Goodplan53

My wife has just ordered a new LBX Takumi in White, with Saddle Tan interior, so we would be interested to know how you get on with it.

I was referring to the looks

Looks nice. Pity there's no pan roof option available - as there is on the Yaris Cross on which it is based.

On a related topic I have found the auto high beam facility too slow to react and dip when driving at night through winding rural roads here in Wiltshire. Oncoming cars flash their lights at me.

Thanks Rayaan So there is some hope then.

Thank you Andrew, that's helpful. I will go back to the Lexus dealer and ask about the Pre-Owned Approved warranty. Since I posted my topic earlier today, the service manager has added: Unfortunately, until we find the issue, I am unable to clarify whether it will be covered by warranty. The diagnostics is not covered by warranty. The charge would still be applicable.

We have a 70-plate RX 450h Takumi that we bought in June 2023 from a main Lexus dealer. It is our fourth Lexus from them, and up to now we have enjoyed excellent customer service. On two occasions over the past month we have noticed a drip inside the car roof coming from the edge of the interior light cluster, close to the sunroof switch. It is more obvious when we set off, as it seems to dribble out of the interior light - not from the area around the light/sunroof switch cluster, but directly from the edge of the larger (middle) of the three interior led touch lights. I reverse the car on to the driveway, so it is parked on a relatively level drive, slightly nose down facing the road. The slight incline might be enough to pool any water towards the front of the car - could it be due to blocked drain holes? We haven't replaced the windscreen - it is the one that came with the car when we bought it from the Lexus dealer last year, so I assume it is the original. I have attached some pics showing the drips forming and the puddle of water on the touchpad. We complained last month and took it to the Lexus dealer who removed the light/switch cluster and they found no evidence of moisture. It has happened again this week, so the problem has definitely not gone away and I have been in an email conversation with the service manager. This is his latest response: We will need to get the vehicle in for another water leak test. It sounds like we will need to remove the headlining to have full visibility of the sun roof mechanism. We will check the drains for blockages first. To make you aware, if we need to remove the headlining you are looking at a cost of £250 for the diagnostics. Once we have diagnosed the vehicle, we will then need to advise what the fault is. I have replied to the effect that this should be covered by the warranty, shouldn't it?

I agree, yes it does, and for that reason I would not wish to buy one. I bought a new top-spec Renault Captur in 2015, red exterior with a black roof, and kept it for 3 years. So I agree that the LBX does resemble the Captur, although the finish was nowhere near Lexus quality.

Yes, good point, Barry.

I must admit to being quite impressed with the 2024 Toyota C-HR Premiere Edition, although I haven't actually seen it or driven it yet. I see it as a potential replacement for my UX later this year. The Premiere Edition certainly contains many of the features of the Lexus UX Takumi, e.g. head-up display, power tailgate etc. It also has a panoramic glass roof, which the UX doesn't have (my 2020 UX Takumi has a rather dated tilt-slide sunroof). Rear windows on the C-HR look very small compared to the UX, and I imagine it is a bit claustrophobic in the back, although that's not a show-stopper. However, when all the packs and extras that make it similar to a Lexus are added, this pushes the price over £42K, which is a bit steep. I am unsure if Lexus plan to issue a new gen UX in the near future (on the C-HR platform) - if so, maybe I'll hang on, rather than 'downgrade' to a Toyota.

Welcome, KSD, and I hope you are enjoying your RX - I am on my third RX and absolutely love the car. Sorry, I can't help with the tyre pressure coding, but as you suggest a quality tyre supplier would be able to do it. As for fuel economy, you should be able to achieve mid thirties MPG. I have found that the luxurious nature of the RX encourages a less hurried driving style, which in turn improves fuel economy. You can check your driving style and any recommendations from your Lexus Link + app - I was surprised to receive an observation about my driving style in my other car - UX 250h Takumi AWD - that I tended to accelerate away too quickly! That's me told!

Thanks Peter Actually it looks like I was doing the right thing. I’ll try again. It’s worrying though that it is dazzling other drivers.

Thanks Peter, It’s beginning to make sense now. My car is a 70 plate Takumi so I’m guessing it’s the full adaptive high beam system. If so, I don’t need to leave the light stalk in the forward position, do I? My understanding from the attachment you kindly sent me is that provided the system is on (on/off button on right side of dashboard) then the system works when the car is going faster than 38 mph.

Thanks both. It was a particularly dark and winding road but as soon as we drove approached a town with street lighting the system behaved itself. However, as soon as we ventured back on to the rural roads again (Wiltshire is a rural county) it was impossible to avoid dazzling oncoming cars. If I find a solution I will report back.

Driving across Salisbury Plain last night I was at first reassured that the headlights on our RX automatically adjust from dipped to full beam when there are no oncoming cars or street lighting. But the lights are too slow to revert to dipped beam when a car approaches and often didn’t dip at all, but stayed on full beam. So much so that we became very unpopular with oncoming traffic and had to switch to manual operation. Is it possible to adjust the speed and sensitivity of the automatic headlamp system to make it react faster to oncoming traffic? As it is, the setup is dangerous and might cause an accident one night. Thanks

Update: I took the car to a local independent tyre supplier this week that I have used for over 15 years and they confirmed there was wear on the inside of the front tyres, especially on the driver's side. I swapped the tyres front to back (same side obvs) and got them to do the balancing and alignment. £39. Car is due its first MOT in the next month, and I expect there will be an advisory (hopefully not a fail).

That’s useful to know, thank you

Thanks for that. I’m surprised the dealer didn’t mention tracking - just a price - £238 per tyre- which I declined.

Driver side tyre wearing on the inner edge. Passenger side cracking on outer edge

My 70 reg RX has only done 12K miles but I learned today when it was in to have the anti-theft plates fitted that the front tyres are almost down to 3 mil. Whilst they are still legal, this does seem odd - bought the car from the Lexus dealer only 6 months ago when it had just 11K miles. Seems excessive - is that rate of wear normal on 20" Bridgestone Duellers?

Hi Finlay - I'd opt for the most luxurious. After all, the RX is a luxury car - no point sacrificing those little luxuries. If you can find one with head-up display I would recommend that. I didn't realise how useful they were until I bought a Lexus.

I agree, Yan, that despite promises from Lexus UK Customer Relations, there seems a reluctance and inertia in the dealerships to proactively follow up with their customers. In some ways, this is understandable, as both sales and aftersales are incentivised to achieve turnover, and there is nothing in it for them to install something that customers don't pay for. So it goes to the bottom of the 'to-do' list. For this reason, Lexus UK should provide clearer direction and guidance to dealerships about the adverse effect on the brand's reputation and the opportunity cost of failing to act decisively and proactively. After all, we are mostly discussing this problem in negative terms, which must be harmful for Lexus in the short-term.

Thanks Andy - I thought it only applied to Gen4 RXs. I'll check when (if!) I ever get an appointment.

After several weeks of waiting I pressed the servicing department at my local dealership to book me in to have the anti theft plates fitted tomorrow- only to be told today that the parts are not in.

I can empathise with your dilemma, Ed, as I too have an RX (and, a UX as a 'second car' too) sitting on my drive most of the time. Having lived like a monk to overpay the mortgage before rates went up (phew!), I feel I can justify the expense. Given my - and your - low mileage, it's not a massive impact on the planet, too, IMHO, and I intend to keep the RX for many years to come. As for the UX, that's my late-life-crisis toy and I just can't drive more than 10 yards without switching it to Sport mode - it brings out the big kid in me. The RX is a no-brainer, being a 4th Gen V6. I would urge you to stick with it, Ed - it's a great car. The UX was a replacement for a comfortable and sensible Honda HRV, which was very underpowered with a 1.5 CVT like a rubber band. In fact I nicknamed it 'My Boring Honda' or MBH for short. "Just taking MBH out to the shops..." Whereas the UX with AWD handles superbly. Pity there's no luggage space in the UX, but that's the only downside; we've got the RX for that!