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Boothby Coggles

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Everything posted by Boothby Coggles

  1. I have an '06 (Dec) 220d SE with multimedia - now with 30k+ miles 1. Generally quite pleased but with hindsight think I might have been happier with the 250 auto. 2. Recent 30k service was about £215 - but did get quotes elsewhere up to £250. 3. Am averaging about 40 mpg overall since owning it with a fairly high proportion of town driving. 4. Agree with previous comment about reversing camera. Personally think audible sensor is of greater benefit 6. Gearbox. Found in the last couple of cold mornings or so that when starting 1st/2nd gears are tight & need some effort to change until it's warmed up a bit. Had modified 5th injector fitted with no problems - seems to be better for it. Also had modified selector fitted - improved change up from 2nd to 3rd - cleaner & smoother than before. Also modified interior mirror to get rid of vibration on the old one. (These last 2 mods will not be done unless you highlight the problem. 2nd/3rd gear mod only applicable to cars within a certain chassis no range, which mine was). Forget 6th gear unless you're doing over about 75!!! on the flat. The slightest incline causes the engine to start labouring if doing 70 and necessitates a change down to 5th. (But I believe the gearbox on the Sport is different to mine, so this might not be a problem for a Sport. 7. Tax (VED) is not too bad in the grand scheme of things. Could be a lot worse. 8. Paintwork is rather more vulnerable to stone chips than it should be for a car of this price & "quality". Also, for me, there seems to be a slight offset between the seat & pedals. Not a huge problem but I do find myself trying to get more "in line" when I first sit in it.
  2. My issues were mainly around the body condition of the car as sold to me, which after a long drawn out process were "resolved" in part. I have no issue with that dealer's service dept as I haven't taken the car back there as a matter of principle. Instead I have taken it to Hull and I'm happy with them having had a 30k service & 5th injector. They also fitted a modified selector for 3rd gear & a modified interior "non-vibrating" mirror without any problem or question. Hull is a good bit further for me to take the car but I'll certainly go back there if & when then need arises. That's assuming I've still got the car as I'm continuing to mull over getting something else. How about a Skoda :o ?
  3. Make that three - I'm putting up with mine FOR NOW. My biggest gripe is with Lexus GB however - I'm still waiting for the promised communication from them since my "disagreement" with my selling dealer was concluded some months ago. Lexus would do well to remind themselves every so often of the old saying "A satisfied customer will tell 1 person, a dissatisfied one will tell 10". That however is out of date in these days of electronic communication, it should read "will tell thousands".
  4. My Lexus was from a "family run" outfit but one with quite a lot of dealerships for various makes, whereas the Volvo was from a family firm with 2 sites one of which was a satellite-of my local one. I got a more personal service and better from them than the Lexus one. However, the fact that my eldest daughter & the salesman were living together at the time might have helped!
  5. Interesting to read about someone else getting shabby treatment from a Lexus dealer. Fortunately mine was not as bad as that extent. I also think that Lexus GB are a waste of space as far as the end customer is concerned. During my "disagreement" with my Lexus dealer I wrote to Lexus detailing events and received what appeared to be a "stock" letter saying they had referred to matter to the dealer for resolution and that I would be contacted by Lexus GB again. It's now some weeks since the "disagreement" over the car was concluded but I'm still waiting for the response from Lexus. It's seems to me that they are no different to other manufacturers - the individual customer is of no importance or interest to them - the only thing that matters is selling as many cars as they can and will take the side of the dealer in a dispute. So much for their much praised "customer service". They would do well to remember the old motto that a satisfied customer tells 1 person but a dissatisfied one will tell 10. That no longer holds true in these days of the internet as it's now very easy to tell several hundred, or more. Good luck with the Volvo. I had no problems with the purchase of mine and owning it was a hassle free pleasure with minimal problems.
  6. Having read the other threads about the gearbox I'm a bit unsure as to whether my (perceived?) problem is the same or not. When changing up from 2nd to 3rd it sometimes goes in cleanly, but sometimes I get a slight bit of resistance or what feels like something "catching". When changing from 4th to 5th I frequently find that the change is "baulked" and will not go in to 5th, unless I slip back to neutral & try again. On 1 or 2 occasions I will have to do this a couple of times. My son-in-law, a BMW senior tech, has given the car a test drive and says that in respect of the 2/3rd change there is a problem with the synchro not meshing cleanly, possibly due to misalignment of the synchro hub. As regards the change to 5th he wondered if it is down to the way I have been changing gear, e.g. holding the gear lever too far over to the right when making the change. Since he made this comment I have been "watching myself" but still get the problem. Has anyone got any thoughts or comments or experienced similar problems? Thanks Boothby
  7. Not at Lexus Leicester you don't. I got a courtesy car and that was it. If someone is having customer bottles of wine away I think I'm going to be asking some questions there. DIdn't get any when I took delivery and definitely not had any when it's gone in for warranty issues. Same garage - I got no mints, no wine, told there wouldn't be a courtesy car - just got the derv. Shame the car was 3/4 full when it went in! Is someone at Leicester pulling a fast one? When I had my 5th injector recall done at Hull recently I was told that the bottle of wine & £40 fuel was courtesy of Lexus. If this is so, then is a claim being made on the warranty account for the fuel & wine and going in to the dealership coffers?
  8. Did they change the Exhaust Gas Recycling valve? That made more difference to mine than anything else. I'm getting a reasonably consistent 41-42 to the gallon despite having a heavy foot most of the time. Still occasionally stutters on start up but that clears quickly (dribbling injector anyone?) and still lacks some proper low end grunt but overall much much better. Monsterped, do you know if it is usual for the egr valve t부o be replaced at the same time as the 5th injector recall is carried out? Mine is going in tomorrow for 30k service & recall to be done and wondering about asking them to do the egr as well. Thanks
  9. As far as I can remember, when I was a copper, (until 1997), it was never an offence to have a number like that on the car doors, although with the pseudo-soviet government we have now anything is possible. The regulations about registration plates were, and probably still are, quite explicit about the size, colour, positioning etc. of the registration plates and the numbers on them. For example the plate should be facing vertically and not on a slope on the front edge of the bonnet, and the spacing between the letters & numbers was specified to the inch. If you can, get hold of copies, (from a library?), of the latest Motor Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations, and the Registration of Motor Vehicles Regulations to see what they might say now. The only way, I imagine, that you might come to grief over numbers on the outside of the vehicle is for them to be likely to be mistaken for the registration number. I don't think a big 33 on the door could possibly be seen in that light. Seems to me that you probably encountered some prat who didn't know what he was on about or was trying to get his numbers up
  10. Insurance companies rely a great deal on customer inertia - a large proportion of people just renew their policy without thinking about it or checking for better deals, so the companies try it on with everyone. One of the many joys of the capitalist economy that we enjoy/suffer :shutit: . Whatever the company or organisation they will all rip you off if they can get away with - especially those corrupt wasters who think they were elected to treat us like sh*t.
  11. I think the point there was that you shouldn't be using petrol at all in your diesel motor. ROFL good one.... A propos the "petrol/diesel" gaffe - well pointed out chaps - force of habit to refer to fuel as petrol rather than diesel - Always had petrol power before & old habits die hard - haven't (YET) put the wrong sort in but I suppose there's always a first time!
  12. Looks to me is if it's likely to be bit more than a double dose. Try loosening the cap - it might release the pressure & allow the level in the measuring chamber to fall
  13. Go to Motosave if you've got one nearby - £9.99 per 500ml against £11.99 at Halfords. Or try another place similar to Halfords if you haven't got access to Motosave
  14. Certainly agree about supermarket petrol - the change for the better has been noticeable in the past when I used "real" fuel. Have got a 250 mile round trip to Wigan today - will be interested to see how the car goes on that. Topped up with 20l at Asda last night & 1 measure of DPS4 Edit - Update - just got back from Wigan - 45.3mpg - via A1 & M62 - mostly about 72/74 mph with cruise & in 6th where possible. DPS4 at Halfords £11.99 or Motosave for £9.99 for 500 ml
  15. I added Power Sport 4 to my car last Friday - 35l in the tank & 2 measures of DSP4 - noticed a difference straight away - BUT that, or at least some of it, may be that the 35l, (to fill teh tank completely), was Esso rather than supermarket fuel which I had used for the previous 2 fills as the DSP4 hasn't really had enough time to have a full effect. The car was a lot more smooth & the lag when pulling away has gone. Also the car seems happier in 4th around the 30mph mark whereas it didn't like it before. On Saturday I had a 200 mile round trip to Manchester Airport, over the Woodhead Pass, & the car returned 43.2mpg. A week or so earlier I had a 120 mile round trip to Leicestershire & got about 38mpg. As I said, it may be down to using real rather than supermarket petrol, which I'll probably use on the next fill to get a better idea.
  16. Hi Parthiban, Yes it is :shutit: Won't go on at great length about it unless you want me to. After going nuclear at the Sales Manager a few days ago I walked out of his office with the parting shot that I would take the matter to Lexus, Company Group HQ & deal with it thro' the sale of goods act. 30 minutes later he rang me at home & accused me of having spoken to him as if he were dirt . He then said he had found 3, (after nearly 3 months of not being able to find one :arrrggg-matey: )! I opted for one at a higher price, subject to inspection etc.. 9 days later I hadn't heard any more so I fire off a 3 page letter to the DP. He said he would get back to me when he had read it, (about 4 days hence). However he rang me the day, (Saturday of the Bank Holiday from the garage) with a story about not being able to get the car until the following Tuesday due to a bereavemnt associated with the seller. Bumped in to the SM on the Wednesday who told me that the car had been sold by the seller's partner :eerrrmm: . That and other things the SM said was enough. I sent the DP another 3 pager saying I wanted my money back in full giving a deadline. That is up tomorrow. I've been in touch with local Trading Standards & updated them & it has been referred to their criminal section in relation to isrepresentation of a motor vehicle under the Trading Standards Act. In the meantime, depending on the response I get tomorrow I'm going to Lexus, probably the relevant company director & a solicitor. Regards Boothby
  17. Latest on this saga. I'm not going to go in to great length about the latest developments as it would probably only be a bit on the boring side. Suffice to say that I haven't had my money back, or a replacement vehicle, despite one "false alarm", when I was told that they had found a car ehich then became unavailable. I was left in the position of them continiuing to look for one but "it might takle some time!. I subesquently sent another 3 pager to the Principal and waiting for his reply, (deadline Monday). In the meantime I have spoken again to my local Trading Standards who advised to take it to a solicitor under the Sale of Goods Act, and the credit card companies involved as they have a liability, the deposit for the car having been paid by credit card. AND the T.S. civil section has also referred it to their criminal section under the Trading Standards Act as a matter of misrepresentation of goods.
  18. Thanks for that Steve. I have completed my letter to the DP, all 3 A4 pages of it. I left a message for the DP on his mobile and he rang me back shortly after. He was out of town, at a 3rd group dealership, (I wonder if he's DP there as well?). I have left my letter on his desk at the none Lexus site in town, at his request, for him to collect when he gets there some time after 1600. May be the ordure will at that point fly out of electrical rotary air cooling appliance? When he rang me he was very amiable etc and during our brief conversation I learnt that he didn't know that I had not yet had my replacement, so nothing has been said to him by the SM. The DP has promised to ring me back on Tuesday, so I will await developments. I will post again in due course for the benefit of those of you who have been good enough to give me your thoughts and advice, and for anyone else who might have a passing interest. Steve, it's an '06 220d SE with MM. The problem all along has been the extensive stone chipping, otherwise it's pretty much as I would expect a car of its age, mileage etc. Thanks again to you all Boothby
  19. Thanks Parthiban, As you say I now agree, with the benefit of hindsight, that I have been far too patient. I'm in the process of drafting a letter to the principal, which if I get it finished, I will deliver to him today if i can get hold of him. I appreciate what you say about meeting him but I feel that if I do that instead of writing I could get sidetracked & not say everything that needs to be said. Once he's got he letter then I'll obviously be more than happy to meet & discuss it further with him. As to giving him a week, my problem is time, in that under the Sale of Goods Act there is a 6 month deadline, which will expire on 20 May. Inside that deadline it is for the retailer to prove what I am saying is incorrect, after that the burden of proof reverts to my having to prove my case, not that that should be too much of a problem. After 30 years in the police I have learnt the importance of making notes at the time, so I have got plenty to hit them with in court should it end up there. Thanks again Boothby Likewise, I don't expect it to end up in court. The DP was pretty reasonable in the first place over offering me a replacement & I imagine that he will not argue etc. too much. Regards Boothby
  20. Thanks for that Steve. I'm not sure that I want another Lexus If I have a refund, much as I love the cars. Another one might be too much of a reminder of the grief & hassle I've had & am continuing to get every time I get in to it. The dealership is part of a fairly large group with 3 or 4 other Lexus garages and I don't think this is normal treatment that they give to a customer. I am wondering if the root of the problem revolves around my being a casual employee, and I maybe I am seen as an insignificant one who just happens to have bought a car, rather than a "conventional" customer. Also there is the fact that the current sales manager was lumbered with a problem which started before he was moved in to replace the previous one who was shifted to another, none-Lexus, dealership in the group. I cannot help but get the feeling that maybe he just wants it all to go away and has little interest in solving things. I certainly don't suspect that higher management are aware of and condone the apparent inaction and disinterest of one individual. Thanks again for your interest Boothby
  21. An Afterthought: Does anyone have any ideas how Lexus would react to this fiasco? Thanks Boothby
  22. Sorry about this being a bit long, but there's a lot I need to get off my chest, and this is quite a good form of therapy to get rid of some of my stress. In mid March I posted "A Sorry Tale Of Woe" about the 220d I bought from the Lexus dealer that I work as a casual driver for. The previous post was left at the point where I had been offered a replacement car & they were looking for another one, and I was considering a 250 SE Auto as a preferred replacement. In late February the DP offered me a refund or a replacement, and I opted for the latter as it would save me having to look for something else. Had I had known then that at the start of May I would still not have the replacement I would have "bitten his hand off" for the refund. Since February the Sales Manager has never contacted, or voluntarily spoken to me about (lack of) progress on the matter, even when I have been in to the garage in connection with collecting or delivering a car for him. It has always been me that has had to bring the subject up. The only times he has contacted me was the day after the original offer to say that he hadn't found one and that he would keep looking, and one day in mid March I had a call from him to make me "the offer of a lifetime"; a new car for an additional £9,900!!!! I turned it down - To me that had the hint of a trade-in more than a replacement. Later, I had to tell him that my flexibility extended to £200 or so either way. Whenever I have spoken to him he has always said that he is still looking and gave his reasons for not finding one as there being none at the right price or mileage, or on one occasion because they were in worse condition than mine, and so on. He said originally that he had been told that I wanted one the same as what I already had, whereupon I said that my answer to the DP when he asked what spec replacement I wanted was that I would accept anything as long as it wasn't black or cadoxton. As I said, I kept getting the "can't find one, still looking" response, so I kept widening the parameters to give him a better chance. This included saying I was flexible on the price, (hence the new one for an extra £10k opportunism?), multi media not being critical, the preference for the 250 SE etc. I eventually had to tell him not to bother about MM, I would have a car without, nice toy as it is, it isn't that important to me. On one occasion I told him that I was keeping an eye on the Lexus website and as an example quoted a Nov 05 55 plate 250 for about the right price. When I broached the subject of the 250 he did say it would be better for my needs and would widen the options for him. And so it has gone on. I last asked him if he had found a replacement in Mid April and the answer was still the same. Things came to a head over the weekend of 19/20 April when I made a list of what 250 SE Autos were advertised on the Lexus site, within a radius of 130 miles and were, in my eyes, worthy of consideration based on age & price. I never got round to looking at 220d models, but I am sure I would have found some! The following Monday I went in to the dealership to see him about this list but he said he was busy, which was probably true as one of the company directors was there with some one else who was probably also from head-office. The Sales Manager said he would ring me in the afternoon. Come Wednesday morning He still hadn't rung, so I went up there with my list of 19 cars, not in the best of moods. He was in his office with one of the salesmen and kept me waiting for some minutes, but couldn't have mistaken my mood from the expression on my face & my body language. When I did get to him I reminded him that he had said he would ring me on Monday afternoon & had not done so. He apologised & said he had forgotten! At this point the frustration of it all boiled up & I went nuclear. I told him about the list of 19 and his explanation was that dealers would not always release advertised cars within the trade, which I accept. I gave him little chance to say more, and told him that he needed to contact the DP as I was taking the matter to head office, Lexus GB and I would have it dealt with under the Sale Of Goods Act and walked. An hour or so later he rang me at home. He started by accusing me of having spoken to him as if he were dirt. (My wife does say that I can be very harsh & cruel!). Anyway, that was just his perception, I certainly didn't mean it that way. He then went on to say that he had found 3 cars, a black one, (despite my having said all along that I didn't want black), a sports model & a "silver one" with grey leather, but it didn't have MM. I said that would be o.k., but he then went on about it being an '07 with lower mileage and that it would cost £1500 on top, as a 250 is more expensive car that the 220, and that if he put both up for sale side by side then the difference in price would be about £3.5k. How come he could find 3 in an hour or so, when he hadn't been able to find one for over 2month? When he came down to an extra £1200 I said o.k., as I am wanting this over & done with but it is outside my parameters. I said that this agreement was subject to my looking at it etc to check that it was o.k. He said I would be able to look at it when it had been collected. He didn't say anything about looking at it after it had been prepped. That was 8 days ago, and he's not been in touch! Now I know, from personal experience, that when he buys a car in from elsewhere he, quite rightly, wants it in straight away, prepped & out on the pitch for sale. Why haven't I had a call to say he's got it & will ring me when it's been prepped, or to say that it's no good, or that the other dealer had changed had changed their mind? Today, I have been ringing solicitors to see about the matter & will be having an appointment next week, all being well. The only drawback here is the possible expense of going that way, but I most definitely will if necessary. If I do I will most definitely want my legal expenses covered if possible. I am pretty sure that the DP is not aware of the situation, as he never brought up the subject of my replacement when I had to give him a lift. I didn't bring it up with him as I felt it would be unfair on the sales manager to go behind his back and over his head, but may be I should have. The DP, I think was very reasonable about offering me a refund or replacement with virtually no quibble. So I may, before I hit the red button with the solicitor, write to the DP & let him know about my trials & tribulations; If I contact head office, Lexus, etc. first it will probably be like firing an Exocet at him, and that I think is, again, unfair. One final note, guess who hasn't had a phone call from the sales department asking me to collect or deliver a car in the last 8 days? Thanks for your patience and tenacity for getting to the end.
  23. Hardly fits in with the desire to get more people to replace their cars at the three year point thereby cutting down on dirty old engines being run into the ground does it. Fact is more people will run them for longer and the poor sods who bought Chelsea tractors and fuel thirsty cars will be keeping them a lot longer as they won't be willing to take the drastic reduction in value their vehicles have now incurred. Interesting front page on yesterday's Telegraph - part of which reads: "The research, by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), shows that tax on 88 per cent of models will rise and only nine per cent of vehicles will benefit from the new system. Popular family cars are the biggest losers. Mr Darling is accused of misleading motorists, as he said the changes were ostensibly to target "gas-guzzlers". The Budget states: "As a result of these reforms, the majority of motorists will be better or no worse off in 2009." But the analysis shows family car drivers suffer more than those with luxury vehicles.For example, the tax on a Vauxhall Astra 2.0i 16v or Saab 9-3 MY2008 will more than double from £210 to £430. The owner of a Ford Focus 1.6 Duratec will pay 59 per cent more (£170 to £270), and tax on a Citroen Xsara Picasso will rise by 48 per cent to £310. In contrast, over the past five years the duty on these vehicles rose only 30 per cent. The research, by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), shows that tax on 88 per cent of models will rise and only nine per cent of vehicles will benefit from the new system. Popular family cars are the biggest losers. Mr Darling is accused of misleading motorists, as he said the changes were ostensibly to target "gas-guzzlers". The Budget states: "As a result of these reforms, the majority of motorists will be better or no worse off in 2009." But the analysis shows family car drivers suffer more than those with luxury vehicles.For example, the tax on a Vauxhall Astra 2.0i 16v or Saab 9-3 MY2008 will more than double from £210 to £430. The owner of a Ford Focus 1.6 Duratec will pay 59 per cent more (£170 to £270), and tax on a Citroen Xsara Picasso will rise by 48 per cent to £310. In contrast, over the past five years the duty on these vehicles rose only 30 per cent. Even drivers of Nissan Micras face a 24 per cent rise - from £145 to £180 - compared to 16 per cent over the past five years. But the tax on a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Hummer H3 or Porsche Cayenne GTS - compared to 16 per cent over the past five years. But the tax on a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Hummer H3 or Porsche Cayenne GTS will rise by only 13.75 per cent, from £400 to £455." The best that can be said about these changes are that they are the end-product of gross incompetence; the worst? - Think of your own opinion & then multiply it by 10 to get mine. I don't feel any need to add anything about my attitude towards politicians :tsktsk: :megaangry: . are you still sure about the 250,i mean the way government is taxing co2 my main concern about the 250 is depreciation. Not 100% decided yet, but the depreciation, even now, can't be much worse than on the S60. I reckon that the tax on the auto 250 will be £300/310 - too much but not as bad as it could be - the S60 would have been the same. All in all I'll have a better, newer car for roughly comparable running costs. I kept the Volvo for 5 years & am likely to keep whatever I replace the 220d for at least another 5, (by then I'll probably be too old to drive), unless the pseudo communists get back in & wop the tax up to £1k
  24. Hardly fits in with the desire to get more people to replace their cars at the three year point thereby cutting down on dirty old engines being run into the ground does it. Fact is more people will run them for longer and the poor sods who bought Chelsea tractors and fuel thirsty cars will be keeping them a lot longer as they won't be willing to take the drastic reduction in value their vehicles have now incurred. Interesting front page on yesterday's Telegraph - part of which reads: "The research, by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), shows that tax on 88 per cent of models will rise and only nine per cent of vehicles will benefit from the new system. Popular family cars are the biggest losers. Mr Darling is accused of misleading motorists, as he said the changes were ostensibly to target "gas-guzzlers". The Budget states: "As a result of these reforms, the majority of motorists will be better or no worse off in 2009." But the analysis shows family car drivers suffer more than those with luxury vehicles.For example, the tax on a Vauxhall Astra 2.0i 16v or Saab 9-3 MY2008 will more than double from £210 to £430. The owner of a Ford Focus 1.6 Duratec will pay 59 per cent more (£170 to £270), and tax on a Citroen Xsara Picasso will rise by 48 per cent to £310. In contrast, over the past five years the duty on these vehicles rose only 30 per cent. The research, by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA), shows that tax on 88 per cent of models will rise and only nine per cent of vehicles will benefit from the new system. Popular family cars are the biggest losers. Mr Darling is accused of misleading motorists, as he said the changes were ostensibly to target "gas-guzzlers". The Budget states: "As a result of these reforms, the majority of motorists will be better or no worse off in 2009." But the analysis shows family car drivers suffer more than those with luxury vehicles.For example, the tax on a Vauxhall Astra 2.0i 16v or Saab 9-3 MY2008 will more than double from £210 to £430. The owner of a Ford Focus 1.6 Duratec will pay 59 per cent more (£170 to £270), and tax on a Citroen Xsara Picasso will rise by 48 per cent to £310. In contrast, over the past five years the duty on these vehicles rose only 30 per cent. Even drivers of Nissan Micras face a 24 per cent rise - from £145 to £180 - compared to 16 per cent over the past five years. But the tax on a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Hummer H3 or Porsche Cayenne GTS - compared to 16 per cent over the past five years. But the tax on a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Hummer H3 or Porsche Cayenne GTS will rise by only 13.75 per cent, from £400 to £455." The best that can be said about these changes are that they are the end-product of gross incompetence; the worst? - Think of your own opinion & then multiply it by 10 to get mine. I don't feel any need to add anything about my attitude towards politicians :tsktsk: :megaangry: .
  25. Hardly fits in with the desire to get more people to replace their cars at the three year point thereby cutting down on dirty old engines being run into the ground does it. Fact is more people will run them for longer and the poor sods who bought Chelsea tractors and fuel thirsty cars will be keeping them a lot longer as they won't be willing to take the drastic reduction in value their vehicles have now incurred.
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