Pop-Up Hood - Warning

[rayaans]

My thoughts are ill pass on a pop up bonnet. I doubt it has any impact on insurance at all in any event.

You cannot 'pass' on it though. It's a built in feature of the car, likely so that is can earn the 5 star NCAP rating. But sounds like Lexus haven't implented the collision activation well enough. If a impact that doesn't even damage the bumper can set it off, that's not good design. Equally another fourm member had the front of their bumper badly damaged but the system didn't activate....

do all new ish cars have this?, to me its on my cross off list along with auto stop/start.

Far too much hassle and flaws and trouble, again I seriously doubt your insurance will be reduced due to having a pop up bonnet.

Most new cars are beginning to get this feature now. I think it only pops in certain situations.

My wife pranged the IS and the pop up hood didn't deploy even though the bumper is slightly dropped and deformed. As with all things there will be some which go wrong

[toffee_pie]

My thoughts are ill pass on a pop up bonnet. I doubt it has any impact on insurance at all in any event.

You cannot 'pass' on it though. It's a built in feature of the car, likely so that is can earn the 5 star NCAP rating. But sounds like Lexus haven't implented the collision activation well enough. If a impact that doesn't even damage the bumper can set it off, that's not good design. Equally another fourm member had the front of their bumper badly damaged but the system didn't activate....

do all new ish cars have this?, to me its on my cross off list along with auto stop/start.

Far too much hassle and flaws and trouble, again I seriously doubt your insurance will be reduced due to having a pop up bonnet.

Most new cars are beginning to get this feature now. I think it only pops in certain situations.

My wife pranged the IS and the pop up hood didn't deploy even though the bumper is slightly dropped and deformed. As with all things there will be some which go wrong

from what i have seen this is not exactly true and is prone to getting activated inadvertently by events other than a guy's head bashing the bonnet.

[rayaans]

My thoughts are ill pass on a pop up bonnet. I doubt it has any impact on insurance at all in any event.

You cannot 'pass' on it though. It's a built in feature of the car, likely so that is can earn the 5 star NCAP rating. But sounds like Lexus haven't implented the collision activation well enough. If a impact that doesn't even damage the bumper can set it off, that's not good design. Equally another fourm member had the front of their bumper badly damaged but the system didn't activate....

do all new ish cars have this?, to me its on my cross off list along with auto stop/start.

Far too much hassle and flaws and trouble, again I seriously doubt your insurance will be reduced due to having a pop up bonnet.

Most new cars are beginning to get this feature now. I think it only pops in certain situations.

My wife pranged the IS and the pop up hood didn't deploy even though the bumper is slightly dropped and deformed. As with all things there will be some which go wrong

from what i have seen this is not exactly true and is prone to getting activated inadvertently by events other than a guy's head bashing the bonnet.

But there's your mistake, as of 25th NOV 2015, there are nearly 7000 IS300h's registered. Ive only come across maybe 3 cases on the forum (which, lets face it, is where everyone goes when they have problems). Even if you extrapolate it and say 10 cases of pop up bonnet failures, its 1/700 x 100 = 0.14 % of cars affected! Thats practically NOTHING. There's more chance of the TPMS going wrong.

[Martin F]

Ive only come across maybe 3 cases on the forum (which, lets face it, is where everyone goes when they have problems).

Really? I would have thought most people go to Lexus rather looking for a forum to post on.

Guess you learn something new everyday.

[toffee_pie]

My thoughts are ill pass on a pop up bonnet. I doubt it has any impact on insurance at all in any event.

You cannot 'pass' on it though. It's a built in feature of the car, likely so that is can earn the 5 star NCAP rating. But sounds like Lexus haven't implented the collision activation well enough. If a impact that doesn't even damage the bumper can set it off, that's not good design. Equally another fourm member had the front of their bumper badly damaged but the system didn't activate....

do all new ish cars have this?, to me its on my cross off list along with auto stop/start.

Far too much hassle and flaws and trouble, again I seriously doubt your insurance will be reduced due to having a pop up bonnet.

Most new cars are beginning to get this feature now. I think it only pops in certain situations.

My wife pranged the IS and the pop up hood didn't deploy even though the bumper is slightly dropped and deformed. As with all things there will be some which go wrong

from what i have seen this is not exactly true and is prone to getting activated inadvertently by events other than a guy's head bashing the bonnet.

But there's your mistake, as of 25th NOV 2015, there are nearly 7000 IS300h's registered. Ive only come across maybe 3 cases on the forum (which, lets face it, is where everyone goes when they have problems). Even if you extrapolate it and say 10 cases of pop up bonnet failures, its 1/700 x 100 = 0.14 % of cars affected! Thats practically NOTHING. There's more chance of the TPMS going wrong.

try telling that to the owners, how long before one of these ridiculous pop up bonnets goes off on its own accord and caused the driver to have a crash injuring him/her self and/or others in the process.

[rayaans]

Ive only come across maybe 3 cases on the forum (which, lets face it, is where everyone goes when they have problems).

Really? I would have thought most people go to Lexus rather looking for a forum to post on.

Guess you learn something new everyday.

Nope, actually people post on forums first and then go to the dealers.

try telling that to the owners, how long before one of these ridiculous pop up bonnets goes off on its own accord and caused the driver to have a crash injuring him/her self and/or others in the process.

You could say the same thing about the airbags or ACC/PCS system if equipped though. I doubt many people worry about it. I dont for a start, the likelihood of the pop up bonnet deploying on its own is less than an airbag deploying on its own

[ganzoom]

You could say the same thing about the airbags or ACC/PCS system if equipped though. I doubt many people worry about it. I dont for a start, the likelihood of the pop up bonnet deploying on its own is less than an airbag deploying on its own

I'm pretty sure if an airbag deployed by itself due to a kid kicking a football at the bumper, that would be taken very seriously. You know as well as I do the potential injury an air-bag could do if deployed inappropriately. Lexus clearly need to design the pop-up bonnet trigger better, I'm not bothered, because its unlikely to happen, but I hope they still at least look into the underlying cause.

[rayaans]

You could say the same thing about the airbags or ACC/PCS system if equipped though. I doubt many people worry about it. I dont for a start, the likelihood of the pop up bonnet deploying on its own is less than an airbag deploying on its own

I'm pretty sure if an airbag deployed by itself due to a kid kicking a football at the bumper, that would be taken very seriously. You know as well as I do the potential injury an air-bag could do if deployed inappropriately. Lexus clearly need to design the pop-up bonnet trigger better, I'm not bothered, because its unlikely to happen, but I hope they still at least look into the underlying cause.

A Mercedes airbag went off because an old woman hit the bumper with her bag when a man horned at her. Its extremely unlikely to go off on its own accord - something always triggers it.

[DanD]

I find some of the comments in this thread rather astounding, selfish and distasteful.

Safety features should be regarded as good things, intended to protect you, your passengers, pedestrians and other road users. None us as drivers as infallible, and we all make mistakes as do other road users. I would much accept the cost of the added technology - and associated repairs where needed - knowing that I may injure someone rather than kill them... or that my kids may end up with relatively minor injuries rather than become bed ridden after being hit by a car.

Some of the many reasons I drive Lexus cars are their safety features and records. And I am glad that airbags, pop up hoods, ABS, TCS and the like are becoming the norm.

If money is your only incentive and you are only concerned by how much it is going to cost to repair your car after a collision, be it with a car, pedestrian or other), maybe a modern car such as a Lexus is not for you and you should go for a 70s Skoda.

An expensive car will lead to expensive bills. Deal with it... or buy something else.

Rant over.

[toffee_pie]

I echo all that. I don't skimp on maintenance and I always look at safety and the more air bags the better. But I draw the line at pop up hoods as I don't think they are refined enough, it's been discussed here enough. I don't need hassle of getting pop up hoods replaced or fixed if they inadvertently go off, indeed if they go off doing their job they still would be a pain in the butt with getting the car repaired. It will probably have a record on its file as being in an accident for example and will knock a sizable chunk of its resale value?

So, I'm out. I am happy enough with twin chamber air bags, 10 or so others and all the traction control, snow mode and etc. That's safe enough for me.

[rayaans]

I echo all that. I don't skimp on maintenance and I always look at safety and the more air bags the better. But I draw the line at pop up hoods as I don't think they are refined enough, it's been discussed here enough. I don't need hassle of getting pop up hoods replaced or fixed if they inadvertently go off, indeed if they go off doing their job they still would be a pain in the butt with getting the car repaired. It will probably have a record on its file as being in an accident for example and will knock a sizable chunk of its resale value?

So, I'm out. I am happy enough with twin chamber air bags, 10 or so others and all the traction control, snow mode and etc. That's safe enough for me.

Like I said - its very rare for it to go off. Its not exactly a pain to get it sorted either. Literally takes 1 phone call to insurance and 1 to a bodyshop of your choice, car will be done in a week. My wifes IS is being sorted, new bumper and new fender in a week so I doubt itd take any longer for a pop up hood sorting.

Cars dont show accident damage on the HPI check or any other check unless they are written off.

[ganzoom]

So, I'm out. I am happy enough with twin chamber air bags, 10 or so others and all the traction control, snow mode and etc. That's safe enough for me.

Your missing the point, the pop-up hood is to PROTECT people been hit by the car NOT you.

But sadly like many VW owners, no one these days seems to care about anyone but themselves. So what if my VW filling the air with NO, it doesn't bother me...Isn't it great how selfish we all can be :)

[ganzoom]

Of course the solution to this is to remove rhe massive/heavy lump on the engine and it replace it with something much smaller and elegant. There would than be no need for pop-up hoods....

Only if there was a 5 seater saloon car on the market where there was no massive engine under the bonnet, but instead just storage space ;)

[JonnyWil]

Just to update everyone, in the words of Lexus something small has made contact with the front offside corner of the car. No external damage to the car at all but enough to flex the bumper in and crush the sensor tube and activating the Pop Up Hood. Also in a representative of Lexus own words, I think you have been very unlucky and the contact was litterally just on the very edge of what was required to activate it!!! No sign of what was hit, checked all over the road and at the sides when this happened but nothing.

Repairs needed, New Bonnet, Hinges (plus spraying and colour match over the wing and front bumper - three coat pearl!!!) F Sport Badges, Airbag control unit, pedestrian safety unit, pedestrian safety sensor tube, Pop Up Hood rams, bonnet stays plus all the assesment work to find out what happened. Grand total for all of that just over £5000!!!!!!!! I took one week for the assesment/ insurance approval etc and then will be another 2 weeks for the repair!!!

This system is so the car companies dont have to design the car with the EU required 5 or 6 inches between the outer skin of the bonnet and the top of the engine block, they must have just twigged at the same time that we can make a fortune in repairs when these things to go off even if you dont hit a pedestrian!!!

Im not questioning the safety feature but surley this could have been designed better so that when contact is made with anything, in my case something that didnt even damage the car!! The car doesnt then do something that causes £5000+ worth of damage!!!

I wonder how popular cars with this system will be when they start to get to 6 or 7 years plus as deployment could have you facing an insurance write off!!!! I know people will say that is what your insurance is for but you wont get anywhere near what the car is worth to you and the added problems that then creates!!

DanD, RX 450H, well lets hope as all drivers are fallible that you don't hit a pedestrian as I doubt there is a pop up hood on your model (please enlighten us) as this would do very little for a pedstrian due to the height of the front. With all due respect if you are so safety driven for both yourself and other road users and pedestrians is there a specific reason you require the large RX or is this just for the school run? When compared to the IS or CT I wonder which one a pedestrian would rather it be in the event of a accident?? If you say its for offroading then why did you even buy an RX?? So how much consideration did you give to the safety of other road users and pedestrians when purchasing your large 4x4? Only asking as you choose to question other peoples stand on other peoples safety!

[toffee_pie]

So, I'm out. I am happy enough with twin chamber air bags, 10 or so others and all the traction control, snow mode and etc. That's safe enough for me.

Your missing the point, the pop-up hood is to PROTECT people been hit by the car NOT you.

But sadly like many VW owners, no one these days seems to care about anyone but themselves. So what if my VW filling the air with NO, it doesn't bother me...Isn't it great how selfish we all can be :)

As pointed out by others and most recently the 5k figure below, I think I'll settle for protection for myself until such a time as pop up hoods are more refined and will not cause you to be without a car for that long never mind the costs involved. Whether insurance pays or not is irrelevant, in fact I don't think I would want a car that has that much repair work carried out on it back again.

[JonnyWil]

Oh and DanD just to add further details, this is my company car so the cost has no effect on me what so ever and all costs are covered by the insurance which is also paid by the company. Money is not the issue here as stated from the start the pop hood activating nearly caused an accident in a situation that didnt require it.

[JonnyWil]

So, I'm out. I am happy enough with twin chamber air bags, 10 or so others and all the traction control, snow mode and etc. That's safe enough for me.

Your missing the point, the pop-up hood is to PROTECT people been hit by the car NOT you.

But sadly like many VW owners, no one these days seems to care about anyone but themselves. So what if my VW filling the air with NO, it doesn't bother me...Isn't it great how selfish we all can be :)

As pointed out by others and most recently the 5k figure below, I think I'll settle for protection for myself until such a time as pop up hoods are more refined and will not cause you to be without a car for that long never mind the costs involved. Whether insurance pays or not is irrelevant, in fact I don't think I would want a car that has that much repair work carried out on it back again.

Exactly what my whole point is, just how refined is this system!!

[rayaans]

Half of that doesnt even need doing. A new bonnet and hinges can be popped in without any "matching" paintwork, dont know what they're talking about there tbh unless there's damage to the fender.

Bumper may need replacing but I highly doubt the fenders do and you don't need F-Sport badges if there's nothing wrong with them

You dont need to match the paintwork unless there's a significant difference in colour which is highly unlikely on a car so young.

[wh05apk]

The new bonnet will need spraying, it is likely that the front wings (I assume that's what you mean by "fender" - that is what we call them this side of the pond) will need blending in. The F-sport badges are presumably stuck on, and will need to be removed for spraying, so will need to be replaced.

[EvilAudi]

With all due respect, you're not correct. I got Lexus UK involved in my case as I could not believe what I was hearing from the Lexus "specialist" in my area. This kind of problem will write off a 5 or 6 year old car.

[JonnyWil]

With all due respect, you're not correct. I got Lexus UK involved in my case as I could not believe what I was hearing from the Lexus "specialist" in my area. This kind of problem will write off a 5 or 6 year old car.

Hi EvilAudi, can i just ask what triggered your Pop Up Hood?

[wh05apk]

It seems evilaudi incident was just a freak impact by something hitting the bumper near the sensor, and was just extremely unlucky.

In terms of cost and writing off an older car, an accident causing the bonnet to pop up I suspect would normally also fire the airbags which would cost thousands more, this is the cost of safety.

[JonnyWil]

It seems evilaudi incident was just a freak impact by something hitting the bumper near the sensor, and was just extremely unlucky.

In terms of cost and writing off an older car, an accident causing the bonnet to pop up I suspect would normally also fire the airbags which would cost thousands more, this is the cost of safety.

hi wh05apk, sadly mine was the same, I could not even find anything on the road or at the roadside to confirm what exactly had made contact but I was also told this was unlucky as the only damage done was the light lens scratching a tiny little bit of paint off the bumber when it flexed, the mark is around 5mm long!!! There was a smear in the surface dirt just above the fog lamp but not a single scuff or scratch to the paintwork once this was cleaned off.

[EvilAudi]

Yes, it was a muntjac deer - literally got on the road and ran towards me, single carriageway so nothing I could do apart from anchor on the brakes. Literally no other damage apart from slight cracking of the plastic housing around the registration plate.

[EvilAudi]

And by the way no airbags popped!