SH20

I agree with Linus. Today's manufacturers have ensured their bodies do not corrode unlike in the 70's when rubberised sprayed on underseals were all the rage but eventually merely covered a rotting shell behind the rubber coating. It formed a mould of rubber over factory finished painted steel. Done with the best intensions but when moisture got behind the covering it rotted out chassis legs, side members and floors discovered 5-6 years later when finally the MOT man was able to poke through the moulded rubber with his screwdriver to discover crumbling wet and rusty remains. The chassis leg etc looked like it was still there because the rubber stayed in place as a moulded replica of the part it was supposed to protect. Stay clear. Just look at any 20 year old Japanese vehicles or British made cars for that matter which 1. are still around and 2. Have good bodywork and chassis still.

Initial doubts about quality were unfounded as the stainless steel was a good gauge. The rubbers protrude by 4mm so no contact with the surface of the stainless steel is made. At £27 they are lookalike copies of course of Lexus Aluminium pedals but no drilling or adjustment is required. The original rubber pad on the foot brake peels off and the replacement pedal with it's rubber backing slips back over the pedal with a little lubrication. Fits perfectly. The accelerator pedal simply slides over the original. Not too bad an imitation F Sport look.

Forgot to ask but isn't the NX350h trimmed in Tahara synthetic leather? Shouldn't really make a difference in how to tackle the creases but it would be odd that the synthetic material has creased in this way. It generally remains very smooth as I had a ES300h once.

Sudershan If I was in your shoes and before the car goes in on the 19th March I would find on the internet close to you a vehicle trimmer who does leather work on cars. There are plenty of specialists who supply their services to the likes of main dealers and as previously mentioned the Lexus dealer wouldn't undertake any rework of the seat cover themselves but use their favourite specialist and sub contract the job. Even if the dealer gets approval for a warranty claim they will farm the job out and only remove the seat and get the specialist to collect it. My guess the dealer will look at your issue and either reject the fault under fair wear and tear or decide to get an opinion from their specialist who will price the job and then the dealer could submit a warranty claim to Lexus. The benefit of asking an independent trimmer a question "How would they deal with the early stages of creasing in the material" will be specific and the specialist will be able to tell you what needs to be done to remove the creases. Your Lexus dealer won't have the skill set to strip and rebuild the seat cushion, that's outside the remit of their Lexus technicians. This is skilled work and expert knowledge of seat construction is needed and only trained trimmers who have been doing it for years will answer the question. Ultimately this fault has to be overseen by the dealer in order to honour any warranty issues going forward on any other matters that might arise with the seat. If you chose to authorise a repair yourself the dealer could reject any future claims you may have regarding this particular seat. You are in London and I'll bet there are more trimmers serving the Motor Trade than you can shake a stick at. A bit like good tailors who are everywhere.

Or is it What Car's Car of the year?

Autotrader's Car of the Year, don't doubt it. I bet there was no ref to Insurance premiums though.

The likelihood is your Insurer will notate your account as a change of car and when the LBX goes live will retro quote the premium adjustment. As long as they have the registration number, make, version etc you won't be left without cover, particularly if you are down sizing one Lexus for a newer entry model Lexus. If you insure through Lexus Insurance then you will also have that added protection. Not a good luck for any own brand insurance product if their new LBX owners are left hanging and if the Police have cause to stop you they will likely ask you why your registration number doesn't match the car model. At least you will be able to explain the background.

Be aware and even allowing for the fact that Lexus Hull have new cars arriving next week for their customers there is currently no listing for the LBX by any major motor insurer, so obtaining a quote or getting an amendment to an existing policy will be difficult unless Insurers use the UX as a base line till a rating group is identified. The lack of a listing for quote purposes was explained to me by Lexus Insurance themselves who technically don't carry the risk but use a third party supplier to underwrite their business. The reason is that the Vehicle Repair Centre known as the Thatcham Insurance Repair Centre have yet to complete their evaluation of the LBX. This is where the crash testing and repair architecture in repairing the LBX has yet to be completed. This prevents the Association of British Insurers from listing the car for quotation purposes. The research centre is funded by the Association of British Insurers and ensures Insurers place the car in the correct rating group because the actual physical repair of a car in terms of parts, labour and paint materials directly influences it's grouping. Thatcham pull/strip the damaged car down after crash testing and then create schedule operation times which are recognised by the repair industry and all of this repair data ends up as computerised data. A repairer will then be able to generate a computer base repair estimate for Insurers to consider. So anyone picking up a LBX should have a chat with their existing Insurer so the Insurer can make a note of the change. I went on line with Churchill Insurance just to confirm a leading motor insurer did not have a listing and as I discovered in the drop down model box there is no LBX yet.

Wow RX to LBX that is downsizing. The quality of the LBX ride was as expected, smooth, quiet and tight as a drum. No rattles or vibrations and no road noise at all. Heavy sound proofing I guess but it was the Takumi so maybe that gets more insulation. No spare wheel of course just those awful inflator kits, you think by now they would give the Takumi run flats or the option to have them. Dark interior not helped by a black headlining as this had a black interior too but some models have an alternative Tan leather option. Pulled like a train and very responsive. The huge multi media system is all touch screen but has a very good voice command system as demonstrated by the salesman in the passenger seat who called out "Lexus I'm Cold" and the Computer lady replied raising the temperature 2.5 degrees to passenger side. Rear leg room is restricted, be mindful of that if you have more than 2 people to consider. This LBX might be a replacement for the wife's Yaris but it would need to be the entry model at £29,950 but until we get an insurance quote I'm not proceeding.

Kevin, Malcolm thanks for the comments. Right this minute the flap is working but don't have any faith in it opening tomorrow or another day. Never had this ever on 5 previous Lexus cars and the 2 Toyota Yaris cars we have bought, no fault either. I guess I can live with it but you are are right Kevin, when a dealer gets involved you never know if they have the skill set to sort it permanently. Their option will be to just replace the whole hinge assembly and I'm inclined to go down this route under the car's warranty but I just hate the thought that some couldn't care less Technician makes an arse of a new part installation. There is more to undoing 4 screws that hold the assembly to the body as I've removed them and although the grey housing is loose something is holding the part on the left hinge side. Couldn't separate the outer metal flap from the inner plastic frame either.

Drove the Takumi LBX at Lexus Hull, very nice and fully equipped. Possible second car. Over priced though and even worse there is no current motor insurer able to quote a premium for it as the Thatcham Research Centre, funded by the Insurance Industry , have yet to complete their evaluation of the car in terms of crash testing and repair methods/cost to repair. Moreover without this evaluation the Association of British Insurers cannot place the LBX into it's rating group. Given that car insurance premiums for vehicles, especially any that are fully or part electric, are going through the roof I would need to know what to expect for a comprehensive insurance policy and as I use PCP's which must have comprehensive insurance cover on them I would obtain a quote when available before commitment to a LBX.

Compared to 3 ES300s I have had this LS flap is a poor fit. Looking square on to the flap the gaps are wider on the left and tight on the right. I saw a You Tube video whereby the owner was separating the metal flap from the plastic arm/hinge and it was on a modern IS300 and it looked like the same design. Clearly it is connected by plastic pegs. I will separate the two parts and see if I can alter the position of the metal flap. This is what OCD about stupid stuff does to you. I even removed the near side rear inner boot trim to access the area to see if the manual pull rod was anything to do with it. I'm giving up after today.

Could be Mark although the flap does sit flush with the quarter panel, no proud areas. The hinge is very large and made entirely from plastic. If I can separate the metal flap from the hinge as they clearly two individual parts I might be able to re align them somehow. There are 4 screws holding the assembly to the body and the manual release rod in the boot is directly connected to the plunger along with the electrical switch which also pulls the plunger backwards to allow the door to pop open. When I removed the screws the was something preventing the hinge/flap coming free. I actually think the rear upper seat would have to come out to access the pivot area of the hinge but I'm not going there. The car is under warranty so looks like the dealer will have to get to the bottom of this. The NX has had similar issues and a modified part is used to cure the fault. The dealer cast their eye over it 2 days ago when I went to look at the new LBX and suggested the gap on the hinge should be wider to allow the door to open. This is just BS in order to sound technical.

I have had some problems with a stuck fuel flap working and then not working. Drives me mad. The manual release allows me to open the flap when it refuses to open. The electric button on the dash works fine as the plunger retracts every time no problem with the flap open. The panel gaps on this car are perfect, doors, bonnet, boot lid etc but I can't believe the fuel flap gaps ever left the factory like this. No adjustment on the large one piece plastic hinge fastened to the metal door and yet the gaps are rubbish. Any thoughts ??

Sorry forgot to add the photo

I have an unused space saver that I used in my 2022 ES300h along with the revised tool tray that allows you to hold all your tools. Comes with securing bolt. See photo but I have sold the boot liner and mud flaps. The tray is a genuine Lexus part. The space saver is from a 2023 Toyota CHR an 18 inch which fits the ES. I now drive a LS500h which has run flat tyres and as there is no need for a spare the parts are surplus. I live in East Yorks. PM me if you are interested, Collection only. Post code area is YO25

Some car enthusiasts hate this sort of stuff but surprisingly the original badly stained grey calipers look tidier with a uniform colour finish. Anyway it's done now. The front calipers are huge on this car, looks like they are 4 pot, maybe even 6. Off to test drive the new hybrid LBX at Lexus Hull tomorrow which might be a suitable replacement for her Hybrid Toyota Yaris but sounds like the pricing will be a bit of a stretch.

Gotcha

Will the warmth/heat expand the leather rather than shrink it

You know this right? tennis ball on a length of string hanging from garage ceiling or A frame joist so that it is just touching the windscreen screen in the car's final parked position inside the garage. Each time you drive in and the ball just kisses the screen you stop. Too scary ??

I don't have a double garage and because builders don't build houses these days with a decent footprint I didn't stand a chance to get any of my Lexus cars in to the match box size garage, especially my LS500h at over 5 metres long I always wanted a little workshop space for my projects so I made one. No clutter, tools to hand, multiply power sockets, hot and cold water with sink, fridge, blah blah blah. She says I spend far too much time in there, but it's so peaceful.

Looks like the silver 460 for £8K C2 ULD has had the front near side door painted. Silver is the hardest colour to match IMO or maybe it's the light/reflection. Have you stood next to it yet?

Removing a seat out of the car in question the LS460 SE-L wasn't easy due to the weight of the seat. Disconnecting the seat's side bolster air bags requires the 12volt battery to be discounted and a full 10 mins wait time to allow for all relays in the car to discharge fully. Separating the upper seat back from the base was straight forward and then removing the cushion from the base took about 20 mins unpicking the frog clips which hold the leather cover to the seat frame. Various velcro strips also needed addressing before the cushion was free from the seat base. Refitting takes longer as it is unlikely that you can replicate the experience of the factory trim shop workers who built the seat in the first place but it's possible to get close. Most seats never get dismantled into it's constituent parts apart for re trimming. I lived in Leeds at the time so car trimmers are not difficult to find but any local body shop will for sure have a contact they use for specialist work like leather. Specialist trimmers are used in preference to in house technicians because of a skill set trimmers have in working leather and vinyl and the sewing machines they use are heavy duty. Often warm air from a heat gun is used to soften leather when it has to be shaped around hard and soft trim. Of course YouTube is stuffed with videos of leather trim work The internet would be the best place to start looking a vehicle upholsterer in your area.

The front section of your seat cover has probably not been stretched quite enough at the factory when the trimmer was installing it and getting in the car each time has started to force the little bit of slack in the leather in one direction causing the start of folds. My first Lexus a LS460 SE-L suffered from slack leather caused by the first owner, who I met and he was a big lad. My guess was as he slid across the driver's seat rather than dropping into the seat every time he entered the car he pushed the leather in the same direction causing folds and once stretched there was no coming back from it. The car had 30,000 miles on it which is why the slack in the leather looks so great. I removed the seat and the lower cushion squab and then found a really good car upholsterer who carefully unstitched the leather cover from the frame and stretched the cover, trimmed the excess stretched leather and then re stitched it to the padding and seat heater matrix layer. Great job at £40 which then required the seat squab to be refitted to the base. There isn't an alternative for folds in leather and as your car is still under warranty Lexus will need to either authorise a new cover which requires a tear down of the seat and your dealer is likely to use a specialist upholsterer or a tear down with a view to stretching the existing cover before re securing with hog ties. The before and after shots show what a good trimmer can achieve.

Not sure what has happened but opened the flap manually and then got the wife to sit in the car and press the fuel release button. I could see that the plunger was working fine and since doing this procedure the flap is now opening every time. Not sure if allowing the plunger to activate while the flap was open has re aligned the mechanism somehow. One to keep an eye on.