Leaderboard

Hi Tony, Glad you sorted out in the end and i am sure you will be happy with the Mercedes because is not a bad car. It would be nice if you could also post some pictures with the car and share more impressions about it with us. Dear Lexus dealers, Please read this topic and try to understand that acting like that and treating customers like objects it will run your business down. There is no point trying to rip off your customer every time when you should help them and find a solution that will work for both parts and like this you will definitely still have that loyal customer and maybe he will tell about the good experience to other people and make you gain a few more customers. All we ask is some respect for us not treat us like we are idiots, do the job properly and train your technicians do repair not only to replace.

Hi John, Yes, I'm still running it without Hybrid functionality. It runs absolutely fine, just with less economy. I haven't had much chance to fix it lately, but my findings are as follows; Read fault code. Checked all Hybrid fuses ok. Removed battery and reapplied to see if fault resets - it returned straight away. Put the car on a ramp to check ATF level - all is ok. While on the ramp, I checked the power to the pump - 14 volts present, so ok. I have come to the conclusion that the pump is at fault, not the pump controller or wiring. The cheapest price for a new pump is about £900 online, so I'm not prepared to pay that until there is no other option. On inspecting the pump, the electric motor housing appears to have got hot, which points towards an electrical fault with the pump. The brushes could be worn, or the motor needs rewinding. My next step is to remove the pump and check the brushes and windings and repair it. I just want to make sure I can remove the electric motor without the ATF draining out so I can still use the car, otherwise it will be off the road for a few days. I have contacted a motor re-winding shop who say they are likely to be able to rewind the motor for me. I hate this modern throw-away society. No one wants to repair anything anymore. I my opinion, everything is repairable!!! I'd rather repair the pump for £100 than spend £900 on a new one (well, who wouldn't). I will post again when I have an update. Regards, Giles.

Have just part exchanged my 2011 250 Advance for a new 300h Premier, having started the thread "Executive edition equipment" I finally decided the Premier equipment levels were what I needed and managed to get a cracking deal on a Premier the local dealer had just received. The deal forced me to accept silver rather than my prefered mercury grey however at least I could see the car I was buying and had my desired light grey interior, collect on Thursday. So have moved forums and look forward to corresponding with you all and the continued good natured, informed and friendly banter that sets Lexus apart from the German manufacturers.

Tony, Many thanks for the update on the GS450h. I hope that you have good service from the E Class. I kept mine. It is nearly 12 years old, done 192,000 miles and still gives over 50 mpg on any journey over 50 miles. It is not a Lexus however and a comparison is worthless as they are "chalk and cheese". Both are good, at what they are good at ! My researches have shown to me that the problem you experienced has been evident on the Prius (as you already knew).What I did not know was that Toyota recalled ALL Prius (in USA, JAPAN and EUROPE) built between 2004 and 2007.The fault was the same as yours. It is self evident that Lexus (Toyota) knew/know, of this and should have acted/should act, accordingly. The comments made by Adrian are more than pertinent and have my full support and should in my view be endorsed by all Lexus members of this forum. Lexus` inability to deal appropriately with this matter demands a full explanation from Lexus Corporate UK and Head Office in Japan. The owners of the best car in the World deserve much better in my view. Regards John

i bought 4 of these tyres Sport Maxx RT 215/45Y17 from kwik-fit they cost me £454.00 fully fitted (have to be purchased online for this price) perfomance ratings wet braking is an A fuel economy is an C noise level 67 Db i am really happy with these would buy them again the dunlop sport maxx has totally different ratings to the sport maxx rt tyre

It depends what you want the new tyre to do. The tyre manufacturers have to market their tyres with a rating of performance.Rolling resistance, wet weather grip and noise. Currently the bridgestone ecopia EP001S is "A" rated for rolling resistance and wet weather performance and is 70 dB rated whereas the Bridgestone efficient grip tyre is "A"rated for rolling resistance, "C" rated for weather performance and 67dB rated for noise. A lot of the grippier dry weather tyres actually have a higher rolling resistance "G" which just to confuse the issue, a high rolling resistance doesnt necessarily mean that its a dry weather grippy tyre , it can just mean that its a cheap and nasty article which is legal but not of much use. Also to confuse matters even more, it is possible to find that the tyre models change efficiency with size. IE the best tyre in one particular size isnt necessarily the best tyre in a different size. might have a higher rolling resistance for example.

.. I don't think I'd worry too much about the mileage ...... . just go on condition and service history and a " feel " for the guy you're buying it off and if he looks the type that would love and cherish his car ! Malc

Update: no issues since I disabled and removed the album artwork. iPod works now without any freezes or I am happy now, Music without issues. Lovin my 300h. Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

IS 300h - best car!! Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Hi all, here is what happened to my GS450h the Lexus dealers who had serviced it 15 times (full not essential ) offered me £900 against a smaller car. Mercedes Benz who had never heard of me paid me more than 3 times the bid against a lease on a new E Class, which also has servicing costs way less than half of Lexus rates, £30 RFL and averages 55MPG on each tankfull. That didn't take too much thinking about for a business vehicle. I do miss the GS, the Merc is not as nice or quite as fast (licence feels safer!) but it but it aint gonna be a disaster as I don't own it, less than £15 K over 3 years including servicing does it for me, I paid almost that in warranty and service costs after buying the Lexus with hard earned cash. I have decided these high tech cars are too complicated to own as the dealerships will not repair just whole unit replacement and nobody else is prepared to have a go. I could not spend another 6 K to replace the gearbox knowing the rest of the car had done 200 K.

SH car sales ad seems to show a 7 year gap between services? Not my idea of a full service history. The Cardiff car looks great in the pictures, but seems a bit overpriced, unless it's exceptional in the flesh, so to speak.

I recently had my 300h with ML in with the dealer for a week during which I was given a CT200 with standard audio as a courtesy car. Having always had ML systems as integral to the top-spec packages of the four IS's I have previously owned and therefore not having had a basis for comparison, the experience was a interesting one, and I am able to offer the following thoughts. (1) The clarity of the sound in the CT200, while acceptable and the equal of that of any standard Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volvo or Peugeot system I have experienced as a driver or passenger, was nowhere as good as that of the ML in the 300h, by which I mean that the clarity and detail were inferior in complex sounds of the type exemplified by symphony orchestras or jazz big-bands. Similarly, the combination of purity, realism and range on which the pleasure of listening to, for example, unaccompanied classical piano, chamber music or small-group jazz is much dependent, was far superior in the case of the ML. (2) As with most premium audio systems, whether domestic or mobile, the ML gives an impression of effortless performance, great reserves of unutilised power with no potential threat of distortion, and a general feeling of spaciousness. Not surprisingly, the standard system by comparison does not. (3) While it is difficult to say to what extent the foregoing impressions were influenced by the superior proofing of the 300h against road, tire and engine noise, I would judge the difference between models in this regard, if any, to be insufficient to invalidate the comparison. (4) As regards FM but more particularly DAB reception, I noted that the 300h is better in the sense that more stations are received for more of the time over a wider area. I really don't know if this has anything to do with a ML or non-ML system or whether the 300h simply has a better antenna (incorporated in the rear window and not sticking out of the roof as in the CT200). I would conclude that any music lover in possession of a substantial supply of well- recorded music of a nature that demands fidelity as distinct from mere adequacy of reproduction should plump for the ML system as a guarantee of excellence within the confines of a car that is in itself a product of excellence. In other words, if the cockpit of a 300h is a nice place to be, the ML makes it even nicer - and you are not going to procure the system anywhere else or reproduce your music better. Of course, the cost has got to be amortized over kilometers and time according to personal parameters, and even if the thought that Lexus has charged an extortionate price will always weigh on your mind, there are worse things in life on which to spend your money.

I think that John's response is spot on. There is a little bit of the unknown about Lexus compared with BMW and Audi. My brother in law has a 5 series BMW and he swears it is the worse car he has ever owned. It has cost him a forture and when he compared it to my IS250 SE he claimed the spec levels of the Lexus where miles better and also that it was a far more comfortable and refined car than his 5 series. People can't see past the badge, however I know mechanics who told me not to go near a user BMW or Audi because it was a certainly they would breakdown and cost thousands to fix. The UK public seem to think that Japanese cars are great shopping cars (Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris etc) however they cannot seem to get into the mind set that Lexus with the IS (and other models) have managed to create a car which can match the undoubted crafmanship of the Germany brands but can go further by adding the reliabilty aspect which the German car makers have never quite managed to master. I am be sure that if BMW and Audi drivers actually drove a Lexus at least 60% of them would seriously think about buying one. However to be honest I quite like the fact there are a limited number of Lexus on the UK roads, because somehow it makes you feel like you are in on a secret that most of the general population have not been made aware of yet. :ooh-ducky:

I think another point would be that there is no IS350 available, we have to stick with the 250 or 300h. A few people will go into the Lexus showroom, like the IS and then go buy a BMW 335i or a Mercedes C350. There is no IS choice for us with more than 220hp which is a shame.