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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/11/2024 in all areas

  1. The rates are published here: NHS mileage allowance rates | Royal College of Nursing (rcn.org.uk) In summary for the NHS: The national guidance in England is 59 pence per mile for the first 3,500 miles and 24 pence per mile thereafter. This compares to HMRC published (tax free) rates of 45p per mile for first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter. For the NHS rates there would be tax due on the excess payments over the HMRC published rates, but depending on mileage this would tend to zero for higher mileage drivers as more miles would then be done at the lower rate, and their overall compensation would fall within HMRC guidelines. The RCN are trying to get the rates raised, which I agree with as would any other person using their own car for business mileage since HMRC have hardly changed the rates for many years, but this should be the same for anyone that is using their own car for business mileage and not for any one particular profession.
    3 points
  2. AFAIK the NHS actually pays for private car use over the HMRC rate of 45p per mile first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter - I think something over 50p per mile now. It's the only organisation that I know of that actually pays more then the HMRC rates. I assume that the nurses getting paid that will pay tax on the excess over the HMRC rates... HMRC really need to review the figures for everyone with the significant increases in recent years running a car (not just fuel but everything else).
    3 points
  3. No they haven't. For older vehicles they are installing trackers and immobilisers and newer ones have updated firmware in the main body ECU to detect hacks - that isn't anything like implementing encryption across the entire CAN bus.
    3 points
  4. Found this on a local FB page 😀 “So my car needs to pass an MOT to make sure it’s safe to drive on roads that aren’t safe to drive on ?”
    2 points
  5. could be worse, apparently land rover & range rover owners cant even get insured because of all the theft.
    2 points
  6. I wanna think in this paragraph you're referring to the Royal family? They've been on benefits for a long time too, refusing to get real jobs. On publicly-owned utilities, I'll just say you should look up what happened with the privatised water supply in Paris for example. Also, it is not "the government", it is us (as a group of humans forming a society) who need to help those who aren't able to help themselves. A younger society (with children) ultimately benefits everyone.
    2 points
  7. Nurses are also punished when trying to park their cars at their workplace and charged and fined for the privilege. One friend has racked up over £500 in fines for parking at the hospital. They, and others are refusing to pay.
    2 points
  8. as above. It should only be used to avoid fumes in your garage or being quiet as you arrive/leave your house in the early hours. Forcing EV mode normally results in worse fuel consumption compared to just letting the vehicle do its thing. The cancelling of the mode depends on throttle, temperature, battery state of charge and speed.
    2 points
  9. I have the Levinson one in my Takumi and to be honest it is wasted on me. I have always wondered if a high spec sound system in a car is a waste of money anyway unless you are stationary, all the background noise even in a quiet car must drown out all the discrete tones and quality. Bill D.
    2 points
  10. So how did we go from Insurance companies to Banks? Look I expect this level of naivety and lack of understanding of commerce from some people. I just did not expect to find it here amongst people who are equipped to find themselves behind the wheel of a Lexus. I shall refrain from further participation .
    2 points
  11. Roll on 30th March I will take delivery of a new Lexus LC500 Convertible ULTIMATE EDITION at Lexus Swindon attended by Lexus CEO Chris Hayes. There are a total of 165 cars worldwide and only 4 Convertibles for the UK market. This will be my third LÇC My question for the forum is "Do you think this will prove to be a good Investment?" Similar to the LFA.
    1 point
  12. For those interested Car magazine has just started a long term test of the RX450h+ in Premium Plus trim.
    1 point
  13. Yes they do, but the OP has an IS250 (non-hybrid).
    1 point
  14. My spin on this…… Having had people break into my house looking for keys (years ago) whilst I was in the house, I’d rather just wake up and the car be gone. End of. I don’t want some determined bar steward standing over my bed with a baseball bat asking for a ghost code. Visual deterrents are surely the best. Even better friend, the law of averages. There surely can’t be much demand for an LC, and most LCs seem to be that yucky red colour - nobody would want one of those, surely 😜
    1 point
  15. It was a short chime and a message on the dash appeared saying "key battery low".
    1 point
  16. It is an unfortunate reality with hybrids / electric cars. The 12v battery is a small one only meant to boot the computer and power the security systems when locked. Maybe keep a jumpstart pack in your boot. Theyre essentially like a powerbank which you connect to your battery and can jump start it yourself if you get stuck. Maybe learn how to access the car if the battery dies. Calling the AA everytime will be very inconvenient.
    1 point
  17. Just a quick update my little indie has checked all discs,drums and pads nothing wrong with them , did say there was a lot of dust/debris which he has cleared out and also put lubricant on so to run and test for now , best part was he noticed one of my AFS sensors had snapped although the sensor was fine so he popped some weld on and reset the code now got working AFS and no error , he did say one of the TPMS sensors was not registering so looking at getting them replaced again something they are happy to do. So going from needing front pads or as I suspected, a clean,some repair work and a general check underneath for suspension etc was all that was required. Total charged £35 , and nothing else to report they said . Well happy with that and with a local indie I can trust. Did ask if he could replace the TMPS sensors and reprogram he said that should be ok so probably get all four changed. Will be going to local Lexus for a battery check and possible an alignment on the steering , car pulling on slightly to the left which just needs a little correction, read on the forums that owner took their car to Lexus and was only charged £80 to calibrate and reprogram the rear steering... oh still love driving the car every day glad I bit the bullet and went for it
    1 point
  18. I reckon the government should do more in regulating and keeping insurance companies in line - since it's a mandatory requirement for motoring. Not that it should be 'free' or anything - it absolutely should not be. Motoring isn't mandatory, but as a first world free country, the right to travel freely is important and as some have mentioned, let's face it, most people on the road aren't 'car people' or enthusiasts, but simply have no better or more economical way of transporting their families or self across long, tedious routes and distances. So owning a car isn't always a nice to have luxury although it is for some of us. As for the NHS charging its staff.. that is awful, but I have to wonder how useful the unions are [ever] [in general] that despite making a lot of noise and money from membership, haven't achieved much in that very real, everyday issue that costs a lot of hard working key workers a tonne of money and frustration in simply trying to come to work everyday. But if you are publicly funded and have no obligation/motivation to make a profit, or be accountable for poor management decisions (such as outsourcing everything for sheer convenience) then what do you expect? Their biggest problem is putting healthcare people in charge - who are experts in health care and high in empathy, but not experts in balancing books, strategy or a business mentality. They shouldn't mix the two, or you get people over spending in the wrong areas out of 'empathy' with no real concept of the impact down the line and that's what we see all the time. No amount of government throwing money at the NHS will make a difference (before someone inevitably blames the tories). It's a structural problem and until they can straighten it out, I hate to say it, but it's only continuing to make a case for privatisation. And I don't say that as some stuck up rich guy, I'm definitely a beneficiary of the NHS and would probably be screwed without it. But service user or not, my need and want for 'free healthcare' is no reason for highly skilled key workers, in stressful jobs, to have to keep turning up to be treated like crap, paid too little or laid off..
    1 point
  19. Had a free-ish weekend so spent a few hours fitting some new rear discs/pads and wheels to the Lexus. I picked up some Tesla Model 3 wheels with 4 almost new Michelin Pilot sport 5's on for a steal, I quite like the design of them without the standard wheel covers, fitted the style I was after on this car. The tyres are 235/45/18's slightly bigger than I'd have wanted, but couldn't pass up on the deal. The ET on the wheels are slightly better than standard, the rear may benefit from 20mm spacer to get them perfectly in the arch, but for now I feel they look far better! Reason for doing the rear discs was after a trip up to my brothers I noticed the rear left was very hot, thought it must be the slider pins. Turns out the slider pin that usually causes issues was perfectly fine, fortunately someone has definitely looked after the car in the past. I left the bottom pin in place, cleaned and applied plenty of new grease, the top slider on both sides I replaced with a new pin and boot. The left caliper piston had been pretty tough to push back in, I attempted to free it up as much as possible without actually taking it out, after a short trip with the new set up I noticed the disc still get very hot, so the piston's definitely sticking. New rear caliper is on its way, gives me a reason to change out to rear lines for a braided set I got with the car and to get some new fluid in the lines, hoping to have that sorted this weekend. Fair to say the old discs had served their time 😄 The next issue to sort with be a CEL I've sporadically had since owning the car. Of recent its been a P0420, but has also been a P0137 both for Bank 1, sensor 2. After doing a bit of research it could well be a leak prior to or around the downstream sensor and my mid pipe to cat exhaust flange isn't looking great at all, for how well preserved the underside of the car is, the exhaust flanges have taken a beating haha. Thinking it may need to go to an exhaust shop to get them to cut and weld on 2 new flanges and the cheaper option, or I get a custom mid pipe made at the same time. That being said the cars driving well with the new alloys/tyres on, it's already eliminated a pulling to the right I had with the old alloys. Still going strong at 157,000 miles!
    1 point
  20. Thanks Brett. I didn't want to put a bright yellow metal on the steering wheel. But, it seems a visible physical deterrent is needed as my Ultimate Edition coupe will be only 1 of 1 in the UK.
    1 point
  21. I can double check. But as far as I am aware when you work in the community, the role requires you to have a car as you do around 4 - 5 visits a day. The only thing you can claim back from the NHS is the money you spend on fuel. I don't know what the exact rate is but they pay this out based on the no of miles done. Unless this is what you are talking about too and you're saying the fixed rate they pay is not for fuel only but for personal car usage? Even so the rate per mile has stayed the same for several years. I remember them complaining about how bad they were hit at the peak of the energy crisis. The NHS do not cover any additional costs like insurance (they have to buy business insurace which costs more) or maintenance. So they would often end up being out of pocket on an already not very high salary.
    1 point
  22. You need a physical deterrent - none of the immobilisers etc will prevent them damaging the car before they realise it's a non-starter. Make sure your vehicle is too much risk to touch vs others in the area. Locked garage with something else in front, bollards, etc etc.
    1 point
  23. Find some local to you in your budget range and go test drive them. I did 6 years ago and of those I tested I preferred the one I bought, but I test drove LS400s, LS430s (pre-and post facelift) and LS460s (pre-facelift). Personally I found the electric power steering in the LS460 to be "numb" and I found the LS400 too floaty. The facelift LS430 was the sweet-spot for me with excellent comfort, quietness, but still fun in the twisties (for a 2 ton behemoth).
    1 point
  24. I agree owning a car is not mandated by law but neither is having children. Also you can't argue against the fact that it is a necessity for some. I personally know people who serve as community nurses and physios who literally need to own a car to do their job and make ends meet. The NHS does not provide them with a car or pay for their insurance & associated costs. The NHS only pays a fixed rate for fuel used and thats it. Even that has been the same for several years now and has not risen with the rising cost of energy. I know some of these people personally and they struggle to make ends meet as their salaries have not gone up commensurate with the cost of living. This is just one example I am sure there are 100s of people out there with jobs like these. These are not people slacking it off and living on benefits that just expect the govt to bail them out. And it is these people that are squeezed the most. And yes the government is there to regulate and solve these problems. Else your argument about poorly run nationalised companies should apply to education and helathcare as well. Would you rather pay for education and healthcare too? If not the government then who should be solving these issues? What else are we paying such high taxes for? Bailing out banks?
    1 point
  25. Just to add a few variables: Throttle position, road gradient/rolling resistance, wind direction, temperature/weather conditions fuel tank full or not, passengers in car, etc, etc… As @rayaans said, just let the car do its thing, but if you really want to ‘overthink’ it https://mag.toyota.co.uk/hybrid-driving-tips-for-best-fuel-economy/
    1 point
  26. Depends on a multitude of factors. Let the car do it's thing. No real benefit to using EV mode apart from if you want to travel in stealth
    1 point
  27. Calle me deluded, that's fine. 🙂 I have been called worse by others who can't grasp the basics of what it means to own (or not own) capital and the pressures on ever-increasing profits driven by an economic model favouring shareholders above all else. With all due respect, this thing you call free market is not free, nor a market (such belief sounds disingenuous), and whatever that thing may be, it is essentially at odds with the concept of democracy itself (but may be going a bit too off-topic here). The bit about price fixing being prohibited made me smile: once you learn a bit of history of economics & the financial sector as a whole, surely you cannot be as naive as to think it plays by any rules you & I have to abide to. 🫠
    1 point
  28. I just found this on the US forum which sounds exactly like what happened to our car last week. https://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/94700-my-fuel-pump-issue-~-rx-450h/ Have sent a copy to Lexus MK for their information. JBP
    1 point
  29. A firmware update is highly unlikely because the system as a whole, and the multiple ECUs involved, aren't designed for signed communication and would likely require hardware replacements, not just software. Going full encryption will never happen on these old models - Toyota/Lexus isn't even using that on current models).
    1 point
  30. Thanks. It's very frustrating. Be careful of sending messages blind though. My recipients get "what do you want" at the other end lol. Might investigate the beta version.
    1 point
  31. The RX series IV should be less prone because it has both direct injection and port injection to keep the valves clean - the IS250 engine was only direct injection so valves never get washed and cleaned by petrol and its detergents.
    1 point
  32. They say things come in threes. I hope the third is of the Good Luck variety!
    1 point
  33. I had the same. Was an injector. Causes the car to shake a little intermittently at idle
    1 point
  34. Hi all This has now been claimed Thanks
    1 point
  35. According to the online brochure the NX 350h has a 10 speaker Pioneer Audio System.
    1 point
  36. That was for the series I NX which had three audio grades. The current NX only has two grades, both good quality with separate amps and a sub.
    1 point
  37. I had an IS250 with a pioneer system which was excellent - I then tried a normal NX300h Lux with the standard speaker system and found it underwhelming. I have the ML in my NX300h which is good, however, I remember having a 300h on loan from Lexus whilst my IS was in for service and being totally blown away by it.
    1 point
  38. Well….I do Stephen! I never let my tyres get below 3mm. Apparently that’s the point at which performance deteriorates rapidly. On the other hand, my annual mileage is so low that the problem of new tyres may not be my problem!
    1 point
  39. 1 point
  40. Are the drains at the bottom of the door blocked?
    1 point
  41. I don't think there's anything missing. Mine looks exactly the same.
    1 point
  42. I have real problems after the update. I allowed it to update while I was on a journey away from home. I'm now away from home, but it's deleted my home address. How am I going to find my way home?
    1 point
  43. Climate control doesn't sound quite right to me. I have always just leave mine on Auto (with A/C on) and all vents open. I point the side vents to the side windows and the centre vents towards each other in the centre of the car and slightly up (unless I went it to my body). Never felt anything blowing unintended on my body that way but the Auto does what it needs to in order to maintain the set temperature. I generally set it to around 20C in warm weather and 18C if it gets very hot outside. In cooler weather around 22C and if it's really cold might up it to 24C for a while. There are some settings for climate control to do with how strong the fan works at (mines left on default) which if someone has altered it may play a part. Also when the car is in Eco mode that puts the climate control in an Eco mode too (automatically). It's more powerful in Normal and Sport modes. There is also the S-flow button that controls whether the rear of the car gets air through to it or not - worth reading the manual for all of that. The mpg sounds spot on and so everything with the engine / hybrid sounds like it's working as it should. There are a few averages you can look at for consumption. Each time you restart the car, per fill up and over all time (since a reset). These can be displayed on the instrument display by scrolling down the different windows but not all at once. Also the display can be customised to show the different averages (they are not all there by default)). You'd need to read the manual to decide which averages you want to display. I set mine up when I first got the car - did an overall reset - and haven't touched them since, just scroll up and down to see what I want to. DAB takes a bit of working out - again best to read the manual (a couple of times) to work out how to get the channels you want programmed in. It works in Ensembles (collection of stations) so you select an ensemble and then a station from the ensemble. The BBC national radio stations are all on one ensemble. Once you put one of those on your favourites it will find it anywhere in the country. Also there is a useful FM link function too (I think that needs switching on in the audio setup somewhere) which for the BBC national stations means that if the radio loses the DAB signal as you drive around it will switch to the FM signal for the station and back to DAB when the DAB signal comes back - all seamlessly. That way you don't get DAB drop outs (which are common otherwise, particularly in hilly areas did to DAB not having the same coverage as FM.
    1 point
  44. They are correct - It either has a fault and throws up an error on the dashboard or it is fine - there isn't any health status like a smart phone unfortunately. As part of a dealer service there is a hybrid health check which will warrant the battery for 12 months / 10k miles (whichever happens first). Even if you don't purchase from the Lexus dealer, or doesn't have full Lexus history, get a HHC done as part of the sale and your battery will be covered, which you can renew yearly until the vehicle is 15 years old. https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-hybrid-health-check-2/ Not much else to look out for - if it's been sitting on a forecourt for a while the 12v battery may need replacing. High oil consumption due to cylinder wear - difficult to check for when just viewing a vehicle. If you purchase one then consider getting the EGR valve cleaned to avoid any future head gasket issues.
    1 point
  45. Excellent, thanks for that I've been levering the dam fob the wrong way, mines type A yes it slides forward, great stuff.
    1 point
  46. UK government “You must buy an electric car!” UK Insurers “We don’t provide cover for electric cars” What time is the number 15 bus due?
    1 point
  47. As long as the car is covered under relax, you will pay the service cost regardless, plus any not covered items eg wear and tear. Any additional work covered under Relax warranty will be parts and Labour FOC. Of course any pre existing failed items before the Lexus service started, may not be covered. Think of it as getting your car up to scratch, then getting a year on year warranty with every service. To be fair not many cars stack up to CT's reliability in the yearly ratings. It's always been there or thereabouts. Perhaps why Lexus are prepared to stand by them for 10yrs, while benefitting from the service income.
    1 point
  48. Only if wear and tear items need replacing - e.g. wiper blades/rubbers, bulbs, brake pad/discs, tyres etc. Anything that is covered by Relax and found during a service would be covered (provided you have Relax coverage to start with - i.e. you cannot have no warranty, take it for service and expect existing faults to be fixed, only once you have a clean bill of health would the 12 month warranty be issued).
    1 point
  49. I'm in a very similar position to OP (also with a 2017 F Sport). This will be my first Lexus service, although last year the car was serviced with Lexus, so it has the 12 month Relax warranty. Let's say the service itself uncovers that additional parts and thus labour are needed - stuff that is covered by the Relax warranty. Would these parts and labour be covered under the warranty itself, or are any problems that are detected during service not covered under the warranty? In other words, are out of pocket expenses beyond the service cost itself possible? Thanks!
    1 point
  50. Not sure if the F-Sport is the same as my SEL...but. I'm thinking maybe it is correct....ish. Press the button ( top LH side of screen cluster) and if you were on Climate the Map will now be displayed. If you touch your finger on the screen it will set that point as a destination if you choose to accept that point and 'start' the guidance. I did this purely by accident in Wales a couple of weekends back. Quite useful if you just want to get to a general area and leave the detail until later. I posted on both yours hoping you'd see one!!
    1 point
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