Steven Lockey

If its treated well and serviced properly, I'd say more like 200,000+ Mine is on 188K and only issues raised on last MOT were the shocks which were the original ones and had just gone. Ha took me ages to work out how to do that. Was driving me mad particularly when it kept trying to send me down routes I know are bad 🙂 I generally go out for a drive at least once a week even if I don't need to 🙂

Ha, that confused the heck out of me first few times I went on the M25 as well!

Yeah just had to get my front shocks replaced and was just over £800 Pretty sure the rear ones will need it soon as well!

Yep, that's basically what happened with me except it was the hybrid battery that was faulty. So after some "discussion" with the dealer (non-lexus) and me showing that I knew exactly what my rights were and they were basically going to end up spending a lot of money if they didn't find an agreement, they ended up refunding a good chunk of my purchase price and I got it fixed by Richard at hybrid battery solutions. So with a brand new hybrid battery, the car cost total £2800, including what I got back from selling the old battery cells on ebay which isn't bad at all! 🙂 As with most dealers I've found, they also tried to blag that it wasn't their responsibility e.t.c. till I showed them I actually knew what the law was. Unfortunately sometimes used car dealers do live up to their reputations.

Sounds like ground noises, probably made worse by stripped insulation on speaker wires which are rubbing against charged metal as the car moves. I think you'd need to check the speaker wiring.

It's still a 450h, just got a sports pack on it. Basically not a lot of difference between that and a SE-L. Depends where you want your toys really I guess. Not sure if its the F-sport has the different tyre sizes which seem to be a lot more expensive, but I believe the F-sport comes with the adaptive suspension features which I've been told make a significant difference to the feel when pushing the car.

Yeah you can 🙂 I did it, comes up with code and mini message which you can look up telling you which bank has faulty cells in. I had a few cells go bad in the battery and they came up on it. Richard swapped my hybrid battery out and I've had no (related) issues since. I mean the exhaust fell off, but that's a bit different 😉

It will give you the number, but not the explanation..... but we have the internet for that 😉

A reader cos £10 or so and is well worth every penny 😉 If you've got a volt-meter its pretty easy to check the 12V battery yourself. Richard is really good and I'm sure he can help you whatever the problem is.

Check the error codes with an OBD reader, the codes should tell if you if its the hybrid battery. Not sure what you mean about the Panasonic.... unless you are referring to the 12V battery but the OBD codes should confirm if that is bad. The 12V batteries can last a long time so it may be fine. I've still got the original in mine and its at nominal voltages.

Looks like you aren't the first to be here: Hope that helps

Surprised its going that cheap even as broken.... Could make more than that just by ripping the cats out and selling them for recycling the platinum/rhodium, let alone the other spare parts.

He may not be a mind-reader but he is the battery whisperer 😉 Nice guy and very knowledgeable.

No, but there is a test mode to stop the engine turning off, can't remember it off hand but involved pressing the break and power button multiple times. Its advised not to drive the car in that mode however.

Yeah I have similar on my laptop, but the OBD2 reader is much more convenient to keep in the car 😉

I'd use an OBD reader to check the codes as well, they normally tell you exactly what the issue is. Sounds like it probably is the 12V in this case but always a good idea to check before spending that much £. If you haven't got one, worth picking one up for around £20, even if you don't need it now, its not Lexus or model specific so you can use it from car to car.

Sir Humphrey I'll beg your pardon 😉

Just had this yesterday, someone hit my mirror when I was parked, came back and it was pointing straight forward. Hit the 'fold button' and it put it back in the normal position, but folded the passenger one in. Hit the button again and it restored both of them to the correct position.

Yes... but they pay tax on their TOTAL profit... Not just off the profit from their insurance. That's not he reason they keep the profit low on the main insurance, its cos if they get you to sign up for the insurance, they are more likely to also sell you the add-ons they make more on. That's how most companies operate.... Same as how Tesco was selling certain items at a loss to get more people in store. Yes, some companies won't want to insure you so they give a stupid quote. But if you've got a expensive car with no secure parking in a high crime area, them yep, you'll pay a lot of insurance cos they are more likely to have to pay out. That's just how maths works. I know it can happy cos a guy I used to work with lived in germany and had that exact situation when he first started driving over there... Well, that goes completely against the statistics on the subject..... A new driver who is 30 is less likely to have an accident than a new driver who is 17. Its a bit unfair on those drivers who do drive sensibly at 17, but its just a matter of cold hard math. The 'boy racer' stereotype didn't come from nowhere.... You have made claims then... that really pumps up your costs. Were you at fault as well? You know the bit when you sign up for insurance that you agree for them to search your records... most likely they say your previous claims. Do you mean £600? If you are claiming its 6k its probably cos that company does use TP so artificially bump the price, there are plenty that do TP a lot cheaper than fully comp.... Its their way of saying use someone else. Sounds like the problem is more your driving record/claims than anything else.

I've rather pay a bit more insurance and have the benefits of been 25 again! 😉

So if they are only making 1-8% profits, then how are they meant to make cheaper? Can't realistically expect them to make a loss. And I seriously doubt your £5000 vs £500 claim. In fact, all the numbers I just looked up say insurance in Germany is MORE expensive than in the UK..... https://www.ashburnham-insurance.co.uk/blog/2017/06/countries-with-the-highest-car-insurance-costs/ Is probably the one that illustrates it best. Not saying its 100% accurate but I know people in germany and know they pay about the same as me. I've been driving since I was 17 and admittedly had a 1l then, but never paid more than £300 for a year 3rd party insurance. Now if you are a new driver trying to insure a brand new sports car... different matter. Also occupation does make a certain amount of sense, if you do a job that normally involves long shift, you are more likely to be driving home tired so more likely to crash. Young people are more likely to be less cautious than older people regardless of driving experience. These are all facts backed up by statistics. And if you live in an area where car crimes are common, yeah they are going to take if you are more likely to have your car stolen into account cos they are more likely to have to pay out.... Otherwise you are basically expecting either the company or other people to subsidise your costs. They don't pull the numbers out of thin air, its all based on statistical analysis.

I have multiple quotes at about that number on compare the market. Its not just one company. Insurance cost does tend to drop quite a bit when you hit 30.

Really? Cos I'm 40 and I pay around £300/year for my insurance on a GS450h

Its not as simple as either of those. Most of the degradation in batteries is caused by a crystal formation around the anode, which makes the fluid less easily able to transmit current. There are a lot of factors which can affect this such as battery temperature, how often it is used (leaving it to sit for a long time can be bad), how harshly it is used (aka at max all the time vs slower charging/discharging) e.t.c. As well as the quality of the battery fluid as impurities can cause the crystals to for.

Yeah but if its had Lexus Hybrid checks every year, then Lexus will replace/repair the faulty battery free if it goes before 15 years. So thats 2 more years approx.