mikedb

we have a Lexus catloc fitted....after the original cat was cut off on our drive. thieves held the front door so my wife couldn't open the door. I was out. I said thankfully people weren't trying to get into the house. a car is a car after all.

Catloc....well....I don't think you will ever stop a thief.....but if they are after a quick getaway...a catloc might at least make them think. Or.....sadly...look at the car next to you that doesn't have one fitted.

When ours was stolen they of cut the alarm cables through the front grill.  I now park the car (wherever I can) will the front facing a wall/door....as close as I can get....to try and stop access to the alarm sounder cable. Has that helped??? ....no idea

I had a Chevrolet once (never again)....and a common issue on those was closing the door and pressing the key fob too quickly didn't allow the computer to carry out all of its checks.

I haven't noticed this ever to be an issue with my CT....but you could try closing the door...waiting 5 seconds...and then locking with the fob 

On 4/11/2023 at 9:14 PM, Keithyrob said:

My thinking, is that once the thieves have the car up, whatever is in the way will be chopped off. 

So, I think the way to stop them even starting, is to visibly inhibit access to lift the car 

I tend to also park my CT facing the garage as close as I can.....a deterrent at best.......so they can't get front access to cut the alarm cable.....no idea if helps...a thief is a thief after all

(I have had the cat stolen when the car was parked on another part of the drive where they had front and side access)

unfortunately yes.

connected to that is if you do get a catloc....whether you advertise the fact by putting the sticker on your window.......again a deterrent to (hopefully) convince a thief that it might be a longer job....and they will move on

NB - I have a catloc and window stickers.....will it help......maybe....maybe not

Also where possible I tend to park facing a wall/garage (or similar) as when mine was stolen the thieves cut the alarm cable through the front......so I try to make that area as inaccessible as I can....

again a deterrent not a saviour

I think the Catloc is a deterrent not a saviour.  A thief is a thief unfortunately

What a catloc might do is perhaps make the thief look at the next car to yours

actually I'm going to shift the blame to my wife and daughter. its her car and my young daughter left the interior light on overnight. 

I have jump started mine before....twice actually.

once from the Battery in the rear and once from the engine bay points. check your vehicle book

a thief is a thief....the cat lock will deter but it won't prevent.

as posted elsewhere.....if you put the the cat lock sticker on the window....are you advertising that you have a cat lock...or are you showing you have one in the hope that the thief will move to another car.....a case for both arguments I suppose

NB - the Lexus website has a complete blog on it.....look up Lexus cat lock stolen

( I would add that the Lexus replies are somewhat less than useless)

how about buying a cheap used cat (of any description) from Fleabay.....and leave it under your car.....or attach it to your cat lock if you have one

😁

NB - I had mine stolen last year...and now have a cat lock (but no used cat attached to it.......yet)

as a side.....we have found the cat lock low when going over some slightly higher road humps.......so take car if you do get one fitted

I have heard cases....granted with other cars.....that locking the door and pressing the keyfob too quickly causes this alarm issue due to the computer not completing its sequence.

If it happens again maybe try locking the door waiting a moment...and then locking with the fob

3 hours ago, DarkoDarko said:

So just a friendly warning to anyone who has metal dust caps like myself, This weekend I went to the tyre fitters to get 2 new front tyres for my CT, When they went to remove the tyre they noticed that the dust cap had fused to the thread and could not be removed, Long story short they had to cut it off which meant not only did I need a new valve but the tyre pressure sensor is connected to the valve and its one unit! I had to purchase a new valve and sensor unit.

The fitter said that this happens more often than you would think and warned against metal dust caps, he said if I do insist in using them it might be worth putting a bit of copper grease on the thread to make sure it did not fuse.

 

Cheers Darko

 

good info to know....thanks Darko

On 5/1/2022 at 11:25 PM, b4u2 said:

Hello everyone and I surely hope you're well. I'm not sure if you know or are aware but a catloc doesn't stop the catalytic converter from being stolen. I have a friend who had the thickest one on his car and these thieves cut straight through it, no big deal for these professionals. Bare in mind the whole things takes them a minute and they are gone not to be seen again. Scary but reality! 

I don't think you will ever stop a thief stealing your cat....but maybe...or hopefully....the catloc will offer as a deterrent  

If you want to keep the car I guess you have to try something

On 3/28/2022 at 12:52 PM, Herbie said:

Hi Nick, is it your first hybrid as well as your first Lexus? If so, you may find the following information to be some help. If not, I apologise if it appears that I'm trying to teach my granny to suck eggs.

First of all, hybrids don't have a traditional starter motor or alternator, or anything that would normally be driven by a belt from the engine because the engine doesn't run all the time - imagine being halfway through a turn and you lose power steering because the engine shuts down! Instead, it's all driven electrically.

 The 12V battery boots up the computers and gets the car into READY mode, equivalent to switching on the ignition and having the engine idling in a conventional car. At this point you can drive off on battery power alone if you so wish, but these aren't electric cars and you'd only get a couple of miles (if that) before the traction (hybrid) battery was effectively flat. When the hybrid system wants the petrol engine (ICE - Internal Combustion Engine) to run, it energises Motor/Generator 1 (MG1) and uses that to spin the ICE up to 1,000rpm before applying fuel and a spark to fire it.

 In a standard car the 12V battery is charged up by the alternator but we don't have one. Instead, a device called a DC/DC converter steps down the 288V from the traction battery to about 14.5V to charge it. The converter/inverter uses the same process for other systems like the power steering which, if I remember correctly, uses 48V.

 The aircon compressor is driven by a 500V 3-phase AC variable frequency motor and the two hybrid transaxle motors MG1 and MG2 are both 650V permanent magnet motors. Talking of the aircon compressor, if the system ever needs to be regassed, make sure that you take it to an aircon specialist (or, of course, a Lexus dealer) who knows about and can deal with hybrids.

The reason for this is that, although the refrigerant gas is the same as any other car, the lubricating oil isn't. As I said above, the aircon compressor is driven by an electric motor and the motor windings are immersed in the oil for cooling purposes. Standard compressor oil is called PAG oil but it's a low dielectric oil which means that it conducts electricity and it will damage the motor windings. We need to use ND11 oil which is a high dielectric and won't damage the windings. It's been shown that as little as 1% contamination by PAG oil can, and will, cause problems. Maybe not immediately but it will. Ideally, a specialist should have a dedicated ND11 machine so that cross-contamination with PAG can't happen.

 Although it's perfectly alright to jump start a hybrid with a standard car, NEVER, EVER, do it the other way round - you may get away with it but it's not worth the risk. The 12V battery in any car is only used for starting and then the alternator or equivalent takes over the running of the 12V systems such as lights, radio etc., etc. When jump starting the 'donor' car should have its engine running before the 'recipient' car attempts to start. This is so that the recipient will draw on the donor alternator, not its battery. This is all fine and dandy for a standard alternator because it can output anywhere upwards of 300A and a conventional starter motor will need every Amp of that, but our DC/DC converter can't supply anywhere near that amount and if it was asked to do so it may well expire with a very loud bang and lead to a very expensive repair.

 It's a very bad idea to run out of petrol in a hybrid but if you do, make sure to put in 10 litres before trying to start it and be aware that if you have more than three unsuccessful attempts at restarting, the hybrid system could lock out and need a dealer to reset it.

At traffic lights or other holdups, if you think you'll be moving in a minute or two, just leave the car in D with your foot on the brake. If you think it'll be a while before you move again, put the car in P and you can take your foot off the brake. However, don't put the car in N because the hybrid system doesn't charge the batteries in Neutral.

Sorry for boring you but now, above all else, enjoy the car.

great info Herbie! thanks

ours goes to Lexus for both service and MoT....no issues

good note about opening the locks. Thankfully mine opened this week when the 12v was flat. both keys appeared dead. managed to open the doors....bonnet....and get it going from the jump points

had our CAT stolen off the drive before xmas. it took them 3 minutes. (our neighbour's CCTV picked up their arrival and departure).

Lexus dealer repair and catloc fitted. looks great....but I heard it doesn't (always) deter the thieves....only delays them. It goes from a few minutes to 30ish minutes.

so we are a little more carful where/how we park. in car parks that means parking between other cars rather than on its own. and facing into the space rather than facing out. on the drive parking head first at the garage (if only it fitted in it!). anything that will make the thieves think it will add time. 

as you'll know the first action is they cut the alarm cables...so parking so they can't get to the front helps...but again...a thief is a thief