ALAW

I recently had another puncture on my Run flats (that's 2 I've had in as many months. Excellent repairs and the TPMS still works fine.

Yes we have debated this topic many times. I'm not changing from run flats. I will need to reshoe this year and it looks like I will be going with the Hankooks. I note how expensive RF,s are.

I regularly get txt or calls now some emails come through all scams. Like Steve says I've had unsolicited calls from other non uk destinations yes Lagos also Liberia. Len mentions reporting to authorities etc. For years I've reported to action fraud or the ICO but still they come. Got to be on your guard I'm afraid folks. I'm sure Steve & Colin will be doing there utmost.  

On 3/24/2024 at 3:53 PM, ScoFair said:

 

On 3/24/2024 at 3:53 PM, ScoFair said:

 

The fabulous Mellissa at Northfield

On 3/24/2024 at 4:26 PM, Lmafudd said:

They are a very nice car indeed. Must be by far the most sold model of a Lexus as since owning one I see so many - but they always look so good!

 

There is a strange phenomena though. Why does every other UX I see look larger than my own?

Ha Ha Ha I thought that too they all look bigger

5 hours ago, Dells said:

Yes there are other dealers but 40 miles away Cheltenham 28 miles away, I am  not unhappy with the sales person because she said it was her manager that said I had to remove private plate, he should know what he is talking about but obviously not.

Dell

Experience amazing

That's not good Derek there are other dealers.

4 hours ago, First_Lexus said:

I agree. I see Rachel Reeves accepted a £10k payment from a climate change denying organisation just a few days prior to Labour ditching their £28bn ‘Green New Deal.’ The various statements called the timing ‘unfortunate’  but didn’t really apologise…

Whether you agreed with their politics or not, politicians used to have values they believed in. They didn’t seem to just go into Parliament to get rich. It did, imho, change with Blair. Whitelaw, Howe, Healey from the 70s and 80s, and plenty before that going right back to Lloyd George (a rascal but not corrupt) and Halifax, Churchill, Eden, MacMillan et al. They believed in their ideals and believed in service.

I can’t think of one current politician on any side about whom I can say the same. Shame.

There are quite a few who have accepted donations from Russian oligarchs as well

23 hours ago, Don C said:

It’s nasty tat really Brent, not at all worthy of a Lexus in my opinion.   There are much better designs than that on very ordinary cars.  I use mine most of the time and can fold it dead easy now.

I remember when i bought the car Don i had watched lots of YouTube vids  and i watched Melissa at Northfield Texas show you how to easily fold it. I've never had it out of the bag since i put it back in it. Lol.

2 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

But the extended warranty doesn't cover any interior trim.

 

Best to either fix yourself or think of taking Lexus to the small claims court for not being fit for purpose if the vehicle is low usage/mileage as it would be reasonable to expect a steering wheel to last more than 4 years without starting to fall apart.

Thanks for that Colin that's my thoughts exactly with the car only in its 4th Year. Its no big deal at the moment but there is no doubt it will get bigger in time.

Nice pics chris and welcome to the LOC.

Get some Lexus touch up from Lexus parts direct. its a 2 pack paint and lacquer. I had a stone chip on drivers door we heard the stone hit the car we were driving down to Cornwall on our annual pilgrimage. Anyhow discovered it a few months later. You have to really look to see the repair i did just follow instructions.

Regarding the floppy Tonneau cover I've never used it took it off and its in its bag that came with it.

6 hours ago, BigbigT said:

This is a warranty issue. Have you contacted your dealer yet?

The car is now in its 4th year. Good point though I will bring it to dealer attention at the next service

I have just noticed on my UX that the leather that is tucked into the f sport badge at the bottom of the steering wheel is not tucked in no longer. The badge is only about an inch wide and approx half of the leather at the bottom of the badge is not neatly tucked in, Its as though its released itself from the badge or at least half of it. Just saying and wondered if this had happened to anyone else.  

35 minutes ago, Newbie777 said:

Phones are one of those things that are now used for everything, paying for goods, camera, calls, bluetooth etc etc.

I am happy to pay over £1k for something that I will use heavily throughout the day, but is  light and practical, very similar to my lightweight laptop, the Asus Zenbook flip.

I paid over £6k for a Vertu phone with Concierge that helped with my travel etc.The phonewas made from titanium, had a sapphire crystal screen and calf leather back, they went bust in 2016? 

Also  every year I lose £2k on my car,even if I do not drive it, so there are different ways of looking at wasting money.

Also new technology has a small time window and then it becomes common and people buy it for a lot cheaper.

Nowadays Apple and Samsung, are only making minor changes so there is no point replacing a 2 year old phone.

Two things Honor have not got right is there confusing marketing in terms of discounts, they are all over the show and their Customer Services, oh dear!!

But I am genuinely surprised by the Honor phone, it is Chinese technology that has not been copied!!

A friend of mine, really clever guy went to China to work for Huawei. He left after 6 months to work for HP in America. The reason he said they are only good at copying and not nothing new!

 

Your spot on Niaz in respect of technology

10 hours ago, steve2006 said:

Excellent result finally, regarding the reason(s) for dropping the claim could you not obtain this information under the Freedom of Information Act?

I understood that if any company holds personal information about you then you are entitled to see such information on request?

That's correct Steve it is known as a subject access request

11 hours ago, Linas.P said:

It is personal choice here, but it could be life and death choice in china. I also know that some chinese who have left china had been harassed based on information china was able to collect on them abroad, in fact I know one person myself who had bought iphone in china (they have segregated icloud etc.) and they were still harassed based on information crapple shared with china. Only once they got iphone in UK they managed to lose the tail (still weird choice to go back to the company that sold you out).

For google I just create account for each new device and only use that account with that device. I mean I am sure google can still figure out based on IPs and what not that it is same user using multiple accounts, but at least from targeted marketing algorithm it seems to work. Still (this may be paranoia) but if you speak out loud about your holiday plans in the room, few hours later you get adverts for package holiday to the destination you discussed... well it is still better than be re-educated in one of the china's camps. 

Ironically - you can hide from targeted advertising by using chinese phones, because their google services do not connect to main google servers, or at least it is not so obvious. So in some sense if CCP can't reach you and hurt you, then as foreign national you may get more privacy using chinese phones.

As for crapple - I can just confirm they are horrible, from developer perspective they are horrible to deal with, from user perspective they are horrible to deal with, they basically IDs you personally, because you must give them your credit card details to download even free apps... so you can't be semi-anonymous with them like you can on android and their control freaks as well. 

The release price for the S24 ultra is around £1300

22 hours ago, Linas.P said:

My colleagues are also all on iphones, generally in UK iphones are very popular, certainly way more popular than Globally or in rest of Europe. Not really sure why they are so popular.

I personally never liked iphones, just my preference. Bu they also been quite dodgy recently with removing features rather than adding them, also with introduction of Pro... basically if you don't get Pro then you getting "mid-range" phone, for the price that used to be "high-end". Also I just don't like how restricted everything is, basically you buy the phone, but apple still owns it and dictates you what you can and can't do. Just can't live with that. 

In my experience Samsung provides 3-4 years of updates for operating system, but they continue with security updates for quite a while. I am not sure what they promise, but certainly more than 5 years. At least that is true for their "flagship" devices, so Galaxy S, Galaxy Fold all getting at least 5 years of updates. I guess depends on where one draws the line, but 5 years in my experience were plenty, longer than that and phone becomes really obsolete anyway. 

As for Chinese phones - they simply can't be trusted, some models may get updates, some may not get-updates... simply the number of different devices they spit out each year means that it would be very hard to stay on top of their all updates for many years. I think 2-3 years if you lucky. The Oppo Find X that I got in 2018 only got 1 update after like 18 months and that was it, over time apps started glitching and crashing on it and by ~2021 it became almost useless. To befair nothing major has failed on it, battery got to maybe 6 hours, also it had sliding camera and it developed the fault where sometimes you would slide camera cover and it would not turn on, but then usually if you close and open it, then it would turn on, not sure if that was software or hardware issue. I guess with time it would have stopped working completely, but had not done so in time I was still using it.

According to a review i have read on Tech Radar the S24 ultra will receive updates for 7 years 7 years. Tech Radar rate the phone as the best on the market they did some benchmarks against an Iphone and it beat it hands down. The issues you raise here the glitches on the chinese phones i have experienced them as well on my one plus.

On 1/29/2024 at 1:46 PM, fourbanks said:

Hi friends 🙂 

Does anyone know how to park the wiper blades upright for renewal. They keep parking closed when the ignition is off 

thanks 

When you switch off hold the stalk up and they will move into the service mode,

23 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Yeah, nowadays they have "high-end" and then "true" high-end. As always we can thank apple for this mess - I think they started it with iphone x, or maybe 11. Basically before you get either Iphone or galaxy S and that was the high-end phone of the year to get, then apple introduced "pro" for like £1500. At first it looked like either you get normal phone or overpay for some gimmick, but now the normal iphone or Galaxy S are actually mid-range, for example I have S22 and it just feels cheap even compared to my previous S10, because the one to get suppose to be £1500 S22 Ultra (or it was 2 years ago at least, S24 just launched now). Well and obvious they have these foldable phone now which used to cost a lot, but again rumours are Samsung is going to get competitive on pricing again.

As for foldable phones - they are still fragile. When they were not water-proof I didn't even consider them, but I bought Z4 Flip as present and it was quite good, the special screen protector failed after 15 months, but it was replaced by warranty for free. Screen seems to hold just fine for now and Samsung does £150 subsidised replacements. But foldable phones are still fragile in comparison to normal ones, you definitely need to take extra care with them.

I honestly can't care about latest and greatest now, somehow few years back each phone release used to excite me and there was some significant upgrade, but in recent years I really struggle to see what am I getting for extra money. Same applies to both Samsung and Apple - I can't even tell the difference between iphones after 12, Galaxy S likewise... last 3 or 4 are pretty much identical... S21, 22, 23 and now 24 really offers more or less the same package. If anything I probably prefer my old S10 (generally would like to have more compact phone, but there are no more compact high-end ones). As such I just keep the phones until they fail now... had S6 edge, to be fair it had not failed, but got quite slow after 4 years, S10 - I cracked the screen after 3 years (still works fine, just glass has chip) and S22 still going strong after 2 years, so if rumours are true then maybe in 2 years time I will pick-up discounted Fold 6. As for all other brands I personally find them irrelevant, so if android then it is Samsung, if not android then it is iphone... Never found Google Pixel to be any good, Sony, LG, HTC etc. are all pretty much irrelevant now. Motorola is basically chinese company as well and they kind of hang around in mid-range and then there is probably 100 different chinese companies. Generally they have impressive spec sheets, but features are just not polished and do not work half of the time and that is even considering Samsung features are often not fully polished. Also again in my experience they simply fail in less than a year, it starts little by little, but in 12 month it usually turns into brick... sort of maybe camera starts turning off at first, then it doesn't turn on at all, then microphone starts glitching, then people can't hear you anymore and by years' end they stop charging, or holds 4h of charge... or some combination of similar issues.

As for malware - 1 it is real thing, but 2 - I kind of agree, there is nothing useful they can find out about me and I am not planning to go to china at any time soon. So it isn't real concern, but it is there. Also perhaps I would be little bit worried logging in into my banking account, they probably wouldn't bother stealing my 2p worth of savings, but I in theory they could if they wanted to. Also also - that is not to say google or apple does not spy on us, the difference perhaps is targeted advertising vs. "re-education camp" in Xinjiang. That said I think my key issue is their quality and "longevity" and their price isn't even that good in UK. For example I bought Oppo Find X in 2018 when I was in China and my girlfriend bought Vivo something... whatever. Point is in China Oppo Find X costed something like £290, whereas here it only launched year later for £899. And similar story for Vivo, it was even cheaper, if memory serves - like £155. So yes - at those prices they are amazing devices and I don't even care if they last 6 months, but at UK price I just never going to pay £1000+ for chinese phone, for one I kind of know they are not worth it, because they actually sell for maybe £250 in china and secondly, they are made to that level of quality. So yeah - if ever needed "burner" phone for some reason, then I may just get one of the cheaper ones for under £200, but I will never regard them as premium devices in the same league as Samsung or Apple.

I think you have summed up the marketing perfectly there Linas. I think I'm erring to the Samsung phones and android. Saying that my lad and a new colleague at work swears by Iphone. I still cant decide to be honest maybe if your right and Samsung reduce prices i might go there. I at one time was considering that S22 very expensive do i need that ?. I'm also thinking like you do i need the latest and greatest as well. One thing i think should be considered is how long will you get updates for i think the latest Samsung they are saying 7 years don't quote me it might be the Honor. To receive the latest updates i think is a plus. This phone i have now one plus 6 it has done exactly what you say and something starts getting a glitch most notable on mine was the camera i cant tell you how annoying that was, where i work i have many occasions to take instant snaps of wildlife etc. and I've forgot how many times its failed and the chance has gone. I bought a carbon fibre protector and its served me well and the phone is like new if i take it off. The Battery is going a bit now but a quick charge gets up very quick. The malware thing there's not a lot they can get from me either but you know i think Google Samsung android etc. are all stepping up for security. Regarding pricing one plus started off cheap and are now in the expensive bracket in the UK. Its not called Rip off Britain for no reason. Yeah Samsung or Iphone ithink. Not decided the wife nothing but a Samsung.

I think the 12 weeks you will be ok. Don't rush anything take every day in its stride. I cant emphasize enough time take your time. Don't be afraid to let others do things. Careful with lifting IE let others bring shopping bags from car. You wont be able to drive for 6weeks i think it was when i had mine. You will get stronger i promise but it takes time. Get enrolled in the cardiac rehabilitation class that helps. One milestone i remember is getting my surgical stockings off i had on both legs. They will harvest the veins from your legs if your lucky they might take one from the chest they are better and have less chance of clogging up again. You will gradually build up the distance you can walk each week going further. You'll be ok just don't rush and take your time.

Neil in 2007 i had a quadruple bypass. It has its risks as any op does the success rate is very good nowadays. Stephen at Boomer posts well. Its seems a slow recovery but you will get stronger and stronger. I grabbed my new given life with both hands looked after myself and hopefully will get a few more years. i hope you get the op quickly. You'll be alright good luck my friend onwards.

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

It does look great and I always wished for smaller thinner Galaxy Fold or Flip, I could even deal with smaller battery if that is trade-off. 

Recently I was looking at Honor Magic V2, it does look very cool and I like texturing on one side of the phone (almost look like leather texture)... BUT - I just don't trust any chinesium nowadays, Samsung quality is Samsung quality and every person I know who had Huawei, Honor or whatever other stuff comes from China always had issues. They do last ~6Months and then issues starts. I am not even going to go into discussion of chinese malware (it may not be that relevant unless you work for MI6).

Now sure - some years back I would replace phone every 6 months trying to get latest and greatest, so 6 months would not be a deal breaker, but nowadays I use my phones for 3-4 years and therefore I started to appreciate Samsung more, they just get regularly updated, updated for at least 3 years and they usually last just as long. Also I heard rumor's that next Fold 6 is likely to be £600 phone, so I may as well wait for that. 

I tend to agree with you Linas i will change this year been with android for a bit now  my wife has Samsung likes them and she never has top end ones. Im leaning towards Samsung like i said above to Niaz I've never considered one of these fold phones ill have to get a look at some in the shop. I too am bit against chinesium ha ha they wont learn a lot of me but i hear what you say about malware and that stuff. So for me Samsung or apple and do i go for a fold type help me choose. Tell you what these phones nowadays are bloody expensive. 

2 hours ago, Newbie777 said:

Hello, 

Excited about my new toy. 

I have had a number of mobile and folding phones over the years. 

But the arrival of the Honor Magic V2  folding phone got me very excited. 

Why? 

It's the future (along with garlic bread as our friend Peter Kay would say). 

So I have been into gadgets for many mnay years.. Walkmans hifi, laptops etc etc, 

This phone is light, mega thin and great specc, but surprisingly the battery is big at 5000mah and made from new stuff, silicon carbon! 

The bad bit is the cost at £1700, even with early bird deals still looking at £1200, so hardly a bargain! 

For some it maybe worth buying in 6 months time when it will be worth £500? 

I have a few phones at the moment which I rotate round including a Samsung galaxy fold (the brick). I can assure you, I will not be doing that now and will use this everywhere including in the car. 

Also interestingly this could be the battery technology for cars in the future? 

 

I saw a review of this on Tech radar. I will be looking to change this year. I have been pondering Samsung or apple, I've been on Android for few years now on my one plus. Tech radar mentioned this was a game changer in its thickness. To be honest id never considered a fold phone now i might this does look a nice piece of tech though.