Tyre Tread

That 2 into 1 joint looks horrendous. Are the originals really like that?

When I bought my car (07 plate) 2 years ago the wheels were in good condition but in the 35K miles since I noticed today that they are starting to suffer from the well known issue of corrosion. Rather than shelling out 250 plus for them to be refurbished I wondered if anyone has found any suitable alternatives that suit the car? Pictures would be great as what suits a car can be subjective.

I moved to Cardiff a couple of years ago and have found Alpha & Yapps garage in LLanishen to be very good. Probably too far for you though.

If your dashboard rattles they can cure it while the dash is out.

If you crack on and have no issues you could do it in a couple of hours easy but it depends on how you tackle that awkward bolt. The rest is pretty straightforward.

All done. That bolt at the back is a PITA. Found the bolt while looking for a socket I dropped. The plugs that cane out were white - running V lean.

Since I had some spare time today and won't need the car for a few days I decided to change the plugs. Firstly a big thank you to those who have produced how to guides and videos. Without them it would have been much more difficult to figure out what to do and what was needed in advance of starting the job. The difficult to remove bolt on the back of the air box was a bitch to get undone. Not only because access is difficult but it was tight. VERY tight. Ended up putting a 1/4" drive ratchet on it but couldn't get enough pressure on it to crack it free so I looped a thick, long cable tie around it so I could pull on the ratchet with one hand on the handle and the other pulling on the cable tie and it eventually cracked. I also soaked it in penetrating fluid but not sure if that helped. I eventually got the bolt out and dropped it down the back of the engine. It was tight... tight... tight... fell out! No sign on the garage floor so it must have hung up somewhere underneath. I heard it hit the exhaust heat shield and then it sounded like it fell through to the floor. But if it did, I can't find it. So I'll have to see if I can find a replacement in my spares. I checked the new plugs supplied from Lexus Birmingham and all were gapped correctly and the electrodes were protected by a plastic tube so they couldn't be knocked in transit. I am surprised that all of the plugs are white on the electrodes suggesting its running extremely lean. Most of my mileage is on cruise at 70mph so not so surprising I suppose. I'm now heading back into the garage to put it all back together. Anyone know what the correct torque setting is fo the plugs?

Definitely not fob related as I got back in the car and it started so it must have been recognising the key. Unlikely to have been radio interference as I was in the middle of a very big car park, in the same place I park every day so nothing close by and no changes in the surroundings as far as I can tell.

Bit of an odd one... Drove to work this morning. When i set off the car doors unlocked as usual as soon as I touched the door handle. I arrived at work and the doors wouldn't lock either using the rubber push pad or using the button on the key fob. I tried getting back in the car and starting it and turning it off again but it wouldn't lock. I had to leave it as late for work. Went back to the car at lunchtime and it locked and unlocked fine. Any thoughts on what might be the issue in case it recurrs?

...about your car. I've owned mine for 18 months and done 30K miles but didn't realise until yesterday that the footwell lights are dimmable using the instrument backlight dimming control. Anyone else got any any hidden gems?

I need to do the spark plugs on my car as its approaching 90K miles and never been done. I have been offered a service kit from Lexus Birmingham to include: "service kit including oil filter, air filter and pollen filters as well as spark plugs and intake gaskets for £164.75 inc VAT. Does this sound like good value? I'm assuming iridium plugs but will check.

By all means put up your spreadsheet. If I can figure out how I'm happy to put up the figures over the last 1.5 years and 25K miles from the "Mycars" app using brim to brim calcs. You may be lucky and have an accurate calculation on your car but it will be a rare beast.

And of all the cars I've had with trip computers I've never had one that gave a correct MPG reading, they have ALL, without exception, been optimistic. From A Jazz to and XF S Jag. Every. single. one!

Thanks Paul. I've heard Lexus Birmingham are good. I'll order the plugs from them. Problem with a wait and see approach with the gasket is that if they aren't any good I'd have to delay reassembly and its my every day car so I'll pay the £27 if I have to but was surprised at the limited option to obtain the gaskets.

My car has hit 86K miles and not had the plugs done yet so I'm lining up the parts and time to do them. The guides and videos are excellent and the only thing I've been having a bit of trouble with was tracking down the gaskets mentioned. By taking the part number 17176-31050 off a web photo of the packaging and searching the web I've located them for sale here https://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/ajusa-7188927.html at £6.27 and it states 3 are required so £18.81 plus £8.45 postage so over £27 - Does this sound right or expensive for a few bits of rubber. Also, please can anyone recommend the best place to buy the Iridium plugs. Lots of choice but also lots of fake plugs about.