Tickedon

1 hour ago, DavidCM said:

However,what was really disappointing and unacceptable as far as I was concerned,is that it had  plastic seats.Come on Lexus... it's not the 1960s again.You could at least have used fabric,if not leather.

 

This is the same on nearly all Lexus cars these days. Depending on the model, you need at least Premium Plus or above for real leather. 

You can’t even get real leather on the RZ (apparently all EV owners must be vegan).

35 minutes ago, larryadler said:

I had the above fitted by my dealer from new when picking up my vehicle. That was almost two years ago, and not sure how long the SD card actually lasts?

The current card is obviously a Nextbase original, and 32gb, which gives 2 hours recording with front and rear cameras.

Whilst a replacement Nextbase SD card, 32gb is now about £20, I can get a Sandisk equivalent at 64 or 128 both cheaper than the Nextbase one.

So I ask the question, has anyone used an alternative card, and any comments on the results ?

You can’t use a cheap card in a dashcam. I tried and it failed very quickly. You need an “endurance” card that’s rated for dashcams - as they are continuously writing and overwriting video files. You’ll find cheaper options than nextbase cards but you’ll want to get something like the sandisk high or max endurance cards.

There is a more limited supply of used cars at the moment (such that big companies are making changes to how they operate and closing locations: https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/lithia-confirms-hundreds-of-job-losses-at-pendragon-as-us-giant-kills-off-carstore/300953), so unsurprising dealers are trying the channels they have to source stock. 

This is especially true of cars from 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to the impact of covid and fewer new cars sold then (which is now feeding through to the used car market)- so your car probably has prime appeal!

Far cheaper and easier (you’ll need to consider dvla and insurance implications) to sell your car and buy a manual. 

1 hour ago, Mjcoy said:

Thank you for that insight. Can it be repaired?

Yes. But I believe someone on here had a quote from their dealer somewhere north of £3k. Will depend what the damage done actually is. In all likelihood, that’ll then mean a claim on your insurance. 

24 minutes ago, GSLV6 said:

shocking really given the overall emissions for the size are relatively low.  It's a pure stealth tax when EV owners, also burning fossil fuels to power their vehicles and wearing the roads out with heavier vehicles get off lightly.

They’ll be in the same position from April 2025 - all EVs (new and old) will pay VED. Newly registered EVs over £40k will also pay the luxury car tax element. 

12 hours ago, GSLV6 said:

Yes, just been told the 2021 model I'm about to buy is over £800 to tax but I think they got this wrong. After 6 years it drops (presumably to £180 that I'm paying on my RX3) based on the basic petrol rate minus a £10 discount for a hybrid.  Daylight robbery.  It's called the "wealth tax" and applies to all new cars after a April 2017 valued at (correct me if wrong) over approx £40K new.  

It's not exactly straightforward but goes something like this.  From new, you pay the first year based on CO2 emissions, then on year 2 you pay( from 2 to 6 years) independent of CO2 and calculated purely on the car's new cost.  So years 2 to 6 you pay a £410 supplementary charge on top of the basic charge (£190) for a car costing over £40K new plus, so £590 for the 2 to 6 years before it drops to £180.  It's not as if we're not fleeced by vat rates on fuel, this is quite a hike for anyone buying any RX made after April 2017.

Just to add, both standard VED and the luxury car tax element also increases by inflation each year… so over the 5 years it’ll keep going up.

The £10 hybrid discount on VED also disappears from April 2025. 

Sounds like someone might have been trying to steal your car.

They access the canbus cable next to the lights. 

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-uk-statement-on-vehicle-theft/?fbclid=IwAR2u1DC_0mAo4_kSpK_1FLViLNyHJq0nAKctwfXCMxQi1CwuNiGBA10yY0w_aem_ATXzc0mSafM1xX72JZyfSo-7KpoTKXtkPQjmf6ToRhjQ_4GsDaGMH6Nf5ACoFWEW2pE
 

Perhaps someone interrupted the thief- sounds like you may have had a lucky break.

3 hours ago, SA1 said:

I can’t confirm 100% but when ordering a 25MY NX yesterday I am sure I saw wireless AA on the list of features. 
 

Hopefully they’ll include it in an OTA update sometime next year

The Urban trim on the Lexus UK configurator (new trim for 2025, basically the bottom trim now) says “Smartphone integration (Wireless apple CarPlay®, Wireless Android Auto™)”

So it would appear wireless AA will be on some models…!

MG’s are great value - sounds like it ticks all the boxes for you! 

Hopefully more affordable on insurance too.

What car/brand have you gone for ?

Try putting the registration number into we buy any car - it may come up with more details…?

1 hour ago, Gary H said:

Yes - I noticed the other day on the website that there's now a 'Takumi F-Sport' being the range topper rather than the Takumi. Which, I have to say is a bit gutting as someone who waited 16 months to get what was then the range-topper Takumi.  I also remember a 'Takumi Pack' being available on the F-Sport and I'm glad you've more or less confirmed my memory is not mistaken!

I think that’s the same thing as F Sport with Takumi pack - just how they show it in the configurator.

A NX (whether 350 or 450) F Sport with Takumi pack has been more expensive than the Takumi model since launch. The features within each has slightly changed over time (e.g. option to get ML audio).

9 hours ago, Steve Oliver said:

Where did you see this, please?

It’s on the USA MY2025, presumably also coming to our cars:

https://pressroom.lexus.com/whats-new-for-2025/

• Exterior handle illumination added to rear doors 

Assuming it mirrors the USA and other countries… 2x USB C in the front (rather than 1x A and 1x C). 

18 hours ago, GSLV6 said:

After a little research today, I tend to agree with you.  Volvo now owned by the Chinese, numerous reliability issues, poor dealer after care and expensive service costs.  The car I've been after it appears is sat on my driveway.  Nothing made today really betters it.  It still looks and drives like new and there was a moment of blindness to change it for no better reason than to benefit from another 10 year's warranty.  

There is a paid-for extended warranty available up to 15 years /150k miles. Not as comprehensive as Relax and for approx £5-600 per year. Not all dealers are aware of it, some reports in here Jemca dealers are aware and will sell it. 

Could give you peace of mind and fixed bill motoring for a few more years? 

4 hours ago, GSLV6 said:

It seems that almost unbelievably, we find ourselves in 2024 with little or no real choices to Lexus but also if we stay, we have to count the cost of ownership of say a 3yr old vehicle as not just £3 to 5K annual depreciation, but that or more in insurance costs.  Add in petrol and you can see that buying say a 2 or 3 year old RX4 will in real terms cost around £7.5K annually, bare minimum, excluding servicing costs.  That's pretty ludicrous.  It's not worth the extra money to stay with Lexus imho.  The extra cost invested in a less reliable make goes a long way to keeping it serviceable.

While there is an issue for vulnerable Lexus cars, even non-vulnerable cars like mine have high insurance but also it’s no real difference to the equivalent Audi either. Car insurance has gone up for everyone, and Lexus at least has the benefit of the Relax warranty - whereas for other makes that would be extra. 

Running a car these days is unfortunately rather expensive.

4 hours ago, Sara.E said:

I'm going for a takumi trim not sure on engine yet I'll have try them out to decide which is for me as I test drove a 350 which was good enough for me. 

I was originally going for the NX 350h, but got a too-good-to-pass-up deal on a plug-in hybrid (the 450h). 

I now really enjoy doing all my local trips and shopping etc. purely on electricity, with the security of a large petrol tank to travel the longer distances when needed. The increased bhp and reduced 0-60 time is also very nice.

There are incentives for manufacturers to sell more hybrid plugins (due to lower co2 ratings)… and so my understanding is the RX 350h has a £1000 deposit contribution and 5.9% PCP finance vs £4000 deposit contribution and 1.9% PCP finance on the 450h+ plugin. Should mean the bigger engine and plug-in works out cheaper for most…

7 hours ago, Lisamart said:

Hey, had my LBX for 2 weeks. Jumped from Audi Q2.  Love it so far but…

how do i save my preference from visual warning only for speed limit signs and to always have no audio on sat nav? Its vexing me that I have to make these adjustments every time I switch the engine on.

anyone got any ideas?

The satnav audio preference should hopefully be stored in your Lexus profile - have you set one up and logged in?

sadly the speed limit bong is an EU rule, and manufacturers are required to have it turn back on each time you start the car… every new car launched from now will include this lovely safety feature, and so we’ll all need to get used to either living with it, or, an extended period of time tapping away at a screen to turn off all these annoying “features”.

19 minutes ago, fezman said:

The canbus issue won't affect new car sales. I think i read all new models have an encrypted canbus. Ironically, that may help them as RX4 and other affected owners upgrade because of it. However, dealers must have lost a ton of money on resale values, annoyed customers etc. plus RX4's sat on forecourts for longer than usual. 

We don’t even know if the new UX 300h is vulnerable. Both the 250h and 300e were - so it’s plausible it’s still vulnerable. The same for the ES - unclear if there have been any changes. 

The original article provided dates, now it just lists lots of models and only says the new NX and RX, plus LBX, have the new platform with security changes… 

Lexus sales so far this year (2024)...

Jan: 676
Feb: 429
Mar: 2758 (hello new 24 registration and lots of new LBX models!)
Apr: 1318
A sale is a new car registration (i.e. cars ordered will count as a sale weeks/months later when registered)

Watchdog ran their story in mid-March. Given cars are often on a lead time, we probably won't see any impact for a while. But given the new LBX, even if other existing customers choose to go elsewhere for their next new car, the new buyers brought in by the LBX will likely compensate...

A long way of saying Lexus UK probably don't have too many incentives to do anything that quickly - sadly!

7 hours ago, GSLV6 said:

Clearly, they are bargaining on a new breed of buyer and have already written off existing 4th generation car owners.  Their whole advertising campaign is more aimed at the young and affluent.   I wish them good luck....they're going to need it.

I'm now off to study the latest guides on reliable, secure cars which offer at least something of the RX experience.  It hasn't taken more than a few minutes to discover the the XC40 and 60 are in the mix and other opportunities, perhaps for something completely different will shake me out of my RX complacency.  My eyes have been opened.

One “young and affluent” here, new to the Lexus brand, guilty as charged…

Lexus had their highest ever sales in the UK in 2023 (the same year they had the highest thefts, as a percentage of cars in the road!). Their first quarter sales in 2024 so far are very similar - so I’m afraid there hasn’t been a crisis-creating drop in demand. Even a 20% drop would just put them back at what they were around pre-pandemic. 

Before my Lexus I had an Audi, and before that a Volvo - I put 70k miles on a S60 over 4.5 years. I would never go back. Servicing is extortionate and I had enough problems that I had to find a friendly independent to keep the costs reasonable.

I’m not saying Lexus are doing a good job on this issue (far from it) nor that they should get a free pass - but the grass isn’t always greener.

Don’t want to burst your happy car moment… but as you live in the SE, you need to be aware Lexus was the most stolen car brand in 2023 (2% of all Lexus cars on the road were stolen last year!). 

Thieves mainly target the larger RX (1 in 46 of those stolen last year….) but sadly plenty examples on this forum of ES and NX models being targeted and stolen too. Thieves break part of the front bumper off, plug a device into the car’s wiring (“canbus”), and can unlock your car and drive off in about 60 seconds…

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-uk-statement-on-vehicle-theft/?fbclid=IwAR2u1DC_0mAo4_kSpK_1FLViLNyHJq0nAKctwfXCMxQi1CwuNiGBA10yY0w_aem_ATXzc0mSafM1xX72JZyfSo-7KpoTKXtkPQjmf6ToRhjQ_4GsDaGMH6Nf5ACoFWEW2pE

Lexus finally said something about the issue after watchdog ran a segment on it. Originally they’d promised a “solution” by the end of April - now that timeframe has been deleted from their statement, with no timeframe now given. 

Ahead of whatever solution Lexus are working on, you may want to consider an Autowatch Ghost or similar. 

1 hour ago, Spock66 said:

Personally I think the Mazda CX-60 looks like a good alternative to Lexus, but no personal experience.

quite a few of my relatives have them… Mazda 2, Mazda 3, Mazda CX5. Never heard them complain of any issues (unlike the VWs and Fords before!).

6 hours ago, Pinkfish said:

Hi all,

I have been trying to get insurance for RX450h. Most refuse to even offer a quote - those that do quote astronomical numbers.  Even a tracker does very little to help.

 

Has anyone else experienced the same ??

Yes. Read this and other threads. RX was the UK’s most stolen car last year (as a percentage of cars on the road) - one in every 46 RXs were stolen in 2023.

it even eventually hit watchdog… resulting in this statement: 

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-uk-statement-on-vehicle-theft/?fbclid=IwAR2u1DC_0mAo4_kSpK_1FLViLNyHJq0nAKctwfXCMxQi1CwuNiGBA10yY0w_aem_ATXzc0mSafM1xX72JZyfSo-7KpoTKXtkPQjmf6ToRhjQ_4GsDaGMH6Nf5ACoFWEW2pE