Glover

I agree with everything other forum members have written.  I've had a 2012 450h Advance since last May.  Great car, very comfortable and quiet with a surprising turn of speed for such a big vehicle.  Draws admiring glances and positive comments from everybody.

The only problem I've seen on the forum is the fuel filler pipe but that doesn't appear to be common.   No problems so far for me touch wood.  I replaced all 4 tyres a few months ago but that and a small service is all I've had done.  During the summer I average mid to high 30s mpg (latest run this weekend was 43.3mpg, my best ever).  In the winter mpg dropped to high 20s, low 30s.  I've not reset my average fuel consumption since I zeroed it when I bought the car; it's currently showing 35.5.  Just got back from doing 1,300 miles on holiday in Scotland and averaged 33mpg, which included quite a bit of 70mph motorway and as you can imagine a few hills!  I've found the on board computer to be very accurate.

Good luck with your purchase and welcome to the Forum!

Paul

I'm in Nottingham.  I haven't used any refurb specialists here or indeed anywhere but this company gets good reviews and states that it does a one day turn around https://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk/locations/nottingham/

The Mini is an absolute classic car; started a revolution in car design, it's an icon.  Handles brilliantly, nippy, great use of space in a very small package, easy to work on, cheap to repair, lots of specialists to repair and maintain, peanuts to run. Monte Carlo Rally winner etc. etc.  And it's fun!  You get out of a mini and even if you've only been round town it will put a smile on your face.  My very first car.  Sure they can be unreliable, they're noisy compared to modern cars, tiny boot and very prone to the R word!

I've never been in an IS250 but as a Lexus I'd expect it to be reliable, smooth, powerful, beautifully finished etc.  But will anybody remember it in 58 year's time? They'll remember the brand in fact it might still be around churning out electric vehicles that drive themselves and give you a shower, shave and haircut whilst you have the latest blockbuster telepathically transmitted to your brain!  But individual cars?  Maybe not although I do stand to be corrected! 

Now if the other car was a 2CV that would have been a slightly more difficult choice:-)

I'm for the mini too

A French comparison website has Cross Climates for my RX450h at 183.12 Euros;.  The exchange rate at present is 1 euro = £0.85 so 183.12 = £155.65 per tyre.  I think that's a fitted price my French doesn't extend to the technicalities of fitting, valve and balancing!  I bought 4 Cross Climates for £735 in March; in France it would have been £622.60 so if my maths and exchange rate calc is correct there's no reason to get new tyres fitted this side of the Channel:-)  Even if it doesn't include fitting an ex-pats website gives the price of fitting as 10 Euros so add another £34 on and it's still cheaper than the UK.  Looks like the Lexus Indie has been badly misinformed about prices.

Try http://www.quelpneu.com/ and for the specific tyre see http://www.quelpneu.com/pneus-auto/225-60-r16.htm (looks like there are 17 pages to choose from!)

Well that's something I've learnt.  Thanks for putting me right guys and a very useful link.

Works perfectly with my Windows phone.  I can choose between reading out texts and emails or drive mode when my phone sends an auto message if I'm phoned or texted whilst driving.  I find the sat nav good, always gets me to my destination including a recent visit to Milton Keynes the roundabout capital of the UK!  But I'm still struggling with the initial choosing a destination, which is clunky.  I've read the manual so I understand how setting a destination works, just don't understand why:-)

Brakes and tyres will generally wear quicker on the driven wheels and if those wheels are also the steered wheels the tyres will wear quicker than wheels which are the driven wheels but don't steer . Hence I'd expect the rear brakes on a rear wheel drive car to wear quicker than the front brakes and the front tyres on a rear wheel drive car to wear slower than those on a front wheel drive car.  As the IS is rear wheel the wear characteristics that Linas has experienced seem correct i.e. rear brakes wearing out quicker than fronts although whether they should have worn that quickly is another thing and depends on driving style, type of journey e.g. mainly motorway or mainly city etc.

By the same token brakes and tyres on a front wheel drive car will wear quicker but the rear brakes and tyres will (or should) last a lot longer as they are not under power or steered.  Hybrid drive cars will have different characteristics for brake wear as the regeneration, rather than the brakes, takes out some of the initial momentum.

There's not a direct correlation between wear on FWD and RWD; FWD will be far heavier on their driven wheels because they are also steering but will be lighter on their rear wheels because they aren't driven nor do they steer.  RWD will have less wear on their front wheels because they aren't driven but because they steer they experience greater wear than the non-driven wheels on a FWD car.

So in a nutshell the back brakes and tyres of a FWD car (undriven) should last longer than the front brakes and tyres of a RWD car (undriven but steering) and the rear brakes and tyres of a RWD car (driven) will last longer than the front brakes and tyres of a FWD car (driven and steering).

I hope all that makes sense and apologies for a very long post!

Garry you learn something new every day:-)  I'd post photos but that would probably qualify as the least interesting post ever!

Fitted! 

The car was valeted after its service yesterday and I haven't driven it since so wiped over the top of the bumper with water, dried that off then over again with a 70% Isopropyl alcohol wipe and wiped that off with a microfibre cloth.

I then put a small piece of masking tape on the bumper just under the lock keep and another piece above where the x in Lexus ist in he middle of the protector marked the centre of the bumper and protector on the masking tape, lined them up removed a small piece of the paper from the adhesive tape (thanks for that great tip Colin), offered it up and checked that the lines marked up then removed the rest of the pape.  As long as you don't press down you can still play around with position until you're certain its right then just press down firmly and here is the result.

Thanks all.  Very useful.  As it's not raining I'll do it now.  I'll definitely follow the tip about just removing just a small section of the paper; I'm OCD about anything being slightly out!

Ken the shiny silver strip is the top of the underrun protector.  I've got them on mine too.  There are some previous posts on the forum about fitting them retrospectively although I think they are a bit pricey (they are at the front and rear)

Yes that's it.  I bought the protector from Lexus Birmingham, excellent price just need to get it fitted.   Thanks for the pic love the colour of your car it really suits the RX, very luxurious!

Hi all.  Has anybody fitted a genuine Lexus bumper protector and if so how easy is it.  What products did you use to get the bumper clean ready for fixing the protector and how do you make sure it lines up?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks Keith I agree with Edward, very good of you to take the photo and post it. Now I can see why I can't see it!  The rest looks almost new so is it a question of bad design; feeding it through the sub-frame  at a point where it gets wet but can't dry out?  Think I'll get mine down to my independent and get Bilt Hamber or some other rust proofer sprayed liberally where it runs through the sub-frame (assuming it hasn't already got tin worm).

Thanks once again you've been a great help to me and I imagine many others on the forum.  It's great posts like yours that make this a brilliant forum:-)

In terms of why are the halogens better in the XJ40 than in your IS250 a lot of it is down to the design of the reflector and lens.  I had a 2002 Audi A4, which was lethal in the dark on dip whereas my 2001 Yaris gives great coverage with the same spec bulbs.

Hi Keith

Thanks.  It will be useful to know where it is rusting; if mine hasn't started I'll do some preventative work.  If it has then as it's still in warranty I'll ask if it's covered by that.  Really surprised that this is happening; the last car I remember having a hole anywhere in the fuel system was an L reg Morris Marina TC many, many years ago!  Rust protection had I hoped moved on since then.

Interesting if you can post a pic of the offending part too just to see how badly it's corroded.

Geoff

So where exactly is it.  My car is going in to an independent I've used for years before its MoT at the Local Authority.  I don't usually ask them to do a pre MoT but if I know where to tell them to look I'm sure they'll check it for me.

Definitely Lexus Birmingham.  I got rubber mats (I know you want carpet but this is just to illustrate) plus rear boot liner and bumper protector for less than another main dealer quoted for mats alone (and that apparently was a 'trade' price).

One question and an observation.

Question:  What is s-flow

Observation:  My understanding is that recirculation mode doesn't stop air circulating though the vents etc. it just means there is no significant make up air from outside so basically what is inside stays inside and what is outside stays outside.  So recirculation stops noxious fumes e.g. exhaust emissions coming in from outside but also means moisture isn't removed from the car so eventually your windows will steam up as a result of your breathing.  Fan settings will operate as normal in recirculation mode but you'll be blowing recirculated air through the system.

Regardless of what setting the system is on there will always be some leakage of air and some make up as the cabin isn't a sealed unit but in recirculation this will be reduced but not to the extent that oxygen levels are depleted etc.

I find it best to set recirc to auto and ac to auto and just let it sort itself out!

Hello everyone.  I'd love to know if I've done this right.  I looked under the rear wing in the location of the filler pipe and it's hidden by the liner.  Am I looking in the right place?

Hope you get it sorted Dave and that you continue to use the forum.  Keep asking those questions; the forum is nothing without people's questions/observations etc.

And the more you use the forum the more you'll get to know about your car and you'll soon be contributing to and answering questions.

I agree Edward. I find the group to be very helpful and willing to answer any question.  People, especially new members, will stop asking questions if they are just referred to Google, the manual etc.  I've found out a hell of a lot on this forum, long may it continue:-)

Totally agree with you Steve.  The only difference I could see between the ones on eBay with the same number of tools, same design etc. was price, even the colours were the same.

Of course if you're a professional removing trim, radios etc. day in day out or you've got a really big renovation job you might need something better with more tools so the 11 piece set definitely has its place but for most of us who just want to lever a bit of trim up once in a blue moon I assume the 99p one will do everything we need.  I've got a Facom socket wrench, top quality will last a lifetime.  Do I need it?  Not at all but my father was a mechanic so his job depended on good quality, dependable tools, when he stopped working and tinkering he gave it to me plus all his other high quality sockets, spanners etc.  So I've got tools that would be the envy of many an amateur mechanic and they sit in a toolbox from one year to the next.

Had a look under mine at the weekend whilst it was dry and sunny.  The whole of the arch has got a liner so I'm not sure how the MoT inspector would see the filler end although I assume (although I haven't looked yet) they would be able to see the end of the filler where it enters the tank.  Unless the rust is on the short section of pipe inside the fuel filler flap area but that seems the least likely place as it's very well protected by the flap and the surrounding metalwork.  Was I looking in the right place or has the area covered by the liners increased on later models (I have a 2012 pre facelift).

17 hours ago, steveledzep said:

Might take a couple of weeks or so to reach you.....it's from China !  If you search eBay I'm sure you'll find a UK supplier.

All that way for 99p.  Can't even get a bus ticket for that!  I noticed a few suppliers so I'll try one of the GB based ones..