John Walker

Update on the Good Year Egle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV : 

Just been to Scotland where it happened to snow quite a bit. The tyres performed very well for a summer tyre on snow and even ice as long as you don t have high expectations. Kept the pressure at 2.2 bars. On the other hand I wouldn’t recommend to anyone driving in snow with ANY summer tyres as I saw a lot of cars stuck or even worse, lost control and hit a fence or ended up in a ditch. 

11 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

Results can differ depending on who does the testing and some models may work better on some cars than others.  My used car came with the type of Dunlops option fitted as standard. Although there was quite a bit of tread on these, they made a horrible noise rather like a worn wheel bearing but was assured by the Lexus dealership that was well known with this sort of type.  I asked what they recommended and was told that the CC Michelins were very popular.  They also did well in some tests I researched so got some fitted.  These were a revelation after the Dunlops improving ride, feel, handling and comfort and losing that worn wheel bearing like sound.  I can't say they are the best because I haven't tried the others but I am very happy with them and they have been used in different weather conditions now with the recent snow.

You have to remember that when you buy all season tyres slight compromises have to be made over a specifically designed summer tyre set plus a winter set which is what really hard drivers might prefer but I find the CC Michelins meet my expectations and driving style which is probably about average nowadays. (Long past my sports car days). In any case you can't drive an RX like a sports car regardless of tyres fitted.

 

Ideally would be to have Cross Climates for winter as we don t have much snow in UK but the rubber is excellent for temperatures below 7 C degrees and have the Pilot Sports for the summer. 

15 hours ago, m4rkw said:

Eagle F1s are awesome rubber, I had those on a BMW years ago. They grip like crazy. Don't think they're all-seasons though and I seem to remember them wearing quite quickly.

That s what I mostly don t like, they wear very fast. I had them on a Z4 3.0i and indeed very grippy. 

On 12/23/2022 at 1:26 PM, m4rkw said:

Seasons greetings all!

On holiday in Scotland and suffered a puncture, nail in the tyre so no chance of a repair. I've been a fan of Goodyear tyres for a long time but they suffer from one critical issue - tyre places don't tend to keep them in stock. Luckily I was able to find a local garage that had them in the right size for fitting the next day - I got very lucky. All the big tyre places didn't have them.

While getting it fitted the guy mentioned that my fronts were a bit low on tread, so I've arranged to get new fronts as well before driving home. Going with Michelins this time as they seem to be more readily available should something like this happen again. I think this will now be the primary factor I use when choosing tyres. Also these CrossClimate 2's were rated best all-season tyres of 2022 so probably pretty decent as well.

All the best,
Mark

Michelin all the way. From my experience they last much longer. Now i m using Good Year Eagle F1 Asymmetric SUV. If you have 235 55 20 like i do, any tyre will be difficult to find except from Yokohama, Bridgestone and Dunlop. 

PPS : The warranty on the hybrid Battery it goes to 15 years without mileage restriction as long as you get the hybrid health check at Lexus every 12 months or 10.000 miles. The warranty for the whole car goes up to 10 years or 100.000 miles as long as you service your car at Lexus every 12 months or 10.000 miles. 
 

Also i wouldn’t buy from a dealer as you get to pay a big premium and you don t get much. If you grab a bargain if you buy privately just make sure it has full Lexus service history (a Lexus stamp in the service book every year or 10.000 miles) and also very important it should give you a Hybrid Health Certificate with PASS written on it not older than 12 months or 10.000 miles, this way you make sure the hybrid system is still in warranty. 
 

I ll give you an example, my friend bought a 2016 RX Premier end of 2019 from Lexus Twickenham for 35k. Two years later he sold the car back to Lexus Twickenham with 28k (and 20k miles more) and they advertised it for 35.500). It was there for a couple of months but eventually sold. This is just to make an idea of the profits dealerships are making. 
 

I would encourage everyone who wants to sell their cars to do it privately. It will be a win-win situation. 
 

Rob maybe you should post an advertise here on the forum stating that you re looking to buy an RX and you might have a nice surprise. 
 

Good luck! 

Btw, i m averaging about 32mpg in the winter and 36mpg in the summer with the RX vs the GS450h 37mpg in the winter and close to 42mpg in the summer. 
 

PS : 3rd generation RX in F Sport looks the best indeed but it felt very stiff to me in comparison to the Premier and because of that a lot of plastic rattles inside, it was almost impossible to find a 3rd generation which doesn’t have any rattles inside so if you do buy one make sure you test drive it before on a bad road. 

On 12/21/2022 at 7:52 PM, Shornw said:

Hi and seasonal greetings to all,

 

I currently have a 2010 GS450h SE-L which I have owned for a couple of years and absolutely love but need more space now.  The logical progression (in my tiny mind anyway) is the RX450h.  There are a couple of things which I want on the RX but trying to sort out which model is a bit..... Confusing!!!  I DEFINITELY want Mark Levinson AND Adaptive Cruise control as I have these on my GS and am not prepared to do without either but a lot of Auto Trader adverts say 'adaptive cruise control' but they just have standard cruise control

Can someone help with advice on which model variants I need to look for please.

 

Many thanks 

Rob

Hi Rob, 

After owning a 2012 GS450h Premier and a 2016 GS300h I finally got into SUVs and bought the 2016 RX450h Luxury. The gs450h is such a treat, don t think there is any car in that price bracket that can match its performance, luxury, economy and of course reliability. The 2016 gs300h although it s not so powerful, but not too slow either, had its advantages. The economy was to another level and the few updates they added on the facelift made me very happy.

Now, the RX. That’s a total new experience in terms of comfort and space. The seating position is excellent, I simply love it. The 2016 (4th generation) i have comes standard with lane assist and active cruise control and it s a more refined car overall in comparison to the 3rd generation as i did try a few facelift and non facelifts models before deciding to stretch the budget and buy the one i have. 

At 20k i would strongly suggest to push your budget to 22-24k and get the 2016 model, you won t regret it. Or just buy the 3rd generation, facelift model (newer than 2012) ideally a Premier for maximum 14k, not worth more in my opinion. The air suspension is such a treat, probably the most comfortable car i ve been into and i been in quite a few cars (used to own a lot of Mercedes cars before including a CL500). It seems to be pretty reliable but the downside is that it won t feel very stable on curvy roads if you like to drive a bit more sporty sometimes. But once again at your budget stretch a bit more (or wait a few months) and get the 4th generation, it s a big improvement. 
 

A brief comparison when switching from a GS to an RX regardless the model : The RX won t be as economical and it won t be not even close as sporty as the GS. The RX can do everything good but it comprises a bit the driving experience. If you get to miss your GS just buy a small roadster like a Mazda mx-5 or the amazing Honda S2000 and you ll have a great pair. 

UPDATE 

The car just been checked at Lexus Guildford and I have to say the customer service is 10/10, impeccable! 
 

The car had a full free check all around. The suspension is perfectly fine, they applied some lubricant which I m not sure how long it will hold but the noise is gone for now. 
 

The lane assist didn’t show any errors on their computer and they said it might be because of the weather and if it still doesn’t work in some time I should come back and they will do a longer test drive, take some videos and send them to Lexus (in Japan i guess). This morning it worked for a few miles and on my way back worked all fine. So very confusing. However i did get to test drive the amazing LC500 convertible (what a CAR) and the lane assist had the same issue. It was a 2 hours test drive. 
 

Other than that the car is great condition. Had an AC disinfection as it was on offer for £35, i wanted to change the AC gas but they said it wasn’t necessary (£79 on offer) 

I also did a short test drive with the 2022 RX450h Takumi and i have to say that I wasn’t blown away..except from the few extra optionals compared with mine (mine is a Luxury) nothing special. The seats seemed to be a bit softer and i really didn’t like that they made the display touchscreen and moved it closer, i like the screen in the pre facelift as it s a bit further and makes the car a bit more spacious. I sat in the F Sport model and i was pleasantly impressed with how supportive are the seats. They seem stiffer at the beginning but I assume that after a long drive for those with back problems, might be a better option. 

1 hour ago, Bluemarlin said:

I forgot to mention. Given that I didn't get round to using them, you're welcome to borrow my snow socks for your trip, even the chains if you like. They were bought for 19" wheels but can't remember if they fit across a range of sizes or are specific to one size only.

You are very kind, thank you! Although it appears that they need to be the correct size for my tyres which again is a pain to find (235 55 20) 

22 hours ago, Big Rat said:

@John Walker Seems you are in luck …….call me Father Christmas…….but there is a 570 for sale at SSC Cars 21 plate right hand drive low mikes and only £90K……

🐀

Yeah…this one is for sale for a long time although it s the only one on the market atm. Gorgeous car i just simply don’t get it how it can cost that much…the very latest model Lx600 sells NEW in US and Japan with prices from $89k (about £73k) 

23 hours ago, Bluemarlin said:

I've seen an LX 570 in the UK, it is big. It's pretty much permanently parked in the drive of a big house, which you can see when you look down when crossing (on foot or bicycle) Twickenham bridge.

I actually know that one as I live pretty close. He‘s servicing it at Lexus Twickenham 😃

Just now, John Walker said:

You are really lucky to be on holiday for so long. We want to do the same thing. Atm the motorhome prices are still very high, which model did you go for? And how do you find getting around in a motorhome for 2-3 months? I was thinking to have a small car towed with the motorhome 

21 hours ago, mikeyv said:

No, we do two three month stints in Spain these days, so we drive down in our motor home, complete with all facilities, and use an old Polo at home for short trips.

Will always remember our LS though......wonderful cars.

You are really to be on holiday for so long. We want to do the same thing. Atm the motorhome prices are still very high, which model did you go for? And how do you find getting around in a motorhome for 2-3 months? I was thinking to have a small car towed with the motorhome 

1 hour ago, Bluemarlin said:

I've heard the same, especially if you're driving in conditions that switch from snow to clear or gritted roads.  I actually bought a set of socks, and chains, for a winter trip to France/Germany/Switzerland, due to the snow and mountains I was going to face. However, I had all seasons, and so the socks and chains sat in the car unsued, as the tyres performed flawlessly.

What tyres you re using? I really struggle to find almost any tyres for 235 55 20 

33 minutes ago, mikeyv said:

Can't believe it's nearly six years since I posted on this thread.

Anyway, yeah, I had an LS on LPG and it was great, but it was getting difficult to find gas pumps in my area, when I sold the car a couple of years ago.,,,,, even worse now.

Never understood why gas conversions have never really taken off in the UK, they are selling loads of LPG Dacias in Spain, and plenty of garages to fill up at.

LPG is really popular in a lot of European countries so yeah such a shame it s not a big trend in UK. 
 

So still thinking to get an LX? Didn’t realise the post was so old 😅

1 minute ago, Spock66 said:

I agree the wording certainly implies that, but all previous documentation I have seen stated traction battery only.

That’s a good point then, thank you. It s always good to be prepared by knowing as much as possible. 

2 hours ago, robpace said:

Just to let you know, The new Michelins will be going on the rear and the old Bridgestone Duellers with plenty of life left in them will be on the front.

It'll probably be a year until all Four are on the Michelins !

If i were you i would buy all four of them and sell your other two Bridgestones on eBay or just keep them as spare. 

The EV tyres should be quieter but i m not sure that would make a big difference on a car that is not EV. Also EV tyres are stiffer and heavier and while the comfort might be a bit compromised the handling should improve, let us know how it goes. 

12 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

It's only the traction battery that is covered by the Hybrid Health Check, if there is no other warranty in place.

The Hybrid System itself will have a number of additional (and very expensive) components: inverter, motors etc.

Hmm if you check the first photo I posted from Lexus website it says “hybrid component and Battery warranty” so I thought the whole system is covered 

I always used to do only the small service for the two GS’s i had. Anything else is a ripoff. I used to buy from Lexus the air and cabin filters and change them myself each year. They cost less than £70 and it literally takes 2 to 3 minutes to change them both. Key fob Battery is easy to change as well.

When it comes to changing suspension parts, brakes or other fluids I always used my local mechanic that charged me 2-3 times less for labour. I always bought the parts from Lexus though. 

Lexus always had better rates than other, for a new RX they even had under 2% at some point so you are lucky with yours. 
 

Rates going up but car prices not going down (as you would expect) 

Hi everyone, 

Not sure if it s been discussed before but i m not sure everyone knows how long is actually the warranty for the Lexus Hybrid System. 
 

Actually most of the staff working for Lexus don t know or they won t tell you and I thought it s the right thing to spread the word and let everyone know their rights. 
 

So after the 10 years or 100.000 miles warranty goes away, as long as you keep getting those Hybrid Health Certificates from Lexus every 12 months or 10.000 miles you will extend the hybrid components warranty to 15 years and NO mileage restrictions. It s on their website and it was confirmed by an engineer working at Lexus but like i said, very few know or want to discuss this.
 

Also you may not want to have your car serviced with Lexus for some reasons but you want the hybrid certificate, well good news, you are entitled to a hybrid health check every 12 months at NO extra costs (although some nasty dealerships will charge you something like £80) without having the car serviced with them. 
 

Another warranty “trick” : Lets say your car is 9 years and 11 months old and/ or 99.000 miles, this means is very close to have the 10 years/ 100.000 miles warranty (for the whole car) coming to an end. What you can do is have the car serviced with Lexus and they will extend the warranty with another 12 months or 10.000 miles. It means that you can get free warranty for the whole car up to almost 11 years or something like 109.999 miles. Again it s on their website. 
 

Share your experiences here or let me know if I missed anything. Lots of miles to everyone without problems! 

Also in regards to the tremendous fuel consumption, you can always have it converted to LPG, a very environmentally friendly fuel alternative. 

The LX is an amazing car, my friend in US had a 570, it s probably my favourite car. Lexus UK said they won t sell it here because it s too big, but there are a lot of big suvs in UK so i don t get it. They said though that if you import one it can be serviced at them without issues. 
 

I was wondering why there isn’t a special section for the LX on the forum. 
 

Does anyone knows any websites with cars from Japan? And what are the costs of importing one. 
 

This LX470 you found is very nice as well, for how much sells and would you able to buy it directly and have it shipped to UK or you need someone in Japan to intermediate the deal? 

On 12/16/2022 at 11:27 AM, NemesisUK said:

I will be interested in how you find these after a few miles.

I did consider these but thought they might be a harsh ride being optimised for low rolling resistance.

I went with Continental ContiCrossContact UHP 235/55R20 102W in the end as there was no UK delivery dates for the Michelin Crossclimates. So far quite impressed, quiet and compliant.

How much did you pay for your Continentals and where did you buy them from?