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  1. I'm not sure I'd be too quick to compare the US to Europe with regards EVs, as there are a number of factors that make them different. One is that Americans drive around twice as much as anyone else, so range and charging are more important. They also have a lot of people living in rural, fairly isolated areas. ICE cars are also cheap, and petrol is substantially cheaper in the US than Europe, so there's little to no financial incentive to transition. Ultimately, driving a petrol car in the US is a very cheap and easy way to travel compared to Europe. EVs may not be so convenient or cheap in Europe, but differential is far less.
    3 points
  2. But I am a bit intrigued by these. 2012 Blue Infiniti G 3.7 37 V6 GT Auto Euro 5 2dr for sale for £7,950 in Beckenham, Kent (autotrader.co.uk)
    2 points
  3. But who in their right mind would want to buy that moneypit BMW ….. remembering way back we had a booootiful. BMW 640i for sale on our garage forecourt …… I took it to the Isle of Wight for a short break ……. broke the bank on repair bills for us too …… never again Lexus, older sensible Lexii are just so robust and comparatively inexpensive to keep going and going and going …..BMWubblew aaaaarrrrggghhh 🥵 But it does look and read a super car 🤔 Malc
    2 points
  4. @Boomer54 So sorry to hear your story. I was brought up in East Manchester & it was as rough as a robbers dog even then but sadly has got even worse. I really detest going back there to see family & friends because of all the low hanging fruit. To be fair it could have happened anywhere but you handled it very well. Lovely Jaguar XK60, enjoy it & more pictures please.
    2 points
  5. When I bought mine it didn’t have any fitted so I fitted Dolphin sensors front and back. I fitted the flush type and the blue colour they came was a perfect match for my paintwork. Bumpers have to come off and I wired the rear ones to the connector box in boot where the reversing lights are fed from. Worst and most stressful bit was deciding where to position them on the bumpers. The good thing is with the flush ones they provide a hole cutter which makes a perfect hole. If you have the mushroom type already fitted you may be able to change them without taking the bumper off. Your existing ones also may have an inline fuse so that would be worth testing to see if you have power to the control box. Failing that you probably need new sensors.
    2 points
  6. I would not be confident about anything regarding 2nd keys until you get an appointment to collect it. You may be fortunate and all will go smoothly, but I would not assume anything. Be politely proactive and don’t be put off, would be my advice.
    2 points
  7. I think it likely that there will be a significant rise in uninsured drivers at this rate.
    2 points
  8. Cost control, and the fact that they like to have a consistent build for all countries (where possible). I suspect the UK is the only country where locking wheel nuts are part of an insurance rating. They do actually sell them as an accessory in the UK - but wheel theft isn't really a thing these days, and a locking wheel nut is easily defeated if someone actually wanted your wheels.
    2 points
  9. As above, aftermarket ones aren't great because the car doesn't have a special windscreen fitted that is needed to get a sharp display that appears projected outside of the car.
    2 points
  10. I've just got off the phone to Tein UK. It would appear that there is now a fully active, height adjustable system available for the RCF. I can vouch for the quality of Tein Suspension I had it fitted to my track prepped RX7 and more recently the fully active system fitted to my highly modified Mini Clubvan. I am going to get this fitted to my RCF although my car has the Lexus AVS system this system will blow it out of the water, plus the coil-overs are fully adjustable for ride height. Prices are as follows the four coil-overs i.e. springs and dampers which are the top of the range (I believe less expensive ones are also available ) is £1320.00 And the top of the range EDFC Active Pro control unit is £751.00 these prices are for the units only so you will have to get them fitted at extra cost. I cannot put into words how this system transforms a car, my Mini which was fun to drive was to say the least a bit harsh which was okay for a while. But when I had the Tein system installed it was mind blowing, you could potter-along at a sensible speed and it was truly comfortable, then if you put your foot down it noticeably tightened up. Then when cruising on a motorway it would ride like a limo compared to standard. I believe there are a few Youtube videos of the EDFC Pro Active which are worth checking out. I'm waiting to get price confirmation fro Tein UK later today but I'm certainly going to budget to get it.
    1 point
  11. The problem is not shared parts, there is no such thing as "Lexus Part", they are all stamped "Toyota". The problem is that Lexus overall are becoming just rebadged Toyotas, the quality difference is just not there (expect of models I mentioned), sure you can fit optional ML and leather is nicer in Lexus, but fundamental quality is that of nice economy car, not of affordable luxury car that Lexus of old used to be. Also Porsche and Audi comparison is now quite correct. Toyota = VW, Audi = Lexus, Porsche in that sense probably would be somewhere near Century. So no Audi does not cheapen Porsche, plus Porsche still maintains unique engines (except in EVs), unique model range and are better quality... and having some Audi part does not really cheapens it too much. Like having "Lexus part" would not cheapen Century. Now this comparison works for cheaper Audi, indeed A3, A2 and later A4 were quite similar to VW Golf/Polo/Passat and indeed that cheapened them. Hence I never considered Audi to be equal to BMW, MB or for that matter Lexus. Sure upper Audi models were comparable and actually good, but that is because they came with engines not fitted to VW and Quattro AWD system, so despite borrowing some of switchgear from VW they made it up elsewhere. Lexus really doesn't make it up anywhere nowadays, identical engines, identical power, list little bit cosmetically different... kind of similar to Acura really, whereas Acura were just rebadged Honda in US. Original Lexus success stems from providing original well above average quality luxury cars, but maintaining Toyota quality and affordable price. That is basically why Lexus succeeded and why Acura or Infinity failed. Now they coming around and basically saying "we are successful anyway, why bother following the techniques that made us successful in the first place". As for sales - Lexus sales primarily stems from SUV boom, where Lexus do offer some very good and competitive SUVs - NX and RX, those are selling very well, because they are good cars. Even RAV4 won which NX is based is one of best sellers world wide, because it is all around solid vehicle. But in all other segments Lexus is fading away and even in their core segments they are not that much different from Toyota... as I said NX is so closely priced with RAV4, then it is almost possible to call NX a top trim of RAV4 range. Lexus brand itself becoming irrelevant and arguably if Toyota would discontinue it and just sell Lexus cars under Toyota badge they would not lose much. That is what I mean by "fading away".
    1 point
  12. When I did that I was initially shocked to receive a rejection letter asking me to resubmit my photo signed by my GP. Their reason was stated " we refuse to believe anyone your age could look so young and handsome. Any chance of a date" signed Marge in administration.
    1 point
  13. Malc it's shocking.I think they own about one fifth of Ghana. Did not know that USA
    1 point
  14. Hello zBoomer54, Sorry to hear about the situation you were forced in a difficultsituation to by some little ****. Taking advantage of an mature gentle person like yourself. Coward! Although I live near Manchester. It has its good bits and bad bits, like EVERY place in the UK. You can take the monkey out of the jungle but you can't take the jungle out of the monkey!! There is huge frustrations on the roads. Zillions of cars, queues, red lights. Cyclists. Taxi drivers. Buses etc. Which adds to our STRESS levels. So my advice. Soak it in. You have the beautiful car,put on some chilled music and relax. The nutters we can't control or stop. BTW everyone wants to race me in my Bentlry especially the Gplf GTI and some BMW drivers, but am not bothered about them. However, suprisingly for me. now and then I let go on the ls600hl and smile, it's a nice feeling. Anyway just imagine that nutter must have pulled up against someone, who may have just took a few of his teeth out!!
    1 point
  15. I think I read that Australia is now questioning just how much land mass the Govt has relinquished / allowed China to acquire …….. BUT on the other hand also reading how much land mass the USA has acquired of the ……. Sahara Desert There's some strange thinking going on around the world of land mass acquisitions Malc
    1 point
  16. Hi Len, I don't own an RX (I have an NX). If I did though I would definitely have requested the plate. I just mentioned the availability via the service booking website for the benefit of RX owners on here.
    1 point
  17. After seeing all those cobbled driveways and getting jealous I've just had ours done so that people will admire and love me and my good taste. Here's a pic. Great job lads!
    1 point
  18. The letter is from Lexus to the owner and does not go through the dealership. With the letter you can arrange for any Lexus dealership or Lexus service centre to get the key and to clone it for you - takes about 30 min. but as others have said my be worth an email to Lexus CS just to ensure they have the latest owner details for you car well done on getting this car with only 35 miles and not having the long wait many of us have had …… enjoy
    1 point
  19. Coincidentally, I put a new set of Bosch on this morning. The one good tip I would support is placing a substantial cloth pad on the windscreen just where the wiper arm would hit it if it dropped down. Because some times it does! 🙁
    1 point
  20. Yes, I have been looking at your printout and I have to say you really must increase your alcohol level purely for medicinal purposes of course.
    1 point
  21. If so, you get to design my uniform.
    1 point
  22. Watch this space for pic but I need to decent weather day to valet it properly first. Meanwhile yet another owners manual to put me to sleep.
    1 point
  23. Long journeys the F Sport is very smooth if your referring to motorways. Hit a pothole & its like any other car to be fair it still remains composed very forgiving. Pays off in the handling department cant say I have ever experienced body roll when pressing on around twisty roads.
    1 point
  24. Dunno why he presses the Start button twice?. All you do is turn it on (one press), turn it off then move the wiper stalk up to single wipe for few seconds and they lift up. page 190 in the manual
    1 point
  25. I found this thread with a detailed description about how to change the battery in the siren on a 2005 Lexus IS which although looks different it might be a starting point if you are brave enough to attempt to change the battery. You can buy a new unit for just under £100 but even a new one may have been made many years ago so the battery may not be that much better. https://charsiurice.wordpress.com/2018/08/14/siren-backup-battery-replacement/
    1 point
  26. That's true. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of that Middle East wealth invested in China. Additionally, investment in China will have been hit by high interest rates making investment less attractive. With interest rates likely to fall further this year, China may start to look like value again. Ultimately falling markets eventually reach a point at which they become attractive again.
    1 point
  27. Mine don’t work either and as they are all dealer fit, guess 15 years on they had their life expectancy. I have another set to go in, just working out if I can pull the new wiring through, taping it to the old wiring. Failing that it’s bumper off ☹️ if Lexus used the same company it will be a Scorpion SPS9040 Sensor kit, did take the unit apart but no moisture or corrosion inside . Unit can be found behind the grey trim o/s rear of boot 👍🏻
    1 point
  28. The only cars in the same category are Mercedes E Class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Volvo S90, and maybe a few more. But none of them have a great hybrid system to bring them in line or close to Lexus in regards to fuel consumption or reliability. This is only for the PHEV cars, I didn't consider petrol, diesel, or Tesla Model S (as a fully electric option) because they stopped manufacturing it in the UK around 2020. I will try to make a small summary of what are some main differences/advantages/disadvantages between these cars: - all of them have a 2L petrol engine, so should have similar MPG. About 30 MPG in the city and 35 on the motorway with an empty battery. If you have a driveway then you can improve your MPG by charging the battery overnight, newer models have bigger batteries and you can drive pure electric up to 50 miles. - performance is by far the best with the Volvo S90, the PHEV models have a turbocharger and supercharger. - included tech is more with Volvo. You get remote access in case you forget your keys you can use your phone, remote pre-conditioning like cooling/heating cabin/seats, defrost windscreen, with the rest you have to pay for the most basic things like reversing camera, blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, automatic tailgate or other. - booth space 360L Audi A6, 370L Mercedes E Class, 410L BMW 5 Series, 460L Volvo S90, 430L Lexus ES - I haven't found any report or news regarding the theft of a Volvo with a reg plate over 2020, searched on social media, news, and any place possible on the internet. If you know one, please let me know. - when purchasing a new Volvo you get the option to buy a service plan up to 5 years or 90.000 miles (serviced every 18.000 miles) for around £1.150 or £699 for 2 years or 36.000 miles for a pre-approved used. BMW is £1.080 for 2 years or 36.000 miles, Mercedes is £1.152 for 2 years or 20.000 miles, Audi is £520 for 2 years or 20.000 miles. Lexus is £885 for 2 years or 20.000 miles. All are pre-approved, I'm sure most of them have a deal for new cars, but I am looking for a pre-approved one. - Volvo has most of the controls on the central tablet which can be distracting while driving. The rest like design, ride quality, and other things are debatable as we all like different things. I miss my ES, but I want to sleep relax and not think about being stolen or damaged, and so far Volvo ticks the most important boxes for me... for you might be different.
    1 point
  29. I would try cleaning them first. Having said that, I had a similar recurring problem on a previous car. The fix for that was to reset the sensors by starting the car followed by a sequence of shifting from neutral to drive to reverse, not quite sure of the order. Don't know if there's a similar reset sequence for yours.
    1 point
  30. Try WD40 To Clean the sensors or a Coating of Vaseline I,ve Heard..!!!
    1 point
  31. Non functioning in any direction
    1 point
  32. I’d never pre order a car I hadn’t seen or driven. Respect to those who do.
    1 point
  33. The alternator does go through a fuse but it's a 120 A bolt in fuse, not a little push in automotive one - there are several other higher current fuses that you wouldn't be able to test with your mini tester. Ideally you need an accurate DC clamp meter put on the main lead from the battery before any other circuits are branched off - that will give you the total coming from the battery (everything except tracking across the top of the battery if you have dirt and moisture on it - only a couple of milliamps but worth keeping the top of the battery clean). For the SC430 the common source of battery drain is the stereo amplifier. I would also check the alarm backup battery, which has no doubt failed by now and so the vehicle may well be constantly charging it.
    1 point
  34. Ever since I drove a BMW with one, I've always wanted one - and have actually bought 2 from ebay for my LS430. I have tried them and they work very well by plugging into the OBD port But I don't like the fact that you have to stick a film on the screen where the HUD projects - otherwise due to the screen lamination you get a fuzzy double display. So for that reason I don't use it. Mine is like this: Car HUD OBD2 Head Up HD Display Over Speed Warning Speedometer Projector Alarm | eBay
    1 point
  35. I fitted a new battery fairly recently and although it is without a doubt holding a charge far better than the old battery I still have that sense that as you say with the cold weather there is an above expected draw on the battery, and perhaps more than I could just attribute to cold weather. Hence, I would be very interested if you could take the time to post your observation over a small period following the fitting to see how effective it is. Are we talking about a device like this ? Richbrook Dis-Carnect Battery Immobiliser | Halfords UK I also wondered if a device is fitted that were to disconnect the alarm system are there any insurance implications?
    1 point
  36. Following up on this. I checked both rear hubs thoroughly, removed the callipers etc and still there was no play or noise when spun by hand. Being how hard they were going to be to pull apart, I figured I would look for easier options first. Rotated the tyres around in case one had gone sawtooth, didn't even realise they were staggered from to rear! Made no difference. Picked up two used (genuine) front wheel bearings off eBay. My thinking was I could use them to eliminate these as a cause and they're a lot easier to change than the rears. Starting on the offside, with the brake calliper removed I could feel some roughness in the bearing. 20 minutes of beating the hell out of it, levering and an air hammer, I was eventually able to remove the bearing from the car and fit the replacement. And the noise is gone! Oh, and Steve - you were right about the exhaust heat shield. That's another noise dealt with! Now just to deal with the vibration at 1800rpm, engine / gearbox mounts are definitely tired !
    1 point
  37. I agree finding the parasitic draw would be better but I bought one of these https://cpc.farnell.com/tenma/ten01047/automotive-current-tester-mini/dp/IN05470 and tested every fuse in the car , I tricked the car into thinking the doors were closed and like I said earlier I could only find a 20 milliamp draw. The tool I used seemed to work as i could see the draw on the circuits drop to zero as the car went to sleep . I have heard that you can get a parasitic draw outside of the fuses , like direct from the alternator, but I can't see how , I thought everything on a car went through a fuse ? I have also removed an old tracker that was previously fitted to the car and also removed the alarm sensor under the gear shifter ( which Paul Frost suggested) . I understand the car will have to relearn certain things after being shut down for a few days but that's something I'm going to have to put up with at this moment in time . https://youtu.be/r7m2xiVn_i4?si=lZlHsvntX0RrjzD8
    1 point
  38. I love driving in n France. Never had problems with the police but the French definitely have a different perspective about auto property than we have. Was waiting at a peage once when the driver in front decided to reverse and join another queue. Straight into the front of me! After I got out and confronted the driver I got the Gallic shrug. It’s not the police you need to worry about but the French lack of auto respect. And best to stay off the roads after the 12 to 2 lunch break! At least every village has a pharmacy if problems occur!!
    1 point
  39. Contact Lexus CS directly so they have your correct details.
    1 point
  40. Ideally it would be better to find your parasitic drain cause. By disconnecting the battery your engine ECU is always losing the stored fuel trims, engine idle position and gearbox shifting settings. If you are pulling fuses then you are unlikely to find the source as things aren't going into standby modes if power is being turned off/on. Ideally you need to fool the vehicle into thinking all doors are closed and wait 30 mins before measuring the voltage drop across the fuses, rather than taking them out.
    1 point
  41. I think they are coming through in volume now so wait will not be so long for later purchasers.
    1 point
  42. For winter tyres 100% 225, they will actually be better for driving in winter, you can also go for 225/50 if you want to keep speedometer indicating somewhat similar speed as before. I had square 225/50 for winter and they were great. For summer, I had 235, 245 and 255 and I probably would go for 225 or 235 in future. Basically, 245 and 255 in my opinion ruins the balance of the car. Lexus did it deliberately, because understeering is considered "safe" by those who can't drive, but I find it just annoying. 225 in front and 235 in rear would give you perfect balance, or as close one could get to it i.e. car would neither understeer, nor oversteer and if you go past the limits all 4 wheels will slide (which in IS250 is not very likely). Square 225 set-up would make IS250 feel like RWD car should and there would be slight oversteer, which could be fun combined with the right skill. And I don't mean it would be unsafe or anything, it is not very powerful car, 225 is plenty to keep it on the road, but the balance will be little bit more natural for RWD, little bit of oversteer. Nice bonus - if you have square 225, then you can rotate the tyres and that means set will last longer as you can wear them down more evenly. Keep best tyres always in the rear. That said 225 will look a little bit silly in the rear on standard wheels and offsets, so 20-25mm hub centric spacer would be nice. Also remember entry-lever IS250 came with 205/55/16... so 225 is really PLENTY for this car.
    1 point
  43. Takumi test sounds good but Ford have done better. New engineers have to be able to cross thread at least two spark plugs and a sump nut then bash at least two wing panels with a spanner then disappear up their own bottoms before they are allowed on the production line.
    1 point
  44. I’ll watch that later. Thanks for posting! Did you know a prospective Takumi craftsman has to be able to make an origami swan with his non dominant hand within 90 seconds before he’s approved? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9AAWdCHaSQ That’s almost as fast as a canbus theft…
    1 point
  45. Stiffer than most cars that I have had but the IsF is even harder. They hit potholes and irregularities in the road pretty hard. The low profile tyres don't help, but then again they are sporty type cars esp the isF. the 200t just pretends to be sporty.
    1 point
  46. That's shocking! I would have put a complaint in, after all wichever you look at you are out of pocket! I might get myself in trouble for saying this, but we are too soft in this country and should be more like the French!
    1 point
  47. Hope it’s recovered asap. Anyone know if this has been designed out in the 5th gen RX (2023) models?
    1 point
  48. @Lexus450h john, hope you get it back quick!
    1 point
  49. I can understand that you're upset about your car being stolen, just like anyone would be, but I really fail to see what you expect Lexus to do about it. It's just a natural progression. It reminds me of the phrase "idiot proof". Yes, something may well be idiot proof, but only until a better class of idiot comes along. When I first started driving, some cars had the 'ignition switch' mounted in the dash and were very easy to steal just by hot-wiring. Then the ignition switch was combined with a steering column interlock, which made it a bit more difficult to steal but not impossible, so even better security was needed and such is the way of the world. For every security system ever invented someone, somewhere, is working on a way of bypassing it. I suppose that it could be said to be a bit of a design fault (with 20/20 hindsight, of course) but it takes anywhere between 7 to 10 years from initial concept to arriving in the showroom. I doubt that anyone would have even known what a CANbus attack was at that time, so we can hardly blame the manufacturer for putting the CAN wiring where they did. No manufacturer has a crystal ball to see what might happen in the future and I'm afraid that the only person responsible for this is the ne'r-do-well who stole the car, not Lexus.
    1 point
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