rayaans

Insurance is about the same. Service costs for hybrids are cheaper however

I have heard that tyres can make a huge difference but I still find it ridiculous that so much emphasis should be on tyres when better sound proofing could have been more consistent,Maybe I drove a ropey one but to be honest it also felt cheaper and more plasticky and it had this strange device called a key which apparently I had to insert and turn, just crazy. I'm going to wait until I can afford the latest shape. Carl To be fair, that model has been around since 2003 so it isnt exactly new. Hence the key. The new ones are much better, I assure you

If you mean for the wheel paint, dont try sticking any kind of touch up on it. Its unbelievably difficult to get right. Even Lexus themselves wont be able to match it perfectly. They usually paint all the wheels the same colour

Thanks Stuart! Let depreciation take its toll and when I fancy a new one, you can take it off my hands.

Its a fact that acidic products CAUSE corrosion and bubbling in alloy wheels. Hence, why the products always say "do not apply to wheels with scratches". I had mine for 8 years. No corrosion whatsoever. Oh right ok then, so you think your car would be perfectly fine if it had bird poo on the paint for 3 months do you?

Yep, mine has sport mode being a 2012 F Sport. Feels so much better with it on, dont really know what Id do without it.

Great in depth review. I found the ride in the IS300h to be softer than BMW's of all series. TBH im not a fan of the "v8" sound either, turned it straight off, so much better without it. Of course the seats are all subjective. Personally, I thought the IS300h has the best seats in its class and im 6ft, big build.

Not really, owned an RX, second generation and currently on the third generation and driven a GS. Both are MUCH quieter and luxurious than the previous gen IS which has now become VERY VERY good indeed. Things like the tyres need to be put into perspective, as well as the road that it is being driven on. Even a slight opening in the window could have lead to an increase in the wind noise. For example, if your car is running on a tyre which is rated at 65db, an RX riding on tyres with a 72db rating is going to make a huge difference. Personally, I dont think there is a car on the road which is as smooth as the Lexus hybrids not including the CT.

I find it difficult to believe that a Lexus is harder than a BMW. Nevertheless, check that you arent running on RUN FLAT tyres. They have a hard ride and definitely need to be changed. Also, check the suspension and see if its been changed. Apart from that, not much you can do apart from reduce the tyre pressure

I believe the base RX300 has fabric seats and is pretty much basic. SE spec adds sunroof, power boot, memory seats, auto wipers, illuminated entry and other things. Se-L adds the Mark Levinson audio and the DVD players in the back and Sat Nav

The 2011 facelift does not have sport mode I believe. This is only available on the 2013 MY. Are you referring to the s - shift mode?

I believe that the older models did have this problem, however, it was actually rectified in the newer model years. However, I still dont believe that it is the finish of the wheels that is defective, but the products used on the wheel. Acidic wheel cleaners get into cracks in the paint and bubble them up. No finish, be it Bentley or Nissan would be able to cope when the car is not washed for 3 months.

That is a pricy vehicle. I sold mine to Lexus Stockport exactly a year ago for £5500. It was an Astral Black/Beige RX300 SE with only 55k miles on the clock and Id had it since new. Also wheel corrosion is not a Lexus problem. Its a maintenance problem. Someones been using acidic wheel cleaner too often. Mine was 8 years old with no corrosion and no marks at all and the wheels had never been repaired. If its been looked after properly, there will be absolutely no corrosion whatsoever.

I`ve had the same problem in my GS450h.So,we have to be extra careful, perhaps by flashing headlights, (humans react well to such things even if the light is behind them),keeping lights on , by lowering the windows and turning up the volume on the radio and by reversing into parking places and driving out of them so as to maximise our view of pedestrians etc. Just some suggestions that I hope drivers find to be helpful, but I am sure that there are other steps that can be taken. Regards John Same with the RX450H too. People cant tell when the car is behind them and they're merrily walking across without looking behind them. Ive resorted to using the horn now - helps when im in a hurry.

Mines from stockport. They have a metallic black is300h i think

Thanks for the concern - Locally our roads are often sprayed tar and granite chipped over time as the will to wash and polish declines a significant build up can arise particularly on the near side wing behind the wheel and along the sill. Also stone chips as well, Tar remover just doesn't work some times. Spray tar and chip is a blight. I only T cut or T cut wax on stubborn tar spots, scratches and any bloom, I did say "T cut for stubborn tar spots later as car gets older." Accent on the older. I have no association with it but there are some modern style products about, also you can use the original cut with 3 part polish it is mild, in both cases it is an infrequent use product. I have yet to go through the lacquer or the paint. Tcut is awful. If youre looking for a strong tar remover try autosmart tardis. Literally melts the stuff off. Really really good but just dont get it on plastics or it melts them too. Best thing to do is use a cloth to wipe it on the whole panel and the tar WILL melt.

well atleast Lexus is working on it unlike Audi who seem to blame damn MMI crashes on me scrolling through too fast :/

holy hell, dont use t cut! its like the most abrasive thing ever! tar spots need to be taken off with a tar remover. Youll be going through the paint with t cut in 2-3 applications

Looks like my wife will be in for a treat then, seen as though she has a C220 CDI right now!

Looks very nice! I saw one. The solid black has a shine which is unbeatable when its clean. Make sure you get it protected properly with a hard coating, otherwise the stone chips will kill you if youre anything like me.

Theyre both sealants so no, either apply one or the other. Not a lot is used and I would say you could do 1 car with the 30ml bottle. Only 3 dabs is needed for one panel as it goes a long way. However, I would say that Wolfs Hard Body is really good and in reality, theres not much point in trying the c1. I only tried it to see if it was any good and yes it is better than hard body but its bloody expensive too. In the end, you wont go very wrong with both of these products.

No wax will prevent stone chipping. Only a good ceramic sealant will do that as it becomes very hard when it sets. Wolfs hard body and gtechniq c1(the absolute best ever product IMHO) are both sealants which become very hard and hence prevent minor stone chips and marring.

Great news! Firstly, although autoglym hi definition wax is a good wax, albeit expensive for what it actually is, it wont protect your car from stone chips and marks which is what you seem to be most concerned about. I would personally recommend WOLFS HARD BODY. It does help in stopping mild stone chips and scratches. You can find it here http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/sealants/wolf-chemicals-hard-body-nano-sealant/prod_1083.html Its £30 but lasts about a year in my experience. However the best product is by far in my book is definitely gtechniq c1. This is a very very good product and can be found here http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=1254 Its expensive, no doubt, but it is worth it in terms of protection. BTW please DONT apply the supaguard protection. It lasts about 2 weeks and the dealers make a mess of the paint by applying it. Im sure they charge about £200 for application but you can get the supaguard products off ebay for £30. I personally ask the dealers not to add any protection at all and do it myself in order to get the best finish as well as the swirls that dealers tend to put on as they are ALWAYS in a rush!

I think the best in terms of protection is probably a ceramic coating on the car. Lasts for ages and its rock hard. The expensive ones even make sure keys cant penetrate them. Believe it or not, there are even some clear bra solutions which will not key. They are very expensive and are actually more expensive than a respray and a full detail combined. Another point to consider is to make sure you regularly wax the vehicle after getting it. White turns cream, red turns pink and blue and green become dull. Happens with all colours eventually but a good cheap waxes such as Meguiars #16 or collinite 476 last for about 3 months easily. FK1000p is easier to use than collinite or meguiars and really lasts for about 5 months without much extra cost on the other two.

The F Sport RX does feel different to the other ones. The others feel slightly mushy and dont handle as well. For me, its the right balance between comfort and handling however, some people tend to think its too firm. At the moment, i have pirelli scorpion verde all seasons on. Took the dunlops off straight away as they were too hard.