Ala Larj

Slightly off subject but I think we’ve become a bit blasé about how the reliability/quality has changed over the years. I’ve had many cars since the 1970’s of varying costs from my favourite cheapie (a 1300 Vanden Plas) top spec Volvos. However, in my early motoring days, regardless of cost they all needed ‘regular’ maintenance be it tappet or point adjustments. Perceived quality was what mattered. The expensive cars I had broke down as much as the cheap ones despite the leather and wood! The cheapest Dacia today is probably more reliable than the best ‘quality’ car I had before my Lexus experience. Regardless of all that my thoughts about quality have less to do about reliability but more to do with how I feel when I’m sitting in and driving my car. Our second car is a 12 year old Honda Jazz which has never let us down and is perfect for its intended role, but I’ve never loved it like my GS. The ‘quality’ of interior materials and comfort are worlds apart. I felt the interior of my IS mk 2 superior in quality than the IS mk 3 but I guess that’s subjective. My point being is that most cars nowadays are a massive improvement from those of the past and our expectations have become over expected! Am sure this has opened a can of worms and am looking forward to certain members thoughts!

Sorry to be a bit naive but I’ve no knowledge of electrics. My understanding from this thread is that the battery in a hybrid is not as powerful as a normal battery. I get confused about volts and amps. It appears that I have a battery of 12v but less amps. If I were to replace my battery with one with more amps would that solve the problem of having to start the car once a week to keep it topped up?

Thanks. That’s really helpful.

Nantucket Sleighride

Do I need to remove the battery from the car to charge it? Sorry but I’m a bit naive. I remember my dad charging his battery in the house! i have a small charger that came with my lawn tractor. Would that work?

The reason I asked was because a few weeks back, having not used the car for about three weeks, the battery was flat. I then jump started it and ran it for an hour. Since then I’ve tried to run it for an hour on a weekly basis. However, I slipped this week and it was nine days before I could do my weekly ritual. Unfortunately the battery was flat! I thought about it and assumed that the weekly hourly ritual was ineffective because the battery had not become fully charged. I don’t have a dedicated charger but assumed that once the battery was fully charged the weekly top up would be sufficient. i do however think it’s a bad desire. Many folk go on holiday for two to three weeks and should expect their car to start after such a short time!

Although the handbook suggests running the car in ready mode for an hour once a week to keep the battery topped up, how long should it be run to fully change the battery when it’s completely flat?

With respect to these jump start packs how do they work? According to the manual, when jump starting I need to keep the donor vehicle running for five minutes at slightly higher than tickover revs before starting my car. Does that mean I need to keep the pack attached for five minutes before I try to start? In the good old days before hybrid I could start my car straight away after attaching jump leads. During these lockdown days I’ve been running my car for 30 minutes every week but have still experienced a flat battery! Is my battery on its way out or do I have a voltage leak somewhere? If so, what’s the most obvious cause?

Thanks. Had a little jiggle of the jump leads and all’s well now. Guess was just a dodgy connection. Was in a bit of a rush as it’s snowing quite heavily!

Have just tried to jump start my GS300h but am not getting any power to be able to start the on board computers to start the engine. Any idea what the problem could be? thanks

A good driver should never find themselves losing either front or rear traction in either a fwd or rwd car as they would be driving at a speed suitable for both road and weather conditions!

Thanks, I give that a go. It seems that the preparation before applying the dye and the application of protection afterwards is the key.

Happy new year! Have problems with our leather sofa. It looks like the surface is coming off . I’ve tried various dyes and colourants but they just end up rubbing off. Does anyone on here know how I can repair this or recommend suitable products? Thanks for any help.

Am surprised that the dealer wouldn't take it as part exchange. I've 'sold' some dogs to dealers and have never been refused. They may not have offered much but they shift them through the auctions. The mot history says a lot. Shame to say this but maybe time to say the final goodbye!

Sounds more like a dealer trying to get a discount than a clunk!

I was originally looking for an is300h to replace my is 220d. Took a gs300h for a test drive after trying the is300h. Bought the GS! Is so much better in many ways except maybe 'sporty driving'. The gs is not a barge by any means. It is a comfortable luxury saloon. However, if you can get a premier with adaptive suspension it is certainly no slouch on winding b roads. My boy racer days are well and truly over and I appreciate comfort and relaxation whilst driving which the GS gives in spades. It all depends on what you want out of your driving experience as to whether the is or gs is preferable. The GS is more of a downgraded LS wheares the IS is an upgraded CT!

Purp!

Does this also happen when the battery goes flat or only after disconnecting?

Field

I don't have that on mine. All I can do is put the right hand screen to the left. Cannot expand the map screen. Maybe yours is an updated version.

How did you do this? I can only get navigation on the left hand screen. Mine is a 2014 my.

Boris

Thanks for all your advice. Hopefully it won't happen again. Think it may be worth taking it for a spin to stop brakes seizing or tyres flat spotting. Also a good excuse for a pleasant drive!

That's interesting about every two months. However, mine went flat in three weeks!

Have been thinking about this. Does the 60 mins need to be done in one go or could it be spread over a couple of days or so?