olliesgrandad

I've now covered around 1500miles of mixed weather driving and I am extremely happy with these tyres. The grip is phenomenal compared to the Dunlops and the car feels really planted on the road. I have tried giving it the beans in the damp when pulling away which on the Dunlops would have provoked the rear end to 'step out' and the traction control to cut in. So far I have been unable to provoke such a reaction on the Michelin tyres. So my view is to give them a try.

My 2 Lexus [2014 is f sport 300h] and my current 2015 GS are the only 2 cars I've owned for a number of years without rusty calipers. That includes 2 minis and 2 Mercedes all post 2013 age. One thought is that the wheel cleaner used at hand car washes is very aggressive and causes the issue when sprayed on hot calipers. Still if you own a new Mercedes you need to replace the wheel centre caps every 12 months or so as they are such poor quality.

I have had issues when my key was in the same pocket as my android phone. Car just wouldn't open. I always now keep key away from phones.

My transmission oil was changed last service. That was a 4 year service.

1 On dab it is quieter than with music on USB. Tried mine on full volume and rear view mirror appeared possessed and the whole interior almost self destructed. 5 There is a partial easy exit setting. I have mine set like this and it only moves the wheel. Regarding the badge as a gold member my dealer gives me 15% off parts and servicing. I saved £70 on a service 2 weeks ago.

Quick update Now driven 150 miles on the new tyres. Considering it consisted of cold and wet roads plus snow covered roads yesterday and today I am well impressed. Traction under all conditions is really good. On the Dunlops it was very easy to bring the traction control on. This no longer appears to be the case. The tyres are extremely quiet and all signs should of harshness on rough surfaces has dissipated.

Had four new tyres fitted today and tracking adjusted Initial impressions on todays wet and cold roads are very positive. Firstly the only negative is lack of rim protection. Now the positives. Firstly the car now feels more planted and the ride is much softer than the OE Dunlops. This is especially noticeable when negotiating speed humps. They are also much quieter. The grip in the wet seems also to be much improved. So initial impressions are very positive.

Well my TPMS warning light was on this morning again. I checked the rear offside tyre which had been down on pressure a couple of weeks ago and it was slightly soft. Repressurised everything was good. This tyre was soft a couple of weeks ago so must have a very slow puncture. As the tyres were checked on service on Friday it must be a very slight leak. Both rear tyres last week at service were deemed to be a little low on tread -scuffed on inside of both rears and N/S down to 3mm in middle and rear o/s 3.9mm in middle. since then I have covered a further 600 miles. I visited my local tyre guru who quoted £400 to replace rears like for like (Dunlop Sport Maxx). That would mean in a couple of months ( 4,000 miles) ,when the fronts needed changing another £400 to keep everything matched. total £800. He priced a few others and came up with the Michelin Primacy 4 which is a new model at £650 for four. In addition there is an offer with Michelin where they put £50 on a prepaid visa card for you if you buy 4 tyres bringing the cost down to £600. He reckons the new Primacy is a great tyre and is' A 'rated for wet grip. On that basis I have ordered a set as the Dunlops are original and have now covered 30,500 miles so I can't complain. Will keep you updated when fitted as to their performance.

I understand that the GS replacement might be a totally new model ES which will be rear wheel drive. I don't believe that Lexus will not have a car of this size throughout the world.

I moved to Lexus from the so called luxury German brands because they are niche. If I am spending large lumps of real money while driving big mileages I expect to be able to get my car serviced and repaired quickly not be told I need to wait 3 weeks for a service. With my experience of Lexus this week I won't be in any rush to go elsewhere.

While my car was serviced the salesman I have bought my last 2 cars came for a chat. Apparently the GS is no longer being imported and the last two cars into the Cheltenham dealer will arrive imminently. The thought is that the new ES will replace it. The first UX will arrive Spring 2019.

The water pump replaced under warranty I am pleased to say at no cost.

Well my car had a big service at Listers Cheltenham today while I waited. All good until they noticed a coolant weep from a water pump seal. They initially stated they had a seal and would replace that, but in the event they replaced the complte water pump. I am so impressed that they had one in stock and got on and did it while I waited. I arrived there at 8.30 this morning and by 12 was back on the road with the car cleaned and vacuumed for a total of less than £374.

I might be wrong, but that panel looks like it may have been repainted at some point in the cars life. One way of working that out is to use a 'paint detective' or similar device on the car to check paint depth

I have owned a number of Mercedes during the past 28 years and the classic models from the 80s and 90s were wonderful pieces of engineering. Everything went belly up in the noughries when the Daimler Chrysler bean counters took over. I moved away from the brand returning in 2014 for a time with a C class and e class cabriolet. Sadly the build quality of these later cars isn't very special for machines costing (in the case of my cabriolet) nearly £50k new. The service from their dealers is no better than Ford or Vauxhall and not as good as my local Fiat dealer. Don't have a breakdown as their recovery service (Allianz) is awful. Lexus build quality and service is streets ahead. With Mercedes the lead time for a service was around 3 weeks which is no use to me driving 500 miles a week. My message is to stick with Lexus