Attempted Theft of my RX450h 2020

[DoozeUK]

52 minutes ago, Sybaris said:

I complained that it is mad that Lexus own branded insurance wont insure their own cars at a sensible price if at any price at all.

I was told that the big wigs at Lexus are having a meeting with their underwriters and insurers as nobody is taking out their insurance or there is a noticeable drop in revenue from their insurers and that just like its taken customers to push Lexus CS, it will take customers to push complaints en mass to their insurers.

We got them to listen about the plates, let’s get them to listen about sensible insurance quotes.

Hear hear! The only company I could get insurance with when I got my RX was Tescos! That’s with a clean licence and 10+ year NCB. It’s was quite a shocker and couldn’t even get a price from Lexus. It was a straight No. I’m thinking it’s because the car hasn’t got a tracker and is a Takumi variant.

[DoozeUK]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:06 AM, Lux said:

I attempted to purchase an Rx450h Takumi to replace my stolen Rx450h F Sports on 20/07/23, but I was utterly shocked when I tried to find affordable insurance on Confused.com and MoneySuperMarket.com. Both websites quoted prices above £3600, a stark contrast to the £800 I paid for my F Sport last year. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an option to add theft protection solutions while obtaining insurance quotes on these comparison websites. If any of you have managed to secure a cheaper quote from insurers with theft protection coverage, I would greatly appreciate your advice.

It’s the Takumi in the description. I was in the same boat but I didn't check before buying the car and the dealer had said it was circa the same cost as my Takumi NX. I could only get Tescos to insure me with 9+ year NC and a clean licence. Everyone else on Compare sites just didn’t offer a quote. Couldn’t even get Lexus to insure me! Think most insurers were expecting a tracker to be fitted before considering offering up a quote which might have to be the next step before I renew next year

[John Walker]

Had my RX F Sport stolen from the front of my house. Still waiting for the insurance to pay. Police wasn’t very helpful like usual. 
 

Didn’t realise it’s one of the most stolen cars in the UK. 
 

Did a bit of research to the best thing to do is to install a Ghost II imobiliser (about £500) or probably the best choice, a Pandora imobiliser, tracker and alarm that will send you notifications all the time on your phone, it has sensors it will be triggered, all as a package for around £1300 or just the imobiliser for £500. In any case, make sure they do the extra wiring to prevent the can bus theft. 
 

Go to Pandora website and find an authorised installer in your area. Don’t wait until they take your car, it’s a nightmare to get through all this. 

[ColinBarber]

and anyone reading this in the London area that hasn’t contacted Lexus yet, do so today and arrange to get anti-theft plates fitted ASAP.

[John Walker]

2 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

and anyone reading this in the London area that hasn’t contacted Lexus yet, do so today and arrange to get anti-theft plates fitted ASAP.

Exactly! This way hopefully the inssurance for this model will go down although I have the feeling that the inssurance companies will take advantage of that and keep the premiums high which means a lot of people might be put off. I m getting an insurance quote of over 3k for another RX and as much I loved my car I might have to look somewhere else. 

[Herbie]

Some of you may remember that earlier on in this topic I posted that the reply I received from Lexus UK about these protection plates was that the vast majority of thefts were taking place in London and the south and so they were being prioritised, which did make me feel frustrated but I just let it slide and thought "typical".

However, as more and more people on here are posting to say that their cars are booked in for fitting, I'm left wondering why myself and others in the frozen Northern wilderness are putting up with this, so on Friday I sent another email to Claire at Lexus UK and asked why are our cars up here considered to be less important than those in London and the South.

Surprise surprise, I had a call this afternoon from Lexus Preston and I'm now booked in for fitting of the plates one week from today

I'll be the first person to have them fitted at Lexus Preston so they've asked for the car to be left with them all day while they figure out what goes where etc., and they'll be providing a courtesy car for me.

No mention was made as to whether it will cost me anything or not but I'll be taking along a copy of that Facebook reply I posted and if they do try to charge me £200 I'll be saying, "No, sorry. Look at this".

I'll keep you posted with how I get on.

[peniole]

2 hours ago, Herbie said:

Some of you may remember that earlier on in this topic I posted that the reply I received from Lexus UK about these protection plates was that the vast majority of thefts were taking place in London and the south and so they were being prioritised, which did make me feel frustrated but I just let it slide and thought "typical".

However, as more and more people on here are posting to say that their cars are booked in for fitting, I'm left wondering why myself and others in the frozen Northern wilderness are putting up with this, so on Friday I sent another email to Claire at Lexus UK and asked why are our cars up here considered to be less important than those in London and the South.

Surprise surprise, I had a call this afternoon from Lexus Preston and I'm now booked in for fitting of the plates one week from today

I'll be the first person to have them fitted at Lexus Preston so they've asked for the car to be left with them all day while they figure out what goes where etc., and they'll be providing a courtesy car for me.

No mention was made as to whether it will cost me anything or not but I'll be taking along a copy of that Facebook reply I posted and if they do try to charge me £200 I'll be saying, "No, sorry. Look at this".

I'll keep you posted with how I get on.

Do me a favour please. On the day could you please bug them on my behalf about other lexus vehicles, namely the ES, since we're being targeted too.

[Herbie]

30 minutes ago, peniole said:

Do me a favour please. On the day could you please bug them on my behalf about other lexus vehicles, namely the ES, since we're being targeted too.

I will indeed my friend.

[John Walker]

On 3/10/2023 at 11:37 AM, Rob62 said:

A couple of weeks ago someone tried to steal my RX using the wheel arch CAN BUS method. I was extremely lucky that I saw the thief and he ran off before completing the job, but not before managing to disconnect the cables.

Lexus were extremely helpful and spent more that 30 minutes reconnecting everything and did not even charge me.

It is absolutely ridiculous that this is such a simple way of stealing cars and surely something like a software upgrade could solve the issue. Maybe not?

I have now taken to using a steering lock which I hope can act as a visual deterrent. I have also disabled keyless entry in the car (not sure if this makes any difference) and put the keys in a Faraday pouch at home.

You have all these conveniences in the car that you pay for, only to have to disable them and make everything more inconvenient.

There must be a solution..............

I called Lexus Twickenham to have that anti theft plate installed (they said only on the passenger side is required) and they want to charge me £250. I told them people have them fitted for free, this is so frustrating. Can anyone help me with Lexus UK customer service so I can make a complaint? 

[John Walker]

I called Lexus Twickenham to have that anti theft plate installed on an RX that i m planning to purchase (they said only on the passenger side is required) and they want to charge me £250. I told them people have them fitted for free, this is so frustrating. Can anyone help me with Lexus UK customer service so I can make a complaint? 

[CT200h-TL]

Try to email Lexus UK first to request for installation instead of going straight to the dealer. You don't need to pay for the installation.

[JBPRX400h]

I emailed cr@lexus.co.uk in the evening of 2 August. On 4 August I had a phone call from Lexus Milton Keynes asking me to book my car in to have the canbus protection fitted. I arranged for it to be done on 10 August and it was done free of charge and the car washed and valeted into the bargain.  Apparently mine was the first they had done so it was a bit of a learning curve for them. 

Well done Lexus MK. Great service as usual!

[eightk]

On 8/8/2023 at 9:00 PM, Herbie said:

I will indeed my friend.

And a shout out for the LC owners would be hugely appreciated too!

My local dealer haven’t had a response to my LC canbus plate questions from Lexus UK yet. Pressure from as many different angles might help. 
Hope the fitting goes well.

[rayaans]

Since reading this thread I have written to Lexus customer services and they have sent out a "protection kit" as they call it to my local dealer, Lexus Leeds who will be fitting later in the month

These kits seem to be distributed around the London area mainly but you can get one if you relay your concerns to Lexus UK despite not being anywhere near London

[John Walker]

On 7/17/2023 at 12:58 PM, Spock66 said:

If I end up paying that's disappointing, will let you know, it's booked in for next week.

Call Lexus Customer service 0345 129 5484 and tell them you have been charged by your dealership. My dealership is trying to charge customers £250 but after a phone call at Lexus Uk it suddenly became free of charge. Lexus has made it clear that you don’t need to pay any money. It’s not a fortune but I wouldn’t pay £1 for something that I know it should be free. 

[Phil xxkr]

RX450H gen 3. For the avoidance of any doubt I contacted Lexus UK and received this reply ;

Thank you for your contact to Lexus UK.

I can advise that your Lexus RX is a 3rd generation RX and has a different set-up which means it has not been targeted for theft via the CAN Bus system, which you may have read about on online forums. I can also confirm that the vehicle protective plate which has been developed is not suitable or necessary for your RX.

I hope that addresses to point you have raised and thank you for contacting Lexus UK.

Kind regards

 

Claire Dean
Lexus Customer Relations Case Manager
Toyota (GB) PLC - Lexus Division

The reply does not display a particularly adept command of the English language but is at least reassuring for older vehicle owners. I thought the sign-off interesting, Toyota GB, Lexus division when I wrote to Lexus UK? 

[ColinBarber]

18 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

RX450H gen 3. For the avoidance of any doubt I contacted Lexus UK and received this reply ;

There should never have been any doubt, the series 3 doesn’t have headlights that are connected to one of the CAN buses - this design first appeared on the RX with the series 4. A similar design exists with all NXs, UX, ES and LC plus the IS and GS facelift models - cannot remember which RCs are affected but the CT is not.

 

19 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

I thought the sign-off interesting, Toyota GB, Lexus division when I wrote to Lexus UK? 

There is no such legal entity as Lexus UK, it is just a trading name of Toyota (GB) plc.

[Herbie]

Just had my plate fitted today. They wanted the car for most of the day because they've never fitted one before so I got a UX250h loan car from them.

When I went to pick up my RX they said it was a tricky job and had taken two and a half hours, even though the book time was one hour. I suppose they'll get faster at the job the more they do. Anyway, irrespective of time taken they booked it as a warranty job at no cost to me.

I did ask about the ES, LC and others but they didn't know anything I'm afraid.

So, job done, complete with a wash and hoover out - let's just hope it works alright if it's ever needed.

[John Walker]

43 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Just had my plate fitted today. They wanted the car for most of the day because they've never fitted one before so I got a UX250h loan car from them.

When I went to pick up my RX they said it was a tricky job and had taken two and a half hours, even though the book time was one hour. I suppose they'll get faster at the job the more they do. Anyway, irrespective of time taken they booked it as a warranty job at no cost to me.

I did ask about the ES, LC and others but they didn't know anything I'm afraid.

So, job done, complete with a wash and hoover out - let's just hope it works alright if it's ever needed.

Just don’t assume you’re 100% safe now, go ahead and buy a heavy duty steering lock, install an alarm and immobiliser. 
 

The 2019+ facelift models already have a tracker installed right? 

[Herbie]

Just now, John Walker said:

Just don’t assume you’re 100% safe now, go ahead and buy a heavy duty steering lock, install an alarm and immobiliser. 
 

The 2019+ facelift models already have a tracker installed right? 

I've already got a Stoplock Pro Elite and I intend to get a Pandora Storm alarm/immobiliser or alarm/tracker.

[John Walker]

Just now, Herbie said:

I've already got a Stoplock Pro Elite and I intend to get a Pandora Storm alarm/immobiliser or alarm/tracker.

Same here, just struggling to find a good installer. All the companies i ve called have different options, Pandora Car Alarms London can only advise for one of the most expensive product Smart Pro that is £1350 + £200 for something they call wi fi immobiliser which is a must against canbus attacks as they say. I just have the feeling that they are trying to rip people off regardless of their budget.

ICM (In car music London) said the Mini Bt is all I need and that the wi fi immobiliser is not necessary. The more phone calls i give the more i get confused. 

So if you guys find a decent company please let everyone know 

 

 

[John Walker]

Everything was sorted for free after I called Lexus Customer Service UK 0345 129 5484

Please do the same if your dealership is trying to rip you off. However the dealer wasn’t as friendly as before and they didn’t wash my car as promised. Not that I needed them to wash it but if you say you gonna do something then do it! 

[John Walker]

Btw If you guys find a decent installer for an immobiliser + alarm please let everyone know 

[flookyk]

I sent Lexus an email this morning chasing them up about this security plate.

Received a reply saying they have contacted Lexus Teesside to let them know and arrange to supply them the plate and will be done under warranty... it will be done at the end of September when my RX is in for its first service.

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, John Walker said:

The 2019+ facelift models already have a tracker installed right? 

Late 2019 (MY20) RXs have Lexus Link so you can obtain location information but it isn't a Thatcham approved tracker with a warning service or easy police access etc., and it can be defeated relatively easily so you need to be careful if you are declaring it for insurance purposes.