Notamech

The problem is not capitalism itself but how unfairly its being applied. If the government says motor insurance is compulsory it must make provisions to ensure even lower income groups are able to afford at least some basic level of cover. E.g. education is compulsory but everyone gets to go to a local school for free and if they have the money they're free to opt for private schools. Unlike Australia, no such option here when it comes to insurance. Its compulsory plus you have to buy it from the greedy cartel. The government must provide at least basic third party insurance for a nominal fee or as part of the rip off VEDtax they charge us annually. On one hand you have inelastic demand and on the other thand you dont have options. You might argue that transportation is not a basic need but to some it is..many rely on their vehicles to be able to earn an income due to lack of or poor public transport.

I would say look on ebay here is a set of 4 genuine ones for ~£100. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314744519951?itmmeta=01HRC42CYRHMDX0ZJYGVKQ6SG3&hash=item49483c3d0f:g:aYwAAOSwB9Zl5yD2&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0FGnXAmHz%2FFZ5qh9xJoGa%2BlgL4mdmP0ALcT8Rg0UZmdSgPMbjqJq%2FXJj4U8K8Pzlkebr23axeJoD%2BmY2Kg%2FyHzYPRAcNmrUwdpb7i1p3OJnwZ%2F8QmgGpwzkBSB3Lw0asM7XcjoXeLuPMATpwSJCk8kbcVn2X0tHV14dLS0dQyulAsNCJorOZxNiYZXZEeesNSJQ8fjx27MQrb89atlW%2FBlFO9KyY9UUiPjoeT5loK5WX9bzBWzPPiDahc0vHi%2Fsr5IV%2Fgu6%2F5netNexsAVzUpJQ%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR-rPiYTDYw Lexus want £74 for one. The part number matches and is made by the same company (pacific industrial co) as the original lexus one.

Honestly its very similar to whats happening with health care insurance in the US. And frankly no one cares because we live in corporatocracies where insurance companies have strong lobbies.

Agree with colin on the tyres. In London for example you can make do with UHP tyres all year round (I have the good year asymmetric 6) and am quite happy with them generally speaking but in the peak of winter they do feel hard and harsh when cold also they make loud popping noises (crabbing) when setting off in the winter. But if you live in a place where it snows might be worth getting the cc2s they are probably the best all seasons. Also on ordering from China and paying customs its luck of the draw really. i have bought several interior mods, mudflaps and loads of other small bits and bobs from Ali express they all arrive quite promptly within 2 weeks with regular shipping and i have not once paid customs. I even ordered a Chinese android screen once worth ~£500 and didn't have to pay customs. I think if the boxes are bigger they are more likely to be picked up by customs. Else customs probably get millions of parcels from china daily and im sure a lot of them slip under the radar. On the android screens. Yes you do retain all of the button functions on the steering wheel. But the audio is sent to the lexus system via aux so the quality is not as good as if you directly streamed via Bluetooth to the factory system. It does add functionality in terms of android auto etc and looks cool. But i didn't like it...because of the sound quality and the fact that it got confusing with calls being on the lexus factory system but audio and navigation being on the android. Also the overall fit and finish of the unit i bought was not great something about it screamt "unoriginal" and i struggled to live with that and just preferred using my phone with the original system. But you might get a good one just buy one that has many reviews. There are several sellers on ali express and a few different brands like nunoo, navi rider, soarcomer etc. I had a soarcomer unit and it was absolute rubbish and didnt fit correctly avoid this one and avoid this seller. I think navi rider may be better - something i learnt after the fact. With Aliexpress you only have 15 days to return products that are marked free returns and you can return it to their uk warehouse so make sure you install and test the product soonish.

Thats normal for these cars. They rarely ever go wrong so no one opens the hood. Mine was the same when i bought it. Just took a little time with some mild sopy water a toothbrush and a couple of microfiber towels and i managed to get it looking much better. Depending on the mileage one thing to check while you are there is the waterpump. Look for pink crust around it. If its over a 100k miles i would recommend getting it done if leaking or you see pink crust. Its quite common to see 2013 14 models have their water pumps start to fail around 90-100k miles

Depending on what kind of "mods" you want availability might not be a big issue. The is300 is very similar to the 3is gas only cars sold in the US and there are several cosmetic mods that you could source and apply to the is300h including fancier led taillights that look like the gen 4 is, RGB DRLs, Bodykits, spoilers etc. As far as performance mods go i dont think you can do any with this hybrid system. Even air filters - just go with stock its pretty pointless running a k&n etc on this set up. As far as a larger screen goes plenty of chinese Android options out there. They work well but are a bit clunky to use as you end up with 2 systems the cars original system + the chinese android. Quality is a hit or miss with these but it might work well for you if a big screen is what you want. They normally cost around 4-500 Also in the UK i highly recommend mudflaps and rubber mats. Theyre awesome.

The increases are insane. 26% increase to insure an old honda jazz for no reason. Question for everyone, is it worth getting the ones with telematics? Or is that a scam and theyre going to increase prices citing some or the other reason anyway? They typically tend to be the cheapest on comparison sites but wondering if it makes sense.

@ganzoom I found an article that supports what you've been doing. Seems like oil does not deteriorate with age and just sticking to mileage intervals is enough. https://www.thedrive.com/news/motor-oil-age-doesnt-matter-as-much-as-mileage-study

Yeah that one is a bit tricky first you got to put it cruse control mode then set the speed or something like that basically a 2 step process. I keep forgetting too because i do long trips occasionally and by the time the next long trip rolls around ive forgotten how to use it and have to figure it out again while driving. Not fun.

Just to expand on Colin's advise from above. The reason it is considered best practice to change the oil every year is because the oil is a blend of various additives such as dispersants, detergents, anti wear additives, friction modifiers etc. that perform different functions not just lubrication( e.g keeping the internals of the engine clean , preventing corrosion etc.)The byproducts of combustion are often acidic and you also have water vapour which creates a perfect environment for corrosion and other engine damage. These additives break down over time and need to be replenished. Also the lubricating properties of oil reduces over time. Hence the annual oil change. While no damage will be obvious or immediate the overall life of your engine might be reduced from faster wear vs if you had changed the oil annually. Also if you primarily do short trips your oil will have quite a bit of fuel in it (diluting it) from running rich when cold. That being said totally get its your car and you're free to experiment. But one more thing to consider is come time to sell it, lack of regular services might reduce its value.

I know what you mean and agree with the helpfulness of people here. I had a Mercedes previously and everyone was only arguing on those forums. While Lexus itself may have lost a bit of the stellar service quality that it was once known for, the quality of Lexus owners certainly shines through here 😀

You will probably need to buy one of those 12v chargers with multiple outlets. As the is300h has only 1 12V socket and 2 usb slots. The usb slots are very low power and useless for charging anything, they're mainly meant for plugging in pen drives. I have a dash cam too and got an anker charger with 2 usb outs. These days you get fancier ones which have many outlets with fast charging speeds and they aren't too expensive. Something like this for example https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charger-Adapter-Compatible-Android-recorder/dp/B0832GZRH1/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?content-id=amzn1.sym.ffba1838-22a2-477e-bd96-71d7a67be19c%3Aamzn1.sym.ffba1838-22a2-477e-bd96-71d7a67be19c&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mIP3x_ZUI44jscZAAp_F8Glz4zvu3U5gLTKhEfhYr-Nu4p_-B30UOtnDV9QKfKY5-4Pe-qvlZUjAS7y2DhVsGwnUJC9Cdi41DwDudohpQF6kycHe7FGxUT3y97_Nyjvd1h_4jq8e7z2c9O846APkHTqsKfeMs1qaLwx-DBrQwTHtkp-nMWrWLlbGKB23UtCvUjptJ_Ima3gwnJLOOmDluQ.6v7mHL2iONjtWv9r7lxtbsjuqwT-E1iG1MA0IObtMBs&dib_tag=se&keywords=12v+usb&pd_rd_r=f7c7be20-0fe8-4f86-b95b-b5de74f69652&pd_rd_w=KOjU2&pd_rd_wg=xAwVf&pf_rd_p=ffba1838-22a2-477e-bd96-71d7a67be19c&pf_rd_r=TTKRGY9ETZM0FBZYXXPW&qid=1708541135&sr=8-17

ASC Auto headlight adjusting Blind spot monitoring Heated steering wheel Parking sensors

Same like you I use a cd player phone mount. And it does take some adjusting to get it just right so that you dont take your eyes off the road. Before i bought the mount i would just use a sticky pad and rest my phone horizontally in front of the factory screen this way it wouldn't slip and the position is perfect honestly but the downside is you end up covering the factory screen and in the summer heat one of the sticky pads melted so that's a no go anymore. Plus with the cd player phone mount i can switch orientation to vertical if i feel like.

So to begin with there are 2 types 1 is a smart box that runs on android and hooks up to your existing entertainment unit in this case everything is displayed on your factory screen. The 2nd type is a 10.25 inch screen that runs on android and also hooks up to your entertainment system. This option essentially is a replacement of the factory screen. But if you're buying the face-lift post 2017 car you probably already have a large 10.25 inch factory screen? so going with a smart box might be better so you can retain the factory screen. For both you will find many options on ebay or Aliexpress. Aliexpress is cheaper but aftersales is scary. Communicating with anyone there is a nightmare no one understands anything you say. It's great for small items but personally i will never buy anything worth 100s of £ on Aliexpress again unless im ok with losing my money. Installing it is not the easiest DIY job but definitely doable depending on your level of DIY skills. You van find several YouTube videos take a look and decidif it is for you. Essentially it involves dismantling your center console to remove your headunit and screen plugging in the wires and closing everything back up. I have a 2014 executive with the small screen i did buy an android screen from ali express but didn't like the quality it cost me nearly 500 for the top end spec. Took me ~3 hours to install the toughest part was passing the wires from the headunit to the screen as there is very little gap and the space is very tight and everything inside is sharp. Anyway didn't like it in the end and returned it (you have 15 days to return on Aliexpress on some listings if it says free returns. You can ship back to a UK address). Now i have used that money to buy me a samsung s24u. I just prefer using the phone as i found it to be more seamless than having 2 operating systems and jumping between the original lexus for calls and to the android system maps etc. It was fancy but the novelty wore off really fast and the sound quality wasnt as good as it uses the aux input to send sound to the speakers. For me the phone was more practical and less faffing around when connected to Bluetooth everything works just fine + the soundqualityon Bluetooth is better for some reason.

Lots of aftermarket chinese carplay / android auto solutions available but might cost a bit to install if you dont fancy doing it yourself. The units themselves cost anywhere between £300 -500 + installation. I personally feel for half that price £150 -200 you can buy a decent large screen mid range phone that you can use only for your car if you dont want to use your main phone for maps in the car. A tablet is another solution but tends to be too big for the IS given is compact interior. Personally I just use my main phone for maps as spending 350 400 on stuff attached to the car which does things my phone already does and which will yield no salvage value when i sell the car did not make sense to me. Id rather use that money towards upgrading my main phone when needed.

I think changing the cluster has other implications like the total distance covered by the car is stored in the cluster so it will change to whatever is on the new cluster. So might be worth recording and documenting the current miles before changing

Mistakes happen but as you rightly pointed out the liablity lies with them to make it right. If there was a perceived risk that removing the sensor was going to cause it to break. They should be calling and informing you about it. Anyway whats done is done. I think its fair to give them an opportunity to make this right and replace a like for like sensor themselves. i reckon it will be cheaper for them to fix it themselves with original parts than paying you to go to the dealer. Also do inform them about the valve caps and do this over a text message or email in addition to a call. Document your grievance and the solution theyre willing to offer in case you need to take them to small claims court.

It is a sensible option. Get one you wont regret it. Alternatively if you want something less cramped and more luxurious have a look at the GS300h essentially same engine but the car itself is more luxurious than sporty. Not sure about how the finances / tax benefits etc. will work out for you though. That may be something you would need to revisit.

Thanks @wharfhouse @ColinBarber just the info I was looking for. Helps me understand situations in which PCP might be a better option.

Totally understand but that wasnt the intention. Just generally wanted to understand if finance companies offer any benefits or advantages for the high interest rates. E.g with some credit cards you get some level of buyer protection against fraud, product not being fit for purpose etc.

Just curious as to why people take out car loans / pcp isn't just getting a personal loan cheaper? When I bought mine before the crazy interest rate hikes i got a personal loan at 3.3% where as the cheapest car finance was 7.5% + the car is recorded as having finance on it. A personal loan sounded like a no brainier to me. So I always wondered other than people who don't get personal loans for whatever reason why would anyone take car finance? Are there any benefits I am missing?

Ok on the video it sounds like a rattle. The injectors typically make a tick like that of an auto igniting cooking stove. If it is the hydraulic lifters then that sound is normally only there around 10-20 seconds when cold starting and doesn't come back again until the next cold start. Your noise seems to be there intermittently right?

While i do recommend 0w20 vs 5w30 .I don't think your noise is due to the oil. Its probably something else. Perhaps have a garage diagnose it. It sounds to me like something might be lose like the heat shield on the exhaust manifold but it could just as easily be something else that is faulty and needs replacement. If you like experimenting maybe run an injector/fuel system cleaner through the system to see if that helps in case its a sticky injector. Lexus sell one as well https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-petrol-fuel-system-cleaner/

I take it you are looking at used? All lexuses from the past few years are highly susceptible to being stolen using the can bus method. Where thieves tear down your bumper and connect to your headlight wiring to gain access to the cars computer then hack it to start without needing a key. Even if they dont manage to steal it several people on this forum have ended up spending on repairs to the bumper + dealing with the hassle of claiming insurance + being without a car for weeks. Unless you have a gated compound to your house I would say this is something to be aware of as this means insurance prices might be very high + its a lot of hassle if your car gets targeted. I think the newer cars have this issue fixed. Else the car itself is a great buy like any other Toyota lexus product. Some elements of driving a hybrid take a bit of getting used to like the cvt box but its not a big deal for normal driving. One thing good about hybrids is the super low maintenance. Brakes and tyres last forever and theres not much else other than regular fluid changes that is needed.