04AAA

according to this reply http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=68793&view=findpost&p=731138 every November so a suitable Xmas gift

surprised if the cylinder is broken. I would guess something more to do with the electronic lock as when the auto box is not in P. I also would guess that changing the barrel would mean at least re-programming keys if not ECU.

Treat the mileage records with a pinch of salt. Mine had numerous discrepancies none of which were correct and included an entry for 2K miles entered by DVLA ! It appears that if someone puts in a check and gives the mileage as a best guess or a blinder it is simply recorded no questions asked. The online hpi service through the AA also allows you to make an error in entereing the data in the form *I did it, left a zero off) and this also is then an indelible entry. But the VIN etc is a useful check.

Traders policies require that you display the trade plates. They also require that the V5 documentation for the vehicle has been completed by the previous keeper and submitted to DVLA. This means that any misdemeanor carried out by the driver (parking, congestion charge, speeding, stc) or accident is still correctly attributable to the current trader and not the previous owner. Finally "Trader Insurance" is generally higher as it has to cover potentially all vehicles from a Frod Ka to a Ferrari. Once again you would not be accumulating that vital clean insurance history.

Actually not quite true, if the woman is under 25 you will find that the policy cost increases. For some reason women under 25 are deemed to be a liability. Now if that woman is your mother it could be seen as lowering the risk :D If you were 17 when you took out the policy, your mother would have been 8 years old when she gave birth. Am I missing something? Probably. The quote was referring to THAT woman being added not to the 25yr old :duh: So you being 20 your mother is going to at last 36 (probably) so having a mature female adult on the ticket usually means that you are going to be more careful. ... though from the way I have seen some 35 yr old females drive ... perhaps not.

The timescale, rather oddly, is irrelevant in terms of a "lifetime" as the part in this case the brake pads and discs wear according to use which is a combination of the number of miles driven and the frequency and speeds used. The manufacturer of the brakes would have a good idea of the extremes for this. So if the manufacturer says for example 20K miles normal wear but only 10K aggressive driving and you have only done 5K, then I would say you have a good case. But if you have done 15K then proving you are not an aggressive driver would be near impossible and if you have done 25K then forget it. As always read the small print as most of these "warranties/guarantees" tend not to be worth the paper they are printed on. Of course there are other factors that might be in play such as poor fitting in the first place, dirt between pads and plate causing scoring, and possibly a host of other things.

Thanks, so probably one for the Xmas list :D

Hi and welcome. I'm also new and have come to the same conclusion - It doesn't even list my street which has been around for 20 years! But I'm told that it is easy to upgrade by purchasing a new disk from Lexus. I think the current one is 2009-10 and I have no idea if it does postcodes (a bit useless if not). I wonder when the 2010-11 version will be out? Still enjoy the ride for now.

Actually not quite true, if the woman is under 25 you will find that the policy cost increases. For some reason women under 25 are deemed to be a liability. Now if that woman is your mother it could be seen as lowering the risk :D

I can tell you that just the fact that you are paying for the cover (and not your dad) is a strong indicator to the Insurance company investigative team that you are not the main driver. It is not a case of most miles or most time it is a case of principle "main" driver. If you use the car to commute to work (for example) and your dad has another car in his name and uses that car as his "main" car the insurance company will have a strong case to refuse to pay up in the event of a claim. Also things like different addresses and if the car is registered in your name are all pointers to who is the "main" driver. It is not so much a case of Fraud or of you driving while being uninsured, until you actually make a claim (or more importantly, someone makes a claim on you) The insurance company would then say that your insurance was invalid and therefore you would have been driving without insurance at the time. The investigative teams of the insurance companies are becoming more concerned about this ruse and are starting to use more sophisticated systems to combat it. Finally, while your father is the "main" driver you are not building up any NC history of your own. As to getting a lower quote well the best I can offer is to use a broker. Oh, and don't forget that almost every request for a quote will produce an entry on your credit report. There will already be a flag on your report for missing that payment. It is a long time since I was a driver with less than one year's experience but even in those days the best way to get low insurance bills was to drive a cheap low powered car, but even then the insurance was the biggest cost.

I wonder if that statement can be offered in defense of a charge of "failed to stop"

Grief an 8+ year old car with 40K miles ... is that what they call "one careful lady owner"

I wonder who has the cheapest cover? Only £270* FC on an IS300SCNav .. I guess not being 20 (that was a long time ago), having 10+ year's no claims (a bit difficult when you're 20) and a 'so called' advanced driver does help. * with MoreThan Of course there are other significant factors - the car's not brand new - no performance mods - not used for boy racing :)

with such damage I would be seriously concerned about other damage to the steering/suspendion - just bolting on a new wheel will not fix such things and I wouldn't want a wheel to give way under high speed or sharp braking.

Not really, but thanks all the same - that was the POOR range I referred to. They don't even cover the full Toyota range of colours let alone Lexus. I also had one for my previous car and it dried up between use so is really only cheap if you are fixing a lot of chips at once - like before selling it. Guess it will have to be a trip to the dealership. Sounds like the OP's blistering is far more serious than a common chip.

Hi and welcome to LUC As you can see I'm also new to Lexus and happy owner of a 04 IS300 Sports Cross. I also have two small paint chips (popped blisters?) on the tailgate handle. Other than about half a dozen similar chips on the bonnet the body is in super condition and mine has only done 63K. TBH I really think we are expecting a lot to find a car with no marks at all given the mileage on the potholed and stone chip surfaces these days. Just a pity Halfords doesn't do a chip repair kit for Lexus :( Unless the bubbles look as if they are spreading I wouldn't worry or find a close colour match to clean and repair it. What colour is yours?

Fortunately you do receive some training unlike the majority of almost inexperienced drivers who find themselves behind the wheel of a powerful car. The journey from the rather pathetic driving lessons and test to a fast and powerful car is often far too short. How many of us have experienced driving in pouring rain, snow, the dark, fog, narrow country lanes, motorway traffic without any tuition whatsoever? Yet we can pass the test and be let loose the next day in a car capable of twice the highest speed limit in any of these conditions. Add to that mix the youthful bravado, adrenalin rush (if not something more potent) and you get the inevitable tree wrapper or worse.

http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/video:-i-675-crash-caught-on-tape was he just setting his satnav ?

double post :mat:

That is not true though. Eating, smoking, changing gear, pressing one button on your radio/cd changer, raising/lowering the window DO all take your hand from the wheel but the thought process is minimal and hardly impairs concentration. Most competent drivers making such actions do not even take their eyes off the road and their awareness of their driving situation, the action is virtually reflexive. However, keying information into a satnav, mobile phone, etc not only involves a visual distraction from the road but also requires a significant distraction of thought. Whilst working out how to operate such gadgets and which data to enter your mind is not concentrating on keeping the car and its occupants safe. Also at speed, the distance covered during this distraction is not only considerable but the time and distance available to make any correction (swerve, brake) is much shorter. I believe also there is some evidence to suggest that the recovery of focused concentration required to re-establish control in an emergency situation is considerably reduced where the distraction has involve some other thought process.

This would almost certainly get nowhere in court and the cctv is extremely unlikely to show something that is happening inside the car at the level of the switches - though may well show you have one hand off the wheel. Personally I think it is simply stupid to drive while concentrating on entering addresses or other information into the satnav/phone/x-device. When you take your mind off the road at ANY speed you may soon find you have lost control of the car and ended up in a ditch, hitting a tree or other unforgiving object or worse still hitting a pedestrian or cyclist. But I too don't understand the reason for the lock as it would also stop the passenger making changes. Though the answer is simple - pull over, stop, make the changes and then get back to enjoying driving your Lexus.

This is interesting. I was aware of this potential issue when I purchased my IS300 and gave the tyres a close inspection, 4 of them anyway. ;) The two fronts looked nearly new, so maybe hiding a problem the off-side rear looked even wear but the nearside rear did have slightly uneven wear. It is obviously a problem I need to keep an eye on. How rapidly does it develop, what sort of mileage? Also I don't understand why there is only one location in the country capable of performing the "full geo" this is inconvenient for those of us too far away to make use of WIM.

Sure. But that is such a clumsy and cluttered site. All that it offers is an online form but still the same £20 fee. If a site cannot show me what the benefit is for me of paying a fee it looks just like a scam and yet another database of personal information. Perhaps it is just me, me being highly suspicious of personal data collection, but any company that fails to clearly state its aims and benefit for me within the first page/10 seconds will just be ignored.

My new Lexus is so quiet that even the smallest of things can cause a rattle. I found this culprit in the boot tray probably left there by the previous owner. It is a small (3.5cm) bit of plastic that appears to match the trim colour. I've had a look around but nothing appears to be missing. Before I just throw it away as a spurious item - any ideas?

No problem with that - I'm only here to be impressed by and soak up or take advantage of that knowledge. Thanks.