Bluemarlin

Here's a video on RX leaks that might help. There's also a part 2.

Aircon drainage blocked?

What about some kind of wheel clamp?

Prevous year was £560 with Direct Line. Was quoted around £900 for renewal, but on saying I'd cancel it was reduced to £660. That's for their comprehensive plus cover, which provides fully comp in Europe.

I would apply the Dynax products to the underside. Easy to DIY as they come in a can with longish lance attachment, so you can get into any cavities. I'd also remove the arch liners and apply it there. Once dried I'd give everything a spraying of ACF 50. The Dynax should last 2-3 years (longer behind the wheel arch liners), but I'd reapply the ACF 50 annually, as it only takes 20-30 minutes. It the roads are regulary salted then I'd also periodically rinse the underside with a lawn sprayer. The ACF 50 should survive a few rinses over winter.

When I bought my 2009 car I too was concerned about muck traps and possible hidden corrosion, so what I did was clean the underside with a lawn sprinkler (nothing but minor surface rust) and apply some rust protection (Dynax and ACF-50). I also removed the wheel arch liners to see what the state of things was under there. I doubt they'd ever been removed before, as there was a lot of built up mud/muck, especially on the rear. I cleaned all this off with one of those plastic/rubber brush drill attachments and was pleasantly surprised to find the paintwork underneath to be like new. I then liberally spayed these areas with Dynax before refitting the liners. Once a year (just before winter) I spray the underside with ACF 50 and apply some corrosion block grease to the inside lip of the wheel arches. So, in my exprerience, the rustproofing seemed pretty good compared to my previous car (Jaguar). Like you say, prevention is easier and cheaper than cure, so I'd get a good look at as much as you can, clean it up and apply some rustproofing. It's also worth having something like clear nail varnish to hand, to apply to any stone chips, to prevent them from rusting until you get round to a repair.

Speaking as someone who got rid of my previous car due to growing corrosion and other issues, all I can say is that whilst things may be repairable it's likely to be an ongoing money pit. If the underside and door sills were rust free, I'd probably fix the oil leaks and keep the car running. However, by the time you've spent money on fixing the rust, the leaks and what looks like needing 4 new tyres, then you're getting close to what it would cost to replace the car with something newer and relatively rust free. I understand your attachment to the car, and that it's not an investment, but neither should it be a liability. Emotions can be expensive, and not always as rewarding as they appear. If it were me I'd take some photos for memory's sake, replace the car and start a new chapter with the wife. Whatever you decide I'd do it quickly, as it will only get more costly with time.

Depends on usage and attitude to risk Linas. My extended warranty costs £550, and includes UK and European AA cover. Given that I drive to Europe 2 or 3 times a year, and it's hard or expensive to get Euro cover on older cars, the warranty itself is only costing around £350. That's not bad for an older car, with a lot of expensive things that might go wrong. Like all insurance though it's a gamble, and a matter of peace of mind. The dealer servicing costs me around £260, and once you take off the cost of the hybrid health check there's not a huge saving to be made by going to my local garage. Sure, I could save a few pounds, but it's just not worth it to me.

I'd leave it running once a week, and probably with the radio off.

With low mileage and everything else working well then I'd be incllned to get a quote to get it professionally fixed. Hard to say how easy it is to do yourself without pictures. I've done similar myself, and it's not too hard. The most important thing is to get rid of all the existing corrosion first, otherwise it will just reappear.

If you do a search for RX 400h leaks there's a few youtube video about tracing leaks. If you just keep letting it fill up and draining it you risk letting water get to the hybrid battery and damaging that.

No, I mean the Lexus 10 year plus extended warranty, that can be bought for all cars, and requires servicing by Lexus.

Whilst I agree with most of what you say (Linas) although I take my 13 year old car to Lexus. For me, at that age the value comes not from the service itself, but the fact that it's required to maintain the 10 yr plus warranty.

Also worth noting that the 10yr plus warranty, unlike Relax, also includes UK and European breakdown cover (Lexus branded but covered by the AA), which adds to its value.

Definiitely get them to skip the service. All it will be is an oil and filter change, with god knows what oil, and then they'll stick some random garage stamp in the service book.