billgatesisaconman

A guy I work with had the cat cut off his Corolla hybrid last friday in middle of the afternoon on a busy Aldi carpark in Swinton, the government need to get a grip on the scrap industry so these cat thefts come to an end ...

Cheers Les, Is this always your annual tax rate ? was it was higher last year ?

These are the figures given on different sites, I'm still confused ... Parkers says it's Band H: 166 to 175g/km = £140 nextgreencar says it's Band E 121 to 130g/km = £140 Autotrader says it's Band D 121 to 130g/km £125 ... ??? They seem to have really messed the tax rules up .... A 2016 Ct 200h is Zero tax but a 2017 is £120 and a 2020 is £140 ... ?

This is what I can't figure out, it says "cars registered after April 1 2017" ... So this doesn't apply to a 2016 ?

Cheers John, so the tax is £140 then ? ... I assume a 2016 Rx450 isn't taxed at the higher rate ? ... "Parkers Figure shown includes additional rate of £325 (per year) or £178.75 (per half year) levied on cars registered after April 1 2017"

Hi all, Can anyone confirm what the annual tax would be on a 2016 Rx 450 please ...

Mines had a small break (about 1") in the bottom ever since I have owned it (7+ years) and the rest of the demister always works perfectly ... I've also had no problems with radio reception, mine has the pioneer stereo, do you have the pioneer or the Levinson ?

I have fitted a generic cat and I am relying on the fact its worthless ... in my opinion a cat fitted from Lexus is just not an option as this just perpetuates this crime so either this or fitting a straight pipe (if you can) appears to me to be the only way to ensure that these thefts will ever come to an end at least for the Rx ... cat locks cost way too much and have a large variety of problems ... Although the police appear to be doing absolutely nothing about Catalytic converter thefts, these thefts still need to be reported by everyone , It appears its a big ask of the police forces to do anything about these thefts and increasing the number reported might eventually embarrass them into actually doing something, how else can we drag them away from making sure we all wear a mask and investigate real crime... lol

This is probably the best option and gets rid of the target off the car if you can get it done, I couldn't find anywhere to fit one in Manchester ... the main Cats are still there so ... no visible Cat = no problem ...

Thanks Colin, I have to say though I'm reluctant to part with my series II, I still love it and I can't find anything that I want to throw that much cash at ... can I ask what you are driving now and is there anything that would tempt you?

Hi Colin, I would also like to confirm this, I've been thinking of changing to a series IV or V and it would help me make my mind up which is the better option, I did have a bit of a look for some exhaust diagrams but didn't find much, I am guessing but from what I've read I don't think theres much difference between the series III and IV other than a facelift, the suspension and a few other bits ...

Hi Mathew, I'm very sorry to hear about your theft but unfortunately It appears this problem isn't going to go away any time soon, I have also taken the same approach with an aftermarket cat and It does give me comfort to know the scrap value is pretty much zero ... let's just hope the cat thieves also know this if they try to steal them again ... That being said this is the same supplier I looked at but the part numbers are different, these are also advertised for the Rx and are slightly cheaper, and as they are universal cat's I doubt theres any difference, the Magnaflow 400 ceramic was £30 less and is the same size, the Magnaflow 200 metal cat was £20 less and is slightly smaller, it is purported that some improvement in performance can be gained from the metal cat on a petrol engine, I'm not sure whether this would be the case on a hybrid system like the Rx though ... Ceramic https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-400-Zeller-Ceramic-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-C4m/303656103323?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus|Model%3ARX|Cars+Type%3A400h&hash=item46b3506d9b:g:1m0AAOSwghddWDin Metal https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-200-Zeller-Metal-Sport-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-M4a/303638783272?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus|Model%3ARX|Cars+Type%3A400h&hash=item46b2482528:g:7ekAAOSwtOVdZ-Ui

In the video at 5 mins 20 secs check the price list on the scrapyard wall ... note the value of an aftermarket cat .... 😂😂😂

Over a thousand a month stolen last year in London alone ... thats a repair cost of over £12 million in just one city .... > https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/catalytic-converter-theft-london-a4359216.html

I think that Toyota/Lexus need to be doing a lot more or face losing a lot of customers and watch the value of their cars plummet , who will want to buy a car thats a constant target ? their vehicles have 3 out the top 4 most stolen cats in the uk ... some insight in the attached links... Honda Jazz. Toyota Prius. Toyota Auris. Lexus RX. https://www.admiral.com/magazine/news/hybrid-vehicles-targeted-catalytic-converter-thefts https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/feb/01/catalytic-converter-thefts-hybrid-car-insurance-toyota-prius

This video just confirms my point about replacing a stolen cat with an oem is not the best aproach ...

This looks good but the cost is way too expensive for such an old car and it just makes it more time consuming to remove so it's only a deterrent, mine was gone in under a minute outside my house at 6.30 in the morning in a busy street so if it was in carpark etc it would still be a target, this wouldn't reassure me one bit ... The only cure I can think of would be to make the cats worthless ... so I think when they are stolen Lexus should look more to replace them with a cheaper alternative, Ive seen new Magnaflow cats on eBay for under £100 for the Rx, so there are cheaper alternatives available, they could also pass this cost saving on to their customers who would be happier and I also doubt the cheaper ones would be worthwhile nicking so the thieves would be out of business ... they could even do a self install kit like the one on eBay in my previous post, that's if they were genuinely concerned about thier customers and didn't just want to milk a few quid out of everyones misery by selling them a catloc which is only a deterrent as they have stated ... >>> "It is important to note that Catloc’s are designed as a preventative security measure against opportunist theft only, as fitment will not stop a determined criminal from removing the device and Catalyst if they have enough time and the right equipment" ... For info I now have a price of £240 to supply and fit a new one from Powerflow in Bolton but they can't do it until next week, but it sounds way better than the £700+ Lexus quoted me ...

So they stole mine at weekend (also a lot of others in the same area the same night) and Lexus have quoted £710 fitted nearest is Bolton or Stockport but tbh I'm reluctant to fit an original Lexus cat as I fear this will just happen again so I'm thinking a non oem is not only the cheapest but the best option as they might leave it alone ... but it appears after a good search around that I can't find any exhaust fabricators in Manchester ??? ... nearest being again Bolton or Stockport both of which couldn't be more vague on prices and timeframes ... Looking at the diy route I have found a Magnaflow cat on eBay for £120 delivered from Germany but would need the fittings etc ... I also found this for £240 delivered which i'm thinking of going for as it's ready to fit, any thoughts/advice much appreciated ... >>> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-RX400h-Exhaust-catalytic-converter-Ready-To-Fit-Including-Fitting-Kit/264741084906?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225076%26meid%3Da9b8547874554aa38e872dea1f3a95b5%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D7%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D303279328247%26itm%3D264741084906%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV1Filter%26brand%3DLexus&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Without knowing more about the car it's difficult to give advice ... the mileage, the service history, has it had a bump is it used for towing etc ... I do agree with Les though the hybrid system is a seperate system, are you sure they changed the hybrid rad ? ... If it was the engine rad that failed it would make more sense but that might not have been the actual cause ... anyway if its still overheating and losing water, if you find where its losing it from this may give you a clue as to whats wrong, ... also make sure your fan is working, if everythings water tight and its still overheating I would change the thermostat and hope that cures it, and make sure there are no air locks in the water system, If the pumps due and hasn't been changed then it would be next, I would also change the timing belt & tensioner if I was doing the pump ... if the heads gone i would think that it would be a knock on from overheating ... I wouldn't use the car at all while its overheating ...

Cheers Phil, I'll get on it tomorrow morning .... ;-)

Hi Phil, can you confirm which model/year Mr2 is the same please, and do you happen to know if the Bosch battery ( Part Number: S4021) is the same size as the one for the Mr2/Rx 400 m8 ... I have a quote for £55 for this battery from Costco ... they don't list one for the Rx 400 but this one is listed for the Mr2 ... cheers

Hi Steven, can I ask which battery did you end up fitting .... I think I may also need one.

replacement on my IS < < ...... I take it this isn't the same battery as the one on the RX ? .....