tonyricha

Hi and welcome, great choice for your 1st Lexus, that tick may be the injector nozzles, does it rise with RPM ? Steering, I think is rubbish on every GS I have owned or driven, they follow the tramlines on motorways and every road repair but that is just the way they are, every time I drive my Sportcross after the GS it feels really good.

Hi and welcome, great choice for your 1st Lexus, that tick may be the injector nozzles, does it rise with RPM ? Steering, I think is rubbish on every GS I have owned or driven, they follow the tramlines on motorways and every road repair but that is just the way they are, every time I drive my Sportcross after the GS it feels really good.

330k is the price but not sure any car can justify that figure, still gets stuck in every traffis jam ! or get you nicked for speeding if not stopped. Did look and sound good though. The one sales exec in the UK does explain the dodgy looking bloke on a huge ego trip with it, had to smile at the tyres they looked very second hand so I guess this is the one thrashed by The Stig on Top Gear. People on here are talking about ISF tyres costing £900 each and lasting less then 5000 miles, thats nearly £1 per mile in tyre wear !!!!Think I will stay on Planet Real Tony

Go with the hybrid, apparantly Toyota claim to have NEVER changed a battery pack on any hybrid vehicle, even the very 1st Prius, seperate cells are changable Resale value on a hybrid will be way higher than a petrol only model when you want to move it on and they are so good to drive. Tony

Hi all, in at Lexus M.Keynes yesterday and was surprised to see a white LFA outside but they would not let me have a drive and did not seem to take me seriously when I spoke of buying it, seems that is the UK's only 1 and so not for sale, he ho just have to put up with the 450h for a bit longer ! ( to the relief of the wife and bank manager ! ) Engine did sound sweet and willing. Tony

Have you noticed if you set the suspension to sport it too increases the power delivery ? switch them both to sport and she rocks ! I didnt reliase how fast mine was going untill I used it to overtake, planned to take 2 cars but took 5 with ease, no drama, Used this awful diesel today and it only averages 4 more MPG than my hybrid !!!!!!!!!!! reminds me how good it really is

Hi Matty sorry no glitzzy light up badges here this is a more mature car for gentlemen in a hurry. Tyres, my supplier tells me the OE Bridgestones are designed for the extra stress and weight of the battery pack so thats good enough for me and has proved right so far . Enjoy Tony

wel done and welcome to the hybrid way of life, rear tyre ware is directly linked to your willpower ie you boot it the tyres gonna go, 340ish BHP and 1/2 tonne of lead sitting over the rear axle means they can't last too long. Mine was delivered with new Pirreli P Zeros but they only managed 20K so I put her back on OE Bridgestones which still look good after 20K but coz they are 18 inch cost me about £180 each. Mine has covered 40K in the last year and has never averaged less than 31 MPG on each tankfull but sadly I have had some issues with it and so have paid to extend the Lexus warranty, off the road now with a headlight control box problem meaning only 1 headlight works so have been lent a IS220 diesel YUK !!! that sits here unwanted while I use the wife's 300 Sportcross but I am noticing a big difference in fuel consumption. Anyway you enjoy your 450h it will make you feel smug ! Super motor BTW earlier ones were re called for steering rack and rear brake mods,may pay to ask if your needs same or has been done Regards Tony

Hi Manxy I have noticed the consumption on my 450h is a bit heavier when used locally in this cold weather but stays at about 34 MPG when used on a run almost regardless of the weather. Having had a good think about this (took a while) I have decided it is because the only way you can generate heat for the climate control is by burning petrol so even after a short stop ie fuel station or if I just increase the interior temperature she fires up the petrol engine and so affects the overall figure simply because the engine is running more at low speed when in the summer she would be running on batteries. I do agree about the harshness of switch over at times but never has felt like running over something. The only fade in power delivery is at about 90 when it seems to have a short rest then pulls really hard again, but I am getting too old to drive at these speeds now so really does not matter Hope this make sense to you Regards Tony

Hi all, my 450h blew a HID headlamp bulb yesterday so I called Lexus Leicester to ask if they had a bulb in stock, the girl said not a stock item and the cost per bulb is £250 ! so I said NO. M.Keynes also said not a stock item but quoted only £136 but now because of slight snow no deliveries are getting through so no bulb available. Anyone else remember the old days when service items like bulbs readily available at reasonable costs and certainly the dealers could help us ? Keep safe Tony

Well done !! 24 months Lexus warranty and legend build quality, no worries just enjoy. Tony

Why dont you use a 10MM spanner to tighten them ? stops the kids nicking them, surley thats why thet are nut shaped.

Hi, I bought a low milage GS hybrid with 12 months Lexus warranty but because I drive about 1000 miles per week it soon becomes high mileage so at the end of the warranty I buy a service package for 50,000 per year and extented warranty total cost £2, 000 which I feel is very good value if offset against the huge depreciation it suffered in the 2 years since new. I get total peace of mind, fixed price motoring in a top spec motor without massive depreciation. My cars are not for sale before 200,000 and I have no reason to worry this hybrid will struggle with this. Good luck with your purchase. Tony

Got to say I really miss a handbrake in my GS, when the IS won't turn in a bit of handbrake works wonders but can't do this with pedal operated parking brake, but the weight of the traction battery pack over the rear axle does help to move on ice. So cant decide which is best to use. Wish I could stay at home till it all goes away ! Tony

Watch out for those C630 Mercs , I got wupped by one !

sorry not sure which make but supplied be Dabonwheels. co, now have cracked the windscreen and so am thinking of a proper roof mount power aerial coz it must improve FM reception as well as good DAB but will have to get it fitted . Would fif to rear screen but for sun blind. Tony BTW another point is the AUX socket on the Pure so i pod can be connected, slightl hiss when played loud but that may be my chioce of 70s music ! and CD transfer onto i pod I imported a Vais interface but can not get it to work, I suspect it does not suit the boot mounted amplifier and so will return it to USA. Non specific in their guide saying one model supports all GS450 h but mine has the 14 speaker Mark Levison system so I loose all audio output when connected.

sorry not sure which make but supplied be Dabonwheels. co, now have cracked the windscreen and so am thinking of a proper roof mount power aerial coz it must improve FM reception as well as good DAB but will have to get it fitted . Would fif to rear screen but for sun blind. Tony

Hi, my 450h has a aux power socket in the centre box which is perfect. Regareding the aerial I did not like the look of the stick on jobby so I bought a proper DAB glass mount aerial with a 200 mm mast, the two halves bond to glass but because I have a rear sun blind I mounted mine top nearside of the windscreen with the ultra tiny cable hidden in the pillar, kick plate ,under the passenger seat and up between the centre console and seat backrest, it can not be seen at all but works fantastically and much better than the FM reception thro the heared rear window and I dont have to hear all the rubbish Xmas songs as Planet Rock dont play them !!! Happy Tony

The Pure Highway looks like it was made for GS Mk3, it sits on top of the seat heater switches perfectly no matter how hard you drive and sits inside the console when not in use, not 1 wire can be seen and because it runs thro the Lexus amp you retain steering wheel controls except re tune but it is right by you. Tony

I agree with the support side of this discussion, when you stop to consider all that goes on each time you use any car and espically a Lexus with so many gizmos it is quite amazing how few small but I know irrating problems occur, also these components are only assembled and not manufactured by Lexus and so they are dependant on quality control at so many other companies. These problems are almost non existant compared to most other makes, espically Mercedes, I followed an 06 plate Merc recently with just rust and no paint around the boot release. Keep the faith. BTW whilst my 450H was in for service last week Lexus MK lent me a 2 miles old base IS220D and that was a truely horrid car, without the badge I would never have known it was a Lexus and 3 pedals were a complete mystery ! how spoilt we are ! Tony

Hi Russell, I tried this for my06 450h and all the dealers said no so I bought a Pure Highway, installed in the centre stowage box and transmitts to the existing audio by FM, works better than standard system all over England with just the addition of a screen mounted aerial, no wires visible and Planet Rock loud & proud all day and the cricket ! SUPERB total cost about £100 Tony

Looks fantastic ! I offered my missus one of these, she could not understand why she needed a 4.3 V8 to go to her W.I. meetings in the next village and so turned it down !!! Hey Ho, got a 300 Sportcross instead so the dog can go too, that aint too sad but its no SC

With the boot all you loose is the space under the rear parcel tray (which you should not use as it cools the battery pack through ) I manage fine with mine and have done the dreaded airport runs with no problems, will take golf clubs. Re your concerns hybrid parts, they claim never to have changed the battery pack for any Toyota hybrid worldwide but that is why I extend my warranty. 1/2 price and better fuel consumption almost pays for the warranty ! plus no congestion charge helps me as I drive in London a lot. Another factor is the 18" tyres do wear if you are tempted to use the acceleration often (and it is difficult to resist ) They are very special cars and ought to be tried at least. Tony

Hi and welcome back, sorry not sure about major service details but 4th year warranty at the moment is £825 for 12 months or£1,545 for 24 months, do check out hybrid prices before you buy as there have been some really good deals recently, unless you need the full boot (extended warranty price is the same for the 450h but covers much more kit ) I keep mine under the warranty and buy a service plan for this reason. I get peace of mind same as a new car but bought it for less than 1/2 the original price. I deducted these costs from the depreciation already suffered and feel I have very good value for the 50K I cover each year with super performance and comfort. Good luck Tony Regards Tony

Hi all, I recently received a Vaistech Soundlinq SLi audio interface to allow ipod and aux input connections for my 450h but when I connect the piggy back connectors to the 12 pin right hand terminal on the back of the radio I loose all audio and navigation output, anybody got any experience of add ons to the audio ? Makes me wonder if this kit may be faulty as Vaistech claim or just not compatible. New kit is winging its way from USA but I am having a doubt and tiring of removing the unit from the facia. Thanks in advance Tony