Teeonethousand

I tried the same move with the tyres hot and it is deffo cold that does it - and this morning it did not do it probably because it was so icy no grip to grab - as it were.

I am taking the 'forget about it' advice - thanks.

Thanks all - it does seem wierd huh? I have never had it with any of my other cars - I guess the tyre compound on that particular batch for the replacement tyre is just like that.

Hi - Happy New Year all - has anyone else had this problem please or have any view on what it could be?

When the weather is cold and i reverse in full lock the front left tyre 'clunks' - what happens is it skids about 1/4 inch sideways making a clunking noise. Same happens going foward slowly full lock too.

I had to replace the original tyre on this wheel last year so it is 2m or so deeper than its opposite. Is it just the tread 'chattering'

It does not happen once the tyres are warm or if the weather is not freezing.

wierd huh?

Just had my 20K done at Teesside 236.21 all in inc LOC discount. When I booked it in we discussed whether the brake fluid should be changed and we agreed not (1 year old should not need new brake fluid and i am surprised it is in the potential schedule)- that brought it down 80 and the discount to 236. They said my wiper blades ought to be changed sometime soon and offerred but i declined.

Very pleased all round

Also pleased that my original dunlops still have 5mm.

Just had my 20K done at Teesside 236.21 all in inc LOC discount. When I booked it in we discussed whether the brake fluid should be changed and we agreed not (1 year old should not need new brake fluid and i am surprised it is in the potential schedule)- that brought it down 80 and the discount to 236. They said my wiper blades ought to be changed sometime soon and offerred but i declined.

Very pleased all round

Also pleased that my original dunlops still have 5mm.

Bought mine from Teeside - they fixed a rattle that has been permanently fixed - recovered my seat which is now fine ,did the first service well- stood up to gold discount, all in all a good delership so far for me.

I am in the same situation - lining up a test drive and checking out a deal with my local dealer. The mpg seems to be mid to late 30's - i am getting that plus a bit more on a run with my 250 auto so i will be checking that out very carefully on the test run. I am not going for new - they seem ridiculously priced compared to a 6 - 12 month old one so it is a case of the right car right price while i am still in the mood.

The seat part went on mine - it looked like i had been sitting on a dinner plate. The dealer changed it no bother - they replaced the leather - not the seat and, to be honest, you can tell it has been done. It may or may not be connected but I also do not find the seat at all comfortable. I know it depends on size/shape etc etc but the bottom line (ha ha) is that I cannot find a comfortable position.

If anything pushes me to get rid of this car it will be that issue.

I agree on the petrol/deisel choice. I have a 250 sel and regularly get lat 30s on ave and can get into the 40s on a long run. I think i drive sensibly with the occassional mad half hour (plus got wallopped for speeding a year or so ago and don't want to pay that means-tested fine again)

Today I have a loaner 220 sport as mine is in the dock - got 45.6 after zeroing the ave but paid silly money for a litre - and - this is just my opinion so don't shoot me - the car might as well be called something completely different because it is a world away from mine.

I got 47 out of a previous deisel loaner over a 300 mile trip.

On the future - the price rises are due to increase demand in emerging countries - mostly China - most of the demand is for industry (what isn't made in China these days) and industry uses deisel - hence the price difference. Their is no shortage of crude - (especially heavy/sour) the bottleneck is the refinery and the demand plus speculators. Lean petrol or hybrid is the way to go - IMO.

I did a round trip to Crawley yesterday which for me is 540 miles - mostly motorway but with the usual stop/start issues in the morning and the usual 'make progress' (ahem) opportunities in the evening. Tank ave going down was about 38 but I filled up at Crawley so the tank ave on return was for that trip - 42. Dead chuffed.

I have my aircon turned off - after a lifetime of company cars and co petrol i always just left it all on but I am convinced that it saved me a few mpg and it was no difference at all on the comfort. From now on I will only use it as actually needed. A couple of weeks ago my dealer did the dash padding refit and brackets following a squeaky central speaker and it is as quiet as a mouse.

So as i say - happy bunny.

As an aside - when they did the dash they lent me a 220d and i did around 200 miles in it - i reset the ave and, bearing in mind i am not used to manual i got 44 for what i would say was about 70% motorway. I see what you mean about the high 6 gear.

I have Cadaxton with the cream leather and I think it looks the dogs danglies . So far it has stayed reasonably clean and I do not have rubber mats. I figured I would just buy new carpet mats if they became a real probelm.

Had my 10 service done today at Teeside. £153 all in including LOC discount and a wash/hoover.

I was very pleased with the service and how they looked after me while I waited. When it came to pay I did ask the service guy why the prices quoted for service was different at different dealers. He showed me the Lexus price matrix on his computer - he puts the reg no/model in and it shows a matrix for service interval and age of vehicle. For example a 20k in the first year is different from 20k in second year because of the brake fluid being included. He said they use the Lexus standard time for all jobs.

This might explain some of the price difference although the local labour rate will also have a bearing.

While waiting I was chatting with a couple of other guys and one of them said he had a car that was coming up to end of warranty. The dealer had mailed him suggesting he bring it in for a thorough checkup and any corrective action. Nice touch I thought. Cynics could say it was a sales ploy but he was not under any pressure and it all seemed genuine care to me.

All in all a good experience :=)

Very nice :=)

I dont beleive this post!!! :shutit: Leather is natural product and WILL crease in different ways depending on the hide.I think its time to stop calling in at this board.

I have had lots of cars with leather and have done 100k or more in several of them and I am pretty certain I can recognise 'natural' settling in and something that is at fault.

I had my dealer take a look at my drivers seat today because of the creases on the seat and side bolster mentioned in my earlier post.

They are checking with Lexus that they can replace it.

He did mention that it is very expensive - he also said they had another one in process.

I expect a call in a few days - I will get it changed when they do my 10k service (£170.53 all in inc everything) and will update.

Northern Boys - I would say you have got yourself a very good deal at Teesside I will keep that in mind for when I am due a service - Merv

Same here - I bought mine at there so I will be asking too.

My front centre dash one rattles sometimes and needs 'the tap'.

Welcome - nice car

Hi - nice car - this is a great forum and welcome.

Nice :=)

Does sound weird - unless you wear a plate on your backside.......

Can you feel a difference when you push down on the seat with your hands on either side of the arcs? Can you feel any definition under the seat that could be causing it?

Nope - don't wear a plate as a rule.....

When I push down on the seat is seems to have a bump in the middle and dip either side - bit like a horses saddle but nothing that would cause this.

shouldnt be normal no..how long u had ur car?

New in September - 8k miles

This might sound daft but I am sure my drivers seat is faulty. It has 2 creases in the shape of wide arcs - as if I have been sitting on an upside down dinner plate on the seat cushion. None of the leather seats in any of my previous cars have ever creased at all but this is the first I have had with perforated custions.

Does this sound normal? I intend to ask the dealer next week - or should that be a doctor :=)

Cheers in advance

All - great thoughts and many thanks to all.

I am going to go with the local indy for the Merc. I agree with the comments made but I want value for money and I think I will get it locally. I dont agree with the 'if you can afford to buy it etc' (i am not offended) because it does not excuse misaligned value. Just because customers are perceived as rich(er) should not mean they should pay more.

As an aside it still amazes me that after all the criticism dealers get they still have the gold standard for perception of quality- even though an indy bets his business on his reputation. I agree that it is like that I just dont think it is common sense. A triumph for marketing i spose in that they have us all frightened, or embarrassed, to consider alternatives even though we should.

Re the Lexy - my local toyota dealer is much closer and I like that idea.

Hi All - this is a great forum and I would be really interested in your views here.

This is prompted by our second car needing a service and me balking at the estimated cost but I am thinking of applying the same logic to the Lex.

Our Merc is due a service after 10K miles and 2 years - the main dealer 'estimate' was £425 ish and 2 to 3 hours ish. I looked into what was required - oil and filter and check everything. It seems steep to me for 'bread and butter' service type stuff.

My local motor engineer is the sort who does this all day and even does things as a matter of course , like strip the brakes, check and lube and reassemble rather than just a quick peek at the pad thickness. He is an engineer rather than a technician and he does a great job with other things we have had done there. He has the gear for sorting the service indicator. He is happy if I supply my own oil. He is much cheaper.

Here's the question - would you go to the main dealer or stay with the local?

My opinion is the local would do a better job but I am also aware of the Warranty (it would be MB procedures and approved parts) , Service History (does it really make a difference) and the occasional SW update (although if its running well it is sometimes best not to meddle)

The logic is the same for the Lexus.

What would you do?

Thanks :=)