Ed the Ted

Severe damage to my UX tailgate after rear shunt necessitated a replacement rear view camera. Four weeks in local body shop with faultless repair carried out with the exception of the new camera failing to display the yellow/blue guide lines. Subcontractors used by repair shop, who do all their techie work, attempted on three occasions to resolve and failed every time and on 2nd attempt drained my 12 volt battery decided on a fourth attempt because the specialist tools were not available to them. Very frustrated I decided to take the matter into my own hands, did a Youtube search on “Disappearing guide lines rear view camera” and found a 3.5 minute video on the subject showing a 2019 Lexus ES with identical tracker pad etc as my UX (l also contacted Lexus dealership who quoted £150 to resolve) I followed the Youtube instructions and got it working within 5 minutes. I mention this because others my find the procedure helpful this would appear to be a “backdoor” approach to gain access to the menus structure should they need to anytime. It’s unbelievably simple to gain access. Process…Start the engine and whilst HOLDING down the MENU button next to tracker turn ON/OFF parking/headlights toggle 3 times (video says 4 times but 3 times aslo worked) Use service menu at your own risk.

Bill reading my user manual there appears to be 2 types of high beam systems. 1) Adaptive High-beam System….page 233 2) Automatic High-beam System….page 237 The adaptive system (fitted to your car) shaded high beams will turn on and the distance that the low beams are projected will be adjusted automatically. The vehicle speed is approximately 38 mph or more. The high beams or shaded high beams will be changed to the low beams automatically when the vehicle speed is below approximately 38 mph. The automatic system (fitted to my car 2019) turns the high beams on/off automatically when the vehicle speed is approximately 25 mph or more and off when the vehicle speed is below approximately 19 mph. I can only assume that with the adaptive system the low beams are more efficient with triple lights than my twin lights therefore that’s possibly why the high beams are actuated at a higher speed. Does not look like you can change the parameters.

Scott A little bit of my car history……….Since June 2007 every car I’ve owned has been a Lexus. The first 3 were none hybrids (IS 200, IS300 and RX300) average mpg for these cars was 20 in town and 30 on motorways. In June 2013 I bought my 1st Hybrid a CT200h then another in July 2019 and finally a UX250h in Sept 2020. The CT’s would average 60mpg during summer, 50mpg in winter. The UX250 average mpg is 52 summer and 45 winter. I tend to run in echo mode. The only problem I ever had was with my 1st IS (the fuse had blown in the 12v power socket) all the others were fault free. All cars were fully serviced by Lexus Stoke.

This was recently posted by Mellissa Jones, a moderator on Facebook group “Lexus UX Enthusiasts”. I thought I’d just share it with one and all. I completely agree with her post. Well said Mellissa ………and I quote :- I just wanna call out some of the complaints I've seen about this car. 1. "It's small". Yes it is. It is designed as a subcompact crossover meant for city driving (Urban eXplorer). Based on the size and price we can guess that it was likely designed for a specific target audience. Most likely individuals or couples without children who want a luxury vehicle without the luxury $$$$. Stop complaining about the size, you knew what you were buying. You're gonna make your car self conscious. (Don't worry UXs I love you all. It's not all about size) 2. "Trunk space sucks". Again, this car was designed as a city driver likely for individuals or couples without kids. The trunk space is actually pretty standard for cars like this. My Prius C had the same space. It is unfortunate that the hybrid version had to lose some of its space back there but if you know how to tetris its no big deal. 3. "Sleepy, too quiet, slow". This is something you will face in many newer vehicles. It's one of the reasons the FSport offers the ASC button. Newer cars are quieter even many faster vehicles can be considered sleepy or quiet. They also often drive smoother so you don't feel the acceleration as much. If this bothers you then this isn't really the car for you and most luxury vehicles probably are not right for you either. This is also not a race car. It's a small lifted hatchback classified as a crossover. While I agree the standard UX could use a little more power, the hybrid has a good amount of power and is quite fun if you know how to use it. But again it's not a fast car. Wasn't designed to be. 4. "This and that feature should be standard." "It didn't come with this or that feature". First of all, you can get so many features on this bad boy I can't even keep track. So if you didn't get something on yours its most likely that you chose not to get the package that has that feature. Do not knock the car because you failed to check the feature list of that specific vehicle. Stop posting reviews complaining about manual seats and lack of this or that when it was your own choice. As for standard features, it's all about $$$$. The more standard features they add the higher the starting msrp will be. If all features were standard the ux would no longer be accessible to the target market as it would be around 50k USD starting. Also note that each year they have been adding standard features that the previous year didn't have. But again the more features the more $$$$. This is just my opinion really but I've seen too many complaints about the same stuff.

You could buy a Faraday cage/wallet to put the key in then leave wallet with key in the car.

“There were some lexus UX stolen as well”……..Omar can you advise us where you obtained this information from i.e. Police, local paper or word of mouth? I’m sceptical as up to now there is no history of the UX250h being a target for Cat thefts.

Scott & Nick........The bike wheels appear as if they protrude outside the width of the car, this must constitute a possible hazard for oncoming cars and motorcycles especially on UK narrow roads.

Ian…… Just playing devils advocate here. Will the Corolla suffer from the same problem as the Toyota Prius, Auris and Lexus CT and become prone to having its Catalytic convertor stolen. Have they repositioned it so it's less accessible?

Personally I prefer having wing mirrors that don’t fold every time I lock my car. Always felt that folding every time the car is locked puts excessive wear and tear on the mirrors motor. The only time I fold is when damage may occur, for example I need them to fold before driving into my garage so manually fold via the switch to improve the existing clearance between the mirrors and the door frame. I can see when the car is locked or unlocked because each door panel on the UX has a chrome door locking pillar clearly visible along the top edge of the panel. Protruding above the panel shows an unlocked car and when submerged flush along the panel’s edge the car is fully deadlocked therefore I don’t need a folded mirror to confirm I have locked the car.

Ian...... better to be more specific in your search try Puppy Crate Model CDC03+SB36P

“COSY PET Deluxe Car Dog Cage with Pink Faux Sheepskin Bed, Generic Model Fits Most Makes Audi BMW Fiat Ford Honda Toyota Vauxhall VW Volvo Puppy Crate Model CDC03+SB36P (We only ship to mainland UK)” Ian……bought from Amazon in 2014 various sizes available. Our dog is a pug so his cage is one of the smallest in the range. Search Amazon for COSY PET Deluxe Car Dog Cage.

Martino........Can I suggest an alternative to a guard. We purchased a cage that fits into rear boot space when taking our K9 for a ride. The cage is easily lifted out when not required.

Chris I agree with Stompe. Waze is great using Apple CarPlay via USB lead from the iphone. The only downside is the thumbnail sketch that appears in your instrument cluster when approaching a junction will not display and is something I liked when using the Lexus Satnav software.

"At the end of the day's they are 'driving aids', not some sort of autopilot" Nick.......The other 'driving aid' I love and use extensively is the automatic high beam dipping 😍

I have become quite adept at using adaptive cruise control on 30-40mph urban roads. When following a car the radar ensures and maintains a safe distance effectively eliminating a “tail gating” situation. It reduces my speed and stops the UX when the car in front approaches and stops for a junction or roundabout. Also means I’m driving within the speed limit and consider it another tool in my armoury towards driving safely. I’m sure others have had situations when having taken your eyes of the road for a split second only to find the car in front has suddenly braked I know I have.

Just an update on this topic. Had the UX250h serviced on Monday and Apple CarPlay installed (£80) by Lexus Stoke. All working OK and first impressions are it was well worth the cost 😀

The UX is the first car I’ve had with radar cruise and as a result I’m using it more, with previous cars I would have to constantly re-adjust the speed manually therefore limiting its use during busy times on the road. David in answer to your question the gadget that I would loathe to give up is automatic head light dipping. Paul I can assure you that I always pay attention and don’t tailgate but consider it another tool in my armory towards driving safely.

“I used the radar cruise very good what an innovation this is.” Brent……Because it keeps and maintains a pre-set safe distance from the car you’re following, eliminating any tailgating hazards, I’ve used this feature on motorways and also ‘A’ roads.

Steve........I asked about this topic in November 2020 (see page 4 of this forum). Lexus UK were unaware of any thefts of Catalytic Converters from Lexus GS and UX cars. The major Cat in the UX is directly attached to the exhaust manifold and pretty inaccessible. I've taken a look under my UX, the Catalytic converter doesn't look visible from underneath not like on the CT's so l reckon the UX would not be a target for thieves.

You'll enjoy it Sandy. I have to say it puts a big smile on my face everytime I take my UX for a spin😀

Hi Brent....... the dealership have quoted £80 inc VAT so I will have it done, they prefer to install when the car is due a service because of the time it takes. I'm in no hurry so it will be done at the next service due in September.😃

Thanks both to Herbie and Colin for the videos. I like what I'm seeing the deciding factor will be how much the dealership are going to charge me, if it's only about £80 then I'll get it installed.

Thanks Colin I've yet to find out how much they will charge me. Not seen any demos of the apps in use so forgive my ignorance but the route map information would be displayed on the UX multimedia existing screen (mines 7") and not on the iPhone?

“As a valued Lexus owner, we'd like to offer you the opportunity to upgrade to the latest Lexus multimedia system. To make the most of its intuitive new features, including Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto®” Received the above message from my local dealership and would like users opinion. Is it worth spending money to have them install this software or is it just eye candy? I don’t have it on my UX being an early 2019 model and presume it wasn't an available option then (UX250H with Premium Plus pack)

Mark just checked my UX’s DAB stations. I have 14 pages with 6 stations per page. Seems to me you’re only tuned/displaying a single page. My wife’s Yaris (2018 plate she bought last week) was missing some DAB stations. I selected manual tune for her and was offered an “ensemble box” it was set to “Birmingham”. Scrolling through several box options I reset it to D1 National and found 11 pages with 6 stations per page. Not sure if this “ensemble“ option is available on the UX or perhaps has something similar under manual tune.