gdh300

That's an excellent read, exactly what these forums should be all about. Respect to both you and Martin!

Seconded! We live in hard water area and had a water softener fitted a couple of years ago. Sadly, I still got streaks on my lovely red IS! So I now drive a white car... 😉

I bet they are. Car manufacturers seem to have to keep relearning these lesson! Also, you'd like to think if you say brushed a gatepost, it would only be four clips and £25 to put it right. But I bet you have to take the bumper off and splash £250!

There's a long Lexus newsroom article here: Lexus Europe . Apparently the press who have driven the car are under an embargo on performance and economy figure until 12th September. The new (D-CVT) Direct-Shift Continuously Variable Transmission on the non-hybrid sounds interesting, From reviews I've seen on YouTube of the new Corolla, it sounds like this transmission is getting a cautiously positive reception [not that that will be the view of the British motoring press, however]

Ah, the ubiquitous phrase "hard, scratchy plastics". 🤦‍♂️

I don't know who it was out of the many illuminati in the motoring magazines first used the phrase "droning CVT gearbox" but it is predictably and routinely trotted out by the rest of them. The CVT is of course as quiet as any other gearbox (racing ones excepted!), it's such a lazy cliché it's untrue. Any yet they excuse the grumble and vibrations of a four pot diesel! As has been said, they jump in car for the day and immediately see how it is "on the limit". And it is so different from the diesels they are used to, their heads just can't get around it, so it is easiest to just dismiss it as "flawed" and as a "left-field choice". Tellingly, the very few long term (their 'long term' is rather different to my idea of long term, but I'll let that slide!) tests of hybrid Lexus I have read see them coming round to idea...

If it is a mechanical failure, it is unlikely - unless it was evident by noise - that it would be picked-up by routine servicing. Mechanical faults can develop very quickly, as I know to my own cost when a crankshaft sheared without warning (not in a Lexus). I see from Honest John you have already emailed him about it, and his feeling is "...reads like failure of the VVTI valve gear of the 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine". If his surmise is correct, you may get away with replacing the actuator. As I understand it - and I'm by no means an expert - failure of the VVTi system should not cause any stray movement of the valves and so no damage to the head or pistons. Yes, it will run rough, but it's not mechanically damaged other than the actuator (I would still keep engine running to a minimum though). Of course it's speculation on speculation, so I really would advise getting a mechanic to look at it. You look to be in Essex, are these people anywhere near you? Or these? Might be worth a call if nothing else. If it's any reassurance I did have an actuator fail on a previous car (not a Lexus) and that was repaired and it ran fine afterwards. Not directly comparable I know, but all may not be lost.

On the face of it, that does sound bad but it's really difficult to tell over the internet. As long as it's not an invasive investigation, I'd suggest you find a local mobile mechanic to have a look for you. They can at least give you a clue if it likely to be a significant mechanical issue as you suspect, or if it a failing/failed coil pack/fuel pump/injectors etc etc. Cost you a lot less than £2000. What is the history of the car?

Blancpain GT is back and - after the marathon of 24h of Spa last time out - this weekend it is the Sprint series taking place at the Hungaroring on the outskirts of Budapest. Yes, the same dusty bowl famous for those for those long, hot F1 races since the late 80s. I hate to go on like a broken record (so, I have no similes for you youngsters!) but I'm going to: the GT Sprint series is run at shorter, twister circuits that favour the mid-engined cars rather more than the front-engined cars like the RC-Fs. That said, the AMG GTs seem to do well at whatever circuits they go to, but mostly we can expect the Huracans and R8s to feature heavily at the front of the grid. The short race format will also emphasis qualifying performance. In truth, I find it hard not to be a bit cynical about the series, but I won't go on about that. Any GT racing is better than no GT racing, even if it is a fix for the only manufacturer who is a series 'partner'. Streaming and live timing will be available through the Blancpain website, with qualifying and one race on Saturday 1st, and the second race on Sunday 2nd September.

I like an old fashioned saloon or coupé, so many manufacturers are out for me as their line-ups dominated by cars that just don't interest me. So first discounting the one I really want but will never afford, that's Aston Martin gone! Not interested in Audi, BMW or Mercedes, so leaves me with Jaguar or Mazda that'd I consider. It's good to see Alfa again in the saloon market (and supposedly the coupé market some time soon), and Toyota soon in the UK and I'd consider both. The new Volvo saloons do look good have to say, although I've no idea what they are like under the skin. May be I'll be researching them in five years time! Shame Honda don't sell anything like the Accord or Legend in the UK any more. I like my current KIA, which does everything I want, and does it all very well. But, it's just not a Lexus...

Great looking car, love the proportions and the styling details. Doesn't bother me that its underpinnings have been described as a 'Frankenstein car'! Shame you see so few on the road, and so many dull grey boxes. Now, if only it came with a boosted 2JZ under the bonnet, and was £20k cheaper... 😉

...erm, he's sick...

Sorry you've had a bad experience with the GS. It's the eternal worry with a used car I'm afraid, have a got a good one or not? If you are looking for a 5 Series of similar age, you might want to look at this page first. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.

Agreed, and that is probably why BMW drivers end-up with reputation for tailgating; they can't understand why all these bl**dy Lexus are crawling about below the speed limit! 😉

I quite like this colour, although it is from early publicity so may not make it to market I suppose:

Think you are being a bit unfair there. They are concentrating on their phone, they are observing their Twitter feed, they are anticipating their next text. They do try to minimise the space between themselves and the car in front, and as for time? Well they just don't have enough of it because they are already ten minutes leaving the house, at least that's what I assume, there can be no other reason for going everywhere 20mph over the limit. [Gross generaliastion 😉]

You might have seen them but for those of you who have not, I notice that in the last week or so there have been a host of new UX videos posted on YouTube. All are on Swedish temporary plates, and there is no voice-over so I assume they are stock footage for launch, or previews for dealers or journalists. Footage is of grey and white varieties (all F-Sport?) plus a rather lovely red one. Gives you a good idea how the styling will will look once 'in the wild'... Here is just one example:

Wow! I can see why you've decided to hang on a bit longer! The ES is an intriguing proposition, having seen a lot of YouTube reviews I can't wait to see one in the metal. Also a bit curious about the UX, I must admit. Be a while before come into my range though. Meanwhile, if you want me to insult you with an offer sometime, let me know. 😉 Merseyside is my old patch so a trip there will be a bit of welcome nostalgia for me. Meanwhile, I see a lovely GS250 F-Sport at Lexus Cheshire is listed... Damn this broken ankle! 😁

When I was considering the IS200t as a possible buy, I spent a bit of time researching the 8AR-FTS engine. I didn't find anywhere mention of water cooling of the the turbo, which seems an odd omission these days. If you look at the second post on this thread, it shows the word-of-mouth advice we used to follow back in the day, so perhaps that implies an old-school turbo arrangement. Is this table in the UK handbook? Even with water cooling on my current GT, I will let it sit for a ten seconds, but not two minutes!

Have you checked your speedo against a GPS? My old IS300 read 10% over (across whole speed range) so I could safely set my cruise control at an indicated 55mph and know I was at 50mph. If the alleged +10% tolerance is true, I could probably have been doing an indicated 60mph and not be ticketed (not that I'd take the risk!) I have noticed when I've glanced over at cars with conspicuous digital speedos that are running alongside me that they show a lower speed than I was getting, so I guess it depends on the manufacturer how much over-read they build in. Lexus seemed to have my best interest at heart!

It must be odd trying to conflate the drivetrain of your Auris with the body of the GS! I suppose the GS300h drivetrain will feel similar to the Auris, but better for being more powerful. Resale will doubtless be stronger for the hybrid, it's just the way the market is moving. Sadly, the market for the GS250 was small (only for the enlightened few) and will shrink over the next few years, reflected in the low prices for even low mileage examples. You might just be at the right point to get out of the GS250, depending of course how badly the dealer insults you with that trade-in figure... I don't envy your position! Have to say, I did test drive a GS250 six months ago and we just didn't click, which surprised and saddened me. But recently I've been longing again for one and I really think I need to reassess and give one another go. May be it was the attitude of the dealer, may be it was the unfamiliar roads, may be because I was still in love with my old IS300, who knows! By all accounts, a undervalued car on the used - sorry - 'pre-owned' market. I've been trawling Autotrader a lot recently, and I do find your mpg figures very encouraging... ☺️

Hi Abs, welcome to the forum! The GS300h will be quite a different driving experience from your GS250; have you test driven one yet? Won't matter if it's cheaper to run if you don't like the hybrid!

And the Camry is returning to the UK market in 2019, allegedly with the same 2.5 hybrid power train (and presumably some other unconfirmed power train option). That will be intreguing to see; could be a massive bargain at a couple of years old...

Absolutely! Lexus marketing is very cautious in the UK, but understandable given their tiny market share. Compare this to be befuddling niche-laden ranges of Audi and BMW...

The good thing is at least we both have our cars off the road while the weather is fine; over winter it would be far worse with damp inside the car, pads corroding onto discs after rain, etc.