johnatg

I'd guess that the original problem was caused by interference which has gone away so your fob worked anyway - eg some equipment has been switched off. Hopefully where you're parked now is not going to suffer from interference. Worth remembering that this can happen though. Anyone got any tips for overcoming such interference if you need to?

Just a heads up on the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 - I bought two a couple of weeks ago from Black Circles. Whilst searching I noticed on the Goodyear web site https://www.goodyear.eu/en_gb/consumer/tires/eagle_f1_asymmetric5.EAGF1AS5.html that they are now Run Flat. Don't know if all F1 A5s are or if that is an option. Anyway there was a few days delay in them arriving and when I had them fitted I noticed that they were quite old - made week 27 2020 and this was in May 21. They are not run flat. Also they are no longer listed on the web site as being available in my size 235/45 R 18 - the only people who had them in stock was Black Circles. Run Flats have advantages and disadvantages - be aware of what you are getting. I had them fitted at Black Circles Pit Stop (Tesco service station Handforth) - brilliant! Very small place - two bays, two fully equipped tiny workshops, appointed time, no waiting - took 20 minutes. No hanging around with a queue discussing prices, MoTs, tyre problems etc. All they do is fit tyres you've ordered from Black Circles at the appointed time. They have a rack to hold a few tyres but no stock.

I'm afraid I don't think you'll get anywhere. When I got my car (Lexus used approved) from Lexus Stoke they did an MoT that day (they'd forgotten to do it during pre-sale prep! - it had an MoT certificate but they advertise at least 9 months and it only had 2 to go) and it had two tyre advisories - nearside rear worn close to legal limit and nearside front tread breaking up. I complained to them and to Lexus UK - they both said they only replace tyres if they are down to 1.6mm tread. I was not a happy bunny. Tyre wall cracks are a bit subjective - if they are not deep the tyres are probably legal. Whether you want to drive on them is another matter.

I assume you've tried new batteries in the fobs?

I have a gs300h Premier with AVS and 18" wheels. It has 4 modes - eco, normal. sport and sport+. AVS switches in on sport+. It just makes the ride stiffer / harder and the steering heavier. I rarely use it - it is largely a waste of time unless you really want to hustle along country roads - and who wants to do that - it does not suit the character of the gs300h. And don't get bigger wheels than 18"-the ride will just get harder and more crashy. But the car overall is brilliant if you want a luxury saloon with perfectly adequate performance for today's road conditions . BTW my other car is a supercharged and highly modified MX-5 - so I don't always drive like the old codger I am.

Well, that certainly looks like a failed head gasket. It can't be too bad yet if it takes a while to lose that much pressure - perhaps it's worth trying Bar's Leaks Head Seal Blown Head Gasket repair. Might at least put things on a bit - or delay doing a proper head gaskets job.

You need to reset the windows. Drive each window up and down with its own switch (ie in its own door). Pause for a few seconds at the down point. Then they will all work from the drivers door panel.

About 45 mins. You do need to book. Call on 01606 212326. Directions on the web site https://www.blinkmotorsport.com/ On both occasions I've been there they quickly dropped what they were doing and put my car on the rig.

I took mine to Blink Motorsport in Winsford. Spot-on alignment job - they use a Hunter Hawkeye system. Just recently had my MX-5 aligned there - also a spot on job.

The screen is bonded but there does appear to be a strip of rubber between the screen and roof, but quite below the glass. It looks just like yours. Do you have an original screen? Mine has a shade strip but I think no marking - the side windows are marked Lexus.

Isn't the front styling on all specs the same after the face lift - 2016?. My GS300h Premier has adaptive suspension - not sure about the steering - certainly in Sport+ the suspension is a lot stiffer (bordering on uncomfortably so) and the steering is heavier - but you don't seem to get any better feedback - maybe the ratio is a bit quicker but frankly I rarely bother with Sport+ I wonder if anyone would miss rear wheel steering - it seems to come and go on top line Japanese saloons - some have it for a while then it gets dropped only to reappear - but at the mo it's mostly dropped.

Is the F-Sport spec really important? It's just a bit of different trim, bigger wheels, different colour range. Not much to see there. I started off looking for a F-Sport but settled on a Premier (and for 2014 the front end styling was a bit different, but it wasn't from 2016 on). Take a peek at some different specs - it'll be easier to find a car you'll like!

Earlier hybrid catalytic converters used a higher precious metal content (Rhodium and Palladium) than non-hybrid ICE cars so are a target for theft. Later ones (eg GS gen4) have less Rhodium and are less valuable - but I don't know if the thieves know that! Cat theft started hitting the headlines when Rhodium cost about $10K per ounce - it's $29K today! The primary cat (GS300h) or cats (GS450h) is/are incorporated in the manifold and is pretty much impossible to remove on a driveway or car park - it's the secondary cats that are the target on the GS. You can get various locks and protection plates - they are advertised on eBay - the cost is north of £200.

The 7th gen ES uses a Lithium ion battery instead of the NiMH one in the GS. It frees up some boot space as the battery is 119mm lower depth than the GS battery. (The 7th gen is the first ES to be sold in Europe and has replaced the GS - the 1st gen ES debuted in 1989)

You definitely don't need to code the battery to the car. It's stop/start cars that need this doing.

I can understand Linas's frustration with insurance companies, but really, you can't get away with things which are simply untrue. Apart from Sergio's point re other countries, let's take 'they pay 0 taxes'. The accounts of public insurance companies are available for all to see - eg in 2019 Aviva paid £378M in Corporation tax. LV is owned by Allianz (basically a German company) and their corporate structure is extremely complex but they certainly pay a lot of tax in a lot of countries - too much to quote here. I expect those two cover quite a lot of people here but similar is the case for other insurance companies. Tax rates are set by the Government and are based on profits. Insurance companies do not claim to make no profits - just read the annual reports. Insurance companies are not the only ones who decide who can drive - (the courts have quite a say) - they might charge a lot for some people but insurance costs are based on statistics. They show that particular people in particular cars are more or less likely to incur accidents than others and insurance costs are set accordingly - it's perfectly reasonable that a 50 year old experienced driver in a Seat Mii should pay a lot less than a 24 year old in a modified BMW. Insurance costs are so high because people crash cars and sometimes they do a lot of damage or cause devastating injuries where the courts award enormous compensation to pay for the ongoing care needed for victims. Someone has to pay. And in some areas of the country there are a lot of scroats about stealing cars and causing damage - that's why it costs a lot to insure a car in London or Manchester but a lot less than in Devon or wherever. It is perfectly reasonable for insurance costs to be based on statistics - a driver's history and the history of drivers in a similar circumstance - age, previous offences, occupation, car they want to drive and so on. Re sharing of information - people lie. If they didn't, insurance companies wouldn't need to share information. Some things are a bit of a mystery (eg why does it cost less if you name your wife as a driver, rather than if you don't) but overall I think insurance companies are fairly reasonable - even if it pains me to say that!

Also, 25 year olds in near 400 bhp cars are not popular with insurance companies. Bit of a far cry from all but the most powerful Civics.

They are relatively expensive and complex cars (compared with Civics etc) - expensive to fix. Ergo, expensive to insure, especially when you're under 30.

Or even just last year....

This is sometimes caused by seized rear brake calipers/sliding pins. They can usually be freed and lubricated but if you go to a main dealer they'll want to replace the calipers at vast expense. Find an independent garage which understands IS250 s. Unless the MD will fix it under warranty.

I doubt it. NiMH technology was well outdated even by 2012. Lexus used it because in traditional Toyota style it was reliable tried and tested tech. But development was going nowhere. But Lexus and Toyota have pretty much switched to Lithium batteries now like the rest of the world.

Result! Well done. Can't help with the lip - are there local car scrap dealers?

The rub of it is - the mechanic probably won't undo the outer ball joint - he'll just wind the rod into the track rod end until it looks right and then set the tracking.

You live and learn - mostly by failures! Think of it as a positive experience!

If you're going to try and separate ball joints in future you'll need a splitter. Piece of cake with one - really hard without.