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Like @Al D-Much, I personally like the way it's set up and I like the fact that if you want it - you press the button. It was the same in my UX. There does seem to be a bit of a 'jolt' using it to pull away as it's obviously holding the brakes. That's fine on a hill, but unnecessary elsewhere. Each to their own of course, but I certainly wouldn't like it to be 'on' all the time. I'd feel as though I'd have a slightly sticky caliper every time I wanted to move forwards from standing still.

And as well as above the cabin is warmed by the engine running - so in winter the engine has to run more when you are st speeds where in summer it could be off just to generate heat so you have warm air into the cabin. When you first start the car in cold weather the engine has to run a longer initial cycle to get to working temperature and of course heat up the cabin first thing from stone cold (so fuel economy takes a proportionally bigger hit again during short trips in winter). To a lesser extent you also use more electrics in winter - so lights, wipers, heated seats, rear window demister etc. - these all require power that has to be replaced and so again the engine will run more to replenish the battery. The optimum external temperature for efficiency is around 20C - at this temperature the cabin is comfortable at ambient temperature so no heat required from the engine to warm the cabin, less power sapping electrics, and the air con isn't working very hard. The hybrid battery is also at the best working temperature for efficiency too. Conversely as outside temperatures rise up from 20C the air con has to work harder and as that is electrically driven in a hybrid is starts using more energy that then has to be replaced. Also the hybrid traction battery can become less efficient as it starts to get hotter. The effect is less on fuel economy in hot weather than cold weather but it's noticeable.

Basically hybrid batteries don't like cold weather and therefore the ICE is being called upon more regularly to transmit power.

I have a funny story while travelling in France on the way back from Italy. I set the sat nav for Luxembourg to get cheap fuel but forgot I had set the sat nav for just France. I ended up in the middle of nowhere in a small Hamlet called Luxembourg with very little fuel left. I was then panicking on a Sunday to find fuel.

To update this car parking charge. Following my response to the claim made by Uk.... Ltd I have heard back from the* IAS on the appeal. Bit frustrating as in the event the car parking company have dropped the parking charge, but there are no grounds given and the *IAS has not ruled on the matter. Good result ,but as I say a little frustrating.

No, but I've fitted a ctek quick plug and hooked up several amps and a remote battery monitor and GPS tracker...

Thanks Malc, I was far too rich, until I come to insure it 🥴 and Len, I feel cheated now, and there was me thinking I’d been specially selected 🤣😂

Xmas buskering was the best for sure 😂 Malc

I think with most things in life if you look at things purely from a financial aspect you would never do anything and life is to short. I have driven abroad for probably at least 25 years although not recently. There is not doubt it has got very expensive to drive in Europe now but what isn’t. The last time I went was in an BMW X5. On top of fuel and tolls doing 2500 miles adds on over £100 in tyre wear and brings servicing costs sooner. Plus extra insurance so all in all it is not cheap. Having said that I love driving abroad so the cost wouldn’t put me off. Trouble is the body is getting older now but the mind is still keen.

There is a moral here somewhere. If you have a whippet go to Asda, if you have a Red Setter go to Waitrose? I guess the bowls are a bit different as well. Delft for Waitrose and battered WW1 metal field kit for Asda.

Got 255/40-18's mounted all round and wheels installed on the car today. Initial short drive didn't show any dramatic difference to the 19" factory wheels, but as expected the new rubber is quieter than the old Potenzas. Happy with the fit and look, so now just need to get an alignment and then on with the onerous task of putting some miles on the new setup Cheers....

Lexigirl was a bit jealous of the attention the XK was getting so took herself off for a car park shoot. I warned her you won't look your best in this weather, but the green bug of envy had to be satiated.

Once you have had blind spot monitors it’s really a no brainer,something that helps me see something in my blind spot!

Still available on the web new for 70 euro( not 1700 ). Battery lasts 2 weeks

Just bought and installed these, replacing my Osram Night Breaker Laser D4S bulbs and these are a direct replacement for the HIDS bulbs, these are a night and day transformation! No idea on the reliability but time will tell! I've tried all sorts and these are the real deal. No change to the existing setup. Plug and play.... OPP ULITE D4S Led Headlight Bulbs, Real Plug & Play, 1:1 with HID Bulb, Canbus Error Free, Compatible with Original Ballast Replacement Bulb, 9000LM 6000K Cool White, 2pc Pack https://amzn.eu/d/44MiRMX

Boy ….. o’boy ……. Sadly no but I might get a 3 wheeler to compete with your entry in the Milk Float speedway along Rye Lane 😄 Malc

Go for it. I've got your back. I'll be sure to have some cash on me when I'm around Waitrose.😉

There's a saying "you get what you pay for". Personally speaking I find anyone spending over a grand for a mobile phone either needs their head testing or have more money than sence or are fashion conscious. Chinese phones. OMG have you seen what you can get on Temu? Blatant copies of Samsung phones. These modern phones have more computing power that what they had to send the first rocket into space. My current phone is the Samsung S22 Ultra. Did I buy new or is it on a plan? No. I bought reconditioned. To be honest I'm disappointed with it. My previous phone the superb Samsung S10 Lite, bought reconditioned years ago, developed a niggle which bugged the sheitte out of me. Later found out I'd messed up the ZoneAlarm Internet security settings. But what got me, I was under the impression the S22 Ultra was a Bigger phone. Not ruddy likely. They're the same size. However the camera wires the floor with the S10 Lite. I use to be a Nokia man till one day I learned that my phone dialled 999 50 times whilst in my pocket. Straight to Samsung after that and I've had them ever since and that's over 30 years. As for longevity of phones. The phone before the S10 Lite was the Note 4. Got that very very soon after they came out, Gid knows when that was, but just last month I stripped it to pieces and off the the phone palace in the sky. That phone just became so slow it was painful. It was my backup phone. As for how a phone feels in one's hand. All phones feel plastic. However I've been using Spigen phone cases and the phone feels like a piece of quality. Nevermind titanium this and diamond encrusted that. That's just posh nonsense.

Just a local one to get a sense of it. The build quality was excellent despite the example being tatty the engine was so smooth but you'll already know that! Suffice to say he's committed to an acquisition sometime soon.

Excellent result finally, regarding the reason(s) for dropping the claim could you not obtain this information under the Freedom of Information Act? I understood that if any company holds personal information about you then you are entitled to see such information on request?

I think there's also a case of the latest technology that nobody has yet released. In some case what we get isn't just what's possible, but what's sufficient for us to be persuaded to upgrade, with manufacturers releasing previously developed upgrades as and when they have to.

Apart from the badges I think we both have the same colour cars George.

You do't have to have a credit card with Apple. I once had issues with my iTunes account being hacked, so I deleted my credit card details and just use Itunes vouchers now. Years ago I used to be a big gadget fan, and was lucky enough to work in the mobile industry, so always got the lastest phones for free. Now that the novelty's worn off (and I have to spend my own money) I find that pretty much any phone does what I need. I still use an iPhone as my main phone, but usually buy used for under £100 (current one I've had for 3 or 4 years) and only upgrade when apps won't work on whatever highest level of OS it will take. My backup phone is a used Moto G, that was only £50, which frankly works as well as any iPhone I've ever had. I still like gadgets, but tend to be more interested in those that do things I couldn't previously do, rather than ones that might do the same things a little better.

Comparatively, I’ve never been so well off financially as I am today ….. notwithstanding two divorces and lots of kids 😂 You can tell I’m rich beyond words….. I have TWO 4ltr V8 Lexuses 🥳 nope, way back when I was passing thru Biarritz it just oozed wealth and expensive lifestyles and people with far more than I would ever have, or even aspire to OR even want to aspire to ……. BUT some of it, the buildings were from a “ past age “ of Maurice Chevalier ilk Nice seafront I thought ! Malc

£2 a day.

Pleased to hear that the car parking company has dropped the charge - good result. If the car parking companies think there is any chance of a precedent being made that would work against them in the future then they wouldn't want to clarify on what grounds they dropped it (at best it's usually goodwill or something) and would want to keep it out of the appeals or small claims process in case others used the dame against them in the future. They rely almost totally on case law if they take the process forwards as that's there cheapest way of putting together their case and only needs the cheapest legal people...!

That will pay for 1.5 potholes.

Exactly right, Ian. It’s an aid to safe, careful driving - not a substitute for it! In fact I’m slightly surprised that you can even switch the system off. You can certainly adjust and reduce the sensitivity of the sensors, but I haven’t done that. I’m perfectly happy to have my attention drawn to the approaching pedestrian continuing to push a shopping trolley at my car despite it very obviously moving. And there have been times when reversing when BSM brought my attention to such items as very low walls that were impossible to see from the driver’s seat. Just to be clear Alan, are you saying that it isn’t?

I recall having a new 2.0l Lancia Beta Coupe in the early 80s at the height of these rumours. It was an excellent car; comfortable, reliable and with a very acceptable performance for its time. I didn’t have it long enough for any potential rust problems to develop (it was a company car) but they were exaggerated anyway. As I recall, the subframes could rust and become loose - but I don’t think any engines ever actually fell out! I think that at the heart of its problems was the use of substandard quality steel, to keep costs down, and - especially - poor quality workmanship. Which of course was something that bedevilled much of the British Motor industry too.

Hi Michael, It may be worth contacting Lexus customer services as I think it shows very poor customer support on behalf of the dealer. You may be surprised if they do get involved. Bri

Take it back and ask them to rectify it or if they state there is no problem, get it in writing.

That sounds hairy but what do I know of Plasma cutters? Good to hear that you fitted a ,92 into your Mk 2 '94. I have found a source for a s/h one but won't say more until I know its been cut out successfully. Fingers crossed as so many things can go wrong. Same with importing. Could end up with a giant box of glass shards and no rcourse to money back. Local S class Diesel may be on the Horizon but hoping not.

If you're a hero driver and drive faster than everyone else, you don't need a blind spot warning system. In fact you don't need mirrors at all. As everyone behind you is of no consequence.

Do you have the button to enable the option?

I never take my LS400 out if it is raining or the roads are wet, if at all possible. Does it do any good? Let you know when it is MOT'd tomorrow!

Hi Mike and welcome to the LOC. Phil’s logic with the auxiliary battery is spot on, there have been multiple reported cases with Lexus vehicles having weird electrical problems when the battery is failing and “the dash lit up like a Christmas tree” comment. I don’t understand what is going off with the dealer diagnosis, “engine” or “transmission” is extremely vague. Do you know what checks they have performed e.g. basic battery tests, hybrid battery levels and a full diagnostic code read. Admittedly diagnosis of some faults is difficult but with the correct equipment, multimeter, oscilloscope, Techstream, experience and a sharp pair of eyes certainly possible and fully expected from a dealer. I would by now be looking for immediate answers and escalation.

I guess any stage of rusting it can be ‘prevented" from getting any worse, it’s just knowing when the rust has won the day .

This is the key point - prevention. It can be prevented but we are talking about already rusty. It's too late. As far as I understand renovation is expensive and must be done properly. A bit of oil and stuff won't do any harm, and it might make you feel better but it is not going to undo the rust damage that is already apparent. Maybe these rust cure things do something minimal🤔 - I think the jury's out on that. Tell me if I am wrong please.

I had a triumph motorbike that did all the things Triumphs do - i.e. leak oil. The bottom end of the engine and swing arm were in immaculate condition after many years. Just wipe off the dirt that sticks to the oil and it is like new. Then the leaks will cover it in fresh oil. Lovely! A bit of a problem when it got on the rear tyre though😱

Nope. And there are certain circumstances where an auto feature could be more of a hinderance then help

I think the hybrid system would raise a fault code if there was a problem - certainly all those on this forum across all cars have either had no issues or a fault code - so long as its had the hybrid health check at the specified interval then it would be a warranty replacement of the battery if a fault code indicates a failure that can't be fixed any other way - to my knowledge Lexus do not have any threshold (at least published) for the hybrid battery capacity and nothing in the warranty about being below any threshold.

IIRC there was a thread on here a few years back along similar lines with the upshot that the techniques you are using cannot check the health of the hybrid battery. TBH best best is to get Lexus to do the hybrid healthcheck every 12 months / 10k miles (whichever comes first) - free with a Lexus service or about £60 if you pay for it separately - and then they will warranty the battery for 15 years with unlimited mileage - which seems like a good deal to me. I have a 2014 IS 300h (so basically same drive train as NX 300h and I've now done 143k miles with no issues whatsoever with the hybrid system to date. There is at least one other member who I think is on around 250k miles in their IS 300h with the original hybrid battery and another member with an IS 300h who did have a hybrid battery fault at 190k or so miles and had been using the hybrid health check and so had the hybrid battery replaced under warranty. Also the tech is basically the same as the Prius of which there are many thousands of cars happily running with no hybrid problems having covered hundred of thousands of miles. IMHO if you are concerned best to get Lexus to do the hybrid health check and if it passes then don't worry about it (but get the check done on schedule to keep the hybrid battery warranty in place).

Through circumstance I'm in a similar situation, using a Fold 4 and Honor Magic Pro 5. Samsung blows Honor out of the water on the software and stability front, however the Honor has a genuine all-day battery life even when hot-spotting to the iPad and doing GPS tracking. The V2 is too expensive and doesn't move the game on from the Fold....... I left the Apple walled garden after moving away from the iPhone 5S to a Galaxy S7. However my iPad pro has been really impressive interms of functionality and am now saving up for V2.0 of this.......

Yeah, nowadays they have "high-end" and then "true" high-end. As always we can thank apple for this mess - I think they started it with iphone x, or maybe 11. Basically before you get either Iphone or galaxy S and that was the high-end phone of the year to get, then apple introduced "pro" for like £1500. At first it looked like either you get normal phone or overpay for some gimmick, but now the normal iphone or Galaxy S are actually mid-range, for example I have S22 and it just feels cheap even compared to my previous S10, because the one to get suppose to be £1500 S22 Ultra (or it was 2 years ago at least, S24 just launched now). Well and obvious they have these foldable phone now which used to cost a lot, but again rumours are Samsung is going to get competitive on pricing again. As for foldable phones - they are still fragile. When they were not water-proof I didn't even consider them, but I bought Z4 Flip as present and it was quite good, the special screen protector failed after 15 months, but it was replaced by warranty for free. Screen seems to hold just fine for now and Samsung does £150 subsidised replacements. But foldable phones are still fragile in comparison to normal ones, you definitely need to take extra care with them. I honestly can't care about latest and greatest now, somehow few years back each phone release used to excite me and there was some significant upgrade, but in recent years I really struggle to see what am I getting for extra money. Same applies to both Samsung and Apple - I can't even tell the difference between iphones after 12, Galaxy S likewise... last 3 or 4 are pretty much identical... S21, 22, 23 and now 24 really offers more or less the same package. If anything I probably prefer my old S10 (generally would like to have more compact phone, but there are no more compact high-end ones). As such I just keep the phones until they fail now... had S6 edge, to be fair it had not failed, but got quite slow after 4 years, S10 - I cracked the screen after 3 years (still works fine, just glass has chip) and S22 still going strong after 2 years, so if rumours are true then maybe in 2 years time I will pick-up discounted Fold 6. As for all other brands I personally find them irrelevant, so if android then it is Samsung, if not android then it is iphone... Never found Google Pixel to be any good, Sony, LG, HTC etc. are all pretty much irrelevant now. Motorola is basically chinese company as well and they kind of hang around in mid-range and then there is probably 100 different chinese companies. Generally they have impressive spec sheets, but features are just not polished and do not work half of the time and that is even considering Samsung features are often not fully polished. Also again in my experience they simply fail in less than a year, it starts little by little, but in 12 month it usually turns into brick... sort of maybe camera starts turning off at first, then it doesn't turn on at all, then microphone starts glitching, then people can't hear you anymore and by years' end they stop charging, or holds 4h of charge... or some combination of similar issues. As for malware - 1 it is real thing, but 2 - I kind of agree, there is nothing useful they can find out about me and I am not planning to go to china at any time soon. So it isn't real concern, but it is there. Also perhaps I would be little bit worried logging in into my banking account, they probably wouldn't bother stealing my 2p worth of savings, but I in theory they could if they wanted to. Also also - that is not to say google or apple does not spy on us, the difference perhaps is targeted advertising vs. "re-education camp" in Xinjiang. That said I think my key issue is their quality and "longevity" and their price isn't even that good in UK. For example I bought Oppo Find X in 2018 when I was in China and my girlfriend bought Vivo something... whatever. Point is in China Oppo Find X costed something like £290, whereas here it only launched year later for £899. And similar story for Vivo, it was even cheaper, if memory serves - like £155. So yes - at those prices they are amazing devices and I don't even care if they last 6 months, but at UK price I just never going to pay £1000+ for chinese phone, for one I kind of know they are not worth it, because they actually sell for maybe £250 in china and secondly, they are made to that level of quality. So yeah - if ever needed "burner" phone for some reason, then I may just get one of the cheaper ones for under £200, but I will never regard them as premium devices in the same league as Samsung or Apple.

We have had our Honor and Huawei phones for about 6 yrs now. They do the job and are no problem and cost nothing. We have had samsung phones that conk out a few days after the warranty period. Maybe just us? Apple - don't even go there! Waste of money. I don't mind the Chinese secret service knowing that I ordered a takeaway.

The latter comes with a very high success rate. Indeed, you are in more danger crossing the road these days. I won't lie it is going to hurt like hell afterwards when they reflate your lungs and your sternum is mending, but if you are having this OP because you have symptoms of Angina brought about by hardening of the arteries then be aware you are about to be given a second bite at life IF you want to make the most of it post OP. I was in for a Quintuple bypass (the lot). Had the Op all day Tuesday and I went home Saturday morning clutching my rolled up towel to my chest ( LOL you'll find out what thats for). Initially pretty wiped, but just over a week later I started step ups on the bottom step of the stairs. 3 weeks later I attended Heart whatever they call it for some sessions each week to rebuild my stamina. 6 months later I was doing step ups for 2 hr sessions outside any weather. Actually rains great for cooling you down. That was 13 years ago and literally 3 laps of the world ago. I did see quite a few people who went through the same OP who really just took it all for granted and could not be bothered to take the gift they had been given. Guess they have been back in and out for stents. In summary, whilst any operation comes with risk it is in my view a risk to reward well worth taking just get your head in the game and don't flunk the opportunity. I should say feel free to pm me if there is anything you would like to know about what is coming your way with this. I know it's a bit of a worry. because it is no small thing to undergo.

Oh my …… good luck with both ……. NHS will see you right for sure 👍

My IS has a tyre noise and pothole simulator, but then it is an F-sport model.

Not really a strange world - all you have to do is to accept that all insurance companies, utility companies and so on are out to bleed us until we squeak! When I first started driving in 1975 a "fully comprehensive" policy was just that; everything you needed in one easy-to-arrange package. Now, if you want X you have to pay for it; "You want Y sir? That will be an extra [sticks finger in mouth then holds it up to see wind direction] £85 sir" I don't want to meet the Grim Reaper for a while yet, but let's just say that I'm glad I'm on the last bus to his place because this world is going to Hades in a handbasket on all fronts.

The ETCS does do a lot of secondary functions like idle control, traction control etc so I wouldn't be surprised if the Toyota engineers stuck something in there for emissions control. The swap you want to do is the 3 litre v6 from the GS300 which is the 3GR, is that correct? The 2.5 in the IS250 is the 4GR. I've had a couple of BMWs in the past albeit older ones but I will say they don't age well. From the interior they suffer badly from bolster tears in the drivers, seat wear on steering wheels can also cause splitting in the leather. An equivalent age and mileage Lexus won't have those issues. I still love BMWs though they are fantastic drivers cars. The BMWs can be a bit of a minefield regarding engines so you do need to be careful with which you buy and the maintenance. I live in Ireland and we have massive depreciation here on larger petrol engine cars and cars older than 2008 as our motor tax favours newer diesel cars and small engine petrol cars. I actually went onto the way back when web page and looked up the original for sale price of the IS250 here. Mine is a sport with the nav and sunroof and they were €60,305. For the price I paid you're talking €4,300 per year in depreciation. That is the nature of the Irish market here I don't know how the UK market fairs in comparison. The most popular cars here at the min are the likes of Hyundais as the Irish have a "new car mentality" where they prefer having a brand new reg numberplate on low spec cheaper brand cars than buying something a few years older for the same money with nicer spec. All our nice spec cars here tend to be UK imports. My IS250 was originally a Northern Irish car.