Herbie

PM just sent to you now Frank.

Just be aware that you're not really seeing the state of the 12V battery, just a voltage indication, To get a real meaningful reading you need to put the battery under load by using a load tester. That adapter you linked to may indicate 12.5V but once a load is applied it could drop like a stone to 5 or 6V if, for example, there's a faulty cell.

You may have found out by now that that's impossible to do. If the car is running then the hybrid system is active. Hybrids don't have a starter motor. The way to get the petrol engine running is that the hybrid system energises the 650V MG1 (Motor/Generator 1) and uses that to spin up the engine, before applying fuel and a spark to fire it. Disconnecting the 12V battery for a few minutes is worth a try but as Andrew says above, you need the OBD codes. These codes provide a starting point for further in-depth troubleshooting so if you don't have them, all we can do is guess.

There's no need to regas or have the aircon "serviced" unless you have a definite leak somewhere. It's a sealed system, the refrigerant gas doesn't degrade or wear out, so as long as there's no leaks, it's fine. I've had cars for 15 years and the aircon was as cold on the day I sold it as it was on the day I bought it, without ever servicing or regassing. I would never let Halfords even lift the bonnet, never mind letting them lose with tools in there! Not sure what you mean by this. Did they regas it or not? Forget Halfords or KwikFit - both equally useless. Mechanic for general spannering work, auto-electrician for electrical work, body shop for body repairs and....yes, you guessed it....aircon specialist for aircon work. One thing you could do is to read the OBD codes and see if anything is flagged up - let us know if it is and we can tell you what the code(s) mean.

We usually do the Dover-Calais or Dover-Dunkirk crossing* and then drive up the coast road to Belgium, staying a couple of nights in Ostend maybe, or wherever. Then on to somewhere in Germany for a couple of nights and then on to where we spend the majority of our holiday time, Czechia and Poland. No specific destinations in mind, no hotels booked in advance, just go wherever the wind takes us. Never had to spend a night in the car as there's always hotels somewhere, never been disappointed with any trip or aspect of any trip. Seen some fantastic places and met some wonderful people along the way. *Could never use the tunnel because previous cars have been LPG. Never understood why camper vans/caravans with their gas bottles are allowed in yet LPG-fuelled cars aren't but hey ho. Oh, and when I say a "driving" holiday I mean a "touring" holiday, not a high-speed one

No, it doesn't.

Well, first of all, as Peter asks above - did it start the car? Secondly, you seem to be a bit confused about what a trickle charger is and how to use it. A standard battery charger can output up to about 5A as an example. You use it when you have a flat battery and want to charge it up, and once charged you disconnect it and put it away. A trickle charger usually outputs less than 1A and it's connected to the battery when you know it will be stood for a long time. Some people call them a battery maintainer because it keeps, or maintains, the charge in the battery. There is always some current draw from the battery and the trickle charger is used both to supply that and also provide more, so that the net effect is that the battery doesn't discharge. Trickle chargers are both expected to be used, and are designed for, 24/7 continuous connection to the battery when you know it won't be used for a good while.

The fuse box covers or 'lids' usually have this info printed on the inside.

The problem as I see it is one of 'standing out' so that people know you're there. When no one at all had to use headlights during the day or DRLs, no one stood out. Then came a law to say motorcycles must use them "to stand out". Now, if everyone is using them these days, no one stands out anymore - except for the ones that don't have any lights on

Not really a good idea. Radio, seat memory, clock, windows and other stuff will need to be reset every time you get in the car. Plus, your alarm and immobiliser will also be off so that may allow the insurance to reduce or even refuse a theft claim if they still steal it.

That means your alarm and immobiliser are off too, which may give the insurance reason to reduce or refuse a theft claim if it still gets taken.

I would say yes, you still need something like Ghost or (my personal preference) Pandora, because keyless entry is only one way they can steal it and a new way, called a CAN bus attack, is rapidly becoming more prevalent. Have a look at this:

Even if that is true you still can't say that an LED lamp will work in a halogen fitting. All those nice lines, grooves and patterns on the lens of a halogen fitting play a part in directing the beam and a lot of science and technology has gone into developing the workings of the lamp and housing as one unit. Anyone who thinks they can just plonk any lamp in there and expect it to work as intended is just deluding themselves. It's not all about 'us' and how it looks from our side of the steering wheel. It's more about not dazzling oncoming drivers and causing accidents, which is the very reason the MOT rules were changed to take this into account.

The ads are very unobtrusive and I find they only come up when the car is stationary and not actively moving/navigating. As soon as the car moves again the ads hide themselves. You certainly don't need to connect with others if you don't want to. It's a facility that you can use if you have more than one car travelling to the same destination. For instance, a while ago we had three different branches of the family going to a wedding down south and we used this facility to all meet up at a common point and then travel together, sort of 'convoy-style,' to the final destination. It's a trivial thing of limited use but it's not like you have to connect to total strangers.

I find that Waze does all that anyway doesn't it? When I used to use a stand-alone TomTom many years ago I subscribed to the camera database supplied by https://www.pocketgpsworld.com/ I haven't looked recently but I think it used to be £20/year and if you reported a camera location that wasn't already on their database you got a free 12 month subscription. It works the same way as you've described Coyote in that it shows fixed, mobile, average speed and temporary cameras on both sides of the road and is constantly updated. I've neither used it nor needed it since I discovered Waze but it strikes me that it would be a very good alternative to Coyote for those who want it.

I was going to suggest Waze but it looks like you've already been using it, so what made you move away from it in the first place?

Lots of random codes like that are often a sign that the 12V battery is dying, so my advice would be to take it to any garage/accessory shop and ask them to load test it for you. It only takes a couple of minutes so most places will do it free. Don't use a standard multimeter because you may find that it measures something like 12.6V but as soon as any load is put on it, that voltage could drop like a stone to maybe even as low as 5V.

I've never heard of it and I don't know what it does, but it seems to me that you need to evaluate which one is better for you and go with that one. My 2018 RX doesn't have Lexus Online Services so I have no idea what that does either but knowing the scope of CarPlay and Android Auto, I'd guess that they can do more, and do it better, than the Lexus offering.

These engines are designed for, and regularly achieve, 200-300k miles and more without any additives, flushes or suchlike. Just another way of relieving you of your hard-earned cash.

I don't think DRLs were 'a thing' back in 2008 so it sounds like a 'self-install' by a previous owner, which, if correct, means that all bets are off.

I don't know the configuration of the lights on these cars but no voltage means either a blown fuse, a connector that's worked loose, or a broken wire somewhere. You need to check these easy things first and if they don't get you anywhere, you need to start tracing the wires and doing continuity tests.

As others have said, don't walk away from it but run away from it as fast as you can. The IS220D was the worst car ever produced by Lexus anyway, and that's before you even begin with the MOT results!

This thing can have up to three hidden switches that must be pressed in the correct order. EDIT: Just read all the stuff on the website and it's not suitable for hybrids!

Just be careful or it'll fail the MOT. If a headlamp unit was designed to have a halogen bulb in it but you put something else in there, it's a 'Major' defect and an instant fail. Similarly, if the unit is designed to have a HID (Xenon) bulb in it and you put something else in there, it's a Major defect and instant fail. Whatever the light source (bulb) it must match the unit it's meant to be in. From the MOT Inspection Manual: