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I normally ask for any car except a CT, as that model gives me sciatica in my legs whenever I'm loaned one. I had an IS a few weeks ago – very nice indeed. However, I've noticed that all Lexus seats have been "hardened up" since my 2014 RX, which has beautifully padded, forgiving chairs. Not a positive change IMHO.

Last July I bought a 64-plate RX450h Luxury with 45k miles on the clock, from a main dealer with the remainder of the 3-year warranty made up to one year with the Lexus used car warranty. The car's in fantastic condition considering it's mileage – the interior in particular looks like new and the seats are the best in the business, guaranteed. Great to drive apart from brittle ride. Unfortunately the dealer sold it to me with faulty climate control; a hole in the cooled air supply pipe apparently. My closest main dealer did the repair without query, thank goodness. Since then the only gripe is three rattles in the cabin: one under the fascia where the passenger air bag sits; another in the lower half of the rear tailgate; and the third being the outer screen to the satnav display. These take it in turns to vibrate depending on outdoor temperature and road surface, although really rough tarmac can make then rattle in unison. Is it likely that Lexus would repair these for me under warranty at the next service?

The Santa Fe is pretty rubbish dynamically – the RX feels taut and agile by comparison, and the seats are incomparable, but they are at very different price points. I agree on speed – the faster you drive the RX, the better the ride. A bit weird thinking about it.

I'm on Bridgestone Duelers, 19". They're made in Japan, and the Japanese won't even have heard of a pothole (their roads are silky smooth) so not the best people to be supplying the UK market. I've seen all the discussion about the benefits of Michelins, but I'm hopefully not due a tyre change for a few thousand miles yet. They were newish when I bought in October. Is it possible for the shock absorbers to have gone? The car's done 65k miles. As a matter of interest, we've just arrived in LA for Christmas and rented a Hyundai Santa Fe. The roads here are pretty similar to the UK – potholes, coarse surfaces, sunken manholes, general neglect – and the Santa Fe takes them in its stride. No crashing or brittle ride. I sometimes worry that the interior trim of my RX is going to shake itself apart. So far I've noticed an occasional rattle inside the tailgate, a buzz on the rear edge of the drivers door, vibrating rear seat and a sort of creaking noise from inside the dash on the passenger side on certain road surfaces. I haven't the energy at the moment to take the dealer to task on these... particularly as they come and go according to temperature and road surface.

I bought a 2014 Luxury, therefore without the air suspension. I was a little worried about the long-term implications of air suspension – while not being any kind of engineer, I just couldn't imagine an air system being as reliable as traditional suspension. However, the ride is by far the worst quality of my RX. Hampshire's roads are generally appalling and the RX's ride is pretty much constantly unsettled, brittle, crashy, agitated, etc. Only on smooth asphalt is the ride what I would call good. It's rather embarrassing giving friends or relatives a lift – after the first few ridges, troughs, sunken manhole covers and general coarseness of your typical B road, the glory of the near silent powertrain is overshadowed by the poor ride. I wonder if it's perhaps the make of the tyres, as other owners seem not to notice as much as I do. (They're inflated to the correct pressure. I checked that.) So if the air system is better, even marginally, go for it.

Great, thanks very much for the suggestion. I'll give him a call.

It does seem sensible to try to the local dealer – for some reason I don't really like going there. Parking's a nightmare and it always seems a bit overcrowded and understaffed. I know it's off topic, but my last car was a Mazda and the folk at the dealership were so friendly, always recognised me and said hello...

I've not had my 64-reg RX450h for long, and the other day forgot how big it is when I reversed into a pile of (my own) tree prunings. The rear bumper now has three quite deep, 3-inch long scratches on the nearside corner. My question is: Who should I get to repair them? I've never bothered with minor repairs before, so I'm not sure whether a mobile Chipsaway type operator is a good bet, or perhaps a local bodyshop. Is there such a thing as a "Lexus-approved" repair shop? I want to get a good paint match and finish, obviously, but without spending stupid money. Any experiences and/or recommendations much appreciated! I'm based in Winchester.

I've not had my 64-reg RX450h for long, and momentarily forgot how big it is when I reversed into a pile of (my own) tree prunings. The rear bumper now has three quite deep, 3-inch long scratches on the nearside corner. My question is: who should I get to repair them? I've never bothered with minor repairs before, so I'm not sure whether a mobile Chipsaway type operator is a good bet, or perhaps a local bodyshop. Is there such a thing as a "Lexus-approved" repair shop? I want to get a good paint match and finish, obviously, but without spending stupid money. Any experiences and/or recommendations much appreciated! I'm based in Winchester.

Nice one Actually it sounds more like a cricket in the undergrowth... about as much chance of finding it too

Thanks, that's a good suggestion. I'll have a look under the carpet tomorrow. It is quite a strange design, as the seat backs dont' actually appear to latch onto the body of the vehicle. Hence the vibration I guess.

I did wonder if it was the parcel shelf, as even the Lexus salesman said that they're known for their rattling. So I took it out for a while, and it's definitely the rear seat. I need to look more closely at the seat attachments to see where I could apply some spray, as you suggest.

I'm delighted to be back on the forum as a Lexus owner after a stint with a Mazda3. Recently bought a burgundy/garnet/dark red RX450h Luxury, soon to turn three years old, with a fair amount of miles on it: 60,000. But it's in beautiful condition with an almost pristine interior, newish rubber and the Lifestyle Pack. Anyhow, I bought it from a main dealer as approved pre-owned, and apart from the A/C which is broken and due to be repaired under warranty later this week, the only other niggle is the rear seats, which vibrate when the car is being driven on anything other than supersmooth road surfaces. The vibration doesn't seem to make any noise, but over bumps/ridges in the road, the back seat also squeaks, not loudly but noticeably. Annoyingly it also seems to be intermittent, meaning that if I raise it with the dealer, they're bound to say that they couldn't get it to make the squeak. (This happened with the cracking front fascia on my IS250, which sorted itself out in the end). Has anyone else had this issue, and is it worth getting the dealer to try and sort it, or should I just learn to live with it?

I think you would be right to have reliability concerns about a Jag - my partner's XK had some hysterically funny electronic gremlins - funny for me because I wasn't trying to get them fixed. Like windows going up and down and up and down and up...and down. The dealer never could fix that car.

@Steve44 - the model was a 300h Luxury with leather and nav. Completely different to the last generation, as I said, particularly the new vinyl-style leather. I know that some people will love the tight-fitting bolsters etc. but the base cushion is far too hard for me. Not really like my nice and squidgy Stressless armchair to be honest. @Roger Bill - yes, we're in exactly the same position: love my IS250 which is so cosseting. The new C-Class looks interesting, but I had a CLK several years ago that was unreliable in the extreme. Lots of garage visits, and a horrible dealership to boot. Someone has suggested a 5-series with the "Comfort Seats". Apparently that's very nice. But would have to be second-hand...This whole car-buying thing is stressful.

Having received a letter from my local dealer with news of a 'great deal' on a new IS300h, I went to try one out today. I really wanted to love this car, as my IS250 will soon be 5 years old. But the 300h isn't as good as my 250 so I won't be buying. The killer for me are the new front seats - just like those on a Beemer. Hard, low and narrow with tough hard leather. I had sciatica in my legs after just half an hour. Couldn't wait to get back into the wide, thickly padded, buttery soft semi-aniline seats in my old banger. Besides the seats, which are a deal-breaker for me, I also think Lexus have got the pricing wrong. £37k+ for a car with the same equipment as my IS250 SE-I. Hmmmm. That doesn't even get you wood or alu inlays inside. Just black plastic. BTW, the RX seems to be the only model with the "soft" seats. Perhaps I should snap one up before they upgrade it to German seats?

Oh dear, that makes it sound like I'm over the hill at 41. This new strategy of theirs is sure to end in tears.

I can see your point, but Lexus are in danger of alienating their existing customer base with some very questionable attempts at being "sporty". For example, the IS300h will never be genuinely sporty (see the recent carbuyer test video). So why not make it super-luxurious? Incidentally, BMW seem to be going in the opposite direction, offering comfort seats for those who like a bit of indulgence.

My beautiful IS 250 SEI has just reached 4 years old, so I've been looking at the new version as a replacement. After a test drive I've come away quite depressed. Lexus is clearly trying to play the German manufacturers at their own game. Let's be clear here - Lexus can't win with that approach. Lexus qualities are luxury, silence, smoothness, understatement and above all - comfort. So why did I find myself in a car that has rock-hard seats that caused me back pain? I don't mean the ridiculous sports seats in the F-Sport. I mean the normal seats. The soft buttery leather and ample padding has gone, to be replaced with a BMW-style hardness. I first noticed this new seat-type in the revised GS and was worried it would come to the IS. It's a deal-breaker for me with my bad back. It looks like I'll have to trade up to an RX to get the lux seats, before they "improve" that model too. Other disappointments - slightly plasticky, tacky fascia and door panels, horrible black plastic inserts on the centre console, glove-box lid and door switch area. A real mishmash of styles. Do I look like someone who lusts after an LFA? Erm, no. Lexus, please stick to what you've done so well for the last few decades, and put the comfy seats back in.

@Exiled You've completely summed up the way I also feel about Lexus dealers in the UK. How can the salesman who sold you a £30,000 asset NOT remember your face when you're wandering around the dealership waiting for your car to be ready. It's not as if they sell thousands of these cars (Lexus are still very rarified in the UK, as we know). It's almost as if they've been told by Lexus UK not to speak to existing customers. Very, very strange and totally bad for repeat business. The people at MINI have got it sussed - I want to be recognised and welcomed, not as a long lost friend, but as a valued customer. If it ever happens again, I'll go up to the chappy and say, "Don't you remember me? You sold me a really expensive product not long ago. Why are you ignoring me?" What do you think he'd say?

As has been said before ;) its not Lexus that set the prices, but each independent franchise group who operate the Lexus franchise. Different groups cost work differently and hence why you get variations. As for price, you really need to negotiate hard with them and ensure you know precisely what you are paying for. From when we owned our RX, the service booklet detailed what was to be done for minor and major services as well as year/mileage specific operations. Exactly, I couldn't agree more. You have to go into extremely detailed discussions about what the engineers will do during the service. I am convinced that if the price is negotiated lower, they will leave certain things out or simply charge for them separately. And as for the price that the dealer quotes on the telephone, the telephonist will happily tell you that the price includes 'everything' when it is in fact far from the case. On my last interim service it was made impossible for me to work out how the quoted cost fitted into the final billed cost. I am convinced they did this ON PURPOSE to confuse you and to get you simply to pay up and clear off. Next time, I will sit with the service manager until he or she has explained exactly how the quotation and the bill are supposed to reflect each other.

Fairygodmother, thanks for an excellent summary of the predicament that Lexus finds itself in in the UK. I couldn't have put it better myself. It is sad to think that there's no future for normally aspirated V6s and V8s, and I'll certainly make the most of my IS250 for the next few years. To be honest, I half expect Lexus to close down in the UK, as their product range just isn't suited to market demand here. The Germans are simply wiping the floor. My partner recently bought an Audi and the dealership was under siege from interested buyers. You can't get a Q5 for love nor money. So why hasn't Lexus got what it takes to tackle Europe? In my view, lack of will. Both Lexus and Toyota seem to have given up on the European markets, and maybe that's a sensible approach given how fierce it is and that it's in decline. Their attempts at diesels are frankly pathetic. I also don't understand how Lexus got so popular in the US, without any real niche vehicles - no equivalents to the BMW 1 series, 3 series coupe or estate, X1, X3, Z4, 6 series, etc. etc. I just hope Lexus's slow demise doesn't affect the value of my IS too much!! I can't see the CT making much impact, when you can buy an A3 2.0 TDI that goes like a pocket rocket for the same price and has better fuel consumption. It's depressing... Must be terrible for the dealers.

Thanks v. much for the recommendation.

I really hope they do give us our own ride settings, as they've pretty much given up repairing the roads in Surrey...

Thanks for the suggestions. Still a bit annoyed as I paid Lexus Tunbridge Wells to do just that - have the system disinfected. Seems bad that I have to then do it myself again...