northpolar

Well I wish that my car had been fitted with a Thatcham approved Tracker when it was stolen early in 2023. The car was taken into the London Borough adjacent to the one in which I live and left parked up in full public view. How do I know? Because I received a penalty charge notice for parking in a controlled parking bay! Had a tracker been fitted, the car could have been recovered. Please do not discount trackers as a waste of time. Peter

That's exactly what I have done - airtags in addition to the factory fit tracker unit! Peter

Charles, Sorry, I have only returned to the thread this morning. As mentioned in my other post this morning, my insurer was very good at settling my claim and the amount paid by them was IMHO very reasonable. My problem came when I was made aware that if I did not replace my car within a month of the claim being settled, that my policy would be canceled and I would receive no recompense for the period remaining on the policy. For whatever reason this made me a little suspicious - perhaps this is standard industry practice - but I was very wary of being forced out into the insurance market seeking a new policy having just claimed on a stolen vehicle. Anyway, it prompted me to decide to replace the RX and I was very reluctant to get the same after what had just happened and I was even more reluctant to get the new model with its four cylinder engine and £80k price tag. So I thought I'll be more modest and as a stop gap I decided to go for a 3 series BMW - not the M3 I hasten to add. A lesson learned is that before doing anything I should have called the insurance company to verify there would be no problem. My bad as they say! I got as far as arranging the purchase of a 6 month old car from a main dealer and called the insurer to advise on the new details. The response was that the 'system' would not offer a policy for that vehicle. I have perhaps been too hasty but when they were unable to offer any explanation nor advise on what vehicles would be acceptable to them I concluded that they simply took the view that they had fulfilled their contractual obligations and were now keen to off load a high risk customer asap. My maths may well have been incorrect when adding 2 plus 2 and by going out into the market I have been completely fleeced on the new insurance policy. My decision probably should have been not to bother buying a car until such times as I have a new home with garage! Peter

Please don't be too quick dismissing the potential benefits of a tracker unit. Captain Hindsight here - when my 2016 RX was stolen earlier this year (before I had read this thread!), I thought the same as your notes above. A month later however, I received a penalty charge notice for parking in a residents bay in the adjacent borough of Hackney. The ticket was booked the evening after the night the car was stolen and it seems that the thieves parked it up in broad public view without even changing the number plates. Two observations struck me - one they were testing to see if there was any tracking device fitted; two they had total confidence that none of the authorities were looking for my stolen vehicle. On the basis of my experience, and it may be unusual, I have fitted a tracker to my replacement vehicle. I'm still contemplating a Ghost immobiliser, but taking too long deciding! I do feel angry that Lexus sat on their touche and said nothing to me - my car was serviced by the same Lexus dealer since 2017, most recently in February and not a word mentioned to me about it. My sentiment was not helped by my insurer - they paid out very quickly what I considered to be a fair price however, despite protected full no claims they advised that the BMW 3 series I chose to replace the RX with was not something they could offer, despite it being cheaper etc than the equivalent. Of course, the industry then treats you like a leper when you seek a renewl Peter

My discomfort is that my car was stolen and the infrastructure to do something about it - police; camera infrastructure; local authorities - appears to be sat on its big fat lazy *rse doing nothing for me or anyone else in similar circumstances. Not helped by Lexus knowing there is an inherent problem which they are developing a metal plate to prevent access to CAN bus; but omitting on the minor detail of not bothering to inform their customers of the current risk facing them. Oh and the joy of being completely fleeced by the insurance industry afterwards, despite protected no claims cover. Hope that helps with your puzzlement. Peter

My RX was stolen 11 April, no doubt via the wheel arch. What was particularly galling was to receive last week a penalty charge notice from the adjacent borough - the car was illegally parked in a residential bay on the evening of 12 April! I was amazed to find that the thieves hadn't even bothered to swap over the number plates. Were they incompetent or lazy? I doubt it - it would seem that despite having reported the matter to the police, nothing at all is done other than the paperwork for a crime reference number. All those number plate recognition cameras which ought to have kicked into action - are they even switched on? The local authority took photos of the car and reg number and were able to send a penalty notice to me, but were unable to realize the car was stolen. Thank you Hackney (not)! I have now replaced the RX but not with a Lexus and the replacement has an S5 tracker fitted and will soon have a Ghost II immobiliser fitted. Hopefully these will help reduce the odds of losing the new car. Whilst it may be possible to steal any car (as noted above) unfortunately there seem to be some especially vulnerable/ targetted. The other thread surprised me to identify that in London, the RX is now fancied by the tea leaves. A real shame as the build quality of mine was exceptional. Range Rovers seem to be the current proverbial tip of the iceberg. I heard on a recent pod cast by Chris Harris and friends that one of their pals recently bought a Range Rover. They live outside London most of the time but also have an apartment in London. Their insurance renewal appeared with a £50,000 excess on the policy!! So whilst it may be possible to steal any vehicle, the odds are more heavily stacked against some more than others. Regrettable that the RX is heading up the popularity charts with thieves. Peter

Depreciation is extremely difficult to predict at the moment. Through Covid and the Ukraine conflict there have been extremes in terms of component supply restrictions, etc which has forced lead in times to extend and reduced availability on the used market. I suspect the Autocar figures are based on historical norms and reflect what we should have expected prior to the current economic mess. At some point I have no doubt that the current depreciation bubble will well and truly burst - please just don't ask me or any economist to say when!! Peter

The lock was a Stoplock Pro Elite HG 150-00. Probably not the best in the world and was bought more as a visual deterent as I think the professional thieves can get past these devices quite easily. Peter

Well I have come a bit late to this thread. Earlier this week my 2016 RX450h was stolen overnight. It was parked in the street. It had a steering wheel lock fitted albeit I suspect they are as much a deterrent to these thieves as candy floss. I live in Highbury north London. When reporting the theft to the Met Police, I mentioned that a "People Friendly Streets' traffic enforcement camera was recently installed no more than 15 metres from my car. Their response was that local authorities charge too much money therefore the police will not request access to the cctv records and I might ask some neighbours if they have a Nest type camera fitted to their front doors. You could not make it up. I guess this marks the end of my Lexus experience - the car itself was incredibly well put together and was the longest period of ownership I've experienced. From this thread looks like RX, NX (I don't like them) RAV 4 and JLR products are out. Does the LC500 suffer from a similar vulnerability? Having read this thread, in Captain Hindsight mode, i would definitely recommend the fitting of any device which someone can demonstrate provides a robust defence. Problem is how does one establish this? Years ago I had a Porsche fitted with a tracker/ annual subscription. To my knowledge there was no way of testing it and the provider offered nothing. One day I came home and found the car missing. I found the car a few hundred yards away - the local authority/ utility company needed access to the space and moved the car. The tracker service new nothing about it and I received no notification. Maybe I was unlucky and perhaps things have greatly improved over the years but the taste of snake oil back then was not a good one. If a reliable defence mechanism can be sourced and fitted without invalidating Lexus warranty, I would definitely recommend paying for it rather than having to pick up the pieces I am now facing with insurance company, deciding on car replacement and impact on insurance premium (despite fully protected no claims discount, the premium is likely to rocket). Take care all. Peter

Cheers Brian. I do think the interior looks very special on this edition. Peter

Is the car for sale new or used (I perhaps wrongly assumed the Regatta was a limited edition model some time back). Looks great and thanks for posting photos! Peter

When I had my car serviced 3 Feb, the dealer had a new model RX in the showroom - they claimed it was the only one in the UK at the time and they were preparing customer invite emails - I've still not heard a squeak from them! Must say I found the front end a bit of a shocker - slightly incomprehensible why it has to be so vertical, without a hint of aerodynamics. Just looks a bit wrong to me. Also strange why Lexus are offering a performance model with only a six speed transmission - if memory serves, doesn't the LC have a 10 speed box? The choice of a 4 cylinder engine for their premium SUV is an interesting one. It's not just Lexus - I'm pretty sure Volvo banished more than 4 cylinders in their range some time back, but I still think there is merit in a six cylinder engine to help differentiate from the NX and Toyota's RAV 4. Peter

If I receive a report I'll report back here as the impression given was that I really should replace the tyres and not continue to drive on them. Peter

Thanks for the feedback. Clarification on some comments above which may help clarify: In 2018, with about 15,000 miles passed, the fronts were worn and required replacement. The rears at that time were fine and presumably original from 2016 and were retained. At last week's service, Lexus advised that all four tyres required replacement and they have all been replaced with the same Bridgestone tyres. It just seemed odd to me that the fronts and rears, with different ages, should suffer the same problem at the same time. Whilst I'm sure they have been exposed to sunshine, the car is located in London, not one of the sunshine states. Mind you, we did have crazy temperatures this summer which may have had an influence. Peter

While I was getting my rx serviced last week I noticed a lovely red/ light brown canvas LC convertible in the parking bays. Looked a great colour combo to me. Apparently it is owned by the King of Bahrain. If I were in the market for an LC, I'd certainly consider this combo.| Peter

I dropped my 2016 RX450h in for its annual service last week and was a bit surprised to receive an advisory that all four tyres needed to be replaced. The reported problem was not one of poor tread depth, it was driven by significant cracking of the side walls. For the last few years I have been only covering about 2,000 miles a year. Conversely, although only short distances, it has been used at least once every week. The rears were wearing so not too concerned about them but the fronts were replaced by Lexus in 2018, loads of tread remaining and I wasn't aware of there being any liklihood of such a problem occurring. The tyres are Bridgestones. Lexus have advised that the front tyres will be returned to Bridgestone for review and a technical report should be forthcoming. Just wondering if this is a one off; to be expected due to age; or if there is a known problem with these tyres. Any knowledge welcome! Peter

GrimFandango Hope you managed to get your mechanical problems sorted out with Lexus Hatfield. I was surprised to read about them given I have had my March 2016 rx since it was 1 year old and I have experienced zero issues with mine. Very unusual for me to keep a car this length of time! I suffer from a lower back problem and I have to say that the front seats in my Premier model are the most comfortable of any car I've owned. They don't look particularly special but they seem to be extremely solidly put together and have retained their shape/ support perfectly. I was therefore very surprised to read of your problem with your drivers seat. Curious to hear what the problem was - assuming Hatfield were able to identify the fault. Peter

I have a 2016 model which I have owned since it was 1 year old and across that period I have averaged 34-35mpg. I don't do much mileage, much of which is short journeys in 20mph zones in London. With a bit of adaptation, due to the imposed low speeds, I find the hybrid system balances battery and ICE power quite well. Interesting that the new RX will no longer have the six cylinder engine and slightly less radical looks. Not sure if buying a new model will incur more depreciation than normal when the new model takes over. Peter

Toyota is one of if not the wealthiest car manufacturer on the planet. They have resisted entering the BEV market, concentrating instead on hybrids and more recently plug in hybrids. I appreciate that one of toyota's hallmarks is their conservative approach to technology and I am sure there has been a vast amount of research undertaken to develop safe and reliable battery technology. The problem I perceive is that there is a strong residual range anxiety in the UK due to the unreliable/ inadequate public infrastructure. It seems very strange to me that Toyota could consider it acceptable to launch the BZ and RZ models without hitting at least the upper range bands and charging speeds being offered by competitors. I don't think power/ performance is such a big deal, but range (and weight) is going to be the key differentiator as the battery tech develops. Build quality/ luxury fittings/ pleasant dealers will count for many customers, but I certainly will not be one of them until the fundamental differentiator of BEVs is significantly improved by Toyota group. Peter

Battery technology will become one of the biggest differentiators to help inform decisions on which brand and model to choose when buying/ leasing a car. Kia with their EV6 and EV6 GT appear to have taken considerable strides forwards just as Toyota/ Lexus are entering the BEV market. From my perspective it seems that Toyota have been spooked and brought forward their BEVs in a sub-optimal manner. I cannot understand why anyone would select the new RZ with what comparatively offers an under powered car with an unacceptably limited range. It is not like the RZ will be bought primarily as a city car. The owners will be expecting to be able to travel long distances and surely a minimum for a new entry to the market at this level should now be targeting 350+ miles and/ or stronger performance? Simply not good enough in my opinion and I hope that Toyota/ Lexus have substantial improvements waiting in the wings/ in final development - perhaps in line with their original BEV development programme. Peter

My 2016 car suffered a proximity sensor failure during a journey earlier this year. Took a few attempts for the dealer to diagnose the issue - covered by extended warranty - I think the module alone was circa £1,700, so glad I have maintained a warranty. The warning message would not clear and covered the central part of the dashboard display. Also lost external temperature display which was very inconvenient - I was driving up through the lake district when the forecast was potentially treacherous. All fixed now thankfully. Peter