PRT68

To remove, use a hair dryer to soften it and remove carefully. A heat gun would be quicker but you may blister the paint!! Best to leave it and replace the missing one to match up.

Water under the bridge now, but when I bought my ISF 3 years ago, it would have been 10 years old this month. Just out of time to renew the warranty for another 2 years. Alas, I've sold it, but if I hadn't, I would be furious. This will seriously impact the value of 9-10 year old cars now. I still have the last year of my 2 for 1 warranty remaining on my RC300h, which I will continue with. It was then my intention to downsize to the replacement CT, but being as that isn't coming, and I don't want an SUV, I'll be leaving the brand. Lexus/Toyota has reduced itself to the others, so I'll be looking at KIA etc. with the 7 year warranty.

Could you wangle a length of masking take over it, and then pull that?

Hopefully it should de-glaze the shoes. They are only used when the car is stationary, so applying when moving may relocate them and roughing them up. Do it on a quiet piece of road, at about 15 mph, gradually pressing the pedal clicks until the car stops. Repeat this 2 or 3 times going backwards as well as forwards. Also drive for about a hundred metres with a couple of clicks down, just enough to feel some retardation. Keep the gearbox in drive, ignoring the bong! Don't use the normal brake pedal, just the park brake pedal.

No one seems to have mentioned that it could be the parking brake shoes binding? Suggest going down hill and giving the pedal a couple of clicks. Both during forwards and reversing.

Well, I'm disillusioned now. My main reason for going to the Lexus brand was peace of mind. I was comfortable paying £995 for the 2 year extended warranty, as it more or less fixed costs for me. Now the warranty is included in the annual service, that is in effect saving me £500 p.a. However, as many have pointed out, the new warranty is nowhere as comprehensive as the original, and looks to me as if it gives Lexus too much wriggle room (just like other brands). For example, on the 2_4_1, all electrics were covered. Now it seems that most are covered, with the exception of the multi media part. But many of the driver aids are interlinked to this, so how will they differentiate? The £500 p.a. saving would help towards the odd shock absorbed etc, but I doubt if it would help towards a multi media repair bill. Time to forget about Lexus and buy something for a couple of grand and change or scrap when as big bill comes along??I Or just start leasing and hand it back?

That's good. I took out the 2 for 1 offer extended warranty last July. If I've read the terms right, it looks like I'll get a years refund when I take it for service this July. We'll see. Will have to pay for assistance now. I wonder how much that will be, and whether it will still cover the wife and European travel?

I suppose it could also be said that if the light comes on and a tyre is losing pressure, at least you can prepare to stop safely or get to a garage if you don't have a spare. Fortunately, my car shows the individual pressures.

Yes, I used B in my Prius, and use the paddles in the RC. I was also taught to drive in a manual, 50 years ago by my father, a Police class 1 instructor. He told me to always use the brakes when approaching a junction or traffic lights. Reason being it was cheaper to replace pads as against a clutch. Also, if a down change was fumbled it would compromise the slowing down. Going down hill, use a lower gear. Don't know how people are instructed now.

Yes, I do have an RC300h. Silver with grey leather (that smells nice!) Again,drives beautifully. Obviously different to the ISF. It 's a lowly Luxury version. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but good enough for me.

2 years ago, I had an ES as a courtesy car for 48 hours whilst my ISF was in for servicing. I don't remember the model specification, but it drove beautifully. The only thing I didn't like about it was the interior smell! It smelled of plastic. More emphasised by the lovely aroma of leather when I got my ISF back. On research, my loan car had synthetic leather.

Yes Martin totally agree. Even more frustrating is when cycling alone, you can 'feel' a vehicle behind. Some seem to be so hesitant to overtake, even when there's bags of room. And when they do decide they're in the wrong gear to make a swift pass.

Ha, yes very aware! I'm a cyclist and walker myself. I was taught to drive by my father 50 years ago. He was a class 1 police driving instructor. Always told to be aware, looking at telegraph poles and hedges to give an idea of where the road goes etc. Me giving commentary, with him covering the rear view mirror and asking me what was behind. He also taught me to overtake, an art that has been forgotten. So many people are taught to pass a test, not to actually drive properly.

To me, outright performance is a load of bullocks. very rarely can it be used to it's full extent without getting points. I've had many fast cars over the years, many of them before the cameras were about, and even then I was not too silly. My last 3 cars in the last 5 years have been a Prius, an ISF, and now an RC300h. A bit of a mix! My regular trips take me the same time in which ever car I've been in. I still drive briskly most of the time, always at the GPS limit on rural roads, and a little faster on motorways, but not enough to draw attention. Sure, the ISF got me to cruising speed quicker, but I don't really miss it, and I don't have any points. Heck, if I really want to enjoymyself, I take the wifes Aygo down favourite country lanes. Keeping a little engine on the limit and carrying speed through the corners is so much fun!

I bought a security TV simulator from Amazon for about £10. It's approx 3 inches square, plugs into the mains, and comes on at dusk. Can be set for 4 or 7 hours. We leave it in an upstairs room, and it's very realistic when viewed from outside. Use it every time we go away.

Yes, the Vitara is a good car. Daughter's car was playing up, so she was looking to spend about £5000 on a replacement. To improve the quality and help her into a later car, and to save me spannering, I added the same amount. But I was to choose! As mentioned, it has all the gadgets she needs. More importantly, under bonnet space is huge, with every part that may need replacement in the future easy to get at. And, it drives beautifully.

Well according to the majority of posts, I've done just about everything wrong!! I went from a fearsome ISF, to a lowly RC300h luxury. And I don't care. All I need from a car is reliability, electric windows, rear camera, and aircon. Looks are a definite bonus. Once I have set everything up in the car to my satisfaction, I rarely alter anything. I miss some electric gizmos some of my other cars have had, but don't loose any sleep over it. Despite owning it for 18 months, I'm still finding things that I didn't know I had, that's how much I'm bothered! In fact last week I found I could open the boot with the keys fob, and bugger me there was a washing machine in there!! So, to the original poster, enjoy your chosen car. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

If buying a Lexus from a Lexus main dealer, I would expect the vehicle to be in the best possible condition. I would expect to see some minor cosmetic issues, but certainly no obvious mechanical problems. If you were aware of noises from the rear on the second day there must have been a problem before you purchased. I doubt if you made things worse on your 200 mile drive home, and excitement may have masked the problem. So was it properly checked over? If a private sale, buyer beware and all that. Nevertheless I wouldn't expect that problem from a main dealer. A back street bomb site, possibly.

If I bought that and it began making noises on the second day, I would have gone absolutely bonkers! Sounds to me like it was a distance sale, so were content to sell it with a fault. No negotiations should have been necessary. It was not fit for purpose, and they should have bent over backwards to sort it out. No wonder the warranty company weren't interested! Sorry for the rant, but that should never have happened.

www.thunderpole.co.uk

That looks to me like a radio aerial. When I did private hire driving, we had those. You cut it to length depending on the frequency. It then fitted to the base, secured by a grub screw.

Dyson cordless stick vacuum. Paid £375 for it 3 years ago. Very good at first. Easy to use, and would last for 40 minutes with a combination of high and low powers. Coped with doing the whole house. Now, battery only lasts about 20 minutes and you have to think carefully how to set about cleaning. On full power, will only last a few minutes. A new battery is about £75, and I suppose I should replace. Talk about range anxiety! I could never cope with an all electric car....

Yes, I'm with them, but haven't had to claim yet. Very easy to organise. If you quote PH20 (from Pistonheads) you'll get 20% discount. When I've spoken to them, Katie is very good to talk to.

The three items mentioned seem to suggest tyre skip on turning, but without further information, we can't really help.

Don't go to Lexus Milton Keynes. Tried to charge me £395.00 for a similar battery for my RC300h. Won't darken their door again.