GSLV6

Engine should be quiet all but for hydraulic tappets rippling away. Rust looks like mostly surface rust, which if that is the case can be scrubbed and Lanogaurd treated. Worth checking service history and verifying mileage though.

It is....except for the "buzzy" IL4 engine...

Price excludes us from ever owning another new one. I would like the 500H in F sport trim with a few extras. Priced it up using Lexus built menu and it came out at £82K! Was offered £20K for my 2014 low miles one in part ex but that still leaves £60K so there's no way in the current economic climate we can justify that spend. I will change it for an RX4 in 4 years time when I have owned it 10 years and be happy with that. I'd be happy with a new RX3 to be perfectly honest.

It'll vary between each car though. It all depends on how much moisture has accumulated over time within the cabin.

I had my cabin filter changed last service and AC is fine. Mine still condenses up on the drivers windscreen heavily when cold. Problem is due to large surface area getting very cold and moist air inside condenses on it. Still happens and takes ages to de-mist. Not so bad when clear and dry but when we come out of wet weather, as we have recently, you do get moisture inside the cabin, just a fact of life and it takes quite a long time to dry properly.

Yes, mine has roof rails but they didn't mention if it was water ingress, just that the motor unit had to be replaced. If you're covered by Lister's extended warranty, they should cover it unless being over 10 yrs old excludes it (I think some parts are covered for 10 years only).

If we ignore the point of use, the over riding argument against EV's lies in the recycling. Currently only about 2% of LiIon batteries are recycled world wide and then it takes huge amounts of energy to do it which offsets the claims of efficiency of use at point of use. Add to that losses in the transmission system and burden on the grid and you start to wonder of any of these globalist elite types know their backsides from their elbows. Here's one of many articles on the subject: https://cen.acs.org/materials/energy-storage/time-serious-recycling-lithium/97/i28 Most so-called safe collection and recycling companies simply collect the waste batteries and ship them for onward processing, a vast majority of which centres on the extraction of the precious metals, discarding or incinerating the rest. The belief that has been spread via propaganda in the mainstream media regarding "green energy" stubbornly refuses to publish any of this data. Considering the high efficiency of modern petrol engines, it seems to many right thinking people that it remains by far the most sensible choice until a truly viable alternative is properly established. Adding ever more ethanol to petrol also comes with risks too, not least to the health of the engine, specifically the fuel delivery system. The whole knee jerk policies of the UK (and other) governments in net zero emissions is a lie and is truthfully unobtainable and that will remain the case. It won't stop them decimating our economies and pushing us towards 3rd world standards of living trying though whilst it remains part of the hard left core policies. Ironically it will hit the worlds poorest the hardest. As to the future, government policy will force petrol suppliers to keep prices inflated artificially high. There will be no incentive to lower costs for a product that will drop off in demand as their overheads of production and transport will still need accounting for, plus the added threats of punitive road taxation increasing year on year to force more people over to a technology they can see makes no sense nor comes with the stated eco credentials one you drill deep enough and discover the truth. Had more widespread investment been made in nuclear power stations this might have swayed the argument but that's never going to happen now without massive foreign investment which we will pick the tab up for.

But it is easy enough to diagnose with a battery tester such as the Duratool tester (which I have) or to do a quick check on voltage across the terminals.

It felt different to the e-cvt in my RX which is why I asked the question. More refined and even smoother. Then again, it's not trying to lug 2.2t around. I liked the 6sp auto in my GS. That was one of the best auto boxes I've ever driven.

I've recently had a UX 250 Hybrid (premier plus spec or Takumi...not sure which!) and have to say I was mightily impressed! At long last they've produced a car that has very good driving dynamics and handling and that gearbox is sublime. Not sure if it's an auto or still CVT but it is much more refined than the CVT in my RX3. The interior is wonderful; the seats (leather in the one I drove) are some of the most comfortable I've ever sat in and the performance was much more satisfying than I expected. Forget the 0-60 specs, the in gear roll on seems very lively, not unlike what you might expect from a 2 litre turbo-diesel. Bags of overtaking grunt on tap. The only thing I was disappointed with was noise intrusion into the cabin at motorway speeds. It really was quite noisy. Whether this was down to the tyres it was shod with I don't know but it was very un-Lexus like and much noisier than my RX. The other thing I disliked a lot, whilst a lot more up to date than previous generations was the touch screen display which you needed to access for many of the controls. At least the heater controls were available manually from the row of buttons beneath the large display. The radio was very good indeed. The model I had was equipped with active lane assist and on a few empty A road stretches I tried it out and it worked surprisingly well with gentle counter steering to set you on the right side of the white lines but it was somewhat hit and miss, not a problem as you should be looking where you're going anyway. I just wish that they'd offer ore boot space. There was barely enough room for two average sized suitcases so it won't be on my shopping list because of that one issue. I think if I chop my RX in, it'll be for the later generation NX. The new plug in hybrid NX is the one I'd like but may not be attainable due to the current RRP meaning in 4 years time (when I plan to change) they might still hold onto a little too much residual value to make it a viable trade in..

I have had this twice with my RX. As long as you can access the auxiliary battery (presumably it's in the boot as with other hybrid models?) the test procedure is as follows. Using a multi meter set to voltage, your battery should read at around 14.6V with the engine running and the hybrid battery charging it via the charging circuit. With the engine off and the ignition off, a healthy battery should maintain around 12.4 to 12.6V. If it dips lower then there may be a chance a cell has been compromised. One major difference between engine cranking high torque batteries and leisure batteries (such as the auxiliary battery) is that the latter should never be allowed to drop below 50% charge as this can damage the battery cells and they won't be able to recover. You may get away with it a few times. These days, I always have battery tender wires attached to the terminals permanently so if the car is going to sit longer than say 2 weeks without use, I simply hook it up to a CTek battery charger on trickle charge. Most battery chargers come with the wiring and connectors needed for exactly this purpose. The battery can remain insitu as it won't damage the electronics doing this (I checked with Lexus).

Just had mine back from Lexus with this fault. Low mileage 2014 F Sport. Transpired as motor unit failure. Replaced free under warranty and all's good again. It's not an uncommon problem but the Lexus Extend warranty has it covered for those servicing with Lexus dealers.

Supply and demand rules but they'll start driving people away from Lexus and onto other marques if they continue chipping away like this given that the playing field for hybrids and EVs for example has become more level in terms of reliability. People need value and there's no sense in charging what they do for a premium hybrid or EV without an owner's handbook, so my guess is they'll lose out on what is after all something that costs them very little in the scheme of things, particularly at their premium prices.

The argument about capital costs coming down usually is the case as more are produced and cost of parts can benefit from economies of scale, but there are several over-riding considerations which make a mockery of the whole nonsense. The first is that we currently are experiencing for the first time since the early 1970's threats of power outages at peak times to meet current demand, and with no major reinforcement to electricity production, that problem is only going to get worse. It takes over 20 years to plan, build and commission a nuclear power station, overcoming the funding, planning and technological difficulties. The UK government really hasn't thought it through instead relying on bully boy and frankly tyrannical practices by simply imposing their zero carbon targets which will do little to affect global CO2 levels but punitively punish the UK economy on a scale never before seen. Getting away from the politics of it all, there's then the fact that world copper demand means rising prices and much of what we use being unsustainable recycling and purification for the required copper specifications as the only places mining it are China and Australia AFAIK. So is doubling the amount or more of copper for each vehicle sustainable? That and the Lithium elephant in the room storing up a massive toxic problem for the future, which by now we were promised would have been overcome by solid state battery development which is still very much in infancy. Then there's the complete and utter mess of the charging network where any journey over 100 miles requires very careful planning. A relative had to recently make a 500 mile round trip in his new EV car. He thought he had it licked with planned stops for charging en-route and adequate range between stops but at the first stop, half of the charging points were out of service and even had he braved the queue for the remaining ones, he didn't have the required app as each station seemed to use different providers, meaning signing up to a load of the things. Hs actual V's estimated range fell massively short in the end necessitating something like 10 hours of delays for additional stops including waiting for a slot and then waiting for the charging. On his return he is now questioning the wisdom of spending a not inconsiderable sum on an EV when a plug in hybrid would have been the wiser choice. I can see the sensibility for urban areas where clean air is at a premium but you will also shortly pay a premium for using an EV in both charging cost and planned changes to the road taxation system Highways and highways repairs still need funding and the two main sources are vehicle licence tax and S106 payments from major developments. Add to that the claimed electrical efficiencies, well currently these are NOT calculated at source (ie from power station to end user to miles travelled) but only at the point of use. Given that petrol engined vehicles (exclude diesel here for a moment which means excluding shipping and HGV and public transport) are responsible for around 0.3% of UK's CO2 emissions with total vehicles responsible for circa 1% and there is no case for a cost benefit either environmentally and certainly not economically. The whole thing at a legislative political level is a farce and the way it's being delivered farcical. I for one, will be hanging on to my petrol hybrid for many years into the future but we may concede chopping our smaller 2nd car in for an EV for local trips only which is where I see them making most sense.

Surely the dealer supplying the vehicle should ensure that's included? Or is it that they (Lexus)don't routinely supply a full owners' manual any longer?

Sorry to hear that John. Which franchise out of interest was that?

Thought that I'd post an update after finding the fault. I tried every trick but the rear door failed to work despite multiple re-sets, charging the auxiliary battery, checking wiring and connections. Left it with Listers Lexus in Cheltenham who've seen this issue with quite a few 450h's and they were brilliant. They stripped the rear tailgate panels, removed the roof headlining,checked the ECU and Canbus system and wiring, ran fault code readers and finally discovered that the rear motor unit had failed prematurely, not uncommon it seems. The car was with them 3 days and during that time they gave me the keys to a brand new UX250h (which by the way was brilliant...the best driving Lexus I've had the pleasure of using since my old GS300 V6). The motor was replaced, the headlining and panels all replaced faultlessly and the car washed and vacuumed inside. They then had someone drive the 30 minute trip to where I live and drop it off. Charge? I was expecting to pay £1000 plus. The damage for the work was nothing, zip. I was only charged £15 for the insurance cover on the UX. They classed it as a warranty claim and returned the car in perfect working order. Now that's why my next car will be a Lexus, they really do look after their customers.

Anything already pretty corroded can't usually be effectively treated, but what I have done in the past is using a stiff brush, clean off the underside, removing any loose rust then liberally apply ACF50 which can neutralise and prevent further corrosion, leave it a few days to really work in, then using a few old rags, clean it all up as bet you can, drying surfaces. At that point, Lanoguard will at least offer protection against further corrosion. I don't know why its not better known over here where it's made but the groups of off road enthusiasts calling their vehicles "overlanders" (modded 4wd exploration RVs in effect" swear by it in Australia and South Africa where a liberal application only needs re-applying every 3 years or so. Rain won't wash it off as it forms a durable protective film. It's all I use now. Videos taken by Lexus as part of my 450h servicing show the underside as being in very good condition and I put that down to using Lanoguard.

Mine's been into Lexus who spent hours pouring over the vehicle with test probes and laptops. They've narrowed the fault down to a Canbus wiring fault but don't know where. The signal which is being relayed to the rear ECU isn't triggering the motor for the rear door as the power feed is dead to the motor (fuses are all fine) but everything else works fine. They're getting no unusual fault codes which help them so are having the car in again for several days to remove rear panels on door and headlining, go through the wiring, find the fault and repair it. I've already indicated if it's an ECU replacement needed as the car is under warranty, I won't be stumping up for that nor any water damage caused by roof rail bolts as they fitted the roof rails!

I found I didn't need ramps with the RX. I was able just to squeeze under front and read and get to everything not already protected but yes, you could use ramps and move them from front to back and do each end.

I'd recommend Lanoguard. It has served me well for years on my cars and is environmentally friendly, easy to apply and exceptionally good at protection of the metal sub chassis and general underside. It's safe on all surfaces and won't damage rubber, plastic, paintwork nor anything else (just don't get it on your tyres!).

I've waded through stream fords in mine with water to the sills and no adverse effects at all. They're fine with the underside getting a soaking. I clean mine off periodically and liberally spray and brush in Lanoguard. It's kept the worst of the winter road salt at bay and is highly recommended. One one litre bottle is about £60 but enough for three good treatments so good for 4 or 5 years.

Tyre life and road noise/comfort is what I notice differs most between the main brands. The worst I ever had on mine were the OE Dunlops...truly awful. Harsh riding, poor in the wet, noisy and poor overall grip and handling. I switched to Avon ZX7's and they were a revelation. Way better handling, great wet weather braking performance, much quieter and a far more comfortable ride. I stuck with them until now as Avon have now been bought out and are no longer UK made (I wanted to support them whilst they were made here) but their chief drawback for me has been tyre life. Average, irrespective of how I drive, has been sub 10K miles. They are cheap (relatively) at £148/corner but I'll switch to Latitudes now which by all accounts are almost as quiet, have better winter grip and last longer.

Yes, quite right...I meant the ECU not what was supplying it. I'm pretty sure it's an auxiliary battery issue having tested it. Insufficient current despite being charged. Had exacly the same thing a few years ago and a change of battery sorted the issue so will replace the battery which is probably due replacement about now. The recent cold snap probably pushed it over the edge but it's not showing anything like enough residual current on the tester. Once these batteries drop to below 50% it's difficult to recover them. I did try with the recovery mode on the charger but unfortunately it still hasn't done the trick.

Well, I think I have my answer. Whilst checking charger settings, I noticed I didn't have it set for AGM so decided to disconnect the charger as it was showing fully charged, and try the reset by disconnecting the negative battery terminal for 10 seconds, reconnecting then re-initialising by closing the tailgate fully. Et Voila...the tailgate operated manually again (but not on power) and boot courtesy lights came on. That would indicate a battery issue. Sure enough, when reconnecting the charger, this time setting it to AGM mode, instead of rapidly rising to almost fully charged, it stuck mid way up the charging cycle which would indicate to me a battery issue. Last time this happened I got away with a battery charge but a few months later ended up having to replace the battery after the problem re-occurred and didn't have any problems up until now, so I'm almost certain this is a battery condition fault. I'll replace the battery and see if that does the trick. It's expensive at Lexus but at least it's cheaper than a new ECU or power module. Moral of the story is unless run for 30 minutes or more regularly, and especially in cold weather, these batteries take a hammering and need really to be hooked up to a conditioner when not in use. I'll report back when I have changed the battery but fingers crossed, this will be the solution. It's my third battery in 6 years!