Nick W858

Hi Alan - 17s would be great but you might have to go with 18s which I believe is what the 300h sits on - well the one I had as a courtesy car did a while back - 17s obviously cheaper but if you can't get them then a cheap pair of 18 rims would be what you will need to find.

Hi Alan - I got a very battered set of alloys for £40 off eBay a few year back -got them returned for £160 so £200 all in and then got the tyres put on - first set were some vredsteins and now running continentals. I live at the bottom of a very steep cul de sac and when it snows nobody can get out unless they are in a 4wd. First time with the winters on in deep snow all my neighbours were shovelling snow - I just went out and they said where do you think you are going? I just said - watch this and off I went up the hill - got a few people in the street interested in them after that!

Well done Stu - I think it was worth the hassle given the figures you quoted. I will go down the private route too and will hope the lure of a full years mot, 12 months warranty remaining and the 60k service just completed will mean it will appeal to a wide audience and hopefully they won't all be time wasters. 911 would be a great move and one I may look at myself. Thanks for all your contributions, they certainly helped me before I made the decision to buy my ISF.

I have used them for around 5 years now on my LS400 and would never be without them. No difference in noise or consumption but the difference in grip and braking particularly in snow is astonishing. Faced with snow/ice the old LS on winters takes the choice over the RX450 on summers every time.

Got the call last night from my wife. There's a problem with the car - think I have ripped off the rear bumper! Turns out that when exiting a pay barrier at the train station she has executed a sharp right turn and gone up a kerb with the rear wheel, hooking the bumper join into a small post which then proceeded to tear the bumper off as she moved forward. Naturally when you hear contact you just keep on driving don't you?! Took it in to a local bodyshop today - fortunately the bumper retaining part behind the wheelarch has taken the brunt of the damage. There is one on eBay for £15 but is the wrong side unfortunately, Lexus charge £81 plus vat! There were quite a few scratches on the bumper anyway so am thinking of having the whole bumper resprayed while they are sorting the retaining bracket. No comments necessary re women drivers, I am sure we have all done worse at some point!

Thanks Colin - car is 5 years old 5/3/2016 - will check on the essentials care if they have not been sorted by then.

Thanks guys for the advice - Car has done 84k so it wouldn't necessarily still be on first set of discs would it? I will bow down to those of you that have the technical skills to do this work yourself - I know my limitations and I would definitely bodge something if I attempted it. I have got a great I dependant nearby who has worked on my LS400 but not the RX so far. Also got a brilliant Toyota dealership so might try them too and see what they quote. Thanks again

These were called out at the last service as needed replacing in 5000 miles which the car has subsequently covered. Dealer quoted £400 to supply and fit - just wondering if anyone has recent experience of cost and alternative options to main dealer? Thanks

If you want peace of mind then the obvious choice is the Lexus warranty. We have had our 2011 model now for getting on 18 months - it's got around 85k on the clock and there has been not one single thing that has gone wrong. I would be surprised if there was anything much outside of regulation wear and tear that you would need to be done. Might be worth banking the cost of the warranty and taking a chance. I do have the warranty on my ISF but I have never thought about putting it on the RX.

Looks awesome Ross - good luck keeping it that clean!

Our 450h is driven without any thought for fuel consumption - not thrashed just used and enjoyed as it should be - lots of town stuff plus some faster stuff too - all in all we get around 31mpg which as Rayaan said is more than reasonable for the size, weight and performance of the vehicle. The EU tests are a nonsense and Lexus cannot be blamed for just doing what every other manufacturer does. We owned a ML320 diesel for two years - our average mpg was 21. Prior to that a Merc C180 petrol which only averaged 26mpg. I also have. An ISF so I know what low fuel consumption can really feel like but for me the RX is really good all round mix of comfort, pace and economy. Forget about trying to get 44mpg - life is too short - just enjoy what a great car you have purchased.

Yes I have had vredsteins and now conti's - TS850 - they won the last auto express winter tyre test IIRC. They have both been outstanding and they transform the car - last Christmas in the heavy snow we took my LS on the winters as opposed to my wife's RX450 (on regular tyres) for a long journey we had to undertake. The reassurance of grip and under braking is fantastic.

Well my LS went in to get the rust on the wheel arches sorted - it was away for two weeks and it looks brilliant. Mileage was 242k when it went in, was 212k when I got it back and this morning was showing 902k! No idea what has gone on but looks like all the data from the odometer is totally knackered and given the true mileage is massive, I can't really see the point in fixing - anyone got any ideas what might have caused it? Thanks Nick

Got this done yesterday by the excellent team at Lexus Hull. Had a steady 70 mile drive north early in the morning up to Hull averaging 32.9 MPG on the way. Service was done with new rear shock, wiper blades and air/pollen filters for the sum of £788, also purchased the two year warranty for £795 - been an expensive week after having some paintwork on my Fireblade £675 and the rust on the wheel arches sorted on my LS400 £300 so am feeling very much poorer right now. It's the first time I have had the car in at my dealers but the good news is that they backed up what my local mechanic said in that the car looks to have no faults and is in superb shape - particularly for the mileage - just goes to show how well built these cars are. Looking forward to the next 110k mies although a quick calculation shows that will cost about £26k in fuel!

Good point Steve - I will take comfort in that -according to my mechanic everything else on the car looks great - let's see what the Lexus dealer comes up with next Friday

Well the ISF passed the MOT which was a relief but the rear nearside shock which was leaking and was pointed out to the last owner at the previous service does really need replacing. Car is booked in for its 110k service next week at Lexus Hull when the intermediate service and shock will be completed - may also be putting on the two year warranty too.

Congratulations - you will not have any regrets!

Hi Allen - owned mine around 12 years averaging around 15k miles per annum. Much of my service history is main dealer and even the stuff that wasn't involved genuine lexus parts etc. My detailed records show my spend has been £18k so £1500 per annum for all service related items inc tyres (I run winter tyres too). If it needed doing I have had it done so I am not sure ou would manage to spend any more than I have. The big bits for me have been cambelt (twice) - new part for the exhaust (£500) and a new starter motor which was around £700 - again you could get these done cheaper o/s of the dealer franchise. They are great cars and to me it is worh paying for the upkeep, unless ou are really unlucky much of the stuff is consumables that would need replacing on any vehicle. Nick

F.A yes I thought that too. I think the reality is they do a service and I guess if there are things they are concerned about they will insist the work is done before the warranty will be offered. I don't take out warranties usually so am pretty relaxed about whichever way it goes. Will be nice to have the piece of mind and will also help me sell it on if I decide to do that next year.

Well got it fitted for £117 inc vat from Ron Brooks Toyota in Mansfield. The service in there is always fantastic - so much so it makes me want to buy a Toyota! I was looked after by a young chap called Liam who's father is also an ISF owner and is on this site. As I say very good service and I think it was the first time a lot of the technicians had got the chance to see the ISF in the flesh. Next step is the 110k service which will be done at Lexus Hull.

Thanks Chris - yes that was the plan it's very minor down the edge of the door although I think to do a proper job the whole door might have to be done. Car is going in to have the wheel arches sorted inna couple of weeks so may get them to do at the same time and then forget about the protectors which I am not sure will look right anyway.

Hello all - anybody use these or can you recommend any decent ones? To be totally honest I am thinking of them to cover up a bit of rust rather than protect the doors but I guess that will be an added bonus too! It's for a silver mk 4 LS400 Thanks Nick

I agree Keith - I guess it's the laws of supply and demand, dealers can charge more for you affluent guys in the south compared to us paupers in the north!

I called my local Toyota dealer today - gave them the reg number and they identified the car, said they had a battery in stock and could fit it today for £130 inc vat - I couldn't get there today due to work but have booked it in for next Tues

Went to go for a blast in my new ISF yesterday to find the battery completely flat - had been stood for about 10 days but was still surprised to see nothing in it. I guess at almost 6 years and 109k miles it could just be worn out. My plan is to approach my local Toyota dealer who have previously supplied batteries for my other lexus.