jumbojake

This video might help, he does loads of great videos exclusively on Lexus/Toyota ... for this one,  there is a good horn fault diagnosis towards the end... might give some clues if you are handy with a meter

yes, I got that last year, when I tried to put my 20yr son on it.... told him to buy a small Toyota instead... sadly they are not cheap anymore !

likewise was with LV .. liked their service when my wife bumped the Rx a few years ago.. but they doubled for both my IS and Rx this year.... so moved to Aviva and Hastings... seems to be grab the deal of the day, with the right comparison site.. for both, the deals were only valid for that day .. otherwise it is really expensive ... crazy for such old cars now

have you checked for signs of rodents  ? ... they can cause havoc in wiring looms 

ours jumped from £380 to £800  ... switched to Hastings for £500 ... have to search though, not all of these comparison sites are the same and going direct was worse

just adding to this, curious to know if other owners have noticed/observed

- does the lock motor engage every time you close the boot, however firmly... or just when closed softly ?

- have you had to adjust the lock position, to improve the hold ?

- have you noticed the same squeaking/rubbing noise from the boot door whilst driving ?

We’ve noticed our 2015 Rx450h is making horrible rubbing noises at the rear, we think it is the boot lid not fully latching… and notice sometimes the motor, which pulls in the boot lid doesn’t always work .. but when it does, we don’t hear the noises, of what we think is the boot door rubber creaking when driving along.

anyone had a similar problem, any thoughts?

12 hours ago, Euromillions said:

Where online would you pick up a replacement filter?

lots of fakes out there, so avoid unkown retailers...

IMO, best value to get as part of a service kit set from a trusted retailer.... I tend to find lexus parts direct often do a good deal, but be careful as they once supplied me the wrong oil for the IS200d   (it needs a c2 type).

An alternative is "parts in motion" ... had some good prices from them also... if not genuine, I tend to use blueprint.

the reality is, regardless of your preference, they are coming, despite the governments best attempts to protect the oil industry, with lack of investment in the new infrastructure the force of change across the globe is driving it.... ironically, your drive to Europe will likely be much easier once you are out of the UK

Each new generation will improve on the previous, it took a long time to make petrol cars reliable, pretty sure EV's are ahead of that curve.

Ultimately, for most people, an overnight change once a week will be enough for the weeks driving, which avoid the inconvenience of petrol stations .... it's just a change to the way you think.

For me, I can't justify changing my car, for any reason, at the moment.... but EV will be on the table to review when that time comes

Same at the Morrisons in Sittingbourne, Kent last night … but other stations nearby looked ok.. so possibly success of the 7p discount scheme…. again, any blip to how people fill up, the delivery system struggles… looks like they haven’t fixed the problems from before.

Ultimately, as more people move to EV, for whatever reason, the demand for petrol will reduce and the fragility of the fuel supply we have seen recently will only get worse until there are only a few stations left… as far as I can see, there will be nothing to stop anyone owning an old petrol car, but the availability of fuel might make it impractical.   If you like old school, you could always get a horse, nothing stopping you, but it hard to find a blacksmith.

You have to be careful with some of the stuff you see on line, much of it is US spec and also specific to the IS250.

Best place is Lexus themselves, for 3Euros on your credit card, you get 1hour to view and download the official documents, which you know are suitable for your chassis number.  I've found everything I need on there for both IS200d and RX450h ... really useful.

it's hard to find via Lexus uk website, but it is there..... to make it easier, use this link

https://www.lexus-tech.eu/

Gold star to VFR …. Another good look this weekend, and it was a sticky piston … I replaced with a refurb unit (£80)….  

It’s working perfectly now, but I regret trying to save few quid on the part.  They powdercoated everything, so I had grind off where the brakeline mounts. Then the rubber boots were very suspect quality, luckily the old ones were fine.  The brake nipple was weird small size, that I didn’t have a pipe for… again salvaged the old one.  Finally, it didn’t come with a new brake hose washer, so I annealed the old one which seems to seal ok.

it was the first time I attempted to save a few quid on maintenance, lesson learnt…. Still, despite the extra effort, looks solid and happy it’s safe for the road again.

The sliders are ok, re-greased them last week and check again today, move ok.  Sticky piston release might be a good shout… the pads were changed 6months ago, might have pushed rusty piston back…. 

years ago you could get kits to repair,I guess nowadays it a replacement unit

any thoughts to a quick test to prove it, without stripping?

well ... had another look, the calliper still seems free, I can feel the handbrake come on/off  and wheel turns without any obvious roughness... it is a little stiff, but put that down to the diff and not much different what I remember front wheel drive being.  No movement when trying to rock the wheel ... all feels good to me

I took it for another drive and again that hub is too hot to touch when I got home.. the others cold... obviously something wrong... I can only think bearing is on it's way, but never seen one go without making a rumble sound

I expecting they'll ask me back into the office soon... 160mile return, not prepared to do that until I fix this.

Had some squealing from my rear NS last week, so I stripped the callipers, re-greased and put it back together.

Problem has not gone away.... so my next thought was hand brake shoes might need a look at...... however, when I stopped, I noticed the  alloy hub  was warm to touch (the others were cold)... the caliper was also cold.  Given the heat, I am now thinking of a wheel bearing.

I normally think of failing wheel bearings causing a low rumble when cornering... and high pitched noise as brakes.... so a bit puzzled.   

Any thoughts before I dive in again this weekend ?

I think that's a theoretical risk .... I agree with Boxbrownie..... don't  think it is possible to overcharge a lithium Battery on a modern device, the management software  controls charging rate to avoid it.... that was a problem 10years ago, but most phones can't do it now and I would be surprised if any modern cars do.

agree, the typical range available now is overkill for most people, most of the time ... they need to focus on faster charging.

To me, if they could put a weeks worth of charge in a car in less time it takes to do your weekly shopping, then it creates a massive draw for supermarkets and to a large extend avoids the panic about roadside charging.. whatever they do, needs massive (and brave) investment.

bit puzzled about the connection between supper unleaded prices (which are visible in petrol prices for me) , the price Germany pay for Gas and the vaccine.... is this a Monday puzzle, where we need to find a connection ?

don't worry about it John ... it is sorted, and I don't think you have been 'done' ... you wanted piece of mind and wanted the dealer to do it... that's fair enough, it was your choice... better to have the work completed and your mind at rest. 

To be fair, it's a few days before Christmas, and by the sound of it, he wanted piece of mind....

There is no right or wrong answer... pay your money take your choice... I'd have done it myself, others would use a local garage, others would prefer the piece of mind with Lexus doing the work... the main thing it is done, and he can relax (good news) ... now you can focus on more important things this time of year !

agree, local garage, this is a standard job.. would be surprised if this was more then £200, as it's pretty straightforward. 

They would either replace a small section with couplers, or the whole length if needed... and it will be the bare copper pipe rather than the coated OEM stuff... but to be honest on an older car, the copper stuff is perfect.. .it should outlive the car.

Apologies, I have the diesel, which was only ever made with manual.  If anyone has a manual petrol, that would not have glow plugs, they have spark plugs (regardless of gearbox).  

My original question is how to control the period the glow plug is heating the cylinder ... as far as I can tell, it is computer determined by temperature, with no feedback on progress.... so must be assuming perfectly healthy plugs.    So, if mine is struggling to start on cold mornings, then I suspect my plugs are getting old.

Mine is a diesel, which need the glow plugs to warm the fuel on cold days, in order to achieve the initial combustion.  I'm surprised by response above for petrol cars, never heard of a glow plug for petrol, normally a clean spark does the job!

I found the relevant information... the computer controls it on a single 'start' button, so I guess it assumed how long it needs based on ambient temp... but probably assumed the plugs are working..... I can see it does flash up the coil indicator briefly, just not for long.

I guess my next step if to check the coils in the plugs themselves... another day

dumb question for a Friday ..... in a traditional diesel, you can see the glow plugs light fire up and turn off before you would crank the engine... with the 'go button' on the IS, I have always assumed the computer does it... but on recent cold mornings it seemed to crank immediately, and then struggle to fire.

Is there anyway to hold it on glow plugs before cranking, just to give them a chance to warm things up ?