Barry14UK

You just beat me to it Nigel.

If jump leads too short could you not just borrow a charged battery to connect to jump leads to get boot open or get rescue service AA, RAC or whoever to help?

Ha ha! At least it may help OP consider his requirements in more depth and come back to us with any more specific queries.

I think you need to add rather more information because owners can have numerous reasons and preferences in making a choice Any large engined car and almost all being large and expensive as originally priced will have the potential for high maintenance cost and you will need to have to set some money aside for this. Some manufacturers stop stocking parts after a certain number of years and you might have to source some replacements from breakers which seems likely in any event with a small budget or would you just scrap the car if anything major happened? Clearly there is going to be more widespread choice in a model that was widely stocked. You don't say whether you would accept a 2 door with usually reduced seating/seating room. Convertibles are quite popular though not many have a large engine. A Mercedes W124 3.2 Liter produced in saloon, coupe or convertible was a good model although perhaps £3000 unlikely to get you a convertible. I had the coupe version and it served me well, only needing a part replacement wiring harness under the bonnet in the several years I owned one. It had an old 'built out of rock' feel about it and a bit more barge like than the sharper and well equipped older 7 or 5 series BMW's available in 8 or 6 cylinder form. My E39 5 series 530i has been an excellent car but I have proactively replaced the suspect cooling system parts and control arms and the like during my ownership. Parts and ownership get get more expensive if you move up to the 'M' models or the 8 cylinder versions. You don't say how competent you are with spanners and whether you have another car or will be dependent on this one and the sort of annual mileage you anticipate. The foregoing are some of the factors you need to consider and also how well the car has been maintained and what parts replaced as well as mileage and condition. This aspect is very important whichever model you opt for.

I suppose this is what is a face lift to the 4th Gen RX450h. I think subtle improvements have made for a very good improvement. I prefer the dimensions of the 3rd Gen and down here in Devon even that can be wide on some of our lanes. I got some very light scratching on the nearside of my car and a Range Rover was similary positioned coming the other way. We both folded our mirrors in as we edged past each other. I couldn't have managed it with the wider 4th Gen.

In line with a prevailing fad for body inking, I see that Lexus are claiming to have the World's first tattooed car. Personally I think this claim is open to challenge. I have seen vehicles decorated in muli colours and designs in a number of countries. I think whoever has this done to his/her car in the UK risks having others try to improve on the design and tag it. Would you like your car to look like this? I am just asking the question not wishing to show distain for those who personally have body art! https://blog.lexus.co.uk/worlds-first-tattooed-car/

Well the rear spoilers on some cars are of a material with some give in it, so if this material was to be incorporated into the bonnet, it might minimize the damage caused by stone chips and also cause less injury to wayward pedestrians. But it would doubtless add weight so perhaps not a good idea!

The Lexus/Toyota reputation for reliability is one of the main reasons for buying them - was in my case. Lexus comfort was for me a close second. Stone chip damage to paintwork and screens is a potential problem regardless of marque. Perhaps Lexus could make the already oversize grille even larger to reduce this problem! lol.

So trying to reverse up Porlock not a good idea then!

Does your car have Xenon lighting? If so it is a requirement that sensors adjust leveling appropriately. I retro fitted up front Xenons to my BMW sourcing parts from ebay and using instructions from BMW to do the quite involved job. A lot of owners just fit the aftermarket kits without leveling and cause dazzle. MOT testers now pay more attention to this aspect so something I suggest you check on.

I have seen some cars with a rather obvious protector over part of the bonnet. I wonder if a well designed and fitted transparent plastic cover might be helpful. and more acceptable. I found a few stone chips on my bonnet recently and I know these were not there when I purchased the car as Lexus had the paint shop deal with this very problem before I took delivery. So I will also be getting a touch up pen.

How right you are! I have had more bikes than cars and that's a lot!! Most were British but I did use a Yamaha XJ900 to commute to my job in the City (London) for a couple of years. I missed my bike so much that after being retired for many years I decided to buy another XJ900 (Diversion model). I rode it home and found it so heavy that it has remained unused in my garage ever since, proof were it needed of bieng young man in the body of an old one. I did learn a lot about basic motor maintenance through riding and competing in on and off road trials and building a couple of Bitza bikes and as a young man 'in my day' a motor cycle was often a preliminary to owning a car, learning about roadcraft in the process. Some of my happiest memories are when I belonged to a Motor Cycle Club, our weekly club/pub meetings and taking part in competitions, or attending them. Have enjoyed a number of club events as a member of several one make car clubs and although this has helped with info and advice, I miss the regular meets and friendship of the motor cycle club. Happy days of yore.

The quality of Chinese goods can vary greatly. They have the advantage of low labour costs and very large sales. Also, much of their stuff is copied from external manufacturers. The Government does little about this, in fact on a visit we were taken to a Government shop where it was obvious that the article I was interested in was an inferior copy of a well known brand. But as regards mechanical parts, some I have purchased have been quite good whereas some are poor, so you buy knowing this. At present there is a degree of resistance to buying Chinese goods because of what led to the pandemic and because of the Chinese Government's attitude towards Hong Kong. There are others that shun Chinese goods because of the human rights issues. However, lower prices of Chinese goods is still going to be an overriding consideration. I remember how largely due to atrocities by the Japanese during the second World War many people avoided Japanese goods. However, over time people gradually overcame their reluctance to buy Japanese goods as they offered a lot for the money and quality soon became good and in some cases exceptional. I don't expect there will be so many broad based improvements in Chinese products as with the Japanese manufacturers but I think reluctance to purchase will be outweighed by the price of their goods so these are only going to be slightly dented unless World Governments take a more interventionist stance. I

I agree with all your comments. For sales in the UK manufactures should meet the stringent requirements set by appropriate European body but in the USA where the majority of Tesla cars are sold I don't know how Nationwide standards and regulations apply, as like in some other things different states may have different rules and regulations. Certainly when it comes to modifications, (though who would wish to modify such a beautiful and advanced car as a Tesla?) there are some pretty outrageous examples found there, that would not comply with European standards.

As regards Rich Benoit, who has now built up a business in which he includes two former Tesla technicians, his complaint was more to do with Tesla not being prepared to supply parts for others to fit which must put them out of step with every other major manufacturer. There are Lexus owners who have had the traction batteries rebuilt elsewhere and done modifications such as converting from air suspension to coil/shocks and many other repairs and modifications beside and it would be bad news for some of the forum members here if Lexus refused to support such owners or look at their cars. Well I suppose when you buy a Tesla you have to accept you are tied to them for the duration of your ownership of what is a very desireable car.

This is the guy I was alluding to. Quite a fascinating story of how he started in this video and he has now done others on his expanding business

If we get a deal with the US it could make getting some Lexus parts very viable.

I watched a video awhile back where a guy in the USA bought damaged Tesla cars, then cannibalized them to repair others. Tesla were not happy with this guy and were not happy to sell parts to him or apparently anyone else wanting all parts to be supplied and fitted by their own organization. Don't know whether this applies in UK but if so would mean not being able to go for repairs elsewhere as cars age which could be expensive. Nice cars though!

Wouldn't it be great if there was a cross reference of shared parts available ?

My car was supplied with factory fitted entertainment in back of front seat headrests but it is a 2015 RX 450h so I can't say it would be applicable for your car. However, in the hope that it might help you, the Quick Start Guide that was with my car has the PN:GC1012 Rev C with the narration 'All rights reserved. Copyright 2012 Rosen Entertainment Systems' . Inside it says that for the complete Owner's Manual , please visit Rosen Entertainment.com. although I think this may now be rosenectronics.com Here is a contact form https://www.rosenelectronics.com/contactus/ Interested to learn how you get on. You can probably manage with the Quick Start Guide but it's always nice to have a full manual. NB. I am assuming it was a Rosen unit that Lexus fitted to earlier cars.

What goes around comes around then! Only trouble is everything gets more complicated and expensive to maintain so cars become more difficult and expensive to repair so more readily written off. Some of the old simple 'mechanical' cars which are easy to maintain and lacking a lot of the electronic sophistication are becoming desirable. In any event by 2026 I think a very large number of cars will have electric traction but still too many potential electrical problems.

At a considerable loss of income to the Island though and disappointment of thousands throughout the world, me as a several times visitor included!

I don't know the spec for the IS 300h but the type of battery fitted should always be the same as was originally installed by the factory. This is clearly stated by the leading battery brands (some of whom paradoxically suggest an inappropriate battery for my RX450h). If your car originally had a AGM (VRLA) deep cycle battery , a flooded lead acid battery, EFM, or Gel is not ideal. In addition to what Colin says there are other reasons which are detailed by Yuasa if you scroll down past Stop/Start but of course regeneration advantages don't apply as the traction battery benefits with our cars :- https://www.yuasa.co.uk/info/technical/micro-hybrid-hybrid-vehicles-explained/ As well as being the same type as the original, the replacement should match the Ah, although if there is room a larger Ah battery of the correct type can be fitted. So buying the Lexus battery is the best choice in view of unavailability of comparable alternative - hope this makes you feel a little better!

Don't know if it could help provide a lead but the prototype Concorde was (and probably still is) at Brooklands where it was refurbished awhile back so they probably sought advice from original sources. The guy who showed our party over it seemed to know a lot about it. Maybe if you contacted them somebody could refer you to somebody who could help you. Expect lock down may make this difficult for a time.

While plugs are out I would suggest you take the opportunity to do a compression test as apart from the oily plug there is evidence of carbon build up around central electrode not consistent with deposits on earthing electrode. It could be poor sealing valve guides or excess oil getting past piston rings. I would at least monitor how much oil is being used. There are two schools of thought about using flushing oil. It can get rid of a lot of crud but there is a risk that it can block narrow oilways and some manufacturers advise against it. A good idea of what's circulating is seen in the oil filter.