D Johnson

No different for 70 plate, it is necessary to hover key over start button. When I initially deactivated the smart entry system I neglected to “save” the instruction and spent the first few days blissfully unaware that nothing had actually changed and hence no need to hover the key and no confirmatory beep! As soon as I went back in and tried again and actually confirmed the setting, I had to hover the key and hear confirmatory beep to start the car. I should add that my IS is a very basic model and so maybe not representative of all trims in this regard.

Thanks William, some great points there, sorry not to reply earlier but I’ve only just noticed this. The aircon whirring seems very convincing to me! I guess it could’ve been a cab but there wasn’t any usual type private hire plate on the rear - pretty sure I would’ve noticed that. Happy to say the car has not been stolen as yet! Also, this has been the kick I needed to get my outdoor cctv up and running so if there is ever a next time I should be able to see exactly what is up.

I would really like to try this scheme with my mesa red IS but am too chicken! (I mean paint everything red, not black!). If you leave the chrome side trims as they are, they will balance the chrome on the grill a little… or you might be contemplating going for a complete blackout and doing the grill edging as well! It’s very difficult to know how it will look until it’s too late.

Hmmm

Thank you very much Maxz. I have just now successfully disabled smart entry in the set up menu. Am I correct in thinking I no longer need to think about buying a faraday case/s?

So I‘m at the breakfast table at the crack of 0530 when I notice a strange electronic-type of noise. I follow the noise to the window overlooking the street where my darling IS is parked outside the front door. It is very hard to hear the noise over the birdsong but it is definitely electronic and stops at regular intervals for a few seconds and then starts up again etc, etc. Somewhat baffled, I carry on with my routine of getting ready to leave for work. About 15 minutes later I am at the front door and aware that a red vehicle is parked outside (opposite my own car and blocking the vehicular entrance to a block of flats, so obviously just waiting rather than parked). As I open my front door the vehicle starts up and drives further into my estate (but only in order to turn round, so it’s not as if they were visiting anyone) and as this car passes me I notice that it is a Lexus IS300h and from the rear seemingly identical to my own car - except the plate is 63 rather than 70. I live in a cul de sac, this was 0545 in the morning and I cannot think of any innocent reasons why this person/persons would be outside looking at my car at this time of day - but maybe there are some? I have since read up on keyless theft and am wondering if the noise I heard was anything to do with this or just some weird coincidence… Mucho gracie in anticipation of any ideas, thoughts, advice etc. Marianne

I’d be interested to know if your Audi friend was able to check any other things that had/hadn’t been done and if so, what?

Here is a picture of the back plate which some refer to as the dust plate:

Well today my Williams waterless wash and wax arrived and I ventured forth, tentatively, to give it a try. Although the car was not really dirty I couldn’t quite bring myself to just spray and wipe from the outset and had to resort to a good hosing down with water to start. Must admit it was nerve racking doing it and I wasn’t sure how much I should put on so I decided better be generous rather than skimp! I got through my entire supply of microfibre cloths (a 5 gallon bucket full) as didn’t want to risk using a gritty cloth. I forgot that you said you could use it on the windows and did those after with windowlene but I’ll def try it next time. The only minor annoyance was the spray was more of a splodge and I kept getting over-spray onto panels I had already done and had to go over them again. Maybe I’ve just got a dodgy spray mechanism on the bottle. Now I am waiting for rain.

I had this with my,admittedly much older, 5 series. I could only hear it when the windows were open and the car was travelling over somewhat uneven ground. The drain cover thing you describe is an exact match. Turned out it was the backplate (both actually) fastenings had corroded (not serious but annoying nevertheless because people hear you coming a mile off. It cost about £100 per wheel for my indy garage guy to strip them down and replace the washers. I would definitely try and get underneath and give that plate a wiggle to see if that’s your problem.

Maltesers

My bad! Replied to an earlier post.

Eaton

Should have put a trigger warning on that pic! Unable to see what the problem was with the state of the tyre, I pressed enlarge (whilst at the breakfast table) and now feeling distinctly queasy! Does anyone know what causes those little splits in the rubber on the horizontal treads near the outer? I am guessing it might be age related. I would like to know how old the offending tyre is 🙂

Presumably this wouldn't show door dinks from adjacent parked cars would it Len?

Hi Len, like you, I never thought I'd be hand washing my car again lol. I am not sure such close encountesr are good for my nerves as I am constantly discovering imperfections! Thank you for your comments, they are helping me to keep a perspective and knowing what others have done is a great help in making one's own decisions. I am now going to google Alloygators!

Thanks for all the detail, that is just what I am here for! That Williams stuff sounds great! and I just noticed this is Williams as in Frank Williams? I don't think they sell it in Halfords (where I'm getting my club discount!) and I wonder if the Meguiars might be an adequate substitute. I've just spent two hours washing and drying the car and I could definitely see my way to adding a little gloss after some refreshment!

But it's such a thing of beauty! Agree it's not possible to protect from everything, however, I am utilising a variety of cunning stratagems to minimise the risks re supermarkets (home delivery; parking in the most unpopular and farther reaches of the car park - this comes with the benefit of adding extra steps to the routine). Really don't want to tempt the Gods here, but hopefully my chances of being involved in an uninsured loss are somewhat slim. On a separate note, nobody is biting on the waterless wash question...

Nice! But was it glossier before the wrap? Might you have a pic of the front end perchance?

Just wondering, do you think that film detracts from the beauty of the finish? If so, by how much? Or is it just the price you find off-putting? How much would I spend on 'chips away' type insurances over the next five years of so or on actual professional paint touch up services? The film is guaranteed for the life of (my) ownership of the vehicle and does add some (maybe small) value on resale.

I think you may be right about this, however, having looked at some of the videos on the web I don't feel remotely competent to attempt this at present. Yesterday, I visited a small business unit that specialises in film and coatings and also do washing and polishing. I've booked the car in for a wash and basic treatment next week and hopefully they shall be able to advise me and remove anything prior to adding their product. Also, I am now planning to film the front end and coat the remainder, plus or minus filming the doors (as this is a major source of worry in car parks). I think he said approx 2k for the film and coat. I really like the idea of the film and its self-healing properties! Whole car to film would be c5k and much as I should like to do this, it doesn't seem worthwhile considering the value of the car.

Hi Steve, it seems I cannot attach the hose to a sink or bath tap since the adaptors do not fit! I shall need to replace my mixer tap with a variety that will fit around the tap. There is a jet wash area pretty close to me so I might start going in there for a final rinse in the meantime.

Hello everyone, I'm pretty new here so go easy please!! I've not had a car this new before (purchased 14/9/21, aged 11 months) and am somewhat neurotic about maintaining the sheer glory that is the Lexus Mesa red, new car look. To this end, I have scoured the internet for the best way to maintain the gleam and do no harm. I have purchased multiple buckets, microfibre towels/cloths/mitts, wheel washers, an expensive piece of yellow-coloured plastic called a 'grit guard', some very expensive ph neutral "shampoo", a hose pipe and various stop ends/adaptors (please note, owing to a lack of outdoor tap, I have had to attach this to a first floor shower head and am lacking any significant pressure to the water flow). Results have been patchy. I am finding it difficult to get the grime off the car (even after only one week and 250 miles between washes). Also, there is something I can feel on the paint after drying that is like a residue, it is not everywhere but it is probably 50-70%. Also, the windscreen/windows don't seem to come up clean - I hadn't really noticed this because all my travel is done in the dark. I think I am rinsing well and am wondering can this be a hard water problem? Also, does anyone know how these cars leave the showroom paint-wise and is there anything I shouldn't be doing in terms of adding wax/protection at this point? There are such an abundance of products on the market that my head is spinning. If anyone can recommend an exterior valeter in the south west I may consider subbing this out for the sake of my sanity, however, failing this I am determined to continue striving until I have established a satisfactory method. I thought I might try waxing this week, but got bogged down in working out how I should go about removing the existing wax beforehand. Is there a good primer on the net anywhere that is aimed at beginners? I do not want to run before I can walk so really don't have the bandwidth to be taking in the likes of clay at this point. What about dry shampooing - would any Lexus owner use this product on his/her pride and joy? Thanks in anticipation! Marianne

This is a good explainer, if your discs have built up deposits you can try bedding them in - although this is best done on a deserted motorway in the middle of the night! https://www.apecbraking.co.uk/Resources/TechniciansGuides/Bedding-in-and-Material-Transfer-Process.aspx