Spock66

As above the Hybrid system will manage the charge status and not something to worry about. When at the minimum charge (something like 20%) the engine will start (if not already running) and recovers to max normal (something like 80%) within a few miles of driving. You'll only ever get to 100% after extended braking.

I think duff battery, 11V is pretty much useless to start a big V8.

If you are competent with basic mechanics I'd start by flushing out the cooling system and changing the thermostat. Worst case it could be the head gasket.

Why purchase a car that costs tens of thousands and then not use the features provided just to save a few pennies?

If it's the same as the RX the manual says not to use a pin, I suspect you may need new washer jets fitted.

The Hybrid battery is 15-years / unlimited mileage (subject to the Hybrid Health Check being up to date), below extract from the Lexus website, this should also be stated in your service history booklet. For hybrid vehicles, the service will include a Hybrid Health Check to extend the hybrid component and battery warranty cover. If the vehicle is eligible for the hybrid components and battery cover will be included in the same Lexus Warranty contract until 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever is soonest. You can then independently extend the hybrid component and battery warranty cover for up to 15 years and unlimited mileage by having a Hybrid Health Check.

If the service history / hybrid health check is maintained you will have an unlimited mileage warranty up to 15-years. The hybrid system will not allow the hybrid battery to fall below a certain level, so the only way the battery would get flat is either due to a fault or left unused for a very substantial period.

I think it likely that there will be a significant rise in uninsured drivers at this rate.

EV mode is useful if you just want to move the car around your drive or in / out of the garage without starting the engine. I only ever use Eco mode if low on fuel, not sure it makes much difference anyway.

Apparently the UK government purchased the last 50 or so of the Rover P5b's and kept them in storage until needed which is why they were seen in use many years after production had ended.

A service plan is priced at the current list prices which are published on the Lexus website, you can probably negotiate a 10% saving with your local dealer.

Not recently but have driven down to Chamonix in the past in an unmodified car. Driving back on the French motorways I was sticking to the 130k speed limit, it was the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix, lots of British registered Ferraris and other exotica passed us like we weren't moving, must have been doing at least 150mph.

Not sure if the French construction and use rules would apply to a UK registered car that is just visiting? Surely if it complies with UK legislation you should be ok, yes there may be an issue if you wanted to register it in France.

I had a couple of Nissan Primeras 20+ years ago and they were very solid and reliable cars, I think Nissan have gone down hill as a manufacturer since the tie up with Renault. The X-Trail in particular scores very poorly on reliability.

Agreed, fuel and condensation would not account for the difference unless there is a major problem.

No tracker for me, if it's gone it's gone. I would hate to get my car back trashed and marked as stolen / recovered impacting any future sale / trade-in as well as ongoing worry that it will only happen again.

I had both sides done as recommended by Lexus Customer Relations. But the passenger side does seem most vulnerable and maybe they are short of stock (assuming it's the same part for both sides).

I suspect Ghost and similar products are reverse engineered (as the full design specifications are not publicly available), hence these compatibility issues may occur. But better this has been identified rather than a failed install which may cause unintended issues. Clearly, Lexus owns the IPR and could develop a similar solution to address the Can bus issue if they so desired....

Just like an ICE car the range is only a prediction based on assumptions around energy usage and winter weather won't help either. Are you using on a long journey or multiple shorter journeys, the former would probably be closer to the predicted range.

If it is launched in the UK I can't see Toyota setting up a 3rd dealership network so most likely they would integrate it with Lexus but as a premium model, bit like Mercedes and Maybach.

This looks like a measure in absolute numbers so Fiestas etc appear high on the list simply as they are one of the most common / popular cars in the UK by virtue of numbers (which also drives a lucrative trade in being stolen for parts). Normalised data is a much better comparison eg thefts / number of vehicles so a direct comparison can be made. Lexus make up only a small proportion of cars in the UK, so in absolute numbers the number of cars stolen may look small, but the actual incidence of theft (or likelihood of your car being stolen) is much higher. Whilst writing the above just received an email from LV, extract as below. "Over the past year, there’s been a rise in thefts of the LEXUS RX 450H F SPORT AUTO. As a result, we’ve seen a large increase in the number and cost of claims we’ve received for these types of vehicles and have made the difficult decision to stop insuring them."

Yes absolutely correct, with the caveat that if the battery has gone flat it may not fully recover and take a full charge. The engine stopping and starting when stationary is mainly to maintain the cabin temperature at this time of year.

No doubt it was just a reset issue but just as a double check the oil would look very pale yellow if just changed. I doubt a main dealer would try a scam, but it's just possible there was a mix up in who was assigned to which jobs on the day etc.

I think either they are incompetent and not doing their research properly, or don't want to upset the manufacturer as they get nice freebies such as loan cars, plush launch events etc.

If it's the same as the RX it's active in all modes and has a firmer setting in Sport+ mode.