Another Couple Of Questions Please

[bluenose1940]

My garage is a woodworking workshop and therefore it is impossible to get the car in there.

With every car that I have owned, on frosty mornings I start the car up and let it warm up on the driveway, this clears all of the frost/ice from the windows and gets the car comfortably warm ready to set off on my journey. I don't think that I can do that with the 300h can I.

Also, I am wondering how the heating sytem actually works. With a 'normal' car, you set off on your journey and after a while the engine gets warm and starts to distribute heat into the cabin and you get nice and cozy. If I had a 300h and decided to pop into town, which is less than 3 miles away, I would set off and, on the way I will be going through some 20mph areas and mostly 30mph areas but, the opportunities to get up to 30mph will be few and far between because of traffic, meaning I think, that the petrol engine will not cut in at any point on the journey and so, if the engine doesn't get chance to heat up, how does the heating/air conditioning work?

Sorry to keep coming up with these questions but if I don't ask I wont know.............will I !

[Bridgy]

Stick the heating on and the engine will soon cut in ;)

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

[zippyone]

Hi Geoff,

my 'IS' should be here in a couple of weeks, so cannot comment on your question fully, but, can draw on my two year experience with the CT.

I think that under the circumstances that you describe, your petrol engine will do most of the running, as the Battery will not run the car for six miles without needing a recharge. It may be possible if you maintain a very low speed, say 5/6mph, but I doubt it. No Battery that I know of, works well in cold weather, come to that, six miles Battery only, would be a push even in the Summer.

It seems a pity that you must park out in the elements, the 'IS' is an expensive motor. Is there no way you can park it in one of those tent type things, that you can buy to park cars in? It probably would not solve the cold problem fully, but would prevent ice

from forming on the glass and bodywork and also give some protection from the cold.

Regards.

Michael.

[RXJasonRX]

hello

have no fear, as soon as you stick the heater on the engine will come on if the car thinks it needs to, until it senses it's no longer needed.

Also the engine will come in at any time should the computers think the batteries need charging.

[rayaans]

You wont have any problems at all.

The only problem I can think of is leaving the car on the driveway turned on :P Even without the key the car will move and keep going until its turned off - if its stolen, you wont get anything from the insurance company

How do I know? Last week my colleague did the same thing - left the car on the driveway turned on and went inside to get his bag. Someone drove the car away and insurance company is refusing to pay out on the grounds that it was not locked and was running.

[bluenose1940]

Great! Thank you folks for your prompt and helpful replies.

Michael, I have never ever garaged any car that I have owned throughout my life. I'm a non-believer in that regard I'm afraid.

[C Mclean]

Geoff, from what I can remember, if you get in the car, press the start button to switch on, then turn on the heated rear screen, demister and heated seats etc. the engine will fire up while you scrape the windows. It doesn't take long to warm up.

[DJP]

From a cold start even without anything like heating turned on the engine will fire up within about 10 seconds.

The way I look at it is that it's not really an electric car, it's a petrol car with an electric support act. Driven a certain way the electric motor will support more rather than less, and it's great fun in heavy traffic gliding for as long as possible on the Battery, but anyone buying thinking it's not heavily reliant on the engine is mistaken.

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

[ColinBarber]

Also, I am wondering how the heating sytem actually works. With a 'normal' car, you set off on your journey and after a while the engine gets warm and starts to distribute heat into the cabin and you get nice and cozy. If I had a 300h and decided to pop into town, which is less than 3 miles away, I would set off and, on the way I will be going through some 20mph areas and mostly 30mph areas but, the opportunities to get up to 30mph will be few and far between because of traffic, meaning I think, that the petrol engine will not cut in at any point on the journey and so, if the engine doesn't get chance to heat up, how does the heating/air conditioning work?

It is the same as 'normal' car. It uses the heat from the engine coolant. If you have the climate control on and set to a temperature higher than it actually is it will use engine heat. If the coolant isn't hot enough it will force the engine to run - this is one reason why economy really drops in cold weather.

The only thing that is different from some 'normal' cars is that the AC is electric rather than being mechanically driven off the engine - so it hot weather the petrol engine doesn't have to run to cool you.

[Roscobbc]

Arguably I think the car warms-ups up quicker than a diesel vehicle. As has already been said - hit the 'start' button - the heated rear window/mirrors - highest setting on the heated seats and it warms-up reasonably quick. Hitting the 'defrost' button (and disable the a/c function) will speed things along a bit. Haven't tried it but wondered if starting the car up, leaving primary key in cabin - are you able then to lock the vehicle with the spare key and leave the car to warm-up securely?

[Martin F]

You won't be able to lock the car if a key is detected inside it.

[rayaans]

I cant understand why they offer remote starters in the US and not over here!

[DJP]

I cant understand why they offer remote starters in the US and not over here!

Another Lexus anomaly to add to the list.

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

[splatty]

It cloud be worse bluenose, you could be driving a coupe.

On a particularly frosty morning, I can't open the doors to get in and start the car as the windows won't drop.

Can't wait for the IS to arrive in about 6 weeks.

[ColinBarber]

I cant understand why they offer remote starters in the US and not over here!

Their new system looks quite good. Remote operation of engine start, windows, door locks, and warning alerts if your car goes over a certain speed if you lend it to somebody - all from your smartphone.

[DJP]

I cant understand why they offer remote starters in the US and not over here!

Their new system looks quite good. Remote operation of engine start, windows, door locks, and warning alerts if your car goes over a certain speed if you lend it to somebody - all from your smartphone.

Any chance of something like that over here? A simple remote start would do!

Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

[ColinBarber]

Probably not. It is illegal to have a vehicle unattended with the engine running on a public road in the UK, I cannot see a manufacturer offering a remote start due to legal issues - even if they stipulated it could only be used on private property somebody would try and sue....

[DJP]

Probably not. It is illegal to have a vehicle unattended with the engine running on a public road in the UK, I cannot see a manufacturer offering a remote start due to legal issues - even if they stipulated it could only be used on private property somebody would try and sue....

I didn't know that. A veritable fountain of knowledge your are ColinBarber

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

[Ian J. Parsley]

Not so sure about the legal issues - the Jaguar XE seems set to offer it. It could simply be that our model years are different - and of course the US is a vastly bigger market.

On topic, David is right - regard the car as a petrol car with electric assistance, rather than the other way around, and it all makes sense.

[ColinBarber]

Not so sure about the legal issues - the Jaguar XE seems set to offer it. It could simply be that our model years are different - and of course the US is a vastly bigger market.

On topic, David is right - regard the car as a petrol car with electric assistance, rather than the other way around, and it all makes sense.

Not so sure about the legal issues - the Jaguar XE seems set to offer it. It could simply be that our model years are different - and of course the US is a vastly bigger market.

Lexus have offered remote start in one form or another for years in the US but never in the UK, with a similar story for other manufacturers.

Whist it is illegal to have an engine running in an unattended vehicle on a UK road, really that should only be the concern of the owner rather than the manufacturer, however Lexus in the UK are ultra conservative and are currently removing features rather than adding them (for example removing the option to have doors automatically lock when driving away on the GS model).