johnatg

Mine looks like this but it's not quite that model. I've had it for several years. https://www.amazon.co.uk/AUTOOL-Scanner-Adapter-NEWEST）-Diagnostic/dp/B07P2HKC4Y/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2JMEC4467GRTJ&dchild=1&keywords=autool+obd2&qid=1606219647&sprefix=autool%2Caps%2C457&sr=8-7

You do of course need an interface device to transmit from OBDII to the Chromebook via Bluetooth. (Not all Chromebooks have Bluetooth). I have an Autool code reader /interface jobbie to transmit to Torque on my Android phone. Only covers engine codes, but does so quite well (also provides real time live data) and a lot less hassle than setting up the laptop and cable for Techstream. Works on all my cars with OBDII, too! And the whole thing cost less than £10 (excluding the phone!)

They are a bit far away for me, but I well remember an exuberant evening back in 2004. Mark Mitchell (head honcho at Mitchell Group) invited me to the grand opening of the Mazda franchise at Cheshire Oaks as I was the Coordinator of the local MX-5 Owners Club area at the time. I've seen quite a fewer recommendations and spoken to many satisfied customers for cars and service since, both for Lexus and Mazda. They must be doing something right!.

The recommendation from Lexus to use 91 stems from ignorance and reading a USA manual. USA uses a different Octane rating system (average of RON & MON - UK uses RON). US 91 is about the same as UK 95. All modern (~2000- ) car engines run 'better' on higher octane fuel - I use Shell V-Power all the time - it is 99. But then, more or less all modern cars will run perfectly well on 95 as the electronics adjust the engine settings to cope. But that takes the edge off performance. It takes a very experienced driver to notice any difference on most cars (there are exceptions - I have a supercharged '91 MX-5 which definitely requires 99 but then it does not have the knock sensor and electronics necessary for real time adjustment) Shell V-Power at least (and probably Texaco top grade and the BP premium grade, probably others) contains fuel and injection system cleaning additives which are beneficial to long term engine cleanliness eg avoiding injector problems etc. Supermarket brands may not contain the additive packages found in top brands. Your choice - all mainstream Lexus cars are fine on 95 - better on 98/99. LC might be an exception. IMHO.

When things seem too good to be true there's usually a catch. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

Was it an 'Essential major'? Were the plugs changed? Downgraded tiffin was due to Covid precautions.😒

Re FullRun tyres - found this thread: https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/fullrun-tyres-a-word-of-warning.76202/ OK - quite a different car but still interesting (terrifying) Incidentally, I'm horrified that a lot of the people there seem to think you should have the best grip tyres on the front. No, no, no - the best grip tyres should always be on the back, regardless of which wheels are driven. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

I think the MoT site recall list is only safety recalls - I guess they don't regard a battery drain problem as a safety related issue.

Ah - OK - but note 'you should only fail a vehicle if you're certain that the warning light is indicating an ESC malfunction'. In Ian's case, they don't know what's causing it so they cannot be 'certain'.

I understand your despair, Ian. BUT 1) I don't believe that a 2000 car can be failed on an illuminated VSC light any more than for an EML light. Where does it say in the MoT testers' manual that it would be a failure? A MoT failure can only be issued for a specific point in the manual. and 2) Lexus cars light up the VSC for a whole host of reasons, many of them completely trivial. Yes, it could be serious but it can also be caused by a minor electrical or communications glitch, especially if it wasn't on when it went in and the garage have had the engine running on the hoist with the key in and out of the car. It could easily be reset just by running a few miles or by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, or by replacing the key battery. Of course it could be terminal, but I would at least try a few things like that and then sell the car - someone will take it on - if it hasn't gone already.

I found this - I rather think that an accountant-driven customer service department is going to think 'why not?' https://tirereviewsandmore.com/fullrun-tire-reviews/ And if that is a general view within the tyre industry, it will be hard to get anywhere with ombudsman and any other mediator. I rather think it's time to cut your losses (and stress). Either go somewhere safe to explore the performance of these tyres and see if you can live with them, or just chuck them away and buy some decent mainstream tyres. I now feel rather relieved that the dealer I bought my car from didn't succumb to my request to fit new tyres in place of two which earned advisories ('worn on inner edge' and 'surface tread breaking up') at the MoT carried out on the day the car was delivered to me. Very shortly after I got the car I chucked the two tyres away and bought a pair of Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 5. Incidentally I complained to Lexus UK and they told me that policy is that tyres on Lexus-approved used cars are only replaced if the tread is less than 3mm. (I didn't discuss 'what with?')

Applies to cars produced 2005-2014 See here: https://car-recalls.eu/recall/lexus-gs450h-2005-2014/

Possible flat 12v battery if the car has been standing for a while. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

£60 (including VAT). They charge £30 for putting it on the Hunter machine and initial check, then an hourly rate for adjusting it. Took them about half an hour. Their main business is preparing sports racing cars - MX-5s, Elises, Westfields, etc. Their workshop was full of MX-5s (and an RX-7). I'll be taking my MX-5 there after I've rebushed the suspension over the winter. Incidentally, the Hunter machine doesn't use lasers - it has precision digital cameras which work in conjunction with the wheel adapters which you can see in the pics on the Wheel Alignment page of their web site. https://www.blinkmotorsport.com/blink-motorsport/wheel-alignment/ Lexus Stockport gave me an alignment print-out - similar to the one I posted from Blink Motorsport (but only the before bit) - as well as ticking the box on the service report.

There are very few differences between normal service and essential service - the stand out item is spark plugs but they charge a ludicrous price for that and it depends on mileage. If your car has done significantly less than 60K miles you don't need the plugs replacing. If more, OK you should replace them - but if you've ever changed a spark plug on any car you can do it on a 300h.. They use the same service check list (document LEX-ALL-SS-003) for essential and normal and you can check the lists of service content on 'mylexus' web site. They checked my wheel alignment on my essential service even though it isn't on the essential content list. Other items on full list, not on essential: Check alarm and immobiliser (you do that every time you start the car) Inspect glass and light lenses (that gets done at the MoT) - L Stockport did it anyway. Replace battery in remote ( you can do it yourself for peanuts) - L Stockport did it anyway Remember that essential only applies after 5 years old and then you have to get an MoT as well, so you get a double dose of checking each year. Lexus Stockport didn't write essential in my service book - just 'no plugs'. I cannot see any justification for the big difference in cost between normal and essential and essential is really an outrageous price anyway. Maybe you can justify spending the full whack on a £40K car - but by the time it is 5 years old and more the value has greatly reduced - can you really justify spending such a lot for service over and above the essential on a 5,10,15K car? Your decision!

As I've had my 2014 GS300h for just a year now, I thought it was time to get a 6 year/'60000 mile' service at Lexus Stockport last week. This is the first time that I've had a car of my own serviced at a garage for the last 50-odd years, apart from first services for the odd new car. But I've decided that I'll get my GS serviced professionally for a few years at least. Overall, I was pretty satisfied with Lexus Stockport - eagle-eyed mechanic spotted a tiny split in a wiper blade and an object in a rear tyre, both of which had probably been missed at the MoT (local garage) a couple of weeks before. The car has actually done 41K miles, so I asked for an 'Essentials Major' service (with nothing to be added without consultation). (£415) The only real difference between that and a full-on Major Service is changing the spark plugs. They did recommend that (I suppose Lexus tell them to push it) but the fact is that the plugs in that engine do not need changing at 41K - they just don't - they are good for 60K plus at least. That saved £250 more or less - a set of plugs (4) can be had for about £60 and changing them on the 300h is a doddle compared with a 450h - I'll do them myself around 60K. They wrote 'No plugs' in the service book. Wipers - the original wipers are Denso and I've deduced that the blades are Denso DUR-065R and DUR-045R. By ordering those codes you can save a few quid compared with buying Lexus ones and they are identical (with some minor design changes since 2014). They are fitted to several different cars. If buying, make sure you get the genuine Denso ones - a search brings up many 'equivalents', not all of them even hybrid - once Denso had the hybrid thing all to themselves but now several other manufacturers make them - eg Valeo and Heyner. You don't save much in the grand scheme of things by shopping around, but hey, you've beaten the system! A pair of blades are available on Lexuspartsdirect - bizarrely a pair are cheaper than the drivers side alone, but postage brings them up to more than I paid on eBay. There was a metal object in a rear tyre fairly close to the inside edge (see pic) - the mechanic reported that the tyre was punctured and the object could not be removed without losing air and it could not be repaired (too close to the edge) - tyre condemned. But when I got home I thought I might as well see what happens so I pulled it out - surprisingly easily. Turns out it was a horrible inch or so long metal spike - looked like part of a tool (screw extractor ?) or something - anyway it was in crossways across the tread and no deeper than the tread depth. So A OK - no air lost, the tyre appears to be OK -it's a nearly new Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 5. I did put the specified dose of PunctureSafe in it before extracting the spike - that is a gel you put in the tyre before any punctures occur - it is permanent and works well, and it can be used after a puncture, preferably putting it in before extracting the nail or whatever. It will ameliorate the effects if the tyre fails in the future. It's not a 'get-you-to-a-garage' type of gel. Advisories on the front tyres - they're pretty evenly worn but down to 3.5-4.0mm. One is original. I'll just keep an eye on them until they are 3.0mm or so. Despite that the 'quick check' wheel alignment showed the front toe was off the scale out of spec and the camber (on the original tyre wheel) was way too negative. So I booked in at Blink Motorsport in Winsford - they operate a 'latest and greatest Hunter Hawkeye Elite TD wheel aligner' (according to their website). The place is a bit chaotic and laid back, but they seemed to do a good job. Report and specs below. If you're in the Cheshire area and need a wheel alignment you could seek them out. Aircon - service recommended - so I had the system regassed at my local garage. I hadn't noticed any problem but it was about 120gm down (out of 570 +/- 50 gms spec) so worth doing. Passed the hybrid health check of course. Busy and expensive week but now everything is tickety-boo. Do most of you get your GS serviced by Lexus? Do you get them to fix any issues or take the car away, make your own decisions and diy or go to a specialist instead? Apologies for the long post, but hope it's of interest to someone!

Apologies - you misunderstand me - and I can see how. I haven't got a RC F - it is Lexus who are keeping the RC F available for sale until its next major upgrade, probably in a year or so time. Then it will be withdrawn from the UK. But other RCs are going by the end of this year. And Colin - it's not so much overall sales figures that concern me - all the cars mentioned, CT, IS and RC are staying in production - it's just that they are no longer imported to the UK. When a manufacturer, especially a Japanese one, stops selling large swathes of their model range in the UK, it makes you wonder.

An F-Sport isn't a GSF. On the other hand the OP said he was looking at a GSF then asked about F-sports.

Have you seen that Auto Express reports that Lexus have confirmed that they have stopped importing the CT, IS and RC ranges to the UK? If you want one, current dealer stock is the only option - CT and IS will last a few weeks and RC maybe to the end of December (and that's only a few weeks). Keeping the RC-F for a while but otherwise it's the ES, the LC at least for the time being or an SUV/Crossover if you want a new Lexus. Makes me reflect - how much future does Lexus Have in UK? They are concentrating on Japan and USA, as do the other up-market Japanese brands. Soon the masses will all be driving Electric Chelsea tractors - will Lexus hang in to compete in that market?- hopefully we can keep our petrol-powered cars for a while - I've got to the point where my car may well outlast me - but will we need to go back to the days when you bought petrol in cans from the chemist? That might cramp our style a bit!

Ha-ha! Don't even ask how much a shock absorber would cost! Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

Yes - I bought SGS boot struts for my IS250 - they certainly restored the spring!

Lexus don't make 'genuine' ones anyway - they'll be KYB or some such. And they don't really affect the operation of the car. I'd get aftermarket - they'll be way cheaper and probably just as good. Doddle to fit. Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

That's seriously annoying - when you've only recently got the car, too. Commiserations and sympathy. Doesn't look too bad, but that rear quarter will need some skilled panel beating.

You can update HDD sat nav yourself. Finally found a topic with a post I made a year or so ago which tells you how to do it (or at least, how I did it):

The difference I can see is that the X2 one comes from Australia and the 'normal' one from ECP in UK. Quite frankly, IMHO you are wasting money buying very expensive 0W-20 oil. It might be best for fuel economy but you get just as good protection with any fully synthetic 5W-30 oil such as Mannol fully synthetic 5W-30 (eg eBay 5L Mannol ENERGY 5w30 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil SL/CF ACEA A3/B3 WSS-M2C913-B). The official test fuel consumption figures are arrived at with 0W-20 oil which is why Lexus push it so hard. I doubt you will notice any real world difference if you use 5W-30 (but be sure to get the fully synth version - they do a non synth version too.) Many other 5W-30 oils are available! The fuel filter is correct - it fits inside an aluminium filter cover. You need a special tool to remove the cover - the tool engages with various flats and lugs. Beware - if the cover is overtightened as is often the case you risk damage if you try and remove it with anything other than the correct item - I have one for an IS250 but am not at present doing my own servicing on my GS300h and I'm not sure if the one you need is the same. Someone will point you in the right direction. BTW - you won't need the white plastic thingy and the smaller o-ring.