Tickedon

I have the 20” run flats. Absolutely no complaints about noise or comfort on my NX 450h. Though my previous car was an Audi A4 with relatively small profile 18” tyres, so most things would be an improvement

I believe mine is, though not 100% sure. I still occasionally have some problems.

Had a couple of long trips lately. Took the fuel gauge down to one bar and 20 miles of range, car then took 35 litres (+3l on previous fill) on next fill up. This emboldened me, yesterday, to run the range to zero and keep going. 20 miles past zero (range now showing “refuel”) and zero bars… resulting in getting 40 litres into the tank. With 15 litres still “missing”, it seems I could have pushed a lot further than just 20 miles… Each time, I’ve been rewarded with higher range figures appearing on the dash (broken through 400 for the first time today!). it seems like I’ll need to find trips where I can get the car to zero or close enough, and that each time this seems to enable a bit more fuel to be used and thus replenished - which the car seems, somewhere, to notice and realise. This will hopefully get me back to 50ish litres, but, doesn’t explain what’s caused this to happen….

Sadly not. The wheel arch method (and similar headlight method) allows them to access the vehicle’s can bus network. They plug in a device that sends the “unlock doors” and “start engine” messages, which tricks the relevant ECUinto opening the doors, disabling the immobiliser, and starting the engine. Newer cars utilise encryption on the canbus which stops this working, but not these cars on older platforms. the key, or a signal from the key, isn’t needed at any point.

My journey has been Ford to Volvo to Audi and then Lexus. The Volvo S60 with Polestar was great fun, but servicing was extortionate and insurance even more so (and limited choice). Audi A4 was lovely - pretty much rock solid over my 7 years of ownership, until the Adblue system decided to stop working. Despite four dealerships all within 30 minutes drive, I joined a long list waiting for a repair appointment and for parts to appear, after they replaced the tank and control system, it was time to move on (thankfully repairs all covered by an Audi warranty, but still left car less for three months). Lexus servicing seems to match Volvo’s pricing, but at least brings another year’s warranty with Relax. That was a key requirement when changing car - affordable or long warranty options. Thankfully the NX is both an absolutely lovely car and ticks the warranty box.

That must be an AI generated photo. No way you had so many sensible people parking at the same time…! 😄

Free parking if you signed up to be a Village hotel member (also free). No idea if you can sign up after your booking: https://www.village-hotels.co.uk/members-portal-login

Stayed at a hotel for the last two nights - £13 per night for parking in the hotel car park. There was free on street parking outside and around the hotel, so you make your choice. I regularly go to both Birmingham and Manchester, not unusual to have to pay up to £20 per night/day for parking.

I’ve been thinking the same. Does anyone know if the car will still start and run if it has EV charge but no petrol? I was thinking that might be one way to safely experiment and see how far one can go on the last fuel bar…

Lane Change Assist isn’t included with Premium Plus, just Takumi (or F Sport with Takumi pack).

Hello My NX was down to only one fuel bar remaining, showing a range of approx 40 miles. When I filled up, only 32 litres would go into the tank before it stopped, and I triple checked, and it kept clicking out as it was full. My fuel tank then showed full. But the fuel tank is meant to be 55 litres, so where have my other 23 litres gone….? Anyone experienced anything similar please?

The question is whether you’ve taken out additional legal insurance (or it’s included as a freebie - often is) with your household or car insurance. Do check - especially if you have a very good policy, more likely you have it!

SUVs are categorised as estates on the V5C from the DVLA. So perfectly understandable why that’s used.

Would it not be cheaper and easier to try and import one from elsewhere if you really must have a manual?

Stick the registration number and mileage into WeBuyAnyCar, Motorway etc. Add £2-3k on to cover dealer margin. There’s your opening offer. Certainly helps if there are other similar models on AutoTrader to point to - even a higher trim works, doesn’t need to be an exact match (“why would I pay that when for £1k more I can get…”).

True, except for the new NX and, to a lesser degree, RX. NX has won awards and is what brought me to the brand, and considering it was their first plug in hybrid they did a great job. I’ve always liked Toyota and Lexus cars, but the interiors and infotainment were not to taste. The new NX is the first model I could seriously consider, and was an easy pick over alternative Audi, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, and Mercedes options. When my partner passed their driving test - automatic only - we were looking for a small automatic car as a “first car” (despite them being used to driving my Audi A4, and now NX). After days of going around countless dealerships and brands, the (current shape & model) Toyota Yaris was head and shoulders above other options. So we’ve gone from a household of Audi to having a Lexus and Toyota. That would suggest they are doing something right! I agree RZ and LBX are not good options (I’ve posted elsewhere that the LBX is simply too expensive), but the NX accounts for 1 in 3 Lexus cars sold in UK, with UX not far behind (or ahead if you combine hybrid & Bev models). I think far more important that Lexus get the UX right, as it’s now a bit dated, rather than (currently) niche models at the top and bottom of the range.

Indeed. Quite noticeable how many MG dealers are popping up in place of others - they have fewer & simpler “shiny dealer palace” requirements (my old local Ford dealership had to put some red MG logos up, and a red MG arch before the entrance - the rest remains Ford dealership metallic silver) and have also committed to not going to agency in the short or medium term. Coupled with easy access to lots of stock, it’s little wonder dealers are lining up to represent them - the volumes possible makes up for lower margin on each vehicle, and fewer requirements mean lower costs and so lower margins and profit from each car is sustainable. it is interesting that Mercedes used to own a large retail dealership network in the UK, but sold that off to different groups, and have now moved to an agency model - taking the risk for all new sales and stock everywhere. Rather odd to essentially exit the retail market then take on all the risk again. While the intention was to stick to fixed prices and protect the margin, they’ve found themselves in the same position as dealerships of old and needing to shift cars and sell them, so some models have had significant discounts alongside 0% finance offers… Thankfully both Toyota and Lexus in UK have indicated no plans to move to agency model in the UK (but Toyota are testing it in other markets).

I had an Audi A4 windscreen replaced by National Windscreens in Croydon in Feb 2022. It wasn’t an official Audi screen (and I didn’t ask for one, but nor was the windscreen on the car that was broken an OEM one either!). Not as many sensors or cameras on my A4, but they replaced it and calibrated it in a single appointment very quickly and efficiently. Everything worked as expected after, and still was until I sold the car 20 months later.

The Audi e-tron (now called Q8 e-tron) started from £60k in 2020. There are several 2020 examples on Autotrader in the £20-25k range… (including one with 32k miles for £23k). The depreciation on that car has been ridiculous. And it offers similar real world range to the RZ.

I think it’s safe to say the LBX is overpriced. A top-spec Audi A1 comes in around £32k, you can get a really nice and larger Mercedes A class for £30-33k, similarly larger Mini Countryman also kicks off at £30k, and the Toyota Yaris (fractionally smaller) has a really nice top-trim around £25k (and can be had for £23k). The Yaris cross ranges from £25-31k. I think the base specification of the LBX is too stripped out (especially considering the Yaris & Yaris Cross). And there’s absolutely no justification in my mind for having 7 trims/specs on the LBX, so close together. I think Premium should have been the entry to the range at £30k, Premium Plus Design should have been next step up at around £32.5k, and you’d top the range with Takumi at £35k. It would still have a huge premium, but stack up better to its competitors.

Do you know please from the light whether it is an led light or old style bulb? Does it give good illumination at night?

I can’t remember the make (possibly Ford?) but one manufacturer was able to “zero” the mileage as long as it hasn’t been driven above a certain speed and number of miles. You thus got the “new car” mileage even if they’d had to reset it a couple of times while getting it ready for delivery... I would think anything up to 100 is probably reasonable if it came with an explanation. But as Spock said, I too typically buy “nearly new” (up to 15k miles and under 9 months old) to secure a far better price. My Audi was £40k list, £33k new via a broker, or £20k(!) 9 months old with 14k miles on it (via a main Audi dealer). I had thought the pandemic had ended my string of car deals, until my current NX purchase! I appreciate a new car smell and almost zero odometer is worth something, but I’ll take my £10k+ savings instead.

I often pass a Costco with a fuel station. I always buy their Premium fuel - pricing is often cheaper than my local station’s normal unleaded! Wouldn’t pay the (often) 20p premium for premium fuel anywhere else, as definitely not worth it.

I believe the 56 days “interest penalty” comes from the legislation governing credit agreements. I am also fairly sure it’s recently(ish) changed to two months interest penalty, or, a maximum of one month if the agreement has less than 12 months to run. I’ve had a quick look but couldn’t find a reference, but perhaps this will point someone in the right direction to find a reliable source explaining it.

My Lexus Navigation does seem to like taking me off main roads and onto narrow roads… with width restrictions. Haven’t found a way to stop that yet. Early days, so hopefully over time it’ll learn to stay on main roads if I start scrutinising more the proposed routes. Otherwise, seems fairly accurate in terms of advising where traffic and delays are.