DBIZO

I suspect it's a bit more investment than that. You always work with a limited resource, budget, people, time, and so you make the decision where to allocate or you increase spending. Keeping car and parts inventory, spending on marketing, sales training, technical support training, all add up. And even if you sell a grand total 5 of the thing, you'll need to support them for 10-15 years. Below a certain scale of expected sales, that's not viable. Besides, Lexus UK has communicated in the past that something like 80% of sales were SUVs when they pulled the GS then the IS. That's what people buy, at least from Lexus.

No disagreements here. EVs are for the city, that's where their benefits are maximised and their costs minimized. Of course, people are free to spend their money on whatever they want, but the virtue signalling pretence around EVs is shallow and buttressed by deliberate ignorance of facts, and the government subsidies on EVs are preposterous just on social grounds. EVs won't be fit for purpose (personal, social or environmental) as a displacement of combustion engines for decades to come, but that won't stop people buying, because the status and feel-good benefits outweigh the compromises in time, money, and utility. We just did a 720-mile trip into the Alps, cold, gale force winds, climbs, roofbox on. It's possible in an EV too, but I remain uninterested in partaking in a technical challenge on my holidays.

My advice is not try and engage in that debate, it's unwinnable. Faithful EV drivers will tell you it's all fine and dandy because you'll want to stop anyway for a break, have a bite etc, and the car can charge from 20 to 80% in 30 minutes - and why wouldn't you want to stop exactly where the charging station is. In the EV world, nothing ever goes wrong, there is always available and working charging stations somewhere close enough, and you're never in a hurry, it's never too cold, and you never really want to go fast.

Interesting discussion, thanks. I'm not greatly invested in car makes, nothing against BMW. Equally, not really into Mercedes or the others. All I said is that the impression I get is that the new BMW 8 appeals to people who probably were attracted to the marque to begin with. I'm just trying to boil down what a car has to offer, how it stands out if you like - even if it stands out by not standing out too much given what it is (eg. DB9). I probably should have said I get the E31 generation 8-series, it has that instant cool factor to it, captures an entire era in industrial design. Re reliability. It's a running joke among real car people (not like me), that as a BMW owner your mechanics will know you by your first name soon enough, and will give you a call out of a genuine concern if you don't come by for a while. Which? data rates BMW 3/5 stars based on owner experience with reliability, compared to Lexus 5/5. Of course, it's heavily weighted to mainstream models. High-end BMWs might be better, no clue. Yes, I chose Lexus for the combination of comfort and peace of mind. We drive across Europe several times a year, I don't want to, mentally cannot, deal with a breakdown, particularly not on a random European motorway hundreds of miles away from either endpoints of my journey. Very low tolerance for any issues, and I don't trust garages either. I realise I haven't much to contribute...

Thanks for your responses. I guess my main point was that the idea of owning that BMW 8 over any other on my short list is not attractive a proposition. I'd need to drive it, and all the others, but ultimately it comes down to emotional connection. I don't think I'd ever want to turn back whilst walking away from my car and see the 8. I see the point in owning the others, what they offer, but what I see in the 8 is that it's for BMW drivers. I just don't see the broader appeal, the proposition, that's present with the other options.

How is this a bargain? I'm not being funny, genuine question. I just don't see how this car is worth its price. Will it keep its valuation now well? Or is it that you get more car for your money? Because for this money, I can think of plenty of better or more interesting options. - Mercedes S63 Coupe 2019 Grey Mercedes-Benz S Class 4.0 S560 V8 BiTurbo AMG Line (Premium) Coupe 2dr Petrol G-Tronic Euro 6 (s/s) (469 ps) for sale for £65,995 in Taunton, Somerset (autotrader.co.uk) - Lexus LC500 - Aston Martin DB9 2015 Aston Martin DB9 6.0 V12 GT T-TronicII Euro 6 2dr for sale for £64,495 in Wilmslow, Cheshire (autotrader.co.uk) - Maserati GT: 2018 Grey Maserati Granturismo 4.7 V8 Sport MC Shift Euro 6 2dr for sale for £52,995 in WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE (autotrader.co.uk) - Ferrari 612 Scaglietti ! 2004 Silver Ferrari 612 5.7 Scaglietti FI Coupe 2dr Petrol Automatic (475 g/km, 532 bhp) for sale for £54,995 in EDGWARE, BOROUGH OF BARNET (autotrader.co.uk) - Any TVR would be more exciting I really don't see how that BMW 8 is a better choice than any of these. Mercedes is surely more comfortable and has more class; Lexus much more unique (fewer of them, NA V8) and a reliable sporty tourer that will last 250k miles with little chance of problems; Aston and Maserati are better at moderate extravagance; and Ferrari and TVR are extra headturners, and will keep their value much better from now on.

The tendency is called 'privatised profits and wealth with socialised costs'.

I see your pain, you're looking for ways to cut back on the cost of UHP sets, which are extortionate I agree. But I doubt a lower rated prime tyre set would save you a great deal of money in those sizes. Would a 245/40R18 Y tyres on the back be illegal for your car as a winter tyre? Winter tyres often should be a bit narrower, better on wet (less aquaplaning) and slushy roads (less sliding). I doubt speed rating in this category would make much of a difference. Tyre dimensions do. Just an aside: Never thought about wanting to go lower rating for cost though...but I see your point, I guess 160km/h is plenty if you never really speed. Personally, I'd never consider any tyre below V even for my IS300h. I don't want to second-guess my tyre if it's on the structural limit in case doing a flat out stint in Germany, which occasionally means actual 125mph for some miles. Also, higher speed rating should mean better performance at any speed, at least that's what Big Tyre says. More importantly, it's a sensible trade-off for my time and peace of mind not having to research yet another topic in great depth to understand the technical content of these ratings. In what conditions are those ratings met (pressure, temperature, road abrasiveness, axle weights, g-loads)? Are they specified for a brand new tyre or do they need to be met at a certain age (say 5 years) and wear level (e.g. at legal tread depth)?

What's so crazy? Winter tyres are not only for snow/ice, but for driving on the motorway in cold or even freezing temperatures. Yes, 160km/h in good winter conditions is normal on well-built motorways in Germany, but no one's going to call the police if you do that in light traffic anywhere else either. It's all about matching your speed to road/weather conditions, traffic, and your car's capabilities. I've done 160+ in winter on Pirelli all seasons, there was never any issue with grip, control.

Presumably you wanted to address me? I don't have a definitive email, most of the communication was over the phone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Holly XXXXXXX <Holly.XXXXXXX@lexus-hedgeend.lexus.co.uk> Mar 9, 2023, 10:23 AM Subject: Heater service for your Lexus Good morning Mr Bizo, Your servo has arrived on site, Please can you call me so we can get you booked in for replacement under the service activated warranty. Kind regards, Holly XXXXXXX | Service Advisor t: 01489 795 500 e: holly . XXXXXXX @lexus‑hedgeend.lexus.co.uk | w: www.lexus.co.uk/centres/hedge-end a: Snows House, Botley Road, Hedge End, Hampshire SO30 2RA Snows Motor Group Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Snows Business Holdings Limited and is a Company registered in England and Wales. Registered No: 1318267. Registered Office: Snows Motor Group Limited. Snows House, Second Avenue, Millbrook, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 0BT. Snows Motor Group Limited is an Appointed Representative of Snows Business Holdings Limited which is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in insurance distribution activity only. Snows Business Holdings Limited FCA register number: 309925. Snows Motor Group Limited is directly Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for Consumer Credit Activity (Limited Permissions) FCA register number: 685889. Snows Business Holdings Limited is a Company registered in England and Wales. Registered No: 1535815. The contents of this e-mail are confidential and may be privileged and subject to internal monitoring. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message, you may not copy, forward, disclose, deliver or otherwise use it or any part of it in any form whatsoever. You should then kindly notify the sender by replying to this message and destroy it thereafter. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of Snows Motor Group Limited shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by them. Although we have taken steps to ensure the email and its attachments are virus-free, we cannot guarantee this or accept any responsibility, and it is the responsibility of recipients to carry out their own virus checks.

Misunderstood your question. Don't know how to update software. It either comes with the map update, or you need a Lexus garage update if for you, but I expect it to be cost prohibitive (hundreds) for they will charge you several hours of labour.

Is that Premium navigation, as opposed to standard? The control is not a dial, but a knob? How to update maps on your Lexus Premium Navigation System - Lexus UK Magazine If it's a standard, then it's a download to USB stick method. You can buy the map from Lexus for 120 or 3rd party for 60, satnavishop et al.

Thanks, Paul, good tip. That's what I remembered, sounds about right.

Does anyone know what's the map's date? 2022 Q1, or is it later? There is no detail on the My Lexus portal.

I had all-seasons on too, but not always good enough, you can get stuck easier than you think. If you stay on motorways and main roads and lowland cities, there should be no need for chains. But we were on a ski trip in the Alps. All went well until it didn't. Tyres don't have much grip on already compressed, icy snow surfaces, and stopping on an uncleaned sideroad with incline before trying to turn back onto the main street was enough to lose all traction. Tried sliding back, but because of wheelspin (had Snow mode on, still), I was unable to reverse back out of the tiny hole the left rear dug. It was bloody annoying and took about 10 minutes to get out of with the help of people rocking the car back and forth (putting it into N first then rhythmically putting into gear to help the rocking). I was in part at fault, but I can tell you it didn't look like I was getting myself into a difficult situation, looked innocent. Then I tried the snowchains on, and I couldn't fit it. A picture for the ambience.

Reviving this thread to see if anyone has first-hand experience. I bought chains for my IS300h, matching for the tyre size, but when I tried to install in the Alps a couple weeks ago in case the car gets snowed in, I just couldn't. Never fitted chains before and my dexterity is infamously bad, but I just couldn't reach around the tyre - the clearance thing. Luckily, it was not needed in the end, snowfall stopped. But now I question if I've got the right chains for the tyre, but wrong for the car. Any pointers would be much appreciated, probably saving me hours of to and fro.

Great, a question for you then: so what exactly are we measuring when taking readings of the tyre pressure at a garage? It is an absolute level of pressure in the tyre (at a given internal air temperature), right, as opposed to a differential pressure to actual atmospheric (affected by elevation, ambient temp)?

I think Mike's point is that tyre pressure is measured by a different kind of pressure gauge, not a manometer, the working principle of which is liquid displacement. Which made me realise I just assumed that's how they work, but in fact I don't know.

Yes. I've got this same problem, developed just now in a 2015 IS300h. It's covered under the 10y/100k warranty, I just got an email the part is with the Lexus garage and will be done for free. The quotes for fix here are quite shocking. Already concerned what things are excluded in the extended 15y/150k warranty...

I may be slow, but don't follow this. Ambient temperature should not change the target pressure on the manometer. Yes, you need to check and adjust regularly, whenever the temp changes a lot. Yes, if you anticipate driving into much colder weather (say you're at the bottom of the Alps), or it's early summer morning and you're about drive in 40C heat at speed, of course you can make those calculated minor corrections. Otherwise pump to 36 psi or whatever your tyre guidance says.

Yes, please, I'm also looking for some light glass repair product for my rear window, which has some visible but not too deep scratches.

I'm sceptical doing their research would change much. First off, it's an arduously complicated picture with no clear-cut answers other than the best thing for the environment if you don't buy a new car and don't drive around, unless you really really really need to. If you do your research, the first thing you'll encounter is a vast repository of videos and articles that profess EVs green credentials and that it's the future, and how fossil fuel cars are outdated and a thing of the past. To question that you'd need to keep digging for hours, days even, and engage in complex arithmetics about what's better in total cost of ownership, utility, environmental effect etc.

Probably right. Depends on the model. All IS is made in Japan, in Toyota's Tahara plant, which is said to be a top class manufacturing plant, globally.

A friend looked at a similar dilemma recently, and ended up with a plugin. I'm not sure it's that much of a major dilemma at all for resale value. After 8 years, you lost probably 70-75% of your money with a typical car anyway. You're also making the assumption that an 8-year old EV would not depreciate just as much. One could argue it will lose more value for three major reasons: more expensive to begin with; batteries do wear out and at year 8, it could be at significantly reduced capacity eg. 70-80% of design; and because EV cars are evolving faster for now, so a new EVs in 8 years will be considerably more attractive to buyers than a 2023 model. Also at the risk of stating the obvious, if you maintain that car, particularly a Lexus, it will be a solid, good car even after 8 years as most on this forum will attest to. Mine is approaching 8 years this years and will be past 100k, and not the slightest thing wrong with it, would pick it over most newer cars, including most if not all EVs. If you're thinking resale value, buy a car with a NA V8...in 10 years' time, there will be a riot for them. (meant to respond to Dutchie's post)

A grand for 90? F' me, I've been lucky then. As for the main topic, it's probably just a ripoff in Hammersmith, but it's a trend wide across Europe, particularly Germany. The difference perhaps is that there they do a decent job at sign posting this change, and also giving you the reason: noise control through residential areas. Much more problematic I find is that there is zero traffic policing in areas where it's actually quite dangerous to drive much above 20, like our neighbourhood: narrow streets, lots of parked cars, cyclists, e-scooter gangs, and many crossing pedestrians, including children and dogs. No speed cameras or posted police ever I can assure you. A few hundred metres away there is a speed camera between traffic lights where traffic flows in 2x2 separated lanes, no pedestrians, and there is another one a bit later just before leaving the city, four unidirectional lanes.