LenT

Unfortunately, this is where you may come unstuck…literally! No tyre manufacturer recommends that you mix tyre brands on the same axle. That they must be of exactly the same size is obvious, but it’s equally important that they are of the same compound and tread pattern otherwise they may react differently when under stress - such as cornering - and adverse conditions - such as a wet road. In your case the tyre is nearly new, but you can see how even replacing the punctured tyre with a new Dunlop Maxx could create a performance difference if the other Dunlop Maxx was down to, say, 3mm. This is what Dunlop themselves claim about the ‘superior’ compound and tread development of the Sport Maxx. It’s unlikely that they would accept that another brand would match its performance characteristics. The Dunlop Sport Maxx is developed using motorsport-derived polymers that react to the road’s surface, maximising road contact and grip. This adaptive compound technology not only improves grip but delivers precision and enhanced safety whilst driving. The well-thought design of the Dunlop Sport Maxx is the reason why this tyre performs so well. Enjoy enhanced cornering control due to large shoulder blocks enhancing stability, allowing for a smooth and precise drive on the straight and a bend. The Dunlop Sport Maxx provides shorter braking distances even whilst driving at motorway speeds. The short braking blocks increase contact with the road under braking force to deliver quick, safe braking at high speed.

Interesting question, Malcolm. Perhaps an ex-employee will give us a definitive answer. Having had the occasional car dealer as a client, my impression was that the sales staff worked on basic plus commission. And of course the Dealership gats a sales bonus as well. Fortunately, most Dealers don’t seem to think it would be a good idea to use a cash incentive to get the mechanics to work faster. To see where that can lead, I slightly digress as I recall a notorious German restaurant in Goodge Street, London, called Schmidt’s - they changed it to Smiths during the War! The waiters basically worked for the kitchen - their pay depended entirely on the number and value of the meals they sold. It’s the only restaurant I’ve ever been in where the waiters actually ran from tables to kitchen! Now you might think that would encourage good customer relations. Far from it! Apparently not. If you weren’t ready to order, the waiter would simply move on to the next table. If you weren’t interested in the more expensive daily special, their contempt was palpable. On the other hand, the food was great and every meal was hilarious! I loved it. And there was a great delicatessen downstairs.

Sadly, so often the case. There were times when I would commiserate with clients about how smoothly their businesses would run if only they didn’t have to deal with the Public. Invariably, the irony escaped them! I would despair when presented with the Company’s Mission Statement. So often a string of self-serving platitudes divorced from the reality of their business. Or is that just me being cynical in my dotage?

A perfect demonstration of consumer power, John. Did you get the chance to point out to the Dealer Principal why they had lost your business? It’s surprising how many Company Owners have little awareness of how their customers are actually being treated! Some Companies can react positively to customer criticism; others not so much. I think the problem that you and Colin have described has a lot to do with the internal division between Sales and Service. With the former, customer relations are incentivised by sales commissions so nothing’s too much trouble. But for the Service mechanic, the customer is often more of a pain and certainly not a person to be pandered to - even if they are actually allowed to come into contact with them. I don’t think it’s by chance that I feel well treated by my Lexus Dealer - and that every Service has been accompanied by a video of the mechanic introducing himself and taking me through the service points. Rather than just being an anonymous service monkey, it gives the mechanic a chance to take ownership of his work and to display his competence. And that’s how you maintain high standards.

Of course getting customers on to PCP or HP plans is a good earner for dealers. So it’s prevalent industry wide. When I was buying my Lexus I made it clear that I didn’t require any financing. However, that didn’t stop a staff member elbowing the sales rep aside to ask if he could introduce me to their Purchase Plan. I said he could do that provided he clearly understood that I wasn’t going to use it So we then had a perfectly affable fifteen minutes or so - right up to the point where he tried to close the sale and I said ‘No’. His attitude then became distinctly icy and I had to remind him that I had made my position very clear from the start. I haven’t seen him again and I accept that it can be a tough way to make a living. My criticism is not that he tried, but that he was somewhat unpleasant when he failed - as he had been warned would happen. Every other member of staff I’ve encountered has been exemplary.

That’s been my experience too, Ken. And I don’t think the dealerships are connected.

Damning with faint praise, Colin! 😄

Nice move, Gary. Always fun to scam a scammer! Interesting to know if EBay bothers to track down the advertiser. After all, they took the money that paid for the phoney advertisement so it’s possible to follow the money back to the fraudster. They are also now possibly party to fraud, having been informed of it, unless they take action to check the advertiser’s application details and expose them. They can’t simply rely on the principle of Caveat Emptor to shift all responsibility on to the prospective buyer.

Just a thought - and it’s not something I’ve tried myself - but if you bought your Lexus off a Lexus Dealer, have you called them and asked about who they might recommend for Insurance? If you make the case that exorbitant insurance rates due to a vulnerability to theft has made their cars unviable and you are going to have to exchange it for a more secure make from a different Dealer, it may prompt them to find a solution to a problem that’s threatening their customer base. I can’t recall if Lexus offers anything other than a Gap Insurance but I seem to recall that other Makes may be doing so - for RangeRovers I believe.

No, Joe. My bulbs were D4S type and I replaced them with the Osram Xenon HID Laser bulbs. I found them to be a considerable improvement over the standard bulb - especially the dip beam. But remember, that could just be specific to my IS250. Mind you, that was a couple of years ago and going the LED route might be easier now with new products available. I’d be inclined to check with ABD and see what they have to say that’s specific to your Lexus.

I’ve had very good service from this bulb supplier. And they’re very willing to offer advice. Here’s their range of LED bulbs and I see that there are a few H11s among them. Is this any help? https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/led-headlight-bulbs/

Well…I think we can probably all agree on that! 😊

😄😄😄 Quite right, Linas. That was still a decade ahead - and contrary to common stereotype, we got on very well! I see you’ve expanded your analysis into the ‘best decade’ by including societal changes as well as automotive - and rightly so. But it does complicate matters! After all, why not then also consider the many medical advances that have improved the quality of life? On the other hand, are these counterpointed by the apparent increase in the number of people who appear not to accept personal responsibility for their lifestyle or actions? Or believe their actions are justified by a Higher Being? And how much do the obvious benefits of the Internet contrast with the invidious rise - and so often the negative effects - of ‘Social Media’? Apart from which, I’ve always thought dividing Life into neat decades to be suspiciously convenient! Frankly, it’s all a bit too introspective for me!

Very entertaining to read the reminiscences of all you young folk! My best motoring years were my first motoring years. Back in the early 60s I acquired my first car - a Ford Anglia 100E - which transformed our family life. It didn’t just give me a freedom and mobility that many of my contemporaries lacked, but being the only family member who could drive at that time, it enabled us to visit family members who I had managed to avoid up to that point! 😊

Well - and this my personal opinion - if I’ve understood you correctly, that’s £1300 for 1 main and 2 intermediate services, plus 3 MOTs, by Lexus-trained mechanics using Lexus approved parts. All guaranteed by Lexus and at a fixed price for three years. That sounds like a reasonable deal to me. In fact it sounds so reasonable that I have been on just such a three year deal, renewed every three years, with Lexus MK ever since I bought my car from them. In return I feel that the Dealer reciprocates my commitment to them and responds with an excellent level of service. But that’s just my personal experience! 😊

Doesn’t the Service Plan also include Intermediate Services? Servicing is either done on a mileage basis or annually, after all. Your Service Plan also protects you from any price increases over the three year period. Logically, a car doesn’t really get cheaper to maintain as it gets older. In many cases it’s quite the reverse - it’s just that owners spend less because it’s equated to the diminishing value of the car. Of course a good local independent may be just as competent, although may lack the Lexus support material, tooling and information. This may be less significant for an older car.

An excellent start! I fitted my BlackVue camera with their Power Magic Pro - a device that connects the camera to the battery and supplies power when the ignition is off. It monitors the battery charge so that if it drops below a pre-set level, it disconnects the camera to preserve the battery. Most good cameras will offer a similar system. https://blackvue.co.uk/products/power-magic-pro/ Waste of money. I would agree with Linas about that. It’s an inefficient and clunky system at the best of times. I don’t think Lexus support the system any more anyway. I once contacted an independent that claimed to offer an SD update - they failed to respond to two emails, so I gave up on them. In fact I use my far superior Garmin system and others rely on very efficient apps on their smart phones. Quite why a company that can source Mark Levinson audio can’t buy in a decent satnav is one of Life’s automotive mysteries.

Well, your local indie should have the answer anyway, I would have thought. But specific lubricants are available to lightly apply to the backs of pads, shoes and shims to eliminate brake squeal. Here are some examples: https://www.ferodo.com/blog/how-to-use-brake-grease-and-other-lubricants.html#:~:text=Best practice for installing pads,will contaminate the pad surface. https://www.liqui-moly.com/en/gb/brake-anti-squeal-p000411.html#3078

Tyre caps?! What was I thinking of? 🙁 Dust caps, obviously!

An excellent point, Steve. Always worth considering that someone capable of such carelessness may not have restricted themselves to just the two basic errors!

So presumably it was replaced with an ordinary valve. Well the TPMS is a valuable and useful safety system which was working when you entrusted your car to them - and should be in the same condition when it’s returned to you! Breakages by the mechanic are entirely their responsibility and a good shop would have organised the fitting and coding in of a replacement without you being inconvenienced - but should inform you anyway. Breaking a TPMS valve in this way is unusually incompetent. They don’t significantly weaken with age because they are not subjected to significant movement. Battery life averages around 7 years but can range from 5 to 12. It depends on how the car has been used. If these were the originals, then it might have made sense to replace all the TPMS valves if you were getting a new set of tyres - and possibly negotiate a discount at the same time. But losing two of the original tyre caps as well raises this failure to almost heroic levels! Tyre caps are an essential element in the efficiency of the valve. Incidentally, metal caps may seem like the way to go but they have a tendency to corrode on to the valve stem. This snaps when attempts are made to remove the cap! Unless they’re regularly checked and the threads greased up, plastic caps is the way to go. I speak from painful experience! 😡

Sounds like a potential scam. Either trying to make off with the car while giving you false information about the money transfer and his contact details. Or trying to get your bank details on the pretext of buying the car. Or both! Either way, you did well to check his credentials and expose his initial deception before being committed.

Really, Malcolm? Never? Bit harsh, I’d suggest. Wasn’t there an MP for Epping who turned out to be rather useful? Name of Winston Churchill, I believe. 🤔

You should be safe enough if you’re buying from a Lexus Dealer. And Autotrader does seem to go into some detail in order to accurately describe the car’s condition. If you belong to a motoring organisation - The AA, for example - you can arrange for them to inspect the vehicle for you. I don’t think you’ve mentioned how many passengers will regularly use it. When I saw my IS250 it was to replace a similarly sized Honda Accord. As there’s rarely more than two of us in it, it’s the perfect size. Since buying it, Lexus MK has regularly tried to interest me in a newer Lexus. But the IS300 is bigger than we need and anything that looks like an SUV MrsT finds more difficult to climb in to. So the choice almost makes itself!

I think that’s possibly a counsel of perfection, Alex. Rules 226 and 236 of the Highway Code require that front and rear fog lights are only used if visibility is less than 100 metres. One problem is that drivers vary in their perception of both ‘visibility’ and ‘100 metres’ - especially in adverse weather conditions. As for seeing the regular tail lights, I think I must have seen almost every combination of dim/missing, rear/brake lights - and it’s astonishing how often it’s the offside that’s the problem. On the occasions when I’ve been overtaken in heavy fog, rain or snow, I often wonder what that driver can see that I can’t. And drivers do manage to rear end the car in front even in perfect conditions! So you’re quite right that it shouldn’t matter if the driver behind thinks it’s a motorbike that they’re approaching at a crawl - unless they see such a low speed as a chance to overtake. That’s when the one fog light seems a false economy.