Gunther

We've been looking to replace our E60 525d M Sport Auto (facelifted 3.0l) for a while. Just plain tired of the harsh ride and poverty spec, even though it has £5000 worth of factory options. So we road tested several Audi A7's, A6's, F10 5 Ser, Merc E class - all latest models. All had good and bad points: Audi - the new A6 seems over priced, the A7 is gorgeous to look at and very good to drive, but only in Quattro/S Tronic form (the CVT is lethargic from a standstill). Whil;st both are on the same platform, the A7 seemed better, though sufefered from too much wind noise. Also, as we were looking for a nearly new one, finding a 5 Seater was a challenge! It really seemed expensive at £44k+ for a new one. The 5 - -nice but boring and a knobbly rough run flat tyre ride. E class was like something from 1982....steering buttons from a chrysler sebring.... What was so stark was the poor customer service at the dealers, don't care a darn attitude etc, and we had completely ruled out the GS as a non-contender. That is until we drove it today. OK - it might not be cleanest petrol engined car, and the road noise seems a tad high, but overall we thought it was the best compromise of the bunch. The Luxury Spec with ML/12.3" screen makes it formidable as a non-German alternative, and I am sorely tempted.

To add, the Auto every time. It has better characteristics, more economical, the manual can be slightly notch. If you buy a Lexus, it has to be a Petrol Auto. The Multimedia is superb.

This is a known issue, mine had it. The speaker grill is to blame. Prise it open and put some felt around and put it back. That is what the dealers did to mine.

I just hope you didn't buy the car from a Lexus dealer and NOT be told that the previous owner's had all this done and PEX'd it (probably because he really didn't want it anymore.....) Each to their own, and hope it now behaves itself!

Early ones had problems...2006/7 220d's - I'd leave alone!!

Lots of magazines have tested this to death, and have found that most of the differences are hard to tell for most cars. The only differences may be for detergents on the whole, and a slightly higher octane is largely not detectable. If it works for you, use it, else save your cash.

Can you please post the full contents of this letter so we can all see exactly what it says as there is no recall for any UK Lexus models concerning the accelerator pedal, ( which is a mechanical mod, not software mod, on the affected UK Toyota cars). I believe that the Accelerator problem on some Toyota's is down to a bit of Plastic wearing away on certain types of pedal mechanisms. They add some metal in there as part of the fix and possibly a new pedal assembly if deemed needed......But. The Brake issue on Prius is a software mod (?), as presumably the Hybrids have fly by wire (cableless) technology? The 2 problems are very different. I seem to recall at least one IS owner has complained on here that their mat was stuck under the pedal a year or 2 ago. So I think there are up to 3 problems? Does any one else know? EDIT : Mat Recall on this Forum

Does anyone know the G/km for C02? Didn't Prolex (??) have one?

To be honest, I have no idea how bad it was, I left it to the powers that make the decisions, though we were ready for repairs. He was absolutely fine, no pain or anything, an I think the headrests did their job. He braced himself when he heard the brakes and looked in the door mirrors.

It was a front/rear - the Van pushed my brother who was driving the Prius into the back of a bus in Tipton!! Medium/heavy rear and light front, but the damage was over £10,000 apparently as the boot floor was damaged!! I was shocked too as it didn't look too bad from the outside. I think I have a photo somewhere and will find it. But. Time will heal of course, and Toyota are superb company and their approach to this has been excellent so far. My neighbour is self confessed petrol head so he's always nearly up to date (!!) on information. He drives an Alfa Mito! Apparently the brake can feel weak if applied when going over bumps? I'm sure that's what I was told.

It's all down to perception and yes the media has made it worse. We bought a Gen3 Prius, and it would have been affected by the brake thing. Anyway, not an issue now as it got totalled 5 weeks ago (Transit Van ran into back of it). We were lucky to get the money back rather than a new one, which we could have had through the insurance. So we bought a Golf Bluemotion (cracking car). Anyway, my neighbour commented a few days ago: "I bet your glad you don't have the Prius or that LEXUS!" For those that know the link between them, the perception is there and it will have an impact. Also, not many people who have seen the Youtube of that USA incident would cotton on that an ES is effectively a rebadged Toyota, or the HS250 is a Prius with a Lexus badge and is subject to recalls. So I cannot see how people would differentiate if they know they are made on similar production lines etc. Funnily my neighbour also asked me if my Beemer had cracked alloys. Again, I reminded him that I have 18inch ACS's (and no RFT's). So it goes to prove that mud really sticks!!

It is bound to Hit Lexus too. The family that died in America was in a Lexus (an ES??? which is based on a Toyota Camry???), but. it is bound to hit both. I certainly would be thinking that and be a little worried about values at PEX time. BBC had a response from Mr T yesterday to US Congress, which implied that their "priorities became confused", which I suppose means that they compromised quality over quantity. Other makers in the past have done this too, and it has taken years and years to win back loyal customers. Take a well known german maker for example that is still suffering. Pedals getting stuck under a mat though is silly on 2 counts: Firstly, you should always make sure the mat isn't interfering with the pedals Secondly as a manufacturer, you should make sure that there are tethers for the mats so they don't slip around and stay firmly secure. For these 2 reasons, I worry when people go out and but after market mats because they are cheaper......... What I find interesting though is how the JD power surveys will be hit - if they dip significantly then it will indicate that people vote in "band wagons", which is a view I have!!

I only ever check engine oil when the engine is cold and on level ground. If it's too warm some of the oil may still be lined up on the engines insides and will not give you accurate readings. Best thing if it is warm is to let is stand for at least 30 minutes prior to checking. If you don't, you might overfill by by 250ml

I was thinking of burning DVD-A discs but its pointless unless I do the hack which i'm not prepared to do. Still the 6 mp3 discs equate to 4.2gb....thats enough for now I think. As for the sensors I think I'll get them done by Lexus even though I don't get the dash warning. The rear view camera is sooooo good that you really won't need rear sensors. It is still the only thing I miss on the BMW. It will show you steering angle and a red line which is excellent - cross that and you will bump. As far as DVD MP3 is concerned - like many have said you can frig it by burning a DVD disc, and watch it, screen goes blank when in drive but sound is maintained. You can effectively press up or down and it skips between songs, but when you restart engine it reverts back to root, so it's pointless really. Your best options are to have a USB device fitted instead, one where you can use the wheel controls/touch screen to use it if one can be retrofitted/3rd party version like a Dension 500 gateway (if they do one for Lexus). Do a Google. That way you don't need a hdd etc. I can believ how many cars come with hdd sound storage AND a USB slot. You can normally get 16/32gb on a USB stick for £20 - much cheaper than hdd system!!

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