Boosh.

Perhaps you already know this: to verify if an individual parking sensor is actively 'sensing', if you rest the end of your finger nail on the centre of the sensor, then you will feel a gentle, repeating, high-frequency buzz. I have noticed it is always there when a sensor is 'on', with every one I've tried. If the controller (which as an aftermarket device, is usually around the size of a small fag packet), or the power to it, is rogered, then there will be nothing, of course. This might help you to determine if you have a individual sensor problem, or the whole thing is dead. (In the instructions with new kits it usually states not to disconnect sensors with the power on, at risk of blowing the controller up.) The size of the hole cut in the bumper limits what sensors you can put back in, if you should want replace them. There are a few different popular diameters. If yours are large-ish, then you are more restricted in choice without some bodywork needed. On the one occasion I have mixed branded (Valeo) sensors with a 'generic' controller, taken from an cheap, unbranded eBay set, they worked perfectly and still do 8 years on - it may well be that sensors often conform to a regular design, from an electronic perspective anyway.

I'd not heard of Teroson before your post. I see it's made by Henkel, who it seems are now owned by Loctite. Last time I tried, a couple of years ago, the Loctite telephone technical helpline were quite useful and friendly. Might be worth a try if you had a specific question.

Thanks for the comprehensive answer! And not too long at all - sometimes I venture over to the 'Bob Is The Oil Guy' website. That one site must account for about 25% of the entire content of the internet. Finishing a topic on there can take several weeks. I have had an interest with fuel and oil additives since long before even my FS1E days, so it is good to hear how this product was viewed from the producer's sales/technical perspective, which is so rarely seen. To me, fascinating, and with a bit of nostalgia thrown in!

I remember the Slick 50 launch quite well, and also Petrolon and Mitchell Marketing (I guess that the name of his company?). All the earliest product boxes at launch had had any mention of "Teflon" painstakingly covered over with some tiny black stickers. That must have been laborious for someone! I seem to recall that it wasn't a particularly cheap additive. I can't actually remember the price, but a gallon of Castrol GTX was around £2.99 from Halfords, as a period reference. The story at the time (from where? I don't know) was that DuPont, the Teflon brand name owners, were unhappy with their name being used on the Slick 50 product, so it had to be removed. I never found out any more. I imagine there was more background story to this? Some years later, I did try one of your competitor's PTFE products, Nulon, from Australia, in a Honda Prelude. The instructions were simple, although I don't remember them exactly. After adding, which you did with the engine running at tickover, the tickover revs rose by 200 or so, which was very encouraging. But, after a matter of minutes, they had gone back to almost normal, and no significant change to the engine or its mpg was ever noticed. I remember reports from many, many years before your product launch, of a similar test to your 'Roger Clark' trial, but with Molyslip brand engine oil additive (which was basically molybdenum disulphide in a carrier oil, I believe) and a couple of Hillman Minxes, IIRC. The results were very similar to yours - one car seized (without additive), and was towed back to base by the other car (which had the additive). Without oil, the 'Molyslip' car had got hot, but ran fine after it was filled back up with oil, it was claimed. I think that some 1980s VWs had molybdenum or graphite in the gearbox oil from the factory. And even now, Moto Guzzi suggest a molybdenum additive is put in certain models of their motorcycle gearboxes when the oil is changed. Not sure this really relates to anything Lexus have ever made though!

No, not involved at all, but I remember quite well the the arrival of Michael Edwardes into his new role (who was this new face?), and how he was expected to turn around the strike-ridden efforts of British Leyland. At the time it seemed an impossible task. I also remember the BBC news reporting of when the likely closure of Speke was announced. Outside the factory (who may have just announced a strike in response to the closure), one of three BL workers being asked his opinions of the likely closure of the factory, and the subsequent end of the TR7, looked straight at the camera and said "Oh well, the cars are rubbish anyway". I wouldn't disagree with your brief summary as to 'what went wrong' at all. For me it's also of interest when pondered, how these problems were symptoms of the larger political picture, here and abroad, and indeed how motor manufacturers' directions reflect their cultural backgrounds, for better or worse. And of course, how all these companies were affected by (owner's) family dynasties, wars, class, engineering prowess etc. Nothing too involved, just interest in the motor industry as being a barometer for a country's fortunes and success. And the Japanese! Always had an interest in motorcycles, especially Yamaha, coincidentally, whose engineering tie-up with Toyota goes back decades. Whoops! I think I might have taken this thread off-topic.

Good questions! Maybe soon, maybe not. I've had an interest in the LS400 since before it launched, and came agonisingly close to buying a 2003 LS430 in 2006. In 2016, we almost got a secondhand CT200 for my daughter, but my local Toyota dealers' (in Bedfordshire) refusal to service it at all, helped tip the decision in in favour of a Toyota, of which we now have three. Supercar children's programme? No recollection apart from other peoples' toys of same. But Michael Edwardes and the rumblings at Speke? I remember all that very well! A very long fascination with the British motor industry and where it all went wrong....

Well, just a boy in this company, so 58. I'll let you decide!

At the (justified) risk of being labelled a pedant, I think Oxygum was a feature of the Japanese 'Marine Boy' cartoon, which was from vaguely the latter part of the era you're talking of. If you remember that cartoon, and were ever a fan of it, then it's worth finding any of the (film-length) Studio Ghibli cartoons of Hayao Miyazaki, if for no other reason than their charming animation, and also for being so wonderfully un-Disneylike! Porco Rosso is a great way to pass the time in a lockdown. My Neighbour Totoro is also well worth a look for some cheery Japanese weirdness. Not up to the slick 'SuperMarionation' of Mr Anderson, and devoid of the techy, white-knuckle plots, but for children's TV genius, I must put in a mention for Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate. So, The Clangers, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine and Baguss (never a fan, but still) were mostly made in a disused cowshed in Peter Firmin's garden, apparently. A bit too gentle for some, but excellent nonetheless.

Yes, I think you are correct. I rang up Holts a few years back with basically this question. The Holts techie said that the 'classic' Redex petrol additive used to be sold as an upper cylinder lubricant. None of the existing Redex range claims to be that now, it was reformulated about 20 years back, they said.

I have no personal experience of BBA-Reman, and I really like the idea that a company is repairing the parts that they cover. But do be aware that their reviews (on Trustpilot) seem very polarised. Happy customers are less likely to post in to a survey than happy ones, of course, so these surveys can give a false impression. Perhaps people on here have had good experiences? This is them, isn't it? :https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/shop.bba-reman.com

Well done for sorting that out! If it does return, it looks like there may be some evidence of water ingress into that unit - the circuit board has some light oxidation/deposits that I have marked with red arrows and ovals onto your photo. It can only be seen when the photo is enlarged a bit. It may be that this is pre-existing though, and left over from manufacture. And the motor casing shows no sign of corrosion, so that all might be a red-herring. If it does come back, it might be worth double checking the gasket, and perhaps removing the oxidation/deposit. It shouldn't be difficult, except that doing it without creating undue static on the board is the hurdle! Hopefully I'm wrong, and it all carries on working properly! I think the motor positions itself by driving the 'quarter' gear into the end stop, at which point it 'knows' the mechanism is at one limit of movement as the motor current draw rises and is detected. It may well reverse itself to establish there is a limit point in the other direction, during an initialize. Perhaps someone knows different? Out of curiosity, how does the motor connect to the circuit board - the connections seem hidden. The motor is just a simple brushed dc item with no rotation encoder or sophistication, as far as I can see. They're pretty robust, especially if they're kept dry. If it had become lightly corroded on its connection with the pcb, it may be that dismantling it all has re-established the electrical connection to it?

These Weber Auto videos give a view on what's going on in the eCVT Toyota/Lexus box. Perhaps you've seen these already? Note: The large disc that looks just like a clutch is actually a torsional damper, which never disengages - it has no mechanism to disengage!

I'm making a not-particularly-big assumption that the stealing of a CT200h catalyst is exactly the same method as a Prius gen 3 and Auris hybrid, with which it shares virtually identical engine/transmission. In the case of those, there are 2 exhaust manifold bolts that are undone to detach the exhaust at the engine end. These are not that difficult to access if you've come prepared, despite being quite a long way up the 'transmission tunnel'. The exhaust pipe is then cut with a saw or angle grinder just before a large resonator/silencer, this is in line with the front of the driver's seat, roughly. That just leaves an oxygen sensor that is still in the pipe that is being stolen, which has its wires cut off, and is taken with the exhaust. I think it would be possible to just unbolt the whole section with no cutting, but that would involve a further two bolts to undo, and the two rubber hangers would need to be slid off their hangers, which could take some time/effort. Also, the removed piece would be that much harder to stash in a car boot, because of the extra length of the pipe and the size of the resonator/silencer that is integral to that section.

I can't see any oxygen sensors monitoring these cats. The exhaust piece that has been (likely) damaged does have an oxygen sensor at its 'engine' end, but it's for monitoring the previous catalysts, the ones nearer the head. That design would follow general convention, too.

Yes, around that, perhaps a bit more if you can't get the exhaust section discounted as per that link. Whilst this probably isn't something you want fixed using anything other than genuine Lexus parts (pride and joy, etc!), someone on the RX forum has done this modification, which is a whole lot cheaper and will prevent this happening again. You'd probably need 2 pipes making up. Look at the last photo of the original poster.

We have two hybrids in the family. You have my genuine sympathy, this is an awful situation. I have only slight familiarity with the GS450h, but just to put some perspective to what I think will have happened: https://www.onlineautomotive.co.uk/car-parts/Lexus/GS450H/Exhausts/Exhaust-System Your exhaust section 'LEX5007H' in the above diagram (of an aftermarket exhaust, because the diagram is clearer than some) has been butchered and the two catalysts within it taken. There are two further catalysts closer to the engine, and almost certainly harder to get to (I think). These, LEX1018H and LEX1019H, are probably still intact. The genuine exhaust part that will need replacing is this one (I think), to give you an idea of price (insurance/non-insurance): https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/parts/lexus-gs/lexus-gs-phase-iii-2005-2012/lexus-gs-3-engine-service-kits/lexus-gs450h-phase-3-exhaust-front-section-and-catalytic-convertor/ There will also be an oxygen sensor required, probably around £140. And fitting all of this, of course. They may be other damage to rectify, sadly.... There is no emissions MoT requirement on hybrid cars, I understand, and with the two remaining catalysts the car would likely pass a 'normal car' MoT anyway. If a custom section without these catalysts was made up to repair the damage, I think the major issue would be if the MoT tester objected to the visible modifications, which other members may have information about. HTH

If it's of any interest, I have put the question to Yuasa UK technical (in Swindon fwiw); do you make Halfords own-brand batteries for them? The techie confirmed that they do, or at least did, this was four years ago. But, 10 months ago, I bought from Halfords a Yuasa motorcycle battery (pre-filled with acid before being put on display, due to the new acid sale regulations), and it was sat at 11.4 volts - they didn't seem to have any regime for maintaining that slow-selling item before its eventual sale, I confirmed with their telephone helpline. I wonder if that applies to car batteries, hopefully not. They were happy to refund me for that one - no problem at all.

Yes, the designers seem to have thought of every eventuality. Whilst I'm sure that there is no maintenance required for the system, what would happen if some road debris got caught in it (straw, vegetation etc.)? The 'dealer' way, with no disrespect meant to them, is to replace a mechanism with new, so as to minimise the likelihood of the fault reoccurring, but I suspect that a thorough clean of the pivots and levers may well be enough to revive the existing one. This forum is not the place to emphasize how reliable Japanese mechanisms of this type normally are - I can't help thinking a 'foreign body' has hindered its movement somehow.

Hi, The Toyota Prius 4th gen. (2016 onwards) all have 'active grille shuttering', so there might be some of their mechanisms in the breaker's yards, perhaps with some commonality with regards to motor drive mechanism. I've never heard of a problem with theirs, so the used spare parts might be cheap. If your grille follows this Toyota convention in the video below, then it seems it could be checked for functionality fairly easily.

I've not experienced this myself, yet. I have a suspicion that the battery, when the car is turned on, is slightly warming itself up at an acid/plate level, when some current is being drawn from it. Eventually, as it gets slightly warmer, it is able to provide enough power for the next part of the power-up sequence - and can then turn the contactor/relay on, and the traction battery to be switched in. Or it could be something else happening.... But, as my old chemistry teacher, used to try to drill into the class, "The rate of a chemical reaction doubles for every 10 degrees rise in temperature". FWIW, On the Vauxhall Ampera/Chevrolet Volt, running the car with a slightly duff 12v battery can (and does) burn their main contactor out. I've not seen similar problems ever mentioned on a Lexus/Toyota hybrid.

My plumbing skills are questionable at best, but, isn't there likely to be an 'O' ring inside that plastic assembly that could be replaced (if you could get one)? I appreciate that a new brass assembly is the best option. Cambridgeshire is a big ol' place, if you were near the Gamlingay corner, then I live a few miles from there. I've got a reasonably good selection of 'O' rings, but then, looking out the window, maybe that's not such a good idea after all.

I can understand where you're coming from with the octane numbers, Johnbiker7, but this link shows that the comparison of these, US vs UK, doesn't quite work, as ColinBarber mentions, but here in table form:- https://aircooledbug.co.uk/usa-versus-uk-fuel-octane/

I'd thought about doing this a while back. I'm certainly no expert here, and I'm happy to be corrected if my following thoughts are way off! But we're in lockdown, so this 'thought-roaming' allows a useful distraction. So, off the top of my head:- An alkaline AA cell has a large internal resistance that stops it producing high currents, but the arrangement above could be used if it were just attempting to slowly 'top-up' the existing 12v battery to get it to a working state. I think an AA alkaline cell would provide roughly 2500 mA if it was discharged slowly. A NiMH AA cell could produce produce 7 - 10 Amps for a short while as it has a much lower internal resistance, but it would get quite hot while it was doing it and so be less efficient in that usage pattern, with an optimum capacity of 2500mAh again. With the NiMH, you'd also need a 10-battery holder to accommodate for the reduced voltage (1.2v) vs an alkaline cell, no? Even at the AA cell's maximum current output, I think you'd still have to anticipate just using them to recharge the existing 12v battery, as the normal start currents required would be way above what they could otherwise support, e.g. not least because the brake booster motor, when it automatically starts, could well pull quite a hefty current for around 5 seconds, especially initially. The battery holder shown might 'wilt' doing this sort of work, as it's normally used in much lighter duty applications, and the connectors and wires wouldn't be rated for this. Or, looking at it another way, if they were up for this, why were they so generously specified by the Chinese manufacturer? I would really like this to work. If you wanted to experiment (which i might yet do myself), then I'd suggest putting a conventional car headlamp bulb in series with a feed wire, to offer some current limiting if it all goes a bit mad! And you have to make sure none of the cells got too hot else there is a serious explosion risk. If this did all work as best it could, then you're still only going to get about 2 Ah of charge into your 12v battery, is that enough? FWIW, I think inside these small booster/starter packs that are common nowadays, is simply a small group of 18650 Lithium cells (google it!) which have become the industry standard in the rechargeable Li battery world, a bit like the AA cell has become - which it actually looks like a scaled-up version off. For a quick example, early Teslas, some (all?) electric bicycles, vaping devices, and even my cheap, recently-bought Screwfix worklight, all take different numbers of an 18650 cell of basically the same physical size, voltage and chemistry. But their internal resistance is really low - as the Tesla's acceleration reveals. Realistically, It's not going to work unless the 12v battery was almost charged enough beforehand, but I'd be fun seeing why it didn't work in practice.

Hi, Have the plugs been changed? The service interval for plugs is 60,000m, which they seem to do without much wear, but they are often overlooked completely! Carbon/gunge build-up on the back of the throttle valve is easily fixed, and can give similar symptoms to yours. I think it's quite rare, but moisture can get between a coil-on-plug ignition coil and the spark plug itself. The coil has to come off to check, so worth combining with the plug check/change. This one is a bigger problem (below): given the mileage, if it hasn't been done already then it could be this, but there is usually quite a lot of clattery noise associated with this problem as it's happening. There are other posts about this EGR topic. If this one is allowed to carry on, then the head gasket can eventually fail on account of the extra loads this places on it.

That's interesting. Not of much use to you but, on the Prius gen3, Auris and CT200h (the first two seem to be the most common targets on any police reports of cat. theft that I've seen), a pair of 14mm bolts are always undone with a drill/driver fitted with a lengthy extension. Those two bolts are attaching the cat. to the exhaust manifold, so relatively hard to get to apart from when attacked straight-on.. And the pipe is then cut between the 1st and 2nd silencer boxes. As you mention, this with a reciprocating saw, or maybe an angle grinder. The common bolt in the above thefts is this one. I've tried to make the head of these bolts 'anti-tamper' on our cars. Toyota has since come up with a hammer-on addition to the bolt head that has the same effect, and it's a reasonable £15. I see, sadly, that none of these mods will be of any help to an RX owner. Interesting too about the MX5. I've got an old one, I hadn't heard of one of those being 'done over' so far, but clearly they are!