Gary H

I’m sorry to hear about that valuation, @Mr Vlad. Insurance companies are notorious for giving rather...’interesting’...valuations, lets just say. Where I work, we’ve had a 22 plate Mercedes Sprinter van recently written off, as someone ran into the offside rear quarter of it at a junction. It was hit hard enough to actually take out the rear axle too. Anyway, they’ve given us a value of literally half it’s list price only 14-odd months ago. It’s a one year old van that was basically spotless before the accident, driven by one of the drivers who does genuinely look after his van. Negotiations are ongoing. My thoughts exactly on small turbo-charged engines @H3XME. I think anything smaller than around 1400cc just aren’t really suitable to be turbo-charged. The blocks are too small and will be put under a considerable amount of stress. They’ll be great for the first 40/50,000 miles but then they’re basically a ticking time-bomb. I’m much rather have a naturally aspirated 1400/1600cc than a turbo charged one-litre if push came to shove. I too will be interested in the 1.5 three cylinder LBX - when it comes to refinement e.t.c... I just can’t see it being a suitable power plant for a Lexus branded product at all, but I’ll happily be proven wrong on that when the time comes if necessary. I wasn’t overly convinced by my own two litre in the UX, which is basically a mildly worked over C-HR engine - but it’s very refined for a four cylinder engine, providing it’s not pushed hard. I can imagine the LBX would be broadly similar in nature, but I have my doubts given the characteristics of three cylinder engines.

Indeed. One of the reasons why I have yet to say what dealer I have ongoing issues with is because we do have a former prominent member of this forum, who I’ve seen from the search function, has mentioned my dealer (quite positively it seems) on a number of occasions. Unfortunately, my experiences with this particular dealer, on the sales side anyway, is the mirror opposite. The general opinions of them on online reviews are also positive and it’s only the likes of Trustpilot where they start, at least in part, to align more towards my own experience. I strongly suspect if I shared the same positive experiences others have had with them, I wouldn't be here.

Yes, delivery dates do seem to be all over the place, still. Judging from this thread, we’re seeing some NX’s come through relatively ‘quickly’ (i.e -8-12 months) and those like myself and a few others here at the opposite end of the scale looking at 16-18 months for fundamentally the same car. It's that which bothers me - especially as it feels to be the case of the longer you wait, the less information/thought/updates you're given. It's something I’ll openly admit to being something which I’m struggling to justify in my own head - obviously not in every case, but how some customers are being treated notably differently. So, we're now getting towards the end of July and I can pretty much copy and paste my post from exactly a month ago. Just to recap - at the end of May, I was told that my NX had a build date of 'June' and expected to be at the dealer on or around 4th September. That was the last piece of progressive news I heard on my order. Since then, it's reverted back to type... So... Has it been delayed again? I don't know (Will my fifth estimated date still stand?). Is it being built as we speak? I don't know. Has it completed build? I don't know. Has it left the factory? I don't know. Has it been put onto a ship? I don't know. I'm now at the point I have to advise Lexus Finance what to do with regards to my current contract on my UX which ends in early September. Do I basically not extend it and risk having no car indefinitely (having to borrow my father's - fortunately who is retired) as neither the dealer or the Lexus the company will keep me updated as they happily do with other customers (for whatever reason, I’ve very much been one of the few exceptions to the rule throughout this whole fiasco) or extend it for one month to cover me for September in the 'hope' my new NX might just...'materialise'...at the dealer one day. So, onwards into the 15th month of this tedious saga I go... 😕 It really isn’t good, is it? If it comes as any scant consolation to you, I had to wait a full twelve months (I think it was twelve months and three days to be exact) before I was told I finally had a build month. That was the very first piece of news I had on my order. A full year on. I can't remember the exact wording, but I was told by the dealer that they had a 'notice of intent to build' or 'signal of intent to build' to get my order built. I felt like replying “Oh...thanks. Thank them for considering me worthy enough to begin considering building a car I ordered twelve months ago”. 🙄 It felt as if I’d better be grateful that they were finally dusting off my order form, along with the few others left continually at the bottom of the pile, whilst others had their NX’s built, shipped and delivered in that timeframe.

No problem! I did hear elsewhere on the forum that whilst at Derby (and this includes Lexus) they'll fit things such as the protection pack and towbars there... I'm assuming in situations where those who opted for them and stock wasn't available, that this would subsequently be carried out by the supplying dealer. I’d imagine it’s just easier (logistically) for them to all go to Derby after leaving port, to hazard a guess. I’ve not opted any extras/packs to go on my own NX, but I'm fully expecting it to find it's way to Derby.

Welcome to the forum! This is something I’d also like to know as I'd imagine my new NX will be sitting there, or at least getting there this time next month if all remains the same (hmmm….😕 That's a sore point with me at the moment.) I was always under the impression that a PDI inspection is carried out by the supplying dealer, but I'll happily stand corrected on that if need be. Maybe it's to save on storage costs at Portbury/Avonmouth e.t.c, if they use their own land instead…? I used to work directly opposite a compound where Vauxhall used to store Astras and Astra vans – unsurprising given the factory was literally the next junction up the motorway. As far as I could see, nothing happened to them there. They literally just sat for up to a couple of months at a time before a batch or two at a time got loaded onto transporters and taken away. Barring security doing the odd walk around as you'd expect, the vehicles just sat there.

A good point over modern paints. They are indeed incredibly soft compared to what we saw even as recently as 20/25 years ago. I'm someone who's fussy when it comes to car cleanliness (I've admitted that before) and not someone who tailgates. Not only because of the dangers, but I don't want either stone chips or dirt flicking up front the vehicle in front! Despite how careful I've been with it, I've got two stone chips on the front bumper of my UX. One of them appeared literally a month after I bought the car. It hadn't even done a 1000 miles at that point! I was annoyed at that. The second one is much more recent addition and annoyingly, it's almost a mirror image - located in the same area on the opposite side of the bumper. They just look like tiny, remote pinpricks of tar. I also have a small chip on the leading edge of the bonnet, right in the middle above the Lexus Badge.

It’s a shame the lighter headlining is more limited now – as I do feel as it makes the interior feel 'airier' than what it is. It can feel a bit 'confined' (certainly in the rear) with the black headlining like I have in the F-Sport – but I did opt for the red leather in mine to brighten it up. I'd have to see what the hazel would look like with black headlining to make a fairer judgement, but I'd imagine the contrast would be a bit too much.

I'm glad you’re not considering a 1.0 Ecoboost, Vlad. I've heard multiple horror stories about the Ecoboost – and I'd say over half of them are from the one litre. I questioned the longevity of such an engine and the stress they’d be under amongst a few friends shortly after they were launched. In short, I was basically told I don't know what I was on about and that they’re "all tested". I left it at that as I was simply outnumbered. Fast forward several years and it seems most of the concerns I had about them have become true… I'll respect those who may have had good experiences with them (there's always good and bad in everything). However, it's one of a couple of modern engines which I wouldn't personally go anywhere near. I did briefly consider changing my UX for a GS before I decided on ordering an NX, but yes, it's simply too big (or 'long' rather) for my own needs. A lovely car without doubt, but not really suitable when the majority of time the passengers I carry in the car are my aging parents who need height/ease of access.

Terrane Khaki - my favourite colour in the Lexus range in recent years. It’s stunning when the sun catches it. It's a colour I really wanted my own UX in initially. With any luck, I should be picking up my new NX350h in the same colour in a couple of months time...

I do like a tidy engine bay, it must be said! A sign of a caring owner. Great work there, Steve! Whilst I don't always clean the engine bay every time I wash my car, it certainly gets a once-over every month or so - just to keep on top of it.

My sympathies @JTS. As I've said before, we seem to be in a rather exclusive club of forgotten/ignored long outstanding orders they don't want to deal with. To the best of my knowledge mine should be built by now (I was told it was going to be built in June but have had no confirmation of that), but whereabouts it is in the world is unknown. I'm told it'll be September for delivery, but again this is from a dealer which has been so scant with information that I simply don't know what to believe. September is fine with me but again, with zero updates I don't think the company understands just how infuriating this is for deposit-paid customers and what future implications this will have.

I'm wondering if we have any members here with NX orders dating back to May 2022 like myself (or earlier) who are still waiting for their car now? I'm genuinely beginning to think I may now be getting close to, or even just about holding the infamous title of having the oldest outstanding order...and if so, by what margin? 😕

Hi ken, welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy your UX250h. I’m an outgoing owner of a 2020 F-Sport that I’ve had from new. Boot space aside, it’s proven to be a thoroughly competent and reliable car. I have an aging Nextbase 212 Dashcam which I’m hoping to upgrade over the next 12-18 months. It's not hardwired into my UX though - it just fits onto it’s own mount at the top of the windscreen!

Very good Neil. It's made me properly chuckle, that...! I do have one very minor ‘buzz’ sound which you can only hear at certain revs - which is coming from somewhere behind the centre of the dashboard - either behind the centre vents or the screen but it’s something I’ve just lived with. Fortunately, that’s about the only 'non-standard' sound it makes. I can be a little picky who can be passengers in my car. I’m known at work as someone who likes a spotless car. I remember giving someone a lift home once and she knocked her shoes together as she got into the car and then when she got out, make an audible gasp and picked up a couple of stray stones which had found their way onto the passenger floor mat before wishing me a good evening and leaving! I drove away thinking "Crikey, I'm not that bad, am I?!" 😳😄

I tend to get the best mileage from BP stations - but I only really go into them when their prices are at similar levels to the supermarkets. It's similar with Shell too, although I’ve not used a Shell garage for quite some time now. The worst for me in terms of mileage has to be Morrisons. It's not too bad if you're just pottering to and from work. However, do any distance and the fuel gauge soon starts coming down. I've noticed this with several cars I've had - which is why if I know I've got any distance trips coming up, I'll avoid it and go to a branded station instead. Our local Morrisons fuel station, which regularly used to be the cheapest in town, is now just as expensive as our local BP. As a result, my car has had a few nice fills of BP over the course of this month.

I don't get the opportunity to be chaffered around in my own car that much any more. Infact, in my UX I think I can still just about count on one hand that’s happened in over three years! On one of those occasions I did manage to experience sitting in the back of it whilst in motion. It was more comfortable than I thought it would be. I was pleasantly surprised. Whilst up front, oddly I have found the touchpad easier to navigate around from the passenger seat than the driver’s. Then again, from the driver's seat whilst in motion I do have other, more pressing matters, on my mind!

I was incredibly careful when I specced my UX back in 2020. I made sure it was just under the £40,000 mark. The Takumi spec was out of the question unfortunately, so in the end I plucked for an F-Sport with a few option packs (Tech & Safety, Premium Plus and Adventure Pro) which at the time brought it to £39,574. 😄 So I got it to as close as possible to being a Takumi in terms of spec without it actually being one for under that £40,000 price bracket.

Incredibly unlucky there, Vladimir. I'm sorry to hear about your IS250 and it's bad enough to be written off. The main thing is that you've come away unharmed. A car can ultimately be replaced. Lets just hope all the insurance business can be dealt with swiftly and without complication. Not in my current car but in the Audi Q5 before it, I did once aquaplane on a patch of standing water on a dual carriageway near work, which often forms after a heavy downpour. It’s on a very slight right hand curve and an on-slip from a junction runs up the nearside. Luckily there was no accident but I did very much feel the front end of the car carry on in a straight line and not along the slight right hand curve. Ultimately it sent me to the cat's eyes and dashed lines between the inside lane I was in and the on-slip. Fortunately no cars were coming up it at the time. What was even more concerning is that I wasn't even doing 60mph at the time. This was around 56/57mph ish. It was only as my nearside front wheel went over the cat's eyes did the front end regain grip. As an outgoing UX250h owner, it's a car I've been very happy with overall. It's been a great overall companion for the last three years. The F-Sport seats up front are fabulous. I do hope you find yourself another Lexus in the near future. All the very best.

Yes, I'm getting the impression that the tracking on the app isn't brilliant. For me, it would have just offered a little reassurance that things are progressing, rather than having to resort to complaining to get any sort of vague 'subject to change' update. So far throughout the whole 14 month process, I've only had one single, verbal, update which hadn't had to be prompted without me chasing or having to complain to Customer Relations first. Obviously if the app had worked I'd have kept an eye on it and some of the frustrations I've had during this wait may have not occurred. I generally don't get involved with the app on my UX. It took me the best part of three years to get that set up and synched correctly with the car! It wasn't done at the time of collection (this was from another dealer) and was simply told something along the lines of "it's easy...". Those were my instructions, so I never really bothered with it. Yes - just to confirm that my email address is the same as it is with the UX. It's an e-mail address that I've had for about 18 years. In the 14 months since I placed my order (well, it's just shy of 14 months but it's close enough) - I have only had one single piece of correspondence relating to my NX order over email. That was confirming my order - about a fortnight after I'd actually placed it. I found that out after I called and found out the salesperson took my email address down incorrectly (easily done). Since then, I've had zero correspondence over email from either the dealer or Lexus themselves. Three email from myself to Lexus customer relations hasn't resulted in any email correspondence back. Just a couple of phone calls. I know that all sounds a little vague. I will likely disclose more of what I've had to deal with once I collect the car (believe me, there's more than what I've been saying across this thread over the course of this year), but whilst the process of waiting is still ongoing and out of respect whilst things are subject to change either positively or negatively, I'd rather just keep quiet.

I wish I had an app that worked in order to keep me updated. It's not worked from day one for me. It shows the UX I own now and that's it. It's never shown my outstanding order for the NX350h Takumi. The dealer didn't seem to be bothered about it when I brought it up with them four months ago (during the service on my UX). I've also brought this up on at least two out of the three e-mail to Lexus customer relations, but it fallen on deaf ears. All I've had to rely upon are basic scraps of information from the dealer - which they've almost only given me following on from my complaints. With hopefully only two more months to wait, it's not a matter I think that's worthwhile perusing any more.

It’s rather worrying, isn’t it? I’m due to swap my UX for an NX sometime in September (I hope...). Towards the start of the year when I phoned my insurer to get a rough idea of how much extra I’ll be paying, I was told I would be looking in the region of £100 more. Obviously without any registration details, there’s only so much they can do in order to give me a rough quote. This was shortly before all the Canbus thefts business really took off. I dread to think what my quote will be now. I have to say that throughout my clean 21 year driving career, there hasn’t been many years where my renewal premium has been under a 30%-odd rise. A phone call often brings that considerably down - which just goes to show what chancers they are. Not so much now, but there has been several occasions in the past where I’ve had companies try to literally double my premium despite zero changes in circumstances.

They’ve done great work there, Jim. I’m impressed with what I see. Thanks for sharing. It’s always worthwhile knowing companies out there which will refurbish leather interiors.

Mine had five miles on it when I collected it. Yes, I was ‘sad’ enough to take a picture of it on collection day to remind me!

I'll tell you what wood dashes I also liked - which will very much divide opinion. I still like them to this day if I have to be completely honest... Those faux-walnut jobs Ford used to install on Ghia models of the Fiesta, Escort, Mondeo and Scorpio from the mid-late nineties. Yes...yes...I know I'm 'sad'. I accept it, but I thought they looked rather good! 😳 One brand of car which very much went down in my estimations was Jaguar when the XF was first launched. I thought it was a boring looking car in comparison to the S-Type (which, yes, I did prefer) and what disappointed me the most was the brand started to replace it's wood dashes with the same old glossy silver-plastic and aluminum affairs you find just about anywhere else. In my eyes, it looked 'cheaper'.

That’s good to hear. I will admit I’ve been considering when my NX arrives, digging out my old crook-lock from the garage that I know I still have the key for!