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NickS

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Everything posted by NickS

  1. Like Chris, I was always washing mine but they blistered from the inside, and I had them replaced under warranty when the car was just under 3 yrs old. When I sold after another 3 years they were bubbling slightly, but absolutely no kerbing damage. Can only think the alloy is sub standard, which is strange considering how sound the rest was.
  2. Shame they didn't actually wash it for you! Not seen the recent mag yet but might treat myself for the Bank Hols!
  3. Well the service display can be set manually at any time so it proves nothing. That said, it would take a very deliberate act of deceit to alter it, and if they were going to do that they'd surely have wound the odometer back to 70K! Or maybe it's done 150K - only joking! Afraid I'm unsure if Lexus has central database of service history. I believe Audi does. Can you trace the dealer from any items like window stickers, number plate logos or tax disc holder? Why not ring the previous owner? Don't recall reading about cam-belt change, but a quick search turned up this:- http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=64583&st=0&p=704649&hl=cambelt&fromsearch=1entry704649 That was a 400 though, and I'm unsure how closely related the engines are. I'd ask the dealer to be 100% sure, or post a query here with that as a heading. Perhaps it's lurking in my handbook, but I'm mid 60s at moment (car not me, quite!) so perhaps I had better start saving.
  4. For years I had bought a pair of new frames and blades for my cars as a kit of two (a pair). When the RX needed a rear one, I bought the frame with blade fitted. It was in a Toyota bag. When new fronts were needed I bought some Bosch (my usual fave brand) from a mail order place. They were too short, and the fitting was the wrong type! Went to Lexus, who (as above) happily fitted new blade rubber for nothing - cost about £8 for one! Bargain, and they have lasted 30,000 miles and over 2 years. My Honda ones are worn out after the first heavy downpour and half-an-hours use - rubbish quality. Very few Lexus items appear over-priced, though I am saving up to get radio repaired.
  5. Yes, the service does knock spots of all the others. Like you I have some experience of BMW (530i and wife's Z3) an several Audis. Now I have a Merc and none too thrilled with service so far - extortionate prices too! Wiper blades for SLK £30. One blade for Lexus, £8 fitted! Lexus/Toyota still supply the rubber alone, which I haven't seen for years, and fitted it gratis. Must admit I doubt there are many breakers though google found a few, none that were obviously in Hants though.
  6. Mine has another 3-position switch. On with doors, off, and permanently on. If it only works in the perm on position, I'd check the button in door jamb that triggers the lights - it's not by the hinge like most cars, but near the latch above the wheel-arch. If you are trying with the doors shut, while sitting inside, only the perm on position will appear to work.
  7. Hi and welcome! Can answer the satnav question. Are you trying to enter data while moving, because if so you can't! Most of the function are 'greyed' out above a few mph, for safety reasons. Frustrating, but Lexus are a bit paranoid about these things. A few threads here about updating the nav, but personally I supplement with a 'paper GPS', or Road Atlas as I used to call it! No idea about the DVD screens, I'm afraid. Re the trim, I'd ask at your local Lexus or Toyota garage as I've been surprised how cheap some bits are. Failing that, I'd ask them about any breakers locally, unless you know one. But not many of these about, so maybe there are trade suppliers? Hope you enjoy your new ride!
  8. I believe this a long-standing issue, particularly if it is worse when cold. I recall reading about dashboard creaks and suchlike when buying our RX300 three years ago (a 2004 model) and ours has tended to do this to no ill-effect. Here's thread where it is mentioned:- http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12787&st=0&p=125803&hl=creaking&fromsearch=1entry125803 Or have I misunderstood?
  9. I'm inclined to think it's a Lexus problem too. Can only speak for the RX though. I went to Tony almost 3 years ago. It certainly felt different, but 6 months later the wear was obvious, but on the outside (not the inside as he said above). It usually looks feathered, even though I was mainly using motorways at the time. Now we do far fewer miles, and a branch of Pro-tyre last did alignment using the same gear Tony used to have (the printout is almost identical). They said the RX is notoriously sensitive and recommend checking every 6 months. I also run the tyres at 34 to 36psi and this seems the best solution, and a lot cheaper than regular tracking.
  10. As the SE-L has HID/xenon headlights, there is no manual levelling fitted, unlike regular headlamps where there is usually a 3 or 4 position switch. However, this model also has air suspension to keep the car level, so theoretically the lights would only need one setting anyway. If they give you a guarantee it will pass the MOT test then I'd be tempted. But I wonder if they have really thought it through?
  11. I tried the links, thank you. The removal guide is great, though I'm too wary of modern cars to attempt that. Last time I fitted a radio was about 25 years ago in a Fiesta! Nothing about the symptoms, though, which surprised me. As you say, many more sold elsewhere, so maybe just unlucky? Two weeks ago, the battery was flat. It had only been serviced the week before, but the dreaded lights switch was left on Auto, which I had read could cause issues. The AA man said the battery had given up, and as it was 6 years old, I got him to replace it on the spot. £110 with 3 years warranty, versus Lexus dealer at £99 with 12 months. Am now awaiting the AA again (!), as I haven't driven her since Monday evening, and virtually no juice; just enough to unfold the mirrors! So there must be something 'leaking' or not switching off. Also booked in to see nice car radio man tomorrow, as recommended by the AA chap. When new battery had been fitted, the radio worked again, so clearly the basic bits are functioning. But as soon as I changed the Driver/Front position it went silent and hasn't worked since. I had hoped resetting everything with the new battery had somehow sorted it, but no!
  12. I know exactly what you mean. Most newer designs rest much closer to the back of my head. Personally, I'd be reluctant to bend anything, lest it was damaged. I have seen little headrest covers, and someone good with a sewing machine could create some. Then you could tuck some slivers of foam inside, bringing the surface closer. Might be worth looking in Yellow Pages or www.yell.com for car upholsterers, as they could doubtless pad out the existing headrest for you, which would be hard to spot.
  13. Sure enough the main dealer has confirmed radio etc will need to be removed to look at this. I haven't plucked up the courage to ask for an estimate yet. Pleased that 60K service and MOT went smoothly but still at a loss to know why the radio should simply stop 'sounding'. Any clues please?
  14. It must be all those people in front driving too close to you! Seriously, though, we've not had more than the usual chips in 35k miles in the previous model, but the bonnet is really badly chipped. The paint seems quite susceptible. I suppose there might theoretically be a quirk of design or aerodynamics causing this, but most likely just coincidence. Like sometimes you get two punctures in a month, then not again for 2 years.
  15. Very good, I agree. Have you owned yours from new? I had all five replaced on my RX 300 when it was about 3 years old, having bought it at 2.5 years old with the normal 12 month Lexus used warranty. I thought they might have supplied refurbished ones but they looked brand new to me. What is still worrying is that 3 years later, one or two are bubbling through again. The worst one was in the spare wheel well all along! There was never any curbing; it is as though the core material is corroding and pushing the paint off. My roof rail ends were replaced too and they are bubbling again. What I can't understand is given how good the rest of the car seems to be, why Lexus seem unable to make durable alloys. I had a 2003 Audi TT from almost new and there wasn't a mark on the wheels when I sold it earlier this year. So it isn't impossible, and I don't buy the argument about wet weather in England!
  16. Did you ever get a solution to this, I wonder? I had the same thing last weekend. Everything tunes as normal, the CDs play, but no sound. No display of volume up or down, nor of the sound position (driver, all, etc) but otherwise it all is working as you would expect. It's going in for annual service early in October (6 years old) but I hoped I wouldn't need to pay Lexus lots of money to investigate if there was a simple solution. The only other thing I found was here http://www.justanswer.co.uk/questions/1miiq-battery-died-on-my-2001-ls430-battery-cables-were-completely but not the clearest posting I have ever seen (and is muddled up with exchanges about subscriptions too). Has anyone else ever has no sound from their CD or radio?
  17. That seems likely to me too. My 2005 Merc SLK has this as a switchable option (no silly combinations, just menu on the screen!). There have been similar debates on civinfo.com which I also look at because I have a Civic as a company car, and the locking option was discontinued. All that said, the giant snippers the fire people use can get a roof of in seconds, but if that takes 15 minutes longer than the paramedic to arrive then it might be too late. However, since many people lock their doors the old-fashioned way (and use rear-door child locks) I cannot see what litigation Lexus are seeking to avoid, as that is surely the only reason for this paranoia.
  18. We took the plunge 3 years ago and chose an SE-L which in the end we found for very little extra over an SE. We liked the extra toys, esp the reversing camera and better hi-fi, though we only test drove two SE-Ls so cannot compare the suspension 'on the road'. No probs so far, now approaching 60K miles total having put on 35K ourselves. Seems plausible that conventional springs may be more rugged in the (very) long run, e.g. 100,000 miles or 10 years plus. As mentioned above the alloys corroded and were replaced inside the extended warranty, but after only 2 years there is slight bubbling on the new ones (from the inside, not curb damage) which sadly shows the metal must be sub-standard (or maybe the paint is porous?!).
  19. Welcome to the forum, Mark. As already pointed out this is quite a common thread and you will find various opinions. Must admit I'm of the school that says Lexus only specified the SP270s (that you already know), and Bridgestones, so I would stick with them unless there was something clearly equivalent. Most tyre dealers have their favourites, but this is sometimes a reflection of their relationship with a supplier or the profit margins they receive! And almost none will have experienced them on your car. I have found mine very sensitive to tracking alignment (front and rear) so this is money well spent before buying any new tyres. I suggest you try to get the supplying dealer to do it for nothing if you can persuade then (I doubt it's in even Lexus' check-list, though will happily be corrected). I have replaced my original Dunlops and have stuck with the same type though have been tempted by Kumho (can't remember the type, but a semi-off road style) which were at least 20% cheaper, having previously found that brand worked well on my old BMW 530i Sport. Hope you enjoy your new wheels!
  20. You can ask for a price via the Lexus UK website here:- http://usedcars.lexus.co.uk/ though I have to say I got no response when I tried it. But that was in late 2008 when the bottom fell out of the market. Agree with ihpj about webuyanycar for a useful quote. Parkers and What Car provide similar for no charge.
  21. I asked the salesperson a similar question when we bought our RX300, having found a slight benefit on our previous 530i BMW. He said there was no point, and I actually think that was good advice. However, I do occasionally fill one tank with V-power or equivalent, more to act as a cleaning agent. Must admit it seems to produce no identifiable improvement in mpg. I recall "Which?" magazine tested higher performance fuel and additives, and only found a benefit for the better fuels in cars specifically stating they required it - I think some highly tuned Audi (RS models?) and VW, and doubtless other sporty models, specify higher RON fuels.
  22. I'd second that, as Lexus will sell you (and fit for free if you're nice!) just the blade, for less than a tenner a side. I stupidly bought some Bosch by Mail Order, which were great on previous (German) cars, only to find they didn't fit the Lexus - the clip fitting didn't match at all. So I still have the original Toyota/Lexus arms with new blades, and cheaper too.
  23. I have had similar experiences to stringbender. I even have uneven wear to n/s rear tyre, which though noted by Lexus Plymouth, they didn't mention that the rear can't be adjusted (unless I've got that wrong). Just seems to be a weakness that tyre wear can be excessive, even when well treated. I don't buy the "it's a big 4x4" excuse.
  24. It shows you can't please everyone! I'd like to enable this, but as posted above it's not available on my model. I am currently borrowing a Volvo V50 from work, where you can select this feature through a simple menu displayed on the radio screen. Some manufacturers are a bit too clever methinks, including Lexus sometimes!
  25. Thanks, Ifoggy, for the most interesting contribution to a good debate. Most of us probably look more simplistically at the cost per mile, and the tax implications, whether a company vehicle or private. Buying a Lexus in my case was more a matter of heart over head, as I find it pretty hard to justify, when a Skoda Octavia would probably deliver the same space and reliability (and a good measure of comfort) with much lower ownership costs. Of course, I never expected the depreciation to reach £1000 per month - at the current rate I'll be paying the dealer to take it away within a year! NickS
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