Rabbers

Nice move, Malc. Congratulations.

If it was they were wrong!

Very true, and in itself a highly positive contribution to Lexus’s image without the company’s involvement …“LEXUS. THE CIVILIZED PERSON’S CAR”.

I have always assumed that Lexus’ marketing and technical support people do not participate in independent forums because it is the company’s policy not to do so. And although the policy may not extend to dealerships, perhaps because of enforcement difficulties, the latter are probably informally encouraged to follow it. Not, I imagine, that the majority of dealers disagree and haven’t already instructed their staff accordingly. Independent forums are not a controllable medium and are, as such, anathema to anyone responsible for promoting and protecting a company’s interests and reputation. I sometimes find it difficult, as a follower and occasional contributor to the LOC, to quickly and confidently distinguish legitimate opinion-based argument from sterile forms of argumentativeness, correct information from incorrect information or (heaven forbid) wilful misinformation, and legitimate complaints from generic rants. Lexus, were it to actively participate, would need to address and evaluate these and other issues before responding or risk alienating unquantifiable numbers of people by not doing so.

I can't believe you actually let someone lay hands on your Betsy 😲 !!?? In return for coffee and biscuits 😳 !!!??? What is the world coming to 🥹!!!!????

I find it admirable that the U.K. Highway Code should recommend rather than regulate against day-time parking against the traffic flow. The U.K. is probably not alone in allowing its citizens to exercise some measure of common sense, but comparisons are academic. That you are unlikely to find a busy street anywhere in Italy (and not only Italy) without several vehicles parked against the traffic flow has less to do with indiscipline or any lack of common sense than with physical circumstances. Only last week I was in an area of Milan consisting of narrow two-way streets lined with parked cars on both sides. After driving around for quite a while looking for a spot to park I suddenly saw one on the other side of the street. I quickly crossed over and took it, naturally after signalling my intent. And I must admit I was rather proud of myself for having made what was unquestionably a very nifty move. The thought of blocking the traffic in an entire neighbourhood by attempting a series of three-point wriggles with the aim of reversing into the space with my nose pointing in the right direction would have been totally ridiculous. Of course, I could have decided to not take the spot and thus continue driving around getting more and more desperate. Whether this would have made me feel like a solid citizen rather than an idiot is a question to which I already know the answer.

That, apparently, is the rule or code or law or local bylaw or whatever in several countries. I got a ticket tucked under my wipers for doing it in some town in Germany more than twenty years ago. I never paid the fine, and my conscience has been tormented 😩 ever since.

Nothing compares to either except perhaps the Italian Dolomites. You might give a thought to a drive down the length of Portugal taking in the Douro Valley, or perhaps Croatia, which also has some spectacular scenery and among the best roads in Europe.

Anything preventing you from staying in Britain?

I attach photos of the newly refurbished driver-side headrest of my RC, and another of the disassembled original leather sections showing the stain and surface peeling that led me to have the job done. It should be mentioned that the stain and neighbouring peels and scuffs look worse than they originally did as the result of re-colouring tests etc., carried out by the workshop before recommending a complete replacement of the leather. I had initially hoped to have the stained section simply cleaned and re-coloured and the peeling repaired and ironed out. However, because the stain went too deep and there was no guarantee of it and the peels not reappearing it was decided to proceed with a complete replacement. The refurbishment was carried out by a specialist leather workshop which, for €180, did a very satisfactory job re-using the original seat-attachment rods and preserving most of the padded structure. I didn't bother to get a quote from Lexus for a new replacement headrest, knowing instinctively that it would have been a lot costlier, probably exorbitantly so. My only cause for dissatisfaction is a slight colour difference in respect of the original attributable to the use of a stock leather. An exact match for the original Lexus Flare Red would have involved the sourcing and dyeing of a whole skin with a consequent doubling of the cost and much longer lead-time. It was a pleasure to deal with expert craftspeople. Their work may or may not be of takumi standard, but it runs it close. And I won't dispute their claim that the replacement leather is superior to the original.

All true, Bill. And admirably put. Personal interactions between buyers and sellers have undergone so much change in recent years - indeed generations - as to have made phrases such as “the customer is always right” or “the customer is king” almost laughable. And yet, although few prospective or actual customers would feel comfortable with an excess of obsequiousness on the part of someone selling them a car or providing a service connected to a car, the majority would certainly be upset upon getting the impression they are being done a favour rather than the other way round. In other words, although courtesy and respect can and should be shown by both parties in a transaction, it is the role of the seller to persuade and satisfy a buyer within the bounds of reason even when this might necessitate the suppression of personal dislike. This, I feel, is a professional duty where the seller or provider of a service is the representative of a premium marque such as Lexus, whose reputation and image in a highly competitive business requires constant protection.

I habitually change to rubber mats when I change from summer to winter tyres despite the fact that logic and weather rarely overlap. Although Lexus rubber mats don’t look or feel as good as their carpet counterparts, their quality is undeniably high, their weight, as Steve notes in his OP, being particularly impressive. Unfortunately in my experience the driver-side mat tends to whiten in the area of the pedals because of slight surface wear caused by a swiveling heel. Rubber reviving products such as GummiPflege can help but the discolouration inevitably returns. Incidentally, although Lexus may once have offered rear rubber mats for some models, I’m not sure if it has done so for any car in recent years.

I was once given a beautiful brand new ES as a courtesy car on a day of filthy weather with rain and sleet. When I pointed out that there were no rubber mats in the back the service manager half-jokingly but not unintelligently suggested I should tell rear passengers to wipe their feet before getting in.

This thread illustrates how the general standard of service provided by the same dealer can be condemned by some customers and praised by others. Some dealerships are mentioned several times and at length, but I doubt if there are any dealerships anywhere that have at one time or another and to a greater or lesser extent not been the object of diverging customer opinions. Unless they don’t acknowledge the existence of a customer dissatisfaction issue in the first place it seems to me that the people running dealerships are faced with two behavioural alternatives. They can either (a) try harder to justify what they charge for their services and do their best to be seen to be doing so, or (b) simply accept that there is no prospect of pleasing most customers all of the time and that there is consequently little to be gained by trying. Whether one likes it or not, it is implicit in the thinking of the latter type of dealer that the reason people - especially first-time customers - buy a Lexus is because it is a good car and not because they like the dealer or are able to judge the quality and honesty of the services offered.

A bit of dirt or mud or perhaps something like a wet leaf momentarily blocking the radar? I’ve had it happen during heavy rain and even light snow, in which cases the explanation is more obvious.

Bernard, you paint a bleak picture of young persons who follow their chosen career paths with all the radiant enthusiasm of youth. Not that I entirely disagree with it. Unfortunately I long ago concluded that even the most bored of junior mechanics among bored junior mechanics is less likely than I am to damage car components when fiddling with them.

You must be right, David, but I confess I’m reluctant to take a look in case I’m tempted to do something I shouldn’t. I’ll probably end up popping in at my dealership next time I’m in the neighbourhood. The holiday season being upon us I’ll be sure to find a bored junior mechanic willing to help.

I would think spiders prefer their wasps served fresh.

I’ll see how long my patience holds out before I try anything serious.

Knowing that the USB sockets are not live when the motor is off, I have always wondered, as a non-technical person, how mini-fridges plugged in to one the sockets (most appropriately in the boot, if present) continue to keep the contents cool. As a matter of fact this is what has long prevented me from getting a socket installed in my boot since I don’t want to use one of the armrest pair for this purpose.

I attach a photo of a wasp carcass stuck inside the left-hand rear lights cluster of my RC. It looks dried out, so there is a chance the sun will turn it to dust and save me the trouble of trying to get it out. This would be a good thing since I have no idea of how to do it myself. I don't know how the creature got in there in the first place since the seal is intact and looks perfectly sound. I can only imagine it somehow got in from the rear some three years ago when the lights units were checked during repairs to the boot area. Perhaps it also perished around that time and only recently became dislodged from its original resting place. Which is where I wish it had stayed.

Elvis might have liked it if it wasn’t so small.

I once had a similar problem caused by a faulty sensor. I had changed tyres shortly before and, being about to leave on a long trip, couldn’t wait for the replacement sensor ordered by my dealer - this not being a regularly stocked item. There was nothing to worry about since the pressure of the relative tyre was OK, but a month’s driving with the TPMS warning light on was extremely irritating.

???

I don’t think so, Phil, though I know what you mean. The Englishmen of whom I spoke were not the sort who would upset themselves about not having a monopoly of their own language. In my experience the French are far more sensitive on the subject. As Duff Cooper observed on looking back at his years as the British Ambassador to France, he never met any French person who admitted their French was worse than his. As regards English-speaking Italians, the late Gianni Agnelli, the Chairman of Fiat, deserves a mention. So good was his English that he thought it best to cultivate a slight Italian inflection in order to avoid embarrassing his interlocutors, even though these tended, by his own admission, to be mainly Americans. In this, he apparently followed the advice of his friend Henry Kissinger who, it is said, needlessly affects a German accent.