ES Collection at Last

[SH20]

At long last my dealer say they have the car and we have agreed I can collect on the 12th August.    Decided not to take part in the mayhem of the 1st Sept as this car is to stay with me for at least 5 years as I have 5 years free servicing from the dealer.  Moreover my car will be registered with DVLA using my personal plate so the 69 reg plate is academic to me.

Ordered 26th Feb 2019 and will collect 12th August 2019.    My first ever new car.   Glad I opted for the Premium Pack and the dealer threw in a Protection Pack  so can't complain about the overall deal.  Not really sure what 5 years servicing will cost but it will be 3 interim and 2 larger services.   My GS450 service plan was about £36 a month x 36 months so an ES can't be less surely.    Didn't think £378 insurance was too bad either with only a £150 xs (one accident, my fault in the last 5 years declared)   There was not one top ten motor insurer who could match the premium and the benefits of Saga and I spent all my working life in the world of Motor Insurance Claims as a loss adjuster.  

Just got to stay alive till Monday.

 

  

[Habu]

17 minutes ago, SH20 said:

At long last my dealer say they have the car and we have agreed I can collect on the 12th August.    Decided not to take part in the mayhem of the 1st Sept as this car is to stay with me for at least 5 years as I have 5 years free servicing from the dealer.  Moreover my car will be registered with DVLA using my personal plate so the 69 reg plate is academic to me.

Ordered 26th Feb 2019 and will collect 12th August 2019.    My first ever new car.   Glad I opted for the Premium Pack and the dealer threw in a Protection Pack  so can't complain about the overall deal.  Not really sure what 5 years servicing will cost but it will be 3 interim and 2 larger services.   My GS450 service plan was about £36 a month x 36 months so an ES can't be less surely.    Didn't think £378 insurance was too bad either with only a £150 xs (one accident, my fault in the last 5 years declared)   There was not one top ten motor insurer who could match the premium and the benefits of Saga and I spent all my working life in the world of Motor Insurance Claims as a loss adjuster.  

Just got to stay alive till Monday.

 

  

Great news.  Can’t wait to see the pics.  There’s nothing like picking up a new car.👍

[royoftherovers]

16 minutes ago, SH20 said:

At long last my dealer say they have the car and we have agreed I can collect on the 12th August.    Decided not to take part in the mayhem of the 1st Sept as this car is to stay with me for at least 5 years as I have 5 years free servicing from the dealer.  Moreover my car will be registered with DVLA using my personal plate so the 69 reg plate is academic to me.

Ordered 26th Feb 2019 and will collect 12th August 2019.    My first ever new car.   Glad I opted for the Premium Pack and the dealer threw in a Protection Pack  so can't complain about the overall deal.  Not really sure what 5 years servicing will cost but it will be 3 interim and 2 larger services.   My GS450 service plan was about £36 a month x 36 months so an ES can't be less surely.    Didn't think £378 insurance was too bad either with only a £150 xs (one accident, my fault in the last 5 years declared)   There was not one top ten motor insurer who could match the premium and the benefits of Saga and I spent all my working life in the world of Motor Insurance Claims as a loss adjuster.  

Just got to stay alive till Monday.

 

  

Congratulations Steve. Going Grouse shooting by any chance?

 

Please let us have some piccies when available.

[wynants]

Lucky you! i ordered mine at beginning of april and so far they still hold on to a early september delivery , i'm driving an IS 300 h as a loaner now, not bad , but the ES is another fish altogether Yesterday i passed a Lexus dealer who had exact the same car in the showroom as the one i ordered ( black - privilege line - takumi brown interior) man this gonna be a long month ! 

[SH20]

Dealer sent me a mini video just after it came off transporter.   Notice no centre wheel  caps and the  plastic film over wheels.

 

 

[Habu]

20 minutes ago, wynants said:

Lucky you! i ordered mine at beginning of april and so far they still hold on to a early september delivery , i'm driving an IS 300 h as a loaner now, not bad , but the ES is another fish altogether Yesterday i passed a Lexus dealer who had exact the same car in the showroom as the one i ordered ( black - privilege line - takumi brown interior) man this gonna be a long month ! 

If your car is due early September then it’ll be on the high seas at the moment.  Lexus UK would be able to tell you which ship it’s on.  Mine is due at the dealers beginning of September (or very late August) and it lands at Royal Portbury docks on the 16 August.  

I’m slightly confused by your trim description. Assuming you’re in the UK is it a base model with Premium Pack or an F Sport with Takumi Pack?  I’m guessing the former if it has a brown interior as F Sport models only come with black or red interior.  Let me know as I’m curious.🙂

Anyway, it’s not too long to wait.  Find out which ship it’s on and you can track it to the UK.  That helps to pass the time.👍

Regards 

Habu

Edit:  I’ve just seen your latest post.👍👍

[YYB129]

32 minutes ago, SH20 said:

Dealer sent me a mini video just after it came off transporter.   Notice no centre wheel  caps and the  plastic film over wheels.

 

 

Same spec as mine I believe, ordered on 4th February expected in the batch on the ocean, so early September.

 

Vehicle: Lexus ES Saloon 300h 2.5 4Dr CVT [premium Pack]

Colour: Solid - Black
Trim: Smooth leather - Topaz Brown

[Habu]

34 minutes ago, SH20 said:

Dealer sent me a mini video just after it came off transporter.   Notice no centre wheel  caps and the  plastic film over wheels.

 

 

Great spec😀.   Are you going to collect it ASAP or wait until September?

[Habu]

3 minutes ago, YYB129 said:

Same spec as mine I believe, ordered on 4th February expected in the batch on the ocean, so early September.

 

Vehicle: Lexus ES Saloon 300h 2.5 4Dr CVT [premium Pack]

Colour: Solid - Black
Trim: Smooth leather - Topaz Brown

I think, £ for £, this represents the best value ES as you get all the good stuff and, hopefully, dips under the £40k wealth tax threshold.  My NXs road fund license this September is £455.😱. Thankfully, I’m handing it back on the 31 August and I’ll drive a dealers car for a few days until my ES is ready.

[SH20]

Yes  Velvet Black  (Solid)  Topaz trim, (1 of 4 colour trim options) available only if you have the Premium Pack.   Not waiting till Sept, collecting 12th August.  Private plate so the whole 69 plate thing doesn't really interest me, if it did I would wait.   Car was under £40K  so road tax will be around £135 I think.  I noted from the video the Factory must have fitted the rear bumper stainless steel protector trim as part of the Protection Pack.  

Although I live in Leeds Lexus have been very generous and loaned me a car for the last month and said I can just drop it off at the dealer in Carlisle when I collect my car. Saved me having to get a train.  It's a Toyota Auris and is a really great car in terms of build quality and equipment.       

[Habu]

43 minutes ago, SH20 said:

Yes  Velvet Black  (Solid)  Topaz trim, (1 of 4 colour trim options) available only if you have the Premium Pack.   Not waiting till Sept, collecting 12th August.  Private plate so the whole 69 plate thing doesn't really interest me, if it did I would wait.   Car was under £40K  so road tax will be around £135 I think.  I noted from the video the Factory must have fitted the rear bumper stainless steel protector trim as part of the Protection Pack.  

Although I live in Leeds Lexus have been very generous and loaned me a car for the last month and said I can just drop it off at the dealer in Carlisle when I collect my car. Saved me having to get a train.  It's a Toyota Auris and is a really great car in terms of build quality and equipment.       

Yes, saw the protection strip too.  Like you, I thought that it was a dealer fit item. I’ve ordered the pro pack too (actually thrown into the deal) so will check mine when it finally gets here.😕

[DanD]

I wish the Topaz trim were available on the NX. It would be my choice on my next Lexus.

[SH20]

On principle I simply refuse to accept that if I have a puncture I am forced to use those awful inflation kits which render the tyre un repairable and therefore scrap.  The added expense of a new tyre just adds insult to injury. After a fellow forum member sent me some photos of the boot floor of his Takumi ES I could see there was a threaded bracket welded to the floor so a spare wheel could be secured to it.  I'm assuming that's for other markets were a space saver is standard or an option.

So I bought a second hand space saver off a GS450, 5 stud configuration and at this point I'm hoping it will fit my ES hubs front and rear.  From memory I don't believe there was an option for a space saver for  the UK.   Anyway it cost £20  and  I decided to refurbish the wheel today, nothing drastic just denibbed the minor cosmetic defects and dressed the scratched paint finish.  Painted it satin black after removing  the  original maximum speed stickers, 50 mph and 80 kmph.  Found a set on  eBay for £2.50, a Jaguar original item.  Bought a spare wheel securing bolt fastener for a Toyota on eBay and  I'm hoping it will all enable me to have a proper spare.   May well have to do something about the black polystyrene tool holder sitting under the boot floor board as I'm guessing there won't be sufficient space to allow for a spare wheel.  The US market has a much thinner polystyrene tool holder to allow for their standard space saver.      

     

[NemesisUK]

Do you have one-piece or two-piece front discs?

If you have the latter be aware one cannot use steel wheels as they may distort the aluminium "top hat" of the disc.

[Herbie]

2 hours ago, SH20 said:

On principle I simply refuse to accept that if I have a puncture I am forced to use those awful inflation kits which render the tyre un repairable and therefore scrap

That is a myth spread by lazy tyre fitters. 

Up to getting this RX450h I've been running LPG cars for the last 15 years with the gas tank in the spare wheel well, ergo no spare wheel. I needed to use the goo on one occasion but then went to my usual trusted mechanic for the puncture repair instead of places like KwikFit, ATS et al and he did it without any problems at all. It took a little time to clean the rim but it is eminently doable.

[Vlady]

I have never had a brand new car but what a feeling it must be to sit in it for the first time, to remove all the protective films, new car smell etc!

I get excited when I get a new phone I would be over the moon with the new car! :)

Your car looks great, a good looking ES! Congratulations! I guess it will be a long weekend for you to wait until 12th of August! :)

[DanD]

19 hours ago, SH20 said:

On principle I simply refuse to accept that if I have a puncture I am forced to use those awful inflation kits which render the tyre un repairable and therefore scrap. 

This is not true. It may take a bit of work to remove the "goo", but a reputable tyre company will do so gracefully. Saying that it renders the tyre un repairable is simply an excuse for not doing and selling you a new tyre.,

[SH20]

I guess profit drives the whole issue of who will and who won't take the time to remove the residue and repair a conventional puncture.  I'm going to have  a spare wheel and the first thing I will do when I get the car home is to try my space saver on the front and rear hubs. I had a GS 450 with 18 inch wheels and a space saver so my space saver should fit.  The whole thing is really about cost and which markets will accept the no spare wheel .  Does the US insist cars are supplied with a spare I wonder. 

[Dippo]

I think it's more about weight, and its impact on fuel consumption and emissions testing.

[i-s]

19 hours ago, Dippo said:

I think it's more about weight, and its impact on fuel consumption and emissions testing.

Yup. Also the reason why Merc C-class now come with 41 litre fuel tanks (as the weight for testing is based on a 3/4 full tank - tiny tank saves them 10-20kg of fuel). 

[SH20]

The space saver I obtained fits the front and rear hubs ok and turns freely so I will make a new dummy floor out of mdf so I can store the spare in the wheel well.    I'll use the original Styrofoam tool holder as a pattern.  

Finished detailing my new car, took 35 hours to address the issues the dealer's car cleaners caused.  The only panel not affected by them was the roof panel. I decided just to start over and do every panel.  If I ever buy another new Lexus the dealer will be told to do the PDI after it comes off the transporter and nothing more.  I would collect it with all the factory tape and plastic coverings and remove it all at home.  

[JeffL]

9 hours ago, SH20 said:

The space saver I obtained fits the front and rear hubs ok and turns freely so I will make a new dummy floor out of mdf so I can store the spare in the wheel well.    I'll use the original Styrofoam tool holder as a pattern.  

Finished detailing my new car, took 35 hours to address the issues the dealer's car cleaners caused.  The only panel not affected by them was the roof panel. I decided just to start over and do every panel.  If I ever buy another new Lexus the dealer will be told to do the PDI after it comes off the transporter and nothing more.  I would collect it with all the factory tape and plastic coverings and remove it all at home.  

Steve. What exactly did you do to detail your new ES? Which products etc? Thanks.

[SH20]

Jeff, my background was car Insurance accident damage so body shops were very familiar territory for me.

All new cars with few exceptions have a lacquer top coat and it's this that will have swirls in it, not the underlying colour.    Dirty and careless use of cleaning materials will cause marks in the lacquer coat. My car is Velvet Black, a solid paint colour which needs more looking after than any other.  

But to answer the question,   whether it's 1 or 15 body panels the process is the same. My process is:

• Powerwash the bodywork.
• Use a neutral PH snow foam which loosens dirt. Power wash that off. Then wash the car with a wash mitt. I use a GTECH micro fibre type one.  Have a bucket of  clean fresh water next to your soapy wash bucket  so you rinse out the mitt after you wash each panel.  You need to reduce the risk of leaving dirt in the mitt so rinsing it constantly helps. 
• Dry thoroughly with good quality micro fibre towels. Never use a chamois leather.  Micro fibre is best.
• clay bar each panel.  Literally a clay bar lubricated by a clay bar solution which lifts microscopic contaminants you can't see but can feel with your hand.
• Wipe the clay bar solution off the panel, do only one panel at a time.
• The lacquer coat may require  one or more of the following, cutting back the top coat with cutting compound, using a dual action polishing machine gives great results. They have a variable speed switch  depending how fast you want to cut or polish,  2nd, a polishing process and then 3rd, a finishing process. . I use foam pads myself by choice and the harder the foam pad the more cutting power it has, the softer  pads will be for ultra fine  polishing and spreading the final stage polish.  I use 3M cutting compounds and polishing products mainly but believe me there are hundreds if not thousands of aids to remove paint damage.   After  all polishing is done all the polish oils that have been left on the panel after you buff to a shine need to be removed.   This is done by specific panel cleaners like Eco Pro Eraser.  The panel is now bare with no protection.  Then  and only then do you apply a really high quality wax which seals and protects the paint.  I use Collinite 845 a truly great liquid wax.    Always always use the highest quality micro fibre towels for buffing  off polish and waxes.

Well Jeff you did ask.   My car had numerous fine swirl damage in about 40% of the panels so I just did the whole car.   Many people would not notice swirls except in bright sunlight when it catches the panel in a certain way.   No good asking a dealer to sort swirl marks, they are not equipped or skilled or have the time to devote to the very damage they cause.    Imagine what it's like in a dealer's cleaning dept just prior to September 1st and the rush to get ready numerous new cars.       

 

 

 

[JeffL]

23 minutes ago, SH20 said:

Jeff, my background was car Insurance accident damage so body shops were very familiar territory for me.

All new cars with few exceptions have a lacquer top coat and it's this that will have swirls in it, not the underlying colour.    Dirty and careless use of cleaning materials will cause marks in the lacquer coat. My car is Velvet Black, a solid paint colour which needs more looking after than any other.  

But to answer the question,   whether it's 1 or 15 body panels the process is the same. My process is:

• Powerwash the bodywork.
• Use a neutral PH snow foam which loosens dirt. Power wash that off. Then wash the car with a wash mitt. I use a GTECH micro fibre type one.  Have a bucket of  clean fresh water next to your soapy wash bucket  so you rinse out the mitt after you wash each panel.  You need to reduce the risk of leaving dirt in the mitt so rinsing it constantly helps. 
• Dry thoroughly with good quality micro fibre towels. Never use a chamois leather.  Micro fibre is best.
• Clay bar each panel.  Literally a clay bar lubricated by a clay bar solution which lifts microscopic contaminants you can't see but can feel with your hand.
• Wipe the clay bar solution off the panel, do only one panel at a time.
• The lacquer coat may require  one or more of the following, cutting back the top coat with cutting compound, using a dual action polishing machine gives great results. They have a variable speed switch  depending how fast you want to cut or polish,  2nd, a polishing process and then 3rd, a finishing process. . I use foam pads myself by choice and the harder the foam pad the more cutting power it has, the softer  pads will be for ultra fine  polishing and spreading the final stage polish.  I use 3M cutting compounds and polishing products mainly but believe me there are hundreds if not thousands of aids to remove paint damage.   After  all polishing is done all the polish oils that have been left on the panel after you buff to a shine need to be removed.   This is done by specific panel cleaners like Eco Pro Eraser.  The panel is now bare with no protection.  Then  and only then do you apply a really high quality wax which seals and protects the paint.  I use Collinite 845 a truly great liquid wax.    Always always use the highest quality micro fibre towels for buffing  off polish and waxes.

Well Jeff you did ask.   My car had numerous fine swirl damage in about 40% of the panels so I just did the whole car.   Many people would not notice swirls except in bright sunlight when it catches the panel in a certain way.   No good asking a dealer to sort swirl marks, they are not equipped or skilled or have the time to devote to the very damage they cause.    Imagine what it's like in a dealer's cleaning dept just prior to September 1st and the rush to get ready numerous new cars.       

 

 

 

Steve, Yes, I did ask! and you've done me proud with your very detailed (pun not intended) answer. One more question re microfibre cloths. I use some very fine ones specially designed for drying-off the glass and the AmazonBasics Large Thick Drying Towel (Pack of 2) for drying-off the body panels. What type(s) do you use? Thanks again.

[Habu]

I use Meguiars drying towel.  Very large and super thick.  Lay on panel, pat pat and lift off.  Perfect results and dry panel.  No need to rub or wipe the panel.  £20 and washes great.👍