twolexii

Progress on my "new" '07 LS600h L RSR: passed its Hybrid health check & visual check apart from wiper blades. Front discs/pads (last replaced 10k miles ago) getting very thin. Pirelli Zeros 12 years old but still legal. 120k miles service quote inc. discs/pads & 8 Platinum spark plugs - a tear-inducing £1,150. Refurb'ed alloys this week £200, looking good. Full bonnet respray (tiny rust bubbles at leading edge) this month then cream leather full valet. All inside toys work except to refit internal TV antenna (an Alpine unit added by a Mr R Atkinson) and add DAB. Did I mention the out-of-this-world audio? Average mixed-useage mpg after 700 miles now 25. Not at all bad for a 5,000lbs example of Japanese masterclass engineering. Offered & declined £4k by Lexus for my '08 73k 2-owner GS450h: a keeper, as is '03 75k FSH SC430.

First impressions of the '07 99k LS600h L RSR I bought 2 Jan '20, as compared to my GS450h bought Feb2019. The former's long-wheel base and air-suspension and quiet running and superlative surround-sound audio, all compare very well to a friend's 1980's Rolls Royce (w/LPG for sane mileage). However, I"m conscious when driving the LS600h that it's a 5,000lbs machine whereas the '08 73k GS450h is more of a driver's car and feels younger than the LS. I won't sell the GS. As for the '03 75k SC430, it's in a class of its own and compares well to a 2012 M-B SL350 I drove a couple of years ago. I need to replace the SC430's bass door speakers. Can anyone advise if it's simpler to bring originals back from the USA on my next holiday? The nearside folding mirror won't retract back to the body any longer, after moving a bit: any ideas? Thank you for any help.

LV= covered me yesterday, fully comp, on all 3 Lexii, mileage of up to 4k on each, with legal expenses, parked in drive, dash cameras, one driver, for the annual equivalent of £998 per annum, with no need for mirroring (i.e, just 2 11years of NCD). And experience has shown me that LV's claim handling is civilised.

Hi Malc. Thank you, happy to stay with cracked mirror as MoT has not been affected. But yes please, details of your suppler in case the May20 MoT is an issue. I owned a 2009 Legend, very pleasant though quite different to the LS600h, possibly because of the Lexus' long-wheel base and air-suspension. The Legend's radar active-cruise control would be disturbed by high-sided trucks on the inside lane, whereas the LS600h's seems to save fuel! When, at 33 months old, Honda refused to honour the replacement under their standard 3years warranty of the Legend's nearside mirror assembly (£800+) I quickly sold the car to a trade buyer and that was my last Honda. To be fair they were suffering from the after-effects on their business of the tsunami. Happy memories, though, of 4wheel-steering VTi Preludes. The last one had been the late LJK Setright's car, a special import with active suspension - sadly sold when it overnight erupted with rust. I'm disturbed by broker Adrian Flux' behaviour: having agreed AND emailed me their quote, to insure the Ls600h with Aegeas on 27Dec with mirrored 11years no-claim-bonus, they then upped the premium by £250 as "mirroring costs more" when I phoned on 2 January to pay and start cover. Shoddy. They've lost the business for the soon-to-be rewed SC430 and the LS600h.

Hi Malc. Thank you, happy to stay with cracked mirror as MoT has not been affected. But yes please, details of your suppler in case the May20 MoT is an issue. I owned a 2009 Legend, very pleasant though quite different to the LS600h, possibly because of the Lexus' long-wheel base and air-suspension. The Legend's radar active-cruise control would be disturbed by high-sided trucks on the inside lane, whereas the LS600h's seems to save fuel! When, at 33 months old, Honda refused to honour the replacement under their standard 3years warranty of the Legend's nearside mirror assembly (£800+) I quickly sold the car to a trade buyer and that was my last Honda. To be fair they were suffering from the after-effects on their business of the tsunami. Happy memories, though, of 4wheel-steering VTi Preludes. The last one had been the late LJK Setright's car, a special import with active suspension - sadly sold when it overnight erupted with rust. I'm disturbed by broker Adrian Flux' behaviour: having agreed AND emailed me their quote, to insure the Ls600h with Aegeas on 27Dec with mirrored 11years no-claim-bonus, they then upped the premium by £250 as "mirroring costs more" when I phoned on 2 January to pay and start cover. Shoddy. They've lost the business for the soon-to-be rewed SC430 and the LS600h.

Hi. I collected my 2007 LS600h L RSR (dark grey/cream interior, 98.7k miles) on 2 January '20 from the Peak District & drove back to Sussex. Very happy with my purchase, that I'll be driving for touring and charity-local-weddings, about 5k miles a year. My local independent engineer's advice: use the car every day and wash it outside & under frequently (I live close to the sea). Faults: the alloys need refurbishing and there's bubbling on about 1 inch on the leading edge of the bonnet (hood) and the near-side (left) exterior mirror has a crack though works well. RSR all works and I need to investigate an Alpine TV tuner fitted to the rear screen by the famous 2nd owner. I'm the 4th owner, w/a full service history, the last one (an independent) Nov2018 about 2.5K miles ago. I'm taking the car to Lexus for a hybrid health check and visual inspection in a few days. The hybrid battery shows 9 out of 10 bars on full charge. After 400 highway miles I'm showing an average 29 mpg (24mpUSg) though I expect this to drop. In summary: a huge amount of luxury for very little investment, though repairs could be eye-watering, even with a whispering engine that's just run-in!

Hi all, My UK-right-hand-drive 2003 75k miles SC430's left-hand-side external mirror won't swivel inwards (it gets stuck about half-way in) when I push the swivel-button near the steering wheel. I have to force the mirror housing: that feels like I'm damaging it. The other mirror swivels on command correctly. Any thoughts? Thank you.

Totally agree. My wife loves her 2013 3L Diesel auto Touareg and won't hear of it being replaced. At only 67k it's depreciated £33k in the 7 years we've owned it and as it's just run-in, why sell it? Particularly as it now only does 6k a year at an average of 32mpg. It's not ULEZ compliant in London but is never used there, public transport off-peak is far more pleasant. Her criteria for an EV is a Touareg with 500 miles real-world range, for recharge overnight at home in Sussex. I don't see that being available until the late '20s. My view: I wanted to create a convenient, personal, car club: the '03 SC430, '07 LS600h L RSR and '08 GS450h more than meet that goal and are valued at less than a new, drivethedeal-discounted, base-model 1.5 petrol TSI Golf, being far more interesting to this hobbyist. And they're all 3 London ULEZ-compliant.

Hi, my '07 LS600h L needs replacement 19inch alloys. Anyone have a set for sale? Happy to have them renovated if the price is right. Thanks.

Exactly same deeling here. I’m now threelexii, ca’t bear to sell the IS250C. My wife loves her ‘13/62k Touareg 3L diesel so win-win: )

Very very happy with the one-owner dark blue/light grey 2008 GS450h SE w/67k I bought this week. We drove home 250 miles at amazing 67 trip-average mph AND 37mpg! A true continent crosser with the best mid-range acceleration I’ve experienced since a rented Tesla Model S 70, AND far better inside-and-out build quality The tyre pressure warning was reset by the excellent Lexus Hedge End in an hour from my unbooked arrival, for just £72, presumably with a diagnostic OBD device. The weather has been ideal for the quiet-to-60mph sunroof. Tyres are cheapies and all meaty, none older than 2016. Presumably DAB for LBC can be added via the Aux socket: I love the fidelity of the Mark Levinson sound, on Radio 3 and Classic FM. I have a lot more to learn about this terrific £7200 machine. It and the incomparable ‘03/72k SC430 V8 are now my Lexii fleet. The rare Cerulean/white ‘09 34k IS250C SE-L will go to the best home I can find, possibly to a member of my car club, for £9k, having depreciated £7.4k in 4 reliable years and 20k miles.

Thank you very much, will do. Drove back 250 miles from Cheshire to West Sussex in the 2008 GS45h with the tyre pressure light showing and correct pressures all-round. Wonderful car. 250 motorway miles at 67mph and 37mpg in real comfort and strong handling. Outstanding mid-range acceleration to avoid cretins. Superb FM classic music from MarkL.

Is this TPMS battery repair too risky, from Youtube? My SC430 & tomorrow’s collected GS450h are both showing the indicator light... http://youtu.be/Znwg8uZBufI

I owned a low-mileage second-hand 2008 Honda Legend 3.5 EX. Extremely comfortable, I shall compare my 2008 GS450h on Monday to that. The Legend handled like a sports car with its 4wheel-drive if economy was forgotten; but I never got more than 24mpg so hardly used it.The radar cruise control was frustrating, decelerating as I overtook high-sided trucks. I sold the Legend to the trade at 33 month because, despite its 36 months warranty, Honda refused to honour the replacement of the nearside external mirror assembly, an £800 item. I think Honda were suffering financially from the tsunami that also destroyed Japanese nuclear plants. I have never bought Honda since though they are excellent engineers.

Thanks, Wendle, I think a dark bkue or black are far better for the Gen3, also the model looks far more purposeful from the rear. I’ll try a 2012 GS. Unimpressed by 2 day-loaners, today’s CT200h and the current mid-priced hybrid coupe, its very poor ride, far worse in Sport mode, a spoilt car with a BMW dashboard.

Collecting a 2008 GS450h SE (one family owner, 64k miles, full independent service history). Is that a 3rd of 4th Generation? And the main differences? Thank you, and to Richard of hybrid battery solutions for his very helpful callback. Also, and that’s just icing on the cake, how to add DAB if it doesn’t have a USB socket? Tough decision but will probably sell my IS250C (34k miles, ‘09/59, SE-L, vgc, FSH) if the GS is as good as I hope. (£9.5k no-offers to the right home). All my family use or need people and stuff carriers. The SC430 is irreplaceable.

Hi folks, just offered £1k for ‘99/226k Green/gold/wood LS400 in Autotrader IF it passes reasonably its local Lexus free health check and IF body reasonable and no rust. Happy as a spring/summer project as my Lexii convertibles are both healthy. IF it happens, it passed its MoT late last year with a few advisories so probably a fair risk as will only do 2/3k this/next year. Did drive a very rusty LS400 last year and a fun gentleman’s land yacht:) Withdrew: I’m no DIYer:)

Couldn't agree a fair price on the private ‘07/80k LS460 so walked. The SC430 is a classic small limo, a delight to drive, closed or open. The IS250C is a hidden secret. Thanks for commenting.

I did. 🙂 Decided to keep SC430 & replace IS250C with LS460, IF the big thirsty car’s price is fair.

Thanks, Malcolm, a good point, having played with the (Phaeton) Bentley. I’ve found a fun way to make it three lexii as I know I’d miss the IS250C. There’s a reason it is still a Which Best Buy, 7 years on from its demise. For the LS460, I’m quoted by Aviva £422 comp for 3k miles p.a. and £500 voluntary excess, with full NCD, for my Sussex postcode. Feels toppy as the IS250C is £272 for 5k miles and my wife’s 2013 Touareg is c. £480. Test drive of the LS460 next week but only at £1k over PX. 55 years buying and disposing of cars has shown that another beauty always comes along.

Thank you, gentlemen, for responding with your advice. In my ideal world I’d keep the very pleasant IS250C and superb SC430 and add the stately LS460, particularly as my lady would now find the large saloon easier to get into. However I only drive 8k a year so insufficient use? Semi-retired and finding golf tedious, becoming threelexii does appeal. As does the fact that the newer hybrid models feel less Lexus and more sanitised BMW inside. So the triple fleet, at an all-in £25k, would still be less than one underwhelming CT200h. Next step? Drive an LS460 for an hour then decide. BTW, comparing Lexus service Hedge End, Guildford and Twickenham, the latter definitely 3rd-rate with Hedge End top. I also have a nearby excellent independent engineer for instinctive fault-finding.

Opportunity to buy LS460 w/FLSH, 07/80k; for price of selling my 09/IS250C/33k; and keep my 03/SC430/71k. Any thoughts?

Hi mr2lad, thank you, I shall try switching the radio off, and hence its amplifier. I’m also checking a solar panel to keep the battery trickle-charged, as the car stays in the open off-road and used once or twice a week, though not yet clear how the panel connects from inside the windscreen to the car’s OEBD under-bonnet socket. Maybe simply to the cigarette-lighter? BTW your LS dash is almost the same as my IS250C, both far better to my mind than Lexus’ latest attempt at copying BMW.

I ended up in January 2018 with a 2003 SC430, fLsh, bought privately for £6.2k, modern 5-double spoked subdued alloys, 70k miles, dark blue and white leather, bird’s eye maple. This to accompany my 2009 IS250C, now 33k miles. I have the SC’s original wheels too. Annoying Issue: buzzing from the speakers at bass frequency but quite good on classic music. Any one suggest an audio repairer for the SC 430? Solvable Issue: current leakage from somewhere on the car. Replaced the battery when bought the car but it goes flat if the car un-used for more than a fortnight. Work around: use the car more and carry jumper leads, until I get my engineer to check the electrics in early Spring. Everything works, though. Good news: SC430 recent MoT with no advisory, my very experienced engineer “a nice little car”, though I’ve only done 1,400 miles in Year 1. Generally, I love the SC430’s limousine ride, a genuine grand tourer, planning trip to the beautiful Scottish Borders in May. As I expected, a far better choice than a Bentley Continental GTC, as I get 25mpg and never need more than the 2 seats. As for the ‘09 IS250C, cerulean blue with white leather, bought June 3015, my smooth very pleasant day-to-day car, my only regret is that Lexus don’t still make it. I drop the top at the first sign of the sun, and am getting 30mpg. Recent Intermediate service a non-issue, having driven 5k in the last year. Am impressed by its rapid acceleration when needed and no longer miss my far less reliable though sportier M-Benz 2005 SLK280. I’ve got used to the plastic noises at the rear of the IS250C cabin, they’re due to my awful local road surfaces. Everything works, DAB radio and excellent climate control very useful. In summary, two great fun modern classics valued at less than £17k. Total costs, insurance £700, road tax £700, depreciation c.£1500; maintenance way less, so far, than my expected £2k a year.

Hello Normski2 Can you point me to the way to find and grease these caliper sliding pins? Is it a Lexus grease, or? The rear noise on my 2009 IS250C SE-L with just 28k miles has increased recently and is spoiling what is otherwise a splendid, quiet, tourer. There’s no noise with the top down. After 2.5 years and 14k miles, I can either dawdle or chuck the car about. Strangely, it uses less fuel when driven with verve. My average in mixed use is 30.8mpg. Thank you. Next to collect my long-sought SC430. Having driven a 2013 SL350, the SC430 is an amazing bargain.