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Being new to Lexus ownership I had high hopes for the 10 year warranty, but was slightly sceptical. Had to take my newly acquired RCF to Lexus Edinburgh, having not noticed on purchasing that only cold air was coming out on the passenger side. Additionally, drivers seatbelt wasn't retracting too well. It was a private purchase, but with full DSH. Superb dealer experience really well looked after and no charge for diagnosis. The entire passenger heater box needs to be replaced, along with the seatbelt. Non warranty cost is £3k ! Covered in full, without hesitation, subject to taking a couple of weeks to get the parts. Shows the value in dealer servicing, especially as these cars age.

As the saying goes 'I've never seen a mirror I didn't like'.

Latest model RX rather like NX have the improved security l am informed.

Very nice. If I had the cash spare I'd be tempted. Needs the front wheels swapping side-to-side.....

"1989 was the year, when Japanese cars suddenly changed and became world class, on another level. I would almost argue that it marked an era when Japanese cars caught up to German and American innovations, and took the lead perhaps for a time. It was the period of couple of years when the Nissan R32 GT-R redefined racing AWD platform, so that the AWD was not only just a traction enhancement idea, but that of sports handling tuning device. A feature to harness more power to the contact patch in extreme torque applications at high speed on asphalt, but more importantly, to retain certain sets of the more classical handing parameters that was unprecedented, and allowed drivers to really engage without most of the handling quirks of AWD systems to date. It was also the time when Lexus LS400 first debuted and reinvented the price structure of a luxury sedan, and broke the ceiling on minimal vibration, noise, reliability, and efficient delivery of power for this class of cars. If the Nissan RB26 and the Toyota 2JZ-GTE defined the upper tiers of classic engines in the stratospheric levels of durability in performance cars during this time, the LS400's 1UZ-FE was certainly a new generation of V8 engines that silently baffled the best engineers of the time, with the sheer lack of noise, and physics-defying efficiency, then unknown to buyers of 3 ton class luxury sedans. It was also the year when NSX debuted as Japan's first true modern supercar, and it also redefined the nature of these cars from something only intrinsically cool, and delicate, to something reliable, easy, very light and agile, and enhancing the role to more regular use and dependability. A couple of years later in 1992, the NSX Type R, introduced a whole new generation of performance engine choice of unprecedented racing influence in mundane cars from Honda, and trickled to Integra and Civics that re-wrote the capability ceiling for front drive car performance in true naturally aspirated driver-engagement and not just in numbers. Mazda also came in with the MX5 Roadster, commonly referred to as the Miata in this period too, and the old European classics that were disappearing had another life to live, vicariously through this single car that became the most popular sports car of all time." I don't think we'll ever see the birth of iconic cars like this again.

Yeah that one is a bit tricky first you got to put it cruse control mode then set the speed or something like that basically a 2 step process. I keep forgetting too because i do long trips occasionally and by the time the next long trip rolls around ive forgotten how to use it and have to figure it out again while driving. Not fun.

Only the best for my little princess.

Few bits arrived today....

I picked it up earlier and just got home so a 95 mile trip, mostly M4 and DC and a bit of A trunk. 44.5 mpg is welcome, that's cruising at an indicated 80 which is 75gps. Headlights are fine, better than I expected and a lot better than the Skoda. Took me a while to find a comfy seat position, but the Skoda vrs sports, seat are excellent in that respect so difficult to equal the let alone better them. Biggest gripe is on-centre steering feel. One of the worst I've tried in years tbh. I am a bit sensitised to steering feel as I worked for a steering and suspension tier 1 some years ago, and spent a lot of time analysing it. Wife's auris is similar, new corolla I tried was much better. Otherwise happy with it, managed to work out the major controls without too much difficulty, though trying the learn how to operate the CC whilst driving wasn't quite as successful.

Being born in 62 I can't comment on the 60's really but I love watching television from the 60's. Miniskirts oh yes lol. Loved the 70's as a growing kid.

I don’t really have a problem with the mirrors not folding apart from forgetting to fold in when in supermarket car park because it seems a lot of car owners don’t give a jot about there’s or other peoples car and the cost of replacing one is ridiculous, I always park well away from other cars but my car seems to be a magnet because 9 times out of 10 my car is surrounded when I come out. Dell

I have just sold my '96 BMW 440i with only 22k miles as it was becoming increasingly unreliable and the repair bills were mounting. I have just sold my '96 BMW 440i with only 22k miles as it was becoming increasingly unreliable and the repair bills were mounting. Average £1k per visit - 3 visits last year. Probably cheaper to accept the Insurance hike!!! I am loving the NX 450h+ F-Sport - miles better than the Beemer.

Not so much vanity in the 60s …… “ mirror mirror on the wall “ and all that 🤣 Malc

I don’t think it is going to help as insurance rates are going up across all cars and it is not specific to your model. It is not even caused by theft, but by repair to be more expensive You might be driving a 90’s BMW but you can still hit a Tesla and your insurance provider will have to pay for it.

Looks amazing. What was it with the 90s and "Ruched leather"? 🤣

Funnily enough I still remember the launch evening at Lexus Derby for the GS450h when one of the invitees suggested they try to fit the Lexus branded golf trolley and clubs in the boot. That was a viral YouTube moment missed 😀

we have a delivery date of Mid March ( exact date not confirmed as yet )apparently it's on the ship already

Being way younger (and better looking) the 70's were just great. Did have a car. Austin 1100 for awhile, but soon found it more convenient to ask girls at the outset 'do you have a car?'.

Oh my. On that basis the ‘60s were best by far 😂 Less cars than ever on the roads and I felt “ rich” and free being a teen all thru that decade AND having a car, my own car 👍 Oh and a job and INCOME to spare ( but not a lot 🤣) and huge enthusiasm for the wonderful life ahead 🤞👌👍🤞 Ford Cortina age …… marvellous for sure Malc

Hi Kalpesh. If you're Rochdale side of Bolton and you see a car you fancy and want an experienced Lexus owner to come along and advise then feel free to message me. You've had excellent response to your enquiry. And you have a healthy budget. Since 8k is your top number I suggest look at a 6k car with a very good body and service history and you'll have 2k to make it perfect.

ditto

Went to Lexus Cheltenham today to get the brakes checked on my IS300H but ended up with another car, don’t get me wrong I love this Lexus but my knees don’t being 70 years old I have dodgy knees and have trouble getting out of it , in hindsight I should’ve waited for a UX or NX although the NX seems to be over priced , anyway I have ended up with a 21 plate UX collecting at weekend hopefully. Dell

You're no doubt right, but a 100%+ increase in premium is crazy.

All motor insurance fees have risen. I paid £348 fully comp (enhanced cover) with max ncd last year. Expecting c£550 this year. Interestingly a new RX450h+ is coming in at only £6 more!?!

This is the exact model I am getting but in white, not sure about the white will probably be forever cleaning it also I don’t usually like black wheels but they look fine on a white car. Dell https://mag.lexus.co.uk/2021-lexus-ux/

Time for some good news on insurance. I took a policy with Hastings Direct on the XK in my wifes name and that came in at £270 when we finished the details. However, it offered a multi car policy option so I thought lets look at what that might be if I add the SC 430 when it comes up in September and that's the good news. On exactly the same details it knocked £400 off what I paid last year on that car. Took it and quite happy with that outcome. Indeed, that about covers the extra road tax next year on having that second car when of course I include the likely Sorn period in the winter. The sun is also shining, must be fortuitous.

Good to hear that it's still going well for you. Plugs do not need to be changed on a time basis, so if they were done at 60k they'll next need doing at 120k. But otherwise I would imagine the cycle of intermediate/full/intermediate/full etc would be required to maintain the Relax or Extended Plus warranty, regardless of mileage.

Correct

I got an Euki-X10 for about £40 on amazon and it works a treat. Brilliant back-up from customer support to should you need help or spares. No screen behind the camera but you can view the footage on your mobile phone if you download it. Great value. I've not gone to the trouble of hiding the wiring but the kit includes a tool to tuck the wires into the lining should you want to. Quite reasonable 1030 HD images.

For the 10 year plus extended warranty to remain valid the car must be serviced by a Lexus dealer according to the service schedule (annually or 10k miles whichever comes first). If a service is skipped then the warranty will become invalid. Also the service includes the hybrid health check and this only lasts one year or 10k miles whichever comes first, although this could be renewed annually by having it done separately to the service for around £70 - but the invalidiy of the extended warranty would still be an issue.

I have been looking for a while but have decided on using my phone and an app called KM car camcorder. I'm now looking for a suitable mount for the dashboard.

Actually. 33 years young now 👍 Malc

You don't change oil because it is getting low, you change it because it get contaminated and loses its protection properties over time/usage.

I offered him my 2014 ISF but he is looking probably to spend £15k for a mint one so...

So presumably it was replaced with an ordinary valve. Well the TPMS is a valuable and useful safety system which was working when you entrusted your car to them - and should be in the same condition when it’s returned to you! Breakages by the mechanic are entirely their responsibility and a good shop would have organised the fitting and coding in of a replacement without you being inconvenienced - but should inform you anyway. Breaking a TPMS valve in this way is unusually incompetent. They don’t significantly weaken with age because they are not subjected to significant movement. Battery life averages around 7 years but can range from 5 to 12. It depends on how the car has been used. If these were the originals, then it might have made sense to replace all the TPMS valves if you were getting a new set of tyres - and possibly negotiate a discount at the same time. But losing two of the original tyre caps as well raises this failure to almost heroic levels! Tyre caps are an essential element in the efficiency of the valve. Incidentally, metal caps may seem like the way to go but they have a tendency to corrode on to the valve stem. This snaps when attempts are made to remove the cap! Unless they’re regularly checked and the threads greased up, plastic caps is the way to go. I speak from painful experience! 😡

I updated today and followed the instructions regarding enabling connected services however when I turn the engine off and back on again the connected services revert to disabled!!! Any ideas???

Each and every decade seemed pretty good to me …… it’s only quite recently …… this past decade or two, that Japanese quality cars have manifestly outshone the rest …… but it’s all personal opinion …… Toyota / Lexus Honda. Mazda. Mitsubishi have climbed that credibility ladder throwing the rest of car production reliability asunder imho i think Kia is now amazingly good, even great too …… 7 yr warranties that rarely need to be used ! Malc

There is no reason why a GS in good hands cant last at least as long as an SC & economy wise given the SC's consumption around town I suspect the two models would break even if not even slightly better for the GS

I think we will have to agree to disagree on that one.

You haven’t mentioned where you’re looking or how far you’re prepared to travel. So apart from all the excellent advice others have already provided, might I suggest you look at the Autotrader web site - if you haven’t already done so. It seems to be well regarded among Members. Or, of course, the For Sale section here! My preference would be the IS250 - but as that’s the only Lexus I’ve owned, what do I know! 😊

Remember GS450h has a tiny boot for a big car! Not as tiny as SC though!

Not sure what you mean by GS300/3.5. In UK we only got GS300 which is 3L. We did not get GS350, which would be better choice of the two. Do you mean GS450h (which is 3.5L)? I have extensive knowledge of both GS300 and IS250, actually own both at the moment. GS300 is more comfortable and larger of two cars, but it does feel much older inside and drives more like old car, although extra 50hp does make it feel much better in terms of performance. My main issue with IS250 was that it always felt to me like it is little bit low on power, it is okey, but it is borderline slow. That is not an issue with GS300 - it has plenty of torque and plenty of power, but it is more of a "boat". That said GS300 comfortably seats 4 adults for long journey. That said 3L v6 in GS300 sort of caps out at 36-38MPG and you can expect maybe 24MPG average. IS250 feels much more modern car, it is sportier, handles better, is sharper, but it is slightly lower to the ground, harder, less comfortable and rear seats are a bit of compromise. They are decent, I have been on long trips with 4 adults in IS250 as well and it was okey, but if in GS300 nobody cars if they sit in front or in the back, then I am quite sure people would prefer to sit in front in IS250 and I also had to sometimes move my seat as a driver little bit forward. IS250 in this case is much more economical, the best I have seen was 44MPG, average over thousands of miles was ~28MPG. Now the key for this choice is the price, GS300 is just much better value for money... I had 2x GS300 I paid £750 for one (turned out to be for scrap really, but I really bought it for parts and it is still on the road to my surprise) and I paid £1000 for second car which was 80k miles, had few small issues, but generally solid car. So GS300 is unique in this way that you can find real bargains if you spend some time looking, no other Lexus model is so undervalued. So £2000-3000 should easily buy you decent GS300. IS250 automatic - you looking at £1000-£1500 more, so £3000-4500 I would say. Considering they are equally as reliable and good cars GS being more comfortable boaty and slightly less economical and IS being more sportier, more economical and less comfortable... I would say GS is better VALUE. That said I am looking at fixing my IS250 and maybe engine swapping it for 3L or 3.5L as I personally prefer driving IS... but I just can deny amazing value that can be found in GS. £8000 budget is way too much for these cars in my opinion. For £8000 I would really be looking at GS450h from 2012 (I know they are more like £11,000-£12,000 at the moment, but I would be monitoring if any come in for cheaper). Also you could probably get GS250 for £8000, which would be better car than both GS300/IS250 even if it is little bit underpowered. Basically what I am saying - value in Lexus is getting higher mile, cheaper ones with service history. Buying lower miles later year models is really diminishing returns, cheaper cars will be 99% as good, as long they were maintained. I definitely would not pay £5,700 for GS300, £3500 tops.

Haha yep. No the Y pipe is apparently OK but I'm not sure how long it'll last. The sunglass holder, sunroof rust and a few other bits. She's going well!

OP probably can clarify when the car was serviced and where - one of the big reasons to use Lexus service is to get Relax warranty on vehicles that qualify. It would be madness not to service premium car of such age at the dealership, but I guess everyone to their own. Lexus cars are reliable, but not invincible either and RC is not cheap car to fix outside of warranty, after all it was £40,000+ new, so parts won't be cheap (I know myself considering my £4,200 bill for seat, which in my case was fixed by warranty). All that said... something doesn't add-up. There is no reason why Lexus technicians would be scratching their head or why would they advise to replace the engine. Engine failure is really binary thing - it either has failed or it has not failed, I cannot believe 2AR-FSE which is used in all 300h models of the time would fail at just 54,000 miles, even if car was not serviced for 2 years these engine can take such abuse and run for a while (it does not help wear and tear, but they will run). So unless rod exited the block in quite open fashion, then I don't understand why engine would even be a question or speculated. Somebody just talks complete BS here, maybe priming customer for huge bill.... "ohhh it is £5,000 for inverter, at least it is not £28,000 for engine". No sorry, engine does not fit in this equation at all. Can hybrid system fail - yes it could and it could cause the symtoms noted. Initial symptoms sounded like 12V battery, and for that it would be just about time to pack-up. What is strange is that car died when running, which is not usual for 12V battery related faults, so it may be further issues with electrical side of hybrid system. The hybrid system check results would help here... when was that done? Was car rarely driven by any chance? That would explain a lot and also it probably would be resolved with new 12V battery and good trip for 500 miles. But then I am still puzzled why Lexus technicians are scratching their heads? This should not be difficult issue to diagnose?! Could it be jump start related? AA is generally good, but car service quality is in decline across the board, so I would not be surprised if AA guy shorted and fried something (which could indeed be headscratcher for whomever tires to unpick that). In short I am kind of puzzled myself - described speculation from Lexus does not fit description of the issue, also description of the issue does not sound like something experienced technicians would struggle to troubleshoot, also also considering age an mileage of the car I am struggling to understand why this isn't warranty job (yes it isn't under factory 60k/3 years cover anymore, but I would expect it to be under relax, am I right to think hybrid side has longer warranty 10 years/100k as long as hybrid health check is done?). Seems to me like some parts of the story are missing or omitted.

You never know but this is normally only an issue at start up - not once the vehicle is running and charging up the battery. I'd like to think that an official Lexus dealer would have performance that basic check. Potentially more likely a problem with the hybrid dc/dc converters which aren't supplying 14.4v to run the vehicle/charge the aux battery correctly or some other issue where the hybrid errors are a symptom and not the cause.

It's unfathomable, sometimes when it's nearly fully charged and you think it will decide to use battery it uses engine. If you notice that it's using engine you can lift your foot off the accelerator slightly and it will revert to battery for a while but then will do it's own thing again. One thing l have noticed, if it runs on battery and engine at the same time it shows on the Lexus app under hybrid coaching as engine and not both.

It was legitimately fast one, my guess would be RS 2.0, so it does 0-60 in 6.7s and as we know RC300h had no chances against it. It even had speed lines and little wing at the back (pointing upwards and giving it's rear a little bit of a lift as it suppose to), so that should have been my sign to back off. I still don't think speed and acceleration is acceptable for RC300h, but that is my opinion I guess.

When I bought my RC-F from Swindon, a salesman at my local dealer argued with me that I bought an RC-F Sport when I enquired with them…. I had to take him outside and open the bonnet to show him the engine before he believed me. Thought I was the mistaken one….

259K - I purchased at 4 years old / 160K with full history (stamped book and all dealer invoices) - only thing I could see in the history was a new auto wiper sensor. Since I've had it the only repair was a dodgy bonnet latch cable - everything else was just servicing / consumables

I had whittled it down to Hedge End and Swindon, having had (mostly) negative reports about Reading...even though they are my nearest dealer(I live roughly midway between Newbury and Basingstoke). I' m very happy with the service from Hedge End and what swung it for me was that they offered the Lexus Owner Club discount. By the way,Reading didn't even answer their phone when I rang around looking at service costs.All I spoke to ,or was able to speak to,were the same price,but only Hedge End offered the discount. I'm glad Swindon are performing properly for you....they get consistently good feedback.