RgrWynne

1 hour ago, Paul Brooksbank said:

John, to be honest, anybody who's honest and can service the big Toyotas should be able to do the engine and running gear essentials on a Lexus, after all, I found the brake caliper sliders to be exactly the same as my Honda. The hybrid health check would still need to go to a main dealer, but with more manufacturers producing hybrid vehicles, the equipment will become more common and I'll bet most of it is Toyota based anyway. That begs a question, if the health check flagged a problem necessitating a warranty repair, they wouldn't guarantee the batteries for 15 years anyway. They know they're unlikely to fail. 

Not an expert you understand at all, but is not the benefit of the health check to flag up things that could cause failure in the future. I am thinking things like temperature controls and any cooling fluids etc. I doubt there would be warranty repairs required, but gives peace of mind up to 15 years I guess.

4 hours ago, malcolmw said:

I have received a message from Lexus UK asking me if I want to "reserve" a convertible LC500 for the autumn. Just £5,000 down now and the rest of the £100K later (but you can cancel at any time).

Any takers? Any cars to see in the UK yet?

I am not convinced about soft tops as I had a Merc SL500 and really didn't have the roof down that much. 

My friend has always had an SL500, usually every 2 years and lives in Wimbledon, so better climate than the rest of us. He has just changed to a Porsche  Macan because of the limited time he has the top down, and when he does the sun is so strong he has no protection, so totally agree.

3 hours ago, KenMavor said:

 

Down to all car dealerships being franchises linked to manufacturers.  So each dealership will have their own ideas about what how they will do their business as a franchisee.  If you aren't happy with them then first port of call should he the manufacturer - is Lexus.

Hi Ken, all the car manufacturers have franchise agreements with their dealers, which spells out their franchise terms. You will find the manufacturers’ by law have very little control, unless the dealer is breaching his terms of trade. Of course you expect common sense and decency to prevail, and mostly it does, but as you sometimes read on here about expecting Lexus to intervene or somehow overrule , when it is ultimately the Dealer who is legally responsible. I think John at royoftherovers gives good practical advice to sort it yourself , without threats , but in a firm and reasonable way, and in writing and keep copies !!

46 minutes ago, djgrubber said:

Wow, this is very comprehensive answer! Thank you! By the way did you do a timing belt with a water pump?

I was curious how much other Lexus drivers with an older RX spend on their cars. It seems that I was a bit unlucky with mine when it comes to repairs. When I bought the car it had 70050 miles in 2017 and the previous owner had done: spark plugs, pollen filter, new bonnet struts, new battery, engine oil service, new tyres + it had all previous services on time.

My list of expenses is as follows (using local garage specializing in German/Japanese cars):

2018 - 70953 - passenger door switch , resealed two rear tyres, offside rear wheel bearing - £348.00

2018 - 72193 - engine oil+filter, front wiper blades, front caliper repair kit, brake service+ front and rear disk brakes and new pads, new bleed nipples, new brake fluid, parking break adjustment, anti roll bar link, MOT,  - £752.00

2018 - 72491 - offside rear diff seal  + new oil - £311.19

2019 - 73625 - new nearside rear drive shaft seal + oil  - £276,86

2019 - 74643 - nearside rear wheel bearing, MOT, rear breaks adjustment, aircon service £460.07

2019 - 75000 - centre exhaust repair/replacement (I had a small hole in it), renewed seized battery clamp with bolts (they were corroded and seized so I decided to renew them to able to take out the battery if I ever needed to change it), rear CV joint replaced with ABS ring (I had an error on the dash and ABS ring was corroded so needed to replace) - 529.96

2019 - 76200 - replacement of oil pan , new engine oil + filter, new strut mount offside + new front shock absorber cover - £396.00

So it comes to : £3470 - and all was spent within 6000 miles and 3 years of ownership which is a blooooody pain! Of course it is super neat now and it drives like a champ. But I still need to replace timing belt and pump. I know that they last till 100k, but I am worried that it needs doing due to age.

On top of that the auto leveling sensor turns on from time to time so probably needs cleaning and I want to renew underseal for a piece of mind. So probably another 1k in expenses. If it turns out that the bushes need replacement... ouch it will be another expensive year for my Lexus.😂, but I do hope that after so much work done it will last for at least 6 years and I will enjoy some trouble free motoring. 

Whilst obviously it is a pain to have to spend money, there is not a car on this earth, that does not require spending money on at some point. Therefore it should follow you have a rewarding time in future, which I trust you do , cheers, Roger was 

13 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Roger, have you seen the Lucid Air E.V. ?

Thanks Roy I’ll have a look , Cheers,

Roger

1 hour ago, nicnac said:

Hi Roger , I would have thought that it is much more eco friendly to keep driving your LS @30mpg than the horrendous cost to the planet of another  Tesla  with all the downsides of manufacturing one of these . But I suppose if its the tax advantage , then I see your point . Anyway I wish you well in whatever you do . 

I agree with you personally , but realistically not my decision, plus whether on not you or I agree the company is seen as green. I have no parking space , so can’t store , Cheers , Roger

7 minutes ago, nicnac said:

Hi Roger , I would have thought that it is much more eco friendly to keep driving your LS @30mpg than the horrendous cost to the planet of another  Tesla  with all the downsides of manufacturing one of these . But I suppose if its the tax advantage , then I see your point . Anyway I wish you well in whatever you do . 

I agree with you personally , but realistically not my decision, plus whether on not you or I agree the company is seen as green. I have no parking space , so can’t store , Cheers , Roger

25 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

Out of interest Roger what will you replace the 430 with?

Hi David, the answer is I don’t know yet. At the age of nearly 70, I am a Director of one expanding Company, and just been appointed UK Director of a busy Aussie owned businesses. It is by choice as I love it, but means more activity and there are big Company Tax advantages with electric vehicles, Tesla and Polestar. A gas guzzling V8 for business use isn’t really the way forward, plus whilst the Lexus would hack it easily, it is 18 years old and deserves a more sedate future in my opinion. It still needs to be used, but I think not commercially hammered.
I am biting the bullet early as I have limited car parking, plus have use of another car, so it is a choice I will make later on. 
Thanks for your interest , Cheers, Roger

Thanks John, yes aware, just hope somebody cares as much as me. Are you back home now ? , did you have a good trip,

cheers,

Roger

Hi All, with great reluctance, due to a change in circumstances I am selling my LS430 2002.  It is Pearlescent White, with cream upholstery and has the exec pack,  I am told,  so rear massage seats etc. I will  put it In the ‘For Sale‘ section, with photos, when it stops raining, but thought I would give a heads up if any body is seriously looking now. The reg no is RBW 1N, obviously not included,  but you can look up the mot history, which tells you a lot. Since owning, for 6 years it has been future proofed, and obviously has full service history. It has had a new OEM radiator,  replaced OEM rear air con pipes, and  replacement sub woofer, which are the costly bugs. Mileage is 105k, but being used so will marginally increase. No known faults, fully serviced in July,  and I will mot before sale, but not due until Jan. Always used OEM, parts, and all have long life. Cam belt, water pump, tensioner etc, done at 60k, as were spark plugs and transmission oil. Brand new Michelin Primacy 2 tyres fitted 23k miles ago, with plenty of tread left which should tell you how it has been used, which is only for long journeys. Yesterday I drove for 9 hours from Chester to Colchester and back  32 mpg, on and not only is it faultless but it goes like a rocket when needed.The bodywork is immaculate and well polished. Asking price is £2900, please message me through here for contact details as I do not wish to put my phone no on.
This car was bought as a keeper, and that is how it has been treated, and my wish is for it to go to a good home. 🤗 Based In Chester  Cheers, Roger

1 hour ago, johnatg said:

Agree with all that. Problem lies with the competence of mechanics - I don't have much faith even in the competence of dealer 'mechanics'. These days they tend to be just fitters - swap out suspect parts (often assemblies) and bolt in a new one. Except when it costs them because it's a warranty job so they make a fuss about it.

I agree with that, except of course as you also agree, if original parts are fitted in the correct manner you would expect all to be well. That is how all ‘dealer mechanics ‘ work and I would suggest the problems you hear about are less than 1% of the total .

Never thought of that possibility, just thought it was the engine loosening up, and also there is a marked improvement in fuel use. It always fascinates me because road tests and reviews are nearly always conducted with new cars and a much better experience comes later.

22 minutes ago, unclepoo said:

So all in all, I couldn`t drive away from it fast enough.

Do all the best rx450h get bought up by lexus, because good used ones are hard to find.

You obviously did the right thing. Regards buying not from Lexus, the problem is that it is very very tough to sell a second hand car and achieve a good price. As a result most trade in through the dealer and I would think many RX customers stick with the car because they are so good. My son had a mint RX for sale a year ago and had it advertised through this site as well as Autotrader. It had full Lexus Service history and still under Lexus extended warranty, and low mileage. He had too many people trying to buy it cheaply, even from on here. In the end he stuck to his guns and got his price, but I doubt he would wish to repeat the process. Every person that viewed commented how clean it was in comparison with others they had seen , which supports your experience. I’m sure you will find what you want, but in the end good ones sell for good prices.

My wife has had 7 brand new Honda’s, 5 CRV’s, 1 S2000, 1 Jazz Sport. With each one almost exactly at 6000 miles the whole car was transformed and noticeably so much nicer to drive. The latest, the Jazz, I was waiting for it and it didn’t disappoint.

1 hour ago, FTBBCVoodoo said:

2008.

He keeps sending me pictures of it to wind me up 😉

Sellers remorse.  Especially when I sold her for 10k in the end 😞

I do the same on the anniversary of when I purchased my LS430, which is also MOT time. I am on good terms with the seller, but he very much regrets selling, particularly as I have had 44k pretty faultless miles since, and it still looks better 6 years later.

Hi Phil, really sorry to hear of your misfortune, and I hope you get it sorted, in ‘The Pursuit of Perfection’, and get some sort of refund, Good luck, Roger

On 7/30/2020 at 1:30 PM, royoftherovers said:

Lexus Indie Garages (1).docx Time to consider an Indie Shahpor ? I`ve attached the current list.

Hi John, you do realise the irony in recommending an indie from your list, is that one of the garages is Jemca.
Jemca own Lexus Reading and are in turn wholly owned by no other than Toyota.

I was aware of the issue of warping brakes and the suggested causes as it happened to me with a Lexus 20 years ago. As a result ever since, when I have had to brake heavily I always release when safe, and reapply where necessary to allow the heat to escape. I have not had any further issues, but I find it as puzzling as everyone else, but not had a recurrence and to be fair it is rare I guess that we have to brake severely very often.

In reading this blog from the beginning, much has been made of the high list price and otr cost of the UX Takumi, versus the competition. It is true that most vehicles are leased or pcp’d today so it is the monthly amount that matters, but they all rely on high residual values and I do think that is where Lexus score well against the competition. You cannot simply compare price alone without taking into account the total cost of ownership after say 4 years.

On 7/13/2020 at 8:35 AM, Malc said:

I think it ended 30th June

My Honda MOT due 19th July was NOT deferred and I had to promptly renew

Malc

Don’t understand that Malc, mine was due July 17th and extended until January 17th by the DVLC

It looks like it sold at that price, but like with all theses things “who really knows”

This car has been for sale on Autotrader for a long time as far as I can remember. I know it was on sale at a high price but don’t know if near what it obtained on eBay. I think the words ‘ good luck’ come to mind and was meticulously maintained, so could give somebody many hours of enjoyment for Ford Focus prices, and like Phil, would like it to have been me......although I was not a bidder.

57 minutes ago, steve2006 said:

I finished working in power distribution at 57 and having holidayed there many times decided to go to Cyprus over winter. We rented an apartment but it was so cold we cut it short and returned home after Christmas. It was also cold back here in the UK and short days. Little in the way of gardening to do or anything else for that matter.

Totally bored I applied for a job in metering and being qualified was back in a job by February. That was now 3 years ago so another company pension building up slowly and a salary.

Thinking of doing another year or so then putting the tools down again.

We have also considered a boat but located in the Med so we can travel around the Greek islands at leisure just need to improve my language skills a bit more.

Hi Steve a bit similar in that I sold one of my businesses and bought a boat in Spain , so travelled the Med and the Balearics . Actually you don’t really need good language cos most  marinas etc speak English and although we had a place in Spain since 2002, my  Spanish is not good but surprising how you get by. I would definitely do it while youngish and fit, but I also got fed up eventually of drinking in the sun  and sold up. Now looking what to do next but I expect I will always work cos I just get bored , but some people get enormous pleasure out of the freedom , diy, gardening or whatever but not me. However it is lovely to spoil the grandchildren ....now that does give us enormous  pleasure 🤗 Cheers , Roger 

6 hours ago, PCM said:

This week I shall be retiring.

When I say 'retiring', I mean leaving full time employment - in my late 50s, after working all my life.

Worked in IT all my life - and for the last 15, teaching it.

I'd like to do something part-time - my pensions are all ok...

I just want to make sure I don't get into a rut of nothingness.

( I'm also ASD, which may or may not help. )

Does anyone have any top tips from their retirement experiences?

Piers

Hi Piers, you already have plenty of  advice. I think all of it good. My advice is to initially take time out, minimum of 6 months in order to clear your mind. Don’t burn your bridges on what you do now, but leave all options open. After you have experienced whatever you want to do , then make some plans. I am not sold on this ‘retirement ‘ thing, I am 70 this year, but it is each to his own. Having run my own Companies, of different types since 1993, and still having business interests I have found that to be my passion. I am now busy , in a good way, and on my terms, as I ever was , and have been offered Directorships, with contacts made over the years which I have accepted.
It is very important to keep your brain active, keep physically active, and enjoy life. There are so many opportunities out there.....grab em and good luck, Cheers, Roger

Hi Peter, I don’t have an RX, but an LS 430. No problems for 6 years then I noticed what you have described. The solution in my case was low on gas. I had it topped up and now my air con works perfectly as before. Maybe worth having it checked, and welcome to the club, cheers, Roger

30 minutes ago, HellRider said:

This is like advice of top up in my opinion, after putting 100g of refrigerant and 8 grams of oil air con was blowing cold air only on passenger side and compressor was quite loud.

Filling up system with 430g of R134 and much more oil (but much less than spec sheet from my original post) aircon is blowing ice cold and compressor work is quiet.

 

I think the situation you have described must be a characteristic of the system, because I first noticed a difference in temperature on each side of the middle vent, which alerted me to problems. The actual problem was low gas, in fact there was only 20% of required amount  in the system. Now it is fully charged the air con works perfectly with no temperature variation.