Rabbers

Surely you weren’t expecting anything else?

Yes, the RC manual also tells you not to use a pin “or other object” to clear the nozzle because you will damage it. I am guessing that this is because the pin is solid and, if wiggled, can physically deform the nozzle walls and/or opening. I am generally reluctant to ignore the manual but, whenever I see what looks like lime scale developing in and around the nozzles, I strip a short length of electrical wire and use one of the internal copper strands to unclog them. No doubt anything similarly thin and flexible and not prone to snapping would also do the trick.

Yes. Long on talent but short on star quality, more’s the pity.

Good, not unexpectedly. But I can’t quite get used to hearing and seeing him without a guitar.

It absolutely was. I’ve lost the reference but it was either the BBC or the NYT news app. Unless it’s now been dropped from the headlines you should easily be able to find it along with other tasty examples of the spokeperson’s art.

A Toyota spokesman said: “If a wheel detaches itself while driving [you] can lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of accidents”. I have sympathy for the guy but I think I could have worked that out for myself.

I imagine Toyota are much relieved the problem is “only” mechanical. The alternative would have been a PR disaster and a possible return to the drawing board.

And Subaru too, for the same reason, i.e. the possibility that the wheels might come off …!!! 😳

The idea is good, Pete, and it’s a shame that it is not easily practicable after-sale or that Lexus does not offer it as standard or even as an optional on its leather seats. Embossed logos, not to mention the embroidered ones you can get on top cars like Bentley, Ferrari etc., always succeed in looking impressive without being naff.

My habit of using anti-theft nuts results from an experience I had some thirty years ago in a respectable suburb of Brussels where, early one morning, I surprised a masked person in the act of removing one of the rear wheels of my company BMW 525. He had lifted the rear of the car onto a cinder block using wooden wedges and fortunately not yet started on the other wheels. When I shouted at him he ran off to a waiting van taking his wrench with him. That he could have attacked me with it was a thought that only occurred to me a few minutes later when I took mine from the boot in order to screw the wheel back on, and I still shudder at the memory.

It never was until it happened to you.

I haven’t compared prices but I’m sure you are right. On the other hand, my set of Toyota/Lexus originals has accompanied me on seven cars and many 100Ks of km and still look new (though I must say the grooves are a b*****d to clean), so I can objectively say the quality is excellent. I don’t know how qualities vary from one producer to the next, but you occasionally see nuts with unsightly corroded or peeling surfaces.

I keep the key in a little black pouch and leave it permanently in my armrest pocket where I can see it or, more importantly, am likelier to notice if it is not there. Since, other than in the event of a puncture, I would prospectively only miss the key a couple of times a year after switching between winter and summer tyres, the presence of the pouch in which I handed it over reminds the tyre guy to return it and me to get it returned before driving off. The need to put the key back in the pouch may not in itself avoid mix-ups in the workshop but I would think it reduces the chances thereof.

Always liked the name more than the product.

I’m not sure if you are thinking of literally embossing/debossing, which, apart from requiring dies, would be difficult on padded surfaces such as headrests or seat-backs. Your best bet would be laser-etching, which is a service available in most large towns. Portable machines are also available, I believe, but you would normally take the headrests to the provider of the service, along with a sample of the logo or lettering you want reproduced.

I do that and, as far as I can tell, never had a problem because of it. I used to wonder if I’m not using too much fuel but, according to the mechanic who handles air-con matters at my dealership, the increase is no more than 2%, probably less. Of course, if fuel prices don’t go down any time soon, the difference will start adding up.

Difficult to tell if the so-called "Orange Pack" OEM calipers on my RC (see photos below) are bigger or the same size as those shown in the OP (Brembos?), but on the basis of estimated scale it looks as though they might be at least the same if the JDM rims on the latter are, like mine, also 19". Assuming this to be the case, and leaving aside colour preferences, the owner of the latter might have saved some money by ordering a set. Sorry if my rims look a bit grubby but I haven't yet remedied the effects of yesterday's rain.

Depends how big “a bit” is. Personally I think the aesthetics of the RC300h in the F-Sport version as it comes out of the factory are pretty much unimproveable. Maybe you could lower it a cm or so, and re-paint it in a colour exclusive to yourself. But that’s about it.

Two lovely young ones might have made for a more interesting narrative…

I’ve seen comparisons of noise levels inside cars moving at various speeds measured by the simple placement of a dB meter in the cabin. And, of course, Lexus always does well in such tests, particularly the ES, I believe. However, I’ve never seen comparisons measured from the outside. I suppose this is because there would be so many possible variables in terms of place, speed, weather etc., as to make testing very difficult to organize.

I completely agree with Roger. You should go for runflats if, perhaps as the result of a nasty blowout or having had to wait for help in some god-forsaken place, you dread getting a puncture. My own experience of runflats (Michelins) is limited to 9000km I did in one IS300h before I traded it in for another. I briefly considered transferring them but then thought it silly to forgo the OEM normals (Bridgestones) on the new car. On normal roads the runflats gave a decidedly firmer ride and jolts were especially more perceptible to passengers because they weren’t anticipating them. They were also noisier, but not intolerably so. However, on motorways and fast roads in general I felt hardly any difference, and I thought the car might even have been marginally more stable at high speeds. I believe I would probably choose runflats as a matter of course if I did more motorway driving, particularly long-distance, which nowadays rarely exceeds 10% of my monthly total.

No doubt you’ll be letting us know at the time, Malc.

Using jeweler’s rouge for scratches requires rubbing which indeed might well alter the surface. Seeing that there was no mention of scratches in the OP my recommendation is based on the the possibility that the glass underlying the spots is neither damaged nor discoloured.

Suggest you try jeweler’s rouge. Apply a tiny amount to the smallest area you possibly can and see if it has any effect. If it doesn’t, stop.

Did an album with Eric Clapton, The Road to Escondido. Check it out for superb guitar duetting.