LC500 and Multistorey Car Parks

malcolmw · October 29, 2017

Before my LC500 arrives, I have been having a look at the approach angles and ride height of the LC regarding its ability to get into car parks. To my surprise, it is very little different to the IS for these parameters. I also note from side-on pictures that the very bottom of the front "air dam" is angled slightly upwards.

Overhang IS = 830mm Overhang LC = 930mm

Approach Angle IS = 13deg Approach angle LC = 12.1deg

Can anyone with an LC comment if they have taken the car into a multistorey up the ramps? My Aston DB9 is almost impossible to park in these places as the front overhang is very long and the nose height very low.

wendle · October 29, 2017

I don't go anywhere near car parks, i have a runaround for that.

Jules640 · October 29, 2017

I think the width might be more of issue than the height. It would be very easy to kerb the wheels in a tight multi storey car park. I haven't tried parking mine in one.

wendle · October 30, 2017

10 hours ago, Jules640 said:

I think the width might be more of issue than the height. It would be very easy to kerb the wheels in a tight multi storey car park. I haven't tried parking mine in one.

Hi Julian,

i assume you have not had any problems with the alarm on your car, mine keeps going of, but only in the early hours of the morning, Lexus have replaced the interior sensor but this has not solved the problem.

i have a security camera protecting my driveway, and although it has caught the odd animal walking around this has not coincided with the alarm going off.

Texas · October 30, 2017

I would rather walk 1/2 a mile than park in a multi-storey car park and I got a ten year old IS! ( compared to an Aston or LC, I prob walk farther!)

paul m.

Jules640 · October 30, 2017

2 hours ago, wendle said:

Hi Julian,

i assume you have not had any problems with the alarm on your car, mine keeps going of, but only in the early hours of the morning, Lexus have replaced the interior sensor but this has not solved the problem.

i have a security camera protecting my driveway, and although it has caught the odd animal walking around this has not coincided with the alarm going off.

Hi Chris

Sorry to hear about the problems with your alarm.

I have not had any issues with mine.

It does sound as though there is a fault somewhere, hope they can fix it soon for you.

Is it just on your driveway or has it gone off anywhere else?

malcolmw · October 30, 2017

13 hours ago, wendle said:

I don't go anywhere near car parks, i have a runaround for that.

Yes, we will probably have to use my other half's IS300h for shopping trips.

rayaans · October 30, 2017

I wouldn't go anywhere near a multistorey in an LC.

There's a multistorey in Leeds for the Leeds General Infirmary and I made the mistake of taking my 3RX in there. I managed to get up to the 1st floor after doing what was a 50 point turn on approaching the badly designed, and awfully narrow slope (it was at a 90 degree angle and had kerbs sticking 20cm out from the wall) and did another 30 point turn on the way out which was designed better.

No chance I would try it in an LC!

Jules640 · October 30, 2017

I am really surprised that the LC500 does not have a surround view camera. I had it on my previous car, a BMW 640 and I really miss it. I think the RX has it and so I cannot think why it was missed off. It makes parking in tight areas so much easier and makes it much less likely to kerb the wheels.

Linas.P · October 30, 2017

Multi-storey parks in UK doesn't seems to be designed for modern cars, I have issues parking and navigating with my IS - literally exit trough entrance, because on exit my car does not fit literally (and it is not driver error). Parking LC would be beyond painful for many reasons and as others pointed out it is not approach angels, but rather width of the car.

@Jules640 I cannot agree more, I have made same comment re: RC... Generally, Lexus are wide cars and it is strange they do not offer surround cameras... I don't mind that being optional extra (BMW charges £500 on 4-series.. and it is a must have if you live anywhere near urban area in UK - that is less than sinle Rims refurbishment service and without it you will need many..).

malcolmw · October 30, 2017

Yes, the surround cameras are very useful on my 4RX and I agree that this option should have been available on the LC. I would have gone for this for sure.

Actually, thinking about it, at this price point I would have expected it to be standard.

Linas.P · October 30, 2017

Indeed my point above was more about RC (circa 40k car) where I don't mind it being optional, but for LC it must be standard. Quite similarly prices BMW i8 had it as standard in 2014, they are even fitted in sub-20k cars like Nissan Qashqai.

I guess the reason is that Lexus is pretty much US oriented and surround camera there is nothing more than gimmick as you would easily be able to park one sideways in the "american" size parking lot. However, if Lexus is any serious about EU.. they probably should reconsider local clientele needs.

steve2006 · October 30, 2017

If I can get my 5 metre long, wider wheeled and low front lip imported Celsior in multi storey car parks you guys shouldn't have a problem

Linas.P · October 30, 2017

You might have overestimated your LS presence :)

Lexus LS mk1 width is 1829mm vs. Lexus LC width 1920mm (the widest Lexus by far, less GX which is not sold in EU/UK at 1933mm).. 9CM is quite a difference when it comes to narrow spaces. Lexus IS is not that much narrower than LS either at 1816mm, though when it comes to width at the wheels it might even be equal as mk1 LS body kind of "overhangs", whereas IS wheels almost protrudes.

As I mentioned "it is not driver error" at the place I park - exit is literally impossible. Drove until wheels touched kerb on passenger side, got out of the car to check and I could literally only put one finger between kerb and driver side front wheel, rear wheel were touching kerbs on both sides. So it is not about feeling the car - IS mk2 literally doesn't fit there. Even theoretically I cannot pass it because of 30 degree turn at the end.

I guess comments backs up my story, I have yet to see car which succesfully exits trough the exit there, people who park regularly like myself always use entrance to exit.

https://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/tobacco_dock/e1w/london/?arriving=201710302100&leaving=201710302300

Obviously, not all parkings are that bad, but it is general thing in UK to have unbelievably narrow parkings. I am sure if there would be a competition UK would be one of top countires with narrowest parkings.

wendle · October 31, 2017

21 hours ago, Jules640 said:

Hi Chris

Sorry to hear about the problems with your alarm.

I have not had any issues with mine.

It does sound as though there is a fault somewhere, hope they can fix it soon for you.

Is it just on your driveway or has it gone off anywhere else?

Hi Julian

yes as far as i no it has only gone of in the early hours of the morning, and it doesn't go of every night, so yes the car has been on the drive.

so far it hasn't gone of at any other time either at home or at work.

its all very odd, if it is a potential thief or animal i would see them on the security camera, i can't see it being vibration as yesterday i washed the car with the alarm on, the interior sensor has been changed, so the only other thing i can think of which would set of the alarm is voltage drop, due to what i don't no, unless anyone else can think of another reason why the alarm would go of.

malcolmw · October 31, 2017

I can get my 4RX into most car park spaces but occasionally it can be a bit tight getting out of the car. If we take the longer doors into account then it might be a bit tighter still in the LC. Here are the dimensions:

4RX W = 1895 W over mirrors = 2180

LC W = 1920 W over mirrors = 2168

DB9 W = 1880 W over mirrors = 2061

IS300h W = 1810 W over mirrors = 2027

As mirrors can be folded then this should not be an issue. I am used to the DB9 (with the long doors) so an extra 40mm width is unlikely to be a problem for me. At 25mm wider than the RX, I should be able to cope.

For LinasP - I went into a multi-storey in my BMW X5 a few years back where the wheels touched both sides of the entry lane as you describe. Just stupid.

Linas.P · October 31, 2017

4 hours ago, malcolmw said:

For LinasP - I went into a multi-storey in my BMW X5 a few years back where the wheels touched both sides of the entry lane as you describe. Just stupid.

Well you see that is not as bad when they make entrance narrow, but on the car park I am describing entrance is fine. I would say standard 6.6, but exit is narrow. So once you in the only way out is through the entrance..

Driving quite a lot abroad I would say that contrary to UK... the older is the car the park the wider it is, the new ones gets narrower, but nowhere to the extent as in UK. Maybe need to try Japan... I guess that might top UK.

Mark G · November 16, 2017

Multi storey car parks, wrong on so many levels...................................sorry.........................

I don't go near them.

rayaans · November 16, 2017

On 31/10/2017 at 9:39 AM, wendle said:

Hi Julian

yes as far as i no it has only gone of in the early hours of the morning, and it doesn't go of every night, so yes the car has been on the drive.

so far it hasn't gone of at any other time either at home or at work.

its all very odd, if it is a potential thief or animal i would see them on the security camera, i can't see it being vibration as yesterday i washed the car with the alarm on, the interior sensor has been changed, so the only other thing i can think of which would set of the alarm is voltage drop, due to what i don't no, unless anyone else can think of another reason why the alarm would go of.

I'd try to get them to change the Battery.

wendle · November 16, 2017

It's benn fine for the past 3 weeks, I just think it was a slightly drained Battery due to the car being shunted around and not really going anywhere, so fingers crossed the problem had solved itself.