Farqui

Ahem, no comment

I agree but SUV's seem to be the norm these days. Another point to consider is could you sell the VW later and not loose money or be stuck with it? The GS has plenty of rear leg room, we can have the grand kid in her seat and legs don't hit the front seat in it's normal position. So maybe keep in the Lexus sedan fold and get a GS250/300 (that has a bigger boot than the 450H) instead?

Tough call Robb but I think you'll be taking a gamble. In the short term it may seem like a good deal but my concerns would be the potential expenses that could crop up anytime in the future. You may get lucky and never have an issue. You'll know better than I how these vehicles fair in the long run. Jap does tend to come with less risk, if only Lexus did an estate IS/GS eh. Would an RX be a better alternative for you? John's suggestion is sound, especially if you'll be able to sell your IS now and have cash spare. Flipping the VW in a few months will give you another financial return and off load the potential risk. But you'll then be looking at sourcing a replacement (again). Oh and yes...you're mental

I saw some info online that suggests it might be possible to enable DRL's http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/112710-Has-anyone-pimped-their-(450h)-ride?#entry1009612 I have Techstream to check the settings but haven't got it working yet. Note to self...must try harder!

It's great to know that the car is back in the LOC fold. Doubly good that the former owner is still active here too Jeeze, that consierge did some damage didn't he! I hope the hotel are covering the cost of the repairs.

Oh gawd, glad folks are all okay. You say the auto mechanism is causing the boot to pop open. To keep the boot closed, could you close it and whip out the fuse?

Luigi's right, the extra 60k items are; plugs, timing belt*, diesel filter* *model dependent On the https://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/servicing-and-maintenance/#ServicingYourLexus page, choose the 'Lexus Service Checklists' to see the side by side comparison of 60k vs 100k, etc

So this car that had a grubby interior was for sale? It's surprising how folks just don't seem to care and can't be bothered sprucing up their ride in readiness for a quick sale. If it put you off, then it's bound to put others off too. Buying cars can be a tricky business so don't just take appearances as gospel. Although much can be gleaned from the interior condition, also delve into the service history, previous MOT's, etc. It might be that it's been well maintained and just needs a good scrub Keeping look as one is bound to turn up that suits you.

This is a complex subject with many factors to consider but in general you can expect larger wheels to give around 10% less mpg. Did you also change the tyre widths? Thinner is better for mpg. Were the 18" alloys heavier or lighter than the 16"? Lighter is better for mpg. Did you move from an eco/hard wearing tyre to a performance/softer compound tyre? Harder is better for mpg. Are you running the same tyre pressures? They may need adjusting to take into account the lower tyre profile. How many tank to tank fills and mpg calc's have you performed on the new wheels? More are better and will help to average out temperature differences, traffic, terrain driven, etc. I'm sure there are many more contributing factors that the masses are sure to chime in with.

Hi David, welcome to the forum. Good call moving to Lexus, have you test driven or looked at any in person yet? Happy hunting, Lee

Well done, lets have a pic of the finished article

Bless, read it along the lines of 'so hilarious it made me cry'.

So it is, for the CT. Unfortunately it's £1,095 for the GS [emoji23]

Yes, we've also occasionally been dazzled by reflections off the shiny center console

I doubt that's a viable option if you are re-registering the car abroad. Good call with the RHD restriction, my uncle looked into re-registering a vehicle in another country and it was a shocking minefield. They add so many crazy import rules that it's far easier to give in and buy a car locally.

Can you check the colour of the wire going into the actual reversing light bulb?

If anyone is considering a Saris Bones rack then they appear to be on offer at the moment https://www.rutlandcycling.com/accessories/bike-storage-and-transport/saris-bones-3-bike-car-rack--various-colours_107904 I stumbled across this whilst browsing, have no affiliation, etc.

Smokin'! Well found.

They are good prices for the adjustable dampers, were the listings available online? I see you refer to 1 damper needed replacing per axle but shouldn't dampers be replaced in pairs, across the affected axle(s).

Oh dear

@Glover / Geoff, thanks she scrubs up well and then looks great. But being black it doesn't take long for the shine to dull. I'm not sure if CCUK also do interiors but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. *update: they do, see their website - https://www.customcreationsuk.com/pages/valeting-detailing They did give my mat's a good clean gratis and without being prompted Andy/CCUK supplied the lance along with plenty of advice (if you want it) - https://www.customcreationsuk.com/products/kkd-snow-foam-lance-kit

Will try harder next time

Drat you got me there #fail as I didn't have time. I tested both products back to back on my barge and a visiting pal but her car was in a such a state (Seagull poop'd roof) that I needed to crack on so I could get the roof cleaned up and polished. Was quite a job and although I fixed most of the issues there are still some slight residual marks. But there's a point when you simply can't face washing a car for another time. The sun was starting to get stronger too so I didn't want to risk the paintwork. Excuses, excuses!

I'm pleased with the new lance, my first one clogged very easily (user error?) and in frustration I enlarged the feed. The downside of my 'mod' was that it used up the foam faster than it should #duh The new lance is much more controllable. The Blizzard snow foam is much thicker and sits on the car longer than Bilt Hamber, which I have been using. It seemed to shift the dirt just as well so I'll try it a few more times to see if the results are consistent - it's relatively dry at the moment so not a thorough test. I haven't tried the Purity X as I'm waiting for a good few hours so I can strip off the remaining protection and start over. Then I'll finish off with Purity X.

Thanks for that tidbit, I'd been wondering where the Mute button was (holding MODE works on my GS too) [emoji106]