wife's uncle was quite a wealthy man and could have bought newer and better cars whenever he liked, but for reasons best known to himself, he stayed loyal to the Saab despite the entreaties of his family, much leg-pulling by friends, and the dark mutterings of neighbours who hated the sight of it. Few men have been more blinded by love for their cars and less receptive to advances in technology and design. Like his wife, who not surprisingly got into the habit of taking cabs, prospective passengers in later years avoided the car for dread of the bacteria and fungi that nested in the upholstery, not to mention the risk of olfactory dysfunction posed by a cabin odour whose pungency was accentuated rather than reduced by premium air fresheners, a situation not helped by the owner's partiality to cigars. As the years turned into decades, the only problem not resolved by the expenditure of vast sums of money on repairs was rust, which eventually produced a series of bubbles and holes all around the car's lower perimeter. The closing of doors, even gently, caused flurries of orange-brown dust to fall to earth and demarcate the surfaces where the car had stood. De-registering the Saab therefore spared it from the indignity of an official scrapping order and permitted it, against the better judgment of everyone except its owner, to be kept permanently garaged. What happened was that the animal welfare authorities identified iron poisoning as the probable cause of an alarming rise in respiratory and gastric ailments among domestic pets and species of local fauna such as deer and hares. Despite the absence of forensic proof, the Saab naturally came under suspicion as a likely source, though by no means the only one when the many specimens of vintage gardening paraphernalia lurking alongside rusty old bikes in the sheds of this leafy suburb of Copenhagen were also taken into account. But whereas these latter items left no regrets or long-term traces after being chucked into skips by an unsentimental and socially obedient citizenry, the Saab got to live out its twilight years in its own snug home, comforted by regular visits from a tearful owner in much the same way as a faithful old retainer might have received those of a grateful master. At the insistence of family members an adjoining shed was converted into a garage for a gleaming new Volvo S90, which was grudgingly admitted to be a nice enough replacement despite the regrettable sacrifice of style and character on the altar of safety and solidity. I believe the Saab, or what remained of it, wasn't removed until the house was taken over by new owners a decade later. To this day I remain doubt as to whether the Saab's pre-retirement longevity was a tribute to the marque or more simply a testimony to human folly. For sure there could not have been one without the other.

Just a feeling but something here does not add up. Who is the dealer? Is the car new or secondhand and within warranty? Short recap. The dealer delivers a Lexus on your driveway and disappears. You then find out the car does not work and there is black grease all over the white interior. You do not contact the dealer but your neigbour with thesame car starts jumpstarting it?? Next day you drive to a forest, the radio does not work, the satnav has glitches and in the middle of nowhere you cannot close the roof and windows so you walk away. Then 3 more breakdowns, a burning smell in the car and a loose feeling in the steering. I stop here as it all sounds too bizarre to be true. Did you by any chance find any trolls in the forest?

Car is at Lexus, registration number allocated, now just waiting to be delivered to my company. Should be with me early November. 450h ordered in March. Now officially excited, wonder if the fleet manager will put a bow on it, and give me a celebratory bottle of wine, or as normal throw the keys at me, and tell me to try and not crash this one……

...perhaps after reading the manual....

Nothing wrong with being 'old school' John but having to stop every few miles to read a map and/or find out/check where you are must be actually quite tedious, at least I would find it so. Now if you have your own human navigator sitting beside you then that's different 😄 . But then maps can't steer you around traffic congestion so to reflect on the OP I would have to say find a satnav system that works for you and that provides relatively faultless information. Everything's relative 😉 . Nothing in this world is perfect but I find that my iPhone maps are accurate and adequate for my needs and yes, perhaps they might occasionally go wrong but that's life ... although it hasn't happened to me yet! 🤞 Sticking with old technology, or indeed no technology at all, is still attractive to some and is most certainly heart warming, but it can be a timewaster in the modern world ... and even maps can go out of date and cannot always be relied upon. Happy travels everyone ... or do I mean travails? 😂

A lot of drama here. We’re not talking about an Astra, this is a Lexus. There may be a fault and there may be a lack of understanding but I don’t think putting the social media boot in is due just yet so let’s not act like chavs. The story doesn’t stack up for one thing.

More than enough and maybe I should rethink my opinion about it.

Finding local recommended tradespeople, either by looking at previous posts or by asking on local groups,, keeping in touch with distant relatives and sharing photos and videos, finding local things for sale (bit of a minefield tbh but I have picked up some good buys), free and VERY effective advertising for my daughter's dog grooming business, keeping up with local campaign groups, getting reviews for local pubs, restaurants and other local businesses, often with better information, photos etc than any other source (for many businesses now, their sole website is a FaceBook page). Currently, my local group is posting updates on flooding and which roads are impassible. That enough for you?

I think I would be contacting Lexus/Toyota HQ direct on 01737 363634 Outline the case to them and your dealers take on matters and see what they would propose.

It is really annoying how despite parking far away from the door of a supermarket, and there being many, many empty parking spaces, when you come out someone has felt the need to park next to it! 🤬

The front drivers seat on my 2006 IS250 which i've now owned since 2007 is quite worn and i've been considering swapping out for another second hand one. But given the age of the 2IS, the condition of all the second hand ones are far worse than mine (rather keep mine). Got me thinking about retrofitting RCF/GSF front seats as I really like the look of them. But they are extremely rare to find second-hand. And once or twice I came across them they were selling for 3k plus just for front seats. So that was out of the question. I then considered, that a 3IS set of second-hand front seats will probably be in better condition than some of the 2IS ones for sale because of the 3IS being younger car. But I wasn't willing to spend much for second hand seats that didn't make much difference (I would rather get mine re-done). Then, I came across the following pictured RCF breaking and I thought to myself, let me try asking about front seats..... I was quite sure either the'll have blown the airbags or if they are available they would want a fortune for the seats. I was really shocked when I was sent the following photo of the seat in the car and the reply just said £500 (nothing else, just a picture and £500) I thought to myself, is that for 1 or for both. It was actually for both and was collection price. But as I asked if they could do anything better on the price, i was offered free express pallet delivery. So it was an absolute no-brainer for me. I instantly purchased it. Not knowing if I am going to be able to retrofit it or not, I thought it's worth the gamble because even if I didn't want the seats, I could sell them off for much more than I paid. And if I manage to make them work on the 2IS platform then technically it will become a plug & play seat for the 2IS and ISF platform which I could easily sell on later for a profit. So here is the seats delivered: Now, onto the retrofitting... The RCF/GSF seats have the same cooling fan system as the 3IS and 2IS. Except there is ducted air conditioned air that goes to the fan under the seat which then makes the fan blow air-conditioned air through the seat. I've addressed this with the following 3D printed simple solution: Next... Does the rails on the seats fit the 2IS? Answer is Yes. They are the same as the 3IS and 2IS and all line up and therefore no need to make any adjustments to the rails. The main 17-pin connector on the seat itself (Part number 90980-12373) is identical and exactly the same as the 3IS and 2IS and I suspect Lexus and Toyota use this same connector across most of the seats and models. The only thing is that the wiring and pins are different on the connector. After spending hours and hours studying the schematics of both platforms and comparing and tracing wires and testing them. I finally drew up a plan to re-pin the main connector and I had accounted for every pin from the original car. With the exception of the memory seat pin (which uses a single 1pin for MPX1 communication). I'll cover the memory seats later. Here's a picture below of the depinning: The airbag connector is different but this I solved easily by transferring the loom over. As pictured below: The seatbelt buckle is different and the 2IS seatbelt does not buckle into it. So, I transferred the buckle over from the 2IS to the RCF seat. The buckle on the RCF seat sticks up quite a bit as it's quite slim and low on the bottom corners. The RCF buckle has a nice sleeve for the buckle so it doesn't look bad when it sticks out. When I installed the 2IS buckle, I noticed the metal plate was visible and looked ugly. So I decided to transfer the buckle sleeve over too. The buckle work pictured below: I have successfully installed the drivers seat. It's working very well. I have yet to do the passenger seat and will be doing this over the next few days as the wiring is slightly different on that side. I can confirm the following all work: Heated & Cooled working Buckle and seatbelt system working Airbag system working Power seat working The only thing I have yet to finish is the memory profiles for the seat. Unfortunately the RCF/GSF seats use a new type of CAN body communication with dual wire which communicates the memory button presses with two wires from the door card. Whereas, the 2IS uses a single 1 wire MPX communication. There is two ways to solve the memory seat issue. Easiest is to just transfer the position control ecu switch on the seat itself from the 2IS seat over to the RCF seat. or the other option is to create a virtual signal converter. I haven't decided which method I will use for that yet. But as memory seats isn't something I use at all, I decided to install it without that function for now and I will address the memory seat later. Below are a few pics of my drivers seat now installed. They need a good deep clean and conditon. Once i've installed the other side, I will post more pics and videos showing the seats working. So stay tuned. Updates on here might be a bit slow as I tend to prioritise updates and stuff on my instagram, so feel free to follow me on my instagram for more updates (link in my signature)

As soon as I saw the words I knew who this was! https://tinyurl.com/53ur4ya5

The Premium Sport also has the Rear cross traffic alert ... as I found out shortly after getting it when it slammed on the brakes as I was reversing out of a parking space and another car was travelling slowly along the aisle to pull into the space I was reversing out of. 🤔

Friend of mine from Spain owns a 30 yr old Nissan Patrol that he keeps in his second home in the mountains. Car runs some 5k km pa not more and he owned it from new. He will never sell it because it is HIS Nissan Patrol. Car needs mot of course and some years ago the rust was so through the chassis the garage advised him to sell it as repair was more expensive than a new car. He had it repaired as it is HIS Nissan Patrol. Morale of the story is that most cars you forget the moment they are gone and some just creep under your skin. Nothing to do with money or exclusivity but all to do with emotion, a feeling a car can give you. From all the cars i owned over the years 3 stood out, my first car a bloodred alfa bertone gt junior coupe. At 20 years old my dreamcar. And an Opel Omega Station 6 cylinder diesel that was the family car when the children were young, big enough to haul friends, bikes and whatever around for years. Last one the IS250 immaculate buildquality and gives you a special feeling driving it. I understand the Saab owning uncle.

Useful intelligence, but unlikely to be current given the speed of advancement in AI technology. I use Gmaps on an Android phone attached to the screen using a Quadlock magnetic arm (very good). But the AI does need to be used with a little common sense. A described route may be shorter, and may be able to divert you round delays. However it takes no account of the human cognitive load in following a complex unknown route, and the likely exposure to a greater number of turns and other higher-risk scenarios such as narrow roads. Often it is better to stick with a known, or main-road route, even if the time taken is longer, for a lower-stress experience. It would be helpful if the software engineers were able to introduce a routing option that picked the 'lowest-stress' route but that would require the coding of some very tricky human factors. Also, Gmaps does simply make mistakes sometimes. For example, it knows where Waitrose is in Wellington, Somerset, but not where its access road is. (It's not through the wall of an adjacent light-industrial estate.)

Indeed, Hugh, we need an update from Steve asap. I have a master Lexus technician friend Tim based at Lexus Gatwick for 20 years who should help you out if your local dealer can't for some very odd reason. All the Lexus Kent dealers should have at least one master technician employed, but for your problem at number 9 where burning is concerned unless very straight forward that would need to be addressed by head office only as a safety measure in case a full UK recall was needed

Haha ... definitely not. Started with a used 2011 Gen3 and liked it that much upgraded to a used Gen4 2017 then again to this 2022 bought new last October.

A regular issue. Have experienced this a number of times but my dealer in Chester has always exchanged the ones I told them I believed were faulty. Since I applied the "vaseline trick" - see other threads including , the problem has stopped occuring. Swapping out the sensors only temporarily fixes the problem as there's a design fault allowing water to enter. It would be nice to think they've fixed it on the newer model!

@steve2006 The garage charged £400 + VAT to replace all four sides. So Total : £1171 (Parts £691 + Labour charges of £480).

Or simple RC300, but proper 3L V6 and not the stupid 2.0t like in US RC200t which is only called RC300. Polar bears or stupid policy - basically rigged emissions tests, because here is the fact - if car burns more fuel it is more polluting... I know it is oversimplifying, but assuming the car engine works as it suppose to, all the emissions equipment (like catalytic converters) are in place the car that burns 10L/100km will pollute more than one that burns 8L/100km. So no matter what fake emission tests says - 18 years old GS300 has LESS tailpipe emissions than few years old RC200t. Yes RC may be more "efficiently inefficient" i.e. maybe by burning 20% more fuel it causes only 15% more emissions, it still pollutes more than older car. The whole downsizing and turbocharging backfired horribly... it works well to fool the foolish tests, but on the road they pollute more. As you said, honestly even RC250 would be better car, even if horribly underpowered it would still be much smoother and fuel efficient and would sound at least decent.

Website isn't accurate sometimes In the first instance compare to the brochure.

Apologies on the mixup. It was Nigel who detailed his seat restoration and it really stuck with me. The what he had done if not the who done it. Par for the course these days, heck I turned up a week early for my bloodtests yesterday so it's just a question of time until I have to start wearing a collar with my name on it and a return to sender address ! Anyway, something good came out of it as I looked over the video of Nigels car and noticed he had a similar issue on his window trim peeling so may be I will find out what can be done about that.

One thing I've noticed is the Hybrid Coaching trip history now goes back several months, rather than just the one. That's a definite improvement.

Yeah actually that makes sense, thank you. When I picked up my IS300 I had cleaned my part-exchange Honda, and made sure it was all OK, thinking they'd inspect closely to find faults, and I was surprised they didn't care. They didn't look. Just checked the mileage and that was it. I was fond of that car. I do wonder where it is and whether it is having a good life. 🙂

Finally got round to replacing the front KYB shocks with Lexus OEM shocks, I now have new LEXUS OEM shocks all round. The 'bouncy' thing has totally gone and the soft/smooth ride is back and the soft/smooth ride over speed bumps is back. The KYB shocks are stiffer for sure so were not as soft/smooth over speed bumps. Great for handling though but that's not what I was after. Original shocks were very much past their best but not blown, which is normally the main criteria for replacement when inspections/servicing is carried out. Body role is far far better compared to the original shocks but obviously not as good as when the 'go kart' KYB shocks were on the car but still very very good for a big car. Initially when I rebuilt the front suspension and fitted the KYB shock I assumed that the 'stiffness' in the suspension and 'stiffness' going over speed bumps was because I'd replaced all the suspension components and it would settle down after time. This was wrong, it was because of the KYB shocks being quite a lot stiffer. You live and learn, I won't make that mistake again.

One thing I noticed from the updated Android app is that it has started to send timed messages regarding start and completion of the charging cycle.

Yes it does decerease the value. Even official upgrades barely make a difference to prices. Most dealerships for example use a software to determine prices which is based on trim level age and mileage of a particular make and model. They rarely deviate from this price. Dealerships / private buyers will use any excuse they can to lower the amount they have to shell out and unofficial mods is one such excuse they will use. I mean you could argue that you've actually improved the car but the fact that its an unofficial accessory and is most likely not professionally installed will be a point that can be used to try and lower the price. Had it been an original lexus accessory installed by them with receipts to prove it... would have been a different story. In either case I doubt any accessory would increase the value of your car best case scenerio the price will remain unaffected.

Just wanted to say that I recently installed the Carlinkitlife Wireless CarPlay (and Android Auto) Kit £250 and absolutely love it. Works perfectly (once you get it set up) in my 2015. Install is 100% plug and play. No cutting wires or modifications needed to existing harness. That 0 complaint from me doesn't lag, doesn't crash, retain steering wheel controls, easy to switch between AAuto and Carplay, factory unit look. 100/100 would highly recommend."

Make sure you know a place that will actually fit loose tyres before pulling the trigger. Some tyre shops will refuse to, unless you're buying the rubber from them. Fitting is about £20 per wheel in my experience too. So, have that in mind when gauging prices. 🙂

The Old Military Road in the cairgorms is a blast. We did that in September on a dry day and it was pretty amazing!

Alan l too have stopped using the Lexus satnav after a couple of times it sent me in totally the wrong direction. l prefer good old AA Road maps for the route, only using ‘google’ once in at town/city for final directions. One notices quite a few complaints in general on Lexus quality and some dealers yet surprisingly Lexus don’t seem to react or bother ~ strange! David

I planned to buy my “ toy” for my older age …… a 1965 Bentley S3 BUT my Indy mechanic always hammered into my brain that it would be as much on a trailer to him for likely very expensive repair as I could ever use it …… so keep with the Lexus Ls400 ……. So to scratch that old age itch …… I bought my other Ls400 …… my new2me “ toy “ a month or so back ……… we’re together touring north Wales at the moment 👌 Malc

My 2006 Rx has just failed the MOT on a crusty rear end and needs some welding done. Quite a few place steer clear of welding hybrids but my local guys are willing to give it a go. I've told them to disconnect the 12V aux battery, pull the HV plug and get on with it. I'll report back when they've finished.

It was the steering lock! What a doughnut. More amateur requests this time next week.. At least I can travel first class to my meeting tomorrow now and not nick my wife's Golf for the journey..

You can tell the days are getting shorter, SWMBO came in this morning and complained about the exact same thing, she now knows where the button is and what the green and red SOS button lights are that she'd also never noticed in the 5 months or so we've had the car. 🙄

I just had the 60K , 6 year service, no added charge for the plugs but was asked if i wanted fuel additive ( i use Shell V power ) so declined that, A/C gas replace meant ( its cold and doesn't smell so i declined that ). i think they are just fishing to sell extras.

Prob illegal here in the uk MOT failure 😨 Malc

Hi Steve. Did you purchase this new from a Lexus dealer or direct from Lexus? There are a few poor Lexus dealers, but I know of none this bad in how you have been treated. Your dealer sounds to be very bad to a level not seen before as the car is in a very dangerous state and should not be driven at all As the car has caused you so many problems, the dealer should be able to take the car back as a lemon and replace it with a new vehicle. This is a first I have ever come across with a Takumi model. The dealer most certainly needs reporting to head office as there is no way Chris Hayes, the chief executive, would allow that car to be delivered in such a poor state

Songs to drive by.. Golden Earring https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=aRlSHG5hRY4&si=M69jA9fMUQDDVW75 Bachman Turner Overdrive https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4cia_v4vxfE&si=ng6Y5wtLKP3j_vPE The Incomparable Free https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qjjs4thy-R0&si=xt_1ieoicIHkn6v7

I couldn't obtain MPS4S's for my new wheels and so I went with Asymmetric 5's. I didn't want to stray from the Michelins, but needs must and after a lot of research, I went with the Goodyears. I've pushed them in both wet and dry at questionable speeds, and they performed incredibly well. In the dry I was chasing down a DB11 and in the wet, a new E63. Neither cars put a gap between me and the ISF, and the feedback from the wheels was impressive. They're wearing really well too. Heading towards 5k with no signs of wear. Very happy customer and worth a nose.

Lexus Malmö, they either had this car on order and someone canceld the order or they simply ordered it on pure speculation... Original idea was 350h Executive in Sonic White with rich cream leather, dealer was able to offer this just as I wanted it + the Tech-pack (Payed half of the tech pack, dealer other half since it wasn't on my wishlist)

Hi Alan, I am the Sales Rep at Scorpion and I run the offer. More than happy to give you a call discuss security further if you'd like!

This is my absolute favourite piece of music ever ❤️

I used to like all that stuff but ended up liking Siegfrieid's Tod, and Lohengrin's dad - Parsifal and Bruckners 8th. But I still like Frank Zappa, Devo, Who and Yes and ......it goes on ...Motown, Led Zep, Stevie Winwood, even gerry rafferty!, david Bowie, Elton John's early stuff - like "where to now St Peter" etc etc.. Desert Island Disc = Wagner's Ring Cycle - Sorry about that, but it is so complex that it could keep you going for years. Today's music ain't music!! It's all boring old cr@p

The earliest report I've seen was in Japan, an article dated September 2021 referring to a canbus theft there in July 2021 - https://soranews24.com/2021/09/02/japanese-police-struggling-with-growing-number-of-can-invaders-used-to-steal-luxury-cars/

I don't agree. I think it looks great and practical and a huge leap forward from the current NX. In terms of quality, I'll reserve judgement until I see the car 'in the flesh': what we are looking at is a pre-production model, and I don't think a video really gives any indication on quality.

He’s got a pre production model there and in reality if it doesn’t wobble when you drive it why should it matter if it does when you force it. He says some daft things that are irrelevant like going on about false exhaust tips.