Alan305

Sadly, after owning six Lexus models I decided to leave the mark. I got a standard response to my email to customer relations so decided it was over.

Good luck to everyone trying to get through to them.

Anyone contacted Watchdog journalists to point out Lexus have reduced the response they made during the program?

I wrote to customer services to explain why, after owning six of their cars, I was sadly leaving the brand. I also asked what happened to the “by the end of April” comment in the press release.

Here is part of their response.

“The intention is to make the security enhancement available to all vehicles where a countermeasure is available. Exact timings are still to be confirmed but will be available in due course.”

“Available” sounds like chargeable. Good luck.

Collected my Honda E:Ny1 yesterday, nice drive home and still some Battery left. Sad to leave the nx at the Honda dealer but that’s life.

To rank my previous cars I would say the LS400 was best, LS430 next, then NX followed by GS300, IS300 then IS200. The most exciting was the Lexus Club events in the mid 1990’s.

The Honda is superb, dealership not so good so far. Paperwork took a little time to match the deal we had agreed! Told me I could match the MyHonda+ app with my car at home, then find it needs a Honda mechanic with access to Telematics the first time. Then find the flat tyre compressor is missing from the boot. To be fair they have dealt with these issue very quickly.

Likes over the nx.

Really huge infomation screen. Touch screen instead of that crazy Lexus touch pad. Wireless apple CarPlay, apple Maps full screen top, apple Music in the middle and dedicated air conditioning below. Genius. NO ENGINE NOISE  during acceleration, just a quiet whoosh. Lights come on with fast wipers automatically. Doors close as quietly at the nx. Look and feel quality 99% of the nx. No visits to petrol pumps. Free servicing. Yearly safety inspections. Transmission checks at 100,000 miles, Battery and control checks at 150,000 miles.

Dislikes.

Not a Lexus, I’ll miss the coffee at Lexus Milton Keynes.

I know I’ll miss the attention to detail during servicing. Lexus Sheffield and Milton Keynes were exceptional. The around 200 mile range of the Honda won’t be an issue with our current needs. The RZ ev was too big and just too expensive. The UX ev too small and too expensive. Leaving mainly because our driving distances have reduced but the risk of theft has been a factor. If it doesn’t work out I’ll be back.

Nice drive home in the Honda yesterday, off to buy wild flower seeds today.

Honda offered 5 years warranty and 5 years free servicing. I compared it to the packet of wild flower seeds from Lexus. It was a difficult choice.

On 4/9/2024 at 10:20 AM, Juicedrinker said:

… Whilst Honda hybrids are for old people (and I'm old) they do not get stolen like Lexus and insurance is very reasonable indeed 

Agree, I’m sadly walking away. I bought my LS400 in 94, and have owned IS200, LS430, GS300, IS300 and my NX. I’ve ordered a Honda E:Ny1 electric (catchy name) I’m old, and miles driven and range works well with an EV and insurance is less than the nx. As EV sales have dropped generally ex demos cars are around at pretty attractive prices.

I will drop a letter to Lexus customer service, their reaction to the thefts has been far too slow. With Lexus we all pay a little more for quality, reliability and a good service experience. We don’t expect Lexus UK management to send a message of “nothing to do with us, nothing to see here” for 18 months and then spring into action following the Watchdog exposure. I still haven’t quite got over Lexus sending me a survey saying would I like a packet of wild flowers as a gift when I collect a new car!

EV’s over £40k don’t pay this extra at present.

On 3/12/2024 at 8:24 AM, wivenhoe said:

… As The Telegraph is probably the paper most read by potential and actual Lexus owners I suspect that the MD of Lexus this morning has a severe dose of indigestion and long meetings with their PR advisers. Not at all good for RZ residuals.  

Perhaps spend a bit more time on their cars, rather than PR. I had a recent survey from them saying “how did I feel about receiving a packets of wild flowers to plant with a new Lexus car” !!!

The range story is disappointing when Toyota made the right call saying that Volvo, and others, were mad to announce electric only cars from 2025. Making the comment that there is still 1b people in the world without any electricity.

I sent an email to Lexus Milton Keynes regarding Watchdog this morning.

Perhaps Lexus are waking up. Here is part of their response regarding my 2018nx.

“There are plates that can be fitted by us on the RX model and in the correspondence we have had this morning from Lexus GB the other models have their measures in development and we will be informed as soon as they available and I will be in contact to get you booked in they are anticipating this to be towards the end of April”

1 hour ago, Malc1 said:

Don’t s’pose you recall your Ls400 regn no.  ? 
Malc 

A18 NSB

90’s ok for me.

Started with a Citroen XM, then Renault Espace, then LS400 and finished the decade with a new Chevrolet Camaro Z28. (Almost 17mpg from the lovely V8)

For a few years Chevy sold them through Vauxhall dealers (who knew nothing about them at all)

Vauxhall dealer in Bristol did say my Camaro was the only one bought using an LS in part exchange.

Agree if you have the space, time and interest scrap it and sell the parts. I scrapped my LS430 with 220k on the clock and achieved more for the parts than the retail value. Then just had the shell collected. Really enjoyable to see the engineering up close. All through eb..

Another vote for cross climates. Done about 10,000 miles and they are faultless.

I believe Tarby has been a fan of Lexus for a long time. In the 90’s he was the main act at a Club Lexus dinner and dance at the RAC Club. Those were the days.

Whilst valet parking is usually price dependent in the UK it’s harder to avoid in the US. We’ve stayed at a few hotels where the only way you can park in their car park is via valet and all the shopping malls offer it. It does seem crazy to see people drop their car at the mall entrance for it be valet parked just a few yards away. Tried to impress the kids at Planet Hollywood by throwing the keys to the valet parker only for him to throw them back to me saying, private party tonight, we’re closed.

But, leaving your car at Gatwick Airport with a valet parker, with no driving licence, looking for the nearest ploughed field…

4 hours ago, H3XME said:

… Same thing goes for towns like Shrewsbury, which is actually quite local to me. It's not a huge town, it's all very "traditional" and old, space is an issue (look at the property prices in the UK!) so it's completely NORMAL that the majority of hotels, especially the little ones, won't have parking at all.. and that they're quite pricey...

I remember staying at the Prince Rupert in Shrewsbury in the 1980’s. When you checked in, valet parking drove your car to their remote car park. After breakfast they gave you back your car keys, with a map, then off you walked to find your car.

Sorry to hear you’re scrapping the car Adam but it worked well for me a few years ago. I dismantled my 2003 LS430 right down to the frame and sold virtually everything through eBay including the engine/gearbox. Most big bits were collected by buyers, some went to Europe. Quite enjoyed the job and made a few thousand. I bought the car with 7,000 on the clock and scrapped with 260,000. Good luck.

Another vote for Cross Climates, mine replaced rock hard Bridgestone. Car just feels smoother.

On 7/8/2023 at 11:14 AM, dutchie01 said:

Sign of the times. All Dutch Lexus dealers are now operating from a Toyota dealership. Stand alone Lexus operations are too costly and a corner in a Toyota showroom is easy to find. Maybe thesame to happen in the UK?

What comes around, goes around. Lexus made Toyota dealers create separate operations in the 1990’s to create a difference. That helped stop Bracknell giving me the smallest base model Toyota loan car when my LS400 was being serviced.

Regarding Marshall’s I bought my LS430 in 2004 from their Cambridge site and they weren’t great then. I’ve used Milton Keynes (Steven Eagell) since 2015 for IS, GS and NX and they’ve been very good.

Lexus have to operate differently now.

When the first UK LS400 came out we owners were a small group of pioneers. We had Club Lexus, with events like black tie dinner at the RAC Club in Pall Mall and Tarbuck as entertainment.

Once the model range and sales increased that became too big to handle

Sadly shows how things have changed. With the gearbox recall on my LS430 in 2005 Lexus Sheffield, collected, left a replacement and returned the car the next day together with flowers and chocolates.

20 hours ago, Mincey said:

I think he meant "frenetic" in a "full of very cross customers with faulty cars" way.

I thought Jag owners had all returned their i-pace as allegedly beyond fixing.

19 minutes ago, Mincey said:

Talking of which (kind of), I was doing a site wireless survey the other day. The chap from the wireless company was telling me about the installations he'd done recently for a large motor group. He said that the activity in the JLR service centres was frenetic, whereas (and he wasn't prompted) he said the Lexus service departments were almost dead. 

Not really my experience at Milton Keynes, they suggest the Relax warranty has made more people go for service making them quite busy.

Enjoyed both our GS and IS but our IS F Sport had a pretty hard ride due to the big wheels, little rubber and amazing ability to kerb the wheels. Drive both before you buy.

I’m not sure Google supports full screen map display, ditto no support for HUD as yet. Same on my nx.