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Widening the geography a great deal, I'm fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time in the Middle East and can happily confirm that the 430s are genuinely everywhere. I also see a large number of 460s daily and depending on which country you are in there are quite a few 400s. In Oman in particular, there are so many 400s and 430s its completely jaw-dropping, I'd estimate at least 1 in 10 ratio! Across a lot of the ME, the locals love them and often they will be kept and used for for long journey's/commutes because they are so comfortable and reliable. Even if you have new cars and large 4x4s there is frequently a 400 or 430 kept alongside them for the longer distance journeys or even run of the mill day to day work. In UAE the 430 is nicknamed the "F16" because its the one that often comes behind you in the fast lane and flashes you really quickly to move over. The 400 is known as "The King of the Road". I often get approached to sell my restored gold 400 (The Golden Goddess) over here because they are much loved.

After the huge turnout has been number crunched I went with the consensus and ordered a spare!

AFAIK from other cases I've looked into the problem with this is that they claim admin in dealing with the non-display of the ticket which just happens to be £100. They have precedents that courts have agreed with them (that £100 is a fair amount) and so although you may win in principle (you paid them) as you still broke the signage T&Cs (not displaying a ticket) they still get their £100...

https://futurecrunch.com/goodnews2023/ 66 Good News Stories You Didn't Hear About in 2023.

Forgive the cut and paste. "With many breach of contract claims, establishing legal liability is more straightforward than being able to prove loss." So, you did not display, if so you are liable. However, if you paid and can prove that then please tell me where is the loss? Cut and Paste "Just because you have been the victim of a breach of contract, does that mean you are entitled to breach of contract damages?" "Damages are usually awarded to an injured party for losses suffered as a result of the defaulting party’s actions or non-actions. The purpose of an award of damages for breach of contract is to put the injured party in the position it would have been in had the contract been performed." So, if you can prove you paid did the parking company suffer any loss from you failure to display? Come on Boomers do a Churchill and 'fight them on the Car parks' 😉

More ho ho ho;read recently if you still have any crackers left 😎 A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel after a large chess tournament. Rather than going straight to their rooms, the group stayed together in the lobby discussing the day’s events and their recent victories. After an hour, the manager of the hotel entered the lobby and asked them to disperse. “But why?” they asked. The manager answered, “Because I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

Following RCF's video above,I was parked in the local supermarket car park a few months ago.A guy pulled up near me in a F430,got out and had great difficulty getting the car to lock from his key fob.After a short while he started swearing at it and eventually it locked.As he walked past me,I suggested he learned to swear in Italian and the car may understand him. Some people have no sense of humour as he stomped off in disgust.(He was wearing a Richard Mille watch which,if genuine,was worth more than his car).

Talking of Europe I've been watching this Dutch chap restoring an LS400, very interesting. I recommend his channel to you https://www.youtube.com/@ArnoldsRepairs

No, how it works is you get 3 years manufacturers warranty from new and then it changes to Relax Warranty for each year after that, Relax warranty isn't as comprehensive as manufacturers warranty.

Don't you mean jumping ON something red ............etc

This will probably equate to putting a lit cigarette in the petrol tank..but here goes... I've just read in the Nov. Issue of Motor Sport that the organisers of Extreme E (the all electric off road racing series) are about to start Extreme H,a new hydrogen powered series.They say that it is likely the E (battery) series will just disappear. Is this further evidence of the fact that battery power is the wrong approach?

Although the previous owner had a Lexus dealer installation of a GW380 dash cam, the one dealers recommend, it doesn't have a screen. Installation at dealers tend to include a hard wire kit too. I believe because it is more streamlined in it's design it's the one Lexus dealers like to offer when offering them to customers. Dealers always fit their Nextbase cameras on the left of the rear view mirror whereas I would normally have it below the rear view mirror. Consequently there was insufficient slack in the hard wire lead to reach the centre of the screen without unpicking the cable and starting over. I have the camera therefore on the left but still within easy reach if I need to activate the save file button. However the rear screen blind on the LS500 fills the whole aperture with no room available to fix a rear screen camera to the back screen without fouling the blind. I could have transferred my rear camera from the ES300 but that would mean not being able to use the rear blind at all. I transferred the front facing camera out of my ES after I removed the original Nextbase camera that was already in the car. I simply prefer a camera with a screen. In order to have a rear camera I just bought a telescopic view Nextbase rear camera which slots in to the front camera which looks through the car and out of the screen, the best compromise for me. Moreover the thought of running a rear camera cable behind the necessary close fitting trims wasn't very appealing as previously experienced on several occasions. I don't like driving without a pair of cameras but that is the retired Insurance Assessor in me, so used was I to inspecting countless damaged cars in my working life and listening to numerous accusations of who was actually to blame. At least with a single or double camera set up you have a better chance of proving liability in the event of a dispute and all the hassle Insurance Company related matters like loss of NCD, proving liability, unrecoverable insurance excesses and possible increased premiums. So I have a dealer approved Nextbase GW380 forward facing camera which is now spare if anyone wants a cheap camera with a SIM card. I also have a spare hard wire kit too.

So I was wondering if anyone has got up close to an LS430 anywhere in Europe? The reason that I am curious is because I've lived on and off in Italy since childhood and done lots of European driving since getting my license 5 years back. In all that time I'm lucky enough to spot an LS430 in the UK for a start, however I have never ever seen one on European soil. Looking at car ads in Italy and some other EU countries they do seem to be out there but in even smaller numbers than over here. Often when I'm abroad I'll see an old barge a few cars ahead and almost think it might be my lucky sighting but it turns out to be an old E class Merc or something like that when I get up close. So has anyone seen any when on their travels abroad? Or any LS series for that matter? Even better do you have pics?

Thanks for the responses people. I was granted another 7 days to settle at the reduced £60, and I've paid it. My heart was telling me I should fight them and pay nothing, but I'd rather just take my lumps and get it over with since the reason why I parked in that ****hole in the first place, was not exactly a happy one (a funeral). For reference, should any of you find yourself in Falkirk...avoid the Callendar Square car park at all costs. 🤬

not always quite so clear cut ……. where those individuals might have been common directors whatever to other businesses their prior addresses might be on public view …….. might be worth a punt that direction up the swanny 🤔 ….. murky waters often run deep Malc

Yes , we hide behind our cobbles and high hedges .

I bought my 460 from the Lexus dealer in Breda in 2013. It had been the garage demonstrator then the MD's personal transport, so it had been very well looked after. Cars, in general, are in good condition over here - second-hand prices are pretty high. The conditions of the roads has, in my opinion, a lot to do with it. In a recent survey, the roads in Holland and Switzerland were considered to be the best in the world. The Louwman museum in The Hague is really great. I've been there a few times when friends and relatives are visiting. As I said, the 400 on exhibit is the first one sold in Holland.

Yes, we like to keep our heads below the parapet☺️

Yes it is true some people are arrogant and think they are better than others just because they own a flashy car. I regular have people looking at my other car (Bentley) I have had father's with kids and happily invited them to take pictures sat in the car and some of them have been surprised (don't know why). Also I believe true rich people don't show off

I could go on, oh do said the crowd, if the penalty is to cover admin, please tell me how. Did the company incur an extra cost that was not already on their payroll to deal with your penalty charge? I doubt it. Indeed, most of it was probably computer generated. The actual cost would have been to cover postage as all other costs were actually already incurred as part of the companies fixed costs. The only variable cost would be postage. On that basis here is £2 and keep the change. NB I am probably going to win The Boring Mens Award for the month with this.

Hi Malc, Cool will look at these too, thank you

Absolutely brilliant 🤩. Just the other day I was at BP in London and got approached by a Lebanese man calling me "boss" and complimenting the car, wanting to look at it. He told me about his late Father's Merc in Lebanon that the family still keeps locked away. I think he said it was an old E class. Even at Newland's Corner I was approached by a couple of young JDM fanatics who complimented the car and asked me loads of questions about it. Can't go anywhere really 😉 My Dad actually has a gold 430 but it's enjoyed occasionally, rest of the time pampered in the garage. 20 yrs later it still smells like the day we got it. I've always known about the huge love for the LS and Lexus in general in the Middle East and an ophthalmologist from somewhere over there actually told me at an appointment that oftentimes, Lexus are inherited and left as legacies in the family over in UAE. Love the F16 nickname, the engines in these are so utterly brilliant that you just don't realise the speed that you've got to. Best feeling in the world.

Yes if it's a private parking company then it's a purely contractual matter and so either party can offer/accept whatever they want as there is no legal process until the parking company decides to go to the small claims court. I feel the same way as you - I was going to allow my first one to go to the small claims court to make it as difficult as possible for them (given that the additional cost of losing is only some £250 compared with the full £100 they are claiming) but unfortunately other personal issues meant I couldn't put the time needed into it to have any good chance of winning and so in the end chose to settle at the £60 after a few months of back and forth with them.

Not quite that cut and dried. The signage that payment must be made has got to be clear, So in this case there must be enough of it and it must be visible not lurking in the shadows unlit. The lettering must be clear telling you what to do and the conditions as to what happens if you breach their requirements. The signage must be of a certain size. etc etc. If I was he in the situation described I would hop along and take a few pictures indicating the company failed in their obligations to make clear that payment was required. If I felt my case was weak I might even make a low offer of £20 under strict "without Prejudice" to cover their admin costs in full and final settlement. This in itself becomes a hurdle for them in taking it to court because the court may take the view the offer should have been accepted as it is more than the court might award. There all sorts of means of making this so difficult for the parking company that it is in their interests to just drop it. I hear the comments about angst etc for the money involved, but I have to say if I feel I am being wronged it is to me less about money and more about making sure the other party does not win an unjust reward that serves to enable them to repeat it in the future. I think at the next monthly meeting of The Boring Men Society we may even table a project to see how many different means we can come up with to fight a parking Notice Charge.

We got a penalty for failing to display. They were right, the sticker fell off the dashboard and thus failed to display. We paid £60 for the privilege. Two issues: 1 Our beloved gov't tried to block these unfair practices and fell at the last hurdle being afraid of going to court. Typical tories could not give a toss and allow these parasitic crooks to walk all over us. 2 The appeals system is a joke and we have no protection from these money grabbing bar stewards who cheat the public in plain sight. What can we do? Not a lot. Nobody in Authority cares anyway. Unless you know some dodgy folk who can find out where they live and "explain" how we all feel. I think one of the parasitic directors is based in Australia.

In my experience it's tough to appeal these things and win. Not impossible, but you have to weigh up the aggro vs £60. As for the 15 days, whenever I've gone over the allotted period and given up on fighting it, I've just ignored the demands for £100 and sent the original £60, and have never heard anything back.

What a fabulous post !!

I would appeal on their website stating that the letter was received after 15 days to no fault of your own (Christmas holidays, postal backlog etc etc). They should reduce it to the lower amount. At that point just pay it. Parking eye have and will take people to court, sometimes it also ends up on your credit report if not paid and they issue proceedings.

John personally although it goes against all I stand for especially with " Rip Off Britain " I would pay it, to me its not worth the hassle and aggro, many years ago I had a £30 parking fine become £115 as I contested it and it went to court and judgment was made against me. Then there's the potential issue of a CCJ against you if you just ignore it. Call me old or whatever you like, but if you are the registered keeper then you are sort of liable except you can prove otherwise

True but i can remember my bike rear tyre did not last over 3000 km. Could be me though...

Kevin, I'd be interested to see where the dealer put the rear camera on your car, can you do a photo? The dealer was obviously aware that the rear blind covers the whole screen when is use so the rear shelf is not what crossed my mind. I take the point about your preference of not wanting a dash cam screen. Another Nextbase dash cam I once used in my car and then transferred to the wife's car caused me some issues when the visual screen images of both front and rear cameras simply froze. I would have been unaware of the fault had there been no screen as the tiny red flashing light had stopped too. The indicator light in the GW380 that the dealer fitted for the first owner was extremely small when running but as I said I just like having a screen to confirm it's running OK. I checked the rear camera video files from the telescopic camera that plugs directly into the front camera and was pleased to see the rear view video clips are of the same quality as the front ones. Even though the rear view camera is looking through the car and out the back screen there are no restrictions that would stop you from seeing someone striking you from behind. I've run rear view camera cables through to the rear screen many times and consider it to be a real pain, whether you go up and along the headlining edge or downwards and along and behind the sill kick trims. A plug and play telescopic view camera achieves the same result for me. Nextbase often run out of stock of their replacement sticky pads for various models of cameras and sometimes double sided badge tape doesn't always do the job. I discovered Gel Tape in a garden centre recently which is also reusable, saw it first on a TV advert and it's a remarkable product, sticks to glass like S... to a shovel and yet can be peeled off very easily and reused.

Porsches do have a strong appetite for rear tyres.I don't remember any lasting over 10,000 miles.I found a fair number got punctured before they got worn...back to the correlation of purchase price and running cost..only tyres twice normal width are twice as likely to get punctured. Still,I had always wanted one,so saved up and specified it to my exact choice of options.I thought Porsche were very generous when they didn't charge me any extra for deleting the rear badging.......

I’ll sell you 4 new ones for £200 - latest version Bridgestones.

For my part, I find dash cams with screens annoying. I've got the Lexus Nextbase kit installed with the rear view camera as well. It is dealer installed, and they've fitted the rear camera on the parcel shelf, so the rear shade isn't an issue. I've used black tape to hide the white 'Nextbase' logo on the front of the camera, so it's unnoticeable from the front. It sits right up against the car's centre camera, and doesn't interfere with the passenger's view at all, and doesn't have a flickering screen. If I needed to see footage immediately, then I can use a tablet or a phone to communicate with it and watch or download, not that I ever do! I've put a high endurance 128GB card in it. Every few months I remove the card and reformat it, clearing the autosaved stuff it's saved when the car is switched off and it detects vibration. It just gets on with its job without bothering me, which is what I like. If you're looking for a dashcam, you should make Steve an offer! It's what I'd recommend, but each to their own. : o )

When you are in the area and have some time to spare. Definately worth a visit. Private collection family Louwman original importers of Toyota, Suzuki and many many other brands https://www.louwmanexclusive.nl/en/louwman-museum-2/

I live in the west of Holland, about half way between Amsterdam and The Hague. Between 2000 and 2012, I lived here about 4 months every year and brought my British LS400 with me. In that time, I didn't see another LS. In 2012 we decided to spend about 8 months a year here and bought a Dutch LS460. Since then I've seen two others - both at the dealer's. There is an LS430 somewhere close to me, I've seen it parked in a shopping mall car park but never had a chance to talk to the owner. The original, Dutch registered, LS400 (1993) can be seen in the Louwman Museum in The Hague. It's a great museum, well worth a visit. The LS is a very rare beast in Holland.

Near St-Antonin-Noble-Val in the Tarn-et-Garonne department,so quite a way down south. It's possible that it belonged to someone from outside the country who had perhaps brought the Lexus with them, there were Dutch and Norwegian people in the area.

Was very surprised to see an LS400 Mk1/2 in France back in 2019: I certainly can't recall any 430s from my French holidays.

Below a vid from last week of the Dutch Autoweek, ( Autoexpress). Its of course in Dutch but you can have it subtitled in English. Guy bought the car as a daily and wonders in what state it is and has it checked out. BTW a 430 is as rare as it can be seems theyre all gone or not sold in numbers. The 400 has been discovered by the tuning/carscene though. Below as it should be, 100% original!

I find the whole RZ story painful to be honest. The above remarks are just unbelievable and makes me think both the Toyota and Lexus models are underdeveloped and brought to market in a rush. The BZ4X seems to be an average car and comes to the bottom of almost every EV statistic. The Lexus, beeing a premium product, should have been one step up but it isnt. Even the introduction of the BZ was a disaster plagued with wheels coming loose, airbag and software recalls. Toyota corp basically ignored the BEV market and still seems to do so. Lots of marketing speak but the reality is they want to produce 250.000 BEVs in 2026 from a total of 6 million cars. The plan is for Lexus to go full BEV and one can only hope they up their game with at least 800v charging and a wltp of 450 miles. Not even sure if the current first generation BEV will be supported/developed further as i would not be surprised they will be replaced in 2026 alltogether.

I agree Paul. For a 2 car household I think the best route is a nice EV like the Lexus UX as the daily driver. Then a hybrid for those times you need to go out of range from home charging. The best of both worlds. I can’t imagine going back to an engine day to day, after 6 plus years of EV driving it’s just a more pleasant experience. Short range EV’s are getting pretty cheap (relatively) now. But for a one car household that need to do long trips it would have to be a PHEV I think, or an EV and hire a car as you say 👍 A Genesis Gv60 / Kia EV6 / Hyundai Ioniq 5, with their 800v charging, would make long trips ok, or the Tesla route with the supercharging network, but as we need two cars the EV and hybrid route works best.

Could possibly be a top suspension bearing, Lexus will only change the complete strut however there is a place I believe in Gloucester who can refurbish them. The level indicator light is always illuminated on my 2010 RX450H showing the current position of the suspension.

Great idea. Let's do this. Happy to support in whatever way possible.

Yes i understand put perhaps all ES300H owners round up from this forum & nominate a lead to send a collective email copying everybody in, raise it as a concern to the Lexus head office to get their attention & request them to do something before going to the press. Failing this surely can get them custom made plates from a reputable garage thats willing to do it. It will work out cheaper in the long run on insurance premium increase & the excess when a claim is submitted, etc

I think electronic security such as Ghost is a better option, many of these steering locks offer little protection as the thief simply cuts through the steering wheel causing even more damage.

I have a wing mirror now. Thanks.

On my long term ownership 95 Ls400 now at 247500 miles and as sweet as a nut 😇 Mac

I’ve only occasionally stumbled across TV transmissions of E-Races, but I think these two comments neatly summarise the underwhelming nature of E-Racing. I don’t know if this is always the case, but the ones I’ve seen have all been street circuits. The problem there seems to be that the racing is mainly confined to nose-to-tail circulation, punctuated by the occasional collision or off-circuit excursion. All the time the degree of spectator involvement and emotive association appears to be akin to that of an electric lawnmower as they hum around the circuit. Mind you, I’m also losing interest in F1 for similar reasons. These days the place to see really competitive on-track racing is at a Touring Car event. Better still, a Classic Car meet with the heady aroma of Castrol R!

This will be my third SC 👍🏻👍🏻

Just giving an update with a bit of a twist 😂 it seems pressure sensor is advising in when tyre pressure is low Bit the twist is when is when I went to check the tyre it was the rear driver side tyre that was low lol and not the one highlighted. Overall I'm still happy with it as I always check all 4 tyres anyway.