LenT

I’m sure you will be very pleased with the Michelins. I was planning them for my IS250 but discovered that my model had the 18” rims and two different tyre sizes fore and aft - of which Michelin only made one. Fortunately Goodyear had just launched the Asymmetric 5 which also had very good all-weather performance, so they got my cash instead. The Michelins replaced, if I recall correctly, Yokos on our 4WD Suzuki SX4 and have proved to be far superior in every respect. Incidentally, if you can shop at Costco they are Michelin dealers and often have offers on them.

I think it may depend on what you define as ‘rim protection’! The Michelin CCs I fitted to our 4x4 Suzuki didn’t have any, but Michelin changed the wall profile in 2018 and gradually rolled it out across the range of tyre sizes. The new profile may not yet be available in all sizes. But while the new profile certainly offers more rim protection than the previous shape, it doesn’t compare with the more substantial rim protection of, say, the Goodyear’s I fitted to the Lexus. So, kiss a kerb with the latest CCs and I think you’ll be very lucky to get away without actually marking the rim. In fact the Michelin website makes no mention of rim protection at all. The only significant difference between CC and CC+ appears to be the compound mix. A comprehensive review has been carried out on www.tyrereviews.com That said, these Michelin Cross Climates are certainly one of the best all-weather tyres on the market. If you want more effective rim protection, as I did for the low profile alloys on my Lexus, fit Alloygaters.

I was interested to read these comments, especially as you’re in a position to compare the 250 with the 300. My 250 was also shod with 18” wheels but I can’t convince myself that the extra ride comfort will justify the cost of buying new rims and tyres. I too tried the paddle shift as a novelty when I first had the car. But soon decided that at my age I rather liked having the gears changed for me. On a very few occasions I have tried the Sports mode, which does seem a tad quicker, but not for the purpose suggested by the (excellent) Lexus sales guy. He suggested I select it if I had to, say, exit a junction quickly to pull out into traffic. At the time I thought that if exiting was that marginal I probably wouldn’t try it at all!

Thanks...but of course I didn't do any of the hard work! To be fair, the car was a great buy in the first place. (Plaudits to Lexus MK). I've had it three years and only doubled the mileage in that time. I also took shots of the engine bay and the interior, but haven't managed to load them. But they also look in as-new condition. So what with the coatings having a claimed life of 8 - 10 years, there's a real chance the car will outlast me! Which will make it a good buy for somebody.

Well if I haven't made another bog of inserting them, I hope they don't disappoint! Of course the purpose of all these systems - glass coating or film wrap - is preservation as much as shine, without the requirement of constant reapplication. Which is where they score over traditional waxes. And as I said, after Ryan's hard work, the white seems to be not just glossier, but whiter. In that respect, I think I can describe the overall condition as 'Showroom'. Which after 6 years and 30K miles suits me fine!

As it happens, Ryan was due to completely wrap the next client car which was already waiting outside. He uses XPEL Ultimate Plus Paint Protection Film - which suggests it's pretty good! In fact it's claimed to be superior to glass coatings in that it's a high gloss finish that resists the effects of stone chips, scratches, scuffs and swirling. Apparently if it ever needs any attention, it is simply heated and reforms to its original surface. As well as a gloss finish, it also comes in matt and with a 10 year warranty. I imagine the price reflects this superior product. You can see more on his website: huntsmiths.co.uk

I have now collected my IS250 from the Automotive Detailer (I’ll call him Ryan, as that is his name). So, was it worth it? (Dramatic Pause) (Quick Cuts to Anxious Faces) Yes, it was! (Collective Sighs of Relief and Hi-Fiving!) It’s not just that the car has come back looking clean and shiny. For some reason I had got it into my head that it was Pearl White. Turns out it was Arctic White – and now looks it. Ryan thought it was in good condition anyway for a car that had done 30K, but has now eliminated what little swirling there was. So I would venture to say that it is, if anything, now looking better than when I bought it from the Dealer three years ago. And it looked pretty good then! Having said that, I’m sure a good waxer could match the actual shine. The difference with these glass coatings is that they don’t have to be regularly removed and renewed. They also protect the paint surface in ways that waxes can’t. As an additional hard coating over the paint, they help to prevent scratching, swirls and discolouration. Unlike waxes, the combination of Modesta Glass Coatings is claimed to have an 8-10 year life, depending on usage. I’m also pleased with how the wheels have turned out. The combination of alloys and low profile tyres was not an ideal choice for pot-holed country lanes. But the Alloygators served well to protect the rims and the baked-on ceramic coating has now refreshed the alloys and will help to protect against road grit. So, any downsides? Well...No more easy-option car washes! From now on it’s a regime of proprietary shampoos with the pressure washer and a wipe over with special formula every five washes or so. The dirt will, I’m assured, simply wash off the glass surface. Well, we shall see. It certainly does so in the videos! I attach some shots, I hope, which will give some idea of the results. For me it’s the two shots by the rear wheel arches that best illustrate the changes. I’m not sure if it will be apparent, but there is a distinct colour improvement, for one thing. Also note the before shot showing the film panels by the rear wheels. Apparently some Lexus owners remove these, but as Ryan pointed out, Lexus put them on for a purpose. However, he did say that Lexus also put the bare minimum on, so he slightly enlarged the replacements. And they’re much harder to see with the new coatings on. My apologies if this is a longer posting than usual. But I hope it might be helpful if anyone else is contemplating investing in this kind of car protection. As it is, I can certainly recommend Huntsmiths Detailing if you’re anywhere near Brackley in Northamptonshire. PS: The other images I have appear too big to load. I'll have to reduce them in size if anyone really wants to see more!

Another fine make. Being an old’un myself, the technology built in to these systems amazes me. I take it that you’ve chosen to locate the rear camera on the front screen facing inwards. It certainly simplifies the wiring and I presume also gives you a recording of what your passengers are getting up to - which must improve their behaviour! My rear camera is located on the rear window, which sometimes produces an interesting reaction. I’ve watched cars committing risky overtakes in order to race up to my rear bumper. But instead of racing past, they then drop back rather quickly! My guess is they’ve got close enough to spot the camera - but by then it’s too late! Incidentally I think having a camera has improved my driving too. I’m very aware that my actions are also being recorded

https://blackvue.com/product/blackvue-power-magic-pro-vehicle-battery-discharge-prevention-for-parking-mode/ If it’s permitted on this site, this link should take you to the BlackVue Power Magic page which will give you the technical details. I see Vladimir’s note about Nextbase, but I can only speak for BlackVue cameras. I’ve had them for over ten years, with the same fitted Power Kit, and never had a problem. Basically it’s connected to a terminal in the fuse box that’s live when the ignition is off. It provides enough power to the camera to keep the sensors active. If the camera detects movement in front of it, or impact, the recording mode is activated. The camera will return to standby mode once the sensors are no longer activated, or the set recording time ends. Should the Power Magic detect that the car battery has reached the minimum preset voltage level, it switches off the camera to stop any further drain. How long that might take, the tech details might give you that information. But I’ve left the camera switched on when parked overnight and never had a problem. I should add that you can switch the Power Magic completely off if you choose so that the camera is not even in standby mode. Whether it would work with other cameras I don’t know. Possibly a BlackVue dealer could advise. If Nextbase cameras are unpowered when the ignition is off, then I presume they can’t record parking incidents, unless they have a battery backup. Incidentally BlackVue also do a battery power pack as an alternative to the car battery system. BTW: My apologies if the typography looks a bit naff!

I would recommend a permanent connection. Apart from avoiding the possibility of losing camera power in some incident, it also keeps the camera powered up when the ignition is off and you’re parked up having a relaxing lunch and some idiot backs into your car in the underground car park. Or similar! My camera is a BlackVue and they supply an accessory that connects to a live feed with the ignition off. You can set the battery voltage so that it won’t drain the battery. I expect other systems are available.

Thank you Bilal. My wife did decide that we weren’t going to use Motorways again, but she eventually got over that. But she probably had the worst of it as her window smashed and she had a close-up view of an Iveco cab trying to get inside the car! But an interesting similarity with your own incident is that in both cases our dashcam footage proved very useful. Since then I’ve taken every opportunity to urge other drivers to invest in one. Or even two. I’m sure that eventually all car makers will fit them as standard.

As you say, Bilal, very similar, right down to the undeploying air bags. Mind you, a more frightening experience than ours. At least our lad knew what he’d done. He saw the Honda and stopped. The saloon driver must have wondered what else he could do to attract the other driver’s attention. I wonder if he sounded the horn?

Yes, I think you’ve nailed it there Linas. At least we didn’t test them by ending upside down!

On the positive side, John, wife and I both walked away. Honda had discontinued the Accord so I popped in to Lexus and saw the IS250. The other driver’s Insurers paid out full market value, so I bought the Lexus. All in all - a result!

I was interested to read this as I acquired my Lexus because an Iveco truck had written off my Honda Accord on the M5. It changed lanes and hit my near side rear wheel arch in doing so, spinning the Honda in front of the cab and pushing us along the M5 for about seven seconds. The HGV was doing about 50mph. Every nearside body panel was damaged, internal damage to suspension and battery compartment, and bonnet and boot lids also apparently had to be replaced. And yet, none of the air bags deployed! I can only presume it was because this was a spinning force rather than more of a fore and aft impact. Or maybe there’s another reason!

I agree Malcolm and I’d feel the same way. I’m sure we’ve all been there, but frankly if you have a Lexus (or Merc, BMW, Porsche, Alfa, Lamborghini etc) my view is that you have to balance the pleasure of ownership and use against the risk that it could be the victim of an accident. Or, of course, that it’s a powerful Moron Magnet. I try to be pragmatic about the sort of damage you describe - especially if I caused it! In the worst cases, that’s what insurance is for. The alternative, I suppose, is to treat nice cars as objects for display rather than practical use. Since we left north London fifty years ago, I can only think of one supermarket trolley ding that we’ve acquired - and that’s to my wife’s Suzuki, so doesn’t really count (!) and which she still hasn’t noticed. Sadly, I think the bulk of vandalism that we do see tends to be by those who, in a desperate bid to conform to stereotype, bring it out from the Cities with them. Out here in the villages it’s pretty rare.

Well, firstly it would certainly be cheaper to do it myself. All I lack is the equipment, the materials, the knowledge and the expertise! My chap offers a pick 'n mix selection of packages and optional upgrades. I went for a 'Medium Car' package at £750 plus four upgrades, totalling about £1600 plus VAT. But as I said, a lot of that I offset by calculating the fuel savings accrued by more than halving my annual mileage. To put all that in perspective, here's an outline of the four day's work. Multiple stage wash removing potentially damaging material. Engine bay cleaned and degreased. Wheels removed, cleaned both sides. Wheel wells degreased and decontaminated. Chemical and claybar decontamination. Paintwork assessment. A 2-stage paintwork enhancement. Interior detailing. Glass cleaned and polished inside and out. Multiple HD photos of detailing work (we shall see!) Also: Application of Modesta BC-04 & Modesta BC-05 Glass coatings to bodywork to give a coating life of 8-10 years. Application of baked-on ceramic protection for the wheels. Application of a hydrophobic coating to the glass. Removal and replacement of new laser-cut clear films on body panels. Most persuasive of all, he initially described the IS as a 'lovely looking car'. Clearly a man of discernment.

I’ve not tried attaching anything so far, but if I can master the technology I’ll have a go. A bit light on Before shots, unfortunately. But it always looked pretty good to me. However, as Ganesh demonstrates- and looking at the examples on my chap’s website - there’s clearly a quantum leap between my efforts and those of a dedicated professional. It was ever thus!

Thanks Ganesh. A very nice record to have too. If I end up with similar results I’ll be very satisfied. The elimination of the swirl marks is particularly impressive.

Warning: What I did today to my Lexus may upset some of you… If you were born with a Silver Clay Bar, you may want to stop now. Because today I handed my IS250 over to an Automotive Detailer for four days of washing, scrubbing, coating, recoating, ceramic coating and general primping inside and out. Yes, rather than spend time and effort depleting my own stocks of assorted Autoglym and Simoniz products, I decided to invest some of the cash I’ve saved by not going anywhere this last year, by employing the services of someone who does it for a living. I’d be interested in the experiences of anyone who’s had this done themselves, good or bad. What I have been told is: No more visits to the Car Wash. Which is ironic as that’s what my local Lexus dealer uses for their complementary valeting! In brief, it seems to involve about ten different stages and four different coatings; two glass coatings on the body, one on the wheels and one on the glass. Oh, and he’s also replacing those clear protective strips on the body. I’ll go into more detail (as it were) if anyone’s interested. If it turns out to be money well spent, I’ll report back. Otherwise I’ll probably keep quiet!

Yes, it's a private sale so the risk is all yours. It all depends on how experienced a restorer you are. You could always ask to have it inspected by such as, say, the AA/RAC or even a friendly Lexus mechanic. But if the owner's even slightly evasive, the best advice generally is to walk away. And I think Piers makes a good point - if the owner's not taken the same kind of care that you would expect yourself on the bits you CAN see, who knows what horrors await on the many more bits you can't!

Plenty of suggestions on YouTube, surprisingly. Mainly the VERY gentle application of heat with a moving hairdryer, sometimes assisted by using finger pressure to move the leather. However, one showing how just gentle heat removed what appeared to be a substantial circular dent in the side of a Bentley car seat was quite impressive!

I don’t know if it might be different for a hybrid, but with my CTEK I also ordered the accessory connection leads - two, in fact. These had terminals that connected directly to both battery posts, with positive and negative clearly marked. The leads then combine to end in a socket. The lead from the CTEK plugs into this socket. This allows me to switch the trickle charger between our two cars without having to worry about polarity, sparking or poor connection. I hope this helps.

So true! They were on my IS250 when I acquired it and I took the first opportunity to replace them - which came surprisingly early. I was going to fit Michelin CrossClimates, having put a set on my Honda Accord just days before the car was written off on the M25! But Michelin only did one of the two sizes I needed. Fortunately Goodyear had just launched the Eagle F5 Asymmetric which have proved to be an excellent choice - not only in all round performance but also in restoring a sense of quiet calm to the interior.

You might like to consider having a set of Alloygator Rim Protectors fitted. My local Chips Away guy did a splendid job on my first kerbings, but I soon realised that Alloygators would pay for themselves. Now the odd scrape is simply a reminder of what could have happened to the wheel rim instead!