therealrjp

On 2/9/2023 at 1:51 PM, JN74 said:

New to this thread, my Lexus was stolen on Tuesday night 8.45pm in Kensington, CCTV shows 44secs from arrival at the car to driving away. Clearly using the CAN BUS method (working on front left wheel arch etc). Got a reasonable night time image of main thief which the Met now have (balding middle aged thin guy surprisingly) they also had another two watching out so clearly a reasonably professional operation

I have seen other posters receive standard responses from Lexus fobbing them off, however also that if you insure certain models through Lexus insurance they offer you a free second immobiliser ie they know of the vulnerability and are protecting themselves against it but have not bothered to warm their owners or recall to fix the weakness. Knowing the chances of a few angry owners getting Lexus to do something is very small I have an appointment with Which Legal next week (as a member) as their magazine rates the RX450h as a Best Buy and they have significant clout when they get stuck into a big brand.

I will let you know the progress

 

Did you get anywhere with Which Legal? Curious to know if this has LED to the recent enthusiasm Lexus appear to be building in addressing the issue?

I’m not so sure that all Lexus models aren’t affected. I only recently picked up my RX, previously owning a GS. 2022-23 my premium was £429/year. In March 2023 my cheapest price was £790. Out of curiosity I checked and a quote now is for £1100. I currently pay £1150 for my RX, so only marginally different. A friend as well as a family member have also reported similar stories for a CT and an IS so it seems it’s Lexus models in general going crazy. 

10 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Only vaguely - I think it was the left one but wouldn't stake my life on it because it's been a while.

I think the left one had a bit more space inside so will try again with a cooler head and some fish tape.

Thanks!

43 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Electrician's fish tape did it for me.

Do you happen to remember which of the two grommets you used?

Attempted to fit my front and rear dash cameras in my 2017 RX today. Front camera is installed and working fine and have also run the wire for the rear camera. All cables are hidden well and fed behind SRS airbags. However, I hit a problem with getting the cable for the rear camera through the rubber grommet and onto the rear hatch.

I attempted to use both grommets but I just couldn’t for the life of me get the connector through! Any tips?

I’ve not owned an NX, but drove one for a few days. I much prefer the RX. As has been mentioned, get an insurance quote before you plan as it seems all Lexus models are attracting high premiums recently  

I’m 6”3 and have found my preferred/comfortable driving position in my RX without the driver seat fully back. There is therefore plenty of room in the back behind my for an adult to be comfortable too. Our family has two children and a dog and on a recent 1000 mile trip with everyone’s luggage for 4 days away, the boot was big enough for my wife to find space to bring things home. It’s not best in class for space, but it’s more than big enough in reality.

All around, it’s a difficult car to fault. Comfortable at speed, takes imperfections in the road well and, for a 3.5 V6 SUV, is economical at around 35mpg.

My RX is back from having this plate fitted today at Lexus Edgware Road. Completely free of charge, along with the usual visual health check, tea and biscuits. Can’t fault the service.

As for the plate itself, it took approximately 2 hours to fit and is not visible from the wheel arch.

Anyone pursuing this should make sure they’re not charged as clearly it is being rolled out to many owners free of charge. 

I have a Viofo A129 Pro. 4K recording. Looks great day and night and is discrete enough to fit behind the rear view mirror. Something like this will be much better than the Nextbase cameras Lexus install and will be markedly cheaper too. 

My car is due to be fitted with this plate tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what it actually is and how secure it is. It would be nice to see something visible to potential thieves, letting them know before they even try that it is there. 

For those living in the London area, according to that post RX owners might be contacted without needing to complain or pursue this themselves. That’s some good news, at least for owners in the London area. Imaginably this will spread and this may then be recognised in the ridiculous insurance premiums!

My RX is due to go in to have the plate fitted (free of charge after ‘raising my concerns to Lexus Customer Relations) on Monday.

It isn’t just RX models that seem to be attracting inflated premiums. There are two other Lexuses in my family (a CT and an IS) and they have both renewed recently to increases of +/-40% from last year. I switched to my RX from a GS recently that rose from £439/year in 2022 to £795/year in 2023. As far as I’m aware, these vehicles aren’t being targeted via this method and aren’t nearly as high up on the list of thefts. I wonder if there is an element of insurance companies capitalising on a situation. 

On 4/13/2023 at 12:29 PM, Linas.P said:

I agree with you for the most part. However, I believe there is more to it than just the age of the brand. When Lexus first launched, they had a fresh perspective on customer service and aimed to provide a luxury experience that matched their cars and brand image. As the brand matured, they no longer had to work as hard to explain what their brand was about. At the same time, both Lexus cars and their clientele have changed. In the past, Lexus customers were looking for the ultimate luxury experience. Now, many customers are simply looking for a practical vehicle to transport their families. They compare Lexus to other brands based on factors such as the number of ISOfix points, charger points, and boot capacity. These customers are less concerned with the brand or how the car drives and more focused on the monthly cost of owning a vehicle. As an established brand, Lexus already attracts these customers to their dealerships. The level of service they receive may not be a significant factor in their ultimate purchase decision. Many buyers already know what they need from a car and have their own unique criteria for making a decision. For example, I know someone who only buys cars with a rear wiper - that is her main requirement.

In short, Lexus has become more mainstream and their models and clientele reflect this change. Putting on a show with champagne would likely be a waste of money.

Secondly, I think it’s important to distinguish between the sales and service departments at Lexus. In my experience, the sales department has mostly been good, with a few exceptions that may have been due to miscommunication between Lexus UK and local dealers. Overall, Lexus sales staff are still much better than those at other established luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz or BMW. They may not have extensive knowledge about the cars, but they are generally very friendly. I believe this is partly because most Lexus dealerships are not as busy as those of other brands and their sales staff have to work harder to make a sale. In contrast, sales staff at BMW or Mercedes-Benz dealerships may not care as much because if one customer doesn’t buy a car, the next one will.

But when it comes to Lexus service department my experience has been mostly negative and I would even say subpar. There are many reasons for this. For example, Lexus cars are known for their reliability, so most service appointments are routine and don’t provide much opportunity for profit. As a result, customers may be seen as more of a liability than an asset. Additionally, many dealerships are part of larger networks and their service staff may not care whether they are working on a Hyundai or a Lexus. While sales staff may receive brand-specific training and attend events, service staff likely only need to pass basic competency tests to prove they can follow repair manuals and turn nuts. The one exception was when I needed warranty repair and the dealership was eager to claim £4200 from Lexus GB’s warranty to complete it.

In summary, while Lexus sales are still better than the competition in my experience, because being nice for them is directly linked to their bonuses, but their service has been outright unpleasant, because there is nothing to be gained from being pleasant. 

Final thing - it matters what you drive and why you there. When I bought new IS250 they were treating me rather well, giving nice courtesy cars, calling me to the events etc. When I later bought old IS250 suddenly they started forgetting to book courtesy car, tagging pointless repairs on it etc. Then again when I had 2 years old RC - they are suddenly nice again, given LC as courtesy car etc. And same goes with sale staff - if you enquiring about used car with low profit margin, then you will speak with some apprentice office assistant who knows less about the car then you do, but if you enquiring about lease on LC, then suddenly you greeted by Sales Director of the dealership. Prep of the car follows the same rules - if they delivering new one, then they will make sure it is spotless, but if you bought used one and negotiated the price to the last penny, then you will be taking bus to the dealership and it will stand in the corner somewhere. 

 

 

Your points about service staff couldn’t be further away from my experience and they are the primary reason I’m now driving my 5th Lexus in 10 years. They have always been friendly, proactive and, in my experience, extremely knowledgeable. The service staff, along with other members of the team, have greeted me by name every time I’ve been in and always made me feel that they’re genuinely happy to have me there, even when I’m likely one of their most difficult to please customers. 
 

I have bought cars from others dealerships in the London area as well (Woodford, Maidstone and Twickenham) but Edgware Road have always been several clear steps ahead. 

I’ve owned 5 Lexuses - CT, IS, RC, GS,RX. I would be inclined to bow to the experience of a Lexus Master Mechanic, but I’ve never had a whiff of petrol in any of my cars.

I had a quote of around £3500 to supply, fit and paint match a rear bumper for my GS from Jemca Edgware Road. I will say they did an exceptional job on a hard to match, three stage pearlescent colour but the price (paid by insurance) was a bit eye watering!

I would imagine a fairly chunky bill for the damage to your RX…

Rose red seems like it is fragile in my experience too - perhaps that’s what Rayaans meant. My usual go to of an APC mixed 1:25 to clean general dirt and ‘shine’ gave a bit of pink on the towel after wipe off. I’ve not had this on four other Lexus leather seats - black, ivory and brown.

Before stepping up to dedicated cleaners, which can sometimes be more aggressive than necessary, warm soapy water and a towel might remove more than you expect! Several wipes with that are safer than a brush and anything.

I’ve used many including Dodo Juice, Gyeon, CarPro and AG but The Furniture Clinic are my favourite. Their cleaner and sealer work well and are quite economical. As has been mentioned, your leather will be ‘sealed leather’ meaning it has a coating/lacquer on top. Any conditioning cream you put on will just create a greasy barrier that will attract more dirt so make sure to use a sealant rather than a conditioner. 
 

I’ve previously used their dye too - they sell as a kit you can mix up yourself or if you send a small sample of your leather (I found a small section I could trim beneath the seats), they’ll mix and send out to you ready to use. Perfectly matched my leather and was easy to use! Highly recommended for ease of use.

I’m now on my 5th Lexus in 11 years. I’ve owned a CT, IS, RC, GS and now an RX. All have been faultless and 100% reliable. Of course you can’t be certain but I’d expect several years worth of hassle free driving.

Enjoy!

Now sold.

For sale: Lexus NX Horizontal Cargo Net (p/n: PZ434-X3340-ZA)

Item Condition: Opened but unused

Price and price conditions: £20 + postage. Free collection

Extra Info: Supplied with my new car. Opened expecting it to fit, however, then found out it is for a different model. Therefore unused.

Pictures: 

Contact Details: 07501040403

Location: Iver, South Buckinghamshire

For sale: Lexus IS summer mats (from 2013)

Item Condition: Used but good

Price and price conditions: £25 + postage. Free collection.

Extra Info: Covered approximately 2k miles , so pretty minimal use  Good overall condition. Minor flattening of carpet at driver heel location - barely visible unless looking.

Pictures: 

Contact Details: 07501040403

Location: Iver, South Buckinghamshire

14 hours ago, steve2006 said:

Perhaps others and my own comments on every RX450h post on  the Lexus Facebook page plus all the comments on here have finally got results. 

They were quite specific in some regards saying “We have gone away to see if we could develop a deterrent over and above a customer purchasing a steering wheel lock or ghost immobiliser for example.” I imagine you’re right and they have had a fairly large number of people showing their dissatisfaction.

I’ve now been contacted my CR:

“We are finalising the logistics in terms of its cost (part) and labour and will be notifying our Lexus Centre partners in due course as to when they can be ordered and provided to those owners who would like to safeguard their investment.

We would be more than happy to fit one of these protection plates to your RX and have already contacted the Centre to advise that one is on the way to them for you. Once this arrives they will contact you to arrange to have this installed, this will take about an hour and of course will be at no cost to yourself.”

Looks like they’ve come through so the way to go about things is clearly through customer relations!

I’m not over worried, just a bit concerned. I rarely park anywhere I’d be at massive risk - I live on a gated street and the car is parked during the day in a secured and guarded work car park. I’d still like the peace of mind of a potential fix as I’m not really interested in the extra faff of steering lock.

Let’s see what customer relations comes back with, but I won’t be losing sleep in the mean time. If it’s stolen, it’s a pain, but that’s what insurance is for!

I recently took ownership of an approved used RX gen4. I didn’t know about any of this, so it’s obviously concerning.

I’ve emailed customer relations today stating that I am aware of a ‘fix’ in the blanking plate and that I am treating their response to my concern as to whether I will consider my relationship with the brand when the time comes to change. I’m also within my 30 days exchange period (although I don’t realistically know what I’d want to change to and it’s still a sale for them). This is my fifth Lexus and customer care has always been exceptional (especially at Edgware Road) so I’m really hoping I don’t get put off. 

I’ll update when I get a response…